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Short filmTranscript
00:00I always thought the worst day of my life would come with warning signs.
00:03Bad dreams, strange omens, a gut feeling.
00:08But on that bright fall morning in Washington, D.C.,
00:11the universe didn't bother with subtlety.
00:14It began with an explosion.
00:16Not literal, but close enough.
00:18My phone buzzed as I stepped out of the arrivals terminal at Reagan National Airport,
00:23dragging the one suitcase whose zipper I'd begged to survive the entire flight from Denver.
00:26I was already exhausted, already emotionally scraped raw from the last 48 hours.
00:32I'd come to D.C. for a job interview I wasn't qualified for,
00:35praying anything would help me outrun the financial crater my life had fallen into.
00:40But then, I saw the notification.
00:43Your apartment complex has been red-tagged.
00:45Immediate eviction for safety hazards.
00:48I stopped breathing.
00:50My home.
00:51My things.
00:52Everything I'd fought to hold together.
00:55Gone.
00:55My knees threatened to melt right there on the curb,
00:58in front of 30 yellow taxis,
01:00impatient tourists,
01:01and a line of black SUVs waiting for important people.
01:05I swallowed hard,
01:06forced myself to inhale,
01:08exhale,
01:09inhale again.
01:10I wasn't going to cry in front of strangers.
01:12Not again.
01:14Not after last night's meltdown in the airplane bathroom.
01:17I wiped my eyes,
01:19marched to the curb,
01:20and raised my hand toward the nearest black SUV.
01:22The driver stood outside it.
01:25Tall,
01:26broad-shouldered,
01:27suit-pressed sharper than any chauffeur I'd ever seen.
01:30He wasn't holding a passenger sign,
01:33but he looked at me the moment I looked at him.
01:35Not just looked.
01:37Assessed.
01:38Cold,
01:39silver eyes sweeping over me like he could read every secret ID ever tried to bury.
01:43I swallowed again and forced myself forward.
01:46Hi,
01:47I managed,
01:48my voice embarrassingly small.
01:50Can you take me to-
01:51The man didn't answer.
01:53He just opened the back door for me,
01:55with a controlled,
01:56elegant movement I definitely wasn't used to from taxi drivers.
01:59I blinked at him.
02:01Um,
02:02thank you?
02:03He didn't smile.
02:05Didn't speak.
02:06Just waited.
02:07He had the kind of presence that made silence feel like pressure.
02:12The kind that made you want to explain yourself even when you'd said nothing wrong.
02:16I slid into the SUV,
02:18clutching my suitcase to my lap like a shield.
02:21When he closed the door,
02:23it felt like I'd voluntarily climbed into the world's quietest,
02:26most luxurious,
02:28prison cell.
02:29He took the driver's seat with military precision,
02:32adjusted the mirror once,
02:34then pulled away from the curb.
02:35It was only when the airport disappeared behind us that I realized something unsettling.
02:41There was no meter.
02:42No digital fare display.
02:44No radio chatter.
02:46And the interior was far too nice.
02:49Hand-stitched leather,
02:50built-in chilled compartments,
02:52tinted glass.
02:54This wasn't a taxi.
02:56My stomach dropped.
02:58Um,
02:59excuse me?
03:00He didn't respond.
03:02Sir?
03:03I tried again,
03:04leaning forward slightly.
03:06He glanced at me in the mirror.
03:08One eyebrow lifted with an authority that said,
03:10Don't push it.
03:12I froze back against the seat.
03:14Okay.
03:15Maybe he was some kind of private car driver.
03:18Maybe someone had cancelled on him,
03:20and he just didn't care who he took next.
03:22Still,
03:23something felt off.
03:24I, uh,
03:26need to go to the Midtown Suites on K Street,
03:29I said.
03:30I, um,
03:32have an interview.
03:33Noted,
03:34he said,
03:35in a voice deep enough to vibrate through the seat into my spine.
03:38It was the first word he'd spoken,
03:40and I wished he hadn't.
03:41It was too smooth,
03:43too commanding,
03:44too
03:44something.
03:46I tucked a strand of my hair behind my ear.
03:48Are you with a company?
03:50Like,
03:50like a private car service?
03:52Yes.
03:54That one word didn't comfort me at all.
03:56Okay.
03:57I said slowly.
03:59Can I
03:59know the rate before we get there?
04:02His eyes flicked to mine in the rear view again.
04:05Rate?
04:06Heat climbed my neck.
04:08The fare.
04:09I'm just,
04:09I'm on a tight budget.
04:12He studied me,
04:14and I felt that look in every place I didn't want to feel anything.
04:17You don't need to worry about that,
04:19he said finally.
04:21I kinda do,
04:22I whispered.
04:23Another long stare.
04:25You're under my care.
04:26That's enough.
04:28Under his care?
04:29Who even talked like that?
04:31My pulse kicked up.
04:33Maybe I should have asked someone else.
04:35Maybe I should have waited for a yellow cab,
04:36no matter how long the line was.
04:38But we were already merging into D.C. traffic,
04:42and it was too late.
04:44I was stuck with a mysterious driver who looked like he could be a secret agent,
04:48or the man sent to kill one.
04:51To distract myself from spiraling thoughts,
04:53I turned to the window as we passed rows of historic brick buildings,
04:57fall leaves scattering across sidewalks busy with suited professionals.
05:01D.C. was beautiful,
05:02powerful,
05:03intimidating.
05:04Everything I wasn't.
05:05I exhaled slowly,
05:07letting my head fall back against the seat.
05:09Thank you for taking me,
05:12I said quietly.
05:14He didn't respond.
05:16But I saw his jaw tighten.
05:18That was strange.
05:20We drove in silence until we reached the hotel.
05:23He pulled up under the awning and stepped out before I could touch the door handle.
05:27He opened my door again.
05:29Effortless.
05:30Controlled.
05:31I scrambled out,
05:32dragging my suitcase.
05:33Um,
05:35can I pay you now?
05:36Cash or card?
05:38He stared at me.
05:39Actually stared.
05:41Like he was the one confused.
05:43You don't owe me anything,
05:44he said.
05:45I frowned.
05:47But,
05:48you drove me.
05:49You requested a ride,
05:51he said,
05:51and I provided it,
05:52that's all.
05:54But,
05:55before I could finish,
05:56a man in an earpiece jogged over from the hotel entrance.
06:00There you are,
06:00sir.
06:01We were tracking your route.
06:02The Prime Minister's team is already upstairs.
06:05I froze.
06:06Sir?
06:07Prime Minister?
06:08I turned slowly toward the driver.
06:11He wasn't a driver.
06:12He was a diplomat.
06:13A very important one.
06:15Possibly the one the Prime Minister was here to meet.
06:18My skin went cold.
06:19Oh my God,
06:21I whispered.
06:22I thought you were the chauffeur.
06:24His jaw ticked,
06:25just barely.
06:26So I gathered.
06:28Humiliation hit me like a hot,
06:29hot wave.
06:30My breath stalled.
06:32I...
06:33I'm so sorry.
06:34I didn't know.
06:36You needed a ride,
06:37he said simply.
06:38I gave you one.
06:40His calmness made it worse.
06:41Like he was the adult,
06:43and I was the flustered child.
06:45The man with the earpiece cleared his throat.
06:47Ambassador Kellan,
06:48they've already begun the briefing.
06:50Ambassador.
06:51The words slammed into me.
06:54I had mistaken a 45-year-old billionaire U.S. diplomat,
06:57one known for negotiating international crises,
07:00for my Uber.
07:01I wanted the sidewalk to swallow me.
07:04I am so, so sorry.
07:06I whispered again.
07:07Ambassador Kellan,
07:08my not-driver,
07:10studied me with that unreadable gaze,
07:12silver eyes sharp enough to peel back every layer of my embarrassment.
07:16I should have walked away.
07:18Should have run.
07:18But my suitcase tipped,
07:21and I lunged to catch it.
07:23Too late.
07:24Everything spilled across the sidewalk.
07:26My resume,
07:27my backup outfit,
07:28my cheapest drugstore makeup,
07:30my worn notebook filled with messy job applications.
07:33I dropped to my knees,
07:35mortified.
07:36People stared.
07:37Hotel guests stepped around me,
07:39annoyed.
07:40My eyes burned,
07:41vision blurring.
07:42A hand appeared in front of me.
07:45Large.
07:46Steady.
07:47Strong.
07:47I blinked up.
07:49Ambassador Kellan was kneeling beside me,
07:52kneeling,
07:52a man who probably negotiated ceasefires before breakfast,
07:55gathering my scattered belongings without a single flicker of judgment.
07:59Stop,
08:00I whispered,
08:01cheeks flaming.
08:03Please,
08:03you don't have to...
08:04You're overwhelmed,
08:06he said quietly.
08:07Let me.
08:09His voice,
08:10low,
08:10controlled,
08:11unexpectedly gentle,
08:13cracked something open inside me.
08:14I sucked in a shaky breath.
08:16You really don't have to help me.
08:19Is that a refusal?
08:20He asked,
08:21meeting my eyes.
08:23I shook my head,
08:24throat too tight to speak.
08:25He helped me to my feet,
08:26handed me the stack of papers,
08:28and closed my suitcase carefully.
08:30Then he stepped back,
08:31adjusting the cuff of his suit jacket with quiet precision.
08:34What's your name?
08:36He asked.
08:38Lila,
08:39I whispered.
08:40Lila,
08:42he repeated,
08:43as if testing the weight of it.
08:44You shouldn't walk into your interview like this.
08:47I swallowed.
08:48I'll be fine.
08:50You won't,
08:51he said,
08:51not unkindly.
08:53Not in this state.
08:55I hated how easily he read me,
08:57how transparent I seemed to him.
08:58But he wasn't finished.
09:00Come inside for a moment,
09:02he said.
09:03Get a glass of water,
09:05breathe,
09:06then go to your interview.
09:07I stared.
09:09Why?
09:10Why do you care?
09:12He looked at me for a long,
09:14almost burning moment.
09:16Because you looked like you were about to break,
09:19he said softly.
09:20And you shouldn't have to do that alone.
09:23My breath caught.
09:24I should have said no.
09:26Should have walked away from the powerful stranger
09:28who had stumbled into my ruined morning.
09:31But something in his voice,
09:33firm,
09:34steady,
09:35unexpectedly protective,
09:37swept past my defenses.
09:39I nodded.
09:40He turned,
09:41guiding me toward the lobby doors.
09:44But just before we reached them,
09:45another staff member rushed out.
09:47Pale.
09:48Ambassador,
09:49urgent update.
09:50Your meeting just shifted locations.
09:52Motorcade's waiting.
09:53He paused,
09:54back straightening.
09:56Authority slid over him like a second skin.
09:59Then his eyes returned to mine.
10:01Go to your interview,
10:02he said quietly.
10:04And Lila?
10:05Yes?
10:07This isn't finished.
10:08A shiver went straight through me.
10:11He stepped away,
10:12heading for the waiting security detail,
10:14leaving me standing in the doorway,
10:15heart racing,
10:16suitcase trembling in my grip.
10:18I had no idea how,
10:20why,
10:20or what it meant.
10:22But somehow,
10:23in the span of twenty minutes,
10:25I had collided with a man
10:26who did not belong in my world.
10:28And he wasn't done with me.
10:33I didn't see Ambassador Kellen again
10:35for three days.
10:37Three very long,
10:38very humiliating days.
10:40After he disappeared into his motorcade,
10:42I'd stumbled into my interview at Midtown Suites
10:44with my hair frizzing from DC tier S humidity
10:47and my nerves still vibrating from the stranger
10:49who wasn't a stranger at all.
10:51I didn't get the job.
10:53The hiring manager was kind,
10:55too kind,
10:56which was worse.
10:57She told me I had potential,
10:59but not enough experience.
11:00I nodded,
11:02thanked her,
11:03walked out,
11:04and wandered around DC
11:05until the exhaustion hollowed me out.
11:07By evening,
11:08I stood outside the hotel again
11:10with nowhere else to go.
11:11My bank balance mocked me
11:13from my phone screen.
11:15Eighty-seven dollars.
11:16Total.
11:17I couldn't afford another night in the hotel.
11:20I couldn't to fly back to Denver.
11:22I didn't to have a home
11:23to fly back to anymore.
11:24So I spent three nights
11:26in a 24-hour cafe near DuPont Circle,
11:29nursing one cup of coffee
11:30until the sky turned pink.
11:32I kept telling myself I didn't need help.
11:35I'd figure it out.
11:37But on the fourth morning,
11:39when I walked out of the cafe
11:40with my suitcase squeaking behind me
11:42like a dying hamster,
11:43I felt eyes on me.
11:45I turned.
11:47He was there.
11:48Ambassador Kellen.
11:50Standing at the curb
11:51beside a government SUV,
11:52wearing a charcoal suit
11:53that looked too sharp,
11:55too expensive.
11:56To him.
11:57His stare pinned me in place.
11:59How long?
12:01He asked calmly.
12:02Have you been sleeping in that cafe?
12:05My stomach dropped.
12:07I...
12:07I wasn't sleeping.
12:08I was just...
12:09resting.
12:11Lila.
12:12Just my name,
12:12but it felt like a truth detector.
12:14How long?
12:15I hugged my backpack tighter.
12:17Three nights.
12:18His jaw flexed.
12:19Not in anger.
12:20Something worse.
12:21A quiet fury
12:22aimed entirely at himself.
12:24He stepped closer,
12:25his presence cutting through
12:26the morning chill.
12:28You should have contacted someone.
12:30Anyone.
12:31I don't have anyone.
12:33The words came out
12:34before I could swallow them back.
12:36He inhaled sharply,
12:37like the admission hit him
12:38somewhere he wasn't prepared for.
12:40What about family?
12:42He asked quietly.
12:44That was my family.
12:46I pointed toward the cafe.
12:48The barista who didn't kick me out.
12:51He exhaled slowly.
12:53Controlled.
12:54Heavy.
12:55I shouldn't have left you that day,
12:57he said.
12:58You were shaking.
12:59You could barely hold your papers.
13:01It wasn't your responsibility,
13:04I whispered.
13:05He studied me,
13:06eyes searching for something
13:07I didn't know I was showing.
13:09Maybe,
13:11he said softly.
13:12But it should have been.
13:14My breath caught.
13:16We stood like that.
13:17Two strangers tethered by a moment
13:19neither of us understood,
13:20until a security agent
13:21cleared his throat
13:22from behind him.
13:24Ambassador,
13:24the convoy is ready.
13:27Kellen didn't turn.
13:28His eyes stayed on me.
13:30Are you safe?
13:31He asked.
13:32Safe.
13:33Such a simple word.
13:34Such a complicated answer.
13:36I will be,
13:37I said,
13:38trying to sound stronger than I felt.
13:39He didn't buy it.
13:41Come with me,
13:42he said.
13:42I blinked.
13:43Come.
13:44With you?
13:45I'm due at the embassy,
13:46he said.
13:47There are guest offices.
13:49A quiet space.
13:50A meal.
13:50A locked door.
13:52You need rest,
13:53not caffeine and fear.
13:54I can't just walk into
13:55the U.S. Embassy with you.
13:57You can,
13:58he said evenly.
13:59Because I say you can.
14:01His certainty almost scared me.
14:04Not because it was dangerous,
14:05but because it felt like shelter.
14:07Like safety I didn't deserve.
14:10I'm not asking for anything
14:11from you, Lila.
14:12I know,
14:14I whispered.
14:14I'm offering.
14:16The world tilted,
14:17a slow,
14:18terrifying tilt
14:19towards something I hadn't felt
14:20in a long time.
14:21Being cared for.
14:22Being seen.
14:23I swallowed.
14:24Hard.
14:25Okay.
14:27His shoulders eased,
14:28almost imperceptibly.
14:29He opened the SUV door
14:31and helped me inside
14:31as if I were something fragile.
14:33Maybe I was.
14:35The embassy was a fortress
14:36of red brick and guarded gates.
14:38Inside,
14:39everything smelled like
14:40polished wood
14:41and quiet power.
14:43The world Ambassador Kellen
14:44belonged to,
14:45and I didn't.
14:46He guided me down
14:47a private corridor
14:48to a small,
14:49elegantly furnished office.
14:50A couch.
14:52A desk.
14:53A window overlooking
14:54a garden.
14:55You can stay here
14:56as long as you need today,
14:57he said.
14:59I'll have someone bring food.
15:01I set my suitcase down.
15:04He hesitated by the door,
15:05one hand braced
15:06against the frame.
15:08You don't owe me gratitude,
15:10he said.
15:11I owe you everything,
15:13I blurted before thinking.
15:15His expression changed,
15:17softened,
15:17darkened,
15:18conflicted.
15:19You owe me nothing.
15:22We stared at each other again,
15:23too long,
15:24too intensely.
15:25Something warm and trembling
15:26unfurled inside me.
15:27It was him
15:28who broke the moment.
15:30I have a briefing,
15:31he said quietly.
15:33Rest.
15:34I'll be back.
15:35When he left,
15:37the room felt too empty.
15:38I told myself
15:39it was because I was tired.
15:41That was all.
15:42But after I ate
15:43and lay on the couch,
15:44sleep came fast and heavy.
15:46I dreamed of footsteps
15:47approaching,
15:48a deep voice
15:49saying my name,
15:50silver eyes
15:51watching me in a way
15:52that made me feel safe.
15:53When I woke,
15:54the room was dimmer.
15:57An ambassador Kellen
15:57was sitting in the chair
15:58across from the couch,
16:00watching over me.
16:01His elbows rested
16:02on his knees,
16:04his expression
16:04unreadable.
16:06My breath hitched.
16:07How long have you been there?
16:09Long enough,
16:10he said.
16:12You were crying
16:12in your sleep.
16:14Heat rushed up my neck.
16:16I,
16:16I have nightmares.
16:18They're stupid.
16:19Nothing about pain
16:20is stupid.
16:22Something inside me
16:22wrenched.
16:23He leaned back slowly,
16:24his gaze never leaving mine.
16:26Lila,
16:27what happened to you?
16:29I swallowed hard.
16:31Life happened.
16:32Wrong job.
16:33Lost apartment.
16:34Bad choices.
16:35People don tea
16:35end up alone
16:36in cafes for three nights
16:37because of bad choices.
16:39His voice was gentle,
16:41not pushing.
16:42What aren't you telling me?
16:45My throat tightened.
16:46I shouldn't tell him.
16:48He was a diplomat.
16:49A man with power,
16:51with status,
16:52with everything to lose.
16:53But something about him,
16:55his steady presence,
16:56his impossibly calm voice,
16:58made truth feel inevitable.
17:00My ex drained my savings,
17:03I whispered.
17:04Took everything.
17:05Signed loans in my name.
17:07When I found out
17:08it was too late,
17:09my credit sank.
17:11I lost my job.
17:13Then the eviction notice came,
17:14and I blinked rapidly,
17:16refusing to cry.
17:17Kellen didn't react with pity
17:19or judgment,
17:20only a slow,
17:21lethal quiet.
17:23What's his name?
17:25He asked.
17:26I shook my head.
17:27It doesn't matter.
17:29It does to me.
17:31Those words wrapped around my ribcage.
17:33You don't even know me,
17:34I said.
17:35I know enough.
17:36His jaw clenched.
17:37I know you've been surviving hell alone.
17:40I opened my mouth,
17:42but no sound came out.
17:43He stood,
17:44walked toward the window,
17:46braced both hands against the glass.
17:48When I met you at the airport,
17:50he said,
17:51his voice low.
17:52I was on my way to mediate
17:53one of the most volatile
17:54diplomatic negotiations of the year,
17:56and all I could think about
17:57was the girl sitting in the back of my car,
17:59trying not to fall apart.
18:01My heart pounded.
18:03Why?
18:04He turned.
18:06Slowly.
18:07Deliberately.
18:07His silver eyes burned.
18:11Because something about you,
18:12he said,
18:13made me want to protect you
18:15in a way I haven't felt in years.
18:17I exhaled shakily.
18:19But I can't.
18:20He continued,
18:21voice thickening.
18:23I shouldn't.
18:24I'm not allowed to cross that line.
18:26Why?
18:27My voice cracked.
18:29Because I am a diplomat,
18:31he said.
18:31Because I'm constantly watched.
18:33Because people weaponize
18:34the slightest hint of impropriety.
18:37Because I'm supposed to be untouchable.
18:39I stepped off the couch.
18:41And me?
18:43You,
18:43he said,
18:44stepping closer,
18:46are exactly the kind of complication
18:47they would use to destroy me.
18:50The words should have broken
18:51whatever fragile thing
18:52had formed between us.
18:53But they didn't.
18:55They only made it clearer.
18:57Sharper.
18:58More dangerous.
19:00You think I want to ruin your life?
19:02I whispered.
19:03No,
19:04he said,
19:05shaking his head.
19:06I think you could save it.
19:08The room fell silent.
19:10My pulse pounded so loud
19:11I could hear it.
19:13He took another step,
19:14close enough that I could feel
19:15the heat of his body.
19:17Lila.
19:18His voice was barely above a whisper.
19:21Tell me to walk away.
19:23I didn't.
19:24I couldn't.
19:25Instead,
19:26I breathed the truth
19:26neither of us wanted to admit.
19:28I don't want you to.
19:30A sound escaped him.
19:32Soft.
19:32Rough,
19:34undone.
19:35He reached for me
19:35then stopped,
19:36catching himself,
19:37fists clenching at his sides.
19:39I can't touch you,
19:41he said.
19:41If I do,
19:42I won't stop.
19:44My knees weakened.
19:45He turned abruptly,
19:46putting distance between us,
19:48fighting himself
19:48like the attraction
19:49was physically painful.
19:51Lila.
19:52This is impossible.
19:54My heart sank.
19:55So this is where
19:56you push me away.
19:57He didn't deny it.
20:00He didn't have to.
20:01Because a knock sounded on the door.
20:03A security officer stepped inside.
20:06Ambassador,
20:06we have a situation.
20:08You need to see this.
20:10Kellen straightened instantly.
20:11What is it?
20:13The officer lowered his voice.
20:15It's about her.
20:17My stomach plunged.
20:19Me?
20:19I whispered.
20:21The officer nodded grimly.
20:23Your ex-boyfriend
20:24filed a police report in Colorado.
20:26He claims you stole
20:27several thousand dollars
20:28before fleeing the state.
20:29My world spun.
20:31That's a lie,
20:32I cried.
20:33He stole from me.
20:35I know,
20:36Kellen said immediately,
20:37moving toward me,
20:39but he kept himself
20:39from touching me.
20:41The officer continued.
20:43The Denver police
20:44want to speak to her
20:44as soon as possible.
20:46My breath vanished.
20:47And then the officer
20:48said the words
20:49that shattered the room.
20:50They're considering
20:51filing charges.
20:52My knees buckled.
20:55And Kellen caught me,
20:57not touching me fully,
20:58but bracing me
20:59with his hands
20:59hovering near my arms,
21:01his control stretched
21:02to the breaking point.
21:04His voice dropped
21:05to something dark,
21:06dangerous.
21:08She's not going anywhere,
21:09he said.
21:11Not without me.
21:12For a moment,
21:13all I heard
21:14was the pounding
21:14of my own heartbeat.
21:16Loud,
21:17frantic,
21:18like it was trying
21:18to escape my chest.
21:20Charges.
21:21Police.
21:22A report filed
21:23in my name.
21:24It felt like drowning.
21:26I gripped the edge
21:27of the desk
21:28to stay upright.
21:29My voice came out thin.
21:31I didn't steal anything.
21:33I swear,
21:33I didn't...
21:35Kellen raised a hand.
21:36Not at me,
21:37but at the security officer,
21:39who instantly
21:39stepped back.
21:41Leave us,
21:42Kellen said,
21:43his voice low,
21:44controlled,
21:44and terrifyingly calm.
21:46But sir,
21:47that wasn't a request.
21:49The officer vanished.
21:51The door clicked shut.
21:53Silence.
21:54Then Kellen turned to me,
21:55and for the first time
21:56since I'd met him,
21:57he looked...
21:58shaken.
22:00Lila,
22:01he said softly.
22:02Look at me.
22:03I did.
22:05My vision blurred,
22:05my breath sharp and uneven.
22:07You're not alone in this,
22:09he said.
22:09Not anymore.
22:11My throat constricted.
22:13They think I'm a criminal.
22:15No,
22:15he said firmly.
22:17He thinks you're easy to frame.
22:18I blinked back tears.
22:20What am I going to do?
22:22His jaw flexed.
22:24He stepped close,
22:25closer than he'd allowed himself before,
22:27and this time he didn't stop his hands.
22:30He touched my arms gently,
22:32grounding me.
22:33We're going to prove the truth,
22:35he said,
22:36together.
22:37Those words cracked something open,
22:39fear,
22:40hope,
22:41everything tangled.
22:42But you said...
22:44I swallowed.
22:45You said being near me
22:46could hurt your career.
22:48His eyes softened.
22:50Some risks are worth taking.
22:52He had no idea what that meant to someone
22:54who had spent months being told
22:55she wasn't to worth anything.
22:58I sucked in a shaky breath.
23:00You don't even know how deep this goes.
23:03He forged my signature on loans.
23:06He stalked me when I left.
23:08He threatened me when I tried to report him.
23:10I...
23:11I ran because I didn't know what else to do.
23:13A shadow passed through Kellen's expression.
23:16Dark.
23:17Lethal.
23:18He hurt you.
23:20There was no question in his voice.
23:22Just certainty.
23:23He ruined everything.
23:25I whispered.
23:26No,
23:27he said.
23:28He tried.
23:29That's different.
23:30I let out a trembling exhale.
23:32I can't fight him alone.
23:34You won't.
23:35His voice gentled.
23:36I promise you, Lila.
23:38No one will harm you again while I'm breathing.
23:40My chest tightened.
23:42I believed him.
23:43I didn't know why, but I did.
23:45He released my arms only to take my hand.
23:48Carefully.
23:49Reverently.
23:50Like he was afraid I might break.
23:52I'm calling a lawyer, he said.
23:55One of the best in D.C.
23:57Kellen.
23:57You can't.
23:58I can.
23:59He said simply.
24:01And I will.
24:02He pulled out his phone.
24:04Dialed.
24:04And the entire room seemed to shift.
24:07Power radiated off him.
24:08Not the cold, diplomatic kind I'd seen in news clips.
24:12But something fierce and deeply human.
24:15He wasn't helping me because it was convenient.
24:18He was doing it because he cared.
24:20And that terrified me more than the police report.
24:23It all happened fast after that.
24:26A high-profile attorney arrived at the embassy within an hour.
24:29She listened to everything, asked precise questions, and then sat back with a grim smile.
24:34We'll dismantle him, she said.
24:36Every document he forged, every lie he told.
24:39He won't keep this up for long.
24:41But it wasn't over.
24:43The Denver police still wanted to speak to me.
24:46A video meeting was arranged.
24:48I sat beside Kellen at a polished conference table, hands trembling under the surface.
24:52The detective introduced himself and asked me to explain my side.
24:56My voice shook.
24:57But I told the truth.
24:59Every humiliating detail.
25:00My ex's lies, the forged loans, my eviction, the desperation, the fear.
25:07The detective listened.
25:08Expression unreadable.
25:10Then he asked,
25:11Do you have anyone who can corroborate your character?
25:14Employers?
25:15Witnesses?
25:16Before I could answer, Kellen spoke.
25:18Yes, he said, voice steady.
25:21Me.
25:22The detective blinked.
25:23And you are?
25:25Ambassador Kellen Ward, he said.
25:27The detective almost choked.
25:29Ambassador, sir?
25:30I didn't know you were.
25:32I am her witness, Kellen said calmly.
25:35And her advocate.
25:37Heat flooded my cheeks.
25:38Advocate.
25:39Not protector.
25:40Not savior.
25:41Something equal.
25:42Something chosen.
25:44He continued.
25:45I met Ms. Pierce at the airport four days ago.
25:48She was distressed, alone, and clearly the victim of financial manipulation.
25:53In my professional judgment, she is telling the truth.
25:56The detective nodded quickly.
25:57We'll investigate.
25:59Thank you for your time.
26:01When the call ended, my breath finally eased.
26:04You didn't have to do that, I whispered.
26:08Yes, he said quietly.
26:10I did.
26:11I stared at him, overwhelmed.
26:14Why?
26:15Why are you doing all this for me?
26:17His answer was simple.
26:19Because I can't stand the thought of you being afraid.
26:21My heart stumbled.
26:23Before I could respond, his phone buzzed.
26:26He glanced at the screen, then at me.
26:29They want me for a meeting, he said.
26:31But it can wait.
26:33I shook my head.
26:35No.
26:36You have responsibilities.
26:38He stepped closer.
26:39I'm responsible for you, too.
26:42You're not, I whispered.
26:44I want to be.
26:46My breath caught.
26:47And then everything in me, every fear, every wall, fractured.
26:52Kellen, I said softly.
26:54I'm falling for you.
26:55He inhaled sharply.
26:57His control slipped.
26:58Just barely.
26:59Just enough.
27:01I've been falling since the moment you climbed into my car, thinking I was the driver.
27:05A shaky laugh escaped me.
27:08I was so embarrassed.
27:10It was the best mistake you ever made.
27:13He lifted a hand slowly, carefully, giving me time to pull away.
27:18I didn't.
27:19His palm cupped my cheek, thumb brushing just below my eye.
27:23I leaned into the touch without meaning to.
27:25Tell me this is what you want, he said, voice low and rough.
27:30Tell me I'm not imagining this.
27:32You're not imagining it, I whispered.
27:35The relief, the hunger, the tenderness that washed over his expression nearly undone me.
27:41He dipped his forehead to mine, exhaled shakily.
27:45I've been holding back so long it feels like my entire body is wired to reach for you.
27:50You can.
27:51I breathed.
27:53That was all it took.
27:55He kissed me.
27:56Not like a man losing control.
27:59Like a man finally letting himself feel.
28:01His hand stayed on my cheek.
28:03The other slipping to my waist.
28:04But nothing rushed.
28:06Nothing devoured.
28:08It was slow.
28:09Reverent.
28:10The kind of kiss that felt like a vow.
28:13When he pulled back, his voice was thick.
28:16I'm not letting you disappear again.
28:18I'm not going anywhere, I whispered.
28:21The next few days were a whirlwind.
28:24The Denver police found evidence my ex had forged transactions.
28:27The attorney dug up proof of his fraud.
28:30The false report crumbled under the weight of actual facts.
28:33The detective called to tell me the charges were dropped.
28:37I sobbed.
28:38With relief.
28:39With exhaustion.
28:40With everything I'd carried alone finally breaking free.
28:44And Kellen held me through all of it.
28:46Not as a diplomat.
28:47Not as a man struggling with forbidden feelings.
28:49But as someone who saw me.
28:52Supported me.
28:53Chose me.
28:55When the storm cleared, he offered to help me find an apartment.
28:59Not because he wanted to fix my life.
29:01But because he wanted me in his.
29:02I moved into a small studio in Georgetown.
29:06He insisted on driving me there himself.
29:09When we stepped inside, boxes still unpacked, sunlight through the window, I turned to him.
29:15So, I said softly, what happens now?
29:20He took my hands gently, as though they were fragile glass he'd vowed to protect.
29:23Now, he said.
29:26I stop pretending I don't want every part of your life intertwined with mine.
29:31I smiled through the warmth rising in my chest.
29:33That's a big promise.
29:35And I intend to keep it.
29:38He pulled me close.
29:39Kissed my forehead.
29:40Then my mouth.
29:41Slow.
29:42Deep.
29:43Full of quiet certainty.
29:44I love you, Lila.
29:46He whispered.
29:48You were never a complication.
29:50You were the clarity I didn't know I needed.
29:53My heart felt too full.
29:55I love you, too.
29:56And in that small Georgetown apartment, wrapped in his arms, I knew the truth.
30:01I hadn't mistaken him for the driver that day.
30:04I had mistaken the direction my entire life was about to take.
30:07It wasn't ruin I had stepped into.
30:09It was him.
30:11And he was home.
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