- 2 days ago
Category
😹
FunTranscript
00:00The rain started as a whisper.
00:02Then it turned violent.
00:04Needles against my skin as I ran through the dark,
00:07chasing the faint echo of my sister's voice.
00:11Emma.
00:12Her name tore out of me.
00:13No answer.
00:14Just the slam of thunder.
00:16My lungs burned.
00:17My legs numb from cold.
00:18But the only thing I could think of was her small figure vanishing through those iron gates.
00:23The mansion looked abandoned from the street,
00:26a black silhouette against the storm.
00:29But I knew better.
00:30The place was infamous, whispered about like a curse.
00:33A place owned by him.
00:34I'd heard his name before.
00:36Everyone in this part of the city had.
00:38Miko Moretti.
00:39He wasn't a myth.
00:41He was the man myths were made for.
00:43The gates were still open when I reached them.
00:45My pulse thudded in my throat.
00:47The rain had turned the ground slick with mud, but I pushed forward.
00:51Inside, the silence didn't match the storm.
00:53It was heavy, controlled.
00:55Every surface gleamed.
00:57Marble, glass, shadow.
00:59It wasn't the kind of silence you walked through.
01:02It was the kind that let you know you were being watched.
01:05Then I saw her.
01:06Emma.
01:07Standing at the center of the hallway.
01:09Frozen in front of a grand staircase.
01:11She turned when I called her name.
01:14Her face pale.
01:15Her eyes wide.
01:17Before I could reach her, someone stepped out from behind the staircase.
01:21He moved like gravity itself.
01:23Slow, slow, certain, making the air obey him.
01:27Tall, broad shoulders beneath a dark suit.
01:31Black shirt unbuttoned at the throat.
01:33The kind of man who didn't need to raise his voice to make the world stop.
01:36And it did.
01:37I stopped moving.
01:40Emma didn't breathe.
01:41Even the storm outside seemed to quiet.
01:44He didn't look surprised to see us.
01:46He looked amused.
01:48You lost something?
01:50His voice was smooth, controlled, a low current that brushed against my nerves.
01:55I swallowed.
01:57My sister, she wandered in.
01:59I didn't know...
02:00You didn't know where you were going.
02:01He finished for me, eyes flicking to Emma, then back to me.
02:05That's dangerous.
02:07I wanted to apologize.
02:08Instead, I just stared.
02:10The way he looked at me...
02:11There was no mercy in it.
02:12No real anger, either.
02:15Just calculation.
02:16The kind of gaze that weighed everything.
02:18Decided what was worth keeping.
02:20Come here, he said.
02:23It wasn't loud.
02:24But it left no room for disobedience.
02:26I reached for Emma's hand and pulled her closer.
02:30Her fingers trembled in mine.
02:32I'm sorry, I said again.
02:33We'll leave now.
02:34He took a slow step forward.
02:36You think this is a place you can just walk out of?
02:39I didn't mean...
02:40I know what you meant, he interrupted, voice cutting clean.
02:44But meaning doesn't change reality.
02:48Something in the way he said it made my stomach twist.
02:51It wasn't a threat.
02:52It was a truth.
02:54He moved closer until the distance between us was small enough to feel his breath.
02:59Name.
03:00Lena.
03:01Full name.
03:03Lena Carter.
03:03He studied me for a long moment.
03:06You lie like someone who's had practice.
03:09The words hit deeper than they should have.
03:11Because he wasn't wrong.
03:13I'm not lying.
03:15I whispered.
03:15He tilted his head slightly.
03:17As if filing away the sound of my denial for later.
03:20Everyone lies when they're afraid.
03:22My heartbeat thudded in my throat.
03:24He was too close.
03:26My body reacted before my logic could protest.
03:29The scent of him.
03:30Clean and dark.
03:32Like leather and rain.
03:34The warmth rolling off his skin.
03:36He looked down at my hand gripping Emma's wrist.
03:39You can let her go.
03:40No one will hurt her.
03:42I didn't move.
03:43He stepped closer.
03:45Lowering his voice until it brushed against my ear.
03:48You have my word.
03:49I didn't trust his word.
03:51But I trusted the way he said it.
03:53Slowly I released her.
03:55Go stand by the door.
03:57He told Emma.
03:58She obeyed.
03:59Quiet and shaking.
04:01Then it was just him and me.
04:04Why did you follow her?
04:05She's my sister.
04:07That's not an answer.
04:09His tone wasn't cruel.
04:10It was dissecting.
04:12He watched me like he was trying to see how much fear I could hold before breaking.
04:16I tried to sound steady.
04:18I came because she's all I have.
04:20For a second, something flickered in his eyes.
04:23Something that might have been understanding or maybe curiosity.
04:26Brave, he said softly.
04:28Or stupid.
04:29He reached into his pocket, drew out a handkerchief, and held it out.
04:34You're bleeding.
04:34I looked down.
04:36My knee was scraped from when I fell running through the gate.
04:38I'm fine.
04:39He smirked faintly.
04:41You keep saying things that aren't true.
04:43I took the cloth.
04:45Mostly because refusing would have meant more staring.
04:48More silence.
04:49More exposure.
04:51When my fingers brushed his, a jolt went through me.
04:54Electric.
04:55Unwanted.
04:56Undeniable.
04:57He noticed.
04:59Of course he noticed.
05:00Tell me, Lena, he said, leaning just enough for the space to vanish.
05:05What made you think this place was safe?
05:07I didn't.
05:08Then why walk in?
05:09Because she's my sister.
05:11I repeated.
05:12He smiled then.
05:14Slow.
05:15Dangerous.
05:15You'd walk into a lion's den for family.
05:18His gaze dropped briefly to my mouth before rising back to my eyes.
05:23Good to know.
05:24Every second near him bent reality.
05:26My fear was still there.
05:27But it had mutated into something sharper.
05:30A pull I couldn't explain.
05:32I told myself it was adrenaline.
05:33It wasn't.
05:35Let us go, I said.
05:37Please.
05:38He turned his head slightly, calling over his shoulder.
05:41Marco.
05:42A man appeared from the hallway.
05:44Tall, silent, wearing black.
05:46Take the girl to the car.
05:49Emma hesitated, glancing back at me.
05:52It's okay, I told her, forcing calm.
05:54Go.
05:55She left with the guard.
05:56The sound of the door closing behind her felt final.
05:59Then his attention was fully mine.
06:02He stepped closer again.
06:04My body went rigid, every sense on high alert.
06:07You don't owe me fear, he said quietly.
06:09But you do owe me respect.
06:12I didn't know what that meant until he reached out.
06:15His hand brushing my jaw, fingers tracing my chin before pulling away.
06:20The touch wasn't rough.
06:21It was assessment.
06:23Don't ever walk into a place like this without knowing whose ground you're on.
06:27I told you I wasn't...
06:28He silenced me with a look.
06:31Intentions don't matter.
06:32Results do.
06:33Something in his tone.
06:35The authority.
06:36The calm.
06:37The quiet certainty.
06:38Hit me harder than anger ever could have.
06:41I exhaled, trying to steady myself.
06:43Who are you?
06:44He smiled, but it wasn't kind.
06:47You already know.
06:47The name sat unspoken between us.
06:50Nico Moretti.
06:51He turned, walking toward the staircase.
06:53You'll get your sister back.
06:55She'll be driven home.
06:56You'll forget this place exists.
06:59Relief flooded through me.
07:01Short-lived, unstable.
07:03Wait, I said, surprising even myself.
07:06Why are you helping us?
07:08He stopped halfway up the stairs, looking down at me like I'd asked the wrong kind of question.
07:13I'm not helping you.
07:15He descended one step, his voice lower now.
07:17You don't walk into my world without leaving something behind, I frowned.
07:22What does that mean?
07:24He came down the last few steps, stopping directly in front of me again.
07:28His hand brushed my shoulder, barely there, but it left a burn like heat against ice.
07:34It means, he said his mouth near my ear, you'll remember me.
07:38The words landed like a verdict.
07:42When I finally stepped outside, the rain had stopped.
07:45The car engine was running.
07:47Emma sat inside, safe but silent.
07:50I looked back once up at the mansion windows.
07:53He was there, watching from behind the glass.
07:56Still, unreadable.
07:58The faint glow of light outlining the shape of him.
08:01And I realized I wasn't relieved.
08:02I was marked, because somewhere deep down, beneath the fear and confusion, I already knew.
08:09He hadn't let me go.
08:11He'd just decided when I would come back.
08:16Three weeks passed before I saw him again.
08:20Long enough to pretend I'd moved on.
08:22Not long enough to forget.
08:24I told myself the world had gone back to normal.
08:28My sister was safe.
08:29School resumed.
08:31Rent was due.
08:31The small diner I worked at smelled like burnt coffee and cleaning spray, and the cash register
08:38stuck on certain buttons.
08:40Normal life.
08:41Cheap, loud, exhausting, was supposed to erase him.
08:45But it didn't.
08:46Every night I still heard his voice.
08:49You'll remember me.
08:51And I did.
08:52It was a Wednesday when he returned.
08:55Rain again, like the world was rewinding.
08:58I was balancing.
08:59Three plates weaving between tables when I looked up and froze.
09:04Corner booth.
09:05Black suit.
09:07Silver watch.
09:08Nico Moretti.
09:08The same stillness surrounded him, the kind that didn't belong in fluorescent light.
09:15He didn't fit the noise of ordinary life.
09:18He made everything else shrink around him.
09:21I almost dropped the tray.
09:23He didn't look at the menu, didn't glance at anyone else.
09:26His eyes found mine and stayed there, like they'd been waiting.
09:31I forced my voice steady.
09:33Coffee?
09:35He leaned back in the booth, unhurried.
09:38Black.
09:39My hands shook, pouring it.
09:42I hated that he noticed.
09:44When I set the cup down, he said,
09:47You don't belong here.
09:48I laughed once, sharp, defensive.
09:52I work here.
09:54That's not what I said.
09:56I didn't reply.
09:58I wanted him gone, and I wanted him to stay.
10:02He watched me in silence while I took another table's order.
10:06When I came back, there was an envelope on the edge of his table.
10:10Plain white.
10:12For what?
10:13I asked.
10:14He looked up.
10:16For keeping quiet.
10:17I froze.
10:19About what?
10:21He smiled faintly.
10:23Whatever you think you saw that night?
10:25I stared at the envelope.
10:27The shape of the bills was unmistakable.
10:30I should have walked away.
10:32Instead, I said,
10:33You think you can buy my silence?
10:36His tone didn't change.
10:38No.
10:39I think you already sold it.
10:42My throat went dry.
10:44He stood, buttoning his jacket,
10:46and his cologne hit me again.
10:48Smoke and cedar and something colder.
10:51He placed a hundred-dollar bill on the table beside the envelope.
10:54For the coffee, he said.
10:57Then he left.
10:59The door closed behind him,
11:01but the room still felt full of him.
11:04That night,
11:06a car was parked across the street from my apartment.
11:09Black-tinted windows.
11:10I saw it through the blinds.
11:12When I stepped outside, it was gone.
11:15Two nights later, it returned.
11:18Then a knock at my door.
11:20When I opened it, he was there.
11:23Are you going to keep following me?
11:25I asked, voice shaking.
11:28He stepped inside without waiting for permission.
11:30You left the envelope unopened.
11:32I didn't want your money.
11:35It wasn't money.
11:37He took it from his coat and dropped it on the table.
11:40I hesitated, then opened it.
11:44Inside were photographs.
11:46Of me.
11:47Leaving for work.
11:49Coming home.
11:51Standing at the bus stop.
11:53My stomach flipped.
11:55What is this?
11:56He stepped closer.
11:58Protection.
11:58That's not what this looks like.
12:02He smiled.
12:03The kind that didn't reach his eyes.
12:06Looks deceived.
12:07You should know that by now.
12:09I backed away until my shoulders hit the wall.
12:12You have no right.
12:14He cut me off.
12:15If I didn't watch you,
12:17someone else would.
12:18And they wouldn't knock.
12:19He was right.
12:21I hated that he was right.
12:23You think I need you?
12:25I said.
12:26He moved closer.
12:28No.
12:29I think you need to stop pretending you don't.
12:32He reached out,
12:33brushing a strand of hair from my face.
12:36His touch was deliberate,
12:37almost careful.
12:39My pulse betrayed me.
12:40Loud.
12:41Visible.
12:43You're shaking,
12:44he murmured.
12:45You're trespassing.
12:47He smiled.
12:48So arrest me.
12:50Something in me broke.
12:52Fear twisting into something that wasn't fear anymore.
12:55He saw it,
12:56recognized it,
12:58and stepped even closer.
13:00Why me?
13:01I whispered.
13:02His answer came like truth.
13:05Because you ran into my world and didn't flinch.
13:08He turned toward the door.
13:10Pack a bag.
13:11For what?
13:13You're coming with me.
13:15I didn't move.
13:16He waited.
13:18Something in his stillness told me this wasn't a threat.
13:21It was a fact.
13:23I should have screamed,
13:24fought,
13:25refused.
13:27Instead,
13:27I said,
13:28My sister.
13:30She'll be safe.
13:32I already made sure.
13:33The quiet conviction in his voice undid me.
13:36An hour later,
13:38I was in his car.
13:40The city blurred past.
13:42No music.
13:43No words.
13:43Just the sound of tires on wet asphalt
13:46and the faint rhythm of his breathing beside me.
13:50The mansion appeared again through the rain.
13:53This time,
13:54I didn't feel like an intruder.
13:56I felt like someone being claimed.
13:59Inside,
14:00everything was exactly as I remembered.
14:03The silence.
14:04The shine.
14:05The weight of unseen eyes.
14:08He poured a drink.
14:09You drink whiskey?
14:11I don't drink anything handed to me by a stranger.
14:14Then we'll fix that.
14:15He handed me the glass anyway.
14:18I didn't take it.
14:20He smirked.
14:21Still pretending you have a choice.
14:24I stared at him.
14:26You enjoy this, don't you?
14:28Controlling people.
14:30I enjoy precision.
14:32Control is just a byproduct.
14:34He moved to stand behind me,
14:36his breath brushing my hair.
14:39Tell me why you came that night, Lena.
14:41I told you.
14:42My sister.
14:44Wrong answer.
14:44It's the truth.
14:47He leaned closer.
14:49Truth is what survives pressure.
14:51Try again.
14:52I turned to face him.
14:54Because I was scared.
14:56Because she's all I have.
14:58Because no one else would come.
15:01He smiled.
15:03Better.
15:04There was silence.
15:06Then his hand reached up,
15:08brushing the line of my throat,
15:10pausing just enough to feel my pulse.
15:12Do you think I scare you?
15:15He asked.
15:16I know you do.
15:18Good.
15:19Fear keeps you honest.
15:21His fingers slid away,
15:23leaving heat behind.
15:24I couldn't breathe properly.
15:27You shouldn't be here,
15:28I said softly.
15:30But you are.
15:32He stepped back,
15:34giving me distance,
15:35but the space between us still vibrated.
15:38Stay for dinner,
15:40he said.
15:41I'm not...
15:42He raised an eyebrow.
15:44That wasn't a request.
15:47Dinner was served in a dining room large enough to hold echoes.
15:50The table stretched between us like a negotiation.
15:53He ate slowly,
15:55watching me as if my discomfort fed him.
15:58You think I'm dangerous.
16:00I know you are.
16:03And yet you came back.
16:04I didn't come back.
16:06You brought me here.
16:08He smiled.
16:10Semantics.
16:11I set my fork down.
16:13What do you want from me?
16:15He leaned forward.
16:17Clarity.
16:19About what?
16:20About why I can't stop thinking about the woman who walked into my house like she owned it.
16:25I froze.
16:27He was serious.
16:29I don't understand you,
16:31I whispered.
16:33You don't need to.
16:35When he reached across the table,
16:37taking my wrist,
16:38the world narrowed to that single point of contact.
16:42The air felt charged,
16:44like before lightning.
16:45Do you want me to stop?
16:47He asked.
16:48It wasn't the question I expected.
16:51His tone was quiet,
16:53unreadable.
16:53I didn't answer.
16:56My silence was its own permission.
16:59His thumb traced the inside of my wrist,
17:01slow and deliberate.
17:03That's honesty,
17:04he said.
17:05That's what I wanted.
17:07The air thickened.
17:08He didn't kiss me.
17:10He didn't need to.
17:11Every heartbeat between us felt like one.
17:14Then the sound shattered.
17:16Footsteps.
17:17Rushed.
17:18Heavy.
17:19A man appeared in the doorway,
17:21chest heaving.
17:22Boss,
17:23he said urgently,
17:24eyes flicking toward me,
17:26then away.
17:27We have a problem.
17:29Nico's tone turned to ice.
17:30Speak.
17:32The man hesitated.
17:33Someone's looking for her.
17:35My stomach dropped.
17:37Who?
17:38Nico asked.
17:39The guard swallowed.
17:41A man named Carter.
17:42I froze.
17:44My brother?
17:46The guard nodded.
17:48He's been asking questions about you,
17:50about the girl,
17:51and about the night she was here.
17:54Nico's jaw tightened.
17:56His eyes darkened to something almost inhuman.
17:59Leave,
18:00he told the guard.
18:02When we were alone,
18:03I whispered,
18:04my brother's dead.
18:06He looked at me,
18:08silent for a long moment,
18:09then said,
18:11apparently not.
18:13I shook my head.
18:15That's impossible.
18:17He,
18:18he died three years ago.
18:20Then someone's been lying to you.
18:23My vision blurred.
18:25Why would he?
18:27Nico cut me off,
18:29stepping close again.
18:31His voice dropped to a whisper.
18:32Because nothing in your life has been an accident.
18:37The room spun.
18:39My breath hitched.
18:41His words landed like a warning,
18:43or a promise.
18:44Tell me what you mean,
18:46I said.
18:48He didn't answer.
18:50Just leaned in,
18:51close enough that his breath touched my skin.
18:54You wanted to know why I brought you back,
18:57he murmured.
18:59Now you'll find out.
19:00The door behind him opened again.
19:04One of his men,
19:05pale,
19:05tense.
19:07Boss,
19:08he said.
19:09He's here.
19:11Nico didn't look at him.
19:12His eyes stayed on me.
19:14Bring him in.
19:15I stared,
19:16unable to move.
19:18No,
19:19wait.
19:19What are you doing?
19:21He turned,
19:22calm as always.
19:23Ending the part of your story that doesn't make sense.
19:26I tried to step back,
19:28but he caught my wrist again,
19:29not rough,
19:30but unbreakable.
19:33Lena,
19:33he said softly,
19:35almost regretful.
19:37Whatever you're about to hear,
19:39don't run from it.
19:42The door opened wider.
19:44Footsteps approached,
19:46and then a voice I hadn't heard in years.
19:49A voice I'd mourned.
19:51Lena?
19:52I turned toward the sound.
19:54My knees went weak.
19:55My heart stopped.
19:56It was him.
19:58My brother.
20:00Alive.
20:06I didn't breathe when I saw him.
20:08Couldn't.
20:10My brother stood in the doorway like a ghost dragged out of the past.
20:13Same face,
20:14same eyes.
20:15But thinner.
20:16Older.
20:17Corroded.
20:18His jaw was bruised.
20:20His hands trembling.
20:21The sound that left my throat wasn't a word.
20:25It was disbelief turned into breath.
20:28Daniel?
20:28He looked at me,
20:29eyes glassy.
20:30Lena.
20:31Nico stood between us,
20:32silent.
20:33His presence filled the room,
20:35the stillness before something violent.
20:38I moved toward Daniel.
20:40How are you?
20:41How are you alive?
20:42He tried to smile,
20:43but his lips split.
20:45It's a long story.
20:46No,
20:47Nico said.
20:48It's a short one.
20:49He stepped forward,
20:50his tone razor calm.
20:52Your brother faked his death three years ago
20:54after stealing two million dollars from my organization.
20:57I froze.
20:59That's not true.
21:01Nico's gaze flicked to Daniel.
21:03Tell her.
21:04Daniel swallowed.
21:05Lena,
21:05listen.
21:07Tell her,
21:07Nico repeated.
21:09Daniel's voice cracked.
21:10I didn't steal from him.
21:12I borrowed.
21:13I was supposed to pay it back.
21:14I just...
21:15didn't.
21:16Nico finished.
21:17My body went cold.
21:18You said you were working overseas.
21:21You said the accident.
21:22He nodded slowly.
21:24I made it look that way.
21:25I need it out.
21:26Out of what?
21:27Nico answered for him.
21:28Debt.
21:29He gambled with my money.
21:31And when I came to collect,
21:32he ran.
21:33I turned to Nico.
21:34And now what?
21:35You're going to kill him?
21:37He didn't respond.
21:38He didn't need to.
21:40The silence was enough.
21:41Daniel stepped closer.
21:43Please, Lena, don't get involved.
21:45I laughed.
21:45Bitter.
21:46Broken.
21:47Too late.
21:48I'm already in it.
21:50I turned back to Nico.
21:52You brought me here knowing he was alive.
21:54He nodded once.
21:56I wanted to see if you'd lie to me again.
21:58I didn't know.
22:00I shouted.
22:00You think I would have come near you if I did?
22:03His voice dropped.
22:05That's exactly why I didn't tell you.
22:07The room felt smaller.
22:09Every sound amplified.
22:11The tick of the clock.
22:13The whisper of my own breath.
22:15You used me.
22:17I said.
22:18He didn't deny it.
22:20I used what was already true.
22:22And what's that?
22:23His eyes locked on mine.
22:24You wanted to be here.
22:26I should have slapped him.
22:27I didn't.
22:28Because somewhere beneath the fury, he was right.
22:32Daniel broke the silence.
22:34Please, just let her go.
22:35She has nothing to do with this.
22:37Nico turned his head slightly.
22:39You think I don't know that?
22:40Then let her...
22:41I said she has nothing to do with this.
22:44Nico interrupted.
22:45Not with me.
22:46The words landed with weight I couldn't untangle.
22:49Daniel's jaw clenched.
22:51You're insane.
22:52Nico smirked.
22:53No, just efficient.
22:55I stepped between them.
22:56Enough.
22:57You've made your point.
22:58His eyes softened.
23:00Fractionally.
23:01You think this is about a point?
23:02Your brother sold information about my operations to a federal informant.
23:06He gave them names.
23:08Mine.
23:08Others.
23:09And in return, they promised him protection.
23:12New identity.
23:13New life.
23:14I turned to Daniel.
23:15Tell me he's lying.
23:17He looked away.
23:19Tell me.
23:20I whispered.
23:22He didn't.
23:23The air went still.
23:25Nico said quietly.
23:27I could have killed him the moment he resurfaced.
23:30But then I found out about you.
23:32And I thought maybe.
23:33Just maybe.
23:35You deserve to know what kind of man your brother really is.
23:38I stared at both of them.
23:40The devil who told me the truth.
23:42And the brother who buried it.
23:44Why now?
23:45I asked.
23:47Because he's run out of people to hide behind.
23:49Nico said.
23:51Daniel's voice trembled.
23:53Please, Lena.
23:53Just leave.
23:54You don't understand who he is.
23:56I looked at Nico.
23:58Who are you?
23:59He stepped closer until I could see the faint scar at his jawline.
24:03The control etched into every muscle.
24:05The consequence.
24:06It should have terrified me.
24:08It did.
24:08But underneath the fear was something else.
24:11An unbearable clarity.
24:13He reached into his jacket.
24:16Daniel tensed.
24:17I stepped forward instinctively.
24:19Don't, I said.
24:21Nico's eyes flicked to me.
24:22You think I'd do it in front of you?
24:24Don't do it at all.
24:25He held my gaze.
24:27You think you can save him?
24:28I didn't answer.
24:30He smiled faintly.
24:31Then prove he's worth saving.
24:33Daniel's voice cracked.
24:35Don't play games.
24:36Nico cut him off.
24:37It's not a game.
24:38It's justice with conditions.
24:40He turned to me.
24:41Tell me one reason not to end it right now.
24:44I searched for something.
24:46Anything that sounded like mercy.
24:48Because you're not the monster he says you are.
24:51The silence that followed stretched thin.
24:54His eyes searched mine like he didn't know whether to laugh or believe me.
24:58Then, without warning, he turned and left the room.
25:03Daniel exhaled.
25:04Shaking.
25:06You have to get out.
25:07Tonight.
25:08Before he changes his mind.
25:10I sank into the nearest chair.
25:12He's not changing his mind.
25:14He's waiting for something.
25:16Daniel crouched in front of me, grabbing my hands.
25:19I did what I had to do, Lena.
25:20I didn't want you caught in it.
25:23You faked your death, I whispered.
25:26You let me bury an empty coffin.
25:28He looked away.
25:29I thought you'd be safer if you believed I was gone.
25:33Tears blurred my vision.
25:34You were wrong.
25:36Before he could reply, the door opened again.
25:38Nico entered.
25:40Behind him, two men carried a small metal case.
25:43They set it on the table and left.
25:45He opened it.
25:46Inside.
25:47Documents, cash, a gun.
25:49This, he said, is what your brother traded for his life.
25:53My files.
25:54My roots.
25:55My contacts.
25:56Everything.
25:57Daniel lunged toward the case, but Nico caught his wrist mid-motion, twisting until Daniel winced.
26:02Still a coward.
26:03Still a coward, Nico said.
26:05Stop!
26:06I shouted.
26:07Just stop.
26:09Nico's hand released him.
26:10Daniel staggered back.
26:12Fine, Nico said.
26:13You want him alive?
26:15Then you keep him that way.
26:16He leaves tonight.
26:17Disappears.
26:18For real this time.
26:20And me?
26:21I asked.
26:22He looked at me, calm.
26:24You stay.
26:25Daniel shook his head.
26:26No, she's coming with me.
26:28Nico ignored him.
26:29He'll be gone by sunrise, Lena.
26:31Or I'll finish what I should have done years ago.
26:34He left the room again.
26:37Daniel grabbed my arm.
26:39We can run.
26:40He doesn't know everything.
26:41I pulled free.
26:43You don't get to say we anymore.
26:44His voice cracked.
26:46Lena, please.
26:47You lied to me.
26:48You made me live like a ghost.
26:49You think running will fix that?
26:51He stared at me, eyes desperate.
26:53I did it for you.
26:55No.
26:56You did it for yourself.
26:58The guards came back an hour later to take him away.
27:01Nico didn't watch, didn't speak.
27:03He just stood by the window, smoking.
27:06The picture of composure.
27:08When they left, the silence settled heavy again.
27:11I turned to him.
27:13You think that fixes anything?
27:15No, he said quietly.
27:17It just keeps the world balanced.
27:19You talk like you hate what you do.
27:21He looked at me then.
27:23Really looked.
27:25I don't hate it.
27:26I just remember what it costs.
27:29Something inside me broke then.
27:31Not from fear, but from understanding.
27:33The monster wasn't hollow.
27:35He was full of pain disguised as control.
27:38I stepped closer.
27:39You could have let me go.
27:41I still can, he said.
27:43But you won't.
27:45He didn't deny it.
27:47His eyes flicked down to my mouth, then back to my eyes.
27:50You make me forget the rules.
27:53He reached out, hesitant for once, his hand grazing my cheek.
27:57I didn't pull away.
27:59Tell me to stop, he whispered.
28:02I didn't.
28:03The kiss wasn't gentle.
28:05It was surrender dressed as war.
28:07Everything unspoken, unresolved, colliding.
28:11When he pulled back, he said quietly,
28:15Now you understand.
28:17I did.
28:19Because loving a man like him wasn't about softness.
28:22It was about survival.
28:23Later, when the house went quiet, I found him alone in his office, staring at a photograph.
28:31Two men in uniform, smiling.
28:34One of them was Nico.
28:35I stepped closer.
28:36Who's that?
28:38My brother, he said.
28:40Before the world taught us the price of loyalty.
28:43He didn't elaborate.
28:45He didn't have to.
28:46He turned to me, expression unreadable.
28:48You should leave before I decide otherwise.
28:51I'm not afraid of you anymore.
28:54He smiled.
28:55Tired.
28:56Real.
28:57That's what scares me.
28:59The next morning, Daniel was gone.
29:01No trace.
29:02No message.
29:03Just silence.
29:04I stood by the gates that had once been my prison.
29:07Nico stood beside me.
29:09You're free, he said.
29:11I looked at him.
29:12So are you.
29:13He shook his head.
29:14Freedom's just another kind of sentence.
29:16I turned to leave.
29:18His voice followed me, low and final.
29:21Lena, I looked back.
29:23His eyes held that same unbearable calm.
29:26He didn't save you, he said.
29:28I stepped closer.
29:29No, I whispered.
29:31You didn't save me.
29:32You unmade me.
29:33And in the ruin, I learned who I was.
29:36And I walked away.
Recommended
1:35:36
|
Up next
1:53:07
11:09
1:08:51
Be the first to comment