Solivan wandered the empty streets, the chill of New Year’s Eve pressing against his shoulders. The echoes of past mistakes whispered in every alley, every flickering streetlight. He pulled his coat tighter, wishing he could vanish into the darkness.

At the stroke of midnight, a figure stepped into the street, calm yet insistent. “You can’t hide from yourself forever.” The stranger said.

Solivan scowled, turning away, but the words burrowed deep. Memories he had buried clawed back—failures, regrets, the pain he had ignored. He wanted to fight, to run, but the stranger held his gaze, unyielding.

Fireworks exploded overhead, a brilliant symphony that drowned out the city’s silence. And in that blazing light, Solivan saw what he had refused to see: the shadows inside him.

He swallowed hard. “I… I have to face it,” He whispered to no one but himself.