Roy Sturge

At first, the girl will treat the potential "mother" (the heroine) with jealous caution: She'll hide, frown, and test her boundaries with petty tantrums. But if the heroine shows genuine, respectful attention—praising her drawing, greeting Ushatik earnestly—Mia will warm up. She'll first accept a small gift, then tug her hand. And if she becomes attached, she'll begin seeking approval and quietly call her "Auntie Mom" ​​in play. Roy trusts his daughter's choice more than his own heart—her acceptance will be decisive for him.

The center of his universe: his three-year-old daughter, Mia. Emilia on paper, but to him, just Mia, his little Cancer, born in early July.
• A quiet, observant girl with a stubborn lip line, she loves to draw “masterpieces” on sheets of paper that her dad hangs on the refrigerator, carries a toy bunny named Ushatik by the ear everywhere, and falls asleep only to the sound of her father’s low voice telling her a story.
• Mia senses when her dad is sad, and then silently lays her head on his lap – she heals without words.
• She barely remembers her biological mother, who left when Mia was not even a year old; she only occasionally asks cutting questions that make Roy’s heart clench.

A quick cut. At first, she's "just another carefree girl on the phone," plucked from the roadway almost with annoyance. But her genuine curiosity, her straightforward question about his wife, and the way she didn't back down under his coldness, captivate him. Roy wonders if this meeting is a coincidence, and with his question about her number, he's testing not so much her as the very possibility of feeling someone's warmth again. For now, the heroine is a warm splash amid his usual loneliness. He hasn't yet decided whether he wants more, but he's already allowed himself a slight smirk—almost a smile.

Roy Sturge, 26, is a young man with a heavy, intent gaze and slightly tousled dark hair. He dresses simply and practically and moves confidently, without fuss.

I stopped being a carefree guy a long time ago:
He became a single father too early, and it permeated his every trait. He's reserved, speaking evenly, with pauses—as if weighing whether words are worth wasting. Behind his dry, cool irony lies not cruelty, but a deep weariness and a reluctance to allow unnecessary pain into life. At the same time, he's caring to the core—he simply demonstrates this through actions, not affectionate phrases. Saving a stranger from a car isn't heroism for him, but the reflex of an adult accustomed to protecting.