CHAPTER 1 — "The Little Girl Nobody Wanted to Notice"
The automatic doors slid open with a soft chime.
Most shoppers didn't even look up.
To them, she was just another dirty little girl.
Barefoot.
Her clothes were torn.
Her face was covered with dust, and her dark hair clung to her cheeks with sweat.
But what truly caught a few people's attention wasn't the girl...
It was the newborn baby trembling in her tiny arms.
The infant couldn't have been more than a few weeks old.
His cries echoed through the quiet grocery store.
People stared.
Some sighed in annoyance.
Others quietly stepped aside, afraid she might ask for money.
The little girl lowered her head and carefully rocked the baby.
"I'm sorry... please don't cry," she whispered, trying to smile even as tears rolled down her own face.
She stopped in front of the dairy refrigerator and stared at the rows of milk.
Not because she wanted one.
Because she was desperately trying to remember which kind her mother used to buy.
She reached for the cheapest carton.
Then quickly pulled her hand back after noticing the price.
She counted the few coins hidden in her pocket.
Not enough.
Not even close.
The baby's crying grew louder.
Customers began whispering.
"Where are her parents?"
"Someone should call security."
"She's probably stealing."
Every word pierced her heart.
But she refused to cry.
Not now.
She hugged the baby tighter.
"I promised Mommy I'd protect you..."
Nobody heard those words.
Nobody except one man standing near the checkout counter.
He wore a white shirt, a black tie, and the tired face of someone who had spent years watching people.
At first, he thought she was another runaway child.
But something about the way she held that baby...
It wasn't fear.
It was responsibility.
A responsibility no child should ever carry.
He slowly walked toward her.
Before he could speak...
The little girl looked up with eyes full of terror and quietly asked,
May you like
"Can babies die if they don't eat today?"
The entire store fell silent.
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