Chapter 3 Little feet ,big shadows

The rain had cleared by morning, leaving the sidewalks damp and the air fresh with petrichor. Amira stood across from the address printed on the back of the Wolfe Holdings card, her heart thudding in her chest like it was trying to break free.

But instead of going inside, she turned left. Just five minutes. Just a moment to breathe.

A small bookshop café nestled between a florist and a clothing boutique caught her eye. The window display was crooked, the lettering on the chalkboard menu faded...but it felt warm. Safe.

She stepped in and let the soft scent of old pages and cinnamon wrap around her. No loud music. Just the hum of conversation and a lazy fan clicking overhead.

She ordered a chamomile tea and tucked herself into a corner seat by the window, clutching the hot mug like it could steady her.

She didn't notice the girl at first.

Tiny, quiet, sitting two tables over with a picture book open but untouched. Her hair was a tangle of honey brown curls ,looked like it hadn't been treated well in a while...and she wore a navy coat a size too big. No adult in sight.

Then their eyes met.

Big, sad eyes. Green and quiet like a deep lake with too many secrets.

The little girl glanced away, then back again. Amira offered a small smile.

The child hesitated...then got up, book in hand, and wandered over.

"Hi," the girl said softly.

"Hi there," Amira replied, lowering her voice like she was handling something delicate.

The girl looked at the book. "This one's about a dog who runs away but then comes back."

"Sounds like a brave dog."

The girl shrugged. "He was scared. But he missed his home."

Amira nodded slowly. "Sometimes it's hard to know where home is."

The child tilted her head, studying her like kids do when they sense something under the surface.

"You talk nice," she said. "Not too loud. Not fake."

Amira blinked, surprised. "Thank you. You're very smart."

"I read a lot. And I don't like loud people."

She sat down without asking, curling her legs under her in the seat opposite Amira. No manners, no hesitation. Just loneliness looking for a place to land.

Amira wasn't sure what to say, but it didn't matter. The girl kept talking, pointing to the dog in the book, explaining how he got lost in a storm and how no one believed he could find his way back.

"He had to be brave even though he was little," she said.

"I think he had someone cheering for him," Amira murmured.

The girl looked up. "Do you think dogs know who loves them?"

Amira's throat tightened. "Yes. I think they do."

A voice called from the door. Firm. Controlled.

"Ella."

The girl stiffened. The spell broke.

She turned to the doorway where a sharply dressed man stood...tall, rigid, his eyes locked on her. A driver, maybe. Or a bodyguard.

The girl,Ella...stood slowly, hugging the book to her chest.

"Bye," she whispered, and then she was gone.

Amira stared at the empty seat across from her, heart oddly hollow.

There was something about that little girl. Something fragile and familiar.

She glanced at her watch ,it was 9:58 AM.

Time to go meet the man who might upendd her life.

She left the café not knowing that she'd just met his daughter.

Not knowing that her calm voice, her quiet warmth, had already begun to heal a crack in a little girl's heart.

She didn't know the journey of healing something she didn't break had just started.