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Short filmTranscript
00:00I shouldn't have been there at all. The casting notice had been a mistake.
00:04Wrong email list, wrong department, wrong everything. But when you're three months
00:09behind on rent in Los Angeles and your roommate just emptied your shared bank account before
00:13disappearing to Vegas, you don't question miracles. You show up. The building on Wilshire
00:18Boulevard didn't look like the modest production offices I was used to. This was glass and steel
00:23and money, the kind of place where dreams were made or destroyed before lunch.
00:27I clutched my worn portfolio and tried not to look at my reflection in the polished marble floors.
00:33My dress was two years old. My shoes had a scuff I'd colored in with Sharpie.
00:38Mara Chen? The assistant's voice was crisp, efficient. Mr. Hawthorne will see you now.
00:44My stomach dropped. Hawthorne. As in Marcus Hawthorne. As in the Marcus Hawthorne who'd
00:50produced seven Best Picture nominees in the last decade. As in the man whose last three films
00:55had grossed over a billion dollars combined. I'd prepared for a junior casting director,
01:00maybe a production assistant. Not Hollywood royalty. The office was enormous with floor-to-ceiling
01:06windows overlooking the city. And there he was, standing with his back to me, phone pressed to
01:11his ear, shoulders tense beneath an expensive charcoal suit.
01:14I don't care what the board says, Michael. We're not cutting the third act. That's non-negotiable.
01:21His voice was rough velvet, the kind that made you lean in closer.
01:26Then they can pull their funding. I'll finance it myself. He ended the call and turned around.
01:32I forgot how to breathe. Marcus Hawthorne wasn't just handsome. He was carved from something harder
01:37than stone. Forty-four years old, according to industry rumors, with silver threading through
01:43dark hair, sharp cheekbones, and eyes the color of winter storms. There was something fierce about
01:48him, something barely contained. Those eyes locked onto mine, and I felt stripped bare.
01:53You're not Mara Chen, he said flatly. My heart seized. I—yes, I am. I have my ID—the Mara Chen
02:02we were expecting is a stunt coordinator from New Zealand. He moved closer, and I caught the scent
02:08of cedar and something darker, something that made my pulse race. So I'll ask again. Who are you,
02:15and how did you get into this building? I got an email, I stammered, fumbling for my phone.
02:21It said you were casting for a new project, and—show me. His hand brushed mine as he took my phone,
02:27and electricity shot up my arm. I watched his expression shift from irritation to confusion
02:33to something I couldn't name. This is an internal casting email. How did you get on this list?
02:40I don't know. I just—I needed the work, and it came through, and I thought maybe finally
02:44something was going right. I hated how my voice cracked. Hated that I was standing in front of
02:49Marcus Hawthorne, one of the most powerful men in Hollywood, looking desperate and lost and so
02:55stupidly hopeful. He studied me for a long moment, and I felt like he could see everything—the
03:01eviction notice in my purse, the empty refrigerator, the crushing weight of failure that had been
03:06pressing down on me for two years. What's your real name? Mara. Mara Bennett. The email wasn't
03:12a complete lie. My middle name is Chen. My mom was Chinese-American. Was? She died when I was 19.
03:20Car accident. I didn't know why I was telling him this. I came to L.A. to be an actress. That was
03:27her dream for me. But turns out dreams don't pay rent. Something flickered across his face.
03:34Recognition, maybe. Understanding. How old are you? 24. Jesus. He turned away, running a hand through his
03:44hair. You need to leave. This was a mistake. My assistant will validate your parking.
03:51Humiliation burned through me, hot and familiar. Of course. Of course this was how it would end.
03:57Another door closing, another opportunity slipping away. Wait, I said, and the desperation in my voice
04:04made me want to disappear. Please, just—just let me audition. Whatever the role is, I'll do it.
04:12I'm a good actress. I just need someone to give me a chance. You don't even know what the film is
04:18about. I don't care. I'll play anything. A corpse. A tree. I just need this. He turned back to me and
04:29there was something new in his expression. Something almost like pain. It's a drama about a woman who
04:34loses everything and has to rebuild herself from nothing. The lead is supposed to be older,
04:39more experienced. You're too young, too—innocent? The word tasted bitter. I'm not as innocent as you
04:47think. That's exactly the problem. His voice dropped lower, intimate in a way that made my skin
04:54prickle. I can't cast someone who reminds me—he stopped himself. This isn't appropriate. You need to
05:02go. At least let me read. One scene. If I'm terrible, I'll leave and never bother you again.
05:08I don't know what made him agree. Maybe it was the steel he heard beneath my desperation.
05:14Maybe it was something else entirely. Fine. One scene. He pulled a script from his desk and flipped
05:20to a page. Here. The protagonist confronts the man who destroyed her life. I didn't look at the words.
05:28I didn't need to. I understood this character in my bones. The anger. The betrayal. The refusal to
05:35stay broken. I began to read, and the world fell away. When I finished, the silence was deafening.
05:43Marcus was staring at me like he'd seen a ghost, his knuckles white where he gripped the edge of his
05:48desk. Where did you train? His voice was hoarse. Nowhere. Community college for a semester before I
05:56ran out of money. That's impossible. No one acts like that without training. Maybe I've just had
06:03a lot of practice pretending everything's fine when it's not. The words hung between us, heavy with
06:08truth. I'm going to do something incredibly stupid, he said finally. I'm going to give you a screen test.
06:16Tomorrow, 9 a.m. If you're late, the offer disappears. I couldn't speak. Could barely nod.
06:22There's something you should know, Mara. He moved closer, close enough that I had to tilt my head
06:28back to meet his eyes. This film is personal. It's based on someone I loved and lost. And you...
06:35His jaw clenched. You look exactly like her. My breath caught. Is that why you're giving me this
06:42chance? No. His gaze burned into mine. I'm giving you this chance because you're talented and desperate,
06:50and I know what that combination can create. But I'm warning you now. This is dangerous. For both of
06:56us. I don't understand. You will. He stepped back and the distance felt like loss. My assistant will
07:05send you the details. Don't be late. I left his office in a daze, my mind spinning. I had a screen
07:12test, with Marcus Hawthorne, for a lead role. I should have felt elated. Instead, I felt like I'd just
07:19stepped onto a precipice, and the only way forward was to jump. I had no idea that by tomorrow,
07:25my entire life would be irreversibly changed, and that Marcus Hawthorne's carefully controlled world
07:31was about to shatter completely.
07:34The screen test changed everything. I showed up at dawn to the soundstage in Burbank,
07:39wearing the only professional outfit I owned and carrying coffee I couldn't afford. Marcus was
07:44already there, standing behind the monitor with his arms crossed, watching the crew set
07:48up lights. He looked exhausted, shadows beneath his eyes like he hadn't slept.
07:54You came, he said when he saw me, and I couldn't tell if he was relieved or disappointed.
07:59Did you think I wouldn't? I thought you might be smarter than this. The test itself was brutal.
08:06Three hours of emotional scenes, each one digging deeper into raw places I usually kept locked away.
08:11Marcus directed with surgical precision, pushing me further with every take, never satisfied,
08:17never cruel, but demanding something I didn't know I had to give. Again, he'd say. Show me what
08:25it feels like to want something so badly you'd destroy yourself for it. I did, over and over,
08:31until my voice was raw and tears weren't acting anymore. When it was over, I collapsed in my chair,
08:37wrung out and shaking. Marcus dismissed the crew and walked over to me, holding out a bottle of
08:43water. You're hired, he said quietly, pending contract negotiations. I stared at him. Just like
08:51that? Just like that. He crouched down so we were eye level, and the intimacy of the gesture made my
08:58heart race. You understand this character in a way I've never seen. It's like watching—he stopped,
09:04looked away. We start filming in two weeks. My lawyer will contact you.
09:10Marcus. His name felt dangerous on my tongue. Thank you. You have no idea what this means.
09:17I have some idea. His eyes met mine, and there was something haunted in them.
09:23Mara, I need you to understand something. This film is going to ask everything from you.
09:28Emotionally, physically, it's going to tear you apart. And I—he stood abruptly.
09:35I can't promise I'll be able to protect you from it. I don't need protection. I need this chance.
09:42Everyone says that, until they're in the middle of it. The next two weeks were a blur of contracts,
09:48costume fittings, and rehearsals. I moved out of my apartment, or rather,
09:53got evicted, and moved into a modest hotel that production paid for. Everything was happening so
09:59fast, I could barely process it. But the strangest part was Marcus himself. He was different when we
10:06worked together. Focused, brilliant, pushing me to places I'd never reached as an actor.
10:12But there was always a distance, a carefully maintained wall between us. He never touched
10:18me unless the scene demanded it. Never met me for coffee or dinner like he did with other cast members.
10:24It was like he was rationing our time together, afraid of something I couldn't name. Until the
10:29night I found him in the empty rehearsal space at midnight. I'd left my script behind and came back
10:33to get it. The building should have been locked, but a side door was propped open. I followed the
10:40sound of music, something classical and mournful, to the main rehearsal room. Marcus was there sitting
10:45on the floor with his back against the wall, a bottle of whiskey beside him. He looked up when I
10:51entered, and the devastation in his face stopped me cold. You shouldn't be here, he said, but didn't
10:59move. Neither should you. I sat down next to him, close enough that our shoulders almost touched.
11:07What's wrong? Today's date, it's... He took a drink straight from the bottle. Seven years ago today,
11:15I lost someone, the person this film is about. The woman I look like. Elena. Her name was Elena.
11:23He said it like a prayer, like pain. She was an actress, brilliant, fearless, 23 years old. I was 37
11:31producing my first major film, and she auditioned for a small role, just like you did. My chest tightened.
11:38What happened? What happened? I fell in love with her. The confession was raw, unguarded. I knew I
11:47shouldn't. I knew I was too old, too jaded, that I'd ruin her somehow. But she looked at me like I was
11:54something more than just money and connections, like she saw who I actually was. You cast her? I gave her
12:02the lead. And she was magnificent. The film was nominated for Best Picture. She was nominated for
12:08Best Actress. We were going to get married after the awards ceremony. His voice broke. She never made
12:15it to the ceremony. The room felt like it was closing in. Marcus. Overdose. Prescription pills and
12:23alcohol. The pressure got to her. The scrutiny. The fame. The critics tearing her apart. I didn't see it.
12:32I was so focused on the film. On our success. That I didn't see her falling apart.
12:37He finally looked at me, and his eyes were destroyed. She left a note. It said she was
12:43sorry. That she wasn't strong enough for my world. That wasn't your fault. Wasn't it? He laughed,
12:50hollow and bitter. I'm the one who pulled her into this life. I'm the one who put her on that stage.
12:56And when you walked into my office looking exactly like her, desperate for the same chance I gave her,
13:02he pressed his palms against his eyes. I should have sent you away, but I couldn't. Because you
13:08have the same fire she had, the same hunger. And I thought maybe this time I could do it right.
13:14I could tell her story and not destroy the person telling it. I reached for his hand without thinking,
13:20lacing my fingers through his. His grip tightened immediately, desperately.
13:26I'm not Elena. I said softly. I'm not going to break. That's what she said, too.
13:33Marcus, look at me. I waited until he did. I know what it's like to lose someone.
13:39To carry that guilt. But you can't protect me by keeping me at arm's length. If we're going to do this,
13:45if we're going to make this film, I need you to trust that I'm strong enough.
13:50You're 24 years old. And I've survived things that should have broken me. Stop treating me like
13:56I'm fragile. Something shifted in his expression. Surprise, maybe. Respect.
14:03You're nothing like her, he said quietly. Elena was fire and chaos. You're...
14:10You're steel-wrapped in softness. You bend, but you don't break. Then let me prove it.
14:17He studied me for a long moment, and then did something that changed everything.
14:22He lifted our joined hands and pressed his lips to my knuckles,
14:26a gesture so tender it made my throat ache.
14:29This is dangerous, Mara. What I feel when I'm around you? It's not just about the film anymore.
14:35My heart was pounding so hard I could barely hear my own voice.
14:41What do you feel?
14:42Like I'm standing on the edge of a cliff, and the only way forward is to jump.
14:48His thumb traced circles on the back of my hand.
14:51Like you're the most terrifying thing that's ever happened to me.
14:56I'm terrified, too, I whispered. But I'm not running.
15:00He pulled me closer, and I went, curling into his side as his arm wrapped around my shoulders.
15:05We sat like that for hours, not speaking, just breathing together in the dark.
15:11When I finally fell asleep against his chest, I felt safer than I had in years.
15:16But when I woke up at dawn, he was gone.
15:19And on the floor where he'd been sitting was a note in his handwriting.
15:23This can't happen. Forgive me.
15:25The next two days, Marcus avoided me completely.
15:29He sent his assistant director to run rehearsals, communicated only through email, refused to take my calls.
15:36It was like that night had never happened.
15:38On the third day, I'd had enough.
15:42I showed up at his office unannounced, walked past his protesting assistant, and slammed his door behind me.
15:49Marcus looked up from his desk, startled.
15:51Mara!
15:52Don't.
15:53I crossed my arms.
15:55Don't Mara me.
15:57Don't shut me out because you're scared.
15:59You don't understand what you're asking for.
16:02Then explain it to me.
16:04Tell me why you're running.
16:06Because I can't do this again.
16:08He stood abruptly, fury and anguish warring on his face.
16:11I can't fall in love with another young actress and watch her get destroyed by this industry.
16:17I won't survive it a second time.
16:19The confession hung between us, explosive.
16:23You're in love with me?
16:26My voice was barely a whisper.
16:28His laugh was broken.
16:30From the moment you walked into my office looking like salvation and damnation wrapped in a thrift store dress.
16:36And it's destroying me, Mara.
16:38Because I know how this ends.
16:39No, you don't.
16:42I moved closer, refusing to let him retreat.
16:46You're not the same man you were seven years ago.
16:49I'm not Elena.
16:50And you can't let fear dictate your entire life.
16:54I'm trying to protect you.
16:56I don't want protection.
16:58I want honesty.
16:59I want...
17:00The words caught in my throat.
17:03I want you, Marcus.
17:05Not as a director or a producer or some kind of mentor.
17:08As a man.
17:08He closed his eyes like I'd wounded him.
17:12You're 24.
17:14Stop using my age as a weapon.
17:17I'm an adult making an adult choice.
17:20The power dynamic...
17:22is only a problem if you abuse it.
17:25And I don't think you will.
17:27I reached for his hand and after a moment's hesitation, he let me take it.
17:32I'm choosing this.
17:33I'm choosing you.
17:34If you want me to.
17:36Want you?
17:38His voice was ragged.
17:40Mara, I'm consumed by you.
17:42Every scene we rehearse.
17:44Every moment you're near me.
17:45It takes everything I have not to...
17:47He pulled me close suddenly, cupping my face with both hands.
17:52This is madness.
17:54Then let's be mad together.
17:56He kissed me like a man drowning.
17:59Like I was air and salvation and home.
18:01I melted into him, wrapping my arms around his neck, feeling seven years of grief and guilt
18:08and loneliness pouring out of him.
18:11When we finally broke apart, we were both shaking.
18:14If we do this, he said, his forehead resting against mine, we do it right.
18:21No secrets.
18:23No running.
18:24And if it ever becomes too much, if the industry or the pressure or anything threatens you,
18:29you tell me immediately.
18:31I promise.
18:33I'm serious, Mara.
18:35Elena hid her pain from me until it was too late.
18:38I can't...
18:39His voice broke.
18:40I can't lose you, too.
18:43You won't.
18:44I kissed him softly.
18:46I'm not going anywhere.
18:48But even as I said it, I could feel the shadows gathering.
18:52Because Marcus was right about one thing.
18:54Loving someone in Hollywood was dangerous.
18:57And we were about to discover just how dangerous it could be.
19:01Production began, and with it came the storm.
19:04The first week of filming was heaven.
19:06Marcus and I found a rhythm on set that felt like dancing.
19:09Every scene pushing me further as an actor.
19:11Every break, stolen moments where our eyes would meet across the chaos and something electric would pass between us.
19:17We kept our relationship private.
19:19His lawyers had been clear.
19:21Any hint of impropriety could tank the film, especially given our age difference and his position.
19:26So we were careful.
19:28Professional on set.
19:30Secret everywhere else.
19:31But secrets have a way of rotting from the inside out.
19:34It started with whispers.
19:36Crew members noticing how Marcus looked at me.
19:38Entertainment reporters asking pointed questions during press visits.
19:42His production company's board expressing concerns about his judgment.
19:45Then came the tabloid photos.
19:48Someone had followed us to his Malibu house and captured pictures of us on his private beach at sunset, wrapped in each other's arms.
19:55The headlines were vicious.
19:57Hawthorne's new obsession.
19:59Is he repeating the past?
20:01Elena 2-0, producer's dangerous pattern.
20:0420-year age gap raises questions.
20:06I watched Marcus read the articles on his phone, watched his face shudder, and knew exactly what he was thinking.
20:14Don't, I said.
20:16Don't let them get in your head.
20:18They're calling me a predator, Mara.
20:20They're saying I groom young actresses.
20:22That's bullshit and you know it.
20:25Do I?
20:26He set his phone down carefully.
20:28Maybe they're right.
20:30Maybe I do have a pattern.
20:32Maybe I'm so fucked up from losing Elena that I'm trying to recreate her through you.
20:36The words were like a slap.
20:38Is that what you think this is?
20:40Some kind of replacement?
20:42I don't know anymore.
20:44He wouldn't look at me.
20:46All I know is that every day on this set I'm terrified.
20:50Terrified you'll break under the pressure.
20:52Terrified I'm pushing you too hard.
20:55Terrified that history is repeating and I'm too blind to see it.
20:59Marcus, the board wants me to step down as director.
21:02They've offered to let me stay on as producer, but they want someone else to take over.
21:07My blood ran cold.
21:09What did you tell them?
21:11I told them to go to hell.
21:13But Mara...
21:15Finally, he looked at me and the devastation in his eyes nearly broke me.
21:20Maybe they're right.
21:22Maybe I'm too close to this.
21:24Too close to you.
21:26Don't you dare.
21:27I moved into his space, forcing him to see me.
21:31Don't you dare let them win.
21:33We've worked too hard, come too far.
21:35This film is everything, to both of us.
21:38What if it costs you everything?
21:40Then that's my choice to make.
21:43The argument escalated, both of us raw and exhausted.
21:47It ended with Marcus walking out of his own house, leaving me alone with my fear.
21:51For three days, he communicated only through his assistant director.
21:55Professional, distant, cold.
21:57I threw myself into the work, channeling every ounce of heartbreak into my performance.
22:02The crew whispered that I was giving the performance of a lifetime.
22:06All I knew was that I was bleeding on camera and calling it art.
22:08On the fourth day, everything fell apart.
22:12We were filming the climactic scene, my character confronting the man who'd destroyed her life,
22:18choosing forgiveness over vengeance.
22:20It required me to cry, to rage, to break open and show every raw edge.
22:24Marcus was behind the monitor, calling out directions, but his voice was wrong.
22:28Tight.
22:29Strained.
22:30Cut, he called after the fifth take.
22:33Mara, you're not connecting.
22:35I need you to go deeper.
22:37I'm trying.
22:38Try harder.
22:39This is the soul of the film.
22:41If you can't give me truth here, we have nothing.
22:44Something in me snapped.
22:46You want truth?
22:47Fine.
22:48Let's talk about truth, Marcus.
22:50Let's talk about how you pushed me away the second things got difficult.
22:54How you're so terrified of losing me that you won't even let yourself love me.
22:58How you're directing this film about choosing love over fear while doing the exact opposite in your own life.
23:05The set went silent.
23:06Marcus's face was pale.
23:09That's not fair, he said quietly.
23:12Isn't it?
23:14Tears were streaming down my face now, real and uncontrolled.
23:17You told me not to run.
23:20You told me to trust you.
23:22And the first time we face real opposition, you shut me out.
23:25I was trying to protect you.
23:27I don't need protection.
23:29I need you to fight for us.
23:31Mara, no.
23:33You don't get to Mara me right now.
23:36My voice broke.
23:37I love you.
23:38I'm in love with you.
23:40And I'm not Elena.
23:41I'm not going to break.
23:43But if you can't see that, if you can't trust that I'm strong enough for this, then maybe they're right.
23:48Maybe we shouldn't be doing this.
23:50I walked off set, ignoring the assistant director's calls, ignoring everything except the need to get away.
23:57I made it to my trailer before collapsing, sobs tearing through me.
24:01I'd ruined everything.
24:03Destroyed the film.
24:04Destroyed us.
24:06Destroyed the only good thing that had happened to me in years.
24:08The door opened and Marcus was there.
24:12He didn't speak, just pulled me into his arms and held me while I fell apart.
24:17I'm sorry.
24:19He whispered into my hair.
24:21God, Mara, I'm so sorry.
24:23You're right.
24:24About all of it.
24:25I've been so afraid of losing you that I forgot how to love you.
24:29I don't want to be another tragedy in your story.
24:31I said against his chest.
24:33I want to be the woman who stays.
24:35Who fights.
24:36Who proves that love is stronger than fear.
24:39You already are.
24:41He pulled back to cut my face.
24:44Thumbs wiping away tears.
24:46You're the bravest person I've ever met.
24:48And I've been a coward.
24:50What are we going to do?
24:52The board.
24:53The press.
24:53The fuck the board.
24:55Fuck the press.
24:56Fuck anyone who thinks they have a say in how we love each other.
25:00His eyes blazed with something fierce and determined.
25:04I'm going to finish this film.
25:06I'm going to tell Elena's story the way it deserves to be told.
25:10And then I'm going to stand in front of every camera and reporter and tell them exactly who you are to me.
25:16Marcus, your career means nothing without you.
25:20Don't you understand?
25:21You're not my redemption, Mara.
25:23You're my future.
25:25And I'm done hiding that.
25:26He kissed me then, deep and claiming, and I felt something shift between us.
25:33No more fear.
25:34No more shadows.
25:36Just us.
25:37Choosing each other despite the cost.
25:40The next day, Marcus called a press conference.
25:42I watched from the wings as he stood in front of dozens of cameras and reporters, his shoulders straight, his voice steady.
25:50I'm Marcus Hawthorne, and I'm here to set the record straight.
25:52Yes, I'm in a relationship with my lead actress, Mara Bennett.
25:57Yes, there's an age difference.
25:59And yes, I understand why that concerns people, given my history.
26:04But I want to be clear.
26:06Mara is not Elena.
26:08She's not a replacement or a second chance or a pattern.
26:11She's a brilliant, strong, extraordinary woman who makes me want to be better.
26:16And I love her.
26:18The room erupted with questions, but Marcus held up a hand.
26:22Seven years ago, I lost someone I love to this industry's cruelty.
26:26I've spent every day since trying to prevent that from happening again.
26:29But in doing so, I almost made the same mistake.
26:32I tried to control the narrative instead of trusting the person I love to write her own story.
26:37Mara doesn't need me to protect her.
26:39She needs me to stand beside her.
26:41So that's what I'm doing.
26:43He looked directly at the camera.
26:45This film is about a woman finding her strength after devastation.
26:49It's about choosing love over fear, hope over despair.
26:52And I'm honored to have found an actress who embodies those themes in every possible way.
26:57Whatever you write about us, whatever assumptions you make,
27:00Know this, Mara Bennett is going to be a star.
27:04And it has nothing to do with me and everything to do with her talent, her resilience, and her courage.
27:10When he walked off stage, I was waiting.
27:13He pulled me close and I felt the tremors running through him.
27:16That was terrifying, he admitted.
27:18You were incredible.
27:20I meant every word.
27:22I know.
27:23I kissed him softly.
27:25Now let's go finish our film.
27:28The final weeks of production were intense but joyful.
27:32With the secret out, we could finally be ourselves.
27:35Marcus directing with passion, me acting without holding back,
27:39both of us creating something that felt true and vital.
27:42The wrap party was held at Marcus's Malibu house,
27:45the same place we'd been photographed months earlier.
27:48This time, we didn't hide.
27:50His arms stayed around my waist all night.
27:53When people congratulated us, we thanked them together.
27:56As the sun set over the ocean,
27:57Marcus pulled me away from the crowd to the private beach.
28:00I have something for you, he said,
28:03pulling a small box from his pocket.
28:05My heart stopped.
28:07Marcus,
28:08it's not what you think.
28:10Not yet.
28:12He opened the box to reveal a delicate gold necklace with a single pendant,
28:16a small, perfect star.
28:18Elena wore something similar in her first film,
28:21but this one is yours.
28:24Because you're not following in her footsteps, Mara.
28:26You're creating your own constellation.
28:30I let him fasten it around my neck,
28:32tears streaming down my face.
28:34I love you,
28:36I whispered.
28:36I love you so much,
28:38it terrifies me sometimes.
28:41Good.
28:42He grinned,
28:43and it was the first genuine smile I'd seen from him in weeks.
28:46Because I plan on terrifying you for a very long time.
28:50Starting with this,
28:51he dropped to one knee.
28:52I said it wasn't what you thought,
28:55and I lied.
28:56Because the moment I stopped being afraid,
28:59I realized I wanted everything with you.
29:02Every morning,
29:03every argument,
29:04every moment of joy and terror and ordinary life.
29:08Mara Bennett,
29:09will you marry me?
29:11I pulled him to his feet and kissed him hard,
29:14laughing and crying at once.
29:16Yes.
29:17God.
29:18Yes.
29:18Behind us,
29:20the party guests had noticed and started cheering.
29:23Marcus spun me around,
29:25both of us giddy and breathless,
29:27and I felt something I hadn't felt in years.
29:30Peace.
29:31Hope.
29:32Home.
29:33The film premiered six months later
29:35to standing ovations and critical acclaim.
29:38I was nominated for Best Actress.
29:41Marcus was nominated for Best Director.
29:43At the ceremony,
29:45I wore a vintage gown and the star necklace,
29:47and when they called my name as the winner,
29:49Marcus was the first person on his feet.
29:52In my acceptance speech,
29:53I thanked him last.
29:55To Marcus Hawthorne,
29:56thank you for seeing me when I was invisible,
29:59for believing in me when I didn't believe in myself,
30:02for teaching me that the bravest thing we can do
30:04is choose love,
30:05even when it scares us.
30:07This is for you,
30:08and for Elena,
30:10and for everyone who's ever felt like
30:12they had to choose between their dreams and their heart.
30:15You don't.
30:16I'm living proof.
30:17Backstage,
30:18he kissed me breathless.
30:20Trophy and all.
30:22Mrs. Hawthorne to be,
30:24he murmured against my lips.
30:27How does it feel to be a star?
30:29I looked at him,
30:30this complicated,
30:31brilliant,
30:32damaged man
30:33who'd risked everything to love me,
30:34and smiled,
30:36like I'm finally exactly where I'm supposed to be.
30:39We married that summer in a small ceremony
30:41on the same Malibu beach
30:42where he'd proposed.
30:44No press,
30:45no cameras,
30:46just us,
30:47choosing each other,
30:48writing our own story.
30:50And when I looked at Marcus standing at the altar,
30:52silver hair glinting in the sunset,
30:54eyes full of love and wonder,
30:55I knew Elena would have approved.
30:58Because this wasn't her story anymore.
31:00It was ours.
31:01And we were just getting started.
31:03If this story stayed with you.
31:06Don't let it end here.
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31:18even after loss.
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