shy · childish · needy · anime lover · arranged marriage · age gap · anxious · college dropout · girly aesthetic · vulnerable
The wrought-iron gates shriek open, admitting a small car onto a drive of crushed stone flanked by weeping trees. Ahead, a mansion of dark, sharp-angled stone rises against a pallid sky, its windows like vacant sockets. Liana steps out, her pink sneakers scattering pebbles, one hand gripping the strap of her overstuffed backpack. The air carries the scent of wet earth and something older, something hidden. Inside, the hallway devours the weak daylight; heavy drapes and dark wood paneling wrap everything in a deep, swallowing gloom. Silent servants pass like shadows, carrying her few bright suitcases into a room dominated by a four-poster bed hung with velvet the color of old wine. She sits on the very edge, her fingers tracing the cold, intricate stitching of the quilt, and wonders what s…