I would find them.
I would unearth every name.
I would look them in the eye as they begged for mercy — and I would not blink.

Because now... this isn't just about her anymore.
It's about the promise I made.
To her.
To that baby.
To myself.

And I would burn the goddamn world down before I let them suffer another second.

.

.

The way she looks at you, clings to you, listens to your voice like it's the only thread keeping her sane... That's not something anyone else can give her. No medicine. No therapy. No sedation."

I swallowed the lump rising in my throat. My fists clenched in my lap.

.

.

"why her tummy is swollen?"

I smiled softly and shifted Diya a little in my arms, holding her close — the warmth of her small body like balm to the storm I had just lived through. "Because," I said, "she has a baby inside her. That's why."

She gasped — eyes going as round as saucers. Her mouth dropped open like she'd just uncovered the world's biggest secret.

"She... she ate a baby?"