Samantha woke the next morning with a hardened resolve anchoring her chest. Juniper had been gone for over two days now, and if she didn’t push harder, he would slip further from her reach. She had no choice but to fight—harder, smarter, and more ruthlessly than the day before.
As she stepped outside, the air still thick with early mist, her heart sank. Only a handful of people lingered by the porch, shuffling awkwardly. Gone was the bustling crowd from the first day; all that remained were a few determined souls, most of them holding leashes or carriers of their own.