The moment Elara pushed her—
Selina fell.
A scream tore from her throat as the world vanished beneath her feet.
The towering height of the hotel swallowed her whole while freezing wind slammed violently against her body. Rain struck her skin like needles as she plummeted from above, the city lights below spinning into blurred streaks of gold and white.
Her heart pounded wildly.
Everything hurt.
The force of the fall twisted through her body painfully, terror choking every breath from her lungs. Above her, the rooftop grew smaller and smaller.
Tiny figures stood there.
Watching her fall.
Her family.
Adrian.
Not one of them moved.
Not one of them cared.
Tears mixed with the rain across her face as memories flashed violently through her mind—
Her childhood.
The endless sacrifices.
Adrian's smile.
Elara's betrayal.
All of it ending here.
Selina slowly closed her eyes.
Maybe this was better.
Maybe disappearing was all she had ever been meant for.
Then suddenly—
Pain exploded through her body.
Not the crushing pain of death—
but the sharp impact of something stopping her fall midway.
A weak gasp escaped her lips.
Her mind could barely process what had happened.
Everything around her blurred violently.
The storm.
The city.
The darkness.
And then—
she saw shoes.
Black shoes against rain-soaked concrete.
Blurry.
Unclear.
Her fading vision slowly traveled upward.
A dark coat.
Large hands.
Then warmth.
Strong arms wrapped around her trembling body, pulling her tightly against a solid chest. A jacket covered her immediately, shielding her from the freezing rain.
Warm.
So unbearably warm.
Selina's body shook weakly from pain as blood slipped from the corner of her lips.
She couldn't breathe properly.
Couldn't think.
But somehow, through the haze of agony and exhaustion, she realized—
someone was holding her carefully.
Protectively.
As if she was something precious.
Voices echoed nearby.
"Sir, we need to leave now."
Footsteps splashed through puddles around them.
But the man holding her didn't move.
Selina tried desperately to lift her head.
Her vision remained blurred, but she caught fragments—
Dark wet hair.
A sharp jawline.
Silver eyes staring down at her with terrifying intensity.
"Stay awake."
The voice was low and commanding.
Selina's fingers weakly curled against his shirt.
"...why...?" she whispered painfully.
For a second, the stranger simply stared at her.
Rain dripped from his face while his arms tightened slightly around her, almost as though he was afraid she would disappear.
Then, quietly—
with something dangerous hidden beneath his calm voice—
he said,
"I finally found you."
Selina's heartbeat faltered weakly.
Found?
Before she could understand, darkness began dragging her under again.
The last thing she felt before losing consciousness completely...
was the warmth of his chest against hers,
and the steady grip of someone who refused to let her fall again