- 2 hours ago
Too Late For Her Love
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Short filmTranscript
00:08five years after leaving the country i returned to attend mrs sterling's birthday gala at the
00:13plaza my former fiancé sierra sterling i'd been engaged to since we were eight pulled
00:19out a custom designed tom ford tuxedo and proposed to me in front of everyone
00:31the ballroom erupted
00:36they all expected me to fall to my knees in tears of joy say yes beg her to take me
00:42back
00:43after all i'd love sierra sterling with the kind of desperate embarrassing devotion that became
00:49manhattan society legend but they seem to have forgotten something five years ago at our wedding
00:55she ripped the custom armani suit off my body in front of 300 guests stomped on it with her laobao
01:01teens for another man she publicly accused me of academic fraud scientific misconduct the wedding
01:09was cancelled i stood there in front of everyone judged mocked destroyed that day i left for europe
01:15alone but now that i am back mrs sterling grips my shoulder bez ethan sierra missed you terribly
01:22these past five years even after what you did she never forgot you after you left she spent a fortune
01:28burying those scandals if you're willing to give her another chance the sterling family will give you
01:33an even grander wedding than before ethan quinn will you marry me when i don't answer sierra repeats
01:39her proposal ethan quinn will you marry me mrs sterling watches me with expectant eyes like i am
01:46a charity case who should be grateful i thought seeing sierra again would make me angry but standing
01:51here looking at her holding that tuxedo like a peace offering i feel nothing absolutely nothing
01:58the ballroom falls silent some curious most waiting for the drama when i left new york five
02:05years ago i never came back they don't know i am married that i have a daughter so i don't
02:11know if
02:12sierra orchestrated this public proposal herself or if she is planning to humiliate me again for sport
02:18a flash of mockery crosses my expression but i keep my face polite detached thank you for the honor
02:23miss sterling i was young and foolish back then i don't have those feelings anymore
02:29what he rejected her is he insane didn't he literally beg her to marry him for years
02:33now she's proposing and he said no
02:38everyone stares at me like i've lost my mind because five years ago i did more than a few
02:43foolish things for sierra sterling i made waves that rippled through all of manhattan's elite circles
02:48like the time i spent nine million dollars on fireworks at the brooklyn bridge spelled out
02:53sierra sterling in the sky for her birthday or when i hired drones to fly over times square
02:57for an entire month displaying sierra 30 ethan on continuous loop two weeks before our wedding
03:02i bought every digital billboard in manhattan had our engagement photos rotating fire at 25
03:08i loved her like a man possessed wanted the whole world to witness our perfect love story
03:13never imagined she'd betray me after all this was sierra sterling my first constant my childhood promise
03:19she learned my name before she learned most words learned how to spell ethan long before she cared
03:24about spelling her own growing up she was always just there reminding me to take care of myself quietly
03:28fixing the things i forgot folding my shirts without being asked like it was simply part of
03:32loving me for 20 years we were closer than siblings more in sync than most married couples even when i
03:38became the notoriously strict professor quinn at mit with her i was still the little boy who called her
03:43sierra bear and chased her around with flowers always tender always devoted always hers the year our
03:48love burned brightest we stood at the love lock bridge in paris and vowed to be together forever
03:52i believed love like ours was eternal until one month before the wedding when liam carter was
03:57brought into the sterling household as their ward supposedly he was the orphan son of mr sterling's
04:03old army buddy his father had saved mr sterling's life so they took liam in out of obligation at first
04:09sierra and i were both kind to him i even took him to nick's games and taught him to golf
04:14but somehow
04:15somewhere along the way sierra started spending more and more time with liam she started bringing him on
04:21our dates our private dinners for two became dinners for three on valentine's day sierra
04:27promised to come with me for the final fitting of the custom tuxedo she designed for our wedding
04:32i called her a hundred times waited in our penthouse for two hours all i got was a text something
04:37came
04:38up rain check frustrated i went to the tailor alone and found liam carter standing there wearing my custom
04:44tuxedo sierra adjusting his collar her cousin circling him like vultures calling him brother in law
04:50their praise and laughter made it seem like liam and sierra were the engaged couple and i was the outsider
04:55rage and humiliation burned through me my vision went red do you even remember i'm your fiancee i
05:01demanded voice shaking sierra finally looked up from liam no guilt no shame just annoyance i told you
05:08something came up why are you here can you stop being so paranoid and jealous all the time you're acting
05:16pathetic like a child i'm ethan quinn son of wall street legend marcus quinn me t is youngest tenured
05:24professor i don't take disrespect from anyone sierra sterling who gave you permission to talk to me
05:30like that you're something was spending time with liam making him wear my tuxedo my voice cracked by the
05:37time i finished speaking i'd crush my phone screen in my fist without realizing it sierra instinctively
05:42grabbed my bleeding hand but her tone was still accusatory ethan stop making a scene you always
05:48do this i'm tired of plaviting you i just had liam try on the tux for sizing why are you
05:53throwing a
05:54tantrum over something so small i was so shocked i forgot to respond sierra sterling was lecturing me
06:01blaming me for 20 years no matter what i did she never said a harsh word to me spoiled me
06:07rotten
06:08but now she is calling me unreasonable in front of all these people like she has forgotten that she
06:13is the one who made me this way my silence stretches too long sierra's expression softens with regret
06:20ethan i'm sorry i shouldn't have said that but you accused me me without knowing the full story
06:26that hurt i forced myself to stay calm decide to hear her explanation
06:33then explain why did you cancel on me today sierra soothes me by squeezing my fingers kisses my cheek
06:41then launches into her story didn't you notice the sapphire cufflicks on the tux came loose
06:47the original technique wasn't securing them properly so i switched to a new method i needed a model to test
06:52if they'd hold but my usual model canceled so i grabbed liam as a last minute substitute her tone is
06:59earnest gentle it sounds reasonable my anger cools but i am still not satisfied then what about your
07:07cousins calling him brother-in-law oh ethan you're so spoiled my cousin talking about getting a tux for
07:17the brother-in-law meaning you you're taking it out of context she puts on a wounded expression teasing
07:25me with her eyes i'm already embarrassed about my outburst now i just want to grab her hand and
07:30leave but before i can touch her liam steps between us ethan this is all my fault i offered to
07:40be sierra's
07:41model please hit me if you want just don't be angry at her liam stares at me like a kicked
07:50puppy
07:51the people around us glare at me like i am a monster even sierra reaches out to comfort liam while
07:58gently
07:58suggesting i leave later liam bought me an expensive watch as an apology mrs sterling came to our penthouse
08:09to explain everything personally but something felt off they were apologizing to me sure but their words
08:16were laced with protectiveness toward liam sorry ethan liamly sorry he just got a little carried away
08:22ethan you know liam is the son of the man who saved my husband's life his father is gone now
08:28and liam's alone we have to take care of him sierra nodded along eagerly
08:34exactly ethan liam's young we should be looking out for him plus you're about to marry me you'll be his
08:41brother-in-law soon why fight with the family sierra looked so sincere i let it go sierra smiled took
08:49an emerald ring from a velvet box and slid it onto my finger there is mr quim and done being
08:55grumpy now
08:56i felt the warmth of her touch and finally relaxed i handed her a folder sterling industries wants to
09:03expand into tech right this is my latest research from mit ethan i love you before i could finish
09:10sierra threw herself into my arms her enthusiasm made me blush i was so focused on our future together
09:18i didn't realize her love wasn't exclusive that it was quietly shifting toward liam carter
09:27her instagram became a shrine to liam photos of them together every single day
09:32rumors started spreading through manhattan's elite circles the quinn sterling engagement was
09:36off the sterling family was planning to marry sierra to their ward instead i heard the whispers
09:41and wanted to confront the sterlings immediately but before i could liam showed up at my mit office
09:46gone was the scared timid boy from a week ago now his expression dripped with smug satisfaction
09:52ethan you've heard the rumors right that's not just the sterling family's intention it's sierra's too
09:59if you don't want to embarrass yourself cancel the engagement i clenched my fists to control my rage
10:05i promised sierra i'd be patient with liam but liam misread my silence's weakness his smile widened
10:12still in denial ethan don't worry you'll see sierra's choice soon enough i snapped my fist connected with
10:21his jaw get out liam stumbled backward shocked that i'd actually hit him he fled furious i opened my
10:30phone and sent sierra the audio recording of liam's taunts waited for her to apologize but instead of
10:35apologizing she questioned me ethan is there some misunderstanding liam's always been kind and
10:42thoughtful he'd never do this are you sure someone didn't trick you i stared at the screen in disbelief
10:4820 years of history audio evidence and she still chose to believe liam over me she doubted me for
10:53a kid she'd known less than a month i threw my phone across the room decided i was done trying
10:59that night sierra flew five hours from a conference in london to new york just to smooth things over
11:05when i saw her exhausted face at my door i couldn't turn her away the moment i opened the door
11:10she kissed me deep and desperate we didn't pull apart until we were both breathless
11:14ethan i only see liam as a brother i'd never have feelings for him you believe me right
11:20but he's my father's savior's son there are things i can't control you understand don't you
11:25besides we're getting married next week you wouldn't abandon me now would you she looked up at me with
11:30those wide pleading eyes so careful so vulnerable my resolve crumbled i chose to believe her unconditionally
11:36i didn't know that trust wasn't mutual that she was about to push me into hell with her own hands
11:44on our wedding day i stood outside the sterling estate in my tuxedo for hours
11:49sierra never came out when i finally checked my phone the internet had exploded the number one
11:55trending topic number ethan quinn academic fraud i was about to click when sterling industries project
12:01manager called mr quinn the press is destroying us can you explain why the research data you gave us
12:09is fraudulent i froze that is impossible the data was from month of sleepless nights in my mighty lab
12:15every number meticulously recorded i'd already produced working prototypes there was no way it was
12:21wrong i wouldn't have given my research to sterling industries if sierra hadn't asked me to help expand
12:26that tech division mr quinn we want to believe you but liam carter pointed out errors in your formulas
12:35the truth crashed over me like ice water i'd given my research to sierra first kept it confidential
12:41didn't publish it yet how would liam college dropout with a sports management degree
12:47even get my research let alone find errors in advanced quantum physics equations in a matter of days
12:52eliminate the impossible and whatever remains however painful is the truth sierra gave my research
12:59to liam let him claim it as his own accused me of stealing from him but i still couldn't believe
13:05it
13:06made excuses for her in my head this was sierra sterling my sierra the girl i'd loved for 20 years
13:12i couldn't accept it
13:17i raced to the sterling estate in my wedding tuxtado not even stopping to change when i arrived
13:22i found sierra standing protectively in front of liam facing a crowd of reporters sterling and industry
13:27vouches for liam carter the research he published yesterday is entirely his own work
13:33her words were a knife to my chest the final confirmation this was my fianchi the woman i'd loved
13:40for two decades and i'd never truly known her at all the reporters spotted me and swarmed what's your
13:46response to the academic fraud allegations miss stalling just confirmed liam carter's research is
13:51legitimate does that mean you plagiarized his work before i could answer liam spoke to the cameras with
13:59fake tears in his eyes ethan did threaten me while i was working on this research but i don't believe
14:06he'd
14:06steal my work he pulled out his phone and played the video i looked at liam coldly then turned to
14:15sierra
14:16miss sterling what's your opinion on all this sierra couldn't meet my eyes after a long pause
14:29ethan even though you're my fiance i can't lie for you
14:34her words were a public execution not only did she confirm i was a fraud she wanted liam to build
14:40his reputation on my corpse the last shred of hope died i closed my eyes
14:51i'll hold a press conference later to prove my innocence
14:54as for the quinn sterling engagement it's over i turned to leave but liam wasn't satisfied he grabbed
15:01my arm crying dramatically ethan i didn't want this to go public please stop sending people to hurt me
15:05i'm sorry i'm so sorry ethan i tolerated your jealousy before but liam is innocent you've done
15:11enough damage are you really going to use the sterling family's power to destroy decorations still hung in the
15:16sterling windows i still wore the tuxedo sierra designed for me but none of it mattered anymore
15:21it only made me look more pathetic i looked sierra in the eye saw her clutching liam's hand protectively
15:28saw liam mouth something in mandarin idiot
15:38in the age of social media spreading lies takes seconds disproving them takes forever
15:43i held press conference after press conference to clear my name nothing worked the internet had decided
15:48i was a fraud a thief a rich boy using his family's power to cover up crimes everywhere i went
15:54people
15:55whispered pointed no amount of evidence could change their minds so when i received an offer
16:00from europe's top research institute a week later i didn't hesitate i left the country five years passed
16:06i returned with groundbreaking research that made headlines worldwide the fraud accusations
16:11evaporated overnight are you still angry at me sierra's voice pulls me back to the present i look at
16:17her holding that tuxedo face full of manufactured longing it is laughable i had my reasons back
16:23then you have to believe me a small voice interrupts her i catch my daughter as she runs across the
16:29ballroom floor poop her tiny nose ava were you naughty again didn't mommy tell you to stay home ava pouts
16:36dodging my hand ava was good but mommy missed daddy so she brought ava here our conversation isn't loud
16:42but in the silent ballroom everyone hears shock ripples through the crowd daddy that's his daughter
16:49ethan quinn got married but didn't he swear he'd never love anyone but sierra is this real maybe it
16:56is fake even sierra looks like she's been struck by lightning you're married i smooth ava's soft hair
17:03genuinely confused isn't it obvious how else would i have a daughter sierra stares at our joined hands like
17:10they're betraying her personally her voice cracks you need to say it out loud i sigh five years ago
17:17the wedding was in switzerland we didn't invite anyone from new york the ballroom erupts again five
17:22years ago he got married right after leaving no way he loved sierra sterling for years he can't have
17:28moved on that fast this has to be fake remember the fireworks the billboards he's probably just trying
17:33to make her jealous exactly sierra sterling is manhattan's most eligible bachelorette ethan would
17:38never give that up unless wait the only woman new york who could compete would be celeste whitmer from
17:44the old money families but she got married five years ago too the gossip swirls around me but i am
17:49calm focused on peeling an orange for ava time is rain it washed away all the rage and pain when
17:55i look
17:55back now there is nothing left but clean pavement but no one else seems to understand that they're all
18:00still living in five years ago sierra stares at me with a complicated expression her voice turns
18:05pleading ethan stop this charade i admit i was wrong i'll apologize you can punish me however you want
18:13just stop pretending you're married it it hurts before i can respond ava speaks up in her adorable
18:20little voice miss can't you understand daddy mommy really is married to daddy and they have a love
18:27fruit that's me ava puffs out her tiny chest proudly i give sierra an apologetic smile ava's still young
18:35please forgive her bluntness miss sterling but as for the past i've forgotten all of it
18:42the ballroom explodes into chaos again i have no interest in being gossip fodder i take ava's hand
18:48to leave but sierra won't let it go she grabs my arm and pulls out the tuxedo again eyes shining
18:54with
18:54fake devotion ethan i've thought about you every single day for five years i don't care that you're
18:59a divorced man now i still want you will you wear this tuxu for me again i look at her
19:03performance
19:03with disgust yank my arm away miss sterling this tuxedo was specially designed for liam carter wasn't
19:09it i wouldn't dare wear it after all i'll never forget how you testified against me for his sake
19:14sierra's face lights up ethan you're jealous you still care about me i know what i did was wrong but
19:21i had my
19:21reasons give me one more chance i'll treat you right this time i am exhausted by her meaningless
19:26excuses my voice turns cold miss sterling i don't forgive trash and i don't take out garbage please
19:33have some dignity and stop harassing a married man my wife and i are very much in love i don't
19:38want her getting the wrong idea sierra's mask cracks she loses it ethan are you seriously still playing
19:44this game you chased me for 20 years we have hundreds of love locks hanging in paris with our
19:50names on them and now you're pretending you're married who's gonna believe that if you're really
19:54married where's your wife show me when she meets my calm indifferent gaze panic crosses her face she
20:02softens again ethan please i'm begging you stop being angry at me the people around us start to waver
20:09wait didn't sierra reject him at their wedding five years ago now it looks like he's the one who
20:15rejected her yeah ethan looks completely unbothered sierra's the one who can't let go sierra looks
20:21at me desperately then she does the unthinkable she kneels right there in the middle of the plaza
20:25ballroom holds up the tuxedo like an offering ethan quinn will you marry me he won't an icy voice
20:32cuts through the room everyone turns a woman in a tailored black evening dress stepped into view
20:37he doesn't she said her voice sharp and steady because he is already married with me
20:44she'd only gone to the bathroom for five minutes and someone was already trying to steal her husband
20:48whoever this woman was she had some nerve celeste whitmore reaches me and wraps her arm possessively
20:53around mine honey someone in the crowd gasps that's celeste whitmore from the old money whitmore's
20:59what's she doing here wait did she just call ethan quinn her husband i feel celeste script
21:03tightened dangerously on my arm i sigh internally i've dealt with her jealousy before this won't
21:08end well who has been getting impatient with sierra's dramatics immediately tattles mommy you took so
21:13long the bad lady almost stole daddy celeste glares at sierra like she wants her dead and she looks at
21:19me with big wounded eyes ethan i got worried when you didn't come home after three hours ava said she
21:25missed you so i brought her to find you you're not mad right i squeeze her hand gently to reassure
21:30her
21:31i try to lead her toward the exit before she starts a fight but before we can leave sierra's
21:34broken voice stops us ethan i feel the chill radiating off celeste against my better judgment
21:40i turn around miss sterling you've seen my wife now i hope that proves i'm married if there's
21:46nothing else we'll be leaving sierra stares at our intertwined hands sways like she might faint
21:50her face is sheet white celeste adds smugly that's right miss sterling my husband and i have things to
21:56do we can't waste time here that pushes sierra over the edge she loses all composure husband you
22:03have no right to call him that he's been engaged to me since we were eight celeste's fingers twitch
22:08she stays silent for a beat i've been with celeste for five years i know her biggest insecurity is my
22:13past engagement to sierra before i can comfort her celeste yanks two marriage certificates from her purse
22:19and slams them on the table this is what gives me the right and who cares if you were engaged
22:26at eight do you sign a marriage license have a wedding no legal documents no ceremony nothing
22:33i glance at sierra's devastated expression then at the marriage certificates on the table i have to
22:38admire my wife's possessiveness who carries their marriage certificate around like it is a frequent flyer
22:43card ethan we have 20 years of history all those promises we made at the love lock bridge did you
22:50forget everything sierra's eyes are red like i am the one who betrayed her but this isn't five years
22:55ago i won't be manipulated by her crocodile tears i carefully pocket the marriage certificates take ava's
23:00hand in my left celeste's hand in my right walk toward the exit without looking back miss sterling our
23:05history ended five years ago don't bring it up again we have nothing more to say to each other my
23:09words
23:09dissolve into the air the engine of our car hums to life in the car celeste grips my hand anxiously
23:16ethan have you really let go of everything from before i hear the fear in her voice suddenly
23:23understand why she always carries our marriage certificate no matter who i married my 20-year
23:29history with sierra is real undeniable like everyone at the gala said how could anyone let go of that
23:36much history so easily but only i know the truth i've let go completely besides i am too proud to
23:44fall for the same person twice i run my thumb over our marriage certificate ask a narcissistic question
23:50with a smile celeste did you fall in love with me while i was still with sierra her eyes fill
23:57with
23:57indulgent warmth she sighs you have the right to remain silent but resist and there will be consequences
24:06her expression freezes for a split second i know i am right i can't help but grin slide
24:11my hand to her waist threateningly ethan do you remember when you were 16 you saved a girl in a
24:17narrow alley that day i just escaped from kidnappers if you hadn't saved me i'd be dead people walked
24:23past me that day no one helped then you came i fell in love with you at first sight but
24:27you only had eyes
24:28for sierra i didn't want to force you so i kept my feelings in for nine years until i finally
24:32invited
24:33you to europe i listened to her story marveling at fate nine years ago i saved her from death planted
24:41the
24:41seed of connection nine years later in the winter when the internet crucified me she pulled me out of
24:47the abyss that night our bedroom light stayed on for hours confessions and passion intertwined when
24:53someone knocked on the door the next morning i had to answer with dark circles under my eyes
24:59the size of dinner plates the person at the door looked like a disaster i almost didn't recognize
25:06sierra sterling i made myself clear yesterday we have nothing to discuss i accidentally exposed the
25:12hickeys on my neck sierra's eyes turned bloodshot ethan i was wrong but i had my reasons
25:21liam said if i didn't help him he'd release the video of you hitting him online i had no choice
25:26i
25:27just wanted to help you i laughed bitterly so you are saying you were being noble after all a slap
25:33that
25:33didn't even leave a bruise is definitely worse than destroying someone's entire career with fraud
25:37accusations i still have the security footage from that day by the way should i release it let everyone
25:44judge whether a homewrecker who shows up at his target's house to gloat deserves to be hit sierra panics
25:50i only ever loved you all these years i only saw liam as a brother
25:57nothing in a breed ever happened between us i am running on three hours of sleep this conversation
26:02is a waste of my time i start to close the door sierra shoves her hand into the doorframe
26:07i have to stop or i'll crush her fingers now i am actually angry
26:14sierra sterling are you insane how long are you going to keep lying to yourself nothing happened
26:22you have the audacity to say that if you two were so innocent why did your cousins call him
26:26brother-in-law why did he come to my office to gloat in 20 years i never saw you treat
26:31any guy that
26:31well but suddenly liam gets the family label and you are planning to spend your life with him
26:35you