#Chapter 168 – Hunger Pains

Lila Hunger gnawed at me like a living thing. At first, I thought I was dying; some new symptoms accelerating in my stomach. But after a full day I realized I truly was hungry for the first time in what felt like weeks. I told myself I could endure it; that I’d learned discipline under my father’s roof, that a few skipped meals were nothing compared to what I’d already survived. But after cutting rations smaller and smaller, the ache hollowed me out until it was all I could feel. The more I tried to ignore the hunger, the louder it screamed, echoing inside me until even silence seemed to vibrate with it. I paced the room in tight circles, my body too restless to lie still even though I had very little energy left. I moved through the next pass around the table and felt the plop of water. Looking up, I noticed the roof leaked, fat drops splattering down onto the cot. I tried to shove the bed closer to the wall, but the damp still crept in, leaving my blanket heavy and c