The calm of the Azure Coast felt thick and warm, like time itself had slowed down just for them. Days drifted by easily. Breathing felt deeper. Hearts felt lighter. On the eighth day at the villa, during their usual sunset walk, that peace shattered.
They heard shouting up ahead, sharp voices cutting through the sound of the waves. People were gathered near the water, panic clear in every movement. As Aaron and Cameron rushed closer, they didn't need words to understand what had happened. A fisherman stood at the edge of the shore, pointing wildly at the sea, shouting in a local dialect. His hands were shaking. Out in the water, something small and darkwas being pulled away from the sand and into the darker waves.
A child.
A flash of blue fabric, a glimpse of small limbs… then nothing.
