ALEX.
I followed the noise down the hallway toward the sitting room near the east wing, my pulse pounding harder with every step. When I reached the doorway, I stopped short.
Sophie and Lucas were facing each other, both red-faced and breathing hard. Between them, on the rug, lay a small wooden box wrapped in gold ribbon, one of the advent calendar surprise boxes I had placed out earlier that morning. It had been filled with tiny handwritten notes, each promising a shared Christmas activity for the coming weeks.
Lucas had his fists clenched. Sophie’s eyes were glossy with tears.
“She took it!” Lucas shouted. “It was my turn to open today!”
“You already opened one yesterday!” Sophie yelled back. “You always think everything is yours!”
“Because you ruin things!”
“That’s not true!”
“S
