Day 152. Victoria and Alice sat in the diner again, staring at their trays—MREs, French military rations. Widely regarded as the best military rations in the world, it was far from appetizing after weeks of fresh foods.

Alice he poked at the grayish paste on her plate pretending to be Greek yogurt. "Disgusting. I swear, if they keep feeding me this, I'm k**ling someone."

Victoria stirred he powder steak, chewing the first bite slowly. She set her fork down. "Let me guess—you had fresh fruit?"

"Fruit, bread, and they finally opened the cheese supply. We got the italian kind. French, maybe. It was a big wheels." She paused. "And we had strawberries. Little ones. But we got them."

She leaned closer. "And lobster." she whispered. "We cooked them alive.."

"How?" Victoria asked. "The farms aren't doing well."

Alice smirked. "Perks of knowing the right people."

Victoria's tone sharpened. "So, while the rest of us get this, you're sneaking fresh, delicious food for yourself. That's not fair."

"Fair, Vic? It wasn't enough for everyone. Did you want them to throw it away? Somebody had to eat it. Otherwise, it would've gone to waste."

"Even so… They didn't tell anyone about this."

"If word got out, do you think peasants would be satisfied with bits and pieces. You know what these disgusting animals would do. Right?"

Victoria understood. As much as she hated to admit it, Alice was right. If word had gotten out, it would've led to chaos—fights, injuries, even deaths.

Victoria was kind; she didn't want people to suffer. But she was not stupid. She understood that in circumstances like these, Kindness has limits and Survival has rules. Sometimes fairness isn't practical.

Alice broke the silence. "Seriously, Vic. Your sister… she doesn't need you anymore. And you're done with the nursing program. What are you doing with yourself?"

Victoria looked down at her tray. "I don't know. Surviving, I guess?"

"Barely," Alice said bluntly. She leaned forward and gently she said, "Look, you don't even have to go all out. Just come with me. One night. No crazy stuff. No risks. Just… relax."

Victoria hesitated. "I don't know, Alice. It just… it feels unusual to me. I'm not that kind of girl."

Alice met her eyes. "Vic, look at me. You've done enough. You deserve a break. Please. For your own good."

Victoria sat in silence, racing with her thoughts. Finally, she accepted. "Fine. One night. Just one."

Alice's face lit up. "That's all I ask. You won't regret it. I promise."