he storm had changed. What began as relentless rain had twisted into something colder, more dangerous. Thick, wet snowflakes now battered the windows of the Lockwood estate, hissing against the glass like whispers of dread. The landscape outside was quickly vanishing under layers of white, the trees bending under the weight of snow and ice. Roads were blocked. Communication lines crackled and failed. And inside the once-grand mansion, tension festered.“She’s been missing for almost three days now,” Cassie said, her voice raw from panic and sleeplessness. “And now the police are just… backing off?”Ellie clutched her phone tighter. Her eyes were puffy from crying, and her usually cheery face was pale. “They said the snowstorm is worse than anything we’ve seen in years. Landslides in the lower forest area. Collapsed roads. They’re focusing on rescuing trapped families first. They said they’ll continue the investigation once conditions improve.”Cassie slammed her fist onto the edge of
The wind outside had changed.It no longer howled with rage or slammed against the windows with wet fists. Now, it hissed and whispered like it was catching its breath. The rain had lightened, slowed, then gradually shifted—each drop stiffening, sharpening, until the soft, unmistakable tap of sleet began to echo against the roof.Minnie stood at the edge of the living room, arms wrapped around herself. Through the large front windows, she could see the forest canopy slowly frosting over. The sleet had begun to clump. Small piles of icy slush gathered along the ledges, shimmering in the pale gray light of the afternoon. The trees bowed gently under the growing weight, and the air outside looked thick with mist and cold.Snow would come next. She could feel it.“Forecast was clear until yesterday,” Ethan muttered from the corner, his voice raspier than usual.She turned to look at him.He was sitting near the fireplace again, adding another log, but slower this time. Much slower. His sh
Detective Rana wiped the fog off the window with a sleeve and let out a breath that misted again almost immediately. The storm outside was relentless, a wrathful sky unleashed. The rain hadn’t stopped for over thirty hours, and with the forest roads blocked by fallen trees and landslides, there was little they could do from the station.Until now.He turned back to the screen where grainy footage from a highway gas station played on loop. The video was timestamped a day and a half ago—barely visible through the static interference from the storm—but enough to make the room go silent.“There,” said Officer Jain, pointing. “Pause that. Enhance.”Rana squinted at the frozen frame. A black SUV parked at the far edge of the gas station lot. The rain obscured the finer details, but headlights briefly illuminated a blur of movement in the back seat.“Rewind ten seconds,” Rana ordered. “Play it again, slower.”Jain complied.The SUV came into view again, pulling up in a rush. One of the back
The storm showed no signs of mercy.It was as if the world outside had decided to drown itself in sorrow, matching Minnie’s own despair. The rain lashed relentlessly against the windows of the cottage, wind shrieking like the cries of the forgotten. Each gust bent the trees into submission, each strike of thunder rattled the bones of the little house tucked into the heart of the forest.The police had issued a travel advisory. Roads were flooded, power lines downed. A landslide had swept across the only drivable path near the northern forest highway—just hours after her car had crashed into the thicket.No search parties. No helicopters. No investigation.Until the skies cleared, Minnie was invisible to the rest of the world.She sat curled up on the couch, knees drawn to her chest beneath a worn knitted blanket. Her eyes were dry but hollow. The fire in the hearth sputtered, shadows dancing along the log walls. Somewhere upstairs, Ethan was pacing, though he hadn’t come down since la
Amanda’s heels clicked sharply against the marble floor of the Hunter estate. Her lips were painted a venomous red, hair twisted into a perfect updo as if chaos hadn’t touched her doorstep. But it had—and Hunter knew it.“I’m done, Amanda,” he snapped, flinging open the French doors to the study. “This is not what I signed up for.”Amanda followed, arms crossed, expression bored. “You say that every time I do something necessary.”“Necessary?” Hunter barked. “You blackmailed my brother’s wife. You released confidential information to the press. You’ve turned this entire family into a circus!”“Oh, spare me the morality act,” she said, smoothing a nonexistent wrinkle on her blouse. “You were more than happy to sit back and enjoy the chaos when it meant Ethan lost everything. Don’t pretend you grew a conscience overnight.”“I was angry at him. Not her.”Amanda’s eyes narrowed. “You’re growing soft. What happened to the man who said we’d burn them both to the ground?”“I found my soul,”
Minnie drifted somewhere between pain and darkness, a flicker of warmth brushing her temple as a gentle hand pressed a cool cloth against her forehead. A blurry silhouette hovered in the haze—tall, familiar. His voice, low and steady, came to her like wind through a tunnel.“You’re safe now. Just rest.”She tried to respond but her mouth wouldn’t cooperate. The world slipped again into black.In the moments between unconsciousness, she thought she saw Ethan.His face, shadowed by worry, appeared through the fog. She convinced herself it was a dream. Maybe it was a final hallucination before death, some twisted kindness from the universe, letting her believe she wasn’t alone. But when she woke again, it wasn’t a dream.She was alive.And she wasn’t in the car. Or the forest. Or a hospital.Minnie blinked rapidly, the dim golden glow of a lamp illuminating her surroundings in a warm, honeyed hue. Her head rested against a plush cushion, the scent of cedarwood and cinnamon mingling in th