Mary.

She was still inside.

And she was looking right at me.

The man in the coat turned his head, following my gaze.

“You can’t save her, Evelyn,” he said.

“She was never yours to save.”

He reached out his hand, his fingers closing around the gold key in my palm.

And the world went black.

Only the sound of the wind remained, a relentless, frozen song that would not end.

And the empty castle built on secrets was finally left in ruins, the snow covering it all.

But in the darkness, the phone in my pocket began to vibrate once more.

A single text message, the screen glowing bright blue against my coat.

I didn’t need to read it to know what it said.

The keys were gone, and the castle was empty.

But the promise was still there, waiting in the dark.

And we would find it, no matter how long the winter lasted.

I closed my eyes and held my breath, the cold air filling my lungs as I waited for the morning.

The steps came closer, one by one, until they stopped directly in front of me.