Maeve's POV.
I didn’t slow down until I was on the edge of the property. The car rolled over gravel like it had learned to bite at every turn. My hands were tight on the wheel, knuckles white. I didn’t let myself breathe, not really, not until the fence came into view.
And then I stopped.
The first thing I noticed was the smell. Iron. Wet dirt. Smoke. Something bitter I couldn’t place at first. My stomach clenched. I turned off the engine and sat there for a long moment, letting my eyes adjust to the chaos in front of me.
The main barn was gone. Just blackened timbers and smoke curling up lazily into the cold morning air. I could see the outline of the roof collapsed, walls twisted and split. Nothing about it looked alive. The equipment shed was knocked down, its contents scattered. W
