Officer Discreetly Follows Lost Boy, Then Breaks Down When He Discovers the Truth

Officer Sean Smith first noticed the boy near the back entrance of the downtown bus station, where the city grew louder and more unforgiving. It was just after school let out, sidewalks packed with commuters, delivery carts, and people who never looked up. The boy was small enough to vanish in the crowd, but something about his stride made Sean slow down. He wasn't wandering aimlessly. He marched with a tight jaw, backpack bouncing against his shoulders, as if he had made a monumental decision and feared that pausing for even a second would shatter it.