A scream. A sound Trenton hated and always tried to avoid. But today it was not because of missed deadlines or failed reports that it was tearing through the silence of his office. This scream was much more personal. It was only because he had decided to put an end to the relationship.

Alicia stood before him - bright, beautiful, furious, with eyes full of accusations. For months, her name had been the most important in his life. He had met her at a social event when her sister mockingly doused her dress with wine. Trenton had protected her, helped her escape her toxic family, supported her business. He had raised her, given her strength. Now it was ending.

'I am an honest man,' his voice was firm as he rose from the table, a cold shadow of determination in every word. 'I won't continue with something that's no longer a priority for me.'

The words came hard, but over the years he'd grown accustomed to these scenes - screaming, anger, resentment. Always the feeling he was being made a criminal for choosing honesty.

Deep down, he knew his pattern. Drawn to broken souls like unsolved mysteries, he fell for women crushed by circumstances, raised them up, then left when they spread their wings. His mother called it 'the fetish of the suffering muse.' For him, it was more weakness than perversion. He was not a monster.

The Jaguar pulled up smoothly to the curb later that evening. Trenton had promised to buy his sister a teddy bear from the new collection. As he exited the car, cold wind cut his skin, icy air filling his lungs like he was washing away the day's fatigue.

His gaze caught a silhouette near a closed kiosk. A girl sat hunched on stone steps, knees drawn to chest, in clothes clearly inadequate for the cold. Shoulders shaking, nose sniffling - defenseless as something not quite real. A fairy fallen into this dirty, indifferent city.

Trenton stopped. Something clicked in his chest - that familiar attraction to another's pain, his weakness, his fetish. 'Again...' flashed through his head, yet he couldn't leave.

'Excuse me,' he said quietly, voice surprisingly warm. 'Are you all right?'

She turned away, but lantern light revealed a bruise on her cheek. Rage exploded in him - how dare someone harm this beautiful creature? Yet outwardly he remained calm, slowly removing his coat to drape over her thin shoulders. She instinctively pressed the fabric to her chest as if hiding inside, a childish gesture that made him smile.

'At least it's a little warmer this way,' he said. 'And believe me, it suits you better than it does me.'

'The stone here is icy,' he continued, squatting before her. 'Maybe we should move to my car? More comfortable than these steps.'

She hesitated, gaze wary as a wild animal, yet something in his voice made her pause. 'I'm not going to harm you. Except maybe suffocate you with care,' he grinned. 'But I assure you, it is not fatal.'

He held out his hand. Seconds stretched like eternity before her cold fingers touched his palm. He squeezed gently, helping her up. 'There you go. Even fairies should not freeze on cold concrete.' He opened the car door like a true gentleman. 'Think of it as a carriage, except the horses are under the hood.'

He stayed outside despite freezing temperatures, honoring his promise not to impose. Later, returning with the teddy bear, he got in shivering slightly. 'Sorry,' he smiled, 'I'm a little cold without a coat. For you, fairy, I almost turned into an icicle today.' Leaning closer: 'So, maybe you'll tell me your name? Or should I continue to think I met a real fairy?'