THE PRICE OF HER HEART

man crosses path with emot

loneliness in Alina's heart. She stood beneath a flickering streetlamp, her coat wrapped tightly around h

ng-school, home, and that unshakable sense that she didn't quite b

gh n

deep, calm,

e wore a black coat, collar turned up, and shadows danced across his face from the streetlight. Yet, even in the dimne

hter. "I'm fine," she repl

idn't mean to scare you. Just... seemed like you needed

her. It wasn't pity. It wasn't charm. It was

" he added a

ed, then sa

," he said. "Ma

trange. But there was something oddly comforting in it. And maybe

He asked questions-real ones-and listened, really listened, when she answered. And when she f

ien took a step closer,

tomorrow?

't even know him. But her heart

she wh

e that, the