Emma Carter stood at the edge of the cliff, staring at the dark ocean below.

The waves crashed violently against the rocks, creating a haunting sound that echoed through the night. The cold wind whipped through her hair and stung her skin, but she didn't care.

Nothing mattered anymore.

A bitter smile appeared on her lips as tears rolled down her cheeks.

Just this morning, she had been planning her wedding.

She had imagined walking down the aisle, wearing a beautiful white dress, and spending the rest of her life with the man she loved.

What a fool she had been.

Only a few hours ago, her entire world had shattered.

The image was burned into her memory.

She had returned to her apartment earlier than expected, excited to surprise her fiancé with dinner.

Instead, she had opened the bedroom door and found him in bed with her younger sister.

Emma squeezed her eyes shut.

The pain was unbearable.

"Emma, wait! It's not what it looks like!"

Her fiancé's voice still rang in her ears.

Not what it looks like?

She had seen enough.

There was no misunderstanding.

No explanation.

No excuse.

The man she had loved for four years had betrayed her.

But what hurt even more was her sister.

Emma had always protected her.

She had defended her when their parents scolded her.

She had helped pay her college fees.

She had sacrificed so much for her.

Yet her sister had repaid her by stealing the man she planned to marry.

The cruel smile on her sister's face haunted her.

"You were always too boring for him, Emma."

Those words had cut deeper than any knife.

As if that wasn't enough, her parents had chosen her sister's side.

They had told Emma not to create a scene.

Not to embarrass the family.

Not once had they cared about her feelings.

Not once had they asked if she was okay.

It was as though she had never mattered.

Emma looked down at the dark water below.

The emptiness inside her heart felt endless.

She was tired.

Tired of being the responsible daughter.

Tired of always giving while everyone else took.

Tired of pretending she was strong.

For the first time in her life, she wanted to stop fighting.

Maybe everyone would be happier if she disappeared.

Maybe the pain would finally end.

Taking a shaky breath, Emma stepped closer to the edge.

The wind roared around her.

Tears blurred her vision.

This was it.

One step.

Just one step.

She slowly lifted her foot.

Goodbye.

Before she could move forward, a strong arm wrapped around her waist.

"What the hell do you think you're doing?"

A deep voice thundered beside her.

Emma gasped.

The next second, she was pulled backward with surprising force.

Her body slammed into a hard chest.

Strong arms held her firmly in place.

Shock flooDed through her.

She immediately struggled.

"Let me go!"

"No."

The response was cold and firm.

Emma turned around angrily.

The man standing before her was tall and impossibly handsome.

He wore an expensive black suit that looked out of place on the lonely cliff.

His dark eyes were sharp and intimidating.

At the moment, those eyes were filled with anger.

"Who are you?" Emma demanded.

"Someone stopping you from making a stupid mistake."

His blunt answer only made her angrier.

"You don't know anything about me!"

The stranger stared at her for a long moment.

Then his expression softened slightly.

"You're right," he said quietly. "I don't know you."

His gaze met hers.

"But I know that whatever happened, it isn't worth your life."

Emma froze.

No one had said those words to her.

Not her parents.

Not her friends.

Not anyone.

For the first time that night, someone seemed to care.

The walls around her heart crumbled.

A sob escaped her lips.

Then another.

Before she knew it, tears were pouring down her face.

The stranger didn't say anything.

He simply stood there, silently supporting her as she cried.

Neither of them knew it yet.

But this unexpected encounter was about to change their lives forever.

Emma wasn't sure how long she cried.

A few minutes.

An hour.

Maybe somewhere in between.

All she knew was that when the tears finally stopped, her head hurt and her eyes felt swollen.

How embarrassing.

She had completely broken down in front of a man whose name she didn't even know.

Slowly, Emma stepped away and wiped her face.

"I'm sorry," she murmured.

The stranger looked at her.

"For what?"

She let out a weak laugh.

"For... this."

She gestured toward herself.

The tears.

The mess.

The complete disaster she had become.

His gaze remained calm.

"You don't need to apologize."

The simple response caught her off guard.

Most people would have been uncomfortable by now.

Most people would have left.

But he was still standing there.

The cold wind blew between them.

Emma wrapped her arms around herself.

Only then did she realize how cold she was.

The stranger immediately noticed.

Without saying a word, he removed his suit jacket and held it out to her.

Emma blinked.

"No, it's okay."

"Take it."

His tone left no room for argument.

Reluctantly, she accepted it.

The jacket was warm.

It smelled faintly of cedarwood and something expensive she couldn't identify.

Oddly enough, it made her feel a little safer.

A silence settled between them.

Normally, silence made Emma uncomfortable.

Tonight, it didn't.

Maybe because she was too exhausted to care.

Or maybe because he wasn't expecting anything from her.

After a while, the stranger glanced toward the cliff.

"Bad place for thinking."

Emma followed his gaze.

A bitter smile appeared on her lips.

"You figured out why I came here."

"It wasn't exactly difficult."

Fair enough.

For a moment, neither spoke.

Then he sighed.

"Do you have somewhere to go?"

The question made Emma freeze.

Home?

The apartment wasn't home anymore.

Not after what she had seen.

Not after hearing her sister laugh while her fiancé stood there making excuses.

Just remembering it made her stomach twist.

"No," she admitted quietly.

Something flickered across the stranger's face.

Concern, maybe.

Though he quickly hid it.

"You shouldn't be alone tonight."

Emma almost laughed.

An hour ago, she would have agreed.

Now she wasn't sure.

"I'll figure something out."

"You nearly jumped off a cliff."

She looked away.

He wasn't wrong.

Still, trusting a stranger felt reckless.

The man studied her for a moment before speaking again.

"My name is Ethan."

Emma looked back at him.

"Ethan?"

He nodded.

"Ethan Black."

The name sounded familiar.

Like something she had heard before.

But her exhausted mind couldn't place it.

"I'm Emma."

A small smile touched his lips.

"Nice to meet you, Emma."

Under different circumstances, that sentence would have sounded ridiculous.

Meeting someone at the edge of a cliff wasn't exactly normal.

Yet somehow, she found herself smiling.

Just a little.

Ethan glanced at his watch.

"It's late."

Emma followed his gaze.

He was right.

The city lights sparkled in the distance below.

Most people were probably at home right now.

With family.

With people who cared about them.

The thought hurt more than she expected.

Ethan seemed to notice the sadness in her eyes.

Without asking questions, he simply pointed toward a black car parked nearby.

"Come on."

Emma frowned.

"Come on where?"

"I know a place where you can stay tonight."

Every warning she'd ever heard about strangers immediately flashed through her mind.

Ethan must have seen her hesitation because he folded his arms.

"You can say no."

Emma stared at him.

For someone offering help, he looked surprisingly unconcerned whether she accepted it or not.

And strangely, that made her trust him a little more.

Taking a deep breath, she glanced one last time at the cliff behind her.

Then she turned away.

Maybe tomorrow would still hurt.

Maybe everything would still be broken.

But for tonight...

She wasn't ready to give up.

"Okay," she said softly.

For the first time that evening, Ethan smiled.

And together, they walked toward the car.

The drive was quiet.

Emma sat in the passenger seat, her hands folded tightly in her lap.

The city lights flashed past the window, but she barely noticed them.

Her mind was still stuck in the apartment.

Stuck on the image she desperately wanted to forget.

Her fiancé.

Her sister.

Together.

The pain hit her all over again.

Emma quickly looked out the window before the tears could return.

She was tired of crying.

Tonight, she had cried enough for a lifetime.

Beside her, Ethan focused on the road.

He hadn't asked her a single personal question since they left the cliff.

No "What happened?"

No "Why did you do it?"

No "Are you okay?"

And honestly, she appreciated it.

Most people would have been curious.

Most people would have wanted details.

Ethan didn't seem interested in digging through her wounds.

A soft vibration broke the silence.

His phone lit up on the dashboard.

The caller ID simply read: Mason.

Ethan answered using the car's speaker.

"Talk."

Emma nearly laughed.

Who answered a phone call with one word?

A male voice immediately replied.

"Boss, the meeting has been moved to tomorrow morning."

Boss?

Emma glanced at Ethan.

"Fine."

"And your grandfather called again."

A visible frown appeared on Ethan's face.

"I'll deal with it later."

The call ended.

Emma looked away before he noticed her curiosity.

Boss.

Grandfather.

Expensive suit.

Luxury car.

The pieces were starting to fit together.

This man was rich.

Very rich.

Twenty minutes later, the car slowed.

Emma expected a hotel.

Instead, they stopped in front of a massive gate.

Her eyes widened.

The gate slowly opened.

Beyond it stood the largest house she had ever seen.

No.

Not a house.

A mansion.

The driveway alone was bigger than her apartment building.

"You live here?" she asked before she could stop herself.

Ethan parked the car.

"Unfortunately."

Emma stared.

Who described a mansion as unfortunately?

Before she could ask another question, the front door opened.

A middle-aged woman hurried outside.

Relief instantly appeared on her face when she saw Ethan.

"Mr. Black."

Ethan gave a brief nod.

"Mrs. Wilson."

The woman then noticed Emma.

Her expression softened.

"Oh, dear."

Emma suddenly became aware of how awful she looked.

Her makeup was ruined.

Her eyes were swollen.

Her hair was a mess.

She probably looked like she'd been dragged through a storm.

Mrs. Wilson stepped forward.

"You must be exhausted."

Emma offered a small smile.

"A little."

The older woman turned toward Ethan.

"I've prepared the guest room."

"Thank you."

Emma followed them inside.

The mansion was beautiful.

Elegant.

Modern.

And somehow strangely empty.

For a place this large, it felt lonely.

Mrs. Wilson led Emma upstairs.

The guest room was bigger than Emma's entire apartment.

Fresh clothes had already been placed on the bed.

Emma stopped in the doorway.

"Wait... these are for me?"

Mrs. Wilson smiled.

"Of course."

Emma couldn't remember the last time someone had taken care of her.

The realization made her chest ache.

"Thank you."

"Get some rest, dear."

After Mrs. Wilson left, Emma sat on the edge of the bed.

The room was quiet.

Safe.

Warm.

For the first time all day, she wasn't thinking about the cliff.

She wasn't thinking about ending everything.

She was simply exhausted.

Emma lay back against the soft mattress.

Within minutes, her eyes began to close.

Downstairs, Ethan stood by the large window in his office.

His phone rang again.

This time, his expression darkened.

"What is it?" he asked.

"Boss," Mason said urgently. "We've got a problem."

Ethan's eyes narrowed.

"What happened?"

"The Carter family has reported Emma Carter missing."

Ethan's gaze shifted toward the second floor.

Toward the room where Emma was sleeping.

Something told him this was only the beginning.

And for the first time in years, Ethan Black found himself concerned about someone other than himself.