- 20 hours ago
Handcuffs for the Perfect Husband - Full
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Short filmTranscript
00:00When I found out Julian had extended his out-of-town project for another seven years, I didn't call. I
00:06didn't text.
00:07I left New York and traveled hours to reach his project site, only to be stopped at the gate by
00:12an older guard.
00:13Hello? Does Julian work here?
00:19What do you want with my son-in-law?
00:21The words hit me like a thunderclap. I told myself it was a coincidence.
00:25Relax, Mr. Miller. Everyone around here knows Julian is totally whipped.
00:29Other guys might mess around, but your son-in-law wouldn't dare.
00:33She's probably here on business from corporate.
00:35I kept my composure and pulled up a photo of Julian on my phone.
00:39I am here on business. Is this the Julian you're talking about?
00:42The old man relaxed.
00:44Yeah, that's him. That's my son-in-law.
00:47The blood in my veins froze. Before I could process a single word, a woman appeared, well-dressed, smiling.
00:55You here to talk business with my man?
00:59Come wait at our place.
01:01Our son's got a fever. He took him to the hospital in town.
01:04I stared at her. Thunderstruck. Barely able to breathe.
01:09I'm Julian's wife. Just call me Mia.
01:11She was warm and talkative, smile never leaving her face.
01:16There's nothing but rough guys around here, and half of them don't know how to act.
01:20A woman shouldn't be standing around alone out here. Come on back to the house. He'll be a while.
01:25And I followed her. I watched her as we walked. Her foundation was uneven, powder caked at her eye corners.
01:32But she was clearly over ten years younger than Julian, who'd just turned thirty-seven.
01:37Lord, you women from New York really are something else.
01:42Look at that skin. Smooth as a baby's bottom.
01:48Her eyes were full of admiration.
01:50My man's got skin just like yours. All soft and clear.
01:53She laughed.
01:54You city girls really do have it all.
01:55I forced a smile.
01:56She wasn't wrong. Julian and I both had good skin.
02:00I was older than Mia by a fair margin, but I'd taken care of myself.
02:04I still looked like I was in my mid-twenties.
02:06No one would guess I'd been married for twelve years.
02:09But what did any of that matter?
02:10I had a career, raised our son, cared for his parents, and handled everything alone.
02:16But my husband still built an entirely different life here behind my back.
02:20Mia talked the whole way.
02:21She didn't seem to need a response.
02:23At some point, a couple on a motorcycle slowed as they passed.
02:26The woman on the back held out a small paper bag.
02:29Your man thinks of everything, takes the kid to the doctor,
02:32and still remembers you wanted roasted peanuts, asked me to drop these off.
02:35He worries too much.
02:37Your husband really does take care of you.
02:39That man does whatever she says, no questions asked.
02:42Doesn't matter how tough he acts out here.
02:44One look for Mia and he folds.
02:46One tear and he's completely hers.
02:47Oh, stop it.
02:48A bitter ache welled up inside me.
02:50My husband.
02:52The man who spent twelve years talking to me about equality, respect, and partnership.
02:57That man had come out here and willingly turned himself into another woman's lapdog.
03:02Mia's house stopped me in my track.
03:09My man built it.
03:10Nobody else around here has anything like it.
03:15And he's the first guy in town to move in with his wife's family.
03:18Takes care of my parents like they're his own.
03:23Moved in with her family, the moment I stepped into the living room, I saw it.
03:28We had a photo just like it.
03:30Only ours had just three people, no daughter.
03:33The year Julian first left for this project.
03:37Two years max.
03:38I'll get transferred back.
03:40And when I do, if you want, we'll try for a second baby.
03:45After that, we'll never be apart again.
03:49Two years turned into seven.
03:51He came home for a few days every Christmas, and that was it.
03:57Last year, while he was back for the holidays, I casually said I still wished we'd had a daughter.
04:02Honestly, with the way things are, smart people aren't having more kids.
04:07One's enough.
04:09Why put yourself through it?
04:11I thought he'd simply changed his mind.
04:13Turns out he already had his daughter.
04:15He just hadn't had her with me.
04:18We've got Wi-Fi.
04:21Password's 990913.
04:25Something jolted in my chest.
04:27Dot Julian had told me there was no reliable internet signal out here.
04:31That was why I could never reach him directly.
04:33He always had to be the one to contact me first.
04:37I connected to the network.
04:38Full bars.
04:40One lie after another.
04:41Each one like a knife sinking in deep.
04:44You two seem really happy.
04:45Does it worry you that he might get transferred back to New York someday?
04:48Not really.
04:49Between us, they almost called him back earlier this year.
04:51My chest tightened.
04:52He used every favor he had just to stay.
04:55My heart dropped.
04:56It wasn't the company keeping him here.
04:58He'd asked to stay.
04:59He'd fought to stay.
05:01He'd done that knowing his mother had suffered a stroke and couldn't care for herself.
05:05He'd done that knowing his father had broken his leg in a fall and needed help.
05:10He'd done that knowing our son had cried over and over about missing his father.
05:15He'd done that knowing I'd been worn down by work and family.
05:18Until I'd ended up in the hospital more than once.
05:21And he'd stayed anyway dot comfortably dot a thousand miles away.
05:29A chill ran through me, my shoulders trembling slightly.
05:32Mia crossed the room and switched on the air conditioning, thinking I was cold.
05:37It'll warm up in a minute.
05:39My man got me a good one.
05:40A big brand name.
05:42Didn't even blink at the price.
05:47Nobody else in town has one.
05:49I didn't even want it.
05:51I told him it was too much, but he insisted.
05:55Said he was worried I'd be cold in the winter.
05:57I kept the smile on my face.
05:59He's quite a bit older than you, I said.
06:02Is this his second marriage?
06:03Ten years older.
06:05We're both getting married for the first time.
06:07Mia smiled.
06:08I'm the lucky one.
06:10A girl like me barely finished high school, ending up with a man who has a master's degree.
06:17He's the project manager for the whole development.
06:21Basically second in command under the owner.
06:23I never imagined I'd end up married to someone like that.
06:26He says meeting me was the best thing that ever happened to him.
06:30The age gap's a good thing, honestly.
06:32Older men know how to take care of you.
06:34He's responsible at work and at home.
06:38Every paycheck goes straight to me.
06:39I give him a little spending money and that's it.
06:42Bitterness welled up in my chest.
06:43For years, Julian had been sending money back to our joint account every month.
06:48Only left $1,000 for himself.
06:50He told me his housing and meals were covered, that he'd barely spent anything out here.
06:55I had a college roommate who worked in his company's payroll department.
06:59Years ago, I'd quietly checked his monthly salary once $11,000 and let myself be believe him.
07:05I didn't believe him anymore.
07:07He takes good care of the whole family.
07:10God, yes!
07:11She gestured around the room.
07:13My mom has a bad back.
07:15He bought her that massage chair without blinking.
07:17My dad likes his whiskey, so Julian keeps cases of the good stuff stocked for him.
07:22And he gives me a separate allowance every month for whatever I want.
07:28I heard it and I knew Julian had been taking bribe.
07:31The bitterness turned colder, not just for myself, but for his parents, who had no idea.
07:38Three months ago, his mother had nearly died.
07:41A severe stroke.
07:43Julian, please.
07:46She's in critical condition.
07:48She keeps asking for you.
07:49Please come home.
07:50I'm so sorry, Chloe.
07:51The project is at a critical stage right now.
07:54I really can't leave.
07:55She'll be okay.
07:56So many nights like that, his phone unanswered, or always some excuse he couldn't come.
08:01He never came back.
08:03He ignored his own family, his parents, his son, and the whole time he was here being a
08:09good husband, a good father, a good son-in-law.
08:12The irony was sickening.
08:15Mia's phone rang.
08:16She didn't step away or lower her voice.
08:18She just answered it right there.
08:20Hey, baby.
08:21Close enough that I heard every word.
08:23Julian's voice.
08:24The same warm tone he used to use with me.
08:27Our son still hasn't broken his fever.
08:29The doctor wants to keep him overnight.
08:31I'm a little short on cash.
08:33Can you transfer me some?
08:34$300 should cover it.
08:36Of course.
08:37I'll send it now.
08:38I laughed inwardly.
08:40The devoted family husband.
08:42Then Julian's voice softened.
08:44I can't hold you tonight, baby.
08:46Stay warm, okay?
08:47Don't kick off the blankets.
08:49One day away from you and I already feel off.
08:51Those words stabbed at my chest like sharp blades.
08:54Twelve years of marriage.
08:56And the last time he'd said anything like that to me felt like a lifetime ago.
09:00These days, he didn't even show that warmth toward our own son.
09:04Time had turned us an old married couple in name only.
09:14I just realized I never asked your name.
09:17Chloe.
09:19What a pretty name.
09:20She was as cheerful as ever.
09:22Even now, I was still giving her the benefit of the doubt.
09:25There was a good chance she had no idea.
09:28That she was just as deceived as I was.
09:32Since Julian won't be back tonight,
09:35why don't you just stay?
09:37You can talk to him about the work stuff tomorrow.
09:41That evening,
09:42Mia cooked a full dinner.
09:43A proper, generous spread.
09:45I met their daughter for the first time.
09:47She had Julian's eyes.
09:49Mr. and Mrs. Miller were polite to me,
09:51but barely.
09:52There was a wariness in their gaze that I noticed,
09:55but didn't mention.
09:56At the table,
09:57the conversation kept circling back to Julian.
09:59The way they talked about him,
10:01he wasn't a son-in-law.
10:03He was their son.
10:04Mia was an only child.
10:05In a town like this,
10:07that had always meant something for her parents.
10:09They'd spent their whole lives looked down on
10:12for not having a son.
10:13Then Julian arrived,
10:15moved in,
10:16supported the whole family,
10:17treated them like his own.
10:18And for the first time,
10:20they held their heads up.
10:22Julian is the rock of this family.
10:25We can't do without him.
10:27Something stuck in my throat,
10:29like a thorn I couldn't pull out.
10:32The rock of our family,
10:34gone for seven years,
10:35had been holding up someone else's family all along.
10:39Mia put me in the guest room for the night.
10:41After the lights went out,
10:43I lay awake,
10:44unable to sleep.
10:46Through the wall,
10:47I could hear Mr. and Mrs. Miller
10:49talking quietly for a long time.
10:52I made two decisions.
10:53I filed a report,
10:55with documentation,
10:56with proof,
10:57to Julian's corporate headquarters.
10:59Then,
10:59I texted my brother.
11:01He was a police officer.
11:02I'm going to need you to make an arrest.
11:04Neither decision felt satisfying,
11:06but both were right.
11:08Justice for my life.
11:09A consequence he'd earned.
11:11The next morning,
11:13It's cold,
11:14and you're not dressed for it.
11:15Um,
11:16my man just bought this for me.
11:17Only been washed once,
11:19never worn.
11:19A designer label,
11:20I'd spent an entire winter eyeing.
11:23Adding to my cart,
11:24removing it,
11:24telling myself there were more important things
11:27to spend money on.
11:28Parents to care for.
11:29A son to raise.
11:31I used to say things like that to Julian.
11:33Other husbands buy their wives things.
11:35In all these years,
11:36you've never once picked something out for me.
11:37In all these years,
11:38he always had the same answer.
11:40Calm and easy.
11:41The money's yours.
11:43Buy whatever you want.
11:45I wouldn't know what to choose anyway.
11:47I'm no good with that kind of thing.
11:50He wasn't no good.
11:51He just didn't care enough to try.
11:54Not for me.
11:54Thank you so much.
11:56It was beautiful.
11:58It was warm.
11:59Mia blinked.
12:00A flash of surprise crossing her face.
12:02She'd clearly expected me to refuse politely.
12:05At breakfast,
12:06she was back to her usual self.
12:08Cheerful.
12:09Talkative.
12:09Dropping Julian's name into every other sentence.
12:12She asked me questions too.
12:14What was New York like?
12:15What did I do for work?
12:16At one point,
12:17she looked at me and asked,
12:19Are you happy?
12:20It's fine.
12:21My husband just isn't as attentive as yours.
12:24She smiled widely at that.
12:26Then just before noon,
12:28the front door swung open.
12:30Honey, I'm home.
12:31Julian's voice filled the house.
12:33He walked in,
12:34carrying their five-year-old son.
12:36The moment his eyes landed on me,
12:38he went rigid.
12:39I looked at him steadily.
12:40Which honey are you talking to exactly?
12:44Julian's face locked up.
12:46He stood there holding the boy
12:47and said absolutely nothing.
12:49I held his gaze.
12:51My eyes said everything I didn't speak aloud.
12:53Why?
12:54How could you?
12:55Do you have any idea what you've done to your son?
12:58To your parents?
12:59He was an only child.
13:01His whole life,
13:02they had sacrificed everything for him.
13:04And he had walked away from all of it
13:06and quietly become the son of someone else's family.
13:09I would never understand it.
13:11I would never forgive it.
13:13Mia broke first.
13:15I...
13:16I...
13:18What...
13:18What does that mean?
13:19She grabbed my arm,
13:20then turned to Julian.
13:22Julian?
13:23Julian, look at me.
13:25What is going on?
13:27I...
13:27I don't understand.
13:28Why...
13:28Why would she call you that?
13:30Why is she calling you that?
13:32The paralysis broke from Julian's face.
13:34He quickly set the boy down.
13:36He took a few steps forward,
13:38then stopped.
13:39Caught exactly halfway between us,
13:41unable to choose a direction.
13:43I'll explain everything.
13:44Explain what?
13:46That our 12-year marriage is nothing but an empty shell?
13:49That you have no parents?
13:51No son?
13:52Or that you, a married man,
13:53have been living out here as another woman's husband
13:55and you're ready to file for divorce
13:56so she can finally have your last name?
13:58Every word landed.
13:59He had no answer.
14:00He looked like a man caught with nowhere to run.
14:04I know I don't deserve forgiveness.
14:05He finally said.
14:07I'm sorry.
14:08Mia fell apart.
14:09Sorry?
14:10What does that mean for me?
14:11She was crying now, fully.
14:13You said I was everything to you.
14:15You said I was your life.
14:16Say something.
14:17Tell me what's happening right now.
14:19And then Julian turned away from me
14:20and moved to pull her into his arms.
14:22My heart was bleeding.
14:24Fury rose through me.
14:26Then what are you saying?
14:27I demanded.
14:28He let go of her.
14:29He didn't dare hold her again.
14:31He stood there looking cornered,
14:33miserable,
14:33caught between two directions
14:35with no good move left.
14:36In the silence,
14:38my phone rang.
14:39Julian's father.
14:40A video call.
14:41I answered without hesitating
14:43and switched to the rear camera.
14:44Have you found Julian yet?
14:46The old man's voice was full of hope.
14:48He hadn't seen his son in almost two years.
14:50I walked the phone slowly across the living room
14:52until the camera landed on the family portrait
14:54on the wall.
14:55All six of them, all smiling.
14:57Found him, along with his new wife,
15:00his new son, his new daughter,
15:04his new family.
15:07This is other home.
15:09He moved in with her family.
15:11He's been taking care of them for years.
15:13I heard my father-in-law's sharp intake of breath.
15:16For a moment, he was too furious to speak.
15:18I turned the camera to Julian and Mia.
15:20Dad, meet the new family.
15:25Julian, is this what you've been doing?
15:27This.
15:28You have no regard for your mother and me.
15:31No regard for your wife and son.
15:32Are you trying to put me in the grave?
15:35Turn it off.
15:37Stop filming.
15:38Just stop.
15:40I no longer have a son.
15:44Do you hear me?
15:45I have no son.
15:47In the middle of it all,
15:49Mr. and Mrs. Miller walked through the front door.
15:51The moment Mr. and Mrs. Miller understood who I was.
15:55If Julian chose to marry my daughter
15:57and have children with her
15:59that tells you everything about where he stands,
16:03end it clean and move on,
16:05we're not giving him up.
16:07I've treated Julian like my own son
16:10from the day he walked into this house.
16:12He and Mia love each other.
16:14That's not going to change.
16:16And what do you say?
16:17He had been staring at the floor.
16:19When my eyes finally forced his head up,
16:21he hesitated, then asked me slowly,
16:24Do you still want me back?
16:26Before I could answer,
16:27Mia flew across the room.
16:29She dropped to the floor in front of him
16:31and grabbed his collar.
16:32What kind of question is that?
16:33If she still wants you,
16:34does that mean you'll throw me away?
16:36Julian, if you dare leave this family,
16:39I'll take the kids and end it all.
16:40I mean it.
16:42She gave you one child.
16:44I gave you two.
16:45I have given you more.
16:47You can't just-
16:48Julian pulled her up and tried to calm her.
16:50I just need to know what she-
16:53I laughed hollowly to myself.
16:55Then deliberately I said-
16:56I want you to come home.
16:58Cut everything here off.
16:59For good.
17:00I knew exactly what he was doing.
17:02He was waiting for me to make the choice for him.
17:04Sure that someone like me,
17:05with my standards,
17:06would never accept a man who had done this.
17:08He expected me to say-
17:09I want a divorce!
17:11...and hand him his exit.
17:12When I didn't,
17:13surprise flickered across his face.
17:15Even a trace of disappointment.
17:16I stared at him.
17:17Now it's your turn to choose.
17:18His lips moved.
17:19Nothing came out.
17:20Mia shook him by the arm, crying.
17:22Say something!
17:23You said I'm the love of your life!
17:24You said you'd grow old with me!
17:26Say it to her face!
17:27Julian had no choice.
17:28He looked at me with pleading eyes.
17:30Could we just keep things the way they are?
17:34The way they are?
17:35I stared at him, cold.
17:37He wanted to keep both of us.
17:38My look made him too ashamed to repeat himself.
17:40You stay out here and keep playing husband?
17:42I go back to New York?
17:44Take care of your parents?
17:45Raise our son alone?
17:46Run your whole life from the background?
17:48Enjoy this one?
17:49He had nothing to say,
17:50but I could see it in his face.
17:51That was exactly what he'd hoped for.
17:53Mia grabbed his arm again, sobbing.
17:55If you don't choose this family,
17:57I'll take these kids and die in front of you.
17:59You promised me we'd grow old together.
18:03You can't abandon us.
18:05She pulled both children over to her, crying.
18:07I'm just staying in.
18:11Ask your daddy, she said to them.
18:14Ask him if he's going to keep you.
18:16The two children didn't understand what was happening.
18:19But seeing Mia cry, they cried too,
18:21crowding into Julian's arms.
18:23Daddy, please don't leave us.
18:25Daddy, mommy's crying.
18:26You always said you can't stand to see mommy cry, please.
18:29Julian finally broke.
18:31He pulled all three of them into his arms.
18:33His eyes went red.
18:34Then he looked at me.
18:35He had made his decision.
18:39Chloe, I'm sorry.
18:41I know you can manage on your own.
18:42I know you'll be okay.
18:45She can't.
18:46She has nothing without me.
18:48He glanced at Mia and the children,
18:49then back at me.
18:52Take everything in the house.
18:53I won't fight you for custody.
18:56But this is the choice I have to make.
19:01I'm asking you to let us go.
19:03I laughed.
19:03Not from humor.
19:05From the absurdity of what I was hearing.
19:07She's the one to be pitied?
19:09What about your mother,
19:10who had a stroke and can't care for herself,
19:13who wants nothing more than to see her own son?
19:15What about your father,
19:16who broke his leg and needed you home
19:18and never once said a word about the fact that you didn't come?
19:21What about your son,
19:22who gets mocked at school for not having a father around,
19:25who has cried more times than I can count?
19:27As I spoke,
19:28tears fell from my eyes.
19:30Not for him.
19:31Never again for him.
19:33Only because a man like this
19:34was never worth everything our family had given him.
19:37Julian stood there in silence.
19:39Shame was written across his entire face.
19:42Mia filled the gap.
19:43Don't worry.
19:44I'll bring his parents here.
19:46I'll take care of them myself.
19:47You don't need to concern yourself with any of it.
19:49Then her eyes hardened.
19:51And you?
19:52You knew who I was from the very beginning, didn't you?
19:55You sat there and let me talk and talk
19:57and you were just collecting evidence!
19:59I smiled at her.
20:00Contemptions.
20:01Then I called Julian's parents back right there
20:03and told them in front of everyone
20:06when Julian had changed.
20:07His mother's voice shook with her ear.
20:09If you divorce Chloe,
20:11you're not my son.
20:12Do you understand me?
20:14While you were gone,
20:15she gave everything to this family, to us.
20:17And you want to throw her away?
20:18I will never accept that woman.
20:20And those children,
20:21I don't know them and I never will.
20:23Julian's father said the same.
20:25Mia broke down crying.
20:27Julian was at his breaking point.
20:29I ended the call.
20:30He wiped his eyes,
20:31couldn't look at me,
20:32and finally said,
20:34Chloe, I have no right to ask anything of you.
20:37But name your terms.
20:39Whatever I can give you, I will.
20:41Mia knelt down in front of me.
20:47Please.
20:50Please.
20:52You're educated,
20:53you're capable,
20:54you're beautiful.
20:55You'll find someone better than him.
20:59I can't.
21:01He is all I have.
21:03She pulled both children over.
21:10Kneel down.
21:13Ask her to let your daddy stay.
21:15Two small faces turned up toward me.
21:17Please, madam,
21:18don't take our daddy.
21:20Our family needs a daddy,
21:22otherwise it won't be whole.
21:24She was using the children to work on my conscience.
21:26Anger surged through me.
21:28Your children need a father,
21:30and mine doesn't.
21:31Your child is older.
21:33Mine are still small.
21:35I laughed,
21:36and stood up from the couch.
21:41The truth is,
21:43none of these children,
21:44yours or mine,
21:46will have a father from here on out.
21:48Both Julian and Mia looked up sharply,
21:51not understanding.
21:52Not until my brother walked through the door,
21:54with local police officers behind him,
21:56and Julian's boss,
21:57and two company directors right after.
21:59Only then did Julian understand.
22:01I had never intended to give him a choice,
22:03and I was certainly not going to let them walk away clean.
22:05The sight of so many strangers
22:07sent both children into tears.
22:09An officer quietly asked Mrs. Miller
22:11to take them to another room.
22:13Julian stood still,
22:14calm,
22:15as if he had always known this day would come.
22:18Mia was anything but.
22:20What is this?
22:21Hides!
22:22You have no right to come in here
22:24and take my husband!
22:26When no one responded to her satisfaction,
22:28she turned all of it on me.
22:30Her pointing finger trembled.
22:32You call yourself a decent person?
22:34He already told you,
22:36you can have everything.
22:38What more do you want from him?
22:40He's your son's father.
22:42How can you be this heartless?
22:45Julian touched her arm.
22:46Stop.
22:47She didn't stop.
22:48I looked at her and said plainly,
22:50everything you've been wearing,
22:52living in,
22:53eating,
22:53that money didn't just come out of my pocket.
22:55It was dirty.
22:56It came from fraud and corruption.
22:59You told me yourself
23:01what he was giving you every month.
23:03That figure is exactly what I used as evidence.
23:06You handed it to me yourself.
23:08Julian turned to stone.
23:09His boss stepped forward.
23:11His disappointment total.
23:12I trusted you with this entire project.
23:15Bribery,
23:16kickbacks,
23:18substandard materials,
23:20embezzlement of public funds.
23:22I,
23:23I gave you everything.
23:25And this is what you did with it.
23:26Julian kept his eyes on the floor and said nothing.
23:29Mia spun toward the officers and grabbed one by the arm.
23:32We'll pay it all back.
23:34Every cent.
23:35Just please.
23:37He's a father.
23:38We have children.
23:39Please.
23:40Give him one more chance.
23:44Ma'am.
23:44The officer's voice was firm.
23:46This is a criminal investigation.
23:48Repayment is not the issue.
23:50And while that's being sorted out,
23:52Mia,
23:52you should probably find yourself a lawyer.
23:54What you and Julian have constitutes bigamy.
23:57That's a separate charge.
23:58She went white.
23:59Julian finally looked up.
24:00His control snapped.
24:01Everything I did,
24:02I'll take responsibility for all of it.
24:04But she had nothing to do with any of it.
24:06She didn't know.
24:07Why are you going after her?
24:08I smiled.
24:09Cold and contemptuous.
24:10Inside, the hatred was overwhelming enough
24:12that I wanted to strike him across the face.
24:15And then, right at the peak of it,
24:16I felt it all drain away
24:18into something vast and empty.
24:20None of this is worth anything.
24:22She didn't know?
24:23I said.
24:24She knew I was your wife.
24:27She brought me home deliberately
24:29to force the confrontation.
24:31To pressure you into a divorce.
24:33And if she hadn't bragged about the 50,000 a month.
24:40I wouldn't have had the evidence I needed.
24:43Julian stared at Mia, stunned,
24:45demanding the truth.
24:47Mia shook her head frantically.
24:48I didn't know she was going to report you.
24:51I never thought she would.
24:53I played a recording.
24:55Julian's face drained of color
24:56at the first two sentences.
24:58Julian's gonna have to go back
24:59and deal with his wife eventually.
25:01Even if he drags his feet,
25:03Mia will raise hell until he files.
25:05She's not the type to share.
25:07Look at that woman.
25:08She sat here and took it all without a word.
25:11Either she has no backbone
25:13or she's playing a very long game.
25:15Oh, she's playing a game.
25:18But it won't matter.
25:19Julian has no feelings for her anymore.
25:22Mia just has to cry and he'll sign the papers.
25:25You know why Mia brought her home, right?
25:27To light the fuse herself.
25:29Julian's expression moved from shock to disbelief
25:32to a deep, exhausted disappointment.
25:34He looked at Mia.
25:36So you knew all along that I was married.
25:39You brought her here on purpose.
25:41To force my hand.
25:43Mia couldn't argue her way out of it.
25:45She broke down and admitted it through tears.
25:47I just wanted you to belong to me completely.
25:50What's wrong with that?
25:51I never thought she'd go this far.
25:54I never thought she'd actually...
25:57Mr. Miller, who had said nothing
25:59and immediately began deflecting blame.
26:01If you weren't so spinless and indecisive,
26:04none of this would have happened.
26:06Now you've brought this on yourself.
26:09What happens to the children?
26:11What happens to Mia?
26:13What are we supposed to do?
26:16How do we ever show our faces around here again?
26:18As he laughed, tears slipped from the corners of his eyes.
26:22His face was full of helpless, exhausted disbelief
26:25at how stupid Mia had been.
26:27For a moment, he genuinely didn't know who to blame.
26:31He kept his head down the entire walk to the police car.
26:34Outside, people had gathered.
26:36Then more from neighboring streets.
26:39But I'm there to see the most famously devoted husband in town
26:42taken away in...
26:43His wife back in New York is beautiful, educated.
26:47A professor, I heard.
26:48And he threw all of that away for this.
26:50Men are never satisfied.
26:52Doesn't matter how good things are at home.
26:54...Mia said.
26:56Never questioned her once.
26:57And he was rotten the whole time.
27:00Not knew he was married.
27:02Brought his wife here himself to force a divorce.
27:06Backfired, didn't it?
27:08Tried to steal another woman's husband.
27:11Burned her own life down.
27:13The police car door, Julian stopped.
27:15He turned and found me in the crowd.
27:17Take care of yourself.
27:19I'm sorry, Chloe.
27:21Find someone who deserves you.
27:23I looked at him.
27:23I said nothing.
27:24He got in.
27:26Mia ran after the car.
27:27Stumbling, falling, picking herself up and running again.
27:31Pounding on the windows.
27:32Screaming his name.
27:33Until it turned the corner and disappeared.
27:37She came back and collapsed at my feet.
27:41She was on her knees, in front of everyone.
27:43Past caring who saw.
27:45Please.
27:46Please help him.
27:47You're educated.
27:48You understand how this works better than I do.
27:51I don't care about anything else anymore.
27:53I just need him not to go to prison.
27:55She held onto the hem of my coat.
27:56Believe me or don't.
27:58But I did love him.
28:00That part was real.
28:01I looked at her calmly.
28:03The hatred I had carried into this situation was gone.
28:06She kept going.
28:08Her voice breaking.
28:09I genuinely didn't know he was married when we first got together.
28:12I found out when our son was almost a year old.
28:15I found a photo of you on his phone.
28:17By then I was already in too deep.
28:19The children, this house, my parents.
28:22We were all depending on him.
28:23I didn't know what to do.
28:28I know nothing I say matters now.
28:31I'm only asking if there's anything you can do.
28:35She didn't get up.
28:37She just stayed there on the ground.
28:39In front of everyone.
28:41Her hand clutching my coat.
28:43Not caring about the stairs.
28:44I reached down and removed her hand.
28:47I looked at her.
28:49You know what your tears mean to me?
28:52I said quietly.
28:55Crocodile tears.
28:57She blinked up at me.
28:58Then she folded over and wept into the ground.
29:01And I walked away.
29:03I did not soften.
29:04I pressed forward with every charge.
29:06Including bigamy.
29:08Julian's parents never blamed me.
29:10They supported every decision I made.
29:12My son did not take it well.
29:14He spent months in therapy.
29:15Struggling to accept that his father had another family out there.
29:19Other children.
29:20Living a parallel life.
29:22It took a long time.
29:23Six months later.
29:24Mia was sentenced to one year for bigamy.
29:27Julian's sentencing came three months after that.
29:30The court found that he had embezzled nearly $97 million.
29:34Taken over $10 million in bribes.
29:35Paid out $60 million in kickbacks.
29:38Misused $20 million in public funds.
29:40Violated construction regulations and committed bigamy.
29:43Multiple charges.
29:45Concurrent sentencing.
29:4611 years.
29:47He asked to see me the day he was taken in.
29:50I didn't go.
29:50I sent my lawyer to handle the divorce.
29:53Julian's parents were good to me and my son until the end.
29:56Before they passed,
29:57they transferred both of their properties into my son's name
30:00and left everything they had to us.
30:02I kept my promise to them regardless.
30:04I cared for them.
30:05And I was there when they left.
30:07In the seventh year of Julian's sentence,
30:09they both passed.
30:10His mother went first.
30:12Another stroke.
30:13Too severe to...
30:14His father followed the next day.
30:16They had been devoted to each other their entire lives.
30:19He simply could not face a mourning without her.
30:21I arranged a proper funeral for both of them.
30:24I had my lawyer notify Julian.
30:25He sent back one message through the attorney.
30:29Can I see you?
30:30I didn't respond.
30:31My son was accepted to an Ivy League school the following year.
30:35That, more than anything, let me breathe.
30:37I heard Mia remarried about three years after her release.
30:41A divorced man with two children of his own.
30:44She moved on.
30:45I moved on too.
30:46My son played matchmaker.
30:48He introduced me to the single father of one of his college friends.
30:52By then I wasn't looking for anything grand.
30:54What I found instead was someone steady.
30:57Someone present.
30:58Someone who picked up when I called.
31:00We agreed from the start.
31:01No children together.
31:03We weren't starting over from scratch.
31:05We were two people who chose to share the rest of the road.
31:08Three years into that marriage, Julian was released.
31:12He came to find me.
31:13Eleven years had not been kind to him.
31:15He looked far older than a man his age should.
31:18Worn down.
31:19Diminished.
31:20Nothing left of the confidence he used to carry.
31:22He stood at my door and asked, quietly,
31:25Chloe, is there any way I could come home?
31:29I looked at him.
31:30I took your advice.
31:34I found someone good.
31:35I married him.
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