The morning came sharp and bitter. Frost laced the edges of the windows, and the fire had died to ash. I woke to the sound of footsteps—measured, deliberate—moving across the cabin floor.
Daniel.
He wasn’t dressed in his usual suit but in dark jeans and a sweater, a look that should have softened him but didn’t. There was something about the way he stood in the center of the room, hands clasped behind his back, that made me think of a soldier waiting to give orders.
He didn’t look at me when he spoke.
“Sit down, Emma.”
My body obeyed before my mind did. The edge of the couch felt too firm beneath me, my hands folded tightly in my lap. I tried to steady my breathing, but it sounded loud in the silence.
Daniel finally turned. His eyes met mine, calm and sharp as glass.
“You’ve been ke
