With her heart racing, Ella stood at the edge of the overpass. The bustling city below was oblivious to her inner agony. The distant bustle of passersby and the sounds of honking horns were scarcely audible to her. The world seemed to be closing in on her; recollections of harsh words and brutal treatment blurred her judgment. The burden of her life was too much to bear. No one could relate to her, and she had no place in this world.
The harassment had been unrelenting. She was viewed as unusual, something to be mocked, and something that didn't belong by her classmates, her stepmother, and those in her immediate vicinity. Ella was accustomed to solitude. In order to feel less suffocated, she had learned to isolate herself from the outside world and shelter in her own peaceful, secure place.
However, it felt different today. Too much had accumulated—the hurt, the loneliness, the ongoing sense of inadequacy. The breaking moment had arrived for her. As she approached the bridge's edge, her hands began to shake. The chilly wind whipped her hair over her face, numbing her thoughts. Imagining the weightless relief that would come when the world finally let her go, she closed her eyes for a time.
She moved forward without another thought.
Everything changed when she relocated.
A tire squeal. The sound of a vehicle's horn. Her heart briefly stopped when her body was yanked backward. She was going down. However, not in the manner she had envisioned. She was caught, her body slamming into something solid and unyielding, rather than collapsing to the earth. She gulped for air, her vision whirling, and looked up to see a man's face, his eyes wide with fright.
He yelled, "Are you crazy?" and tightened his hold on her, yanking her away from the brink. There was something else in his voice, something nearly frenzied, yet it was also crisp and full of disbelief. Ella was baffled by his appearance, which suggested that he had recently escaped a catastrophe. She was too confused, too dizzy.
As she struggled to comprehend the scene before her, her mind raced. Before her was a tall man with well-defined features. There was a hardness about him, something guarded as if he didn't let people in easily, but his dark eyes were full of worry. He wore pricey clothes, and his suit was well-tailored and immaculate, but his face had the look of someone who had seen too much. Too much loss, too much suffering.
She tried to break away from him, but her legs were unsteady, and she murmured, "I'm fine." "Give it up."
He did not, however, let her go. Rather, his eyes softened somewhat, and he steadied her by putting a hand on her shoulder.
His voice was gruff as he said, "Don't try to do that again." It wasn't rude, but it was a directive. "You could have You might have taken your own life.
Ella blinked quickly, perplexed. "I—I meant not to." I'm not sure. Her speech trailed off, and she averted her eyes, no longer able to look him in the eye. With this man in front of her, preventing her from making the one choice that she believed would set her free, the world felt even stranger.
There was silence between them for a moment. Ella's thoughts were racing, and she was having trouble understanding what had just transpired. Even while the feelings that had pushed her over the edge were still present, they suddenly seemed remote, as if they belonged to someone else.
The man sighed after staring at her for a considerable amount of time, as though discussing something. With greater tact, he said, "Come with me." "I can't abandon you here."
Ella found herself nodding, although she wasn't sure why. She might have been burdened by fatigue. Perhaps it was the surprise of being apprehended. Or perhaps she simply didn't know where else to go. She had no idea who this man was, but she trusted him because of the way he spoke and the look in his eyes.
He showed her his beautiful black sports automobile, which appeared too expensive for a woman of her caliber. She felt uncomfortable approaching it, but he opened the passenger door for her. "Come in," he said quietly.
With her thoughts still fuzzy, she complied and slid into the seat. After shutting the door behind her, he climbed into the driver's seat and hummed the engine. Ella was deep in concentration as she gazed out the window as the automobile drove silently down the road.
She didn't realize they were leaving the city until they had been driving for some time. Even though her nerves flared up again, she remained silent since she wasn't sure how to feel or what to say. Being taken care of and treated with concern was something she wasn't used to. She wasn't viewed by others as he did, as though she was valuable.
The automobile eventually slowed, and the man turned abruptly along a peaceful street. Her voice was hardly audible above a whisper when she inquired, "Where are we going?" She had no idea why she felt the need to inquire. She was unsure of why she felt so exposed to him.
His face was unreadable as he looked at her. He stated plainly, "You need a place to stay." "Until you gather yourself, you are welcome to stay with me for a while."
Ella was unsure of how to interpret that. A part of her was reassured that someone cared enough to offer, even though the idea of staying with him—this stranger—felt odd.
He stopped in front of a tall, contemporary mansion after pulling into a wide driveway. The house appeared as chilly and uninviting as he did, but there was a certain warmth in the way he turned off the engine and turned to face her.
"Come on," he urged. "This place is safe for you."
Ella let herself believe him for the first time in what seemed like an eternity.