Chapter 2: Traces in the Park
""Where is she now, Leo?"" Jax asked, trying to keep his tone steady so he wouldn't startle the child. He reached out slowly, resting a reassuring hand near Leo’s knee.
Leo pointed a small finger toward a cluster of oak trees near the park’s northern entrance. ""She went to get us water. She said her head hurt.""
Jax stood up quickly, taking Lily by the hand while keeping Leo close. ""Come with me, kids. Let's go find her together.""
They walked along the paved pathway, Jax's eyes scanning every bench, every shadow under the trees. His mind raced with a thousand questions. If Clara survived the flood five years ago, why hadn't she come home? Why was she living in secrecy with a son he never knew existed?
As they approached the edge of the park near a quiet bus stop, Jax spotted a woman standing near a wooden bench. She wore a faded denim jacket, her hair pulled back into a messy bun. She was thinner than he remembered, her posture hesitant and frail, but there was no mistaking her. It was Clara.
She was staring blankly at a bus schedule poster, clutching a plastic water bottle. Her shoulders trembled slightly in the warm air.
""Clara..."" Jax called out, his voice trembling with a mix of shock and profound tenderness.
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The woman stiffened. Slowly, she turned around. When her eyes met his, there was no instant spark of recognition—only a cloud of confusion and deep-seated weariness. But as her gaze drifted down to Lily, and then to Jax's face, her hand tightened around the plastic bottle until it crumpled with a sharp crunch.
""Jax?"" she whispered, taking a step backward into the shade.
