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Matthew blinks, clearly thrown by her tone. For a moment, he looks lost—like he's seeing her for the first time and doesn't recognize what he's looking at.

Then his face hardens.

"Come on, Sadie," he says, an edge of desperation in his voice makes my hackles rise. "This isn't you. This rebellious phase, running away, hiding out with some—" his eyes flick to me again, disgust evident "—random man? What about our life? The plans we made? Your mother is beside herself. The guests—"

"Our life?" Sadie cuts him off, and there's heat in her voice now. She takes another step forward, and though every instinct screams at me to pull her back, to shield her, I let her move. "You mean your life. The one where I was supposed to smile and nod and make myself smaller to fit into your perfect picture?"

"I made you better," Matthew snaps, his corporate mask cracking completely. He runs a hand through his perfectly styled hair, messing it up in a way that makes him look slightly unhinged. "I gave you class, connections, introduced you to the right people. Hell, I even overlooked your..." his eyes rake over her curves with disdain, and my fingers itch to form fists, "...figure. And this is how you repay me?"

A growl builds in my throat, dark and dangerous, and Matthew takes an instinctive step back. But before I can move, before I can show him exactly what happens to men who dare speak to her like that, Sadie laughs.

It's not a happy sound. It's sharp and bitter and full of revelations.

"Overlooked?" She shakes her head, and her golden hair catches the light, a crown of fire. "That's what you think love is? Overlooking someone's flaws? Trying to fix them?"

"And what?" Matthew gestures wildly at me, his expensive suit jacket pulling tight across his shoulders. "He loves you? This hermit who probably hasn't spoken to another human being in years?"

His voice rises, bouncing off the cabin walls.

His arm sweeps across the room. "This is what you're choosing? He's using you, Sadie. You're just some entertainment for him, a pretty distraction from his sad little existence. When he's done taking away your innocence—"

The words die in his throat as I take one step forward.

Just one.

But there must be something in my face, something that speaks to the years I've spent becoming one with these mountains, because Matthew stumbles back.

"You don't know the first thing about love," I say, my voice barely above a whisper but carrying enough threat to make him pale. Each word feels torn from somewhere deep inside me, somewhere I thought had frozen over years ago. "Love isn't about fixing someone or making them fit your mold. It's about seeing them—really seeing them—and wanting them exactly as they are."

The truth of it hits me as I speak. Every curve of her body, every spark of defiance in her eyes, every gentle touch and brave decision—I wouldn't change any of it.

Sadie’s perfect exactly as she is, wild and strong and absolutely herself.

"Vincent," Sadie whispers, and my name on her lips sounds like a revelation. Like she's reading every unspoken word in my heart.

Something in Matthew snaps. I see it happen—see the moment his carefully constructed world crumbles around him. His face contorts with rage, and he lunges forward, not toward Sadie this time, but at me.

"You don't get to lecture me about love, you backwoods—"

I catch his wrist before he can finish, my grip firm but controlled. Six years of solitude haven't dulled my reflexes—if anything, they're sharper.

Living in these mountains teaches you to be ready for anything, whether it's a startled bear or a desperate man in an expensive suit.

"That's enough." My voice is quiet, but it fills the cabin like thunder.

"Let go of me," he snarls, trying to wrench free. His expensive watch catches the morning light, a flash of gold that reminds me of everything I'm not.

Everything I can't give her. No country club memberships, no charity galas, no life of easy luxury.

But when I look at Sadie, she's not watching his display of wealth. She's watching me, her blue eyes steady, certain. Like she's seeing straight through to my soul, past all the walls I've built, all the scars I've hidden.

And in her gaze, I see something I never thought I'd find again: acceptance. Understanding. Choice.

"I'm staying," she says, and though she's addressing Matthew, her eyes never leave mine. The morning light bathes her in gold, making her look almost ethereal, but her voice is grounded, real. "This is where I belong."

"You can't be serious." He stops struggling against my grip, but his whole body trembles with contained emotion. "Sadie, think about what you're throwing away. The life we built—the connections, the status, everything we worked for—"

"The life you built," she corrects him, each word precise and firm. "I never wanted any of it. The country club memberships, the charity galas, the perfect society wife you were trying to mold me into." She moves closer to me, her shoulder brushing mine, and the simple contact sends warmth through my entire body. "I want real. I want someone who sees me—all of me—and doesn't want to change a single thing."