
Now came the problem she hadn’t dared think about.
Food.
Babies needed milk.
And Isabella had none.
Her stomach twisted with worry.
She looked around the warehouse.
Nothing.
Then she remembered the bakery two streets away.
Every night, the baker threw away stale bread.
Maybe… just maybe…
“I’ll be right back,” she told the babies softly.
“Don’t go anywhere.”
The idea made her almost laugh.
She hurried through the rain again, her small feet splashing through puddles.
When she reached the bakery, the lights were off.
But the trash bins were outside.
Heart pounding, Isabella lifted the lid.
Inside were a few pieces of bread—hard, but still edible.
She grabbed them quickly and ran back.
The babies were awake when she returned.
One had started crying again.
“I know, I know,” Isabella said gently.
She soaked a piece of bread in a little rainwater she had collected in a metal cup.
It wasn’t real milk.
But it softened enough that she could squeeze tiny drops between the baby’s lips.
To her relief, the baby swallowed.
Then another.
Soon the other two wanted some too.
It wasn’t much.
But it was something.
And for that night, it kept them quiet.
Days passed.
Then weeks.
Isabella never left the babies alone for long.
During the mornings, she carried them one by one in the basket while she searched for food.
Sometimes kind street vendors gave her scraps.
Sometimes she found fruit that had fallen from market carts.
It was never enough.
But somehow, the four of them survived.
She named the babies herself.
Lucas.
Mateo.
And Sofia.
“They’re good names,” she told them proudly one night.
Lucas grabbed her finger and refused to let go.
Mateo giggled constantly.
And Sofia, the only girl, watched Isabella with wide thoughtful eyes.
For the first time in her life, Isabella didn’t feel completely alone.
Leave a Comment