{"id":24690,"date":"2025-12-19T18:43:00","date_gmt":"2025-12-19T18:43:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/readmore.cx\/?p=24690"},"modified":"2025-12-19T18:43:00","modified_gmt":"2025-12-19T18:43:00","slug":"24690","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/readmore.cx\/?p=24690","title":{"rendered":""},"content":{"rendered":"

Now, she looked like a ghost haunting the neon-lit purgatory of a Wednesday afternoon mall. Her hair, usually a glossy chestnut curtain, was pulled back in a messy bun that hadn\u2019t seen a brush in days. Her skin was the color of parchment.<\/p>\n

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\u201cSweetheart?\u201d<\/p>\n

The word stuck in my throat, scratching like broken glass. I walked up to the table, my shadow falling over her meager pile of coins.<\/p>\n

Sophia flinched. It wasn\u2019t a start of surprise; it was the physical recoil of a frightened animal. She looked up, and the devastation in her eyes nearly brought me to my knees. The dark circles were bruises against her pale skin.<\/p>\n

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\u201cMom?\u201d She tried to smile, but her lip trembled, ruining the illusion. She swept the coins into her palm, hiding them. \u201cWhat are you doing here?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI was meeting a client,\u201d I lied smoothly. I had been retired for three years, but old habits of evasion were useful now. I slid into the plastic chair opposite her. \u201cWhere\u2019s\u00a0Emma? It\u2019s Wednesday. Isn\u2019t she usually with you on your day off?\u201d<\/p>\n

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Now, she looked like a ghost haunting the neon-lit purgatory of a Wednesday afternoon mall. Her hair, usually a glossy chestnut curtain, was pulled back in a messy bun that hadn\u2019t seen a brush in days. Her skin was the color of parchment. \u201cSweetheart?\u201d The word stuck in my throat, scratching like broken glass. I…<\/p>\n

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