Chapter 4 — Snowridge Bound

Clara

The tires hummed against the asphalt as the car climbed higher into the mountains, the road twisting like a ribbon through dense forests that seemed to close in with every mile. Snowflakes swirled against the windshield, growing heavier with each passing moment, a quiet prelude to the storm gathering on the horizon. Inside the car, the air was taut with unspoken tension, the kind that seemed to amplify the soft hum of the heater. Clara glanced out the window, her hazel eyes tracing the skeletal outline of the trees etched against the pale, overcast sky. She adjusted her coat, her fingers brushing against the sleek fountain pen in her pocket—a silent reminder of the weight she carried.