The Cost of a Black Heart

James and Charlie are a devoted couple bound by a love that has endured since their orphaned childhood.

Now living in the rigid confines of Victorian society, they face a heartbreaking dilemma: Charlie, an intersex man with a fragile heart condition, cannot survive the strain of bearing the child they both desperately long for.

Each time they try, the aftermath leaves Charlie fighting for his life, and James grappling with frustration and guilt.

And there's more: there's a dark secret only James knows-two years ago, in a fit of desperation, he visited a witch doctor who promised there was a way to save Charlie: by replacing his heart with one as black as James's own.

Consumed by love and guilt, James has spent years secretly murdering men, women, and children in cities across Europe, literally stealing their hearts in a twisted, hopeless search to find the one that would save his beloved.

As the bodies pile up, James descends further into the dark, torn between his love for Charlie and the monster he's becoming, and, when Charlie becomes pregnant, he spirals even faster... It's a race against time.

When the police begin investigating the string of gruesome murders, James must decide how far he's willing to go to protect Charlie from the truth-and from himself. As his secret world of blood and shadows begins to unravel, the couple is thrust into a devastating confrontation with the cost of their dreams, forcing them to choose between love, sacrifice, and the lengths they're willing to go to survive.

With gothic suspense, tragic romance, and a web of deadly secrets, "The Cost of a Black Heart" is a chilling exploration of love, obsession, and the dark price of salvation.