I began walking quickly toward the alley, my pulse picking up with each step.
The woman was still there, moving with purposeful strides deeper into the narrow passage between buildings. Brown hair, the right build.
Please be her. Please.
I was maybe ten feet away when she suddenly turned, her face coming into view as she greeted someone emerging from a side door.
And... she was not Agnes.
Completely different face. Rounder features, darker eyes, younger by several years.
The breath left my lungs in a disappointed exhale.
Of course it wasn't her. That would've been too easy.
I stopped walking, running a hand through my hair in frustration. The woman and her companion disappeared into the building, their conversation fading.
Idiot. Getting your hopes up over nothing.
Then I turned to head back.
And stopped.
When I saw it... the alley looked different from this angle.
