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The Key Fob - FULL | DramaReel
#shortdrama
#heartstringshub
#shortdrama
#heartstringshub
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Short filmTranscript
00:03something was wrong with the key fob i didn't know it yet not really it would take another 48 hours
00:10until my life actually fell apart before i understood what this feeling was right now
00:15it was just a quiet ache a small persistent sense that something was off it hit me the second i
00:23stepped out of the elevator and saw rosa standing outside my door sweating twisting her hands
00:27together mrs hayes i'm so sorry dinner's gonna be late i was stuck downstairs for 40 minutes
00:33no one was at the front desk and mr hayes didn't answer his phone i stopped short one heel already
00:38off rosa didn't derrick give you the spare keyfab i gave it to him a month ago it was for
00:42you the key
00:43fad no ma'am mr hayes never gave me anything never not once this month i've been sneaking in behind
00:49other residents or calling him to buzz me up today he didn't answer she looked confused my stomach
00:55tightened it was a subtle feeling like someone pressing a thumb into a bruise you forgot you had
01:02okay don't worry about it go start dinner she hurried off toward the kitchen relieved i stayed in the
01:08entryway of my 3 000 square foot upper west side penthouse and pulled out my phone i bought this
01:13apartment when i was 26 paid in full the deed was in my name natalie carter not hayes i kept
01:23my last name
01:23on every legal document because the first thing my father ever taught me was this always put your
01:28own name on the things you own our smart lock logged every entry fingerprint code key fob down to the
01:37second derek and i both used fingerprints we never used the fob i opened the app scrolled through the last
01:4530
01:4717 entries my thumb stopped i stared at the number until the screen did 17 times someone had entered
01:56my home 17 times using a fob that was supposed to be in rosa's hand it wasn't rosa it wasn't
02:02me and it
02:04wasn't derek i remembered handing it to him a month ago right here in this exact spot that little blue
02:11fob in
02:11my hand the new housekeeper starts tomorrow give her this so she can get in he took it with that
02:16smile
02:17that warm easy confident smile that made me fall for him at 20 and somehow hadn't changed in eight
02:23years relax babe i'll take care of it i walked into the kitchen and poured myself a glass of water
02:29my hand was steady my face was calm but somewhere deep in my chest something had started to hum like
02:37a
02:37machine warming up i didn't know what it was yet i would derek got home at 7 30. he dropped
02:45his briefcase
02:46by the console loosened his tie kicked off his shoes every movement looked exactly like every other night
02:53for the last four years hey babe brutal day i was stretched across the couch with a magazine i hadn't
03:00read a single word of rosa was late today she said she doesn't have the key fob his hand froze
03:06on his
03:06tie if i hadn't been watching for it i would have missed it oh yeah he gave a dry little
03:13laugh and
03:13avoided my eyes i gave it to you right right i've just been slammed lately i probably tossed it in
03:20some
03:20drawer somewhere you know how it is he was already moving toward the kitchen trying to put space between
03:25us trying to end the conversation i'll stop by the building management office tomorrow and get a
03:31replacement no it came out too loud too sharp like i'd stepped on his tail he saw my face and
03:39instantly dialed it back forcing a casual smile giving me a light shrug i mean those things cost
03:45like 100 bucks right i'll look for it this weekend it's probably behind the night stand or something
03:48a hundred dollars my monthly co-op fees were 4200 and he was panicking over a 100 key fob you
03:56sure
03:57of course he walked over and rested a hand on my shoulder his palm was warm familiar babe you've been
04:04stressed lately you're reading way too much into this don't worry i've got it i let him touch me
04:10pulling away now would tell him too much and i wasn't ready to show my hand okay i watched his
04:17shoulders
04:17loosen like air leaving a tire then he turned and headed for the kitchen already lighter already
04:23convinced he'd gotten away with it a man with nothing to hide would not panic because his wife
04:28mentioned replacing a key fob i set the magazine down my jaw was tight my pulse was steady and the
04:35machine inside my chest kept humming louder i waited until 2 in the morning derek was dead asleep his
04:43breathing filled the dark bedroom slow and even i reached for his phone on the nightstand passcode 0714
04:50my birthday he'd never changed it that tiny cruel detail lodged between my ribs like a pen his texts were
04:59clean call log normal photo library standard his social media accounts were locked behind a three-day
05:07recovery setting everything had been wiped down neat controlled spotless i opened amazon and checked his
05:16orders protein powder phone charger running shoes i was about to close the app when my thumb hit the
05:24edge of the screen and a menu popped up i almost missed it archived orders people always forget about
05:31that they think deleting an order makes it disappear they don't realize amazon just tucks it away in a
05:37hidden folder and leaves it there like a landmine one item eight days ago a tiffany t smile pendant 18
05:45carat rose gold 2400 dollars shipped to derrick's office in murray hill recipient megan ellis the air left
05:55my lungs like i've been punched megan ellis 22. she'd been at derrick's firm for three months as a junior
06:03assistant last month i met her at a team dinner she wore a white dress had wide glossy eyes and
06:10a
06:10voice sweet as syrup she offered me the shrimp with an eager smile and told me i was even prettier
06:16than
06:16derrick said then she leaned over to refill his juice her eyes held as a second too long i noticed
06:23i noticed
06:24but i told myself not to because that's what love does it sands down the sharp edges until they fit
06:31a
06:32story you can live with on the drive home that night i brought her up casual light your new assistant
06:38is pretty he didn't even turn his head she's good still learning but sharp just needs the right
06:45guidance guidance apparently that included a 2400 tiffany necklace hidden from his wife i put the phone
06:53back where it was then i laid down and stared at the ceiling my throat burned my eyes burned every
07:01cell in my body wanted to shake him awake and ask who is she what is she to you what
07:06have you done
07:07but i didn't because all i had was a missing key fob 17 entry logs and a hidden jewelry order
07:15circumstantial and men like derrick could talk their way out of circumstantial all it took was the right
07:21smile the right tone and one soft little babe you're overthinking this i needed more i needed proof that
07:28couldn't be explained away the kind that hit one nerve and brought a man down on the spot i took
07:34a deep
07:34breath let it out slowly counted my heartbeat until it steadied part of me is stupid oil girl i used
07:41to be
07:42the one who first kissed him in washington square park in my early 20s was still screaming you're wrong
07:47this is nothing he loves you he's always loved you go back to sleep i could feel that girl dying
07:55inside me
07:56little by little i'm sorry i couldn't save her the next night derrick came out of the shower with a
08:03towel around his neck hair still damp i stood at the vanity brush in hand watching him through the
08:09mirror assistant at your office megan how's she doing in the mirror his hand paused over the hair
08:17dryer just for a second then it kicked on hot air filling the room megan his voice lifted over the
08:24noise convenient she's great crushed it on the henderson account total go-getter actually i got
08:33her a little congratulatory gift a necklace a team souvenir good job keep it up that sort of thing he
08:39brought
08:40it up himself volunteered it smooth easy like he'd rehearsed it in the bathroom a necklace nothing
08:49appropriate just a simple piece you know gen z kids you have to give them something shiny or they
08:54tune you up he walked over wrapped his arms around my shoulders and rested his chin on my head you're
09:00not
09:00jealous are you not no she works on my team that's all he kissed my cheek come to bed he
09:10walked away
09:10i set the brush down his performance was flawless every pause every inflection precision built but he
09:19didn't know something about me something almost nobody did i don't trust words i stopped trusting them
09:27when i was 12 after my grandfather's funeral when my father pulled me aside and said natalie listen to
09:32me people say what they want you to hear i've known derek for eight years and tonight in front of
09:40that
09:40mirror all he did was perform at two in the morning i slipped out of bed barefoot the apartment was
09:46pitch
09:46dark city light spilled through the windows laying silver bars across the floor i moved through my own
09:52home like a ghost six months earlier i'd installed a small security camera on the bookshelf back then
09:58we had a cat and i liked checking in on her during the day later she went to live with
10:02my parents in
10:03connecticut the camera stayed where it was unplugged forgotten behind a row of hard covers derek had
10:09forgotten it existed i pulled over a small step stool climbed up and found the camera tucked behind
10:15east of eden and a coffee table book on italian architecture it was coated in dust i brushed it
10:21off my hands were steady even though my heart was pounding so hard it felt loud enough to carry
10:26through the walls i plugged it in the red light blinked once then came alive i adjusted the angle
10:32full view of the living room the front door the hallway to the bedroom no blind spots i opened the
10:38app on my phone the feed loaded in sharp green night vision my couch my coffee table my front door
10:46my home reduced to a surveillance feed i climbed down put the stool back and slipped into bed derek
10:53was still asleep in his sleep he wrapped an arm around my waist and pulled me closer i let him
10:59lying there in the dark in the arms of a man i wasn't sure i knew anymore i made a
11:04promise to myself
11:05if the camera caught nothing i would delete the footage and never bring it up again i'd book us a
11:11trip
11:11i'd try harder i'd tell myself it was stress exhaustion maybe paranoia but it was all just in
11:18my head but if it caught something my jaw locked so tight my teeth hurt if it caught something i
11:25wouldn't cry i wouldn't scream i would destroy him so completely he'd spend the rest of his life
11:30trying to figure out what exactly happened three days nothing happened day one rosa mopped the floors
11:37derek watched espn in bed by 11 day two empty apartment derek reheated leftovers scrolled his phone
11:46day three same thing normal by friday afternoon i was sitting in my office staring at the live feed
11:53of an empty living room feeling insane sunlight stretched across the leather couch a speck of
11:59dust drifted through frame the most dramatic thing that had happened in three days was rosa knocking over
12:04a vase maybe i really was losing it i closed the app and forced myself back to work maybe this
12:11weekend
12:11i'd uninstall the camera and book two tickets to turks and cacus maybe i even owed derek an apology for
12:17carrying my suspicion around like a loaded weapon at 3 30 my assistant knocked on the door natalie
12:23the westfield deal hit a wall they need you in hartford tonight it's a two-hour drive meetings first thing
12:28tomorrow okay i'm going home to grab a bag i got back to the apartment a little after four pressed
12:39my
12:39thumb to the lock the door opened the shower was running i froze one foot in the entryway one still
12:47in the hall steam drifted out of the bathroom in hot waves the air smelled like body wash my body
12:53wash
12:54lou labo santal it was four on a friday afternoon derek had told me that morning he'd be in meetings
13:00until six my heart rate instantly shot from 60 to 100 the water shut off the bathroom door swung open
13:08derek stepped out in the towel hair dripping skin flushed from the heat he saw me and went completely
13:14still and for one naked second i saw it on his face real fear not inconvenience not surprise the kind
13:23that hits when you realize you've been caught in the center of something not near the edge of it
13:27his eyes widened his mouth parted every muscle locked then the mask dropped he smiled warm concerned
13:35perfect nat you're home early work trip hartford i need clothes my voice sounded normal i still don't
13:46know how i thought your meetings went till six they got moved up wrapped early came home to relax he
13:53was
13:53already opening his arms coming toward me you should have called i would have picked you up
13:59i'm fine i walked past him into the bathroom he didn't follow but i could feel his stare burning
14:05into the back of my neck the room felt like a sauna the mirror was fogged over every surface shimmered
14:12with condensation i scanned the counter his razor my skin care everything arranged exactly where it should be
14:20then i saw the body cream la mer 300 i'd bought it two weeks ago i used it the way
14:27people use something
14:28that costs 300 with restraint with reverence a fingertip at a time i picked it up my stomach dropped it
14:36was almost
14:37weightless it should have been three quarters full instead it was nearly empty i held it up to the light
14:44tilting it a thin smear clung to the bottom that was it two weeks three hundred dollars
14:51gone derrick didn't use body cream in eight years he never had someone had been in my bathroom not
14:59passing through not as a guest someone comfortable enough to stand there and use my 300 cream like it
15:05was drugstore lotion in a gym locker room my hands started shaking i set the jar down turned on the
15:12faucet
15:12and splashed cold water onto my face i watched it spiral down the drain and breathed again again
15:20until the shaking stopped i dried my face i walked out i packed in under three minutes kissed derrick
15:28on the cheek let him wheel my suitcase to the elevator let him press the button tell me to drive
15:33safe and
15:34wave as the door slid shut the second they closed i collapsed against the metal wall my reflection
15:39stared back at me in the brushed steel doors a woman with red eyes and a jaw tight enough to
15:44crack stone
15:45the key fob the necklace the four o'clock shower the empty jar this wasn't suspicion anymore by nine
15:52i was in hartford i didn't unpack i didn't turn on the lights i sat on the hotel bed in
15:59my coat and
15:59opened the camera app with shaking hands the feed loaded derrick stretched out on the couch sweaty phone in
16:06hand scrolling endlessly laughing at something on his screen a man with nothing on his conscience
16:13and nowhere else he needed to be i watched for 10 minutes 15 minutes my eyes burned my body was
16:21exhausted but my brain wouldn't stop i was just about to close the app just about to tell myself again
16:27that i was out of my mind then the speaker on my phone caught a sound beep the electronic chirp
16:33of the
16:33front door of mom 10 47 pm my heart stopped i felt it one hard useless beat inside my chest
16:41i felt my life split cleanly in two at that exact moment derrick on the screen heard it too but
16:47he
16:47didn't flinch he didn't jump up he didn't grab a weapon didn't call the police and didn't do any of
16:53the things a man does when a stranger opens his front door at almost 11 at night he sprang off
16:57the couch
16:58like he'd been waiting for that sound all evening his expression changed the boredom vanished instantly
17:03replaced by an emotion i knew well but hadn't seen directly with me in a long time want hunger joy
17:10he
17:10practically ran into the foyer the door opened a girl walked in young early 20s wearing a white bodycon
17:19dress stiletto heels she tossed a small blue object onto the entry table without even looking
17:25the key fob my key fob she tossed it down casually like she'd done it a hundred times before she
17:32bent
17:33down and picked up a pair of pale pink silk slippers by the door my slippers the pair derrick had
17:38given me
17:39for my birthday last year she threw her arms open crossed the last three steps and launched herself
17:44into derrick's arms baby i missed you i knew that voice i'd heard that same voice tell me you're even
17:51prettier than derrick said offering me shrimp wearing a sugar sweet smile megan ellis derrick
17:58caught her lifted her up and kissed her neck jesus you took forever i was dying over here i had
18:05to get
18:05ready besides your wife's gone for the week we've got plenty of time relax derrick laughed he scooped her
18:14up carried her through the living room into the primary bedroom my bedroom door slammed shut the screen showed
18:21an empty living room her heels abandoned on the floor the blue key fob glinting under the lights
18:26i stared at it until my vision blurred hot tears welling up like a spring burning down my cheeks
18:32my thumb found derrick's contact and hovered over the call button every nerve in my body screamed at
18:37me to dial to make him hear me breaking to force him to explain beg lie do something anything because
18:43the silence was crushing me my finger trembled over the screen no i closed my eyes and i pressed the
18:50phone
18:50to my forehead i let myself cry i let out ugly broken sobs burying my mouth in the hotel pillow
18:55so
18:56no one next door would hear i gave myself five minutes five minutes to be the girl who loved him
19:01then i stopped i wiped my face blew my nose i sat up straight if i called now he'd know
19:09i was watching
19:10him he'd destroy the evidence he'd build a flawless lie before sunrise and i'd be left looking like the
19:16paranoid wife who destroyed herself over a misunderstanding no i was going to document
19:21every second every visit every word they were sleeping in my bed under my sheets using my things
19:28laughing at me every single night when i had gathered enough evidence i would walk into a room
19:33packed with every person he had ever tried to impress and project these videos onto a screen the
19:38size of a wall he wouldn't suspect a thing he would walk out of my life with absolutely nothing
19:43i opened the app i hit record i worked until dawn i didn't go back to the apartment the next
19:50morning
19:51i called derek and told him the hartford deal was more complicated than expected it could take a week
19:56he sounded pleased take your time baby i'll hold down the fort that night i sat in my hotel room
20:02with
20:02every light off the security feed glowing on my phone screen room service sat untouched on the table
20:08i couldn't eat my stomach was clenched so tight it wouldn't let anything in at 9 38 pm the front
20:15door
20:15unlocked she walked in like she lived there she kicked off her heels and slipped into my slippers
20:20moved quietly into the kitchen opened my fridge pulled out a bottle of sancerre i'd been saving for
20:27friday night with my husband she poured herself a glass derek came up behind her wrapped an arm around
20:33her waist and buried his face in her neck she laughed and pushed his hand away let me have one
20:39sip first you can drink later unbelievable she took a long sip set the glass down and turned in his
20:46arms
20:48i want to try on more of her clothes tonight that valentino in the back of the closet the black
20:53one go
20:54ahead she has amazing taste megan pulled open my walk-in closet like she was browsing a boutique
21:00her fingers moved across my clothes pausing on fabrics checking labels too bad her personality
21:07doesn't match does she seriously do nothing but work and sleep is that it derek dropped onto my bed
21:14my bed the two thousand dollar mattress i bought because of my back he stretched out hands behind
21:20his head and watched megan undress natalie's basically a machine she knows how to make money that's her function
21:30everything else nothing no warmth no fun no spontaneity living with her is like living with
21:36a really efficient appliance my throat closed nausea rolled through me i watched megan try on three of
21:43my dresses she modeled each one turned posed asked derrick what he thought he gave lazy little opinions
21:49like a man flipping through a catalog my hands were shaking so badly the image shook up with them so
21:54i
21:54propped my phone against a pillow locked both hands between my knees and watched them disappear
21:59into the bedroom together while the living room went dark and silent by the second night something
22:04deep inside me had cracked megan was stretched across my couch with her head in derrick's lap
22:09eating strawberries out of the ceramic bowl my mother gave us as a wedding gift the one with
22:13the hand-painted blue rim she flaunted in from ohio wrapped in layers of bubble wrap because
22:18she'd been terrified it would break you think she suspects anything not a chance natalie's sharp in
22:23business but when it comes to me she doesn't question me that's the beauty of it i've played
22:28the perfect husband for eight years you could knock on her door and introduce yourself and she still
22:32wouldn't believe i was cheating what if she finds out she won't and worst case scenario i walk away
22:40with half the apartment that place is worth four million now two million to end a marriage i'd sign
22:47those papers with a smile megan rolled over and looked up at him and then what you and me we
22:54get
22:54a place in tributa rooftop full service building this time my name goes on the deed your name goes on
23:01everything she hooked a finger in his collar pulled him down and kissed him i watched all of it from
23:08a hotel
23:09room two hours away through a fire screen that blew in full sat on the coffee table while my husband
23:14promised another woman like like it was to give away this time i didn't cry something had changed
23:20over those two nights something fundamental shifted inside me like a bone snapping back into place
23:26the grief was still there it sat in my chest like a shard of glass cutting deeper every time i
23:32breathed
23:32but around it something else was forming something cold something solid something that would not bend
23:40by friday morning i had enough hours of footage clear video clean audio megan called me boring
23:48a dried up workaholic a woman who couldn't keep a man interested derrick called me an appliance
23:55promised her my money my home my future i saved every second three cloud
24:02backups one flash drive one encrypted email account only i could access
24:07then i picked up the phone and called the best divorce attorney in manhattan
24:11claire song's office was on the 43rd floor of a glass high-rise on park avenue
24:15she charged 1100 an hour she had never lost a case she cared about i sat across from her desk
24:22and talked
24:22for 45 straight minutes no pause no hesitation i showed her the security footage the key fob records
24:29and the archived necklace order she watched everything in silence like a hawk tracking
24:34movement on the ground when i finished she sat down her pen and looked at me how badly do you
24:41want to
24:41ruin him i want him out of my life with nothing left no money no legal claim no dignity then
24:49let's talk about
24:50what you have she tapped the flash drive in new york divorce doesn't automatically mean a 50 50 split
24:57the apartment was yours before the marriage it's in your name and you paid for it he has no claim
25:04to
25:04the principal he might try to go after the post-marital appreciation but with this footage a cheating
25:09spouse caught on camera planning to steal his wife's assets no judge in this city would give him a glass
25:15of
25:15water let alone a settlement what else claire raised an eyebrow i opened my bag and pulled out a second
25:21folder inside were 12 months of bank statements every withdrawal circled in red two hundred thousand
25:28dollars taken from our joint account over the last year he said it was business expenses investment
25:34opportunities and loans to college friends i laid the statements out in front of her
25:39it all went to offshore gambling sites sports betting online poker blackjack he lost every cent claire
25:47picked up the statements and started reading her face stayed unreadable but her jaw tightened there's
25:53more i placed the last file on her desk three weeks ago he applied for a five hundred thousand dollar
26:00private loan to secure that loan he submitted a document with my company seal on it as collateral
26:06but he never had access to that seal so he faked it claire read the document twice when she looked
26:13up
26:13her eyes were sharp that's corporate forgery if money moved electronically that can become wire fraud
26:20federal charges three to seven years i know you want to go to the police not yet i leaned forward
26:28because of his gambling i get my money back and cut off any claim he has to our joint assets
26:33the forged document is my backup if he fights the divorce if he stalls i hand this over to the
26:40police
26:40and we can negotiate from a holding cell claire studied me for a moment when will you move out
26:46on my birthday two weeks from saturday my heart was pounding but my voice stayed calm i'm throwing a
26:53party at the apartment our families his co-workers our friends everyone who matters to him will be in that
27:01room
27:01you want to serve him at the party i want the footage playing on the 65 inch tv in my
27:06living room
27:07in front of everyone he's ever tried to impress then i hand him the papers by then he'll sign anything
27:14and if he doesn't i tapped the forgery file then he can sign in jail claire took out a fresh
27:22legal pad
27:22tell me exactly how you want this to go we worked for three hours when i left her office the
27:30sun was
27:30dropping over midtown manhattan and the sky looked like it was on fire i stood on park avenue with my
27:35bag on my shoulder and felt something i hadn't felt in weeks control over the next 14 days i built
27:42the
27:42trap carefully derek handled the party himself the catering the liquor the flowers even the cake he was
27:49excited babe it's just that simple celebrating with family and close friends you deserve the best
27:55i let him take care of everything but i added three things he knew nothing about two private security
28:00guards at the front door and one signal for me meant no one was getting out a smart lock on
28:04the
28:04bedroom closet that i could control with my phone and my phone synced to the tv via bluetooth the footage
28:10showed that megan ellis came back twice over the next two weeks the last time two days before the
28:15party she pulled my reformation slip dress out of the closet the one derrick gave me for our
28:20anniversary i'm keeping this it's yours he said i saved the clip added it to the file and closed my
28:28laptop my alarm went off at five on the morning of my birthday i lay in the dark beside derrick
28:33breathing
28:34deeply in out in out today i felt calm not a fragile forced calm but a deep grounded one
28:44like every decision had already been made i got up i showered i put on my best dress i did
28:51my
28:51makeup with a steady hand tonight it ends everything in the apartment was perfect white peonies filled
28:59every corner cold appetizers and crab cakes were laid out on the marble countertop in the corner a
29:05bartender mixed cocktails candlelight flickered soft music drifted through the room guests started
29:12arriving between six and seven derrick's parents came first his mom patricia wore a silk blouse
29:18heavy gold jewelry and high heels her shoes clipped across my hardwood floor as she looked around the
29:23apartment with the pride of someone who thought she had arranged it herself his dad came in behind her
29:28silent as always then my parents arrived my dad robert wore a navy blazer he stood straight carrying the
29:37calm of a man who had spent 30 years picking lies apart my mom wore beige cashmere she looked elegant
29:43but her eyes were sharp then came derrick's co-workers our college friends my business partners 23 guests
29:51gathered in my living room filled with laughter champagne and the easy hum of conversation that
29:55comes with a successful life derrick was incredible there was no better word for him he took coats for me
30:02refill glasses led my mom to the best seat in the room and told my dad the knicks looked good
30:06this
30:06season he placed one hand at my waist and said the same thing to every guest who walked in i'm
30:11the
30:12luckiest man in the world natalie sweetheart you look exhausted have you been sleeping well i worry about
30:18you working so hard a woman who pours all her energy into her career can sometimes lose sight of what
30:24really matters thank you for your concern patricia my dad saw me from across the room he went alert at
30:32once he knew something was wrong he read people the way a pilot reads instruments and right now i shook
30:38my head slightly not yet soon by 7 30 everyone was there the security guards were in place in my
30:47bedroom
30:47closet megan ellis was curled up in the dark squeezed between my winter coats and a row of dusty handbags
30:53trying to breathe as quietly as she could i knew she was there three hours earlier while i was at
30:59the
30:59salon i had watched on my phone as derrick sneaked her in through the back entrance she was wearing my
31:05anniversary dress she was supposed to stay hidden until the party was over then leave the same way she
31:10came that was derrick's plan thank you all so much for coming this is the best birthday ever people smiled
31:24and raised their glasses derrick stood beside me smiling too before we cut the cake i want to show
31:30you something derrick's been getting a little surprise ready for me in the bedroom and i think now is the
31:35perfect time to open it nat the bedroom's not ready it's a mess let's stay out here a little longer
31:44don't be shy everyone come with me i walked toward the primary bedroom and all 23 guests followed
31:50derrick stumbled after us his eyes darting around sweat already beating on his forehead
31:55i opened the bedroom door the bed was neatly made the curtains were closed and everything looked perfect
32:02thud a dull sound hit from inside the closet something had slammed against the door derrick threw
32:08himself in front of the door arms spread wide pressing his back against it sweat darkened his shirt
32:14under the arms his smile was the worst i had ever seen it's a cat a stray cat got in
32:20somehow
32:22derrick we're on the 32nd floor i know i know but city cats are crazy they get into pipes vents
32:27all kinds of places a cat locked itself in the closet it must have hit the lash listen i'll call
32:34animal control no need i already asked security to come upstairs frank should be here any second
32:42mrs carter i was told there's an animal in the closet frank would you mind sir step aside oh oh
32:52it's locked from the inside see the cat must have jammed the lock we should just leave it there really
32:58it's probably terrified i lifted my phone put my thumb on the screen derrick cats can't lock doors
33:06i tapped the screen the lock clicked open i looked at derrick one last time he was shaking not a
33:13little
33:14his eyes were full of pleading but i was never going to give him anything again the door slid open
33:20a scream tore through the room megan ellis was curled up in the corner behind my winter coats
33:26her knees were pulled close to her chest while mascara ran down her face in thin black trails
33:31she was wearing the reformation dress no one spoke no one moved no one even breathed the silence lasted
33:39three full seconds so heavy as if it had weight texture and gravity then the room exploded people
33:47gasped someone cursed under their breath a glass shattered my mom covered her mouth in shock patricia
33:54let out a cry like an animal in pain derrick's knees gave out he didn't sit down he didn't ease
34:00himself
34:01to the floor he just collapsed like a building coming down his knees hit the hardwood with a hard
34:07crack i stood over them my husband on the floor his mistress in my closet i looked at both of
34:14them
34:14cold spread through me all the way to my fingertips everyone i said my voice was steady precise like a
34:22surgeon's hand come take a look at the stray cat i turned and walked back into the living room
34:27the others followed in horrified silence megan scrambled out after us she was panicking words
34:34tumbling over each other it's not what you think i was helping with a surprise derrick asked me to
34:43derrick grabbed that lie like a drowning man grabbing a lifeline right yes she was planning a birthday
34:49surprise she was supposed to wear my dress i said without turning around the one you stole from my closet
34:58two days ago silence i walked to the tv picked up the remote and connected it to my phone then
35:05i turned
35:05to face the crowd derrick says megan was here planning a surprise great then let me show you all a
35:12video
35:13of them getting ready natalie don't derrick shot to his feet and munged at me my dad moved not fast
35:20not
35:21careful robert carter stepped between us like a wall derrick slammed into his chest and stumbled back
35:28you touch her again my dad said his voice shaking with rage and i'll snap every bone in that hand
35:35derrick sat down i pressed play the tv lit up 65 inches of high definition security footage megan walking
35:44through the front door a key fob in her hand my slippers on her feet my robe wrapped around her
35:50walking around my apartment trying on my clothes drinking my wine the audio filled the room every
35:58word was clear she really thinks you love her natalie's a machine she makes money that's all she does
36:03what about me baby you and me tribeca your name on everything
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