The snow had finally calmed down—just a little.
She kept walking, her boots sinking deep into the white silence, her breath fogging the frozen air. Her legs trembled from exhaustion, but she couldn't stop now.
Then, in the distance—voices. Faint, frantic voices.
A group of people were searching, shouting a name, stopping strangers, asking questions. She moved closer, heart pounding. And then she saw him—his manager. She knew that face. She'd seen it in every behind-the-scenes video, every candid moment shared online. Her chest tightened.
It really was him.
In that moment, everything made sense. The man she'd dragged back to the cabin, the one now lying unconscious by her fireplace… it was him. Her star. Her light. The one person who made her feel seen when the world turned its back.
She hadn't recognized him right away—how could she? The cold had altered his face, and she was still drowning in her own grief, barely able to think. Just hours ago, she was ready to end everything. And now?
Now she was out here, fighting to save the life of someone who didn't even know she existed.
That word.
Existed.
It echoed inside her, sharper than any cold, heavier than any snow.