Chapter 5 CHRISTMAS EVE ALONE

Amara’s POV

I was shaking before I even stood up.

The bracelet on my wrist still glowed softly from whatever had just happened. His voice was still echoing inside my head. The room felt too small, like the walls were listening.

"Ivy," I whispered, "did you hear anything? Did I say something? Did something happen?"

Ivy stared at the bracelet like it was alive. "It lit up, Amara. Bright. Then you grabbed it and froze. You scared me."

I pressed a hand to my chest. My heartbeat was wild, too fast. "I heard him. The man who saved me. I heard his voice."

"In your head?" Ivy’s eyes went wide.

"Yes."

She opened her mouth to say something, but the doctor walked in again, checking my chart. "You are ready to be discharged now. You can go home, but you need to rest and drink warm fluids."

Ivy stood up, worried. "Are you sure she’s ready?"

"She is stable," the doctor said. "But she needs to take care of herself."

Take care of myself.

The words felt like a cruel joke.

By the time Ivy helped me sign the papers, the sun had moved high in the sky. The calendar behind the desk said December twenty fourth. Christmas Eve.

Exactly sixteen years since my parents died.

My stomach twisted.

Ivy insisted on walking me outside. "Please, come to my family dinner tonight. You can stay over. My mom loves guests. You shouldn’t be alone today."

Her kindness made my throat ache. I wanted to say yes. I wanted warmth, food, safety, anything.

But something inside me pulled back.

"I can’t," I whispered.

"Why not?"

"I just can’t. I need to be home."

Ivy looked like she might cry again, but she nodded softly. "Call me if anything happens. Anything at all."

I hugged her quickly before stepping into the cold.

The air stung my skin. The snow felt harder under my feet. The city buzzed with Christmas noise. People rushed past me holding wrapped gifts and hot drinks.

And I walked alone.

When I reached my building, my chest tightened again.

A paper hung on my door.

Bright red.

Eviction notice.

I tore it off with numb fingers and read it fast.

I had until December twenty sixth to pay everything I owed.

Two days.

Two days to find money I didn’t have. Two days before I lost the last thing I owned. Two days before I was on the street.

My eyes felt hot.

I pushed open my door and stepped inside. The air inside my apartment was freezing. The chill cut right through me. The heater still didn’t work. The windows still let in cold air. The room felt like a place no one should live in.

I closed the door behind me and leaned against it, breathing hard.

Everything hurt.

My body.

My heart.

My thoughts.

I walked to my bed and sat down slowly. My legs trembled. My hands shook. I rubbed my arms, but the cold stayed.

Ivy’s words replayed in my head. Her worry. Her invitation.

Why didn’t I say yes?

Why do I always push people away?

I looked at my wrist. At the glowing snowflake bracelet.

It pulsed softly, like it could hear my thoughts.

I touched it with my fingertips.

Warmth spread through my arm again. Not normal warmth. This felt gentle, steady, like a heartbeat that wasn’t mine. It made my eyes sting.

"Why me?" I whispered into the empty room. "Why save me?"

No answer.

Only the hum of the city outside.

I curled my knees to my chest. My breath came out shaky. I stared at the picture frame on my shelf. The one I always faced down every year. The photo of my parents.

Sixteen years since the car crash.

Sixteen years since my world broke.

Sixteen Christmas Eves filled with pain.

Sixteen Christmas days feeling empty.

My fingers trembled as I reached for the frame. I flipped it up slowly. Their faces stared back at me. Warm smiles. Happy eyes. A life that felt like a dream now.

"I miss you," I whispered. "I miss you so much."

My voice cracked.

For a long time, I held the picture against my chest, my body shaking.

Tears came before I could stop them.

I covered my mouth with my hand as the sobs hit me. Quiet, painful sobs that I hadn’t let out in months. Maybe years. The tears fell fast, hot against my cold skin. I cried until my throat hurt. I cried until my eyes burned. I cried until there was nothing left inside me except empty space.

Christmas Eve.

Sixteen years without them.

Sixteen years hating this day.

I wiped my eyes with my sleeve. My breath turned shaky again. The bracelet glowed brighter, as if trying to comfort me.

"Why did he save me?" I whispered. "Why did he care?"

The room stayed silent.

I lay back on the bed, staring at the ceiling. Hours passed. The sun went down. The cold grew deeper.

By the time night came, my room was almost dark. Only the streetlight outside gave a faint glow.

I curled up under my thin blanket. My stomach growled. I ignored it.

The bracelet warmed my skin again, little pulses of heat that felt like someone squeezing my hand.

I closed my eyes.

I let the silence wrap around me.

Time passed slowly. Too slowly.

Then, at exactly 11 PM, a sound broke through the quiet.

Knock.

A soft, solid knock on my door.

I froze.

My heart jumped.

I sat up slowly, listening hard.

Knock.

Not loud. Not angry. Just firm enough to say someone was really there.

My hands trembled as I stood up. My feet moved on their own. I pressed my palm against the door, trying to hear anything on the other side.

Nothing.

No voice.

No footsteps.

Just silence.

My breath came out in tiny clouds as I unlocked the door slowly. My fingers shook on the handle.

I pulled the door open.

And my heart stopped.

He was standing there.

The silver haired stranger.

The man from the park.

The man who saved my life.

He stood in the hallway holding two bags of groceries in his hands like this was normal. Like he belonged here. Snowflakes melted on his shoulders, but he didn’t look cold at all.

He smiled at me.

A warm, gentle smile that made something deep inside me melt.

"Merry Christmas, Amara," he said softly.

My breath caught in my throat.

He knew my name.

His glowing blue eyes softened as he looked at me.

"May I come in?"