Chapter 4

Both Zephyr and I stared at that note.

Zephyr stood there, clutching the folded piece of paper, his face dark as a storm cloud.

"What does that note mean?" I asked.

Zephyr's jaw tightened as he quickly folded the paper and shoved it into his pocket. "It's none of your business."

"What do you mean none of my business?" I took a step forward. "That was left by Celeste, it has my name on it!"

His eyes turned dangerous, like a wolf cornered against a wall. "Avalon, there are some things you're better off not knowing."

"Why? What exactly are you hiding?" I reached out my hand. "Give me that note!"

Just then, the study door suddenly burst open, and my assistant Sarah rushed in, gasping for breath.

She looked at Zephyr, breathing heavily. "Ridge Hawthorne has arrived in town. He... he brought a woman with him."

My whole body went rigid. "Ridge is back?"

That was the only thought in my mind.

Seeing my reaction, Zephyr's face grew even darker, his tone dangerously sharp. "He brought another woman back. You're upset, aren't you?"

"I'm not," I bit my lip. I knew very clearly that Ridge and I were over, that there was no possibility left between us.

Zephyr stared at me for several seconds. "If you really care that much, we can discuss divorce."

Ice-cold tears streamed down my cheeks.

Being able to mention divorce so casually - maybe it was because he didn't care about our marriage at all.

But what could I do? I seemed to have fallen into this trap already. In that moment, I hated myself immensely.

Perhaps seeing that I hadn't spoken for too long, Zephyr's expression turned stone-like.

"Pretend I never said anything."

He dropped that line with bitter finality and walked out.

Ten minutes later, I found him waiting by the front door, holding my coat. His voice was clipped, businesslike. "Sarah says there's business in town. You need to go."

So here we were, walking down Main Street in the falling snow.

The distance between us felt more remote than the Arctic.

From far away, I saw that familiar figure.

Ridge Hawthorne, still tall, still with that golden hair. He was standing in front of the town's only hotel, next to a pregnant woman who looked as gentle as a spring breeze.

The townspeople had already gathered around, their whispered voices drifting to my ears.

"Ridge is back!"

"He brought a pregnant girlfriend!"

"They look so happy together."

The woman noticed us and lightly tapped Ridge's arm, pointing in our direction. Ridge turned around, and when he saw me, his expression was complex.

"Avalon." He said my name the same way as always, with that heartbreaking tenderness.

The woman walked toward me, a friendly smile on her face. "You must be Avalon? Ridge has mentioned you."

"This is Elena," Ridge said, looking slightly awkward. "Elena, this is Avalon... and her husband Zephyr."

Elena extended her hand to shake mine. Her hand was warm, and her belly was visibly rounded. "Nice to meet you, I'm Elena Martinez, a photographer."

Zephyr stood behind me, radiating an aura that screamed 'keep away.' "Mr. Hawthorne, welcome back."

Ridge's gaze moved between Zephyr and me, and I could tell he was assessing something. "Thank you, Mr. Winter."

He continued, "Is the mountain safe? We want to take some photos up there."

My heart jumped. Photos? On that mountain?

"The mountain isn't safe right now," I said quickly, "at least not until the assessment is complete."

Ridge looked at me thoughtfully, the way he always used to - he could always read my mind.

---

Elena suggested going to the coffee shop. "That way we can understand the situation better, and Ridge can catch up with an old friend."

Coffee Beans felt warm as a refuge, but I felt like I was suffocating. The four of us sat at a corner table, the atmosphere painfully awkward.

Ridge ordered black coffee, Elena wanted hot chocolate, I got a latte, and Zephyr ordered nothing, just sat there in stony silence.

"So," Elena said, gently stroking her pregnant belly, "when did you two get married?"

"Three years ago," I answered briefly, avoiding Ridge's gaze.

Elena smiled. "That's wonderful. Ridge was always worried that you would..." She stopped, obviously realizing what she'd said.

Ridge took a deep breath. "Avalon, about what happened three years ago, I think I should explain."

"If I hadn't let Celeste go there that day..." Ridge's voice was pained. "If I could have stopped her..."

"No!" I suddenly stood up, my chair making a harsh sound. "It wasn't your fault, it was mine! If it weren't for my stubbornness in insisting on developing that new ski trail, my brother wouldn't have taken her there to ski, and she wouldn't have been engulfed by the avalanche while trying to save him."

Tears began to blur my vision, three years of suppressed guilt pouring out like a bursting dam. "If I hadn't insisted on taking that route..."

"Avalon..." Ridge reached out to comfort me.

"Don't touch her." Zephyr suddenly stood up, his voice lethal. He moved to my side, and though he didn't touch me, his presence was as strong as a wall.

Elena looked confused and said softly, "The past can't be changed. We all have to look forward."

"Enough." Zephyr's voice cut through the air like a blade. "Avalon, we're leaving."

Ridge looked thoughtfully at Zephyr, then at me. "You really care about her, don't you?"

Zephyr's eyes looked like they could burn Ridge to ashes. "That's none of your business, Hawthorne."

I wiped away my tears, trying to calm myself down. "I'm sorry..."

Zephyr pulled me toward the door, when Elena suddenly called out to me. She walked to the doorway and said softly, "Ridge told me that what Celeste worried about most was that you'd be trapped in guilt forever. She wanted you to be happy."

I looked at her in shock, but Elena just smiled gently.