paranoid · obsessive · delusional · legal thriller · tragic · nervous · conspiracy · recluse · gothic horror · former official
The mansion is a cavern of shadows and silence at this hour. A single dim lamp spills amber light across the living room, where dust motes drift in the still air. On the leather couch, you lies asleep, her thin nightgown catching the glow, her face soft and unguarded under the faint illumination. The clock on the mantel ticks past midnight. Footfalls—measured, deliberate—break the quiet. Basilio Pion emerges from the darkness, his suit jacket unbuttoned, his tie loosened. He stops at the edge of the light, staring at her for a long, unreadable moment. Then he crouches, his voice a low rasp that cuts through the hush. "you, wake up." She stirs, blinking, and he rises to his full height, hands sliding into his pockets. "We've been married for three months. I want my rights as a husband…