The rain fell without mercy.
Nina stood on the bridge, her hands trembling against the cold metal railing as the storm soaked her clothes and plastered her hair to her face. The world blurred through the curtain of water, but her tears burned hot against her skin, cutting sharper than the rain ever could.
She had promised herself she wouldn't cry for him again. Andrew didn't deserve her tears. He had been her everything her laughter, her warmth, her foolish dream of forever. But behind his charming smile was nothing but lies. She had caught him with another girl, one of many, and when she confronted him, he laughed. "You're just one of them, Nina. Don't make it more than it is."
The words cut deeper than a blade.
Now, her heart was nothing but ash, and her soul empty.
The river below roared like an invitation. Its black surface churned violently, the current strong enough to swallow anything that dared to touch it. Nina leaned forward, gripping the rail tighter. One step. One jump. And the pain ends forever.
Her lips trembled as she whispered to the storm. "Goodbye."
She closed her eyes.
And let go.
On the riverbank below, another soul was preparing to surrender.
Jude knelt in the mud, the rain washing over his broad shoulders, soaking his clothes until they clung to him like chains. A bottle of whiskey lay shattered beside him, its sharp scent mixing with the wet earth. In his hand, he clutched a photograph his wedding day, smiling beside the woman he had once believed was his forever.
But forever had ended with betrayal.
She hadn't just cheated. She had betrayed him with his best friend the man he trusted more than anyone else. He had walked in on them, the laughter in their voices shattering his world into pieces. His wife's guiltless eyes haunted him, and his best friend's smirk carved into his memory like a scar.
Now there was nothing left for him. No trust. No love. No reason to stay.
He lifted his face to the storm, rain stinging his eyes like needles. His voice broke as he muttered, "I can't do this anymore."
Then, without hesitation, he stepped into the river.
Fate collided in the dark waters.
Nina hit the surface first, the icy shock stealing her breath, dragging her under. The river swallowed her scream, pulling her into its violent current. Her arms flailed, desperate for air, but the water was relentless. Her chest burned. Her vision blurred.
Then something struck her a body, colliding hard against her side.
Jude.
He hadn't seen her until the water forced them together, two broken souls thrashing in the same death. For a moment, their struggle turned into chaos, each fighting the river and accidentally fighting each other. But survival is stronger than despair. Their hands tangled Nina's nails dug into his wrist, Jude's grip locked onto her arm.
Neither wanted to live. Yet somehow, in that moment, both refused to let the other drown.
The current slammed them against a cluster of rocks. Pain shot through Jude's ribs, but it gave him leverage. Gritting his teeth, he pulled Nina upward, forcing her toward the surface. She gasped, choking, her eyes wild with terror.
"Hold on!" he shouted over the storm.
Her lips trembled, her body shaking violently. "I… I can't"
"You can!" His voice was raw, desperate, not for himself but for her. He didn't know why, but he couldn't watch her sink. Not her. Not tonight.
With a final surge of strength, Jude dragged her toward the riverbank. The mud welcomed them roughly, sucking at their limbs as they collapsed onto the shore, coughing water, shivering violently.
For a long moment, only the storm spoke.
Then Nina's voice, broken and soft. "Why… why did you save me?"
Jude lay beside her, gasping for air. His chest rose and fell with ragged breaths, his body aching. Slowly, he turned his head, meeting her tear-streaked face through the haze of rain.
"I didn't," he rasped. "You saved me."
They lay in silence, strangers bound by the river's cruel grip. The storm raged on, but something in the air shifted a fragile thread, invisible yet unbreakable, connecting them.
Nina closed her eyes, tears mixing with rain. She had wanted the end, yet here she was, breathing beside another broken soul.
Jude clenched his fist in the mud, staring at the sky. He had been ready to surrender everything. But now, he wasn't alone in his despair. Someone else knew the same darkness. Someone else understood.
When Nina finally found her voice again, it was barely more than a whisper. "My name is… Nina."
Jude's throat tightened. "Jude."
Their names hung in the storm like a promise of what, neither knew.
But the night that was meant to end their stories had only begun to write them together.
And in the shadows of the trees above, unseen by either of them, a figure watched silently as the storm raged on.