Her fingers trembled around the knife as her gaze darted wildly from one silent guard to another, seeking any sliver of escape.
But there was none.
Shen Xuan clung to Bai Zhi's skirt, his tiny shoulders shaking violently as his sobs echoed through the silent hall.
"Mommy… please… please don't… you are so scary… Mommy Zhi is crying… I don't want you anymore… I want Mommy Zhi… she would never hurt me like this… never…"
His words pierced her like burning needles, each syllable leaving her emptier, hollower, her limbs growing weaker under the crushing weight of hopelessness.
She pressed the blade tighter against Bai Zhi's throat, feeling the woman flinch with a strangled cry as fresh tears streamed down her face.
"Don't… don't come near me…" Yueyao whispered hoarsely, her voice trembling and broken as she glanced around the guards tightening their circle around her. "I will kill her… I will… don't think I won't…"
But deep inside, she knew.
She was at the end.
