'S

elt like life had only gotten harder. I had a degree in English, yet it seemed to mock me from the shadows, a piece of paper that had no power in a world that valued experience over ambition. The onl

I once c

didn't matter how hard I tried. I could never be the daughter she wanted. My real mother... I didn't know her. She died giving birth to me. All I had left was an old photograph, a fading memory of a woman I would never truly know.

her would always say. "That's

arp tonight, the words digging into my soul like they always did. But there was one thing that kept me going, a fragile thread in the darkness-faith. I clung to it desperately, like a p

, I felt

ly, the melodies a distant hum in my ears, but they couldn't mask the noise in my head-the incessant swirl of thoughts, each more painful than the last.

the void, a f

response, and I slammed on the brakes. Tires screamed against the pavement as I wrenched the wheel, the car jer

I thought I might have run him over, and I felt

a trap. People were lured this way-injured, helpless, only to find themselves dragged into something darker. But I

ar, my body stiff with fear, my s

ood seeped from a wound on his arm, dripping in slow, steady drops that darkened the pavement beneath him. His face was pale, and

ze. The world seeme

sn't going to last much longer. Without thinking, my legs moved t

pulled at me like an invisible force. And then, in one swift movement, he reached out, grabbing my wrist with a

ds a command, not a request. His voice was

mind trying to catch up. My heart was pounding in my chest, my breath co

e me hesitate to argue. There was an undeniable force about him, a strength that was mo

he passenger seat. His body shifted painfully as he tried to find a comforta

s of the night. I glanced at him briefly, trying to make sense of this situation. His shirt was drenched in bloo

m taking you to the hospital. That w

eat. "Take me to your house.

y tone . "You're the one who got hurt, and I'm the one doing you a favour. I could hav

lf again. "You'll need a statement from the police before I can get

ughts racing. What k

you at my place?" I snapped back. "I'm not

t didn't matter. "If you've got salt and water, that'll d

isbelief. Who does t

its peak. "Fine. Whatever. But if you're some kind

an his words. "I was attacked. On the same road you were co

tacked? The words hit me hard,

house, patch you up?" I asked, s

ain. "Exactly. Just a little home treatme

ails. "With a wound like that, how can you

k, though it didn't reach his eyes.

ost believed him. There was a strength in him, a quiet assurance that nothing could br

irk on his lips. "If you keep looking at me like that, we're go

heart racing for an entirely different reaso

didn't respond. The silence between us was