Chapter 3 - THE MIDNIGHT DELIVERYAt 2:00 AM, Sarah sat at her tiny kitchen table in her cramped, drafty apartment. The electricity was back on thanks to the payment she’d scraped together, but the radiator hissed and clanked like a dying machine.
She had spent the last two hours wrapping the doll in old newspaper because she couldn't afford wrapping paper. Beside it sat a single box of macaroni and cheese. That was Christmas dinner.
Suddenly, a soft knock echoed at her door.
Sarah froze. It was the middle of the night. Landlords didn't knock softly; creditors didn't knock at all. Heart pounding, she crept to the door, peering through the warped peephole.
There was no one in the hallway except a towering stack of oversized boxes wrapped in silver foil, tied with thick velvet ribbons, and a massive grocery crate filled with fresh hams, fruits, pastries, and a thick envelope resting on top.
She opened the door slowly, stepping out into the cold corridor. No footsteps echoed down the stairs. The elevator doors were just sliding shut.
With trembling hands, Sarah pulled the envelope open. Inside was a handwritten note on heavy, cream-colored cardstock:
“To Sarah and Mia, Some debts are never meant to be repaid—they are only meant to be passed on. Have a wonderful Christmas. — G.”
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Beneath the note lay a cashier's check made out to her name for five thousand dollars, along with a lease agreement for a fully paid, warm, two-bedroom apartment three blocks away, featuring a functioning heater and a window that didn't let the wind howl through.
Sarah fell to her knees in the hallway, pressing the letter to her face as the tears she had held back all week finally broke loose.
