I felt the weight of disappointment crush me as the stranger’s face blurred into the crowd again. The joy of hope had flashed briefly before it extinguished, leaving me in a dark pit of frustration and concern.
“Damon, we need to keep looking,” Lucas urged, his voice steady despite my anxiety rising. He looked around, scanning the people moving past us like a human tide. “Let’s try the next few stalls quickly.”
We made our way through the vibrant market, the scent of fresh paint and canvas mixing with the air that smelled of artisan coffee and sweet pastries. But every second stretched painfully, and each time a woman walked by with a wisp of dark hair or a smile that resembled Harriet’s, my heart jumped, only to drop once again when I realised she wasn’t the one I was searching for.
“
