Some love stories start with a kiss.This one starts with a loaded gun.
The midnight storm screamed outside, sheets of rain hammering against the windows. In the middle of packing her bags, Vivienne Cross paused.
Through the roar of wind and thunder, she heard it — a faint, desperate knock at the door.
Boom!
A crack of thunder split the sky as she opened it. For a heartbeat, lightning illuminated the corridor — and the man standing there, soaked and pale, looked like a ghost torn from the storm.
"Callum?"
Her voice was soft, confused.
Callum Rivers stood there, trench coat dripping, dark hair plastered wetly to his forehead, eyes bright green against the pale of his skin.
Shit.
This wasn't good.
They had agreed to run away together on May 23rd. It was still two days early. As any considerate lover would, Vivienne grabbed his wrist and tugged him inside.
"Come in. You're drenched."
He moved stiffly, letting her peel the coat off his shaking shoulders. His shirt clung damply to his skin. Whether from the rain or something far worse, Callum's expression was empty, almost numb.
Vivienne's fingers worked gently, dabbing at his wet hair with a towel, but her eyes noticed something else — both pockets of his trousers bulged awkwardly.
Something was hidden there.
"Why are you here so early?" she asked lightly, as if nothing was wrong.
Callum said nothing for a long moment. His emerald eyes shimmered in the dim light, lips pressed tightly shut.
Then, quietly, he spoke: "I didn't get the ship ticket."
Vivienne blinked.
What was she supposed to say to that?
She was an E-class Sentinel, with a damaged mental landscape and a dangerously low threshold for overload. Ever since arriving in this no-name corner of the galaxy — X-298 — she'd been looking for a Guide to help stabilize her. That's when Callum Rivers had appeared.
At first, he'd seemed like nothing more than a shy, soft-spoken local noble. A sweet, B-class Guide.
Easy to charm. Easy to use.
Vivienne had whispered promises into his ear, spun him a thousand lies about forever — all so she could tether herself to a Guide strong enough to keep her sane. But Callum had been hiding things too.
Turns out, her sweet little Guide was born into power. A family with status, at least a Lordship.
And that, for Vivienne, was trouble.
She wasn't the kind of person who could survive under the scrutiny of the powerful.
So, she'd made plans to disappear.
Callum had sensed her drifting away, had grown anxious, suspicious, possessive. So she told him what he wanted to hear:
"Let's run away together."
She didn't tell him the truth — that she'd already bought a fake ID and a one-way ticket.
For herself.
The ship left tonight.
And now…
Callum was here.
Early.
Something had gone wrong.
Vivienne kept her voice light.
"We can delay," she said gently. "I'm more worried you'll catch a cold."
Callum's expression cracked. He yanked the towel off his head, voice sharp and breaking.
"You're lying!"
Bang!
Vivienne's heart stopped as he pulled a small silver handgun from his pocket, the barrel leveled at her chest.
What the hell?!
She dove sideways, half-hiding behind the bookshelf, pulse thundering.
"How long were you going to lie to me?!"
Callum's voice cracked, but his aim stayed steady.
The safety clicked off.
Fuck.
So much for the sweet, soft-spoken Guide.
His dark hair clung to his forehead, tears streaking down his face. But his grip on the gun didn't shake.
Vivienne's palms were cold. That little pistol was lethal. And he wasn't bluffing.
"Callum," she said carefully, "you need to calm down."
"Stop pretending!" he snapped.
He hurled a handful of papers at her. They hit her chest and scattered across the floor.
Vivienne glanced down.
A headline screamed at her:
'Heir of Tienxing Consortium and Lowly Employee Caught in Scandalous Elopement.'
Her own blurred profile stared back from the photo.
How the hell had he found this?
Hadn't she buried this scandal years ago?
But no matter.
She could talk her way out of anything.
"I can explain," she said smoothly. "That man was helping me—"
"Helping you what?" Callum cut her off, voice rough and broken. "I should've known you were a liar."
Tears slid down his face, his jaw tight with betrayal.
Adorable when he cursed — if only the gun wasn't aimed at her.
Vivienne didn't miss a beat.
"He's a friend of my ex. We didn't end well. He helped me leave."
Callum barked a hollow laugh.
"An ex? That's your new excuse?"
Did he even hear her?
Vivienne softened her voice, took a cautious step forward.
"Callum, do you really think I'm unforgivable?"
"Don't move!"
The gun lifted higher.
"Okay," she lifted her hands. "I won't move. Just calm down."
"You're disgusting," he spat.
"You were going to leave me behind. I should've known. You never even showed me your Spirit Animal." Every evolved human — Sentinel or Guide — had one. A mental projection of their power.
Vivienne had always claimed her mental landscape was too fragile to summon hers.
Even Callum, the man she'd sworn herself to, had never seen it.
Callum had fallen in love for the first time in his life. Had traded everything — name, home, future — to run away with her. And now he knew it had all been a lie.
Tears slid down his cheeks as he laughed bitterly.
"You heartless bitch," he whispered.
"Go to hell."
The trigger clicked.
Vivienne's mind snapped into sharp focus.