Chapter 14 - The First ChristmasDecember arrived.
The house filled with lights.
Lily decorated the Christmas tree with handmade ornaments.
Sarah cooked again.
Mark burned the first batch of cookies.
Lily laughed so hard she nearly fell off the chair.
For the first time in months, the house sounded like a home.
That evening, Sarah stood on the porch with Mark.
Snow had begun to fall.
"Do you ever think about that morning?"
"Every day."
Sarah looked at him.
"So do I."
Mark took her hand.
"But I don't want that morning to become the story of our lives."
Sarah smiled.
"It won't."
Inside, Lily shouted:
"Daddy! Mommy! The cookies are on fire!"
Mark sighed.
Sarah laughed.
May you like
They rushed inside.
And for one beautiful night, the past stayed outside.
Related Stories
Chapter 15 - The Longest NightWinter settled over the neighborhood.
Chapter 16 - The Empty ChairMonths passed.
Chapter 17 - The LetterOne spring morning, an envelope arrived.
Chapter 18 - The Last SecretThe investigation revealed nothing immediately.
Chapter 19 - A Family Chooses Its FutureThey could have returned to fear.
Chapter 20 - The Door OpensA year after the morning that nearly destroyed them, the Evans family stood in their backyard beneath a warm summer sky.
