Château Montjoie was a charming tower castle, tucked away behind tall pine trees, its pebbled driveway lined with luxurious vintage cars. Their wealthy, retired owners came daily for lunch.A carefully laid path led to the former castle greenhouses, now...

The door handle slowly turned as I rocked the chair back and forth, trying to shatter it and free myself. My first thought was that Alban had returned, but the person on the other side didn’t rush in. After...