A heartbreaking stranger

The ride to the mall was smooth and therapeutic. The driver was stoic, but he was glancing my way through his side mirror. Maybe it was just his way to make sure I was comfortable and the ride wasn't bothersome.

The streets and roads we passed through were bubbling with people going about their different activities. I watched with glee, like I was some kind of prisoner who hadn't seen the outside world in years.

Finally, we pulled up at the mall. It was a big building with small stores clustered around it. The parking space was spacious and wide. It could fit in thousands of cars.

The car door opened, revealing the bodyguard who had ushered me into the car earlier on. He followed the car in front of my own vehicle. We had driven all through as a convoy.

When I came down, Anna was already out, waiting for me to come out of the car. She linked her hands around mine and dragged me into the mall, with two of the bodyguards following us behind.

The mall was packed full of people. I recoile