Chapter 5 - The Cabin in the Pines
The Range Rover bounced heavily over the final stretch of gravel driveway before stalling out in front of a rustic, timber-framed cabin tucked deep into the dense North Carolina pine forest.
The windows glowed with a warm, amber light from a wood-burning fireplace inside. No other houses were visible for miles—just miles of towering trees, black rain, and the distant rush of a mountain stream.
Archer cut the engine. The silence inside the cabin of the car was deafening.
He pushed the door open, stepping out into the freezing downpour. The cold rain soaked through his suit jacket in seconds, chilling him to the bone, but he barely felt it. He walked up the wooden porch steps, his boots thudding heavily against the cedar planks.
He raised his fist and knocked on the heavy oak door.
Once. Twice. Three times.
Inside, the movement stopped. The quiet was absolute.
"Nora," Archer called out, his voice cracking against the wind. "Nora, please. I know you're in there. Open the door. Let me talk to you."
No sound from inside.
He tried the brass doorknob. Locked.
"Nora, please! I drove four hours through a storm to get here. I'm not leaving until you talk to me."
The lock clicked.
The door slowly swung inward, pushed open by a foot or two. Standing in the doorway was Lucas Sterling, his sleeves rolled up, his expression like granite. Behind him, sitting by the stone hearth wrapped in a heavy wool quilt with a cup of tea in her hands, was Nora.
She looked pale, exhausted, and impossibly fragile. But as her eyes met his, there was no fear in them. Just an immense, crushing disappointment.
"You shouldn't have come, Archer," Nora said, her voice quiet, steady, and utterly devoid of the warmth he remembered.
May you like
Archer stepped past Lucas, ignoring the doctor's warning hand. He stopped a few feet from her chair, looking down at the blanket draped over her six-month pregnant belly.
"Nora... let me explain," he choked out, dropping to one knee on the hardwood floor despite the mud dripping from his trousers. "Please. Give me a chance to fix this."
