Chapter 1 - THE STEAM AND THE SHADOWS
The night market of Old Ha Long was a labyrinth of wet asphalt, heavy humidity, and competing scents—grilled lemongrass pork, damp river air, and pungent diesel exhaust. Beneath long rows of stretched orange tarpaulins, red plastic chairs scraped against slick pavement while street vendors hollered over the roar of passing mopeds.
Linh stood near a steaming pho stall, her hands buried deep in the pockets of her dark grey trench coat. At thirty-two, Linh moved through the world like a ghost haunting her own past. Her eyes, sharp and watchful, scanned the faces of the bustling crowd, as she had done every single night for the last six years.
Her life was divided into two distinct eras: before the night her five-year-old sister, Mai, vanished from a crowded bus terminal, and after.
Ever since that rainy November evening, Linh had given up her career, her savings, and her peace of mind. She roamed the coastal towns, following every whispered rumor of stolen children, illegal orphanages, and broken families.
A sudden, high-pitched screech of brakes pierced the atmospheric hum of the market.
May you like
Linh snapped her head toward the street. A red motor scooter skidded wildly across the wet asphalt, its horn blaring a deafening warning.
A tiny girl in a torn red dress had burst out of the crowd barefoot, running blindly into the middle of the wet lane, her arms pumping, her face twisted in utter panic.
