Chapter 1Prologue
The rain in Oregon always smells like pine needles and the acrid, burnt tang of wildfire.
Late autumn of 2024, the wildfire season in the Columbia River Gorge had finally come to an end.
Rain hammered the tin roof of the cabin on the outskirts of Portland, each drop a tiny, sharp needle driving into Stella Knight’s already shattered heart.
She stood in the cold, dim storage room, and a shiver ran through her when her fingertips brushed the hard, dented fire helmet.
Three years.Three years since she’d married Liam Cross.
For more than a thousand days and nights, this helmet—etched with the US Forest Service crest and the name Celeste River—had sat untouched in the corner of this room.
Dried, blackened blood still stained the inner lining.
It was the last trace Celeste River had left on this world.
And it was the uncrossable chasm between Stella and the man she’d married.
