CHAPTER 001
I sit by the window, the cool air from the forest filling the room, carrying with it the scent of pine and earth. The wind is restless today, a far cry from the stillness I’ve grown accustomed to. It shakes the branches of the trees outside, whispering secrets only the forest knows. But it’s not the wind that’s unsettling. It’s the memories, always the memories, that seem to stir the quiet air in my chest.
I glance at the photograph in my hands. It’s worn, frayed at the edges, the ink starting to fade around the edges of our smiles. Caleb and I, standing side by side, a time before everything fell apart. Before I understood what betrayal truly was. We look so happy, so in love. I was so blind.
My hand trembles slightly as I trace the outlines of our faces, the faces of two people who thought they had all the time in the world. I want to throw the photo away, to burn it or bury it in the ground, but I can’t bring myself to do it. Not yet. There’s something about this image that ties me to a past I’ve tried to forget, a life I no longer want to remember, but can’t seem to completely let go of.
Why did he leave me?
The question I’ve asked myself every day since he walked out of our lives. It never gets any easier to answer. Maybe that’s because, somewhere deep down, I’m still hoping that one day, he’ll give me an answer that will make sense of it all. An explanation, a reason that might make the pain of those first few months easier to swallow. But I know that’s a fantasy. A childish wish I don’t have the luxury of indulging in anymore.
The wind howls outside again, louder this time, and I shake my head, trying to clear it of thoughts that only bring back that familiar sting. I have to stop thinking about him. Stop wondering what went wrong, what I could have done differently. It’s been years since I last saw him, and yet, his absence has lingered longer than his presence ever did. That, I never expected.
The girls are out playing in the yard—Sophia, Lila, and Ember, my triplets, the little girls who saved me from losing myself completely. They’re the reason I’m still here, still breathing, still trying to make a life despite everything that’s happened. They don’t know the pain I carry. They don’t understand the depth of the emptiness their father’s absence left behind. They don’t know the man who was supposed to be their father, the one who swore he’d be there for them—who swore he’d be there for me.
**I couldn’t let them know.**
I try to push the thought away, to focus on what I need to do. It’s hard, though, when the house feels too quiet, when the only noise is the wind outside and the faint rustle of the photograph still clenched in my hand. I close my eyes for a moment, taking in a slow breath, trying to center myself. I’ve raised them on my own. I’ve made a life here in Spindale, away from everything and everyone that reminded me of him. Away from the pain he left behind.
But some days, like today, the past catches up with me, and I’m pulled back to a time I’d rather forget.
I set the photograph down on the windowsill and stand up, pacing the room. I can’t sit still. I never have been able to. I walk toward the fireplace, running my hand over the mantle where I’ve placed a few simple things: a candle, a couple of framed pictures of the girls, a small vase of wildflowers I picked on one of my walks through the forest. They are the only things that truly feel like mine—no reminants of the life I had before. No reminders of him.
But still, his presence lingers.
It was almost six years ago when Caleb left. Six years. Sometimes it feels like a lifetime ago, and other times, it feels like it just happened yesterday. I still remember that day so clearly—the way the air felt thick, heavy with unspoken words, as if the world itself knew what was coming. He had come to the house, his eyes dark with something I couldn’t quite place, and I knew. I knew the moment he walked through the door that it was over.
I had been eight months pregnant with our triplets. Eight months, and he had left me. Left us. Just like that. **How could he do that?**
I had always believed that love could survive anything—that the bond we shared was unbreakable. But what happens when the one person you trust most in the world breaks that bond? What happens when the love you thought you had is just… gone?
The pain was almost unbearable at first. I can still remember the coldness in his eyes when he said it, the way his voice trembled just a little, but he never apologized. Never once said he was sorry. He had his reasons, he said, but they weren’t good enough. Not for me. Not for the babies growing inside me. His reasons didn’t matter.
I thought the pain would kill me. I thought the betrayal would swallow me whole. But somehow, I survived. I had to. There was no other choice. When I found out I was pregnant with triplets, it was as though my world shifted overnight. I had always wanted a family, and I thought that Caleb and I would build that family together. But instead, I was left alone—alone with three lives inside me and a future I had never expected.
I had to get out. Get away from everything. From him. So I moved to Spindale, a quiet town far from the noise of my past. No one knew me here. No one knew the pain I carried, or the betrayal that had almost destroyed me. I could start over. I could give my children a life that was untouched by what had happened.
The girls were born in Spindale. The triplets, Sophia, Lila, and Ember. Three little souls who came into the world with fire in their eyes and hearts bigger than I could have ever imagined. They were my everything, my reason for breathing, for waking up every day and fighting through the pain.
I raised them alone, and I did it without asking for anyone’s help. Because **I didn’t need him**. Not Caleb. Not anyone.
But there was always a part of me that wondered. A part of me that wondered *why*—why he left me, why he abandoned us. I told myself I didn’t care. Told myself it didn’t matter. But the truth was, it always had. I had built this life for my daughters, a life without him. A life where I was strong, independent, a mother who would never be betrayed again. I wasn’t the same person I had been when Caleb left. I couldn’t be.
But still, the question lingered. Why did he leave me?
The girls, unaware of the storm inside me, run through the yard, their laughter echoing through the trees. Sophia, the oldest by mere seconds, leads the way, her wild hair flying in the wind. Lila chases after her, her giggles like music to my ears, and Ember follows behind, quieter than the others, but with a watchful gaze that reminds me so much of myself.
I can’t help but smile at them, at their innocence. They don’t know what it’s like to be abandoned by the person who was supposed to love you unconditionally. To be betrayed. To feel like you’re not enough. I’ll make sure they never have to feel that.
I walk out to the porch, my heart lighter just from watching them. I wish I could protect them from everything, from all the hurt in the world. But I know better now. I know the world doesn’t care about the promises it makes.
Sophia waves at me, her smile bright and untainted, and for a moment, I let myself believe that maybe, just maybe, I’ve done something right in this life. I’ve given them everything they need to feel loved, to feel safe. They’ll never know the pain I’ve carried.
At least, not until they’re older. Not until they’re old enough to understand that sometimes, even love isn’t enough.
I stand there for a moment longer, my breath steady, before turning to head back inside. But before I can reach the door, I hear it. A rustling sound, faint but distinct. My breath catches in my throat, my pulse quickening as my eyes dart to the trees behind the cabin.
Something is out there!..
I freeze, every instinct inside me screaming. It’s not a deer, not a rabbit. The air around me thickens, and I know, without a doubt, that I’m not alone.
I force myself to take a slow breath, steadying my nerves. Whatever it is, I’ll face it. I’ve faced worse.
But the thought that grips me now is not of the thing watching me from the trees. It’s a thought that I know I can’t shake. I’ve survived Caleb’s betrayal, but what if I’m about to face something worse?
What if my past is coming for me?