I decided to leave her to her own accord after that. I lingered for a moment, just standing there, watching her back as she sat stiffly in place, refusing to rest. I wanted her to go to sleep—genuinely wanted her to—but it was painfully obvious that she wasn't going to allow herself that luxury. Her posture alone screamed resistance, as if closing her eyes would somehow be a betrayal of her duty. In the end, I realized there was nothing more I could do. Words wouldn't reach her right now, and forcing the issue would only make things worse. So I left her there.
At this point, I really didn't have anything left that I could do for her. She had already made up her mind. She was practically hell-bent on doing whatever she could to protect us, even if that meant grinding herself down until there was nothing left. That kind of resolve was admirable—but it was also terrifying.
