Chapter 99

With my hands deep in my sweater pocket, I made my way home. Home. My mind was as clean as that vast white valley I’d watched from my window, shut up in my cabin in Bergset. I remembered that night, how the wind had blown across the snow-covered plain and how irrelevant I’d felt. How small and forgettable.

I slowly climbed the stairs up to our loft. At the top landing, I paused, taking a moment to let my gaze roam over the port, the river, the morning sky.

I entered and quietly shut the door behind me.

At that moment, Derek appeared at the end of the hall. Heart in mouth, I slipped my wool hat off, my eyes never leaving his sweet and loving face. “I’m sorry,” I said, the words choking me.

With a resolute look, he came walking up to me, and then without a word, rested his forehead against my beating heart. “Don’t apologize,” he said, his voice thick with tears. “It’s bad for your health.”

For a long time, we held each other in silence.