Nathan pulled over, tires crunching on the gravel. Harry stepped out, the cold air hitting him as he started toward the house, each step slow, deliberate.

Nathan called after him, “My team checked every abandoned place, she’s not here.”

But Harry didn’t answer. The wind carried a memory back to him—Sarah’s voice, soft with hope.

“Out in the fields, away from everything, there’s a house I’ve seen. One day, I’ll buy it, and we’ll live there. Just us.”

The house before ...