Scarlett’s fingers twitched as she opened her tired eyes and saw Nina’s face. She grabbed Nina’s hand tightly.Nina noticed and looked at her again. “Scarlett!”Scarlett’s weak voice whispered, “So cold…”Nina held her close. “I’ll hold you. You won’t be cold. You won’t be cold.””Am I dying?” Scarlett asked weakly. “I’m sorry. I couldn’t find the antidote for you… I… cough, cough…””It’s okay, it’s okay!” Nina said. “Don’t talk. The ambulance is here. I’ll get you on it, and you’ll be fine.”Scarlett’s eyes started to glaze over. She spoke faintly, “Don’t be sad for me. We didn’t have much connection. It was all for Wilfred. Living is exhausting. It’s kind of nice that I won’t have to struggle to survive anymore.”Her life felt like it should never have started. There was no joy, only constant helplessness. No family, alone, and no one to love her. Living had lost its meaning.”Now you can live well,” Nina said, trying to ignite Scarlett’s will to survive. “Sawyer is captured, this place is destroyed. No one can control you anymore. You can live beautifully. Didn’t you say you wanted to live and be pretty? You can’t give up. You can’t!” Nina almost shouted, desperate to see Scarlett hold onto life.Scarlett gazed at Nina, a faint smile on her lips. “Can I really live well?””Yes, you can!” Nina wiped the blood from Scarlett’s face. “You’ll be cherished and loved, you can be the prettiest girl, clean and beautiful. You won’t be alone. You’ll have friends and family. You’ll never be abandoned again!” Hearing this, tears suddenly fell from Scarlett’s eyes.Perhaps this was the life she had always longed for. She wouldn’t be so lonely anymore.She wanted to exist in the light and be a normal person. She wanted to feel loved and cherished for once.She had never been needed or truly loved in her life. She wanted to experience being loved, genuinely and deeply.The doctors arrived with a stretcher and placed it beside Scarlett. Her body was already very weak.Nina held her hand, feeling her faint breath. She stepped aside to let the doctors lift her onto the stretcher.Scarlett clung to Nina’s hand, looking at her with raspy breath. “I’m so envious of you, Nina. I really envy you.”She envied Nina for staying pure despite the darkness.She also envied her for being so bright, positive, and full of life.”Big sister!” Nina stood up from the ground. “I can protect you too!”Scarlett was taken aback, then more tears streamed down her face. She was both surprised and deeply saddened.She responded, “I can take a beating. You have delicate skin so you must be someone’s precious daughter. You can’t endure this.”Nina’s eyes were red with emotion, her heart heavy with sorrow.Scarlett and Nina were bound by fate. In that small, dark room, Scarlett was the only girl who had ever protected her.The room was filled with boys and girls, ranging in age from a few years old to teenagers. Every day, they fought fiercely over food. Some starved to death, some were beaten to death, and their bodies were then discarded. It was a place of extreme cruelty.Nina remembered now. She survived only because of Scarlett’s protection.Scarlett had lived in that harsh environment for years, and she was the only girl who had survived. S~ᴇaʀᴄh the FɪndNøvel.ηᴇt website on Gøøglᴇ to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.