Finally, exhausted, he collapsed onto a stone bench.
Maybe everyone else was right, he thought.
Maybe it was time to stop searching… to accept the unthinkable.
Before the thought could fully form, a strange feeling crawled up his spine.
Someone was watching him.
He turned slowly.
A small girl stood a few steps away.
She looked about seven years old.
Her bare feet were dusty, and she wore a faded green dress that hung loosely over her thin shoulders. Her hair was tangled as if the wind had been playing with it all morning.
But what struck Adrian most were her eyes.
They were calm and serious—far older than a child’s should be.
She wasn’t begging.
She simply stared at the poster resting on his lap.
“Hello,” Adrian said gently. “Do you need something?”
The girl stepped closer and pointed at the photograph of Lucas.
Then she spoke in a quiet, clear voice.
“Sir… that boy lives in my house.”
Time froze.
Adrian’s heart slammed against his chest.
He dropped to his knees in front of her, not caring about the dust covering his expensive suit.
“What did you say?” he asked, barely breathing. “Look at me carefully. Are you sure?”
The girl nodded calmly.