Chapter 3

I froze, staring at this stranger who had appeared out of nowhere.

He wore an impeccably tailored navy suit that remained crisp even on a rooftop in the dead of night, as if he'd just stepped out of some high-end gala. Moonlight washed over him, outlining his tall, slender figure.

This was my rooftop. My chosen ending place.

And now someone had taken it.

He turned his head slowly, revealing a handsome but exhausted face. His eye sockets were slightly sunken, revealing a desperation I knew all too well.

"Are you here to die too?" His voice was deep, with a casual sarcasm.

I nearly choked on his bluntness. The sad farewell speech I'd prepared stuck in my throat, transforming into a cold laugh.

"Looks like this spot is in high demand," I replied, walking toward the edge of the roof.

His gaze fell on me, first scanning the white dress I'd carefully chosen, then fixing on my wrist. I instinctively tried to hide it, but it was too late.

"That's a serious wound." Not a question, but a statement.

"Doesn't matter if I'm going to die anyway," I shrugged, trying to appear indifferent. But my voice betrayed my weakness.

He frowned, something flickering in those deep eyes. "How old are you? You look very young."

"Twenty. Just had my birthday today." I smiled bitterly. "Not that anyone remembered."

After saying this, I realized why I was revealing these things to a stranger. Maybe because I was going to die anyway, or maybe because the fatigue in his eyes resonated with something in me.

He remained silent for a moment, then walked over and sat down on the edge of the roof. "I'm Kai. I own a mental health clinic."

A mental health clinic owner? How ironic. If even therapists want to die, what hope is there?

"Nova," I said, sitting down too, my legs dangling over the edge. "So why are you here? A successful therapist should have plenty of reasons to live, right?"

Kai smiled grimly, his gaze fixed on the distant city lights. "My father killed himself three years ago. I've always felt it was my fault."

His voice was calm, but I heard the pain beneath it. A pain I knew too well—being hurt by those closest to you, then blaming yourself.

"I couldn't buy my father saying 'I love you' with millions of dollars," he continued. "All he left was a note saying I had disappointed him."

I felt a strange anger rising. Not at him, but at those who had hurt us.

"At least your father is dead," my words sounded cruel, but I continued, "My family is still alive, looking at me every day, yet they'd rather I died somewhere else."

Kai turned to look at me, his eyes filled with urgent concern.

I took a deep breath and decided to tell him everything. We were both about to die anyway, so what was there to hide?

"I was trafficked when I was ten and spent ten years lost. Three months ago, I finally found my way home, thinking there would be a warm reunion." My voice started to shake. "Instead, they think I've tarnished the family name. Today I got my cancer diagnosis—the doctor says I have three to six months. When I told them, they said I was lying."

At this point, I couldn't help but laugh, a hysterical sound. "I cut my wrist to show them, and they said it was fake blood. My sister said I was acting to ruin her birthday party."

Kai's expression changed. His eyes blazed with a fury I'd never seen before.

"What?" His voice was terrifyingly low. "What did you say?"

"I said I have cancer, and they don't believe—"

"Not that." Kai interrupted me. "You said you were trafficked for ten years? Your family knows you're back?"

I nodded, not understanding why he was so agitated.

Kai suddenly stood up and began pacing the rooftop. His fists were clenched tight, veins bulging at his temples.

"Damn it!" He spun around to face me. "I'd give millions just to hear my father say 'I love you' once, and you have a whole family, living relatives, yet they treat you like this!"

His anger was so real, so intense, it stunned me. This was the first time anyone had felt angry about what happened to me, instead of being indifferent or suspicious.

Tears began to blur my vision. "What does it matter? They wish I'd died out there. They never really loved me."

"No." Kai walked toward me, crouching down to meet my eyes. "You're wrong. This isn't about love or not love. This is their problem."

His voice became gentle but firm: "Nova, listen to me. I'm not going to let you die."

Those words hit me like lightning. No one, absolutely no one, had ever said anything like that to me.

But at that moment, a wave of dizziness washed over me. Blood loss, emotional turmoil, a sleepless night—everything finally overwhelmed my body.

I struggled to stand, but my legs felt like cotton. My vision started to darken, the world spinning around me.

"Nova!"

Kai's voice seemed far away. I felt myself falling, but warm arms caught me.

"Damn it, you've lost too much blood," his voice was filled with concern.

"It's okay..." I said weakly. "Let me die... it'll all be over..."

"No, absolutely not."

I heard him making a phone call: "Send a helicopter to the downtown apartment rooftop immediately. Cancer patient with severe blood loss needs emergency treatment. Yes, it's me. Take off now."

Helicopter? Private doctors? Who is this guy?

My consciousness was fading, but I heard him whisper in my ear:

"I'll protect you, Nova. I won't let anyone hurt you again. I swear."

In the distance, the roar of helicopter blades grew louder, coming closer. Kai's hand gripped mine tightly, that firmness giving me a sense of security I'd never felt before.

Before losing consciousness completely, I saw his eyes—there was no doubt there, no indifference, only a reassuring determination.

Maybe... maybe death wasn't the only ending.

Maybe someone would actually protect me.

Darkness swallowed everything, but the warmth of those eyes continued to burn in my heart.