Michael’s stomach dropped. The implications of Julie’s words echoed in his mind—a chilling reminder of how life can twist in unimaginable ways. Here was a child navigating a world that had betrayed her just as much as it had betrayed him.

“Julie,” he began cautiously, “have you spoken to anyone about your mom?”

She shook her head, curls bouncing with a kind of defiance that only children possess. “No one listens to street kids, mister. I learned to keep my stories to myself.”