Mr. Winter's Arc

Chapter 7 of 8

Mr. Winter returned to the festival grounds the next morning, telling himself he just needed to see the damage his sabotage had caused. But his feet took him past the control room, past the barn, toward the wide courtyard where the manor stood. Victoria was outside again, this time near a stone firepit that blazed with heat despite the cold. She sat on a wooden bench with a carved heart in the backrest, her hands wrapped around a mug. She looked up when he approached, and that same calm expression settled on her face. She didn't ask why he'd come back. Instead, she gestured to the space beside her on the bench. He sat down without thinking, and the warmth from the fire touched his face. Behind the manor, through tall glass walls, he could see an indoor pool reflecting light across the snow. It looked expensive. Permanent. The kind of thing someone built when they planned to stay. Victoria asked if he wanted coffee. He said yes, though he didn't know why. She went inside and returned with another mug, steam rising from it. They sat in silence while the fire crackled. Then she asked what brought him to the festival grounds. He wanted to lie, to give her the same bitter answers he'd given everyone else. But the words stuck in his throat. Instead, he told her he'd been trying to ruin something beautiful because he couldn't stand watching other people enjoy what he'd lost. She didn't flinch. She just nodded and said that sounded exhausting. Mr. Winter stared at the fire, the heat making his eyes water. He realized he'd been waiting for her to tell him he was wrong, to offer forgiveness or pity. But she did neither. She just sat beside him, drinking her coffee, letting him exist without judgment. The happiness he'd felt when he first saw her yesterday came back, stronger this time, and it made his chest ache. He stood abruptly, mumbled something about needing to go, and walked away from the bench. But this time, he knew he'd come back. The bitterness he'd carried for so long felt smaller now, and that terrified him more than anything he'd done to the town.