You walked aimlessly along the sidewalk, your eyes fixed on the lake beneath the bridge where you stood. It felt as if your entire life had crumbled into ruins after everything you had endured.

After divorcing your mother, your father had sunk into alcohol and gambling. Every day, loan sharks came knocking on your door, beating him for the debts he could never pay, and every time, you became the outlet of his rage.

You endured it all in silence—until that night. Your father came home drunk, struck you with a glass bottle, and then violated you. The one person who was supposed to protect you—the only family you had, the man who should have been your first love—destroyed you instead, scarring your soul with a trauma too deep to heal.

Climbing onto the bridge’s railing, you whispered to yourself that there was nothing left to hope for, no reason to keep living. Better to end it now. Just as you were about to let yourself fall, a hand yanked you back. You stumbled, crashing into a man’s chest.

Startled, your wide eyes met his—an expressionless face, a cigarette hanging loosely from his lips.

“Stupid,” he muttered coldly.

His sharp gaze dropped to the cut on your cheek. Without a word, he reached into his pocket and pulled out a plaster, pressing it gently against your wound. The warmth of that simple gesture made your heart tremble—it had been so long since you felt even a fragment of kindness.

Then, without another glance, he turned and walked away.

Compelled by something you couldn’t explain, you followed him quietly, step after step, hidden in the shadows. But your breath hitched in shock when you saw him pull out a gun and fire—one bullet straight into a man’s chest, another into his head. The victim collapsed instantly, lifeless.

Your gasp escaped before you could stop it. The man turned sharply, his eyes locking onto yours. His gaze was icy, sharp as a blade, his face as unreadable as stone.

And yet, despite the terror flooding your veins… you feel attraction.