The woman collapsed to the ground, face buried in her knees, shoulders trembling.
Sophia and I slipped quietly out of the alley.
Back in the car, we sat in silence.
Outside, the sun shone brightly over the market—
but it couldn’t reach the ice inside my chest.
Sophia tapped quickly on her phone.
Minutes later, she gasped and shoved the screen toward me—
An old photo, the same woman, dressed in a plain black dress, standing beside a memorial portrait.
Her face was unmistakable.
Sophia’s voice trembled. “I found her. That’s Rachel Adams—Ethan’s widowed sister-in-law.”
Before I could even process the revelation, Ethan left town again on another business trip.
Meanwhile, Sophia texted me: Rachel’s fish stall didn’t open today.
She soon discovered where they had gone—
San Diego Zoo.
The name alone sent a shiver through me.
I’d always loved animals, but my allergies to cats and dogs meant I could never have pets.
I used to cuddle Ethan and say, “I heard the animals at San Diego Zoo are so well cared for. Can we go sometime?”
And though he’d always indulged me, that time he refused:
“You’re too old for that, baby. When we have a child, the three of us can go together.”