"Whispers of the Forgotten"

Lydia Montgomery has spent years burying herself in the past, unable to move on from the tragic death of her fiancé Michael, who died in a car accident three years ago. She has avoided the world of love and desire and immersed herself in her work as an art historian.

One evening, as she sat in her dimly lit apartment, an envelope arrived. There is no return address, only her name in elegant, unfamiliar script. It is an invitation.

"An invitation to Lord Ashford's estate," it read. "Where past and future mingle. Midnight, the hour of truth."

The letter stirred something in Lydia—a restless curiosity. She has heard rumors about Lord Ashford, a reclusive millionaire with a shadowy past, rumored to be involved in strange disappearances and lost loves.

Her heart flutters as she decides to go. Something about the letter tugged at him, something he couldn't quite understand.

Lydia arrived at the Ashford estate under a pale, moonlit sky. The mansion stood tall, casting an eerie shadow over the land. Its massive doors swung open automatically, almost as if it was waiting for her. With each step inside, he felt the weight of a history he couldn't contain.

A man with piercing blue eyes and a powerful presence greeted her at the door.

“Miss Montgomery,” he said. "I am Damon Ashford, cousin of Lord Ashford. He is waiting for you."

Damon led her through the maze of dark corridors, his eyes never leaving hers. Finally, they reached a large study where Lord Ashford was waiting for her. The man standing in front of her was startling - his dark hair, sharp jaw and stormy gray eyes piercing right through her.

"Welcome, Miss Montgomery," he said in a voice that sent chills down her spine. "I've been waiting for you."

Lydia's heart fluttered, a strange connection formed between them from the first glance. But her unease was permanent, like a shadow she couldn't escape.

Over the next few days, Lydia finds herself drawn into Ashford's world. His mansion was filled with art, history, and ruins from another era, all waiting to be uncovered. But it wasn't just the mansion that captivated her; Ashford was himself. His presence invited her and with each meeting Lydia felt a pull, as if she knew him already.

One evening, Ashford invited her to a secret room beneath the mansion - one that had been sealed for centuries. Inside, Lydia discovered a figure who looked like a woman, standing next to a man she didn't recognize. On the plaque below the portrait was written, "Eliza Montgomery, 1824."

“Who is she?” Lydia whispered, her pulse quickening.

Ashford’s eyes darkened. “She is Eliza, a woman I loved long ago. And you, Miss Montgomery, are her descendant.”

Lydia felt a strange shiver run through her. “What does this mean? Why do I feel like I know her?”

Ashford’s expression softened, his gaze heavy with pain. “Because you are Eliza, reborn. The curse that binds us is a part of time. A love lost and trapped, waiting to be released.”

As the days passed, Lydia learned more about Eliza’s tragic story. Eliza had been Ashford’s love in another life, but their love had been shattered by betrayal and death. Eliza has mysteriously disappeared, and Ashford believes she is cursed to return, her spirit forever bound to the palace.

“The curse can only be broken,” Ashford explains one evening, “if you—if we—embrace what was once lost. But the price is too high. To break the curse, you must choose: stay with me, or let the past fade away forever.”

The air in the palace thickened with tension, and Lydia knew her life was no longer her own. Ashford’s presence consumed her every thought, but her mind was shattered.

One stormy night, the palace shook as lightning struck the sky. The walls seemed alive, as if resisting the inevitable. In the secret chamber, the air thickened with power, and Eliza’s apparition appeared before Lydia, her form faint but unmistakably real. His eyes locked with Lydia's, and in that moment everything became clear.

The shadowy figure spoke in a voice both familiar and unfamiliar. "The love you seek... is a gift and a curse. You must choose, Lydia. Being with Ashford means living in a past that was never meant to be."

Tears welled up in Lydia's eyes. "I love him, but the price... I can't bear it."

Ashford walked over to her, his voice pleading, "You are Eliza. We can be together again."

Lydia's heart broke as she faced the impossible decision. She loved him—she always had—but she couldn't stay stuck in the past.

With one final, heartbreaking kiss, Lydia turned away. The curse was broken. The palace shuddered and crumbled, its centuries-old secrets turned to dust. The tormentor of Ashford

As the first rays of dawn lit up the sky, Lydia stood at the edge of the estate, watching the sunrise. The love between her and Ashford will remain - an echo of another life, forever haunting her heart, but never able to control her again.