The mountain air was thick with summer; woodsmoke curled from Jack’s outdoor firepit, dancing between the trees like ghosts of past lovers. Inside the cabin, the air was even hotter. Evelyn and Elena hadn’t spoken much after the earlier confrontation…

The house was quiet. Too quiet. Maddie lay on her back in the center of her massive bed, arms above her head, golden hair spilling like liquid sunlight across the silk pillows. A light summer breeze whispered through the open…

It had been two full days since Lucien spent the night at Jack’s cabin. Since then, Jack had gone back to his usual routine — splitting logs with his bare arms in the misty mornings, sanding the edge of a…

The cabin was quiet again, the evening sun casting long golden rays through the tall pine trees. Jack stood shirtless at the workbench, arms flexing as he planed a fresh slab of cedar. The scent of sawdust mixed with his…

Maddie barely slept. After Lucien left her curled in the furs of the greenhouse, after his final kiss and promise—“No one has to know. Unless you want them to.”—she’d stayed behind a while. Let the candles burn low. Let the…