Sebastian gently touched my forehead and then checked my IV line before looking visibly relieved.

I stared at him, and my voice came out hoarse. "What happened to me? How did I end up in the hospital?"

Frowning, Sebastian replied in displeasure, "A while after you went into the bathroom yesterday, I heard some noise from inside. When I went in, I found you collapsed on the floor."

I froze at his words. I recalled the piercing headache I had while showering yesterday before I lost consciousness. I hadn't realized I'd passed out for a whole day.

Seeing Sebastian's angry and frustrated expression, I felt a pang of guilt.

I squeezed his hand and tried to comfort him, saying, "I'm fine now, see? And I have you here with me."

But Sebastian's expression darkened. He placed my hand under the covers and tucked the blanket tightly around me. Gazing out the window, he muttered, "I'm here with you…"

I didn't fully understand his words, but I could tell he was feeling down. Smiling, I said, "Yeah, I'm not afraid as long as you're with me."

Sebastian gently ruffled my hair, then urged me to rest more. He said he'd be in the next room, handling some work. If I needed anything, I could use the call button next to my bed. With that, he left the room.

After he left, I stared out at the night, feeling a strange sense of confusion and despair rise within me.

I had known Sebastian since we were young. Back then, my parents got divorced. They each remarried and formed new families. Neither wanted me, so I ended up living with my grandma, Tessa Anderson.

In my youth, I was determined to study hard, succeed, and make my parents regret abandoning me. I wanted to ensure Grandma would live a good life.

But that winter, the snow fell heavily, and the roads became treacherous.

Grandma, who was over 50 at that time, heard from the villagers that I had caused trouble at school and was being punished in the freezing cold. In a hurry, she rushed over, but she stepped into a deep pit in the snow and fell.

That snowstorm was unforgiving. By the time I heard the news, an entire night had passed.

I dropped everything and ran home, only to see her frozen, lifeless body in the coffin. I couldn't hold back my tears any longer.

I didn't cry when I was abandoned or when I was bullied and forced to stand in punishment. But at this moment, looking at Grandma, who had always been by my side, I felt like my heart had been ripped apart.

The tears blurred my vision, and my voice became hoarse.

Seeing my distress, the village chief, Jeremiah Foster, helped me to my feet. He patted me on the shoulder and sighed deeply. "Don't be too upset, Juliette. Life goes on. If you ever need anything, we will help you out as much as we can."

I had no energy to answer. I stared out the window at the endless snowfall, then at Grandma lying in the coffin. Without thinking, I walked outside, wanting to blend into the vast, frozen world around me.

The weight on my shoulders grew heavier, my breathing became more labored, and my limbs began to lose sensation. I walked on numbly. The vast world around me offered no place of belonging.

In the haze of my consciousness, a dark figure suddenly appeared in front of me. The person was panting as he reached out a pair of trembling arms to catch me before I fell.

Though my body was weak, I still had some weight to me. In the icy cold, the frail arms struggled to carry me. Then, I heard a familiar murmuring in my ears, saying, "You can't die… You can't die…"

I mustered all my strength to turn my head, trying to see who it was.

A face, red from the cold but determined, met my eyes. It was Sebastian.