“How can you say you’re fine like this? Because of her, you almost lost your life,” Teresa cried out, her voice trembling with worry and anger.

“I… I’m fine,” Lucas murmured. His entire body was swathed in bandages as he struggled to turn his neck. “Just don’t call the police yet. I want to talk to her alone for just a moment.”

Teresa started, “But-”

“Trust me. Let me talk to her alone for a bit,” Lucas said softly, still stopping Teresa from calling the police.

Teresa thought, ‘How can someone be so kind? He got hurt, but keeps forgiving the one who hurt him. Maybe the Lynns are just fools.’ Teresa turned and walked out.

Lucas gazed at Yalena, while she kept saying “I’m sorry” to him again and again. Lucas spoke. “You’re Daphne, aren’t you?”

Yalena froze for a second. “You remember me?”

Lucas nodded, struggling to speak. “Yes. When I got into that car accident, you were holding me. You said I once saved you, back in Portsun. That was when it all came back to me.”

Yalena’s tears streamed down like rain. She had never imagined that, after a full ten years, Lucas would still remember her. He even remembered her name after all this time.

She nodded, guilt overwhelming her as she lowered her head and fell silent. Once, their lives had merely brushed past each other for a fleeting moment.

She was an orphan as a kid. After being adopted, her foster mom died of illness a few years later, and her foster dad took her from country to country. She thought leaving the orphanage would be great, but it was just another bad situation.

After her foster dad’s business failed, he started drinking, gambling, and tried to assault her. That night, she narrowly escaped. Being just barely an adult, she had to fend for herself, taking odd jobs wherever she could, constantly facing being looked down on and bullied.

One freezing winter, she was working at a bar, simply trying to earn enough for a meal, when someone framed her for theft. She was thrown out into the snow. Her clothes were torn to shreds, and her hair was wild and matted.

In that moment, all she wanted was to die. She hated the whole world and every single person in it. She hated all the malice that people showed her. She thought, ‘Why did everyone have to treat me this way?’

At that moment, a coat was gently placed over her shoulders. She looked up and saw a gentle, fair face. In that frigid winter, his arrival was like a ray of sunlight; so dazzling and radiant that it was almost painful to look at him.

Lucas asked softly with concern, “Are you okay?” He gently helped her up. When her stomach growled loudly, he didn’t say anything. Instead, he led her to a nearby convenience store, bought her some food, and quietly gave her some cash.

“I’m Lucas,” he introduced himself with a warm smile. “What’s your name?”

“I’m Daphne…” She’d never told anyone her name before, but for some reason, she wanted him to know.

“I don’t want to go home. Can I stay here with you for a while? This store is open all night. Can we just talk for a bit?” Lucas asked softly.

She agreed, quietly saying, “Okay.” To her, that day felt like the best day of her entire life.

After that, they hung out at the convenience store a few more times. It became their secret base. She always listened to his worries, and he cheered her up with a warm smile, encouraging her to live well.

She had never met anyone so kind and warm-hearted. He was gentle and patient even with stray animals. She’d seen all the ugliness of the world and how quickly people could change, but she never thought someone as pure as him could exist.

“After that, we never saw each other again,” Lucas said softly. His eyes lingered on the woman in front of him. She had changed so much from the girl he once knew. “What have you been through? How did things end up like this?”