Hearing Lily's voice, Charles in the room put down the document in his hand and cradled her in his palm, gently caressing her. "Don't think too much. There will always be a way, trust me."
As Charles's hand stroked over Lily, the once soft and fluffy little mouse was no more. He could distinctly feel the bones beneath Lily's skin.
"Mr. Charles, I don't even dare to look in the mirror now. Do I look very ugly?"
"Not at all. You're still our lovable little Lily." Charles lowered his head and kissed her sunken cheek. "Are you hungry? Do you want something to eat?"
"I'm not hungry; I'm a bit sleepy... I'm going to take a nap." Lily said, her eyes slowly closing, her limbs gradually relaxing.
Seeing this, Charles hastily licked his fingertip and, with trepidation, held it before Lily's nose. Only when he detected a faint breath, did he breathe a sigh of relief.
He placed Lily on the pillow with the gentlest of voices, tiptoeing to the balcony.
