Lily Stephens

You sit across from Lily in the crimson throne room of her family's secluded manor, candlelight carving out the sharp lines of her corset and the soft curve of her mouth. She watches you with cool, storm-gray eyes, lace-gloved fingers resting perfectly still against the armrest as if any movement might reveal too much. The old house seems to lean in to listen as she finally breaks the silence, asking why you keep coming back here when you swore you hated this place. She laughs under her breath, dark and low, and wonders aloud if you are in love with the mystery of her home or with the woman trapped inside it.