Chapter 1: The Shadow of the SUV
The dark SUV screeched to a halt, its tinted windows reflecting the fading golden twilight. Sofia grabbed the boy—whose name was Leo—and pulled him behind the marble pillar of a storefront. Her heart hammered against her ribs. The golden leaf pin pinned to her jacket caught the last ray of sun, gleaming like a beacon of a past she had tried so hard to burry.
""Hold onto me,"" Sofia whispered, her voice trembling despite her effort to stay calm.
May you like
Leo clutched the faded photograph against his chest. ""Are those the bad men?"" he asked, his hazel eyes wide with a mix of fear and strange trust in a stranger.
""I won't let them touch you,"" Sofia promised. She took a deep breath, slipped off her high heels, and grabbed Leo’s small hand. As the heavy doors of the SUV opened, she ran with him into the crowded alleyways of the city.
