this year, to save me from tears

But the very next day, you gave it away

Last Christmas was the last time she ever felt happy with herself, and this year, it seems, will be another Christmas celebrated with a heavy heart. Today on Christmas Eve, right before Christmas, Maya Alekseev saw her husband kiss another under the mistletoe, just like the night they first kissed. It's not like she never saw this coming, but to see it happen in front of her shattered the last remaining pieces of her heart.

She saw him tuck her hair behind her ear, just like that night. She saw him lovingly stroke her cheek with his thumb, oh so slowly, while looking deep into her eyes, just like that night. Maya saw the likeness of her husband the night they first made it official. She saw the Ajax Alekseev she fell in love with that night, only this time it was another woman with him. Maya didn't know what hurt her the most—the betrayal or the fact that she wasn't the one in that woman's place making her husband look at her so fondly.

Perhaps it was that one snowy day—or perhaps it was just Maya—when it all went wrong in their marriage. On last year's New Year's Eve, before it turned 12, Maya held his hand and gave him a small object—a tiny red Christmas sock. 'A baby' she had whispered in her husband's ear and saw the bewilderment turn into joy. The fireworks exploded in the distance, along with the screams of 'Happy New Year!' But at that moment, it felt like they were the only ones outside reveling in their joy. They started off that year happy and with a new addition to their family. A new life.

Until death came along to collect his dues.

One night, Maya had been irate all day and was a mess due to the mood swings that came with the baby. She'd been riling up her husband all day with her nagging and demands. They had been arguing that day about how lonely it was for her, how Ajax had been busy at work providing for the baby, and how she didn't like that new coworker of his who had attached herself to him since day 1.

He had argued and explained, but all of that wasn't enough for her, and she argued back to the point that sentences that shouldn't have been said were shouted at each other. To calm down and get some advice, she called her mother-in-law in tears, after Ajax had left the house with a slam to the door and begged her to come and help. Evanna Alekseev was a sweet and loving mother who had been like her own. Maya loved her like she was the mother she could've had and confided in her all her fears and thoughts about her marriage to her son. On that night, Evanna hurried to comfort her daughter-in-law and get her son to talk to his wife, but unfortunately met her end at the hands of a drunk driver. Maya had been with her in the car to fetch Ajax at the bar, and she was shielded from most of the damage when Evanna covered her with her own body. However, on that night, two souls were taken by death.

The funeral was somber and passed, with Maya not attending as she was in the hospital. From that day on, everything went downhill. While her husband was comforted in the arms of another woman, she celebrated Christmas alone with that red Christmas sock and a heavy heart. 'Merry Christmas' she had whispered, and she cried herself to sleep.

Today, on Christmas Eve, she will silently say goodbye to everyone in her past, to Evanna, to the baby they lost, and to her Ajax, whom she loved so much. Tomorrow, she'll celebrate Christmas alone, and on New Year's Eve, she vowed to start off that year all over again. A new life.

The End