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The Legend of The White Wolf #FullMovie
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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 own
01:28name 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
02:03and it wasn't derek i remembered handing it to him a month ago right here in this exact spot that
02:10little
02:11blue fob in my hand the new housekeeper starts tomorrow give her this so she can get in he took
02:16it with that smile that warm easy confident smile that made me fall for him at 20 and somehow hadn't
02:22changed in eight years relax babe i'll take care of it i walked into the kitchen and poured myself a
02:29glass of water my hand was steady my face was calm but somewhere deep in my chest something had started
02:36to hum like a machine warming up i didn't know what it was yet i would derek got home at
02:447 30. he
02:45dropped his briefcase by the console loosened his tie kicked off his shoes every movement looked exactly
02:52like every other night for the last four years hey babe brutal day i was stretched across the couch with
02:59a magazine i hadn't read a single word of rosa was late today she said she doesn't have the key
03:04fob
03:05his hand froze on his tie if i hadn't been watching for it i would have missed it
03:11oh yeah he gave a dry little laugh and avoided my eyes i gave it to you right right i've
03:17just been
03:18slammed lately i probably tossed it in some drawer somewhere you know how it is he was already moving
03:23toward the kitchen trying to put space between us trying to end the conversation i'll stop by the
03:29building management office tomorrow and get a replacement no it came out too loud too sharp like
03:37i'd stepped on his tail he saw my face and recently dialed it back forcing a casual smile giving me
03:43a
03:43light shrug i mean those things cost like a hundred bucks right i'll look for it this weekend it's
03:47probably behind the night stain or something a hundred dollars my monthly co-op fees were 4200
03:52and he was panicking over a 100 key fob you sure of course he walked over and rested a hand
04:00on my
04:01shoulder his palm was warm familiar babe you've been stressed lately you're reading way too much into
04:07this don't worry i've got it i let him touch me pulling away now would tell him too much and
04:13i
04:13wasn't ready to show my hand okay i watched his shoulders loosen like air leaving a tire then he
04:20turned and headed for the kitchen already lighter already convinced he'd gotten away with it a man
04:26with nothing to hide would not panic because his wife mentioned replacing a key fob i set the magazine
04:31down my jaw was tight my pulse was steady and the machine inside my chest kept humming louder i waited
04:39until two in the morning derek was dead asleep his breathing filled the dark bedroom slow and even i
04:46reached for his phone on the nightstand passcode 0714 my birthday he'd never changed it that tiny cruel
04:55detail lodged between my ribs like a pin his texts were clean call log normal photo library standard
05:04his social media accounts were locked behind a three-day recovery setting everything had been wiped
05:10down neat controlled spotless i opened amazon and checked his orders protein powder phone charger running
05:20shoes i was about to close the app when my thumb hit the edge of the screen and a menu
05:25popped up i almost missed it archived orders people always forget about that they think deleting an
05:33order makes it disappear they don't realize amazon just tucks it away in a hidden folder and leaves it
05:39there like a landmine one item eight days ago a tiffany t smile pendant 18 karat rose gold 2400
05:48dollars shipped to derrick's office in murray hill recipient megan ellis the air left my lungs like i've been
05:56punched megan ellis 22. she'd been at derrick's firm for three months as a junior assistant last month i met
06:05her at a team dinner she wore a white dress had wide glossy eyes and a voice sweet as syrup
06:11she offered me the
06:13shrimp with an eager smile and told me i was even prettier than derrick said then she leaned over to
06:19refill his juice her eyes held as a second too long i noticed i noticed but i told myself not
06:26to
06:26because that's what love does it sands down the sharp edges until they fit a story you can live with
06:33on the drive home that night i brought her up casual light your new assistant is pretty
06:38he didn't even turn his head she's good still learning but sharp just needs the right guidance
06:46guidance apparently that included a 2400 tiffany necklace hidden from his wife i put the phone back
06:53where it was then i lay down and stared at the ceiling my throat burned my eyes burned every cell
07:01in my
07:01body wanted to shake him awake and ask who is she what is she to you what have you done
07:07but i
07:08didn't because all i had was a missing key fob 17 entry logs and a hidden jewelry order circumstantial
07:16and men like derrick could talk their way out of circumstantial all it took was the right smile
07:21the 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 breath
07:34let it out slowly counted my heartbeat until it steadied part of me is stupid royal girl i used to
07:42be
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 get it actually i got her a
08:33little congratulatory gift a necklace a team souvenir good job keep it up that sort of thing he brought it
08:40up 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 out he walked over wrapped his arms around my shoulders and rest 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
09:10away i set the brush down his performance was flawless every pause every inflection precision
09:18built but he didn't know something about me something almost nobody did i don't trust words
09:25i stopped trusting them when i was 12 after my grandfather's funeral when my father pulled me
09:31aside and said natalie listen to me people say what they want you to hear i've known derrick for eight
09:37years and tonight in front of that mirror all he did was perform at two in the morning i slipped
09:44out
09:44of bed barefoot the apartment was pitch dark city light spilled through the windows laying silver bars
09:50across the floor i moved through my own home like a ghost six months earlier i'd installed a small
09:55security camera on the bookshelf back then we had a cat and i liked checking in on her during the
10:00day
10:01later she went to live with my parents in connecticut the camera stayed where it was unplugged
10:06forgotten behind a row of hard covers derrick had forgotten it existed i pulled over a small step
10:12stool climbed up and found the camera tucked behind east of eden and a coffee table book on italian
10:18architecture it was coated in dust i brushed it off my hands were steady even though my heart was
10:24pounding so hard it felt loud enough to carry through the walls i plugged it in the red light blinked
10:29once then came alive i adjusted the angle full view of the living room the front door the hallway to
10:35the bedroom no blind spots i opened the app on my phone the feed loaded in sharp green night vision
10:42my couch my coffee table my front door my home reduced to a surveillance feed i climbed down put the
10:51stool back and slipped into bed derrick was still asleep in his sleep he wrapped an arm around my waist
10:57and
10:57pulled me closer i let him lying there in the dark in the arms of a man i wasn't sure
11:03i knew anymore i made a
11:04promise to myself if the camera caught nothing i would delete the footage and never bring it up again
11:10i'd book us a trip i'd try harder i'd tell myself it was stress exhaustion maybe paranoia but it was
11:18all
11:18just in my head but if it caught something my jaw locked so tight my teeth hurt if it caught
11:24something
11:24i wouldn'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
11:37derrick watched espn in bed by 11. day two empty apartment derrick 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 of
11:53an
11:53empty living room feeling insane sunlight stretched across the leather couch a speck of dust drifted
12:00through frame the most dramatic thing that had happened in three days was rosa knocking over a
12:05maybe i really was losing it i closed the app and forced myself back to work maybe this weekend i'd
12:11uninstall the camera and book two tickets to turks and caikis maybe i even owed derrick 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
12:28thing tomorrow okay i'm going home to grab a bag
12:35i got back to the apartment a little after four pressed my thumb to the lock the door opened the
12:42shower was running i froze one foot in the entryway one still in the hall steam drifted out of the
12:49bathroom
12:49in hot waves the air smelled like body wash my body wash blue labo santal it was four on a
12:57friday
12:57afternoon derrick had told me that morning he'd be in meetings until six my heart rate instantly shot
13:03from 60 to 100 the water shut off the bathroom door swung open derrick stepped out in the towel
13:10hair dripping skin flushed from the heat he saw me and went completely still and for one naked second
13:16i saw it on his face real fear not inconvenience not surprise the kind that hits when you realize
13:25you've been caught in the center of something not near the edge of it his eyes widened his mouth parted
13:30every muscle locked then the mask dropped he smiled warm concerned perfect nat you're home early work trip
13:40hartford hartford i need clothes my voice sounded normal i still don't know how i thought your meetings
13:48went till six they got moved up wrapped early came home to relax he was already opening his arms coming
13:55toward me you should have called i would have picked you up i'm fine i walked past him into the
14:01bathroom
14:02he didn't follow but i could feel his stare burning into the back of my neck the room felt like
14:08a sauna
14:08the mirror was fogged over every surface shimmered with condensation i scanned the counter his razor my
14:16skin care everything arranged exactly where it should be then i saw the body cream la mare 300
14:24i bought it two weeks ago i used it the way people use something that costs 300 with restraint with
14:31reverence a fingertip at a time i picked it up my stomach dropped it was almost weightless it should
14:38have been three quarters full instead it was nearly empty i held it up to the light tilting it
14:45a thin smear clung to the bottom that was it two weeks three hundred dollars gone
14:52derek didn't use body cream in eight years he never had someone had been in my bathroom
14:58not passing through not as a guest someone comfortable enough to stand there and use my
15:04three hundred dollar cream like it was drugstore lotion in a gym locker room my hands started shaking
15:09i set the jar down turned on the faucet and splashed cold water onto my face i watched it spiral
15:16down
15:16the drain and breathed again again again until the shaking stopped i dried my face i walked out
15:25i packed in under three minutes kissed derek on the cheek let him wheel my suitcase to the elevator
15:31let him press the button tell me to drive safe and wave as the door slid shut the second they
15:36closed
15:36i collapsed against the metal wall my reflection stared back at me in the brushed steel doors a woman with
15:43red eyes and a jaw tight enough to crack stone the key fob the necklace the four o'clock shower
15:48the empty
15:49jar this wasn't suspicion anymore by nine i was in hartford i didn't unpack i didn't turn on the lights
15:57i sat on the hotel bed in my coat and opened the camera app with shaking hands the feed loaded
16:02derek stretched out on the couch sweaty phone in hand scrolling endlessly laughing at something on his
16:10screen a man with nothing on his conscience and nowhere else he needed to be i watched for 10 minutes
16:1715 minutes my eyes burned my body was exhausted but my brain wouldn't stop i was just about to close
16:25the
16:25app just about to tell myself again that i was out of my mind then the speaker on my phone
16:30caught a
16:30sound beep the electronic chirp of the front door unlocked 10 47 pm my heart stopped i felt it one
16:38hard useless beat inside my chest i felt my life split cleanly in two at that exact moment derek on
16:45the
16:45screen heard it too but he didn't flinch he didn't jump up he didn't grab a weapon didn't call the
16:51police
16:52and didn't do any of the things a man does when a stranger opens his front door at almost 11
16:56at
16:56night he sprang off the couch like he'd been waiting for that sound all evening his expression changed
17:02the boredom vanished instantly replaced by an emotion i knew well but hadn't seen directly to me in a long
17:07time want hunger joy he practically ran into the foyer the door opened a girl walked in young early 20s
17:17wearing a white bodycon dress stiletto heels she tossed a small blue object onto the entry table
17:24without even looking the key fob my key fob she tossed it down casually like she'd done it a hundred
17:31times before she bent down and picked up a pair of pale pink silk slippers by the door my slippers
17:37the pair derek had given me for my birthday last year she threw her arms open crossed the last three
17:42steps and launched herself into derek's arms baby i missed you i knew that voice i'd heard that same
17:50voice tell me you're even prettier than derek said offering me shrimp wearing a sugar sweet smile
17:55megan ellis derek caught her lifted her up and kissed her neck jesus you took forever i was dying over
18:03here
18:04i had to get ready besides your wife's gone for the week we've got plenty of time relax derek laughed
18:13he scooped her up carried her through the living room into the primary bedroom my bedroom door slammed
18:20shut the screen showed an empty living room her heels abandoned on the floor the blue key fob glinting
18:26under the lights i stared at it until my vision blurred hot tears welling up like a spring burning
18:31down my cheeks my thumb found derek's contact and hovered over the call button every nerve in my
18:36body screamed at me to dial to make him hear me breaking to force him to explain beg lie do
18:42something
18:42anything because the silence was crushing me my finger trembled over the screen no i closed my eyes
18:49and i pressed the phone to my forehead i let myself cry i let out ugly broken sobs burying my
18:54mouth in the
18:55hotel pillows so no one next door would hear i gave myself five minutes five minutes to be the girl
19:01who
19:01loved him then i stopped i wiped my face blew my nose i sat up straight if i called now
19:08he'd know i was
19:09watching him he'd destroy the evidence he'd build a flawless lie before sunrise and i'd be left looking
19:15like the paranoid wife who destroyed herself over a misunderstanding no i was going to document every
19:21second every visit every word they were sleeping in my bed under my sheets using my things laughing at
19:29me every single night when i had gathered enough evidence i would walk into a room packed with every
19:34person he had ever tried to impress and project these videos onto a screen the size of a wall
19:39he wouldn't suspect a thing he would walk out of my life with absolutely nothing i opened the app
19:45i hit record i worked until dawn i didn't go back to the apartment the next morning i called derek
19:52and
19:52told him the hartford deal was more complicated than expected it could take a week he sounded pleased
19:57take your time baby i'll hold down the fort that night i sat in my hotel room with every light
20:03off
20:03the security feed glowing on my phone screen room service sat untouched on the table i couldn't eat
20:09my stomach was clenched so tight it wouldn't let anything in at 9 38 pm the front door unlocked she
20:16walked in like she lived there she kicked off her heels and slipped into my slippers moved quietly
20:22into the kitchen opened my fridge pulled out a bottle of sancerre i'd been saving for friday night
20:27with my husband she poured herself a glass derek came up behind her wrapped an arm around her waist
20:34and buried his face in her neck she laughed and pushed his hand away let me have one sip first
20:40you can drink later unbelievable she took a long sip set the glass down and turned his arms
20:48i want to try on more of her clothes tonight that valentino in the back of the closet the black
20:53one
20:54go ahead 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 doesn't
21:07match does she seriously do nothing but work and sleep is that it derek dropped onto my bed my bed
21:15the two thousand dollar mattress i bought because of my back he stretched out hands behind his head
21:21and 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 derek what he thought he gave lazy little opinions like
21:50a man flipping through a catalog my hands were shaking so badly the image shook with them so i propped
21:55my
21:55phone against a pillow locked both hands between my knees and watched them disappear into the bedroom
22:00together while the living room went dark and silent by the second night something deep inside me had
22:05cracked megan was stretched across my couch with her head in derek's lap eating strawberries out of
22:10the ceramic bowl my mother gave us as a wedding gift the one with the hand-painted blue rim she
22:15flaunted
22:16in from ohio wrapped in layers of bubble wrap because she'd been terrified it would break you think she
22:20suspects anything not a chance natalie's sharp in business but when it comes to me she doesn't
22:25question me that's the beauty of it i've played the perfect husband for eight years you could knock
22:30on her door and introduce yourself and she still wouldn't believe i was cheating what if she finds out
22:36she won't and worst case scenario i walk away with half the apartment that place is worth four million now
22:44two million to end a marriage i'd sign those papers with a smile megan rolled over and looked up at
22:51him
22:52and then what you and me we get a place in tributa rooftop full service building this time my name
22:59goes
22:59on the deed your name goes on everything she hooked a finger in his collar pulled him down and kissed
23:06him
23:07i watched all of it from a hotel room two hours away through a fire screen that blue ring pole
23:13sat on
23:13the coffee table while my husband promised another woman my heart like it was his to give away this
23:17time i didn't cry something had changed over those two nights something fundamental shifted inside me
23:24like a bone snapping back into place the grief was still there it sat in my chest like a shard
23:30of glass
23:30cutting deeper every time i breathed but around it something else was forming something cold
23:37something solid something that would not bend by friday morning i had enough hours of footage
23:44clear video clean audio megan called me boring a dried up workaholic a woman who couldn't keep a man
23:52interested derrick called me an appliance promised her my money my home my future i saved every
24:00second three cloud backups 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
24:35movement on the ground when i finished she sat down her pen and looked at me how badly do you
24:41want to ruin him i want him out of my life with nothing left no money no legal claim no
24:48dignity then
24:50let's talk about what you have she tapped the flash drive in new york divorce doesn't automatically mean
24:55a 50 50 split the apartment was yours before the marriage it's in your name and you paid for it
25:03he has no claim to the principal he might try to go after the post-marital appreciation but with this
25:08footage a cheating spouse caught on camera planning to steal his wife's assets no judge in this city would
25:14give him a glass of water let alone a settlement what else claire raised an eyebrow i opened my bag
25:20and
25:21pulled out a second folder inside were 12 months of bank statements every withdrawal circled in red
25:27two hundred thousand dollars taken from our joint account over the last year he said it was business
25:33expenses investment opportunities and loans to college friends i laid the statements out in front of
25:39her it 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
26:34the 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
26:47on 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 you want to serve him at the party i want the footage playing on the 65-inch tv in
27:06my living room
27:07in front of everyone he's ever tried to impress then i hand him the papers by then he'll sign
27:14anything and if he doesn't i tapped the forgery file then he can sign in jail claire took out a
27:21fresh legal pad tell me exactly how you want this to go we worked for three hours when i left
27:29her office
27:29the sun was dropping over midtown manhattan and the sky looked like it was on fire i stood on park
27:35avenue with
27:35my bag on my shoulder and felt something i hadn't felt in weeks control over the next 14 days i
27:42built
27:42the trap carefully derek handled the party himself the catering the liquor the flowers even the cake
27:48he was excited 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
28:05bedroom closet that i could control with my phone and my phone synced to the tv via bluetooth the
28:10footage showed that megan ellis came back twice over the next two weeks the last time two days before
28:15the party 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 deeply 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 makeup
28:51with 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 heavy gold
29:19jewelry and high heels her shoes clicked across my hardwood floor as she looked around the apartment
29:24with 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
29:37the calm of a man who had spent 30 years picking lies apart my mom wore beige cashmere she looked
29:43elegant
29:43but her eyes were sharp then came derrick's co-workers our college friends my business partners
29:5023 guests gathered in my living room filled with laughter champagne and the easy hum of conversation
29:55that comes with a successful life derrick was incredible there was no better word for him
30:00he took coats for me refilled glasses led my mom to the best seat in the room and told my
30:05dad the
30:06knicks looked good this season he placed one hand at my waist and said the same thing to every guest
30:10who
30:10walked in i'm the luckiest man in the world natalie sweetheart you look exhausted have you been
30:17sleeping well i worry about you working so hard a woman who pours all her energy into her career can
30:23sometimes lose sight of what really matters thank you for your concern patricia my dad saw me from across
30:30the room he went alert at once he knew something was wrong he read people the way a pilot reads
30:36instruments
30:37and right now i shook my head slightly not yet soon by 7 30 everyone was there the security guards
30:45were
30:46in place in my bedroom closet megan ellis was curled up in the dark squeezed between my winter coats and
30:52a row of dusty handbags trying to breathe as quietly as she could i knew she was there three hours
30:58earlier
30:58while i was at the salon i had watched on my phone as derrick sneaked her in through the back
31:03entrance
31:03she was wearing my anniversary dress she was supposed to stay hidden until the party was over
31:09then leave the same way she came that was derrick's plan
31:19thank you all so much for coming this is the best birthday ever people smiled and raised their glasses
31:25derrick stood beside me smiling too before we cut the cake i want to show you something
31:31derrick's been getting a little surprise ready for me in the bedroom and i think now is the perfect
31:36time to open it
31:40nat the bedroom's not ready it's a mess let's stay out here a little longer don't be shy
31:45everyone come with me i walked toward the primary bedroom and all 23 guests followed derrick stumbled
31:51after us his eyes darting around sweat already beating on his forehead i opened the bedroom door the bed was
31:58neatly made the curtains were closed and everything looked perfect thud a dull sound hit from inside
32:04the closet something had slammed against the door derrick threw himself in front of the door
32:10arms spread wide pressing his back against it sweat darkened his shirt under the arms
32:15his smile was the worst i had ever seen it's a cat a stray cat got in somehow
32:22derek we're on the 32nd floor i know i know but city cats are crazy they get into pipes vents
32:27all
32:27kinds of places a cat locked itself in the closet it must have hit the lash listen i'll call animal
32:34control 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
32:51oh it's locked from the inside see the cat must have jammed the lock we should just leave it there
32:57really it's probably terrified i lifted my phone put my thumb on the screen
33:03derrick cats can't lock doors i tapped the screen the lock clicked open i looked at derrick one last time
33:11he was shaking not a little his eyes were full of pleading but i was never going to give him
33:18anything
33:18again the door slid open a scream tore through the room megan ellis was curled up in the corner
33:24behind my winter coats her knees were pulled close to her chest while mascara ran down her face in thin
33:30black trails she was wearing the reformation dress no one spoke no one moved no one even breathed
33:38the silence lasted three full seconds so heavy as if it had weight texture and gravity then the room
33:45exploded more people gasped someone cursed under their breath a glass shattered my mom covered her
33:53mouth in shock patricia let out a cry like an animal in pain derrick's knees gave out he didn't sit
33:59down he didn't ease himself to the floor he just collapsed like a building coming down his knees hit
34:06the hardwood with a hard crack i stood over them my husband on the floor his mistress in my closet
34:13i looked at both of them cold spread through me all the way to my fingertips everyone i said my
34:20voice
34:20was steady precise like a surgeon's hand come take a look at the stray cat i turned and walked back
34:26into the living room the others followed in horrified silence megan scrambled out after us
34:32she was panicking words tumbling over each other it's not what you think i was helping with a surprise
34:39derrick asked me to derrick grabbed that lie like a drowning man grabbing a lifeline right yes
34:48she was planning a birthday surprise she was supposed to wear my dress i said without turning
34:56around the one you stole from my closet two days ago silence i walked to the tv picked up the
35:02remote
35:03and connected it to my phone then i turned to face the crowd derrick says megan was here planning a
35:09surprise great then let me show you all a video of them getting ready natalie don't derrick shot to his
35:17feet and munged at me my dad moved not fast not careful robert carter stepped between us like a wall
35:25derrick slammed into his chest and stumbled back you touch her again my dad said his voice shaking with
35:31rage and i'll snap every bone in that hand derrick sat down i pressed play the tv lit up 65
35:41inches of
35:41high-definition security footage megan walking through the front door a key fob in her hand my
35:47slippers on her feet my robe wrapped around her walking around my apartment trying on my clothes
35:53drinking my wine the audio filled the room every word was clear she really thinks you love her natalie's
36:01a machine she makes money that's all she does what about me baby you and me try becca your name
36:08on everything
36:11you
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