- 1 day ago
Clearing My Name - Full
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00:00Ten years ago, the Hudson River Bridge One was responsible for building collapsed, causing mass casualties.
00:07My parents screamed that I was a murderer and cut off all ties with me.
00:11The victims' families doused me in gasoline, ready to die alongside me.
00:15And so, I spent ten years in prison.
00:18After my release, I changed my name, found a coffee shop in a small upstate New York town, and became
00:24a barista.
00:25Life was quiet, peaceful.
00:27Just when I thought it would stay that way forever, my ex-husband, Silas Sterling, came looking for me.
00:33The architectural firm he'd founded had long since gone public.
00:36He was at the peak of everything.
00:38The reporters swarming around him turned all their cameras on me.
00:42Mr. Sterling has been engaged for ten years but never married.
00:45Has he been waiting for you this whole time?
00:46I let out a cold laugh.
00:48What they didn't know was that ten years ago, it was Silas Sterling himself who let his little mistress infiltrate
00:55the construction crew to pocket kickbacks.
00:57And when everything fell apart, he made me take the fall.
01:01Under the blaze of camera flashes, Silas Sterling's face remained cold and composed.
01:07Welcome to my humble cafe, Mr. Silas.
01:10Can I get a picture?
01:11My daughter's gonna lose her mind.
01:13Please?
01:15When he noticed I hadn't moved, he turned and called out to me specifically.
01:19Alara, come take a photo with Mr. Sterling.
01:21He's the youngest CEO in the world.
01:23A photo with him will bring so much traffic to the shop, and I'll give you a raise!
01:26The moment my boss called out, my hands froze over the cup I was washing.
01:31Miss Vance, so you've been hiding here in a coffee shop!
01:34You were once a world-renowned genius architect.
01:37Doesn't it feel like a fall from grace washing cups like this?
01:40We've heard your ex-husband has been waiting for you all these years, postponing his wedding again and again.
01:44What do you make of that?
01:45I ignored the microphones, practically jabbing at my face, and kept my hands busy with work.
01:50But the cup in my grip was trembling badly.
01:53I knew Silas Sterling's methods.
01:55I didn't believe for one second he had any deep feelings for me.
01:58I stayed on guard, the standoff dragged on, until Silas stepped in front of me and blocked the cameras with
02:04his body.
02:05What happens today is between me and my former wife.
02:07We won't be taking any interviews, please clear the area.
02:10Then he turned to look at me, his gaze deep and unreadable.
02:13Alara.
02:17It's been a long time.
02:18After so many years hearing his voice again, I couldn't stop my hand from jerking.
02:36How are you always so careless?
02:38I pulled my hand back immediately and turned to my boss with repeated apologies.
02:42I'm so sorry.
02:43I'll clean it up myself and please deduct the cost of the cup from my wages.
02:48Before my boss could even recover from the shock, a bright female voice floated in from the doorway.
02:53Simus, what are you doing here?
02:56You left without a word.
02:58Mom, Dad, and I were so worried about you.
03:01I looked toward the voice.
03:03A woman walked in from the doorway, smiling softly,
03:06naturally taking Silas' hand and pressing a light kiss to the corner of his lips.
03:11She was the true culprit behind the Hudson River bridge collapse ten years ago.
03:16She was also Silas Sterling's current fiancée, Ivy Thorne.
03:21And behind her, the very people who had cut me off ten years ago, my own parents.
03:28Ivy's gaze swept over to me.
03:30She smiled, cold and contemptuous.
03:33Mrs. Vance, the great architect.
03:35It's been a long time.
03:36Oh, by the way, your parents have officially taken me in as their adopted daughter.
03:42I suppose I should be calling you Big Sister.
03:46I glanced past her at my parents.
03:48They had aged so much.
03:50Compared to ten years ago, their backs were bent, their hair completely white.
03:55A fine, dense pain bloomed in my chest all at once.
03:59I wondered what they would think if they knew that the daughter they had taken in
04:03was the very person who had put their real daughter away.
04:07We only have one daughter, and it's Ivy.
04:09A woman who threw away human lives for a little money.
04:12Looking at her turns my stomach.
04:14Silas, why would you come looking for someone like this?
04:17This kind of scum.
04:18Better if she just died out there.
04:19The moment my parents spoke, everyone in the shop, including my boss,
04:24turned to look at me with strange expressions.
04:26I turned my face away.
04:28I forced the pain down and refused to meet my parents' eyes.
04:33Don't blame her parents.
04:35What happened back then was a devastating blow to them.
04:38He reached into his jacket and produced a gold-trimmed business card,
04:42holding it out to me.
04:44I owe you more than I can repay.
04:46Call me anytime you need anything.
04:47I didn't refuse Silas' card.
04:50Or rather, I accepted it the way I would a card from any ordinary customer,
04:55politely, and then set it down to the side without another look.
04:59I didn't believe Silas had sought me out on purpose,
05:02and I had no intention of ever seeing him again.
05:05Then, three days later, my boss called, and his voice was thick with discomfort.
05:10Alora, I'm really sorry.
05:13I had no idea you had such a distinguished background.
05:17Someone like you making coffee in a little shop like mine,
05:21it was never a good fit.
05:22I've counted this month as full attendance,
05:26and your wages will be in your account shortly.
05:29Take tomorrow off.
05:31You don't need to come in.
05:33He hung up before I could get a word out.
05:35I tried to call back.
05:36He had already blocked my number.
05:38A text arrived seconds later.
05:40My wages had been deposited.
05:42$4,500.
05:44The extra $1,000 is my apology.
05:47Our little shop can't handle this kind of attention.
05:50I'm begging you, please don't come back.
05:54My stomach dropped.
05:56I already had a feeling this was Silas' doing.
05:59Sure enough, his call came through moments later.
06:03Alora, I know I can't overturn the verdict for what happened back then,
06:08and I hope you can understand that.
06:10But I will make it up to you in every other way.
06:13The barista work was too hard for you.
06:15I've already handled that.
06:18I've also purchased a house for you in the city.
06:22And...
06:23Ivy is still young, not as experienced with the more complex blueprints.
06:27If you could help guide her...
06:29I'll pay you $200,000 a month.
06:31My fists clenched so hard my knuckles cracked.
06:34Won what grounds?
06:36On what grounds did he push me into the abyss himself?
06:40Let everyone in the world condemn me.
06:42Strip me of everyone who ever cared for me.
06:45And then waltz back in as my savior and tear apart the quiet life I'd rebuilt.
06:50On what grounds did he presume to arrange everything for me as though I had no say?
06:56Help Ivy Thorne?
06:58That was nothing but wanting me to be her shadow, her ghostwriter, her invisible hand.
07:03The thought made me sick to my stomach.
07:05I forced my feelings down, spoke through gritted teeth.
07:10Thank you for your kind offer, Mr. Sterling.
07:12But I have my own life now.
07:14Please don't interfere with it again.
07:16There was a long silence on the other end.
07:18Then, Silas spoke.
07:20Alara, don't be stubborn.
07:21A proud talent like you, you're only ever truly happy when you're working on blueprints.
07:25I'm securing your livelihood and giving your gift a place to breathe.
07:30What exactly are you dissatisfied with?
07:33And if you insist on saving face and refusing, I have other options.
07:40He hung up.
07:42A quiet dread settled in my chest.
07:44By that afternoon, I understood exactly what his other options were.
07:49With my coffee shop job gone, I spent the day walking all over town looking for work.
07:55But no matter where I went, no matter how desperately they were hiring,
07:59the moment I walked in, everyone was perfectly polite, and everyone refused to let me work.
08:05Eventually, with nowhere left to try, I made my way back to my rented room.
08:10But at the gate, I found my landlady waiting for me.
08:13Mrs. Kowalski was a wonderful woman.
08:15When I'd first arrived with almost nothing, she had waived a full month's rent,
08:20and whenever she cooked something good, she always brought a bowl to my door.
08:24But now she stood at the entrance, eyes red-rimmed.
08:27Ilada, you're finally back!
08:29I'm so sorry.
08:31I can't rent to you anymore.
08:34Please don't be angry with me.
08:36I have no choice.
08:38There's someone powerful in town now.
08:40If I keep renting to you, my daughter, she works in the city, they'll, they'll...
08:45She couldn't finish the sentence.
08:48She started crying.
08:49I packed my things that same night and moved out.
08:52This, I thought, is what Silas calls compensation.
08:55Burn down everything I have, then offer me the ashes with a gracious hand.
09:00The day I moved out of my rented room, Silas appeared in my small upstate town.
09:05He was thinner than he'd been a few days ago.
09:07Dark circles heavy under his eyes.
09:09Like a man who hadn't slept, he had brought a moving company.
09:12He directed them to carry my things with a naturalness that made my skin crawl.
09:17As though we hadn't divorced at all.
09:19As though he were simply a husband coming to bring his wife home.
09:22At the new house, he poured me a glass of honey water.
09:25You've always been prone to tension.
09:27This will help you relax.
09:29I took the glass from him in silence.
09:32I took a small sip.
09:33I set the glass down and spoke.
09:36What happened before is in the past.
09:37If you truly wanted to make it right, you wouldn't have appeared at all.
09:41You would have stayed away.
09:43Allora, stop making a scene.
09:46I know you're not satisfied.
09:48But this is only the beginning.
09:50I'll find someone else to shoulder the blame.
09:55Then, step by step, I'll help restore your reputation.
09:59I know you don't like Ivy.
10:01I'll make sure she keeps a lower profile.
10:03Rest for now.
10:04His tone was gentle, but the meaning was unmistakable.
10:06You don't get to resist.
10:09He wanted me held firmly in his hands.
10:14Silas!
10:15I heard Mrs. Vance had arrived.
10:18Why didn't you call me?
10:22Although Mrs. Vance made serious mistake then,
10:25everyone still needs to live their life.
10:34I hope she takes this as a lesson and becomes a better person going forward.
10:38Ivy, the one who had actually done everything wrong,
10:41said all of this in front of the cameras without a trace of shame.
10:43This is just a small gesture from me.
10:46You're a senior in the field,
10:47and you're my fiancé's former wife.
10:50Please, don't re-use.
10:53If you ever have any difficulties, just say the word.
11:01But that afternoon, the news had spread across every platform in the city.
11:05Killer back in high society.
11:06Can the victims ever rest?
11:08And I, once again, was pushed to the center of the storm,
11:11pelted from all sides.
11:20Whether or not it was intentional,
11:21Ivy had leaked my address to the public.
11:26After that,
11:27victims' families and furious protesters gathered outside my door every day.
11:32Three days later,
11:33my parents arrived.
11:34It was the first time in ten years
11:36they had come looking for me on their own.
11:40Oh, fuck.
11:42Mom, Dad, you're here.
11:44Come in, have some water.
11:45We wouldn't dare drink the water of a murderer.
11:49Alana,
11:49what you did back then,
11:51we truly cannot forgive you.
11:56You can't keep making mistake after mistake.
12:00We're begging you.
12:03Ivy genuinely loves Silas.
12:05You're already divorced.
12:07Stop clinging to him.
12:09Ivy is a good girl,
12:10and it's not her place to say this,
12:13so we came to say it ourselves.
12:17If you keep refusing,
12:19don't blame us for finding other ways to make you go.
12:23That same gentle voice
12:24that had once sung me lullabies
12:26and coaxed me to sleep,
12:27night after night,
12:29now every word carried the edge of a threat,
12:31driving into my heart like the tip of a blade,
12:33one cut at a time.
12:34Mom!
12:35Dad, did you never believe me?
12:37Not even once?
12:42You wretch!
12:43Even now you dare slander Ivy?
12:45He rushed over in a panic,
12:47trying to intervene.
12:48But at that moment,
12:49his phone rang.
12:50His assistant.
12:52Mr. Sterling, it's bad.
12:54Mrs. Thone got drunk.
12:55She's at the hospital getting a shot to sober up.
12:57The moment they heard that,
12:59Silas and both my parents went pale with alarm.
13:03All three of them turned and piled into the car,
13:06and I laughed.
13:07I watched their retreating figures.
13:09The tears came with the laughter,
13:12whether they were threatening me
13:13or pretending to care for me,
13:15no matter how much pain I was in.
13:16None of it compared to Ivy Thorne crooking her finger.
13:19After all,
13:20ten years had taught me one clear lesson.
13:22I could not afford to have expectations of my parents
13:25or of Silas Sterling.
13:28A group of victims' family members
13:30passed down in my location.
13:31They knocked me unconscious with iron rods
13:33and took me away.
13:34When I came to,
13:35I was inside a burlap sack.
13:37Damn you!
13:38You murderer!
13:39We didn't come after you,
13:40and you had the nerve to come back!
13:42Give me back my daughter's life!
13:44She was 19!
13:46She just started college!
13:48You animal!
13:51You owe us so many lives,
13:53cutting you into a thousand pieces
13:55wouldn't be enough.
13:59You're in our hands now!
14:00We want blood for blood!
14:0299 blows.
14:04I lost consciousness
14:05and was doused awake
14:06again and again.
14:11The reason water closed in
14:13from every direction.
14:14The suffocation wrapped around me
14:16like a fist.
14:18Just as long as I was in the distance,
14:20the least of my hands
14:21closed around me.
14:26Mom, Dad, don't worry.
14:29I've looked into these families.
14:31They're all ordinary, decent people.
14:33They won't do anything
14:35seriously harmful to Alara.
14:37If anything,
14:38a good scare might make her go into hiding
14:40and protect herself.
14:42Reassured by those words,
14:44Alara's parents had passed along
14:45her whereabouts.
14:46The number you dialed
14:48is currently switched off.
14:51Something keeps knocking
14:52in my chest lately.
14:54Alara hasn't sent any word
14:55for days.
14:56Should we go look for her?
14:57Maybe call the police?
14:59Look for her?
14:59Call the police?
15:01Wasting resources
15:02to protect that creature?
15:03Huh.
15:04That's ridiculous.
15:05No news is better, isn't it?
15:07A troublemaker like her,
15:08if she's dead,
15:09that's one less burden
15:10on the world.
15:11Silas Sterling was just as uneasy.
15:13I knew it.
15:14You still can't let go
15:16of that ex-wife of yours.
15:17If that's how it is,
15:18why did you come to me at all?
15:20For three consecutive days,
15:22every time he tried
15:23to go find Alara,
15:24Ivy stopped him.
15:25While Ivy wasn't around,
15:26he slipped away
15:27and headed straight
15:28for the house.
15:29When he arrived,
15:29all he found
15:30was an empty house.
15:31and Alara's parents
15:33standing there
15:34faces tight
15:34with the same wordless dread.
15:37The three of them
15:38greeted each other
15:38with a nod
15:39and without discussion
15:40began searching.
15:42It must be Alara.
15:43She's come back.
15:48You are...
15:50Officers,
15:51did Alaxis cause trouble again?
15:53If she's hurt someone again,
15:54you can shoot her on the spot.
15:56I have no daughter.
15:57We're here to speak
15:58with Mrs. Vann's parents
15:59and former husband
16:00regarding the circumstances
16:01of her case.
16:02Miss Alara Vann
16:03is very likely deceased.
16:05The individuals responsible
16:06have been apprehended.
16:07We are doing everything
16:08in our power
16:09to locate her remains.
16:10We ask that you please
16:11accept our condolences.
16:13Mother swayed
16:13and nearly collapsed.
16:15Silas stared at the officer
16:17in disbelief,
16:18tears spilling down his face
16:20before he could stop them.
16:22They guided him
16:23and Alara's parents
16:24and Alara's parents...
16:26Our loved ones
16:27were killed
16:28by your daughter.
16:29Taking her out
16:30was justice!
16:32You told us where she was.
16:34Wasn't that what you wanted?
16:35Her own parents
16:36gave us her location.
16:37They're not pressing charges.
16:38On what grounds
16:39are you arresting us?
16:41Whatever wrong
16:41was done to you,
16:42the law will decide
16:43your remedy.
16:44Vigilante justice
16:45is never acceptable.
16:47Killing is a crime.
16:48Full stop!
16:49Whatever came after that,
16:51neither Alara's parents
16:52nor Silas
16:53could hear a single word.
16:54She was your own daughter!
16:56Even a tiger
16:57won't devour its cubs!
16:58How could you do
16:59something like this?
17:02No!
17:02We didn't know
17:03this would happen!
17:04It was Ivy!
17:05Ivy said these people
17:06would only scare her,
17:07that Alara would go
17:08into hiding
17:08to protect herself.
17:09The name Ivy Thorn
17:10cracked through Silas' mind
17:12like a bolt of lightning.
17:15Ivy.
17:17It was Ivy again!
17:20She must have planned
17:20all of this
17:21from the beginning.
17:22No wonder she had
17:22worked so hard
17:23to keep him away.
17:25Silas' face darkened
17:26to something terrifying.
17:28Alara's parents
17:29were reeling too.
17:30Now that they thought back,
17:31Ivy's behavior
17:31had been strange
17:32all along.
17:34You care that much
17:35about that murderer?
17:37Didn't you hate her?
17:38Didn't you love me most?
17:40She's dead?
17:41Isn't that exactly
17:42what you wanted?
17:43I can still be your daughter.
17:44I'm still Silas Sterling's
17:47fiancé!
17:48Someone like her!
17:48She killed all those
17:49people ten years ago!
17:50Getting what she deserved
17:51is only natural!
17:59The moment Ivy
18:00finished speaking,
18:01Silas lunged forward
18:03and closed his hand
18:04around her throat.
18:05Who told you
18:06to do this?
18:07I'm not wrong!
18:08Someone who caused
18:09that much damage,
18:11after ten years,
18:12she's still a pest!
18:13Ivy's words
18:14stopped abruptly.
18:16Her face slowly
18:17drained of color.
18:18She looked as though
18:19something had just
18:20surfaced in her memory.
18:21Silas let out a laugh.
18:25I've woken from
18:26nightmares countless times,
18:27sick with regret
18:27over what I did
18:28to the person
18:29I love most,
18:29all to protect
18:30something like you.
18:32You and I both
18:33know the truth.
18:34You were only
18:34my mentor's daughter.
18:35My mentor did
18:36so much for me,
18:37so I sacrificed
18:38my own wife
18:39to take your punishment.
18:40The real truth
18:41of ten years ago.
18:42You,
18:43the actual culprit,
18:44know it better
18:45than anyone!
18:46The words detonated
18:47in the room
18:47of a bomb.
18:48Then Ilarra's father
18:49spoke,
18:49his voice barely
18:50finding shape.
18:51Silas,
18:52what you just said,
18:53the one who caused
18:53the collapse
18:54ten years ago,
18:55it wasn't Ilarra?
18:55We wronged her,
18:56and we took in
18:57the person who
18:58destroyed her
18:58and called her
18:59our daughter!
19:01Silas lowered
19:01his eyes.
19:02He said nothing.
19:03Ilarra's father
19:04stumbled.
19:05He fell back
19:06into a chair.
19:08Her mother
19:08surged forward,
19:10raised her hand,
19:11and brought it down
19:12hard across Silas' face.
19:13His face snapped
19:14to one side,
19:15but he stood
19:16where he was
19:17and took it.
19:18I'm sorry.
19:18I'm so sorry.
19:20Her mother
19:21didn't accept
19:21the apology.
19:22She was silent
19:23for a moment.
19:24Then a cry
19:24tore out of her,
19:25raw and inconsolable.
19:27My daughter!
19:28My daughter!
19:30We took revenge
19:32on the wrong person?
19:33When I woke up,
19:34I was in a soft bed.
19:36I tried to sit up.
19:37The pain that tore
19:38through my body
19:39made cold sweat
19:40break across my skin
19:42instantly.
19:43Don't move.
19:45Lie still and rest.
19:46A gentle male voice
19:47came from the doorway.
19:49I turned toward the sound.
19:50A young man
19:51in a cotton shirt
19:52The doctor said
19:54you'd wake up around now.
19:56I've been making
19:57a fresh bowl every day
19:58waiting for you.
19:59And here you are.
20:00You just woke up
20:01nothing too rich yet.
20:03This will do for now.
20:04Once you're better,
20:05I'll take you
20:06somewhere proper.
20:07He set the bowl
20:07on the nightstand
20:08as he spoke.
20:09Then,
20:09with practiced ease,
20:10he adjusted the bed
20:11so I could sit up
20:12more comfortably
20:13and brought the spoon
20:14to my lips.
20:14I looked at him
20:15properly for the first time.
20:17Strong,
20:18straight brows.
20:19Warm,
20:19expressive eyes.
20:20A small mole
20:21just beside his nose.
20:23Perfectly placed.
20:24For some reason
20:25I couldn't name,
20:26he felt immediately
20:27familiar,
20:28as though we had
20:29known each other
20:29for a long time.
20:31Because of that feeling,
20:32I could barely
20:33put my guard up.
20:34When he brought
20:35the porridge
20:35to my lips,
20:36I drank it
20:37before I even
20:37thought to hesitate.
20:39The moment it hit
20:40my tongue,
20:40I went still.
20:42This taste,
20:43it was the exact
20:43taste from my
20:44grandmother's house
20:45when I was a child.
20:47The porridge
20:47she used to make
20:48just for me.
20:49I stared at him,
20:50and after a long
20:51moment,
20:52Who are you?
20:54A shadow of sadness
20:56crossed the young
20:57man's eyes.
20:58Silly.
21:00Grandma's sweet potato
21:01porridge besides
21:02grandma herself,
21:03only one person
21:04in the world
21:05knows the recipe.
21:06You really don't
21:06remember?
21:07And then it came
21:08back to me all at
21:09once.
21:10When I was little,
21:11there was a boy
21:11who used to play
21:12with me all the
21:13time.
21:14Because our
21:14grandmother was
21:15always so busy,
21:16he would be the
21:17one to look after
21:18me.
21:18For a while when
21:19my stomach was bad
21:20and I could only
21:21manage porridge,
21:22he had learned
21:23grandma's sweet
21:24potato porridge
21:24recipe specifically
21:26for me.
21:34It was only then
21:35that Julian told
21:36me everything.
21:37It turned out
21:38that after my
21:38parents had taken
21:39me to the city,
21:40Julian's own
21:41biological parents
21:43had found him
21:43as well.
21:44His true identity,
21:45the lost heir to
21:46the Knight family,
21:47the wealthiest in
21:48the region.
21:49After a whole drama
21:50of proving who
21:51he really was,
21:52he had taken his
21:53rightful place at
21:54the head of Knight
21:54Technologies.
21:55But he had never
21:56forgotten me.
21:58He had never
21:58stopped looking for
21:59me.
22:00When he saw me
22:01become a well-known
22:01architect, he felt
22:03genuinely happy for
22:04me.
22:04But because I had
22:05already married Silas,
22:06he hadn't wanted
22:07to intrude.
22:09Ten years ago,
22:09the bridge collapse
22:10case.
22:11Everyone thinks you
22:12are a murderer.
22:14I never believed
22:15you were the murderer.
22:15He had spent years
22:16quietly investigating,
22:18collecting evidence
22:19in the background.
22:20But even by the time
22:21I was released,
22:22he hadn't found
22:23enough.
22:23At the end of it all...
22:24I've been keeping
22:25an eye on your
22:25movements, so I was
22:27able to detect those
22:28people's plot in time
22:29and rescue from the
22:30river.
22:31But I know this
22:32violates your privacy.
22:34Will you be angry
22:34with me?
22:35I laughed.
22:36I shook my head.
22:37Thank you, Julian.
22:40I watched the news
22:41from the bed when I
22:42saw Ivy Thorne being
22:44led away by police
22:45on the television
22:46screen.
22:47I couldn't quite
22:47believe it.
22:48Julian and I looked
22:49at each other.
22:50Neither of us had
22:51expected that the
22:52truth revealed to the
22:53world just like that.
22:55In the reporter's
22:56cameras, Silas Sterling's
22:57face was ashen.
22:59Not a trace remained
23:00of the man he once
23:01had been.
23:02And my parents,
23:03over their own
23:04daughter, looked as
23:05though every ounce of
23:06life had been drained
23:07from them.
23:07My father slumped
23:09in a chair.
23:09My mother sat beside
23:11him, hands pressed
23:12over her face.
23:13I lay in bed
23:14watching all of it.
23:15There was none of the
23:16triumphant satisfaction
23:17I might have imagined.
23:19Only a vast emptiness
23:21and a tiredness.
23:22My former firm
23:23released a statement
23:24restoring my standing.
23:26Apologies flooded
23:27social media.
23:28Countless strangers
23:29brought flowers to
23:30the cenotaph that had
23:31been erected in my name.
23:33Julian watched it all
23:34beside me, then turned
23:35and asked, brow furrowed.
23:37What are you going to do?
23:38Tell everyone you're
23:39still alive?
23:40The moment he finished
23:41speaking, the faces of
23:42my parents and Silas
23:43rose up in my mind.
23:45I could already picture
23:46exactly what their
23:47version of making it
23:48up to me would look
23:49like.
23:49Their compensation felt
23:51like something demonic.
23:52I never wanted to
23:53live through that again.
23:54I shook my head.
23:55I gave Julian a small
23:56smile.
23:57Julian, let's just
23:59call this a rebirth.
24:01No matter how public
24:02opinion shifted back
24:04in my favor, no matter
24:05how many people came
24:06forward to sympathize, to
24:08apologize, to demand
24:10justice on my behalf, it
24:12all felt like something
24:13from a previous life.
24:14Since everyone already
24:15believed I was dead, I
24:17would give them exactly
24:18that.
24:19I stayed with Julian to
24:20recover for six months.
24:22He cared for me the way
24:23he always had, with quiet,
24:25unhesitating attention.
24:27Already the commanding
24:28head of night
24:29technologies, and yet
24:30he still looked after
24:31me exactly the way he
24:33had when we were
24:34children.
24:34Once I was able to eat
24:36normally, he always
24:37cooked himself.
24:38Every day he found a
24:39new way to prepare
24:40something nourishing.
24:42Six months later, I
24:43was not only healed, I
24:45had gained ten pounds.
24:46Then spring came again.
24:48Jacaranda blooms
24:49opened just outside the
24:50window beside my bed.
24:52I stared at them for a
24:53long time.
24:54Then I turned to Julian
24:55and said,
24:56Julian, let's go
24:57somewhere.
24:58We left the city.
24:59Julian arranged his
25:00company to run with
25:01remote management, then
25:02stepped back and
25:03accompanied me as we
25:05set out to see the
25:06world.
25:06We followed the steps
25:07of my favorite poets.
25:09We traced the romantic
25:10solitude of Neruda
25:11through the coastal
25:12landscape of Chile.
25:13We stood in Mon Lough
25:15in Paris and tried to
25:16guess where the little
25:17rabbit had been buried.
25:18We walked through
25:19temple gardens in
25:20Kyoto and contemplated
25:22the violent beauty of
25:23a Japanese master's
25:24aesthetic.
25:25I had never imagined
25:26after all those years
25:27apart that Julian and
25:29I would find our
25:30interests and our way
25:31of seeing the world
25:32so completely aligned.
25:34At last we came to
25:35England.
25:35Beside the Thames,
25:37Julian turned to
25:37look at me.
25:38His eyes were full of
25:39a nervousness he was
25:40trying very hard not to
25:42show.
25:42I knew what he was
25:43about to say.
25:44I smiled at him and
25:45spoke first.
25:46Julian, I think I've
25:48fallen for you.
25:49His face went red all
25:50the way to his ears.
25:52Then a kiss landed on
25:53my lips.
25:54At last, Julian and I
25:55opened a small bookshop
25:57in England.
25:58The days passed quietly.
25:59Only occasionally did
26:01news from back home
26:02reach us.
26:02After my death, Silas
26:04seemed to become a
26:05different person entirely.
26:07He restructured his
26:08company with swift,
26:09decisive force and purged
26:11everything connected to
26:13Ivy Thorne.
26:13And he never gave up
26:15looking for me.
26:16The overwhelming weight
26:17of what he owed kept him
26:19convinced, with a kind of
26:20obsession, that I must still
26:22be alive somewhere.
26:24As it turned out, he was
26:25right.
26:26On a Christmas Eve, London
26:27was buried in heavy snow.
26:29I had closed the shop early
26:31and was on my way home to
26:33cook Christmas dinner with
26:34Julian.
26:34But just as I reached the
26:36bottom of our building, I
26:37saw a familiar silhouette.
26:39He was standing in the
26:40snowfall as though he
26:42intended to become part of
26:43it, still as a statue made
26:45of ice.
26:46When he saw me, the gray
26:47deadness in his eyes came
26:49alive.
26:50Alara!
26:51He ran to me and grabbed
26:52my hands, his whole body
26:54trembling.
26:55I knew you weren't dead.
26:56Thank God, you're not
26:57dead.
26:58What happened back then was
27:00my fault.
27:00I've cleared your name.
27:02Come back with me.
27:03Let's start over.
27:04Please.
27:05He was incoherent, tears
27:07breaking through his voice,
27:08more humble than I had ever
27:10seen him.
27:10I looked at this man I had
27:12once loved deeply and once
27:14hated just as deeply.
27:16My heart was utterly still.
27:18Mr. Sterling, I said, you
27:20have the wrong person.
27:22Alara Vance is dead.
27:24He looked at me with
27:25something close to madness
27:26in his eyes.
27:27No, please.
27:28I'm begging you.
27:30Let me make it right.
27:31Please.
27:32Make it right?
27:33I gave a cold laugh.
27:35You destroyed my life.
27:37You made everyone abandon
27:38me.
27:39You cost me ten years in
27:41prison.
27:42When I finally found my
27:43way back to a quiet life,
27:45your so-called compensation
27:47forced me out of it and
27:49nearly killed me.
27:50Silas Sterling, what exactly
27:52do you think you still have
27:54left to make right?
27:55I turned away and there
27:57was Julian standing just
27:58behind me, watching with a
28:00quiet, steady smile.
28:02I walked forward without a
28:03moment's hesitation.
28:05I took Julian's hand.
28:06I didn't look back, not even
28:08once, as the sound of Silas
28:10breaking down faded behind
28:12us.
28:12One week later, my parents
28:14appeared at the bottom of
28:15our building.
28:15They looked so much older.
28:17Their hair had gone white.
28:19Their faces were full of a
28:20timid, beseeching uncertainty.
28:23My mother was holding a
28:24thermal bag.
28:25Lotus pastries, she said.
28:27The ones I had loved as a
28:28child.
28:29When she saw me, she opened
28:30her mouth, but the tears
28:31came before any words did.
28:33I looked at them.
28:34The fine, dense ache moved
28:36through me again, the way it
28:38always had.
28:39Come up for tea, I said.
28:41I turned and led the way.
28:42Julian respected my choices
28:44completely.
28:45He helped me prepare the tea,
28:47setting a cup in front of each
28:48of my parents without a word.
28:50Then he quietly found somewhere
28:52else to be.
28:52My father was the first to speak.
28:55Elara, we were wrong.
28:57Come home with us.
28:59I finished my tea in silence.
29:01Then I set the cup down and
29:03spoke.
29:03Mom, Dad, I took a slow
29:06breath.
29:06Consider me dead.
29:08This is my home.
29:09I'm not going back.
29:10I don't hate you anymore, but
29:12I can't be what I was to you
29:14before.
29:15Between us, there are ten years
29:16of a wrongful sentence and
29:18one life that almost ended.
29:20We are each other's best ending
29:22if we simply wish each other
29:24well from a distance.
29:25I didn't take the lotus
29:26pastries.
29:27They cried for a long time.
29:29In the end, they left,
29:31unsteady on their feet,
29:32stumbling down the steps.
29:33The snow on the ground below
29:35caught the last of the
29:36sunset light, small patches
29:38of red, and their shadows
29:39stretched long behind them.
29:41I cried anyway.
29:42Silas and my parents never
29:44came back.
29:44Only money, from time to time,
29:47deposited quietly into my
29:48account.
29:49And postcards, occasionally,
29:51routed through circuitous
29:52paths, no names signed.
29:54I knew they were from Silas.
29:56I never read them.
29:57I never replied.
29:59I carried each one to the
30:00fireplace and watched the
30:02flames take it.
30:03Life always moves forward.
30:05Ding!
30:06The wind chime above the
30:07door rang.
30:08A customer had come in.
30:10After selling one more book,
30:11I lay back in the rocking
30:13chair in the courtyard.
30:14Julian handed me a cup of
30:16tea and asked,
30:17Any regrets?
30:18I shook my head.
30:19Never.
30:20This bookshop and Julian.
30:22This was my new life.
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