Chapter 766

The little girl's chapped lips parted in a silent scream, her voice stolen by exhaustion. She strained with every ounce of strength left in her tiny body, willing herself to move—but her limbs lay heavy and unresponsive. Instead, her head grew leaden, and a creeping coldness spread through her, inch by inch. In her young mind, too small to grasp the enormity of it all, a single thought slowly took shape. Was she… dying? Yes. She was dying. Just like Mama and Papa had. Mama… Papa… Tears welled up again, spilling down her hollow cheeks. Ivy remembered now—she had once had parents. They had been so kind, so warm. The village aunties and uncles had been kind too. Back then, she had been happy. But then, one day, Mama and Papa had left, one after the other. And after that… the bad men had taken her. From then on, pain, torment, hunger, and cruelty became her constant companions. She had been so very young—too young—yet she had already tasted every suffering the world could offer. Though she