The Cordelia

"Let the games begin!" His hand lifted. "We chase after dusk."

Madeline Miller is painfully ordinary. A university student drowning in debt, cigarettes, thrifted jeans, and the aching feeling that everyone else was taught how to live except her. Between late mornings, political conversations with her only real friend, and fantasies pulled from romance novels, her world feels unfinished. Temporary.

Then Mable invites her to the Cordelia.

Hidden deep within the mountains, the Cordelia promises an unforgettable retreat for lonely singles searching for connection. The estate is beautiful beyond reason: towering forests, roaring rivers, antique fireplaces, and men so charming they feel sculpted from fantasy itself.

But something beneath the retreat feels wrong.

Women hand over their phones without hesitation. The staff know too much. Strange books line the bedroom shelves, each title whispering warnings Madeline can't ignore. And everywhere she looks, she sees rings. Silver, black, engraved like ownership. This place is full of mind games, especially once the nightly "games" begin: after dusk, the women are sent into the woods, and the men follow close behind, hunting for whatever, or whoever they desire.

The deeper Madeline falls into the Cordelia's intoxicating atmosphere, the harder it becomes to tell desire from danger.

Because some places aren't designed to help you find love.

Some places are designed to keep you.

Welcome to the Cordelia.