Iwo is talking to the receptionist. I stop at a safe distance behind him, pretending to check something on my phone.

“Next, please,” I suddenly hear the employee’s voice, who seems to have appeared from behind the desk out of nowhere.

I approach reluctantly and stand beside him.

“I’d like to check in.”

“In that case, your first and last name, please, and an ID.”

“Damn it,” I groan inwardly.

I look at him with an enigmatic expression, my face saying are you seriously asking me this, and then I reluctantly reply in a lowered voice:

– Izabella Wrzesińska.

I sense movement next to me. Iwo’s sidelong glance.

He knows who I am. And now he also knows that I arrived at the hotel - at exactly the same moment he did.

I must have seriously pissed someone off up there, if fate is mocking me this shamelessly.

“Oh… so you’re together, then,” the receptionist says politely.

“No, no,” I deny immediately, before Iwo can say a word. “We work for the same company, but we’re spending our stay separately.”

Again, I feel his gaze on me.

He couldn’t possibly have thought I’d throw myself around his neck and greet him like an old friend. Besides, he can think whatever he wants. I came here to relax and unwind, not to play team-building games with a weirdo.

“Hmmm…” The receptionist frowns. “I understand completely, however you do have shared activities scheduled.”

“Then please unschedule them!” I blurt out too sharply. “Surely something can be done about that.”

I hear a throat clearing beside me, but undeterred, I continue:

“I personally don’t need to take part in all of them. I manage perfectly well on my own.”

Again, I hear him clear his throat.

Does he have some fucking problem with his throat or what?

“I understand,” the receptionist says, casting an awkward glance at both of us. “I can change your itinerary, however there is one thing I cannot change - the snowmobile ride.”

“When?” I ask.

“In two days. On Wednesday.”

“Okay,” I say. “Each of us rides their own, right?”

“No,” the receptionist answers cautiously. “You’ll be riding one together. As a pair.”

I hear a muffled laugh beside me. What an idiot. He’s clearly amused by the whole situation. My aversion to him reaches its peak.

“Fine… whatever,” I sigh in resignation.

“Very well,” the employee continues. “You’ll depart at exactly nine in the morning. Please dress warmly. There will be a bonfire in the forest and lunch served on site. And here are your keys - room 212, second floor.”

“Enjoy your stay.”

“Thanks,” I mutter.

I grab my suitcase and turn toward the elevator. Iwo steps in behind me.

Couldn’t he just take the stairs…? I roll my eyes.

I step inside and press the button for the second floor. I see him press one. The elevator starts moving, and we stand side by side in silence. It stops on the first floor, the doors slide open.

I straighten up, watching him step out. He looks at me - and that’s when I notice it.

A long, ugly scar on his cheek.

I flinch, lingering on it for a second too long. I see his face stiffen, panic rising in his eyes. He immediately turns his back to me, quickening his pace as he disappears down the hallway toward his room.

I remain motionless, stunned by what I’ve just seen.

Some unfamiliar feeling swells in my stomach, and a sharp pang of regret pierces my heart. And something else - elusive, unnamed.

That night, Iwo’s face appears in my dreams more than once. I wake in the middle of the night restless and strangely aroused. I don’t know what’s happening to me, but I can’t fall back asleep.

She didn’t know yet that the tension wouldn’t fade - it would only change its form…

the e-book - Beauty and the Beast: A Night in the Mountains - will be available in 2026.