The MC President's Forsaken Wife (Zara and Knox) novel Chapter 360

Chapter 177-1

+25 Points

Twenty minutes later, Locke is standing in the front entryway, treating our upcoming beach walk like an Arctic expedition. He’s laid out a row of gear on the bench like a commander preparing for battle, checking zipper tracks and wool thickness with absurd seriousness.

“Locke, I already have two thick sweaters on,” I say as he manually pulls a heavy knit hat down over my ears, carefully tucking stray strands of my dark hair out of my face with his thick fingers. “And a vest.”

“Don’t care,” he grunts, wrapping a long wool scarf twice around my neck until only my eyes and nose are visible before holding out my heavy winter coat. “The wind coming off the open water is brutal today.”

“Okay, okay.”

He slides my arms into the sleeves and zips it up all the way to my chin himself, his large, warm hands lingering over my collar to make sure no cold air can sneak in. He pats my shoulders firmly, inspecting his handiwork. “You get cold for even a second, we turn right back around and come inside. Got it?”

“Got it, boss.”

Beside the bench, Titan lets out a sharp, impatient bark, his massive body quivering with excitement at the sight of our winter coats. His heavy tail thuds against the doorframe as he dances on his massive front

paws.

“Alright, Titan, calm down, big boy,” Locke chuckles, snapping a thick leather leash onto the dog’s collar, though in truth Titan is well-trained enough to barely need it.

Locke grabs his own coat and steps outside onto the porch first, picking up a heavy armful of split firewood from the porch stack and carrying it down to the side rack near the kitchen door. “I’ll chop the rest of the big oak pile when we get back. Evie’s running low near the hearth.”

“Stop worrying about my woodpile,” Evelyn calls through the open kitchen window. “The woodpile was fine until you decided to feed half the forest into my fireplace last night.”

Locke just lets out a quiet snort, taking my gloved hand in his and guiding me down the snowy porch steps with hawk-like focus on my every footing, while Titan plows happily into the snow beside us, burying his snout in the white powder and tossing a cloud of it into the air.

The narrow dirt path down to the private cove winds through a dense stand of frost-covered spruces and pines. The rhythmic crunch of fresh snow under our heavy winter boots – punctuated by the soft, heavy padded footfalls of Titan bounding ahead – is the only sound breaking the serene, holy quiet of the winter forest.

Overhead, a red-tailed hawk glides silently against the pale sky, and every few yards Titan pauses, his ears pinned back, sniffing intently at animal tracks crisscrossing the drift: deer, snowshoe hare, and the neat prints of a fox heading toward the water. Then he double-checks that Locke and I are right behind him.

When the trees finally part and we emerge onto the rocky beach, the sight takes my breath away.

The dark, ink-blue ocean rolls in slow, heavy waves against massive granite boulders glazed with clear ice, while brilliant northern sunlight bounces off the pristine white shoreline. The wind is sharp, tasting of salt and spray, but it feels invigorating rather than harsh.

Chapter 122.

+25 Points

Locke releases him from the leash, and Titan intmediately sprints down to the tide line, barking playfully at The foaming surf, his thick, dense coat easily shielding him from the freezing chill. He pounces on a piece of driftwood, shaking it triumphantly before trotting back up to us and dropping it at Locke’s feet.

Locke pulls me firmly into his side, wrapping his heavy arm around my shoulders so I’m nestled securely under his armpit, completely shielded from the biting coastal breeze. We walk slowly, inhaling the sharp, intoxicating smell of brine, sea salt, and pine needles.

“Feeling okay, baby?” Locke asks softly after a few minutes. “Stomach still behaving itself?”

“I feel amazing, Locke. It’s so peaceful out here. It feels like we’re the only two people left in the whole world.”

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