Dean
Every step I took toward that clearing felt like dragging a boulder behind me.
I’d told myself I was ready.
Ready to find my son’s body. Ready to see what Gavin had become—what I had failed to stop. Ready to face the consequences of everything I hadn’t done as a father.
But I wasn’t ready.
Not for this.
Not for the fear tearing through me like claws in my gut. Not for the hope scratching at the surface despite everything.
I pushed through the final line of trees—and there she was.
Taryn.
Alive.
Her hair was a mess, her face bruised, eyes glassy with exhaustion, but she was standing. Breathing.
“Dean,” she whispered the moment she saw me.
And then she was running.
I caught her like I’d been holding my breath since the moment she disappeared. My arms wrapped around her as t
