The Haunting Vow

The moon hung low in the sky, casting an eerie glow over the old, ivy-covered mansion that had been the scene of many a family gathering. The air was thick with anticipation and dread, as the grand wedding of Eliza and David was to take place that evening. Eliza, a young woman with a heart full of love and a mind full of questions, couldn't shake the feeling that something was amiss.

As the hours ticked by, David's peculiar behavior grew more pronounced. He was distant, his eyes hollow, and he often seemed to be in another world entirely. Eliza's mother, a woman of few words, watched her son with a mix of concern and sorrow. It wasn't until the night before the wedding that Eliza received the first glimmer of the truth.

She had been flipping through her grandmother's old diary when she stumbled upon a passage that mentioned a bridegroom from beyond, a spirit trapped in the mansion's walls, vowing to claim the next bride that walked through the front door. Eliza's heart raced as she realized that David was not the man she thought he was. He was the Bridegroom from Beyond, and he had chosen her.

The following morning, as the guests arrived and the wedding preparations were in full swing, Eliza couldn't shake the feeling that David was not the same man who had proposed to her. His eyes were cold, and she could sense a darkness that seemed to consume him. As the ceremony began, Eliza's father, a man of strong faith, turned to her with a look of determination.

"Eliza, you must listen to your heart," he whispered. "This man is not who you think he is."

Ignoring her father's warning, Eliza exchanged vows with David, her voice trembling with the weight of her uncertainty. The guests cheered, but Eliza felt nothing but dread. The wedding night was to be a celebration, but it was fraught with tension and foreboding.

As they retired to their suite, Eliza couldn't resist the urge to confront David. "Why did you choose me?" she demanded, her voice barely above a whisper.

David's eyes flickered with a malevolent glint. "Your family has wronged me," he replied, his voice echoing with the anger of centuries. "I have waited for this moment, for a chance to exact my revenge."

Eliza's heart sank. She had heard tales of the mansion's dark history, but she never imagined that it would touch her so closely. Her parents, unaware of the true nature of David's identity, had been responsible for the tragic death of a young woman many years ago. The Bridegroom from Beyond had chosen her as his next victim.

As the night wore on, Eliza's fear turned to panic. She knew she had to escape, to break the curse that had been cast upon her family. She whispered a silent plea to her ancestors, hoping they would guide her to safety.

In the midst of her turmoil, a sudden chill ran down her spine. David was standing behind her, his hand extended towards her. She spun around, her eyes wide with terror, but there was no one there. She had seen the Bridegroom's reflection in the mirror, his eyes filled with malice and determination.

The next morning, Eliza's parents awoke to find their daughter missing. The police were called, and a search party was assembled. But Eliza was no longer in the mansion. She had escaped, her heart pounding with the knowledge that she had narrowly avoided becoming a statistic in the mansion's dark history.

Days turned into weeks, and Eliza's parents were no closer to finding their daughter. The mansion remained abandoned, its doors locked and its windows boarded up. The Bridegroom from Beyond had claimed his victim, and the mansion was silent, save for the whispering winds that carried the echoes of a tragedy that had been allowed to continue for far too long.

Eliza's journey to uncover the truth had led her to a place of darkness, but it had also given her the strength to face her family's past and to break the cycle of tragedy. The Bridegroom from Beyond had chosen her, but she had chosen to live, to fight for her family's redemption, and to honor the memory of the young woman whose life had been stolen.

In the end, the mansion stood as a reminder of the past, a haunting vow that had been fulfilled. But for Eliza, it was also a testament to the resilience of the human spirit, and the power of love to overcome even the darkest of curses.