Chapter 4 THE MYSTERIOUS SAVIOR

CHAPTER

Amara’s POV

I woke up gasping.

My whole body jerked like I had been pushed out of a nightmare. My hands grabbed the blanket. My heart banged against my ribs. For a second, I didn’t know where I was. The lights above me were too bright. The room too white. The smell too clean.

I tried to sit up but pain shot through my chest. I winced and held onto the bed.

Everything spun.

Was I dead?

No.

A soft voice spoke next to me.

"Amara. You're awake."

I turned my head and saw Ivy sitting in a chair, her eyes filled with tears. Her hands rushed to cover her mouth like she couldn’t believe I was actually opening my eyes.

"Ivy?" My voice sounded cracked and weak. "What happened?"

She leaned closer, grabbing my hand fast. "You scared me so much. You scared everyone. Do you know what day it is?"

My mind felt blurry, like someone had wiped everything away. "No. What day?"

"December twenty fourth. Christmas Eve."

My chest tightened. I had lost time. Hours. Maybe the whole night.

A doctor walked into the room at that moment, flipping through a chart. He looked serious but relieved when he saw me awake.

"Good. You're conscious," he said. "You were brought in with severe hypothermia. You were minutes from dying."

Minutes.

The word hit me hard.

My breathing grew uneven. I tried to process the memory of freezing snow, the blur of lights, the glowing eyes of the stranger. It all felt unreal, like a dream wrapped in cold.

The doctor checked my pulse, then nodded. "You're stable now. But whoever brought you in saved your life. If they had been a little slower, we would be having a different conversation."

Ivy squeezed my hand tighter. "Amara, you were ice cold when they found you. I saw the chart. Your body temperature was so low they almost couldn't get it up again."

My throat burned. "Who brought me?"

Ivy sat back, shaking her head slowly. "That's the strange part. Nobody got his name. He came in with you in his arms. He told the nurses you needed help right away. Then he left before anyone could stop him."

I blinked fast. "He left?"

"Yes. He didn't wait. Not even one minute."

I closed my eyes.

In the darkness behind my eyelids, I saw him again.

The silver hair.

The glowing blue eyes.

The warmth in his hands.

Was he even real?

I forced my eyes open and looked at Ivy. "Did anyone see what he looked like?"

"Only the nurse who checked you in. She said he was tall. Dark coat. Silver hair. And..." Ivy hesitated.

"And what?"

"And she said he didn't look completely normal."

A chill ran down my arms.

The doctor cleared his throat. "You should rest. We will check on you soon."

He walked out.

Ivy stayed. She looked at me with worry and relief and fear all mixed together.

"Amara," she whispered, "how did you end up in the park?"

"I walked," I whispered. "I was tired. I felt cold. Then... I fell."

"And he saved you."

I didn’t answer. Because I didn’t understand it myself.

Before Ivy could say anything else, the door opened again. A nurse stepped inside holding a small red box wrapped neatly with a white ribbon.

Her eyes landed on me. "You are awake. Good. This came for you."

"For me?" I pointed to my chest, confused.

"Yes," she said. "Someone dropped it off at the desk early this morning. The person said it was from the man who brought you in."

My heart jumped.

The nurse placed the small box on my lap. "He said you would know it was meant for you."

I stared at the box. The ribbon shimmered softly, like it had light inside it. Ivy leaned closer.

"Open it," she whispered.

My fingers shook as I pulled the ribbon free and lifted the lid.

A soft glow filled the box.

Inside was a silver snowflake bracelet. The snowflake charm shined with its own light, tiny and gentle. Every edge glimmered like frozen fire.

It didn’t look like normal jewelry. It looked… special.

I touched it with the tip of my finger. Warmth pulsed from the metal like a heartbeat.

There was a small card inside. I lifted it carefully and read the message.

"Sometimes miracles happen when we need them most. You deserved to be saved. N."

My breath caught.

N.

Who was N?

No name. Just a letter. Just warmth. Just that glow in his eyes that still haunted me.

I set the note down and picked up the bracelet. Ivy watched me closely.

"There is something strange about that bracelet," she whispered.

"I know."

"Are you sure you should put it on?"

I wasn’t sure.

But something inside me pulled toward it like a magnet. Like it belonged to me. Like it had been waiting for me.

I slipped the bracelet onto my wrist.

The moment it clicked into place, warmth rushed through my whole body. Not normal warmth. Not hospital blankets warmth. This felt deep. Strong. Alive.

I gasped and grabbed the edge of the bed.

"Amara?!" Ivy leaned forward. "What is happening?"

"I... I don't know." My voice shook.

The warmth spread from the bracelet into my arm, up my shoulder, across my chest. It felt comforting, almost like someone hugging me from the inside. Like the stranger’s hands still rested on my skin.

My heartbeat steadied. My breath evened out. The cold inside me that had been there for days slowly melted away.

The nurse stared at me with wide eyes. "Are you alright?"

"I think so," I whispered.

But I didn’t understand it. None of it made sense. A stranger with glowing eyes. A bracelet that warmed me. A note saying I deserved to be saved.

I looked down at the snowflake. It shimmered again. Brighter this time. Like it was reacting to my heartbeat.

Ivy whispered, "Amara... it's glowing."

"I see it."

"Jewelry doesn't glow."

"I know."

I touched the snowflake charm with my fingertips.

The light inside it swirled.

The room grew quiet.

My breath hitched. Something pushed at the inside of my mind, soft but strong, like a voice trying to reach me through a door.

Then everything around me faded for one moment. Not dark. Not bright. Just quiet.

Still.

Warm.

And then I heard it.

A voice.

His voice.

Inside my head.

"I will find you again. I promise."

I gasped and grabbed my wrist.

The bracelet glowed brighter, almost pulsing.

Ivy jumped back. "Amara! What is happening?"

I stared at the glowing snowflake, my heart racing, fear and wonder mixing inside me like fire and ice.

His voice echoed again, soft but clear.

"I am coming."

The snowflake flashed bright white.

Everything inside me froze.