It terrified me far more than his death ever had, because letting hope back in after five years of mourning carried its own terrifying emotional danger.

What if he had been horribly injured and unable to get back to us?

What if he had deliberately chosen to abandon his family and start a new life somewhere else?

What if whatever was waiting for us at the cabin was just another cruel layer of deception?

We locked the storage unit, got into my car, and called Austin.

He answered on the very first ring.