Chapter 67 – Night in the Rain

The rain began in the afternoon and did not stop. It was not violent. It was the kind of rain that washes noise from streets and leaves a city tender. Alexander had planned the drive the night before, but the storm changed the route from a long ribbon of highway to a patient climb through a mountain road that wound like a blue thread through dark trees.

They reached the cottage near dusk. It sat where the forest opened just enough to reveal a narrow valley and a slice of river. The cottage belonged to Celeste, though no one would know it by looking. It was not grand. It was careful. Stone hearth. Low shelves filled with books whose spines had softened in many hands. Blankets folded in a basket near the fire. The scent of cedar and old paper. A place for breath.

Evelyn stepped inside and felt something in her shoulders let go. She set her bag near the door and went to the window. Rain moved across the valley in veil after veil, each one drawing a softer line between ear