CHAPTER 1 — The Homeless Man No One Wanted to Touch
The rain hammered the streets of Manhattan so hard that even the city's brightest lights looked blurred.
People rushed past with umbrellas, expensive coats, and eyes fixed on their phones.
Then someone screamed.
A black limousine had spun out of control, crashing into a concrete divider. The impact echoed between the skyscrapers like thunder.
A sharply dressed businessman lay unconscious in the middle of the road while luxury cars stopped at a distance.
Nobody moved.
"Call 911!"
"Don't touch him!"
"What if he dies?"
Fear froze everyone.
Everyone...
Except one man.
Wrapped in a soaked gray hoodie, with a scruffy beard and shoes barely held together by tape, a homeless man stepped into traffic without hesitation.
Cars honked.
People shouted for him to get back.
He ignored every voice.
Kneeling beside the injured stranger, he checked for a pulse with calm, practiced hands.
"He's still breathing."
The businessman coughed weakly, blood running down the side of his face.
The homeless man carefully supported his neck, keeping him awake.
"Stay with me."
"You don't get to die tonight."
The injured man slowly opened his eyes.
Their gazes met.
For a split second...
The homeless man's expression changed.
Shock.
Recognition.
Almost... guilt.
"No..."
he whispered.
"It can't be you."
Before anyone could ask what he meant, sirens filled the street.
Police officers rushed in.
Paramedics surrounded the victim.
But instead of thanking the homeless man...
One officer grabbed him roughly.
"Step away!"
"Did you attack him?"
Within seconds, the crowd began pointing fingers.
"He was the only one touching him."
"He must've robbed him!"
"I saw him kneeling over the victim!"
The homeless man didn't argue.
He simply raised both hands.
As handcuffs clicked around his wrists...
The unconscious businessman suddenly grabbed the medic's arm.
With barely enough strength to speak, he whispered five unbelievable words.
"Don't... let... him... leave..."
Everyone froze.
The police officer looked confused.
The businessman forced his eyes open again.
Then he stared directly at the homeless man.
May you like
And quietly asked...
"Why did you disappear... twenty years ago?"
