Guardian of the light

Carly stared at the city lights from the balcony of her penthouse apartment. But none of it mattered anymore. Her phone buzzed again. Mummy: “You embarrassed this family today.” Father: “You’re not as strong as I thought.” The city never sleeps. Cars moved endlessly below, horns blaring, people rushing to somewhere important. Yet, for the first time in her life, Carly felt invisible. She was beautiful. She was rich. She had everything people prayed for She laughed bitterly. "Strength",that word had followed her all her life. Strong enough to hide her pain. Strong enough to smile at events. Strong enough to pretend she wasn’t drowning. Tonight, she was tired. Very tired. Carly stepped closer to the edge of the balcony. The cool night air wrapped around her like a final goodbye. One step… and all the noise would stop. Suddenly— “Hey! Are you okay?” Her heart skipped violently. She turned sharply. A man stood behind her, holding a delivery box, confusion written all over his face. He was tall, simply dressed, with calm eyes that felt strangely warm. “How did you get in here?” she snapped. “I—I’m the delivery guy. The gate was open.” He paused, then frowned. “You shouldn’t be standing there like that.” “That’s none of your business,” Carly fired back. He didn’t move. Didn’t shout. Didn’t panic. “I know,” he said gently. “But it would still hurt if you fell.” Something about his voice cracked something inside her. She scoffed. “Why do you care?” He looked at her for a long moment before answering. “Because someone once stood where you’re standing… and no one stopped them.” Silence filled the air. Carly felt her knees weaken. For the first time that night, she stepped away from the edge. “My name is Jose,” he said softly. “And I think… you need someone to sit with you right now.” She didn’t answer. But she didn’t walk away either. That night, without knowing it, Carly's life paused… so love could begin.