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Short filmTranscript
00:00seven years. I left New York when I found out Julian had extended his out-of-town project
00:07for another seven years. I left New York and traveled hours to reach his project site,
00:12only to be stopped at the gate by an older guard. Hello, does Julian work here? What do you want
00:17with my son-in-law? The words hit me like a thunderclap. I told myself it was a coincidence.
00:22Same name, different man. Relax, Mr. Miller. Everyone around here knows Julian is totally
00:28whipped. She's probably here on business from corporate. I kept my composure and pulled up a
00:32photo of Julian on my phone. I am here on business. Is this the Julian you're talking about? The old
00:37man relaxed. Yeah, that's him. That's my son-in-law. The blood in my veins froze. Before I could process
00:44a single word, a woman appeared, well-dressed, smiling. You here to talk business with my man?
00:49She asked cheerfully. Come wait at our place. Our son's got a fever. He took him to the hospital
00:54in town. I stared at her, thunderstruck, barely able to breathe.
01:02She noticed I wasn't moving and waved me over. I'm Julian's wife, Mia. Just call me Mia. She was
01:08warm and talkative, smile never leaving her face. There's nothing but rough guys around here,
01:13and half of them don't know how to act. A woman shouldn't be standing around alone out here.
01:17Come on back to the house. He'll be a while. She reached out and touched my arm, and I followed
01:21her. I watched her as we walked. She looked more than 10 years younger than Julian. Lord,
01:26you women from New York really are something else. Look at that skin. Smooth as a peeled egg.
01:31My man's got skin just like yours, all soft and clear. I forced a smile. Julian and I both had
01:37good
01:38skin. I was older than Mia by a fair margin, but I'd taken care of myself. I still looked like
01:43I was in
01:43my mid-20s. No one would guess I'd been married for 12 years. But what did any of that matter?
01:48I had a
01:49career, raised our son, looked after his parents, managed everything on my own. And my husband had
01:55still gone and built an entirely different life out here behind my back. Mia talked the whole way.
02:00She didn't seem to need a response. A couple on a motorcycle slowed down as they passed us.
02:04The woman on the back held out a small paper bag. Your man thinks of everything, takes the kid to
02:09the
02:09doctor and still remembers you wanted chestnuts. Asked me to drop these off. Your husband really does
02:14take care of you, I said, keeping my voice even. The woman on the motorcycle laughed.
02:19Everyone knows Julian is totally whipped. Julian turns into a whole different man the second Mia
02:24gives him a look. One tear and he's done. Mia shook her head and smiled. Oh, stop it.
02:30A bitter ache welled up inside me. My husband, the man who had spent 12 years talking to me about
02:37equality in marriage, about respect and partnership. That man had come out here and made himself
02:43completely, voluntarily, another woman's lapdog.
02:50Mia's house stopped me in my tracks. It was a massive villa. Nothing like the other houses around
02:55it. Distinctive, well built, clearly the only one of its kind in town.
03:00My man built it, she said. Nobody else around here has anything like it. And he's the first
03:06husband in town to move in with his wife's family. Moved in with her family? The moment I stepped into
03:12the living room, I saw it. A framed family portrait on the wall. Six people, everyone smiling. A boy
03:18who looked about five. A little girl, maybe three. We had a portrait just like it hanging in our
03:23apartment back in New York. Except ours only had three people. Julian, me, and our 10-year-old son.
03:30No daughter. The year Julian first left for this project, he had cupped my face in his hands and
03:36made me a promise. Two years max. I'll find a way to transfer back. And when I do, if you're
03:41up for
03:42it, we'll try for a second baby. After that, we'll never be apart again. Two years became seven. He came
03:48home for a few days every Christmas. And that was all we got. Last year, when he was home for
03:54the
03:54holidays, I mentioned offhand how I still wished we'd had a daughter. He brushed it off. Honestly,
03:59with the way things are, smart people aren't having more kids. One is enough. I thought he'd simply
04:04changed his mind. Turns out he already had his daughter. He just hadn't had her with me.
04:09We've got Wi-Fi. Passwords 990913. My man said it to my birthday, Mia said, already heading to the
04:15kitchen. She came back with a cup of tea and set it in front of me, still smiling. Something jolted
04:21in my chest. Julian had told me there was no reliable internet signal out here. That was why I
04:27could never reach him directly. He always had to be the one to contact me first. I connected to the
04:32network. Full bars, one lie after another, each one like a blade going in clean.
04:39I kept my voice easy. You two seem really happy. Does it worry you that he might get transferred
04:45back to New York someday? Mia's smile didn't waver. Not at all. They almost pulled him back
04:50earlier this year. He called in every favor he had to stay. My heart dropped like it had been thrown
04:55off
04:56a cliff. It wasn't the company keeping him out here. He had fought to stay. Although he had,
05:00knowing his mother had suffered a stroke and couldn't care for herself. Although he had,
05:05knowing his father had broken his leg in a fall and needed help. Although he had,
05:10knowing our son had cried more than once over missing his father. Although he had knowing I
05:15had been worn down by work and family until I ended up in the hospital more than once,
05:19and he had stayed anyway. Comfortably, contentedly, a chill ran through me, my shoulders trembling
05:25slightly. Mia crossed the room and switched on the air conditioning, thinking I was cold.
05:30It'll warm up in a minute. My husband bought me the best air conditioner, a big brand name. She said
05:36everything about Julian casually, warmly. Nobody else in town has one. I didn't even want it. I told him
05:42it was too much. But he insisted. I kept the smile on my face. He's quite a bit older than
05:49you. Is this
05:50his second marriage?
05:5810 years older. We are both getting married for the first time. Mia smiled. I'm the lucky one. A girl
06:05like me, barely finished high school, ending up with a man who has a master's degree. He's the project
06:11manager for the whole development. I never imagined I'd end up married to someone like that. But
06:16instead, he says meeting me was the best thing that ever happened to him. She kept talking. The age
06:20gap's a good thing. Older men is responsible at work and at home. Every paycheck goes straight to
06:27me. Bitterness welled up in my chest. For years, Julian had been transferring money back to our joint
06:34account every month. Only left $1,000 for himself. He told me his housing and meals were covered, that he
06:40barely needed anything for himself out here. I had a college roommate who worked in payroll department of
06:45his company. Years ago, I quietly confirmed his monthly salary, once $11,000. He takes good care
06:52of the whole family. I said, God, yes. My mom has a bad back. He bought her that massage chair
06:58without
06:58blinking. My dad likes his whiskey, so Julian keeps cases of the good top shelf stuff stocked for him.
07:05She added, and he gives me a separate allowance every month for whatever I want. She said the number
07:10plainly. I heard it, and I knew. Julian had been taking the bribes. The bitterness turned colder,
07:16not just for myself, but for his parents, who had no idea.
07:23Three months ago, his mother had nearly died. A severe stroke. I had stood outside the ICU and
07:29called him, crying. Julian, please. She's in critical condition. She keeps asking for you. Please come home.
07:36I'm so sorry, Chloe. The project is at a critical stage right now. I really can't leave. She'll be
07:42okay. So many nights like that. His phone unanswered, or always some excuse. He never came back. And the
07:50whole time, he was here, being a good husband, a good father, a good son-in-law. The irony was
07:57sickening. Mia's phone rang. She didn't step away or lower her voice. She just answered it right there,
08:03close enough that I heard every word. Hey, baby. Julian's voice. The same warm tone he used to use
08:09with me. Our son still hasn't broken his fever. The doctor wants to keep him overnight. I'm a little
08:14short on cash. Can you transfer me some? $300 should cover it. I laughed inwardly. How a devoted family
08:21husband. Mia smiled into the phone. Of course. I'll send it now. Then Julian's voice softened. I can't
08:28hold you tonight, baby. Stay warm, okay? Don't kick off the blankets. 12 years of marriage, and the last
08:34time he'd said anything like that to me is ages ago. These days, he didn't even show that kind of
08:39warmth
08:40toward our own son. Time had made us an old married couple, in name only, and slowly, without me noticing,
08:48it had made us the most familiar of strangers.
08:53Mia hung up and turned to me with a smile. I just realized I never asked your name.
09:01Chloe, what a pretty name. She was as cheerful as ever. Even now, I was still giving her the
09:07benefit of the doubt that she had no idea, just as deceived as I was. Since Julian won't be back
09:14tonight, she said, why don't you just stay? You can talk to him about the work stuff tomorrow.
09:18That evening, Mia cooked a full dinner, a proper spread, balanced and generous. I met their daughter
09:25for the first time. Mr. and Mrs. Miller were polite to me, but there was a wariness in the way
09:31they
09:31looked at me. At the table, the conversation kept coming back to Julian. The way they talked about him,
09:37he wasn't a son-in-law. He was their son. Mia was their and only child. In a rural area
09:42like this,
09:43her parents had spent their whole lives looked down on for not having a son. Then Julian arrived,
09:48moved in, supported the whole family. Mrs. Miller said, Julian is the backbone of this family.
09:53We can't do without him. Something lodged in my throat like a thorn I couldn't remove.
09:58The backbone of our family, gone for seven years, had been holding up someone else's the whole time.
10:05Mia put me in the guest room for the night. After the lights went out, I lay there unable to
10:09sleep.
10:10Through the wall, I could hear Mr. and Mrs. Miller talking quietly for a long time.
10:15I made two decisions. I filed a report with documentation within evidence to Julian's
10:20corporate headquarters. Then I sent my brother a message. He was a police officer. I'm going to
10:25need you to come make an arrest. Julian broke the law. Neither decision felt satisfying,
10:30but both were right. An accounting for my own life, a consequence he had earned.
10:38The next morning, Mia pulled a coat from her closet and held it out to me.
10:41It's cold and you're not dressed for it. She added quickly,
10:45My husband just bought this for me. Only been washed once, never worn.
10:49A designer label I had spent an entire winter looking at, adding to my cart, removing it,
10:55telling myself there were more important things to spend money on, parents to care for,
10:59a child to raise. I used to say things like that to Julian. Other husbands buy their wives things.
11:05In all these years, you've never once picked something out for me. He always had the same
11:09answer. Calm and easy. The money's yours. I wouldn't know what to choose anyway. I'm no good
11:15with that kind of thing. He just didn't want to bother. Not for me. Thank you. I said and took
11:20it.
11:20It was beautiful. It was warm. A flash of surprise crossing Mia's face. She had clearly expected me
11:27to politely refuse. At breakfast, she was back to her usual self. Cheerful, talkative,
11:33dropping Julian's name into every other sentence. At one point, she looked at me and asked,
11:37Are you happy? I smiled lightly. It's fine. My husband just isn't as attentive as yours.
11:44She smiled widely at that. Then just before noon, the front door swung open. Julian's voice
11:49filled the house. Honey, I'm home. Mia and I both stood up from the couch. He walked in with
11:54their five-year-old son. The moment his eyes landed on me, he went rigid. I looked at him
12:00steadily. Which honey are you talking to? Julian's face locked up. He stood there holding the boy and
12:09said absolutely nothing. I held his gaze. My eyes said everything I didn't speak aloud. Why? How could
12:15you? Do you have any idea what you've done to your son? To your parents? He was an only child.
12:21His
12:21whole life, they had sacrificed everything for him. And he had walked away from all of it and
12:27quietly become the son of someone else's family. I would never understand it. I would never forgive
12:32it. Mia broke first. What? What does that mean? Her voice cracked. She grabbed my arm, then turned
12:38to Julian. Why is she asking you that? The paralysis broke from Julian's face. He quickly set
12:45the boy down. He took a few steps forward, then stopped. Caught exactly halfway between us,
12:49unable to choose a direction. I'll explain everything, he said weakly. Explain what? I kept my voice
12:59level. That our 12-year marriage is nothing but an empty shell. That you have no parents, no son,
13:05or that you, a married man, have been living out here as another woman's husband, and you're ready
13:11to file for divorce so she can finally have your last name? Every word landed. He had no answer. He
13:18looked
13:18like a man caught with nowhere to run. I know I don't deserve forgiveness, he finally said. I'm
13:23sorry. Mia fell apart. Sorry? What does that mean for me? She was crying now, fully. You said I was
13:30everything to you. You said I was your life. Say something. Tell me what's happening right now. And
13:35then Julian turned away from me and moved to pull her into his arms. My heart was bleeding. Fury rose
13:43through me. Then what are you saying? I demanded. He let go of her. He didn't dare hold her again.
13:49He stood there looking cornered, miserable, caught between two directions with no good move left.
13:55In the silence, my phone rang. Julian's father, a video call.
14:02I answered without hesitating and switched to the rear camera. Have you found Julian yet? The old man's
14:08voice was full of hope. He hadn't seen his son in almost two years. I walked the phone slowly across
14:14the living room until the camera landed on the family portrait on the wall. All six of them. All
14:19smiling. Found him, I said. Along with his new wife. His new son. His new daughter. His new family. I
14:27turned the camera to Julian and Mia. This is his other home. He moved in with her family. He's been
14:32taking care of them for years. I heard my father-in-law's sharp intake of breath. For a moment,
14:38he was too furious to speak. Dad, meet the new family. The old man erupted. Julian, is this what
14:45you've been doing? This? You have no regard for your mother and me. No regard for your wife and son.
14:52Are you trying to put me in the grave? Julian snapped. He lunged for the phone. Turn it off.
14:58Stop filming. Just stop. I no longer have a son. His father shouted from the screen. Do you hear
15:05me? I have no son. In the middle of it all, Mr. and Mrs. Miller walked through the front door.
15:15I ended the call. The moment Mr. and Mrs. Miller understood who I was, Mr. Miller spoke first.
15:22If Julian chose to marry my daughter and have children with her, that tells you everything
15:27about where he stands. End it clean and move on. We're not giving him up. Mrs. Miller nodded.
15:34I've treated Julian like my own son from the day he walked into this house. He and Mia love each
15:40other.
15:41That's not going to change. I turned to Julian. And what do you say? He had been staring at the
15:47floor.
15:47When my eyes finally forced his head up, he hesitated, then asked me slowly,
15:52Do you... still want me back? Before I could answer, Mia flew across the room. She dropped
15:59to the floor in front of him and grabbed his collar. What kind of question is that? If she still
16:03wants
16:04you, does that mean you'll throw me away? Julian, if you dare leave this family, I'll take the kids
16:10and end it all. I mean it. She gave you one child. I gave you two. I have given you
16:16more.
16:20Julian pulled her up and tried to calm her. I just need to know what shape... I laughed hollowly to
16:26myself. Then deliberately, I said, I want you to come home. Cut everything here off. For good.
16:34I knew exactly what he was doing. He was waiting for me to make the choice for him. Sure, that
16:39someone
16:39like me, with my standards, would never accept a man who had done this. He expected me to say,
16:44I want a divorce, and hand him his exit. When I didn't, surprise flickered across his face.
16:50Even a trace of disappointment. I stared at him. Now it's your turn to choose.
16:58His lips moved. Nothing came out. Mia shook him by the arm, crying. Say something. You said I'm the
17:04love of your life. You said you'd grow old with me. Say it to her face. Julian had no choice.
17:09He looked at me with pleading eyes. Could we just keep things the way they are? The way they are?
17:16I stared at him, cold. He wanted to keep both of us. My look made him too ashamed to repeat
17:22himself.
17:22You stay out here and keep playing husband? I go back to New York, take care of your parents,
17:29raise our son alone, run your whole life from the background, while you enjoy this one? He had nothing
17:34to say. But I could see it in his face. That was exactly what he'd hoped for. Mia grabbed his
17:40arm
17:40again, sobbing. If you don't choose this family, I'll take these kids and die in front of you.
17:45You promised me we'd grow old together. You can't abandon us. She pulled both children over to her,
17:51crying. Ask your daddy, she said to them. Ask him if he's going to keep you. The two children didn't
17:58understand what was happening. But seeing Mia cry, they cried too. Crowding into Julian's arms,
18:04heartbroken. Daddy, please don't leave us. Daddy, mommy's crying. You always said you can't stand
18:12to see mommy cry. Please. Julian finally broke. He pulled all three of them into his arms.
18:23His eyes went red. Then he looked at me. He had made his decision. Chloe, I'm sorry. I know you
18:30can manage on your own. I know you'll be okay. He swallowed. She can't. She has nothing without me.
18:37He glanced at Mia and the children, then back at me. Take everything in the house. I won't fight you
18:44for custody. But this is the choice I have to make. I'm asking you to let us go.
18:54I'm asking you to let us go. I laughed, not from humor, from the absurdity of what I was hearing.
19:00She's the one to be pitied? What about your mother, who had a stroke and can't care for herself? Who
19:06wants nothing more than to see her own son? What about your father, who broke his leg and needed
19:12you home and never once said a word about the fact that you didn't come? What about your son,
19:18who gets mocked at school for not having a father around who has cried more times than I can count?
19:23As I spoke, tears fell from my eyes. Not for him. Never again for him. Only because a man like
19:31this
19:31was never worth everything our family had given him. Julian stood there in silence. Shame was written
19:37across his entire face. Mia filled the gap. Don't worry, she said, looking at me. I'll bring his parents
19:44here. I'll take care of them myself. You don't need to concern yourself with any of it. Then her
19:49eyes hardened. And you, you knew who I was from the very beginning, didn't you? You sat there and let
19:55me talk and talk and you were just collecting evidence. What kind of person does that? I smiled
20:00at her, contemptuous. Then I called Julian's parents back right there and told them in front of everyone
20:06what Julian had chosen. Julian had chosen. His mother's voice shook with fury. If you divorce
20:16Chloe, you are not my son. Do you understand me? She has done everything for this family. For us,
20:24while you were gone and you want to throw her away? I will never accept that woman and those children.
20:30I don't know them and I never will. Julian's father said the same. Mia broke down crying.
20:36Julian was at his breaking point. I ended the call. He wiped his eyes, couldn't look at me and finally
20:42said, Chloe, I have no right to ask anything of you, but name your terms. Whatever I can give you,
20:49I will. Mia knelt down in front of me. Please, you're educated. You're capable. You're beautiful.
20:55You'll find someone better than him. I can't. He is all I have. She pulled both children over.
21:01Kneel down, she told them softly. Ask her to let your daddy stay. Two small faces turned up toward me.
21:08Please, madam, don't take our daddy.
21:15Our family needs a daddy. Otherwise, it won't be whole. She was using the children to work on my
21:20conscience. Anger surged through me. Your children need a father and mine doesn't? Mia hesitated,
21:27then said, a little wounded, your child is older. Mine are still small. I laughed. The truth is,
21:36none of these children, yours or mine, will have a father from here on out. Both Julian and Mia
21:42looked up sharply, not understanding. Not until my brother walked through the door with local police
21:48officers behind him and Julian's boss and two company directors right after. Only then did Julian
21:54understand. I had never intended to give him a choice, and I was certainly not going to let them
22:00walk away clean. The sight of so many strangers sent both children into tears. An officer quietly asked
22:11Mrs. Miller to take them to another room. Julian stood still, calm, as if he had always known this day
22:17would come. Mia was anything but. What is this? You have no right to come in here and take my
22:23husband.
22:24When no one responded to her satisfaction, she turned all of it on me. Her pointing finger trembled.
22:30You call yourself a decent person? He already told you. You can have everything. What more do you want
22:35from him? He's your son's father. How can you be this heartless? Stop. Julian touched her arm.
22:43I looked at her and said plainly, everything you've been wearing, living in, eating. That money didn't
22:50just come out of my pocket. It was dirty. It came from fraud and corruption. You told me yourself what
22:57he was giving you every month. That figure is exactly what I used as evidence. You handed it to me
23:03yourself. Julian freezed. His boss stepped forward, his disappointment total. I trusted you with this
23:14entire project. Bribery, kickbacks, substandard materials, embezzlement of public funds. I gave
23:21you everything, and this is what you did with it. Julian kept his eyes on the floor and said nothing.
23:28Mia spun toward the officers and grabbed one by the arm. We'll pay it all back. Every cent. Just
23:34please. He's a father. We have children. Please give him one more chance. Ma'am, the officer's voice
23:40was firm. This is a criminal investigation. Repayment is not the issue. I said calmly. And while that's
23:47being sorted out, Mia, you should probably find yourself a lawyer. What you and Julian have
23:53constitutes bigamy. That's a separate charge. She went white. Julian finally looked up. His control
24:00snapped. Everything I did, I'll take responsibility for all of it. But she had nothing to do with any of
24:11it. She didn't know. Why are you going after her? I smiled, cold and contemptuous. Inside, the hatred was
24:19overwhelming enough that I wanted to strike him across the face. And then, right at the peak of
24:24it, I felt it all drain away into something vast and empty. None of this is worth anything. She
24:30didn't know, I said. She knew I was your wife. She brought me home deliberately to force the
24:36confrontation. To pressure you into a divorce. And if she hadn't bragged about the $50,000 a month,
24:42I wouldn't have had the evidence I needed. Julian stared at Mia, stunned, demanding the truth.
24:53Mia shook her head frantically. I didn't know she was going to report you. I never thought she would.
24:59I played a recording. Julian's face drained of color at the first two sentences. Julian's going
25:04to have to go back and deal with his wife eventually. Even if he drags his feet, Mia will raise
25:09hell until
25:10he files. She's not the type to share. Mr. Miller's voice, unmistakable. Then Mrs. Miller's. Look at that
25:16woman. She sat here and took it all without a word. Either she has no backbone or she's playing
25:22a very long game. Oh, she's playing a game. But it won't matter. Julian has no feelings for her
25:28anymore. Mia just has to cry and he'll sign the papers. You know why Mia brought her home, right?
25:34To light the fuse herself. Julian's expression moved from shock to disbelief, to a deep,
25:39exhausted disappointment. He looked at Mia. So you knew all along that I was married. You brought her
25:46here on purpose. To force my hand. Mia couldn't argue her way out of it. She broke down and admitted
25:53it through tears. I just wanted you to belong to me completely. What's wrong with that? I never thought
25:59she'd go this far. I never thought she'd actually... Mr. Miller, who had said nothing until now,
26:04opened his mouth and immediately began deflecting blame. If you weren't so spineless and indecisive,
26:11none of this would have happened. Now you've brought this on yourself. What happens to the
26:15children? What happens to Mia? What are we supposed to do? How do we ever show our faces around here
26:21again?
26:26Julian suddenly laughed. As he laughed, tears slipped from the corners of his eyes. His face was full of
26:33helpless, exhausted disbelief at how stupid Mia had been. For a moment, he genuinely didn't know who
26:39to blame. He kept his head down the entire walk to the police car. Outside, people had gathered. Then
26:46more from neighboring streets. By the time the officers walked Julian out, over a thousand people
26:52were watching. All of them there to see the most famously devoted husband in town taken away in
26:57handcuffs. His wife back in New York is beautiful, educated. A professor, I heard. And he threw all of
27:03that away for this. Men are never satisfied. Doesn't matter how good things are at home. He did
27:09everything Mia said. Never questioned her once. And he was rotten the whole time. Mia knew he was
27:15married. Brought his wife here herself to force a divorce. Backfired, didn't it? Tried to steal
27:21another woman's husband and burned her own life down. At the police car door, Julian stopped. He turned
27:28and found me in the crowd. Take care of yourself, he said quietly. I'm sorry, Chloe. Find someone who
27:34deserves you. I looked at him. I said nothing. He got in.
27:44Mia ran after the car. Stumbling, falling, picking herself up, and running again. Pounding on the window,
27:50screaming his name until it turned the corner and disappeared. She came back and collapsed at my feet.
27:56Please. She was on her knees in front of everyone, past caring who saw. Please help him. You're educated.
28:04You understand how this works better than I do. I don't care about anything else anymore. I just
28:09need him not to go to prison. She held onto the hem of my coat. Believe me or don't, but
28:14I did love him.
28:15That part was real. I looked at her calmly. The hatred I had carried into this situation was gone.
28:28She kept going. Her voice breaking. I genuinely didn't know he was married when we first got
28:34together. I found out when our son was almost a year old. I found a photo of you on his
28:38phone.
28:39By then, I was already in too deep. The children, this house, my parents. We were all depending on him.
28:47I didn't know what to do. I know nothing I say matters now. I'm only asking if there's anything you
28:52can do. She didn't get up. She just stayed there on the ground in front of everyone, her hand clutching
28:57my coat, not caring about the stairs. I reached down and removed her hand. I looked at her.
29:03You know what your tears mean to me? I said quietly. Crocodile tears. She blinked up at me.
29:09Then she folded over and wept into the ground, and I walked away.
29:19I did not soften. I pressed forward with every charge, including bigamy. Julian's parents never
29:26blamed me. They supported every decision I made. My son did not take it well. He spent months in
29:31therapy, struggling to accept that his father had another family out there, other children,
29:36living a parallel life. It took a long time. Six months later, Mia was sentenced to one year
29:42for bigamy. Julian's sentencing came three months after that. The court found that he had embezzled
29:47nearly $97 million, taken over $10 million in bribes, paid out $60 million in kickbacks,
29:53misused $20 million in public funds, violated construction regulations, and committed bigamy.
29:58Multiple charges, concurrent sentencing, 11 years. He asked to see me the day he was taken in.
30:04I didn't go. I sent my lawyer to handle the divorce. Julian's parents were good to me and my son
30:10until the end. Before they passed, they transferred both of their properties into my son's name and left
30:15everything they had to us. I kept my promise to them regardless. I cared for them, and I was there
30:21when they left. In the seventh year of Julian's sentence, they both passed. His mother went first,
30:32another stroke, too severe to survive. His father followed the next day. They had been devoted to
30:38each other their entire lives. He simply could not face a morning without her. I arranged a proper
30:44funeral for both of them. I had my lawyer notify Julian. He sent back one message through the
30:49attorney. Thank you. Can I see you? I didn't respond. My son was accepted to an Ivy League school
30:54the following year. That, more than anything, let me breathe. I heard Mia remarried about three years
31:00after her release. A divorced man with two children of his own. She moved on. I moved on, too. My
31:06son
31:06played matchmaker. He introduced me to the single father of one of his college friends. By then, I
31:11wasn't looking for anything grand. What I found instead was someone steady, someone present, someone
31:17who picked up when I called. We agreed from the start. No children together. We weren't starting over
31:22from scratch. We were two people who chose to share the rest of the road. Three years into that
31:27marriage. Julian was released. He came to find me. Eleven years had not been kind to him. He looked far
31:33older than a man his age should. Worn down. Diminished. Nothing left of the confidence he used
31:40to carry. He stood at my door and asked quietly, Chloe, is there any way I could come home? I
31:46looked
31:47at him. I took your advice. I said, I found someone good. I married him.
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