"Mommy… why… why didn't you protect me…?"
Yueyao turned her head desperately towards the voice. A tiny child stood there, barefoot, wearing a simple white shirt soaked in blood. The little one's face was blurred, but she could see those eyes, dark, innocent, full of tears.
"Mommy… it's dark… I'm cold…"
"No… no, baby… Mommy's here… Mommy's here…!" she cried, reaching out with trembling hands, but the child only took a step back, shaking their small head.
"You didn't want me… You didn't protect me… You let me die…"
"NO!" Yueyao screamed, her hands grasping at empty air, her entire body trembling violently, "No… please… please don't leave me… please…!"
But the child kept stepping back into the darkness, their tearful whisper echoing around her like a death sentence.
"You didn't want me… You didn't want me…"
She jolted awake with a strangled gasp.
Her chest heaved with ragged, painful breaths as tears streamed down her face, soaking into her pillow.
