"TWELVE ROSES" | Chapter 9: December 20 | Worthy

Daily Chapter from December 12- 25 Christmas

Chapter 9: December 20 | Worthy

The world outside was hushed, the fresh blanket of snow muffling the usual city noise. Anna sipped her coffee at the kitchen table, the roses a vivid splash of color against the gray light filtering through the window. Each bloom seemed to carry its own quiet strength, their presence a daily reminder of something she couldn’t yet name but was starting to trust.

She traced the words on the note from the previous day: "You are seen." It lingered in her mind, not as a certainty but as a question she wasn’t ready to answer. Being seen meant being vulnerable, and that was a burden she didn’t know how to carry.

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The morning’s walk to meet Beth felt longer than usual. The cold nipped at her cheeks, and her boots crunched through the snow, but her thoughts were louder than the city around her. She hadn’t told Beth about the baby yet. She hadn’t told anyone. The secret sat heavy in her chest, a barrier she couldn’t seem to cross.

Beth was already at the café, her warm smile cutting through Anna’s hesitation as she slid into the seat across from her. Two steaming cups of coffee sat on the table, the aroma curling between them like a bridge.

“You look better,” Beth said, her eyes scanning Anna’s face. “Not great, but... better.”

Anna’s lips curved into a faint smile, a trace of warmth softening her expression. “Thanks, I guess.”