It was supposed to be an ordinary afternoon at a roadside diner in Ohio. The kind of quiet, unremarkable day that melts into…

I pinned the name tag to my pale‑blue dress and froze. Under the chandeliers of the Westbrook Hotel ballroom in the United States—mahogany…

The night before Christmas in Westchester, New York, is supposed to feel magical. The wealthy suburbs glow with wreaths in every window, inflatable Santas…

The afternoon sun was fading, tinting the sky over the small town of Willowbrook with shades of orange and purple. A thin layer…