POV: Ava
The cold was no longer just a sensation; it was a predator, gnawing at my bones, trying to slow my heart until it stopped entirely. I stood in the shadow of the cabin, the heavy hunting knife in my hand, staring at the man who had been the architect of my misery for the last few weeks.
Briggs didn't move. He stood with his hands raised, his silhouette framed by the jagged pines and the swirling white ghost of a blizzard.
"I'm not here to hurt you, Ava," he said again, his voice cracking. "I'm here because I'm a fool who finally found the bottom of his own soul."
"Why should I trust you?" I hissed, the wind whipping my hair across my face. My feet were numb, my chest felt like it was being crushed by a giant's fist, but my eyes never left his. "You've been Mark's shadow. You're the reason Leo is in that SUV. You're the reason I'm bleeding in a forest!"
