I quickly tried to get up, not wanting to drag this stranger into my mess, but my movements were weak and slow. Instead of standing, I ended up collapsing back onto the ground.
The man before me had a sharp jawline, and his body was tall and muscular.
I couldn't help but blush as my hand brushed against his chest while I struggled to get away.
Despite the siutation, a part of me irrationally thought it would be better to be with this man than the thugs behind me.
"I'm sorry, you should leave," I said, though deep down, I desperately hoped he would stay and somehow fend off the thugs. But I didn't dare to have any real hope.
Every time I had clung to hope lately, it had been crushed. It was safer to think it didn't exist.
"Do you know this woman?" the man asked, straightening his suit as if the situation didn't faze him at all.
He was dressed formally, complete with a tie, giving him a professional look.
"She's our slut. Go away before—"
"Shut up, second brother, you're always so dumb. Look at his clothes! He's got to be rich. Hey, you, leave your money here!"
One of the thugs brandished a knife, pointing it at the man. But he didn't seem scared at all. His eyes just narrowed at them, his lips curling into a cold smile.
"You know," he said, his voice calm but menacing, "I had quite a shitty day, but it seems God still loves me, sending you all here."
He took off his suit jacket and threw it toward me, covering my wet body. Without another word, he sprinted forward to meet the thug head-on.
The thugs were caught off guard by his sudden movement. It was clear this man wasn't just some weak bystander. If anything, they might have bitten off more than they could chew today.
In a flash, he was in front of the first thug. He kicked the knife out of the thug's hand, then delivered a powerful punch to the stomach, followed by another to the chin. His movements were fluid and quick, giving the thug no time to react.
The punch to the stomach left him doubled over in pain, and the hit to the chin knocked him out cold.
The second thug, seeing his comrade go down, yelled in anger.
"Die, you bastard!" He sprint forward, thrusting his knife at the man's arm. But the man sidestepped with ease, grabbing the thug's wrist and twisting it sharply, forcing the arm behind the thug's back in a painful lock.
The thug struggled, but it was no use.
With a swift strike to the side of the neck, the thug's body went limp, losing consciousness almost instantly.
The leader of the thugs watched everything unfold from a distance. He locked eyes with the man for a moment before clicking his tongue in annoyance and running away, not even bothering to check on his fallen comrades.
"Are you alright?" the man asked, turning his attention back to me.
"I-I'm fine, thank you," I replied, still in a daze.
"My name is Matteo. You can call me Matt. Where's your home? I'll take you back; my car isn't far from here."
"I'm Lucia. Thank you for your help. As for home…" My voice trailed off as I realized I didn't have one anymore.
I couldn't trust anyone with the truth, not even this man who had just saved me.
"It seems you have a complicated situation. How about I take you to a hospital then? You're exhausted and have many wounds."
"I don't have any money…" I whispered, feeling the weight of my helplessness.
Matt frowned at my answer. He looked at me closely, noticing the mask I wore and the bandages covering my body.
"Let's go back then. Despite my appearance, I used to work as a doctor. I can take care of your wounds."
He offered me his hand. I hesitated before accepting it, and as soon as I touched his hand, a strange feeling stirred in my heart.
Given everything that had happened, I shouldn't feel this way, but I couldn't help it.
"N-no, Matt, thank you for the offer, but I'll somehow take care of myself," I stammered, trying to pull away from him.
Matt looked me over, his gaze serious.
"I'm not looking down on you, but how can you do that?
Your body is covered in wounds, you don't have a bag or any money, I doubt you even have your ID with you.
And I'm sorry to say this, but it's only a matter of time before another thug comes after you."
"It's fine. It's not your problem. Before, I was just caught off guard."
I tried to pull away again, but Matt's grip on my hand tightened.
"Nope, you're coming with me."
Before I could protest, he scooped me up in a princess carry and started walking toward his car. My cheeks flushed red as my heart began to race.
I looked up at Matt's face, trying to place why he seemed so familiar.
'Did I know him before? The more I see him, the more familiar he looks.
But what is this weird feeling? I feel safe around him, but at the same time, I want to run away.'
It wasn't just the trauma from my recent experience that made me feel this way. There was something more to it, something I couldn't quite grasp.
A black SUV came into view. I noticed a few makeshift repairs on the body as Matt gently placed me inside and carefully fastened the seatbelt.
We drove in silence to an apartment complex. It looked like a government-subsidized building, not exactly luxurious, but certainly not a slum.
"Can you walk, or do you want me to carry you again?" Matt asked as we arrived.
"I can walk."
Despite my words, I ended up leaning heavily on him as we made our way inside.
My appearance even made the security guard raise an eyebrow, but Matt explained the situation briefly, mentioning how he had saved me from some thugs.
"So you saved another stray cat, huh? Matt, you should take care of yourself more.
I hope this one won't turn out like the last one," the guard commented with a knowing look.