Agnes The sunlight poured through the large windows of the shopping mall, glinting off the polished tiles and creating a light, cheerful atmosphere. It was hard to feel anxious here, surrounded by the happy hum of families and the occasional laughter from kids darting past us. And yet my nerves were as tightly wound as ever. Today, we weren’t just going out to buy a new phone after I had shattered mine. We were going to the police station afterwards to reopen the case on my missing child. My heart was pounding just at the thought. Elijah walked beside me while Thea skipped ahead, her little hands clutching a colorful flyer advertising Create-a-Plush. I tried not to overthink everything, but it was hard not to. Elijah seemed so certain that she wasn’t my biological child, an

