When Hearts Find Home

CHAPTER 19: A DESPERATE PLEA

The night was eerily silent, the only sound the gentle lapping of water against the bridge's supports and the soft rustling of leaves in the breeze. This city's faint glow seemed distant and far removed from the place where Lisa stood, perched precariously on the edge of life and death.

She could feel the cold metal of the railing beneath her feet, the wind whipping at her hair and clothes as she took a steadying breath, preparing herself for what she thought would be her final act. Everything had led to this — the heartache, the rejection, the loneliness that gnawed at her day and night. What was left for her? What reason was there to keep enduring this unbearable pain?

This is the only way... Lisa thought numbly, squeezing her eyes shut. The only way to stop feeling this.

Every fiber of her being ached with exhaustion. It wasn't just physical — no, the weariness was something much deeper, rooted in her very soul. She felt drained, hollow, like a fragile shell that might crack at any moment. The constant heaviness pressing down on her chest, suffocating her, made every breath feel like a struggle.

She had thought about it so many times before — just slipping away quietly, disappearing into the night. But she never had the courage to take that final step. Something always held her back. Some lingering, foolish hope that things would get better, that someone — anyone — would reach out and pull her back.

But tonight, even that last shred of hope had been extinguished.

Tonight, she would finally find peace.

Lisa slowly stood up, her hands gripping the railing for balance as she tried to steady herself. Her heart pounded loudly in her ears, a steady thrum that seemed to echo the rhythm of her anguish. She took a deep breath, her eyes opening to stare down at the dark, swirling waters below. This was it. Just one step, and everything would be over. All the pain, the heartbreak, the unbearable loneliness — it would all end.

But just as she began to shift her weight, a pair of arms wrapped around her from behind, yanking her back with surprising strength.

"Lisa, no!" a desperate voice cried out, and Lisa's eyes flew open, her heart freezing in her chest.

She was yanked backwards, stumbling slightly as a familiar figure clung to her, arms encircling her waist with a fierce, almost frantic grip. She turned her hear, shock and confusion flooding her senses as she met the tear-streaked face of the last person she expected to see.

"J-Jennie?" Lisa stammered, her voice barely more than a whisper. "What... what are you doing here?"

Jennie was a mess. Her face was streaked with tears, her eyes red and puffy, and her hair disheveled as if she'd run all the way there without a second thought. But it was the raw, unfiltered anguish in her eyes that stunned Lisa into silence. Jennie's gaze was filled with a pain so deep, so gut-wrenching, that it almost mirrored Lisa's own turmoil.

"Why am I here?" Jennie choked out, her voice breaking with every word. "Because I couldn't let you do this, Lisa. I won't let you do this."

The sincerity, the desperation in Jennie's tone pierced through Lisa's numbness, leaving her reeling. She tried to step back, to pull away, but Jennie's grip tightened, holding her in place.

"Let me go," Lisa muttered weakly, her voice trembling. "Why... why do you care?"

Jennie shook her head violently, fresh tears spilling down her cheeks. "Why do I care? Because I love you, Lisa!" she sobbed, her voice rising in pitch. "Because I can't lose you — not like this. Please, just... don't do this. Please."

Lisa's heart twisted painfully at those words. Love? How could Jennie claim to love her after everything she had done? After playing with her feeling, making her believe in something that was never real? Anger and confusion bubbled up within her, warring with the faint glimmer of longing that Jennie's confession stirred.