The cabin stood tucked beneath tall pines, smoke curling from its chimney like a quiet signal. It wasn’t grand. But it looked… solid.
He stepped down and opened the door, standing aside.
“It’s warm inside,” he said. “You don’t have to go in.”
She hesitated.
Warmth meant walls. Walls meant being trapped.
But the door stood wide open.
No lock in sight.
She stepped in.
A fire crackled steady in the hearth. Two plates waited on the table. A kettle steamed gently.
Cole poured hot water into a tin cup. “There’s stew if you’re hungry. Blanket’s on the chair.”
