Valentine’s Day

Valentine’s Day

The snow fell softly over the small town of Willowbrook, blanketing the streets in a quiet, shimmering white. It was February 14th, Valentine’s Day, and the town was alive with the hum of love—roses in shop windows, heart-shaped balloons tied to lampposts, and couples strolling hand in hand through the frosty air. But for Clara, this day was just another reminder of what she had lost.

Clara had been a widow for three years. Her husband, Daniel, had been her everything—her best friend, her partner, her laughter on the darkest days. Since his passing, Valentine’s Day had become a day of solitude, a day she spent wrapped in memories and the warmth of his old flannel shirt. This year, she had decided to avoid the world entirely, retreating to her cozy cottage on the edge of town.

But fate, it seemed, had other plans.

As Clara sipped her tea by the fire, a faint knock echoed through the house. Startled, she set her cup down and padded to the door. Standing on her porch was a young boy, no older than ten, clutching a slightly crumpled envelope. His cheeks were rosy from the cold, and his breath came out in little puffs of steam.

“Are you Clara?” he asked, his voice trembling slightly.

“Yes,” she replied, kneeling to his level. “What’s this?”

“It’s for you,” he said, thrusting the envelope into her hands. “My grandpa told me to deliver it. He said it’s important.”

Before Clara could ask any questions, the boy turned and dashed down the snowy path, disappearing into the twilight. She stared at the envelope, her name written in a familiar, looping script that made her heart skip a beat.

It was Daniel’s handwriting.

With trembling fingers, she opened the envelope and pulled out a single sheet of paper. The words were short but carried the weight of a thousand emotions:

*“My dearest Clara,

If you’re reading this, it means I’m no longer there to hold your hand. But I need you to know that love doesn’t end with goodbye. Today, I want you to do something for me—go to our spot by the lake. Trust me.

Forever yours,

Daniel”*

Tears streamed down Clara’s face as she read the note over and over. How could this be? Daniel had been gone for years. Who had sent this? And why now?

Driven by a mix of curiosity and longing, Clara grabbed her coat and boots and set out into the snowy evening. The lake was a mile from her cottage, a place she hadn’t visited since Daniel’s passing. It had been their special spot, where they’d shared picnics, watched sunsets, and dreamed of the future.

As she approached the lake, the snow began to fall harder, swirling around her like a dance. The world was silent, save for the crunch of her boots on the snow. And then she saw it—a flicker of light in the distance.

Her breath caught in her throat. There, by the edge of the frozen lake, was a small wooden bench adorned with twinkling fairy lights. On the bench sat a single red rose and a small box tied with a ribbon. Clara’s heart raced as she approached, her hands shaking as she picked up the box.

Inside was a delicate silver locket, its surface engraved with the words *“Always with you.”* She opened it to find a tiny photo of Daniel, smiling as he always had, his eyes full of love.

“Clara,” a voice called softly from behind her.

She turned, her eyes widening in disbelief. Standing there, his face illuminated by the soft glow of the lights, was Daniel. Not the Daniel she had lost, but a man who looked so much like him it took her breath away.

“I’m sorry,” the man said, his voice gentle. “I didn’t mean to startle you. My name is Ethan. Daniel was my uncle.”

Clara’s mind spun as she tried to process his words. “Your uncle?”

Ethan nodded. “He wrote that letter years ago, just before he passed. He asked me to deliver it to you on this Valentine’s Day. He wanted you to know that you’re never alone, that his love for you lives on.”

Clara clutched the locket to her chest, tears streaming down her face. “But why now?”

Ethan smiled, his eyes kind. “Because he knew you’d be ready. And because he wanted you to know that love has a way of finding us, even when we least expect it.”

As the snow continued to fall, Clara felt a warmth spread through her chest, a feeling she hadn’t known in years. She looked at Ethan, at the locket, and then out at the frozen lake, where the memories of Daniel seemed to dance in the air.

And for the first time in a long time, Clara smiled.

Valentine’s Day, she realized, wasn’t just about the love you’ve lost—it was about the love that never leaves you, and the love that’s still waiting to be found.

As the fairy lights twinkled and the snow fell softly around them, Clara knew that Daniel had been right all along. Love, after all, never truly ends.

And sometimes, it finds you again when you least expect it.

**The End.**