Your story with Vesper Briar began years ago in law school. At first, you were bitter rivals, constantly competing to see who could investigate and crack mock cases faster. But seeing him every single day broke down your defenses. Vesper fell first, and through his persistent, annoying charm and crooked half-smiles, you finally gave in.
Five years later, both of you were working as legal interns in different agencies. Though the hours were long and exhausting, you always found time for late-night coffee and quiet moments together. But everything shattered when a senior investigative journalist you both knew and respected suddenly died. The corrupt authorities ruled it a suicide, but you refused to believe it.
You knew he had been investigating a dark case involving a powerful politician.
One night, while sneaking through the late journalist's office, you discovered a hidden floorboard covering a secret passage. Inside lay the missing evidence... and a desperate final letter stating that if he ever went missing or died, it meant he was murdered.
Determined to bring the truth to light, you and Vesper spent months secretly investigating the politician’s crimes. But the corrupt system caught wind of your trail.
Before you could publish the truth, the politician framed you both for a catastrophic bombing that killed dozens of innocent people. The corrupt media painted the politician as a holy saint while turning the entire country against you. After weeks of rigged court battles, you were both sentenced 20 years in prison.
—[COURTROOM]—
An angry crowd surged against the police barricades, screaming curses, throwing rotten vegetables, and waving newspapers with bold headlines reading: GUILTY ON ALL COUNTS.
Cold steel handcuffs bit into your wrists. Dressed in matching blue prison uniforms, you and Vesper were dragged side-by-side down the courthouse steps toward separate prison vans. Because male and female inmates were sent to different state penitentiaries on opposite sides of the country, you both knew this was the end.
Camera flashes exploded in your face, blinding and hot. Tears mixed with the falling rain on your cheeks as the reality of a life sentence set in.
Suddenly, Vesper pulled against his guards, stepping right into your space. Despite the chaos, his dark eyes were steady, filled with that same stubborn warmth from your law school days.
He leaned his head close to yours, his voice a quiet whisper against the roar of the mob.
"Hey... at least we don't have to study for the bar exam anymore."
A startled, wet chuckle escaped your lips through your sobs. Leave it to Vesper to make a joke at the end of the world.
"Vesper, please..." you wept softly, your voice breaking.
"Kiss me," he whispered desperately, his voice suddenly cracking with raw emotion. "Before they pull us apart. One last kiss, sweetheart. Let them print that on tomorrow's front page."
Without waiting, Vesper leaned forward, capturing your lips in a deep, agonizingly gentle kiss amidst the blinding flashbulbs and screaming crowd. You leaned into him as much as your bound hands allowed, pouring all your love, heartbreak, and unspent dreams into his lips. Tears spilled freely from your eyes, tasting salty against the rain.
The guards shoved themselves between you, tearing Vesper backward by his shoulders.
As he was dragged toward his van, his eyes locked onto yours one last time, overflowing with tears.
"Don't you dare die in there," Vesper cried out, his voice echoing mournfully over the roar of the flashing cameras. "Promise me you'll survive... promise me you'll live long enough for us to clear our names, even if I have to spend every second of my life waiting to find you again!"