Four Small Figures Under a Storefront Awning
Near a luxury boutique, beneath a narrow awning barely big enough for one person, four tiny shapes huddled together.
Four girls—soaked, shivering, and terrified.
Four heads of pale hair plastered to small faces.
Four matching sets of wide, fearful blue eyes.
Quadruplets.
The eldest—older by only minutes—held a torn tarp over her sisters like a shield.
One of the youngest cried, a soft, trembling sound Spencer felt in his chest.
It was not pity that struck him.
It was recognition.
He had once been that forgotten child.
“Stop the car,” he said.
Camille turned, startled.
“Mr. Rylan—”
“Stop. The. Car.”
Javier pulled over.
A Choice That Changed Everything
Rain knocked against Spencer as he stepped out, leaning heavily on his cane. Every breath hurt, but he moved forward.
The oldest girl stepped in front of her sisters, chin trembling yet determined.
“We don’t have anything you can steal,” she said.
Spencer’s heart cracked.
“I’m not here to take,” he whispered. “I’m here to help.”
He would soon learn their names: Harper, Wren, Daisy, and Skye Whitlock—eight-year-old sisters who had survived with nothing but each other.