Chapter 5: An Unwritten Past
A week later, while Jace was hunting, Elle wandered through the woods behind the cottage. The trees whispered like old friends, and suddenly, in the quiet hush, a memory surfaced—a scent of jasmine, a piano playing in the background, a voice calling, "Lina!"
She stumbled back, disoriented. Who was Lina? The name echoed like a ghost.
That night, she didn't mention the flash. She watched Jace by the fire, tracing the angles of his face with her eyes, wondering what kind of man would rescue a stranger and never ask for anything in return.
Later, as rain tapped the roof, Jace sat beside her.
"You looked far away tonight," he said.
"I saw... something. I think a memory."
His jaw tightened. "Do you want to remember?"
Elle paused. "Part of me does. But the other part... is afraid of what I'll find."
"You're safe here," he said gently. "You don't have to be afraid."
She looked into his eyes. "Maybe I'm not."
And for the first time, their fingers brushed—and didn't pull away.