The words cut through the iron gates of Oakwood Memorial Cemetery in Austin, Texas, and hit Ryan Caldwell like a physical blow.
He had come with his fiancée, Lauren Whitman, immaculate in black heels and designer sunglasses, to visit his late father’s grave. But in that instant, everything around him went silent.
Two identical boys stood just outside the gate. Twins. Maybe seven years old. Their clothes were dusty, their sneakers worn thin. Between them, they held a faded teddy bear—one eye missing, its fur flattened by years of small hands and hard nights.
Ryan asked the price, not because he cared, but because he needed time to breathe. Something about them had frozen him in place. Their eyes—clear, dark, and painfully familiar—were the same eyes as Elena.
The woman he had loved.
The woman who had vanished without a trace.
Lauren tugged at his arm, irritation sharp in her voice. “Ryan, let’s go. This is obviously a scam.”
But the smaller twin spoke again, barely louder than a whisper.
“Our mom is sick… and we don’t have food.”
Ryan slipped two hundred dollars into the boy’s hand. Before Lauren could protest, he asked, “What are your names?”