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Short filmTranscript
00:00I'm standing in the middle of a crowded cafe at 11 in the morning, and my son is screaming.
00:05Not crying. Screaming. The kind of sound that makes every head turn, every conversation stop,
00:11every perfectly put-together mother look at me like I'm failing at the one job that matters.
00:15And maybe I am. Maybe I've been failing for longer than I want to admit.
00:20Mama, no! Luca's voice cracks as he arches his back in the stroller,
00:25his little fists pounding the safety bar. His face is red, streaked with tears, and I'm trying,
00:31God, I'm trying, to keep my hands steady as I dig through my bag for the sippy cup I know I packed.
00:38I know I did. But it's not there.
00:41Please, baby, I whisper, crouching down so we're eye level.
00:45My knees press into the sticky cafe floor, and I don't even care.
00:49Please, just give Mama one second. No, no, no!
00:52Someone behind me mutters something. I catch the word control and feel my throat tighten.
00:59I want to scream back. I want to tell them I haven't slept more than three hours straight in two years.
01:04That I'm doing this alone. That I'm 26 and I already feel like I've lived three lifetimes and none of them were mine.
01:11But I don't say anything. I just fumble with the stroller straps.
01:15My fingers clumsy and useless. And I'm about to give up.
01:18I'm about to just leave, forget the coffee, forget trying to feel normal for five minutes, when a shadow falls over us.
01:26I look up. And everything stops.
01:29He's tall.
01:31That's the first thing I notice.
01:33Tall enough that I have to tilt my head back even though I'm standing now.
01:36Even though I didn't realize I stood.
01:39He's wearing a black suit that probably costs more than my rent.
01:42Tailored so perfectly it looks like it was stitched onto his body.
01:45Dark hair. Darker eyes. A jawline that could cut glass.
01:50But it's not his looks that freeze me in place.
01:52It's the way he's looking at my son.
01:55Not with judgment. Not with annoyance.
01:58He's looking at Luca like he's seeing something that matters.
02:01And then, before I can process what's happening, he crouches down.
02:06Right there, in the middle of the cafe.
02:08In his thousand dollar suit.
02:09And he's at Luca's level.
02:11Hey, buddy, he says.
02:14And his voice is low.
02:15Smooth.
02:16The kind of voice that makes you listen without trying.
02:20That's a lot of noise for such a small guy.
02:23Luca hiccups.
02:24His screaming cuts off mid-wail.
02:26And he stares at this stranger with wide, wet eyes.
02:30I should say something.
02:31I should pull Luca away.
02:33Thank the man politely.
02:34And get the hell out of here.
02:36But I can't move.
02:37I can't even breathe.
02:38The man reaches into his jacket, slowly, like he's aware I'm watching his every move,
02:44and pulls out a handkerchief.
02:46Expensive-looking.
02:47Monogrammed.
02:48He holds it out to Luca.
02:50My son, who two seconds ago was having a meltdown that could shatter windows, takes it.
02:56He clutches it in his tiny fist and stares at the man like he's just been handed the moon.
03:01Better?
03:02The man asks.
03:04Luca nods.
03:05And then the man stands, and his eyes meet mine, and I forget how to function.
03:10He has your eyes, he says.
03:14Four words.
03:15That's all it takes for my entire world to tilt sideways.
03:18Because he's right.
03:20Luca has my eyes.
03:21The same green-gray that changes depending on the light.
03:24The same shape.
03:25The same long lashes that my mother used to say were wasted on a boy.
03:29But no one ever says that.
03:31No one ever looks at us and sees the connection.
03:34They see a struggling single mom and a toddler who won't stop crying.
03:37And they look away.
03:39But this man, this stranger, he sees it.
03:43I...
03:44My voice cracks.
03:46I clear my throat and try again.
03:51For...
03:51That.
03:53I don't know what you did, but thank you.
03:56He doesn't smile, but something shifts in his expression.
03:59Something that might be amusement.
04:01Or curiosity.
04:03I can't tell.
04:05What's his name?
04:06I hesitate.
04:08I shouldn't tell him.
04:10I don't know this man.
04:12But there's something about the way he's standing there.
04:14Patient.
04:15Waiting.
04:16Like he has all the time in the world and he's choosing to spend it on us.
04:20Luca.
04:21I say finally.
04:23Luca.
04:24He repeats it like he's testing the weight of it.
04:27Then his gaze shifts back to me.
04:30And yours?
04:32Sophia.
04:34Sophia.
04:34The way he says my name makes my stomach flip.
04:38Like it means something.
04:39Like I mean something.
04:41I should walk away.
04:43Every instinct I have is screaming at me to grab Luca and go.
04:47But I can't.
04:49Because this man is still looking at me.
04:51And I haven't felt seen.
04:52Really seen.
04:53In so long I forgot what it feels like.
04:56You looked like you needed help.
04:58He says.
04:59I'm fine.
05:00I lie.
05:01His mouth curves slightly.
05:03Not quite a smile.
05:05No you're not.
05:06And that.
05:07That breaks something inside me.
05:09Because he's right.
05:11I'm not fine.
05:13I haven't been fine since the day I found out I was pregnant.
05:16Since the day Luca's father looked at me like I was a problem to be solved and walked
05:20out without looking back.
05:22Since the day I decided to keep my baby and lost everyone who said they loved me.
05:26I'm not fine.
05:27And this stranger can see it written all over my face.
05:30I don't need saving I say and I hate how my voice shakes.
05:34Good.
05:35He says.
05:36Because I wasn't offering.
05:38Before I can respond he turns his attention back to Luca who's still clutching that handkerchief
05:42like it's a lifeline.
05:44The man reaches down and I almost stop him.
05:46Almost.
05:46But then he's lifting my son out of the stroller with an ease that makes it look natural.
05:52Luca doesn't protest.
05:53He just rests his head on the man's shoulder.
05:56Exhausted from his tantrum.
05:58And I'm standing there with my mouth open because who is this person?
06:01You can't just...
06:03I start.
06:04Can't just what?
06:06He adjusts Luca in his arms and my son's tiny hand curls into the fabric of his jacket.
06:12He's tired.
06:13You're overwhelmed.
06:14Sometimes people need help whether they ask for it or not.
06:18I don't even know you.
06:19No.
06:20He agrees.
06:21You don't.
06:22There's a weight to those words.
06:24A warning maybe.
06:26Or a promise.
06:27He hands Luca back to me and our fingers brush.
06:30Just for a second.
06:31But it's enough to send electricity racing up my arm.
06:35I pull my son close, breathing in his familiar scent of baby shampoo and chaos.
06:40Thank you, I say again because I don't know what else to say.
06:45The man nods once.
06:46Then he reaches into his pocket and pulls out a card.
06:49He holds it between two fingers, offering it to me.
06:53If you ever need anything, he says.
06:56Call.
06:58I take the card.
06:59It's heavy, expensive paper.
07:02No name.
07:03Just a phone number embossed in black ink.
07:05Who are you?
07:07I whisper.
07:08He looks at me for a long moment and I see something flicker in his eyes.
07:12Something dangerous.
07:14Someone you should probably stay away from, he says.
07:17And then he walks away, disappearing into the crowd like he was never there at all.
07:21I stand there holding my son with one arm and that card with the other and I know, I know, I should throw it away.
07:28But I don't.
07:29I slip it into my pocket and I can feel it burning against my hip like a brand.
07:34Like a promise I'm going to break.
07:35I don't call him.
07:37For three days, I don't call him.
07:39I tell myself it's because I'm smart.
07:42Because I learned my lesson the first time I let a man with dangerous eyes into my life.
07:46I tell myself that card is going in the trash the moment I get home.
07:51But every time I reach for it, my fingers freeze.
07:53And I end up putting it back in my pocket like it's something precious.
07:57Like it's a lifeline I'm not ready to cut.
07:59On the fourth day, someone follows me home.
08:03I notice him two blocks from the cafe where I pick up Luca from the neighbor who watches him while I work my shifts at the diner.
08:09He's wearing a gray hoodie, hands shoved in his pockets, and he's trying to look casual.
08:14But I've been looking over my shoulder for two years.
08:17I know what danger looks like when it's tracking me.
08:19My heart starts hammering against my ribs.
08:22Not now, please.
08:23Not now.
08:25I speed up, pushing the stroller faster, and Luca makes a small sound of protest.
08:31Sorry, baby, I murmur, trying to keep my voice steady even though panic is clawing up my throat.
08:37We're just going to walk a little faster, okay?
08:40The man behind me speeds up, too.
08:43I turn the corner onto my street, and my building is right there, right there.
08:48But it might as well be a mile away.
08:50My hands are shaking so badly I can barely grip the stroller handles.
08:54I'm fumbling for my keys when I hear footsteps getting closer, faster, and I know I'm not going to make it inside in time.
09:01Sophia.
09:03The voice isn't the man in the hoodie.
09:06It's him.
09:07He's standing on the steps of my building like he was waiting for me, like he knew exactly when I'd be here.
09:13Same black suit, same unreadable expression.
09:16But there's something different in his eyes now.
09:19Something sharp and cold that makes the hair on the back of my neck stand up.
09:22The footsteps behind me stop.
09:24I risk a glance over my shoulder and see the man in the hoodie backing away, hands raised, before he turns and practically runs in the opposite direction.
09:33What the hell just happened?
09:35Inside.
09:36The man.
09:37God, I still don't know his name.
09:39God, I don't know his name, says, and it's not a request.
09:42I don't.
09:43Inside.
09:45His voice drops lower, and there's steel underneath the silk.
09:48Now.
09:50I should argue.
09:51I should demand answers.
09:53But Luca is in the stroller, and that man was following me.
09:56And this stranger just made him disappear with nothing but his presence.
10:00And I'm so tired of being brave when I don't know how.
10:03So I unlock the door.
10:05My apartment is small.
10:06Tiny, actually.
10:08One bedroom that Luca and I share.
10:10A kitchen that's barely big enough to turn around in.
10:12A living room that doubles as my dining room and office and everything else.
10:16I'm suddenly, painfully aware of the dishes in the sink, the toys scattered across the floor, the stack of unpaid bills on the counter.
10:24He doesn't seem to notice.
10:26Or if he does, he doesn't care.
10:28I lift Luca out of the stroller, and my son immediately reaches for the stranger, making grabbing motions with his hands.
10:35No, baby.
10:36We don't.
10:37But the man is already there, taking Luca from my arms like it's the most natural thing in the world.
10:42And Luca, my cautious, particular son who cries around most strangers, curls right into him.
10:51Who are you?
10:52I ask again.
10:53And this time my voice is stronger.
10:56Dante.
10:56He says it while looking at Luca, running a hand over my son's dark curls.
11:01My name is Dante Moretti.
11:04Moretti.
11:05Oh, God.
11:07I know that name.
11:08Everyone in this city knows that name.
11:10The Moretti's own half the businesses on the north side, and the other half pays them protection money.
11:16They're the kind of family you don't talk about, don't look at, don't even think about if you want to keep breathing.
11:22And I just let one of them into my apartment.
11:25You need to leave, I say, but it comes out weak.
11:30That man who was following you, Dante says, still not looking at me.
11:35He works for Marco Vitale.
11:37You know that name?
11:39I do.
11:41Marco Vitale is the reason I'm in this city.
11:44The reason I had to leave everything behind.
11:47He's Luca's father's cousin.
11:48And when I refused to give up my baby, when I refused to disappear quietly like they wanted,
11:55he made it very clear that I wasn't welcome in my hometown anymore.
11:59How do you know about him?
12:01My voice is barely a whisper.
12:04Because I've been watching you.
12:07The words should terrify me.
12:09They should send me running.
12:10But instead, I feel something else.
12:13Something I don't want to name.
12:16Why?
12:17Finally, he looks at me.
12:19Luca is dozing off against his shoulder, completely content.
12:23And the contrast is almost painful.
12:26This dangerous man holding my baby like he's made of glass.
12:30Because the first time I saw you in that cafe, I knew you were running from something, Dante says.
12:36And I wanted to know what?
12:39That's not an answer.
12:41No, he agrees.
12:42It's not.
12:44He moves to the couch.
12:45My ratty, second-hand couch that I got for free off Craigslist.
12:49And sits down with Luca still in his arms.
12:52He does it so carefully, so gently, that something in my chest cracks.
12:57The Vitalis have been looking for you, he says.
13:00For months.
13:01But this city is big and you were smart about disappearing.
13:04Except you kept going to that same cafe every week.
13:07Same time, same day.
13:09That's a pattern, Sophia.
13:11Patterns get you killed.
13:12I sink into the chair across from him, my legs suddenly unable to hold me.
13:17Are you here to kill me?
13:19If I wanted you dead, you'd be dead.
13:23It should sound like a threat.
13:25Instead, it sounds like a fact.
13:27Then what do you want?
13:29He's quiet for a long moment, looking down at Luca's sleeping face.
13:33When he speaks again, his voice is softer.
13:36Different.
13:38My sister had a son, he says.
13:40He'd be about Luca's age now.
13:42Same dark hair.
13:44Same way of grabbing onto things like he's afraid they'll disappear.
13:48Had.
13:49Had a son.
13:50What happened?
13:52I ask.
13:53Even though I'm not sure I want to know.
13:56The Vitalis happened.
13:58His jaw tightens.
13:59They burned down her house because she refused to marry into their family.
14:02She got out.
14:03Her son didn't.
14:05The air leaves my lungs.
14:07I'm sorry.
14:09I whisper.
14:10Don't be sorry.
14:11Be smart.
14:13His eyes meet mine.
14:15And they're not cold anymore.
14:17They're burning.
14:18Marco Vitale doesn't forgive debts.
14:22And you owe him one.
14:23I don't owe him anything.
14:25His cousin, Luca's father, he's the one who...
14:29It doesn't matter what he did.
14:30Dante interrupts.
14:32It matters what Marco thinks.
14:34And he thinks you stole something that belongs to his family.
14:37Luca isn't property.
14:39I know that.
14:40His voice is fierce.
14:42But they don't.
14:44I'm shaking now.
14:45Full-body tremors that I can't control.
14:47Because this is the nightmare I've been running from.
14:50The one I wake up from at three in the morning.
14:52Gasping for air.
14:54Checking to make sure Luca is still breathing beside me.
14:56Why are you telling me this?
14:58I manage to ask.
15:00Because I'm going to make you an offer.
15:02I don't want anything from you.
15:05You don't have a choice.
15:07He shifts Luca in his arms.
15:09And my son makes a small sound but doesn't wake.
15:11The Vitalis know where you live now.
15:15That man today.
15:17He was just the beginning.
15:19They'll come back and next time I might not be here.
15:22So what?
15:23You want me to run again?
15:25No.
15:26He stands, moving toward me, and I should back away but I can't.
15:31I want you to let me protect you.
15:33Why would you do that?
15:36He's close enough now that I can see the flecks of gold in his dark eyes.
15:40Close enough that I can smell his cologne, something expensive and woodsy that makes my head spin.
15:46Because when I look at your son, he says quietly, I see the child I couldn't save.
15:51And maybe, maybe if I can keep you both safe, it'll mean something.
15:56Maybe it'll balance the scales.
15:58That's not how it works.
16:00I know.
16:02His hand comes up, and I think he's going to touch me, but he stops just short.
16:07But it's all I have.
16:09I should say no.
16:11Every rational part of my brain is screaming at me to say no.
16:14But I'm looking at this man who's holding my son like he's precious,
16:18who's offering protection when I have nothing left to give in return,
16:20and I realize something terrifying.
16:23I trust him.
16:25God help me.
16:26I trust him.
16:28What would I have to do?
16:30I hear myself ask.
16:31Move in with me, you and Luca, just until this is over.
16:35And when will it be over?
16:38His expression darkens.
16:39When Marco Vitale is no longer a problem.
16:43There's a promise in those words.
16:45A violent one.
16:46You're going to kill him, I say.
16:49It's not a question.
16:50Yes.
16:51He says it so simply.
16:53Like it's already done.
16:55I should be horrified.
16:57I should grab my son and tell him to leave and never come back.
17:00But all I can think about is Luca sleeping peacefully in this dangerous man's arms.
17:06About the way Dante looks at him.
17:08Like he's something worth protecting.
17:11Like we're both worth protecting.
17:12Okay, I whisper.
17:16Okay?
17:17Okay?
17:18Yes.
17:19We'll stay with you.
17:21Something flashes across his face.
17:24Relief, maybe.
17:25Or something deeper that I'm too afraid to name.
17:28He hands Luca back to me, and our arms brush.
17:31Longer this time.
17:32More intentional.
17:34And I feel that same electricity from the cafe.
17:36Only stronger.
17:37More dangerous.
17:39Pack what you need.
17:40He says.
17:41We leave in an hour.
17:43An hour?
17:44I can't just...
17:45Sophia.
17:47My name again.
17:48Spoken like a prayer and a warning all at once.
17:51They know where you live.
17:52We don't have time.
17:54He's right.
17:55I know he's right.
17:56But as I watch him move toward the door, something occurs to me.
18:00Dante?
18:00Dante?
18:01He stops.
18:02Turns back.
18:04That day in the cafe, I say.
18:06You weren't there by accident, were you?
18:09His silence is answer enough.
18:12How long have you been watching me?
18:15Long enough, he says, to know that you're stronger than you think you are.
18:19And long enough to know that I was never going to let them take you.
18:23Then he's gone, and I'm standing in my tiny apartment with my sleeping son.
18:28And I realize I've just agreed to move in with a man who kills people.
18:32A man who's been watching me for God knows how long.
18:35A man who makes me feel safer than I've felt in years.
18:39I look down at Luca's peaceful face, and I know, whatever happens next, there's no going back.
18:44I've already fallen.
18:46Three months.
18:48That's how long it takes for my world to shift from survival mode to something I don't have a name for yet.
18:52Dante's place—I can't bring myself to call it home, even though that's what it's become—is nothing like I expected.
19:01I thought it would be cold, all marble and sharp edges, the kind of place that screams money and violence.
19:07And maybe it is that, in the parts where he does business.
19:10But the wing where Luca and I stay is different.
19:13There's a nursery with hand-painted clouds on the ceiling, a kitchen that floods with morning light,
19:19windows that overlook a garden where Luca chases butterflies, while Dante's men stand watch at a distance, invisible but always there.
19:27It should feel like a prison.
19:30Instead, it feels like the first deep breath I've taken in years.
19:33I'm in that garden now, watching Luca toddle after a yellow butterfly, his laughter bright and unfiltered.
19:40He's wearing the little overalls Dante brought home last week, brought home without being asked, like he just knew Luca needed them,
19:47like he's been paying attention to all the small things I thought no one noticed.
19:51He's getting faster.
19:53I don't jump anymore when Dante appears.
19:56I've learned his footsteps, the particular way he moves through space like he owns it.
20:01Because he does.
20:02He is, I agree.
20:05And I can't help the smile in my voice.
20:08Pretty soon I won't be able to catch him.
20:10Then I'll catch him.
20:12He says it so matter-of-factly, like it's already decided.
20:16Like Luca is his to catch, his to protect, his to love.
20:21And that's the thing that terrifies me most.
20:24Not the guns I know he carries.
20:26Not the late-night phone calls in Italian that I'm not supposed to understand.
20:30Not even the blood I saw on his knuckles two weeks ago that he washed off before touching my son.
20:35What terrifies me is how much I want this to be real.
20:39Marco's going to make a move soon, Dante says.
20:43And just like that, reality crashes back in.
20:46I knew this was coming.
20:47I've known since the day I agreed to this arrangement.
20:50But hearing it said out loud makes my stomach twist.
20:53How do you know?
20:56Because he's desperate.
20:57He lost three of his shipments last month.
20:59His suppliers are turning on him and his uncle is questioning his leadership.
21:03Desperate men do stupid things.
21:06Like come after us.
21:08Like come after you, Dante corrects.
21:11He thinks if he has Luca, he can force you back.
21:14And if he has you, he can use you against your son's father,
21:17leverage to get back into his family's good graces.
21:21Luca's father doesn't care about us.
21:23No, Dante agrees.
21:25But Marco doesn't know that.
21:27And by the time he figures it out, it'll be too late.
21:31There's something in his voice.
21:33Something final.
21:36You're using us as bait, I say quietly.
21:39He's silent for a long moment.
21:42Luca shrieks with delight as the butterfly lands on his outstretched finger.
21:46And I watch my son experience pure joy while I wait for Dante to confirm what I already know.
21:50Yes, he says finally.
21:54I am.
21:56I should be angry.
21:57I should feel betrayed.
22:00But instead, I just feel tired.
22:02I knew, I admit.
22:05From the beginning, I knew this wasn't just about protection.
22:08You want Marco dead, and we're the easiest way to draw him out.
22:12Sophia, don't.
22:13I turn to look at him, and his face does that thing it always does when I catch him off guard.
22:19Softens just enough that I can see the man underneath the monster.
22:23I'm not angry.
22:24I'm just...
22:25I need you to be honest with me.
22:27About all of it.
22:28He steps closer, and I can smell his cologne mixed with something else.
22:33Coffee, maybe.
22:34And the mint he's always chewing.
22:36What do you want to know?
22:38Everything.
22:39Why you really approached us that day.
22:42What you get out of this besides revenge.
22:44Why you look at Luca like...
22:46My voice catches.
22:48Like he's yours.
22:50The last part comes out as barely a whisper.
22:53But I know he hears it.
22:54He hears everything.
22:56The day I saw you in that cafe, he starts.
22:59And his voice is different now.
23:01Vulnerable.
23:02I was supposed to be meeting one of Marco's associates.
23:06Gathering information.
23:08But then I heard your son crying, and I looked over.
23:11And I saw you trying so hard to hold it together.
23:13And I saw him.
23:15This little boy who had your eyes and your determination,
23:18and none of the fear he should have had.
23:20And I thought...
23:21He stops.
23:23Swallows hard.
23:24I thought my nephew would have been just like that.
23:27Bold and loud and completely unafraid of the world.
23:30My throat tightens.
23:31So yes, he continues.
23:33I approached you because I saw an opportunity.
23:36Because I knew who you were running from.
23:38And I knew I could use that.
23:39But then your son grabbed my handkerchief.
23:41And he looked at me like I was someone worth trusting.
23:44And everything changed.
23:46Changed how?
23:47I stopped wanting revenge because it would hurt Marco.
23:51His eyes lock onto mine.
23:53And started wanting it because it would save you.
23:56The words hit me like a physical blow.
23:58I opened my mouth to respond.
24:00But nothing comes out.
24:02What do you say to that?
24:04What do you say to a man who's admitted to using you but somehow made it sound like salvation?
24:09Mama!
24:10Luca's voice breaks the moment.
24:12He's running toward me.
24:14Arms outstretched.
24:15Butterfly forgotten.
24:15I catch him and lift him up.
24:18Burying my face in his hair.
24:20Hey, baby!
24:21Hungry?
24:22He announces.
24:23Patting my cheeks with both hands.
24:25Okay.
24:26Let's get you lunch.
24:28Dante follows us inside.
24:30And I'm hyper-aware of him watching as I settle Luca into his high chair.
24:34As I cut up strawberries and spread peanut butter on bread.
24:37It's such a domestic scene.
24:39So normal.
24:40That for a second I let myself pretend this is real.
24:43That we're a family.
24:44That the man standing in my kitchen isn't planning someone's murder.
24:49After.
24:50Dante says.
24:51And I don't have to ask what he means.
24:53After Marco, what do you want?
24:56I pause.
24:57Strawberry halfway to the cutting board.
25:00What do you mean?
25:01I mean exactly that.
25:03When this is over.
25:04When you're safe.
25:05What do you want?
25:07Where do you want to be?
25:09It's a question I haven't let myself think about.
25:11Because wanting things is dangerous.
25:14Wanting things means having something to lose.
25:17But he's asking.
25:19And something about the way he's looking at me.
25:22Like my answer actually matters.
25:24Makes me brave.
25:26I want Luca to grow up somewhere he can be loud.
25:29I say slowly.
25:31Somewhere he can make mistakes without them being weaponized.
25:34I want him to have birthday parties and scraped knees and terrible school photos.
25:38All the normal things.
25:40And you?
25:42Me?
25:43What do you want for yourself, Sophia?
25:45Not for your son.
25:47For you.
25:47No one's asked me that in so long I've forgotten how to answer.
25:51I've been in survival mode for so long that wanting things for myself feels selfish.
25:56Impossible.
25:56But Dante is still waiting, patient, and Luca is eating his strawberries and humming.
26:03And I realize something.
26:05I want this.
26:07Not the danger.
26:08Not the fear.
26:09But this.
26:10This feeling of being seen.
26:13Of mattering.
26:14Of someone looking at my chaos and thinking it's worth protecting.
26:18I want to stop running.
26:20I say finally.
26:22I want to wake up without checking the locks three times.
26:25I want to take Luca to the park without scanning every face for threats.
26:28I want...
26:29I swallow hard.
26:31I want to feel like I deserve something good.
26:35Dante moves then, closing the distance between us until he's right there.
26:39So close I can see the flecks of gold in his dark eyes.
26:43You deserve everything good, he says.
26:46And it sounds like a vow.
26:48And I'm going to make sure you get it.
26:51Even if that means without you?
26:54The question hangs between us.
26:56Because that's the real issue, isn't it?
26:59When this is over, when Marco is dealt with and Luca is safe, what happens to us?
27:05Can I really walk away from the man who made me feel human again?
27:08Can he let us go after holding us so close?
27:12Even if it means without me, he says.
27:14But his voice cracks on the last word.
27:17And that's when I know.
27:18He's already in too deep.
27:20We both are.
27:22I don't want it without you, I whisper.
27:24His hand comes up to cut my face, thumb brushing my cheekbone, and I lean into it without thinking.
27:32Sophia, I know what you are.
27:34What you do.
27:36I know this is insane and probably the worst decision I could make.
27:40But I also know that for the first time in two years, I'm not just surviving.
27:44I'm living.
27:45And that's because of you.
27:47I'm not a good man.
27:48No, I agree.
27:51But you're good to us.
27:53And maybe that's enough.
27:54He kisses me then.
27:56Soft and careful.
27:58Like I'm something precious.
28:00Like I might break.
28:01And maybe I will.
28:03Maybe we both will.
28:04But right now, in this moment, I don't care.
28:08Luca makes a sound.
28:09Somewhere between a giggle and a squeal.
28:11And we break apart.
28:12My son is grinning at us.
28:14Strawberry juice on his chin.
28:16Completely delighted by whatever he thinks is happening.
28:19Dada, he says, pointing at Dante.
28:22My heart stops.
28:24Dante goes very still.
28:26What did he say?
28:28He's just...
28:29He doesn't understand.
28:31Dada.
28:33Luca says again, louder this time, reaching for Dante with both arms.
28:37And Dante, this dangerous man who kills people, who's planning a war, who probably shouldn't
28:43be anywhere near a child, picks up my son and holds him close.
28:47Yeah, buddy.
28:49He murmurs into Luca's hair and his voice is wrecked.
28:52I've got you.
28:54I watch them together.
28:56And I realize this isn't about what I deserve, or what's smart, or what makes sense.
29:01It's about what is.
29:03And what is.
29:04What's been, since the moment Dante crouched down in that cafe and saw my son for who he
29:09really was, is family.
29:11Broken and dangerous and completely unconventional, but family nonetheless.
29:17When Marco comes, I say, and both of them look at me.
29:22Dante over Luca's head.
29:24Luca from the safety of Dante's arms.
29:26We face him together, all of us.
29:29Sophia, you don't have to...
29:31Yes, I do.
29:33I straighten my shoulders.
29:34I'm done running.
29:37I'm done letting other people decide what my life looks like.
29:40You want to protect us?
29:42Fine.
29:42But we protect you too.
29:44That's how this works.
29:46Something shifts in Dante's expression.
29:49Pride, maybe.
29:50Or love.
29:52Probably both.
29:54Together, he agrees.
29:56Together, I repeat.
29:59And when he reaches for my hand, still holding Luca with the other arm,
30:02I take it.
30:04Because maybe love isn't supposed to be safe.
30:07Maybe it's supposed to be this.
30:09Terrifying and real and worth fighting for.
30:11Maybe it's supposed to feel like coming home after years of being lost.
30:15Outside, the sun is setting, painting everything gold.
30:18Luca is babbling about butterflies.
30:20Dante's thumb is tracing circles on my palm.
30:23And for the first time in longer than I can remember,
30:26I'm not afraid of tomorrow.
30:28Whatever comes next, we'll face it.
30:31The three of us.
30:32Together.
30:33So, what did you think?
30:36Did this story hit you in the chest?
30:39Make you feel something you weren't expecting?
30:42I'd love to hear what moments stuck with you.
30:45The lines that made you hold your breath.
30:47The scenes that felt a little too real.
30:50Drop a comment and tell me,
30:51Team Dante?
30:52Were you skeptical the whole time?
30:54And if Sophia's story grabbed you by the heart and didn't let go,
30:58share it with someone who loves a good romance that doesn't play it safe.
31:01Stories like this live because you keep them alive.
31:03Thanks for listening.
31:05Thanks for listening.
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