Hi Galadriel - A nice piece of Gothic Revenge! After reading the opening, I thought, 'Oh-Oh! - A romance - and I don't much like romantic tales!'
So the end came as a big relief.
If I have a crit, it is that a man who has had his head brutally severed, particularly by a comparatively weak woman, is unlikely to present the idyllic image you describe:
QUOTE
His beautiful face. Relaxed into the softness of sleep. His eyelashes, tinged with gold, lay like tiny fans against his cheeks. His perfect lips slightly parted as if smiling in a dream.
I have a strong suspicion that his, 'perfect lips' would have been parted in a rictus of pure horror and agony; and his eyes would be wide open and bulging from his dark red, blood engorged face.
You are good at the surprise ending - but violent death is not a pretty sight.
Leo