Chapter 3

Victoria's pov

"NO!" I shouted as I dived, sliding on my chest just in time to catch his hand.

I blew out a breath once my grip was firm around his wrist, but I already felt the bruise forming on my chest. After bracing myself, I grabbed him with my other free hand so I didn't slide off the cliff with him.

I peered over the edge at him, seeing that he was unconscious. That explained why he was heavier and quieter than I expected. He must have hit his head when I grabbed his hand.

With a huff, I dragged him up over the edge, ignoring the shock of pain that ran through my chest.

Yep, it's bruised.

After successfully pulling him onto flat land, I laid beside him to catch my breath. I felt like I ran a marathon. But, I didn't mind, knowing I saved Luka. I glanced at him, seeing how peaceful he looked in his unconscious state.

Well, what now?, I thought as I hoisted myself up on my elbows to get a better look at him. I pondered on whether to take him to the hospital, but unlike any sane human being, I was sceptical about the idea.

After the brief encounter I had with him, I knew he wouldn't like that very much. And there wasn't anything major wrong with him, so it wouldn't be that necessary. I'm a nurse, after all. I'll treat his head and send him off good as new.

I spent almost half an hour getting him to my car. It was difficult to carry a grown 200-pound man, and I tried as much as possible to avoid dragging him so he wouldn't get dirty.

The journey home was heart wrenching as I thought about all the plausible reasons Luka would try to kill himself. He looked like one of those people who had everything together, but as they say, it's always the ones that seem like they have it all together who's hurting the most.

When I arrived home, I rendered the effort to get him up the stairs pointless, seeing that it was much more complex than I thought. So I settled him on the couch.

I sat on the couch across from him, staring for about 20 minutes. My heart hurt for him when he shifted a little with a pained expression on his face. I did not know what was happening in his life, but strangely, I wanted to erase it. I hated that I couldn't make it better at that moment—even if he was just a stranger.

I sighed, realising it was getting late, and exhaustion dawned on me. Guessing that he wouldn't be waking up soon, I decided to take a shower and wash this horrible day away.

The warm water beat against my back in a perfect massage, and I felt all the tension, stress, and pain disappearing. The shower was lovely, and I realised it was what I needed. I hopped out, refreshed and much better than before, as I dried my hair and mumbled a song.

But as if the universe couldn't grant me peace, I heard a sudden loud crash. I dashed downstairs to see what had happened, and the sight in front of me had my mouth falling to utter shock. Luka was up and fuming. It was almost as if I saw the steam radiating from him.

It seemed as if he remembered everything, but he was not happy.

My eyes drifted from him to my purple vase, now shattered on the ground. My heart clenched at the sight.

Damn, I loved that vase.

He snapped his head to me with a deadly stare, and I shrunk back at the slight but effective movement. His eyes were dark as night; his gaze made me sure he was going to kill me. I had to resist the urge to run.

"You," he growled in a venomous snarl as he pointed an accusing finger at me. "Why the hell did you save me!?" he shouted at the top of his voice, his body quivering. I stepped back even more into the wall as my heart rate increased.

"Well?"

His tone and aggression irritated me. I understood that he was hurting and unhappy with life, but what sort of human being would I be if I watched him kill himself? I shook the fear away and sized up somewhat to him.

"Well, I'm sorry for ruining your plans, Luka, but I couldn't just stand there and watch you kill yourself!" I shouted just as loud. My neighbours were probably awake and wondering what was happening. Noise never came from this house.

"Why the hell not, Victoria? You don't even know me!"

"Because that's not moral, Luka. I'm sorry, but I couldn't let you go through with it when I'm standing right there," I pointed out, lowering my voice. I silently pleaded to him to understand my motive, since any living human with a good heart would've.

He sighed, closing his eyes as if trying to calm himself. I relaxed when I saw his eyes back to normal as he opened them again. How did he even do that?

"If I wanted to be saved, I would've done it at home," he mumbled, looking away.

Guilt rushed through me but shooed it away. I did the right thing; I had to believe that. And I would do it again in a heartbeat. It doesn't matter if I know him or not.

"Luka…" I whispered with a sigh, taking a hesitant step closer to him. I didn't know how unstable he was, so I tried to be careful. I also didn't know what to say to him, so I was stuck at 'Luka'.

He met my eyes at the sound of my voice, and his gaze roamed down my body as if just noticing what I was wearing. I subconsciously glanced down, too, seeing I was only in my towel from my shower earlier. As if it would betray me and fall, I held onto it tighter.

"I'm gonna get dressed. You can sit on the couch while you wait. I won't be over five minutes. I left a glass of water on the..." I paused as I saw that the glass was no longer there but on the floor with my vase. "On second thought, I'll get you some when I get back."

I saw a small smile playing on his lips as he scratched the back of his neck. "Uh, yeah, sorry about that. I lose control sometimes."

I flashed him a smile, letting him know it was okay and made my way to my room to get my clothes.

My mind soared with endless ways of how I could help him. Can I even help him? It took me so long to get a hold of myself. Now, I want to help a complete stranger?

It broke my heart to think that he wasn't content with life. He has so much potential. I can see it. It's wrong to let it be stripped away from earth like that. After all, you can't kill purpose.

Making my way back downstairs, I saw Luka picking up the shattered glass pieces from the broken vase. I smiled at the small gesture, seeing that he wasn't a bad person at all.

"I picked up most of the pieces since I was the one that broke it," he muttered, with the cutest guilty look on his face while looking away.

I waved it off, telling him it was okay as I walked over to the couch, where I gestured for him to join me.

"So, why'd you do it?" I asked, getting right to the point. I slapped my inner self for coming out like that, and even he looked taken aback before his expression turned cold. He pursed his lips and looked anywhere but me.

"Why would I tell you that? All I know about you is that your name is Victoria, and you kidnap strangers who try to jump off cliffs," he said, meeting my gaze matter-of-factly. I sighed, realising that this would be harder than I first intended.

"Well, my name is Victoria Deslandes. I'm a 21-year-old nurse at Newsome Hospital. I live alone, and I have a cat. Now, would you be comfortable trying to talk about it?" He looked at me, then blinked a couple of times. In a second, he doubled over in laughter, as if I told him the funniest joke in the world. It was so contagious that I couldn't help but smile too. It was beautiful.

He peered at me as if I had grown another head after he stopped laughing, but a grin still lingered on his lips. "Do you really think I'm gonna open up and pour out my soul to you?"

I sighed and shook my head, seeing that this wouldn't go as planned. I was tired too, so I decided to call it a night. I got up with a yawn as I held onto his forearm, trying to get him upstairs.

"Um, what are you doing?" he asked with his eyebrows raised and his lips pulled into a thin line. I nodded toward the stairs with an innocent smile.

"Oh no no no no, Victoria. I'm sorry, but I'm not like that." He yanked his hand away, sounding a little pissed.

I pulled my eyebrows together and pursed my lips. I was just being hospitable. There was no way I would make him leave at 11 p.m when he might have a concussion.

I'll never understand men, I thought, shaking my head.

Men...

Oh...

Oh shit!

Realisation hit me, and my eyes widened in horror.

"Oh no, no, Luka! I wasn't trying to sleep with you." I shuffled with a laugh. "I'm just offering you a room to stay till morning since you might have a concussion, and it's late."

"Oh." He looked embarrassed at his accusation, but I dismissed it.

Speaking of his head.

"Let me take a quick look. I can assess the damage and see its severity." I stepped towards him, attempting to check the wound, but he flinched away.

"No need for that. My head feels great," he said, panicked. I smiled at his reaction, concluding that he might be one of those people who are afraid of doctors.

"No, I insist. What kind of nurse would I be if I didn't at least check?" I grabbed him and spun him, surprising him with my strength.

To my utmost and terrifying surprise, his head had no opening, bust, or even scratch. The only thing that made me know I wasn't hallucinating was the dried blood matted in his hair. How is that even possible?

"How did you—"

"I think I'm ready for bed now. Thank you for your hospitality and concern. Victoria, you're a nice person," he rushed out, cutting me off mid-sentence. I nodded and went up the stairs with him on my trail, trying to tell myself that I wasn't crazy.

Something was up with this guy—I could feel it. Knowing my curiosity, I wouldn't stop until I found out what it was. I'm not even sure if I wanted to find out, but for some strange reason, I fancy him.

Or maybe I'm just delusional and horny… Yeah, that's it.

I pushed the door to my bedroom, deciding to let him stay there tonight. The other bedrooms belonged to my parents and my aunt, and nobody went there but me. He could've stayed in the guest room, but it was now my personal storage room.

"Is this your room? Your scent is everywhere in here," he asked as we entered.

"Uh, yeah, this is my room. I'll be staying in the room down the hall if you need anything, and I'll bring you water, painkillers and a snack before I go to bed."

He smiled genuinely and opened his mouth to say something, but I cut him off by talking first. "What did you mean by my scent is everywhere in here? I don't wear perfume." I didn't miss how he stiffened at my words.

"I-uh-you smell like soap." He stumbled over his words, avoiding eye contact.

"Right... So, do you have anybody to call to tell them you won't be coming home tonight? When you were sleeping, I searched for your phone, but I couldn't find one."

"Shit," he mumbled. "It must've fallen off the cliff. Caleb is gonna kill me for real this time. Can I use your phone?"

"Just give me the number, and I'll call them for you. You need to rest after the day you've had."

"Thank you, Victoria. For everything since I got here."

"Well, it's the least I can do after stopping your suicide mission." I laughed, but he looked unamused. "Too soon? Yeah, okay, I'll go then." He nodded as I made my way towards the door.

Looking around to make sure there were no sharp objects or ropes, I exited, leaving the door ajar.

I dialled this Caleb guy's number, and he answered after the first ring.

"Hello?" a gruff voice laced with worry answered.

"Hey Caleb, my name is Victoria. I have your friend."