We’re gathered at the base of the main ski slope—but the pristine snow is gone.
Aunt Tina—helped by a production crew that clearly hasn’t slept in two weeks—has built the Maze of Love.
It’s a massive labyrinth of three-meter-tall ice walls, snow-dusted synthetic hedges, and mechanical obstacles, all lit by red and pink strobe lights pulsing like an overworked heart.
It’s huge.
It’s intimidating.
And it’s the only thing standing between us and the end of all this.
“Welcome to the Final Frontier!” Tina yells through the megaphone.
Tonight, she’s outdone herself. She’s wearing an enormous, over-the-top pink gown dripping with tulle and ruffles.
Pedro is perched on her shoulder, sporting a tiny pink bow tie.
“The final challenge is calledFind the Heart!” Tina announces, her voice echoing through the silent valley. “You’ll have to make your way through the maze. Inside, there are three stations. At each station, you must complete a couples challenge to earn a key. Three keys will open the chest at the center of the maze.”
She pauses dramatically, glancing at the glowing leaderboard with our names shining at the top.
“I know what you’re thinking. Sloane and Cohen have a massive lead. Lucy and Lars are close. Everyone else is doomed.”
She laughs—a delightfully evil sound.
“Wrong! Because this is the finale, my darlings! And in the finale… points are worth FIVE TIMES AS MUCH! There are 500 points inside that chest! Which means that anyone”—she looks pointedly at Joe, who straightens—“can still win this!”
A shocked murmur ripples through the couples.
I feel Cohen’s hand tighten around mine.
He’s wrapped in a black performance suit that highlights every single muscle, his hair pulled back but already messy from the wind.
He doesn’t look like a reality show contestant.
He looks like a warrior before battle.
He turns to me. In his hazel eyes, there’s a fire that warms me more than the down jacket I’m wearing.
“Ready, Angel?”
“I’m scared,” I admit quietly. “If we lose—”
“We won’t,” he cuts in, with an arrogant certainty that makes my knees weak. “Not tonight. Tonight, we take everything.”
He kisses my forehead—quick, fierce.
“Stay close to me. And run.”
“THREE… TWO… ONE… LOVE!”
A cannon blast shoots red confetti into the black sky.
We sprint.
Nine couples surge into the narrow maze entrance like a flood. Chaos erupts instantly.
Elbows. Shouting. Slipping.
