Chapter 3| Are you a gold-digger, Eve?

Eve

Blue eyes, deeper than the ocean and brighter than the morning sky—those were the eyes I couldn't look away from, no matter how hard I tried. 

I pressed my hand against his chest, trying to steady myself from falling….or maybe it was just to find a reason to touch him? I had no idea anymore.

I refused to blink as I stared up at him. It wasn't just his eyes, everything about him was perfect. His features were sharp, chiseled and beautiful at the same time. What was I saying, calling him beautiful would be an understatement. He was stunning, almost otherworldly, as though God had taken his time to create him.

For a moment, I forgot why I was there, standing on the edge of that bridge. I forgot about everything—the humiliation and heartbreak I went through today, my family, my whole existence. 

I had no idea what this stranger was doing to me, but I didn't care.

Then his cold, biting voice snapped me out of it.

“Are you going to sit on my lap forever?” he asked, his tone sharp and emotionless.

Huh, I finally blinked, letting his words settle in my head before gasping. I was sitting on a stranger's lap!

My face flushed as I scrambled off him, almost stumbling awkwardly to my feet. I looked at him, trying to compose myself. It was then that I noticed the wheelchair beneath him, but I didn't linger on it.

His face was still blank, cold, as though nothing could touch him.

 “I asked you a question.”

A question? Oh right, I was about to end my life.

I took a shaky breath, avoiding his gaze. “You shouldn’t have saved me,” I said quietly, my voice raw and hoarse from crying. “I didn’t ask for your help.”

The handsome stranger arched his perfectly crafted brows, scoffing as if I had just said something utterly stupid and absurd. His lips curled into a smirk, but there was no humor in it. “Save you?” he repeated, his voice laced with disdain and mockery. “Don’t flatter yourself. If you want to jump, go ahead. But I would prefer it if you did it somewhere far away from me.”

His words hit me like a slap. I blinked at him, startled.

Did this man just say that?

“Sorry?”

He tilted his head slightly, waving his hand dismissively at my shock. “I have no interest in saving someone who doesn’t even want to save themselves. But if you’re going to jump, do it where I don’t have to see your corpse. I’d rather not ruin my eyesight by looking at something so pathetic.”

My breath caught in my throat, my chest tightening at the cruelty of his words. I stared at him, unsure whether to feel anger, shock, or something else entirely.

How could someone say something so heartless, without even flinching?

And yet… his words stirred something inside me. They cut through the haze of my pain, snapping me back to reality in a way nothing else had.

What the hell was I thinking? Was I about to kill myself for people that don’t give two fucks about me? For people who would probably be happy to have one less problem?

No. Even though I hate my life, I would never kill myself.

I turned my attention to the man in front of me with a feeling of gratitude.“Thank you.”

He raised an eyebrow, his expression unreadable. “For what?” He asked, genuinely curious as to why I was thanking him.

Oh, right. He didn’t want to save me.

I bit my lip, hesitating. My eyes drifted down to his legs, to the wheelchair he sat in. Something about the way he held himself, the tension in his posture, caught my attention. I don’t know what compelled me, but I spoke softly, “Can I?”

He tilted his head slightly, intrigued now. “Can you what?”

“Just…” I gestured vaguely toward his legs. “Can I touch you? I'm not a creep or anything. I will not harm you.”

He looked at me as if what I just said was amusing, as if I could harm him even though he was stuck in a wheelchair. And for some reason, I believed it. Something about him told me that this man wasn't as simple as he seemed. 

For a moment, he didn’t say anything, just stared at me with those sharp, piercing blue eyes. Then he leaned back slightly, as though giving me permission without a word.

Taking his silence as a yes, I crouched down in front of him, my fingers trembling slightly. His legs were motionless, but I could see the faintest flicker of tension in his jaw as he watched me. Carefully, I pressed my hand against a specific spot near his knee, the place where I guessed the muscle felt the most strain.

“Here,” I said, looking up at him. “Is that better?”

For the first time, his eyes widened slightly. Surprise flickered across his face, and he looked at me as if I were something completely unexpected.

I smiled softly, feeling a strange warmth in that fleeting reaction. “If you massage this area every day,” I said, “You'll feel better every morning. It’ll help with the tension. I noticed how much pain you’re in.”

He opened his mouth, as though he wanted to say something, but before he could, my phone buzzed in my pocket. I fished it out, staring at the name on the phone.

It was Scarlett, a doctor from the hospital. I pressed the phone to my ear, my heart sinking as a familiar, curt voice spoke on the other end.

“Eve,” She called, her tone sharp and impatient, “we need you here immediately. There’s been an accident. The patient has a serious head injury, and everyone is busy. So, I need you to perform the surgery.”

I didn't answer at first. Today was supposed to be my day off, hell I wasn't even supposed to be performing major surgeries because I was still an intern. 

When I didn't answer, she scoffed, her annoying voice echoing in my ear. “What? You don't want to ? Are you going to use your fiancé as an excuse to skip out on work? I guess the news circulating around is true. Are you a gold-digger, Eve?”

I swallowed hard, my grip tightening on the phone. Her words stung, but I didn’t let it show. “No,” I said quietly. “I’m on my way.”

I hung up, sighing as I looked back at the man in front of me. He was watching me closely. I stood up slowly, brushing off my knees.

“Well,” I said, forcing a small smile, “I have to go.” I hesitated for a moment, meeting his gaze. “Thank you again, even though you didn’t want to save me.”

I nodded, turning on my heel and walking away. 

We might not see each other again, but I would always be thankful to him for saving my life.