Lauren stood at the window, watching the snowflakes drift lazily to the ground. The holiday lights blinked cheerfully from the houses across the street, but the sparkle felt distant.
She tried to focus on the twinkling lights, tried to feel something for the season, but all she could hear in the back of her mind was the same old ache.
Three days until Christmas.
The ache wasn’t just about the season. It was about everything—about the grief that still lingered, the gap that had opened in her heart since Lewis had died on Christmas Eve.
It felt like she was holding onto a thread that was unraveling, and nothing felt real anymore.
A knock at the door pulled her from her thoughts, and she jumped, her pulse quickening. Her mom, Margaret, and Sophie had dragged her out to go shopping earl
