The Storm And The Stranger

The moment Sarah entered the elevator, she couldn't hold it any longer.

Sarah’s hands trembled as she pressed the first floor button. Her cheek still burned with Jasper’s hand print, hot and raw, as if the memory of his cruelty had branded her.

The mirrored steel walls reflected her back to herself, mascara streaking down her cheeks, hair clinging damply to her temples, eyes wide and hollow. She barely recognized the broken woman staring back.

Sarah wanted all this to be a dream. But it wasn't.

The one she had considered the love of her life, spent years by his side, dreaming of marrying and having kids with, had turned out to be another person.

Was he hiding his real character all this time?

Or was she so preoccupied that she missed the chance to notice his real behavior?

How could he be so cruel to her?

Matilda, who had disappeared for more than four years, was more precious to him than she who had stayed by his side all those years.

Fresh tears fell from her eyes. But the moment the doors finally opened, she quickly used her hands to wipe them away.

The guards looked at her, their expressions blank, but Sarah felt their judgmental gaze anyway.

The revolving door pushed her into the storm.

It was raining heavily, but Sarah couldn't care less. She didn't want to be in the same vicinity as Jasper.

Her heels slipped against the slick pavement. She half-ran, half-stumbled down the block until her ankle twisted sharply on the curb.

Blood drained from her face as she felt the pain.

Sarah felt so wronged.

Why was everything happening to her today?

Why was she so unlucky?

And then,

A hand appeared in her vision, pale and strong. The fingers closed gently around her arm, firm but not forceful, steadying her.

Sarah blinked through rain and humiliation, raising her gaze. A stranger stood above her, the storm curling around his broad shoulders. He held an umbrella with his free hand, tilting it to shelter her from the icy torrent.

For a long moment, he simply studied her, his dark eyes unreadable, his jaw taut. He did not ask what had happened. He did not need to. His silence told her he already knew.

With unhurried strength, he lifted her to her feet.

“Some things,” he said, his voice low, edged with something like amusement, “aren’t worth crying for.”

Her lips parted. She wanted to speak, to thank him, to tell him he didn’t understand, but the words tangled in her throat.

He pressed the umbrella into her hand.

Without another glance, he turned and strode into the darkness, his cologne lingering faintly in the air.

Sarah stood frozen, clutching the umbrella. Her knees throbbed, her ankle ached, and her pride was utterly shattered.

But the stranger’s words made her feel much better.

She limped the rest of the way home. The umbrella prevented her from getting wet further.

She got to the apartment, and then the elevator behind her dinged.

The doors opened, and her heart lurched as she saw a familiar face.

It was the stranger who gave her the umbrella earlier.

He stepped out, rain still glistening on his dark hair. He no longer carried the umbrella, yet his presence was the same steady and unhurried.

“Can you stand?” he asked.

“I’m fine,” she lied, voice hoarse.

He ignored her protest. In one smooth motion, he swept her into his arms.

Sarah stiffened, her face flared hot. She had been slapped, mocked, and drowned by rain. She's now to be carried like a helpless child?

But her body betrayed her. Exhaustion weighed her down. Her injured leg was screaming in pain.

She closed her eyes and let him carry her.

His arms were solid, his gait steady. For the first time that night, she felt secure. He carried her down the hall as though it were nothing, then eased her gently onto the door of her small apartment.

He stepped back, his gaze still resting on her.

“I’m Nathan,” he said simply. “Your new neighbor. I hope your boyfriend treats you better next time.”

Sarah’s throat tightened. A bitter laugh rose and escaped her lips. Boyfriend?

Before she could speak, he turned and keyed in the password to his apartment opposite hers.

Sarah’s curtains stayed drawn for two days.

She hadn’t left her bed except to stumble toward the bathroom sink, splash water on her face, and return to the safety of her sheets.

Her silence was broken only by the continuous buzz of her phone vibrating endlessly on the nightstand.

She pressed her palms hard against her ears, wishing the sound away. But the buzzing kept gnawing. Finally, she snatched the phone up with shaking fingers.

It was Tina. Her one and only friend.

Sarah’s thumb hesitated. But she swiped to answer. Tina must be worried about her.

“Sarah?” The worry was evident in Tina’s voice. “Tell me you’re safe.”

“I’m home,” Sarah whispered softly.

“ A video of you hitting Jasper is trending online and another video of him slapping you."

"What?"

Sarah was stunned and speechless.

Jasper was really ruthless.

Tina’s breath crackled through the line. “ Sarah, it’s everywhere. I don't know how these people's brains are wired. Some blame him for hitting you, but most of them...

“Tell me, Tina.” Sarah forced the words, though her stomach clenched.

“ Most of them blame you and accuse you of intentionally breaking the sculpture just because you hate your sister, and Jasper was only defending her. "

Sarah was almost breathless.

How come she never saw this side of Jasper?

Her whisper broke the silence. “He planned this.”

“What?” Tina’s voice softened.

“All of it,” Sarah’s nails dug into her palms. " It wasn’t clumsy or careless. It was planned that he wanted to put the blame on me and make people see him as a hero. That way, he won't be blamed for slapping me. "

At the other end of the line, Tina was silent.

Sarah stared at the ceiling, blinking back tears that refused to stop. For years, she had doubted herself, questioning if she was unworthy of Jasper’s world. Now she saw the truth, Jasper had been writing her downfall long before the slap.

The phone slipped from her hand and landed on the sheets. Tina’s faint voice called her name, but Sarah didn’t pick it up.

Her eyes burned. Her reputation had been ruined by the one she thought loved her the most.

How loving!!!