That night stayed with him forever.
Every time thunder roared, he remembered the explosions.Every time he smelled smoke, his chest tightened. And every night, before sleeping on the cold ground, he whispered,
"Mother, are you watching me?"
No one answered.
One rainy evening, a kind-looking man offered him bread. The boy smiled—his first smile in months. But as he reached for it, the man hesitated, pulled the bread back, and walked away. The smile faded, leaving behind something worse than hunger: hope that had been broken.The orphan boy learned a painful truth early—