Epilogue (3)

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— Cold... — I murmured, exhaling slowly onto my fingers in a futile attempt to warm my hands.

My shoulders had long since stiffened from the wind, snow clung to my eyelashes, and each breath grew shorter. The ache in my back returned with every step—not sharp, but deep and twisting, as though something beneath my skin was slowly coiling into a knot. And the closer I got to my destination, the tighter it pulled. I knew it was leading me in the right direction.