1 ~ The Unexpected Visit.

The gravel crunched under the tires as I pulled up before the cabin, the late-afternoon sun slanting through the pines and painting everything gold. 

I hadn’t seen Victor—my father-in-law—in over a year, not since the wedding. Back then he had been all gruff handshakes and quiet approval, towering over everyone in his dark suit, silver threading through his black hair like frost on coal. 

Now I was here alone for the weekend because my husband, his son, had a last-minute work trip. “Dad offered the cabin,” he had said casually. “You two can bond.”

Bond. Right.

I killed the engine and stepped out, the air...