Sofia handed a few coins to the old vendor, tucking the mango into her basket with a soft smile. The woman behind the stall grinned and teased her, saying someone as elegant as her didn't belong in a place like this.
Sofia just smiled politely.
The market had a rhythm she missed. People moved unhurriedly, with no urgency to be anywhere else. The air was warm, the light golden, the kind of light that made the world feel forgiving for once. No cameras. No forced smiles. No rehearsed roles in a marriage that had become little more than a performance.
Just fruit. Sunlight. And the quiet relief of not being seen as someone's wife or someone's mistake. She breathed. This was what freedom felt like. And yet, something prickled at the back of her neck.
She straightened slightly, her eyes scanning the alley behind the stall. No one looked out of place. Just a few locals and some children laughing as they chased a plastic bag caught in the wind.
