_Kael's POV_
Lisa didn’t move at first. She just stared at me with wide, shocked eyes like she had seen a ghost.
But then, just as I took a single step toward her—
She turned and ran.
“Lisa! Wait!” I shouted, but she didn’t look back.
My heart slammed against my ribs as I rushed after her, pushing through the shop doors into the street outside. The sun was bright, too bright. People bustled past, talking, laughing, shopping but all I could think about was her.
Where was she?
I scanned the crowd frantically.
There! A flash of brown hair in the distance.
“Lisa!” I shouted again, running faster.
She weaved through the crowd like a shadow, slipping past vendors, darting between carts. The busy marketplace swallowed her like a wave, but I kept running, pushing past startled strangers.
