Steel Rose

A green-eyed woman gently caresses her belly, lovingly awaiting the birth of her baby boy.

The firewood crackles in the fireplace while a blizzard rages outside. Her husband, Leo, is unlikely to ever return from work—he abandoned her the moment he found out she was pregnant.

Mia settled into a red armchair with a cup of hot cocoa in her hands. Her family was due to arrive any minute now. They would have to make their way home through the fierce snowstorm, chilled to the bone by the bitter cold.

The dining table in the living room had already been set. A golden-roasted turkey stuffed with oranges was enough to make anyone's mouth water.

On the peach-colored wall, a golden clock ticks softly. The hands are drawing closer and closer to ten o’clock at night. That means the long, anxious wait will soon come to an end, and Mia’s charming guests will finally cross her doorstep — her mother, her father, and her older brother with his wife.

The sound of footsteps crunching in the snow could be heard, followed by a knock on the oak door.