Chapter 179

Valeria’s POV

When we arrived at the clearing, I couldn’t help but gasp softly. Even in the starkness of winter, it was stunning. The trees stood bare, their skeletal branches casting delicate shadows on the snow-covered ground. In the middle of it all was the lake, a smooth, frozen expanse that glinted faintly in the waning light.

I imagined what it would be like to swim in the lake if it weren’t