The morning of the twelfth day in Silver Bay arrived clear and cold. The sky held a pale blue that had not been seen for many days. Elena stood at the window of the old house and looked out at the sea. The water still moved with its long, steady power, but the heavy darkness of the storm had lifted. Beside her on the table lay the envelope that held the two letters and the faded photograph. Today those pages would leave the quiet of the house and enter the open air of the town.

Adrian came and stood with her. He had slept only a little, yet his face looked clearer than it had since they first met. The long weight of the secret had begun to ease.