foggy forest
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Chapter Eleven The apartment was quiet now, eerily so. The soft hiss of rainfall against the windows had faded to a damp stillness, broken only by the low murmur of voices and the occasional scuff of boots against wood. Chief Mercer stepped through the doorway, nodding once at the forensics tech posted near the threshold.
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Chapter Nine As Ivy stepped into Mercer’s office, it was cozier than she would have expected. The overhead lights were off, leaving the room lit by pale sunlight streaming in through the windows, and the soft amber glow of a standing lamp by the filing cabinet. The office felt lived-in. It was functional but personal,
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Chapter Eight The sidewalks were slick with moonlight. A breeze threaded through the trees, carrying the scent of wet bark and pavement along with it. Mercer walked a half-step behind, his shoulder brushing hers now and then where the sidewalk narrowed. His uniform jacket caught the glow of the streetlamps, his badge glinting, edges damp
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Chapter Seven When she reached the bar, she didn’t sit right away. Mercer sat with one forearm resting on the polished wood, his other hand wrapped around a short glass of something amber. He didn’t look at her directly, just lifted his eyes to the mirror behind the bar and caught her gaze there. His
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Chapter Six – Part Two The feeling of being watched didn’t fade. Ivy sat frozen, fingers curled in the damp sand, breath shallow as her gaze swept over the lake’s silent expanse. The moonlight barely touched the surface, its reflection swallowed by the impending darkness. The waves crawled up the shore, lapping at the edges
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Chapter 4 The mist had thickened into a living thing by the time Ivy left the festival, coiling through the streets and stretching long fingers between iron fences and rusted gates. Fog seeped between the bars, winding through the empty town like a silent tide, swallowing the world in shades of silver and gray. Her
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Chapter One – Part Two Her new cottage was nestled on the south side of Ashford Hollow, where the town’s glow faded into a lush, green forest. The north-facing stone was covered in creeping ivy, showing subtle signs of wear from the changing seasons. The slanted roof housed dense pools of moss, and the windows,
Moonlit Novella 