Some love stories never end. Some curses never die. As Emily Gray enters the tiny, abandoned town of Durnham Hollow to research the estate she's inherited from a distant, deceased relative she's never met, she has no idea she's entering a life she's already lived. centuries ago. Within the crumbling walls of Blackwood Estate is a cursed wedding dress, a stubborn mirror that will not share the moment, and a veil that breathes out forgotten vows. While Emily works to uncover the mystery of a dead bride, Isabella Blackwood, she finds herself receiving visions, memories. and someone else's feelings. For Emily is more than a guest to this haunted house-she is Isabella, reincarnate. And he-the unloosening groom-has waited. Tied by a blood oath and a love that overcame death, the ghost of the groom has waited for centuries, observing, waiting for the soul of his beloved to return so their incomplete wedding can at last be completed... even if it means pulling Emily into death to make it so. Now Emily is forced to confront a terror worse than her worst nightmares: to escape is to lose a part of herself, but to surrender is to seal her fate for eternity. To shatter the curse, she will need to uncover what actually occurred on that fateful wedding night... and confront the ghost of a love that will not die. Will she cut the threads of the cursed-or be woven into them once more?
The lace adorned wedding gown displayed on the mannequin remained aged, but the silk bodice was untarnished. Time had not withered the gown, however, their was a shimmer in the fabric that did not look nice. Draped with silk, the edges had a dim shimmer, which emitted something odd.
A draft moving under her cloak caused Emily Carter to shiver as she caught eyes with the peculiar wedding shop. She remained in disbelief about the supernatural, but the legends and heresay about the Veil of Sorrow was something that couldn't be simply neglected.
In her late night newscasts, she had heard of a dress that so many people wore, but those who did were bound to death and Emily had to suffer through many quirky encounters as an investigative journalist, but they are nothing now compared to this one. The last sight of the dress was in Blackwood, a rural town which sat on the outskirts of nowhere.
After traveling on barren roads for kilometers with minimal satellite connection, she finally arrived at the building.
"Seems like you're lost in the wrong series of places," were the first Mrs. Holloway's words. She had sunken eyes and looked as if she'd been through years of endless struggle. "Your presence here isn't safe."
"I'm present to uncover the story."
With a simple shrug of her shoulders, Emily inched towards the dress. "There's always a how and a why; it's not spoiling anything if I tell you every starting point can keep you awake at the end," she said with evident sarcasm.
"You aren't the first to cross that path. That zealous hiker ended up in the graveyard," she continued, allowing a faint shudder to stem from her.
"Which makes me suspect you have something to recount, wouldn't it?"
Slow to respond, the old woman finally managed a draw out sigh.
"Backtracking towards my first tale. It starts in 1876. The first victim is Isabella Devereux. Defined by her gentle beauty, she was a young bride. Life never seemed pleasant considering she was literally slaughtered on her wedding night, courtesy of the man who loved her best."
"Murdered?" Emily asked, clearly confused.
Mrs. Holloway looked away from Emily with a lingering gaze at the dress. "Her spouse never desired to wed her. There was someone he adored. But the... Setting off the jealousy... "So, on their wedding day, he locked Isabella in their bridal suite and set the room on fire."
Emily grimaced, trying not to feel sick.
"That's distressing," she attempted to sound calm. Mrs. Holloway's grin vanished. "The townspeople still remember... the outfit was unharmed and survived the fire." Mrs. Holloway pointed a finger at each listener as she continued. "Isabella, along with all the women that wore the gown, died disintegrated into sadness."
Emily shivered the moment she touched the edge of the garment and slowly began to withdraw her fingers away from it. She felt her gaze turning sideways into oblivion.
She was gone from the shop for a couple of seconds.
She was standing in a fine ballroom with chandeliers lighting high overhead and beautiful music being played. But there was a smoky smell in the air. The walls grew darker as fire traced along the curtains. In the distance, someone screamed.
Emily was brought back to reality with a scream and pulled her hand back.
Mrs. Holloway took her wrist in hers. "You saw her, didn't you?"
Emily nodded and gulped hard.
"Then it's already too late for you."
Chapter 1 The Curse of the Bride
28/03/2025
Chapter 2 The Bride Who Whispers
28/03/2025
Chapter 3 The Ledger of the Dead
28/03/2025
Chapter 4 The Initial Evening
28/03/2025
Chapter 5 The Dress Is Motionless
28/03/2025
Chapter 6 The Initial Vision
28/03/2025
Chapter 7 The Groom Who Is Not Visible
28/03/2025
Chapter 8 A Near-Home Death
28/03/2025
Chapter 9 The Secret of the Mansion
28/03/2025
Chapter 10 The Ignored Marriage
28/03/2025
Chapter 11 The Groom Who Was Damned
28/03/2025
Chapter 12 Mirror Reflections
28/03/2025
Chapter 13 Shroud in Shadow
28/03/2025
Chapter 14 Thoughts of the Damned
28/03/2025
Chapter 15 The Quiet of a Town
28/03/2025
Chapter 16 The Blackwood Alert
28/03/2025
Chapter 17 The Secret Room
28/03/2025
Chapter 18 Voices in the Dark
28/03/2025
Chapter 19 The Bride's Struggle
28/03/2025
Chapter 20 The Weight of the Veil
28/03/2025
Chapter 21 The Restricted Bride
29/03/2025
Chapter 22 Midnight Vows
01/04/2025
Chapter 23 A Dance with the Dead
01/04/2025
Chapter 24 The Blackwood Tragedy
04/04/2025
Chapter 25 The Wedding Reborn
04/04/2025
Chapter 26 The Blood Oath
04/04/2025
Chapter 27 The Bride's Revenge
04/04/2025
Chapter 28 The Forgotten Vow
04/04/2025
Chapter 29 A Bridegroom from the Tomb
04/04/2025
Chapter 30 The Veil Blazes
04/04/2025
Chapter 31 The Last March
04/04/2025
Chapter 32 The Last Kiss
05/04/2025
Chapter 33 The Bone Ring Is Back
05/04/2025
Chapter 34 The Legacy of the Dead Groom
05/04/2025
Chapter 35 The Sealed Tomb
05/04/2025
Chapter 36 Vows Written in Blood
05/04/2025
Chapter 37 The Dress Wakens Once More
05/04/2025
Chapter 38 The Bride's Eyes
05/04/2025
Chapter 39 Mirror of the Vow
05/04/2025
Chapter 40 Ashes and Answers
06/04/2025
Other books by Esther70
More