"Stop! Stop!"
Rahul shouted at the girl in the sea in both English and Thai. He then dropped his heavy backpack on the dry sand and rushed into the dark, churning water as fast as he could sprint.
By now, the seawater had reached the woman's waist. A few more steps, and it would completely submerge her neck.
Rahul's booming shout was like a sudden clap of thunder over the crashing waves, instantly snapping Naina back to her senses.
When Naina turned her head, she saw a tall, handsome man with an anxious expression sprinting toward her, his silhouette illuminated from behind by the massive bonfire on the beach. Naina subconsciously stopped in her tracks, staring blankly at the sprinting Indian man.
Through her tear-filled, despairing eyes, Rahul looked exactly like a movie hero emerging from a blazing fire, tearing through the violent waves to reach her.
In an instant, Rahul reached Naina's side.
With a lunging dive, Rahul's strong right arm firmly grabbed Naina's waist and refused to let go.
"Have you completely lost your mind?!" Rahul yelled over the wind. "Why seek death at such a young age?"
Naina was pressed tightly against Rahul's solid body, feeling his firm chest heaving violently from the exertion of the sprint. Hearing the stranger's scolding, desperate tone and feeling his impossibly strong arms wrapped securely around her, Naina's erratic, broken heart suddenly calmed down for some inexplicable reason.
Looking down at the pale, shivering woman in his arms, Rahul felt a sudden jolt. He felt like he had seen her face somewhere before.
But now was absolutely not the time to think about that; the two of them were still standing waist-deep in the violent ocean!
Without another word, Rahul smoothly scooped Naina up into his arms in a princess carry and waded back toward the shore, his steps heavy but steady against the pulling undertow.
Back on the dry, safe sand, Rahul set Naina down gently and immediately shook off his wet DJI camera. Fortunately, the vlogging rig was waterproof, so the footage and hardware were fine. He pulled his smartphone out of his pocket to check—it was also perfectly fine.
After confirming his gear was secure, Rahul finally turned his full attention to the woman he had just pulled from the brink of death.
He hadn't had the time to look closely during the adrenaline-fueled emergency. Now, illuminated by the light of the distant beach bonfire and sweeping laser lights, Rahul took a good, hard look at her face.
The woman he had saved was breathtakingly beautiful. Judging by her striking, exotic features, she looked like she was of mixed descent. At first glance, her flawless bone structure made her look even more stunning than top-tier Bollywood actresses like Katrina Kaif.
Naina was soaked from head to toe. Her expensive white sleeveless dress had become completely transparent from the seawater, clinging tightly to her flawless, pale skin. Even the dark lace underwear she wore underneath was highly visible. Looking at the cut and style, it was undoubtedly high-end designer lingerie.
Although Naina looked completely disheveled and tragic, the mess couldn't hide her top-tier beauty and her mature, sophisticated aura. She looked like a glamorous red rose drenched in a rainstorm—mature, elegant, yet evoking a profound sense of pity.
Rahul couldn't help but wonder: Why would such a top-tier, wealthy beauty choose to end it all? Why come all the way to the chaos of Koh Phangan to seek death? And more importantly, why did her stunning face feel so familiar?
Noticing Rahul's intense gaze, Naina looked down and realized how exposed she was. She immediately crossed her arms over her chest to shield herself, lowering her head in deep, silent shame.
Rahul sighed softly. He reached down, pulled off his black t-shirt in one swift motion, and handed it over to her.
"Here. Put this on."
Naina took Rahul's warm, dry shirt and pulled it over her wet dress. The hem of the oversized t-shirt happened to cover the tops of her thighs perfectly. Though it was thick cotton, it provided the modesty she desperately needed right now.
Naina looked up at Rahul's broad, bare chest and whispered, "Khop khun kha... thank you."
Rahul waved his hand and said somewhat helplessly: "You don't need to thank me. I just refused to stand by and watch a vibrant life vanish into the dark right before my eyes."
"Sigh..."
Hearing this gentle, profound statement, Naina gripped the hem of Rahul's t-shirt tightly and bit her lower lip hard, struggling desperately to hold back a new wave of tears.
Rahul let out a heavy sigh. He knew this woman must be a high-tier 'Karma Target' recommended by the System. Otherwise, what were the statistical odds that he would stumble upon her on an isolated stretch of beach right at the exact second she was about to commit suicide?
However, since a person was driven to the absolute edge of suicide, they must be facing an insurmountable, agonizing obstacle. Now was not the time to judge her from a moral high ground or ask invasive questions.
Thinking this, Rahul stepped closer to Naina, gently wrapped his arm around her trembling shoulders, and began to softly pat her back to comfort her.
"It's okay. It's okay," Rahul murmured gently. "If you need to cry, just let it out. Don't hold it in. You'll feel much better once you cry."
As soon as Rahul finished speaking those soft words, Naina's emotional dam completely shattered. She lunged forward, hugged him tightly around his bare waist, buried her face in his broad chest, and burst into loud, agonizing sobs!
"Waaaah..."
"Why do they all treat me like this?! Why do they spread such vicious rumors about me?! Why!"
"Just because I refused to be that disgusting billionaire's mistress?!"
"Mom! Why would you take his money?! I'm your own daughter! How could you sell me out?!"
"Waaaah... I hate them! I hate you all!"
"Will they only be happy and leave me alone when I'm finally dead?!"
Hearing these fragmented, heartbreaking screams, Rahul realized that the woman crying in his arms carried a terrifyingly dark, heavy story of betrayal.
"Alright, shhh, it's okay," Rahul said softly, rubbing her back. "You're soaked through. You'll catch hypothermia if the sea breeze keeps blowing on you."
"Come on, let's walk over to the bonfire to warm up. You can tell me all about your grievances later; I am perfectly willing to be your listener tonight."
Hearing Rahul's grounding, steady words, Naina gradually stopped screaming. She looked up at him with her deep, red eyes and nodded slowly like an exhausted child.
Rahul held Naina securely against his side and walked her down the beach toward the lively bonfire area.
During the walk, Naina remained tightly snuggled into Rahul's side, her hands fiercely clutching his waist, refusing to let go for even a second.
Rahul pushed through the outer edges of the partying crowd and brought Naina to the very front row, right before the blazing, massive bonfire.
The intense heat radiating from the fire, combined with the laughing, dancing crowd completely oblivious to her pain... This lively, warm atmosphere immediately allowed Naina's severely tense heart to thaw and relax.
But her hands kept gripping Rahul's arm with a vice-like hold, showing absolutely no intention of letting him go.
"Hold our spot right here by the fire for a second. I'll go over to the lounge area and grab a foam mat for us to sit on," Rahul said, trying to gently pry her fingers off his arm.
But upon hearing this, Naina panicked and immediately gripped his bicep even tighter.
"No! Please don't go!"
Rahul looked down and saw that her beautiful eyes were completely filled with raw, abandonment fear. In her current fragile psychological state, it was definitely a terrible idea to leave her alone, even for thirty seconds.
"Alright, alright. I'm not going anywhere," Rahul promised, making his tone as gentle and reassuring as possible. "Let's just stand here and warm up."
Until Naina's emotions completely stabilized a few minutes later, her gaze remained fixed entirely on Rahul's striking face.
"You really don't recognize me, do you?" Naina suddenly spoke, her husky voice breaking the silence between them.
Rahul looked back at her and answered honestly: "I don't know your exact name, but I definitely feel like I've seen your face somewhere recently."
"Are you from India?" Naina asked, noticing the glowing neon 'MADE IN INDIA' painted across his bicep.
"Yes, I'm Indian," Rahul replied curiously.
"That makes sense then. Young people here in Thailand should all know my face," she smiled bitterly.
Hearing this, Rahul thought to himself: Don't tell me the Karma System has thrown another massive celebrity into my lap?
"So, you're a famous Thai movie or TV star?" Rahul asked.
"I used to be. But I've been effectively blacklisted and driven out of the industry recently," Naina said, the light in her eyes dimming instantly with fresh sorrow.
"What is your name?"
"Naina Kapoor."
Rahul's eyes widened the absolute second he heard the name.
"Wait... you're the famous Thai-Indian mixed-race star who went viral all over Asia for the drama 'Rainy Season Bookstore'? The absolute top-tier lead actress of Channel 3, Naina Kapoor?!"
Holy crap, she really is an A-list superstar!
System, you've definitely given me a terrifyingly big surprise tonight!