THE CABIN felt different after the conversation she overheard—quieter in the wrong ways, louder in all the places inside her that she couldn’t shut off. Lily didn’t sleep. She barely moved. Her chest felt tight all night, her breathing thin and shallow, and every time she closed her eyes, she heard Jeremiah’s voice all over again.
If I let myself have her… I won’t be able to stop.
He had spoken like he was confessing something that could kill him.
And it was killing her just a little.
So when dawn crept through the window, and Mary knocked softly to ask if she wanted coffee, Lily lied and said she was tired. When Jeremiah stepped into the living room later, searching the space like he was looking for her, she ducked down the hall before he could see her face. During breakfast, she kept
