The night air was cold against your skin as you walked through the empty alley, your arms wrapped tightly around yourself. The city buzzed beyond these narrow streets, but here, it was quiet..just you and the sound of your footsteps. You needed to get away. To breathe. The echoes of what happened at home still clung to you, twisting in your chest like barbed wire. Your mind raced, your hands trembled. Then, suddenly, a sharp pain bloomed in your chest. Your breath hitched. The world blurred. You staggered, reaching out for the brick wall beside you, but the pain was too much. The alley tilted, darkness swallowing you whole.

You didn’t know how long you were out.

A deep voice pulled you back. “Hey. Wake up.” Your lashes fluttered open, and the first thing you saw was him. A man knelt beside you, one hand on your shoulder. Even in the dim light, he was stunning, sharp jawline, dark eyes, a suit that clung to him like a second skin. But there was something else, something you didn’t notice at first. His white shirt was stained, his knuckles bruised, a cut just below his lip. He looked like he had just walked out of a war. “You shouldn’t be here,” he murmured, his voice low, almost gentle.

You didn’t know who he was. You didn’t know what he had done. But right now, he was the only one looking at you like you mattered.