Julien’s truck moved slowly since the road was ice, and the snow and wind pounded the windshield. The highway in front of me seemed calm and practically empty, as if it were frozen in place. But the cab was warm and comfortable. He grinned as he spotted the picture of his wife, Élodie, hanging from the rearview mirror. He was counting the days until he could hug her again because Christmas was coming up soon.
This night was poor man’s last stop on his journey after ambulancesens of traveling for‑almost two months. He reached inside the glove box and looked at the small case that held the gold necklace he had painstakingly picked out for her. He grinned quietly and pressed the throttle pedal, determined to finally get home.
He parked his truck at the truck stop and then walked the rest of the way. The air was filled with the spirit of the celebration. We knew the streets were decked with garlands and mistletoe, and the shop windows were lit up with holiday lights. People smiled at each other as they walked past.
When he got to his building, he rang the doorbell a lot. Then he stepped back to hide behind the wall, ready to scare her.
But no one opened the door.
He felt a wave of worry wash over him. He searched his pockets, found his keys, and quietly let himself in.
— “Hey? Élodie? It’s me! “Surprise, my love!” He yelled with joy.
The best gifts for the people you love are nothing. The silence was like a blow to the heart.
There was dust on the furniture, which signified that no one had been there in days. He was a little worried. He hurried to the landline phone and noticed a handwritten note that someone had rolled up.
“I’m sorry it didn’t work out.” I knew I could have had more. I met someone else. Now I’m happy. I hope you can too. Goodbye.
Julien kept shouting “goodbye” out loud over and over. Then he couldn’t contain his feelings and crushed the note in his hand before throwing it at the wall. He was shocked, as if the ground had evaporated and left him with nothing but a hole.
He fell apart in the days that followed. He began to forget things when he drank instead of eating. He thought he saw Élodie’s smile in the window at times. One night, he was sure he heard her calling, so he climbed to the ledge and almost fell from the fourth level.
Mr. Ferrand, his old neighbor, rushed in just in time to keep him from losing himself completely.
— “You are the one, Mr. Ferrand…” On Christmas morning, Julien opened the door and said something.
The old man stated in a calm voice, “I came to wish you a Merry Christmas.” “And it’s clear that you started celebrating a week ago…”
Julien got him a drink and talked to him.
– “I loved her.” I gave her everything. I gave her a steady life, excursions, and presents. I might not have been good enough. When I was a child, I didn’t have a family. I don’t know how to love.
The best gifts for the people you love
Family vacation deals
But Mr. Ferrand spoke calmly when he answered:
“Don’t hurt yourself.” Julien, some people are not very reliable. They promise to stay with you forever, yet they change their minds quickly away. She left because she didn’t deserve you. “Be relieved, not broken.”
He was shocked by their statements like a bolt of lightning.
— “Thanks… I’m going to go tonight. I have to get in the car.
That conversation helped him more than any therapy ever could. Julien was already back on the road on Christmas night, moving far away to forget about the past. Some people were giving gifts to their relatives.
He was back in town two weeks later, on a very cold January morning. His truck was almost out of gas, but a sign said there was a gas station just a few kilometers ahead.
He drove there to get gas and warm up a little.
But as he was ready to open the door, it flew open. One of the workers yelled, clearly angry, and was only wearing a T-shirt, even though it was cold outside.
— “Sir! “Please help me right away!” Thank goodness you made it!
Julien moved back when the door slapped his forehead.
— “You almost knocked me out… And now you need help?
But the moment he walked in, he froze.
A woman who was pregnant yelled in anguish, curled up, and her face was twisted in pain. The scene was beautiful and surprising. There was no need for Julien to know why. This woman was going to give birth in the middle of nowhere.
And what he was about to find out about her would shock him even more…
A Cold Night, a Meeting That Surprised Me
Julien had been driving for hours that night, and the snowy road made it hard for him to keep track of how far he had gone. He was tired, but he was pleased to be with his family for Christmas. He never believed that his last trip to a remote gas station would change everything.
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A worried young worker ran up to him as soon as he got there.
— “Sir! Help me, please! A woman who is pregnant is in distress, and the emergency services won’t get there in time!
Julien rushed inside without thinking twice and quickly discovered that things were worse than he had expected. The young woman looked afraid and confused. She was weak and in a lot of pain. When he put her in his truck, she whispered, her eyes far away:
— “Marc? You’re still alive?”
At first, Julien was stunned, but he assumed it was just a hallucination brought on by pain. But soon he would learn something that will change everything for him.
Words, a Similarity, and New Data
Mr. Ferrand, Julien’s old neighbor, told him to go back to the hospital the next day. A nurse there, who looked shocked, believed he was Claire’s husband, the patient.
— “You made it here…” “Come meet your son; he’s waiting for you.”
Julien, who was astonished, walked toward the chamber. Claire looked at him for a long time and then said in a shaky voice:
— “Marc? Is that you? “I thought you were dead.”
Julien was astonished and tried to calm her down, but Claire was sure that this was her husband, Marc, who had gone missing in a peculiar way years ago.
A Very Similar Look?
Julien wanted answers, so he began to dig into it. He went to the school where he had grown up, and what he learned verified his biggest fears: Julien had a twin brother named Marc, who he had never known existed. When they were born, they had to live separately because there wasn’t enough place in foster homes.
A truck driver saves a pregnant woman, but he is shocked to learn where she lives.
The truth comes out when the past comes back.
The shock wasn’t passed yet. Claire reported that Marc died while fishing with a “friend” named Luc, who was in the army with Marc. After the disaster, Luc began to worry Claire and threaten to take her away by force. By a stroke of luck, she ended up at the gas station where Julien saved her when she was running away.
Julien took Claire home because he was determined to find out the truth. When he came in, a picture on the wall confirmed his fear: it was his twin brother, Marc.
There was a lot of noise at the door right then. It was Luc.
Julien was brave for a bit and hid, acting like Marc. Luc’s eyes filled with fear right away when he realized he had been tricked. Julien used the opportunity to videotape Luc’s confession. Thanks to the recordings and the testimony of the fisherman Julien had found, justice was served: Luc got twelve years in prison for his crimes.
A New Family for the Holidays
Claire started to put her life back together now that Luc was in jail. Julien, who had found more than just a shocking lookalike—he had found a new family—helped her reopen the garage that Marc used to run.
Packages for family vacations
A few months later, on Christmas Eve, they got married under a sky full with stars. Claire’s son Léo, who is only a few years old, laughed joyously as he played with the Christmas decorations. Julien’s eyes sparkled as he realized he had found more than simply a place to live; he had found a family.
Family vacation packages
They raised a glass to their new life together at the home of their former neighbor, Mr. Ferrand, to celebrate their new happiness.
Sometimes, the iciest routes lead to the best surprises.
