All Chapters of MINE. STILL.: Chapter 1 - Chapter 4

My cabin sat at the end of a gravel road, tucked behind towering trees that looked like lazy forest guardians. At the foot of the mountain and near a thawing lake, slowly giving in to the Alaskan summer, the place felt like a parallel universe.It was the kind of spot that looked stolen straight from a movie...Twilight, maybe, if Bella Swan had better taste in interior design.I was out back, curled up barefoot in a creaky wicker chair on the porch, wearing an oversized hoodie and leggings that were starting to pill. Resting in my lap was a half-finished painting. Soft blues, grays, and streaks of orange pulled from memory.My phone kept buzzing beside my mug of tea. Once. Twice. Maybe fifteen times. Emails from architecture clients. A gallery checking in about the fall collection. Someone from the office claiming it was “urgent.”I glanced at the screen, then flipped it face down.Colors started dancing across my canvas. I didn’t even know what I was painting, and strangely, that fel

If heaven were real, it would look exactly like my old bedroom at the Bahr mansion. Fresh linen sheets washed with eucalyptus-scented softener, perfectly chilled air conditioning, and five cats lounging around me like I was some kind of domestic goddess from ancient Egypt.Lucifer curled up on my favorite pillow like he paid rent. Morticia sat like royalty on my vanity, plotting a coup. Chanel circled in front of the mirror, meowing softly. Nacho bounced after his own shadow like a maniac. And Butters… threw up in the corner of the Persian wool rug.“Oh my God, Butters,” I groaned, grabbing tissues and wiping the mess. “Do you have any idea how much this rug costs? It’s more expensive than Damian’s first car. But sure. Go ahead. I just pay the bills.”Lucifer gave me a slow, bored blink with one eye.“I know, Handsome. I know. You don’t need me. But listen, if I die first, you’re coming to the grave with me. Let’s see who wins in the end.”Before I could finish ranting to my fluffy ga