Elena's POV

The Red House

From the outside, it looked like something torn from a winter postcard — red wooden walls standing proudly against endless white, snow resting gently along the roofline, Christmas lights glowing in soft golden loops around the windows as though warmth truly lived inside.

But the moment I stepped through its doors, I understood that warmth could be manufactured.

And this one had been.

The décor was exquisite, almost romantic in its deliberate charm. Fireplaces ...