Christmas Eve morning arrived with the sound of laughter and the faint scent of cinnamon drifting through the Kim household.
Lucas was up early, racing around the living room with wrapping paper in his hands. The Christmas tree glittered in gold and white, its ornaments reflecting the glow from the fireplace. Laurel hummed softly in the kitchen while Luke prepared coffee, his low chuckle mixing with Lucas’s voice.
It should have been a perfect morning.
Brianna smiled and moved through the motions, her apron dusted with flour, her voice light as she joined in the small family chatter. But underneath the surface, her chest felt tight. Every knock on the door, every vibration from her phone made her heart stop.
She hadn’t told her parents what had happened the day before. She couldn’t. Th
