Six years ago, Jonathan Serge Drucker was a fourth-year medical student at a prestigious university. That year was both the happiest and the darkest of his life.
The happiest part was that he had finally won over his dream girl, Catherine, the radiant star of the performance department in his year. They had rented a small apartment off-campus, where they created a world of sweet memories together, filled with laughter, late-night study sessions, and quiet moments of intimacy.
But darkness loomed on the horizon. One fateful day, Catherine returned from a shoot, disheveled and in tears. "Jonathan," she said, her voice trembling, "I can't do this anymore. I've been coerced by an investor… he said I'm no longer pure, that I don't deserve you. I want to break up."
Her words hit him like a freight train. "What are you talking about?" he demanded, disbelief turning to rage. "Who is this person? I'll confront him!"
Catherine shook her head, panic flashing in her eyes. "No, Jonathan, you can't! You don't understand. You're just a poor student; they have power and influence. You'll only end up suffering. I've already lost everything. You still have a bright future ahead. Please, just forget about me."
With that, she turned and walked away, leaving him alone in the apartment that held their shared dreams and sweet memories. He screamed in agony, his heart shattering into pieces.
Jonathan had always been drawn to cold, unattainable women, finding a sense of accomplishment in winning them over. He had little affection for the sweet, girly types, seeing them as children still figuring out life. Catherine was different. She was a perfect blend of aloofness and allure, her charisma heightened by her studies in performance. She was the undisputed queen of the campus.
He had begun pursuing her during the second half of his freshman year, and it took two arduous years to finally win her heart. Coming from a modest background, his pursuit had been challenging, but his feelings for her were genuine. He envisioned a future where they could share their lives together.
Jonathan had plans to secure a scholarship to study in the U.S., with dreams of marrying Catherine before they left. He imagined her accompanying him as a dependent, allowing him to continue his medical studies while she pursued her passions in acting. Although he didn't particularly admire her career choice—believing the industry to be chaotic and unforgiving—he wanted her to be happy.
Yet now, as he reflected on that dark day, he realized he had lost not just a girlfriend but the very dream he had been chasing.
But acting was Catherine's dream, and she didn't want her four years of performance studies to go to waste. Jonathan respected her wishes, never expecting things to spiral so tragically out of control.
At first, he couldn't accept her decision. He found himself waiting outside her dorm, desperate to win her back, only to realize that students were whispering and pointing at him. Later, he discovered that she had been kept by the producer and was now living in a luxurious villa instead of the dormitory. To his shock, she had also landed the lead role in a film.
Striving for their future had been his sole goal in life, and losing her felt like the world had collapsed around him, leaving him adrift in a meaningless void. He drowned his sorrows in bars every night, neglecting his studies until he missed the opportunity for the scholarship he had worked so hard to achieve.
One night, stumbling out of a bar, he saw a middle-aged man staggering toward him, covered in blood. The man begged weakly, "Young man, please help me. Someone is trying to kill me!" Though intoxicated, Jonathan instinctively knew better than to get involved. Just as he was about to brush the man off, a group of men in black rounded the corner and attacked him without warning.
Jonathan's instincts kicked in, and he fought back in self-defense. He had been trained in martial arts, having earned a black belt in Taekwondo as a child, a skill instilled in him by his mother to protect himself from bullies.
Despite their aggression, his attackers were no match for him. Soon, they were lying on the ground, groaning in defeat. But one of them, enraged, pulled out a gun. Jonathan reacted quickly, kicking the weapon away. The man glared at him, eyes burning with hatred, and spat, "Kid, you messed up our boss's business today. He won't let you off!"
With that, the group fled, leaving Jonathan breathless but unscathed. He dismissed the man's threat, turning back to the middle-aged man who had collapsed on the ground. Driven by the heart of a doctor, he decided to bring the man back to his apartment. Once there, he skillfully bandaged the man's wounds, tapping into the medical knowledge he had acquired over the years.
As the man regained some strength, he looked at Jonathan with urgency. "Young man, do you have any family?"
Jonathan, confused but honest, replied, "Just my mom. She lives far away in our northern hometown, Juárez." He had moved to the city near the southern border for university, while his mother lived alone in Juárez after his father had passed away when he was very young.
Hearing about Jonathan's family, the middle-aged man seemed to breathe a sigh of relief. Struggling to his feet, he urged, "Pack your things and escape with me. Those men were from the local mafia organization, Bertram's men. You saved me and ruined their plan; they won't let you off!"
A surge of anger flared within Jonathan at the mention of Bertram's name. "Bertram? If I'd known they were his men, I would have beaten them to a pulp!" It was rumored that Bertram was the very man keeping Catherine against her will.
The middle-aged man didn't pry into Jonathan's deep-seated hatred for Bertram. Instead, urgency edged his voice as he insisted, "We need to go now. Head to Pier 8 with me; my brothers are waiting there to help."
Jonathan knew he had no other options. Offending the mafia was beyond what a poor student like him could handle. Moreover, he was exhausted from the weight of his current life. Without Catherine, the world around him felt dark and devoid of meaning, and he had no attachment to the place he once called home.
He also understood that the middle-aged man wasn't necessarily a good person, but a bloodthirsty impulse surged within him, urging him to abandon everything he had known and start anew. Yet, what about his mother? If Bertram found her, wouldn't she be in danger? Hesitation washed over him, and he furrowed his brows in worry.
The man seemed to sense his concern. "Don't worry. Once we reach the pier and are safe, I'll have my brothers help your mom evade this disaster. She's alone, making it easier to hide her."
"Thank you!" Jonathan replied, a wave of relief washing over him. He turned and rushed to his bedroom to pack. Besides a few changes of clothes, the only thing he took was a watch Catherine had given him.
It was a gift she had bought with her first earnings from acting—an expensive gesture that felt bittersweet. Catherine had said that a man should have a decent watch. At the time, Jonathan had been heartbroken, not just because of the money she spent but also because of her thoughtfulness. She could have used that money for essential clothes and accessories for her burgeoning career.
As he fastened the watch around his wrist, a sharp pain lanced through his heart. He hated Bertram—the man who had destroyed his happiness and shattered his dreams. A vow formed in his mind: if he ever gained power, he would settle the score with Bertram.
With a heart full of anger and resentment, he followed the middle-aged man into the night, leaving everything behind.
Little did Jonathan Serge Drucker know, this fateful decision would not only change his life forever but also alter the life of a girl he had yet to meet.