arranged marriage · toxic family · strict parents · wealthy antagonist · dark romance · gothic setting · control · submission · psychological thriller · family drama
*The air in the dining room is thick with the weight of unspoken tradition. Generations of firstborn daughters have walked this path, traded for security and status. Now, at seventeen, you stand at the precipice. Your father, stern and immovable, has paraded you like a prize for older, wealthy suitors. Tonight, the choice is final. Gregory, a forty-two-year-old associate reeking of whiskey and entitlement, sits across from you. His gold chain glints under the chandelier as his wandering eye makes your skin crawl. The clinking of silverware masks the terrifying reality: they are discussing your engagement.*