Ren was halfway through his morning paper when Trisandrah swept past him in a whirl of perfume and purpose. She was dressed to the nines, travel bag slung neatly over her shoulder.
“I’m off for a couple of days,” she announced, offering no explanation before slipping out the door as quickly as she’d come.
By the time she reached her destination, she was wrapped in cloak and shadow. She slipped through the back entrance, only lowering her hood once she knew she was safely inside. The matron was waiting, hands folded, a warm smile spreading across her round face.
“Welcome, Ms. Emberstrom. It’s so lovely to see you again. Shall I take your things up?”
Trisandrah nodded, handing over her bag before unclasping her cloak and offering it as well.
“The families are in the common area,” the matron continued. “The tree is up, and the decorations you ordered are ready for… whatever it is you do with them.”
It was early in the season for Winter’s Veil decor, but here, it had become tradition, at least in recent years.
After Trisandrah gained financial independence through T&R Chocolatiers, she had sought a shelter she could quietly support. At first it was anonymous: a donation here, gifts there. But her involvement deepened over time, and she eventually used T&R as a convenient cover so no one would question her interest in this particular place, if anyone ever found out.
She made her way down the hall toward the commons, pleased with every improvement she passed. With each visit, the shelter looked less like an institution and more like a home. The cheerful chatter of children echoed down the corridor, a sound so different from the silence that had filled her own childhood.
Decorating the tree was always their first task. The children adored it, and once it was done, the mothers would join her for the rest of the decorations. A solid plan, she thought, pushing open the door.
The next day, just before leaving, she paused to take a picture of the enormous tree, which towered over a pair of children darting past in a blur of giggles.
She studied the photo on her comm, unexpectedly touched. On impulse, she sent it to Ren.
Only afterward did it hit her what she’d done. She sighed, bracing herself, and waited for the ball to drop.
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