The sky wept that day.
Grey clouds rolled over the city as if the heavens themselves couldn't bear the weight of the world. Rain poured down in sheets, soft at first… then heavier. But Aiden stood still — soaked, silent, and unmoved.
He was watching her again.
Elena sat under a small bus stop shelter, holding a drenched kitten in her arms. She wrapped it in her scarf, gently rubbing its tiny body for warmth.
She didn't care about her own wet clothes.
She didn't care that people passed by without helping.
She only cared about the small, fragile life in her hands.
Aiden stood across the street, eyes locked on her.
"Why…?" he whispered.
"Why does she keep saving others, when no one ever saved me?"
She didn't know he was there. She never did.
Yet every day, it felt like she saw right through him, without even trying.
The rain reminded Aiden of his past.
He remembered the first time it rained when he was 7. He had cried that day — not because of sadness, but because the rain was cold, and no one came for him. The men who raised him said:
"Tears are for the weak. Don't cry. Kill."
But standing there now, watching Elena cradle a kitten in the rain…
He felt warmth.
He felt something close to peace.
Maybe, just maybe…
He was starting to understand what it means to be alive.
---
That night, Aiden returned to his room, wet and heavy with emotion.
He crossed off another day on the paper by his bedside:
Day 3 – Complete.
"Four more days…"
"But I don't want it to end."
---
End of Chapter 3
To be continued…