SNOWBOUND HEARTS: Chapter Seventeen- the final chapter

When every step is a fight for survival, love becomes the ultimate rescue.

Snowbound Hearts is a work of fiction. Names, characters, businesses, places, events, and incidents are either the products of the author’s imagination or used in a fictitious manner. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or actual events is purely coincidental.

No part of this book may be used or reproduced in any manner whatsoever without written permission from the author, except in the case of brief quotations, reviews, and articles.

Copyright © 2024 by Mina Beckett

Ebook ISBN: 978-1-7375127-6-9

Print ISBN: 978-1-7375127-7-6

Published by: CurtissLynn Publishing

Cover design: Shiver Shot Design

All rights reserved.

BEHIND THE WORDS

This chapter is one of the most visceral moments in Snowbound Hearts—a raw, unfiltered plunge into survival and sacrifice. I wanted to capture the sheer desperation of escape, where every frozen breath and every desperate step becomes a battle between life and death. Writing Anna’s frantic dash across an icy landscape, with the world turning hostile under a merciless, silvery moon, was both a technical challenge and an emotional catharsis.

I aimed to mirror the brutal reality of her situation: the biting cold isn’t just a backdrop, but a force that gnaws at her resolve, making each movement an act of sheer willpower. In contrast, the emotional stakes are equally high. The tension on that bridge isn’t just about physical danger—it’s the point where fear, love, and the need for protection converge. Dwight’s arrival, the charged standoff, and even the unexpected rescue are all carefully layered to show how, in our darkest moments, our connections with those we love can become the very lifeline that pulls us back from the edge.

There’s a delicate balance in this chapter: the brutality of action and the tenderness of human vulnerability. I wanted readers to feel every impact, every icy shard beneath Anna’s feet, and yet also sense the unyielding force of love that compels her not to give up. In the midst of chaos, small gestures—a look, a desperate plea—carry enormous weight, reminding us that even in the most harrowing circumstances, hope and connection can emerge.

Ultimately, Chapter Seventeen is about more than just escape. It’s a testament to the human spirit’s capacity to fight against overwhelming odds and the transformative power of love that, even when everything seems to be falling apart, can bring a spark of salvation.

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CHAPTER SEVENTEEN

Anna seized her opportunity, violently pulling on the handle and thrusting the door open. With an unrelenting will, she hurled herself out of the moving vehicle and crashed onto the icy ground with a jarring thud. She tumbled through the snow, her already battered and bruised body absorbing the impact. But despite the pain, she knew this was her chance for escape. She scrambled to her feet and took off, running towards the looming steel beams of the bridge, breathless and desperate to stay alive.

The frigid air clawed at her lungs as she gasped for breath, each icy inhalation a sharp reminder of her life or death situation. Her heart thundered in her chest, a striking difference from the quiet hush of the snow-covered landscape that now served as her escape route. The fine powder beneath her feet seemed to glitter maliciously under the cold silvery moonlight that shone between the rolling clouds, taunting her lack of preparation — no coat to shield her from the biting chill, no shoes to protect her feet from the numbing snow.

She could feel the cold seeping through her thinly clad body like a malevolent ghost, gnawing at her flesh with invisible teeth. Her bare feet were rapidly losing sensation, yet she welcomed the numbness, for it lessened the sharp sting of a thousand frozen needles with each desperate step she took. The snow clung to her skin, melting and then chilling again until it felt as if she were running on shards of glass.