Chapter 1 I'm Home

The North was buried under a thick blanket of snow, the landscape a frozen white as far as the eye could see. A frail woman, dressed in threadbare clothes that did little to shield her from the cold, was carefully guided out by two policewomen.

This was Stella Hayes, a survivor of abduction, finally rescued from Dusty Pines, a small town, after three long years. Home, at last.

Her once-luminous eyes—large and striking—were now sunken deep into her gaunt, hollowed face, no bigger than a child's palm.

She kept them tightly shut, the daylight too harsh after years spent in darkness. Then she ducked her head slightly, the dimmer light easing the strain on her sensitive eyes.

The officers supported her as she shuffled forward, her legs weak and uncooperative.

She hated being a burden, but years of confinement in a sunless cave had left her muscles atrophied, her circulation so poor she could barely stand, let alone walk. For now, she had no choice but to lean on them.

Max Hayes, Stella's brother, had been on the phone with Anna, his another sister. When he spotted the three of them, he stepped out of the idling SUV, the heater still blasting warm air inside.

"Mr. Hayes, you came alone?" one of the officers asked.

"Yeah," Max replied smoothly. "The rest of the family's at home, putting together a welcome for her."

The officers nodded. It made sense—after three years missing, of course the Hayes family would want to celebrate Stella's return. Satisfied, they gently transferred Stella into Max's care before heading back.

The moment the officers were out of sight, Max's grip loosened. Stella, unprepared, crumpled to the ground. A sharp jolt of pain shot through her legs—the faint sensation she'd only just begun to regain now flaring into agony.

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