"TWELVE ROSES" | Chapter 7: December 18 | Story

Daily Chapter from December 12- 25 Christmas

Chapter 7: December 18 | Story

The sun hadn’t risen yet when Anna woke, though the faintest gray light seeped through the blinds. The air was still, as if the world outside was holding its breath. She lay there for a while, staring at the ceiling, her mind turning over the thoughts that had become constant companions: Tayler’s departure, the baby, the roses, the quiet ache of uncertainty that followed her everywhere.

She sat up slowly, her hand moving to her womb as it often did now. The life inside her was so small, so quiet, yet impossible to ignore. She tried to imagine what it would feel like when the child began to move, pressing against the walls of her body, a quiet reminder of the life growing within her. The thought brought a strange mixture of fear and wonder.

The roses waited in the kitchen, their radiant beauty undiminished. Each one seemed to carry its own quiet strength, defying the cold and darkness that filled her days. Anna ran her fingers over their petals as she waited for her coffee to brew, her gaze lingering on the notes arranged beside them.

You are not alone. You are known. You are loved. You matter. You are stronger than you think.

They were more than words now. They had begun to seep into her, threading their way through her splintered heart. She didn’t believe them entirely, not yet, but she couldn’t ignore them either.

As she drank her coffee, she thought of the person behind the roses. Whoever it was, they knew her—or at least, they saw her. She hadn’t felt seen in a long time. Not by Tayler, not by her family, not even by herself. The realization settled in her chest like a stone.

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When she opened the door to leave for work, the seventh rose was waiting.

She picked it up with quivering hands, the cold biting her fingers as she untied the twine. The note unfolded easily, the words written in the same familiar script.