Chapter 5 - The Cabin in the Pines
I didn’t go to the dealership. I didn’t go to Nora’s parents’ house.
Instead, I drove three hours further into the blue ridgeline, turning onto a winding gravel road that led deep into the Pisgah National Forest. Here stood an old cedar cabin owned by Drew’s uncle—a place without cell towers, without roadside tourists, and without anyone who knew the name Mason Vance.
Drew arrived two hours later in his beat-up pickup truck, bringing three large plastic crates.
“What’s all this?” I asked, standing on the creaking wooden porch as dusk fell over the hemlocks.
“Everything you left in your apartment,” Drew said, hauling the first heavy crate up the steps. “When Nora posted that video, I knew her brothers and that slimy father of hers would head straight to your lease in Charlotte. I went there with two buddies from the gym an hour after the wedding imploded. We packed your clothes, your hard drives, your drafting boards, and your legal files before they even had time to figure out which floor you lived on.”
I looked at my best friend. The weight that had been pressing against my lungs since 2:11 p.m. finally cracked open, and for the first time in nine years, my eyes stung with tears.
“Drew… thank you.”
“Don’t thank me yet,” Drew muttered grimly, wiping sweat from his forehead. “Mason, while we were cleaning out the desk in the spare bedroom—the one Nora used for her wedding planning—we found an accordion folder hidden behind the ventilation grate.”
He reached into his jacket and pulled out a thick manila envelope sealed with red wax.
May you like
“This wasn’t just a bridal surprise, Mason,” Drew said, his voice dropping to a low, tense whisper. “She wasn’t trying to heal your heart. She was cashing you in.”
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