The golden haze of late afternoon drifted lazily through downtown Chicago, coating the bustling streets in a warm glow that felt almost magical. The city’s heartbeat thumped steadily beneath it — taxis weaving through traffic, trains rattling above, hurried footsteps tapping against concrete. Yet within that bright chaos, in a spot most would overlook, a little girl sat alone on the grocery store steps.

Her presence was almost ghostlike against the city’s noise — small, fragile, nearly swallowed by the towering buildings around her. Her faded dress fluttered with each gust of wind, a quiet reminder of how thin the barrier was between her body and the biting cold.

She shifted slightly, cradling the tiny baby in her lap with a gentleness far beyond her years. The child’s breath came in…CONTINUE READING…