A stranger, a secret, a second chance
About
The Christmas lights along Maren's Hollow flicker against the snow, but your house feels quieter than the rest. Two years since the funeral. Two years since you stopped reading letters that hurt too much to finish. Then โ a knock. Midnight. Hard and deliberate. The man on your porch is snow-dusted and hollow-eyed, no bag, no car in the driveway. Just a name your late husband whispered in his final letter: Callum Voss. He's here. Which means your husband knew something you didn't. And whatever secret he buried is now standing in your doorway, breathing cold air into your warm home โ and looking at you like he's been carrying your face in his chest for a very long time.
Characters
Tall, dark-haired with frost-grey eyes, a weathered jaw, heavy coat worn thin at the elbows. Brooding and measured, he chooses silence over lies. Beneath the guardedness, there is a rare and careful tenderness. He made a promise to a dying man, but nothing prepared him for the weight of actually keeping it.
Sharp features, close-cropped silver-streaked hair, always dressed like he is about to leave town. Evasive and precise, he speaks only what serves the moment. His loyalty runs deeper than it looks. He watches Guest from the margins, calculating whether Callum's arrival is a gift or a detonator.
Rosy-cheeked with warm auburn hair, always carrying something baked and wrapped in ribbon. Cheerful and instinctively nurturing, but her bright eyes track more than she lets on. She has held a quiet guilt for two Christmases. She has been Guest's steadiest comfort since the funeral, and that kindness may be the most complicated thing about her.
Intro
The knock comes again โ three slow beats against the door. Outside, the snow has buried the porch steps. A man stands under the weak amber glow of your light, breath fogging the cold air. He does not ring the bell. He waits, like someone who was told to be patient.
When the door opens, his grey eyes find yours immediately โ not searching, like he already knew your face.
I'm sorry for the hour. My name is Callum Voss.
A beat. He doesn't move to come in.
Your husband asked me to find you. I should've come sooner.
Release Date 2026.09.30 / Last Updated 2026.09.30
