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00:00seven years. I left New York when I found out Julian had extended his out-of-town project
00:07for another seven years. I left New York and traveled hours to reach his project site,
00:12only to be stopped at the gate by an older guard. Hello, does Julian work here? What do you want
00:17with my son-in-law? The words hit me like a thunderclap. I told myself it was a coincidence.
00:22Same name, different man. Relax, Mr. Miller. Everyone around here knows Julian is totally
00:28whipped. She's probably here on business from corporate. I kept my composure and pulled up a
00:32photo of Julian on my phone. I am here on business. Is this the Julian you're talking about? The old
00:37man relaxed. Yeah, that's him. That's my son-in-law. The blood in my veins froze. Before I could process
00:44a single word, a woman appeared, well-dressed, smiling. You here to talk business with my man?
00:49She asked cheerfully. Come wait at our place. Our son's got a fever. He took him to the hospital
00:54in town. I stared at her, thunderstruck, barely able to breathe.
01:02She noticed I wasn't moving and waved me over. I'm Julian's wife, Mia. Just call me Mia. She was
01:08warm and talkative, smile never leaving her face. There's nothing but rough guys around here,
01:13and half of them don't know how to act. A woman shouldn't be standing around alone out here.
01:17Come on back to the house. He'll be a while. She reached out and touched my arm, and I followed
01:21her. I watched her as we walked. She looked more than 10 years younger than Julian. Lord,
01:26you women from New York really are something else. Look at that skin. Smooth as a peeled egg.
01:31My man's got skin just like yours, all soft and clear. I forced a smile. Julian and I both had
01:37good
01:38skin. I was older than Mia by a fair margin, but I'd taken care of myself. I still looked like
01:43I was in
01:43my mid-20s. No one would guess I'd been married for 12 years. But what did any of that matter?
01:48I had a
01:49career, raised our son, looked after his parents, managed everything on my own. And my husband had
01:55still gone and built an entirely different life out here behind my back. Mia talked the whole way.
02:00She didn't seem to need a response. A couple on a motorcycle slowed down as they passed us.
02:04The woman on the back held out a small paper bag. Your man thinks of everything, takes the kid to
02:09the
02:09doctor and still remembers you wanted chestnuts. Asked me to drop these off. Your husband really does
02:14take care of you. I said, keeping my voice even. The woman on the motorcycle laughed.
02:18Everyone knows Julian is totally whipped. Julian turns into a whole different man the second Mia
02:24gives him a look. One tear and he's done. Mia shook her head and smiled. Oh, stop it.
02:30A bitter ache welled up inside me. My husband, the man who had spent 12 years talking to me about
02:37equality in marriage, about respect and partnership. That man had come out here and made himself
02:43completely, voluntarily, another woman's lapdog.
02:50Mia's house stopped me in my tracks. It was a massive villa. Nothing like the other houses around
02:55it. Distinctive, well-built, clearly the only one of its kind in town.
03:00My man built it, she said. Nobody else around here has anything like it. And he's the first
03:06husband in town to move in with his wife's family. Moved in with her family? The moment I stepped into
03:12the
03:12living room, I saw it. A framed family portrait on the wall. Six people. Everyone smiling. A boy who
03:18looked about five. A little girl. Maybe three. We had a portrait just like it hanging in our apartment
03:24back in New York. Except ours only had three people. Julian, me, and our 10-year-old son.
03:30No daughter. The year Julian first left for this project,
03:33he had cupped my face in his hands and made me a promise. Two years max. I'll find a way
03:39to transfer
03:40back. And when I do, if you're up for it, we'll try for a second baby. After that, we'll never
03:45be
03:45apart again. Two years became seven. He came home for a few days every Christmas. And that was all we
03:52got. Last year, when he was home for the holidays, I mentioned offhand how I still wished we'd had a
03:57daughter. He brushed it off. Honestly, with the way things are, smart people aren't having more kids.
04:03One is enough. I thought he'd simply changed his mind. Turns out he already had his daughter. He
04:08just hadn't had her with me. We've got Wi-Fi. Passwords 990913. My man said it to my birthday.
04:14Mia said, already heading to the kitchen. She came back with a cup of tea and said it in front
04:18of me,
04:19still smiling. Something jolted in my chest. Julian had told me there was no reliable internet signal
04:25out here. That was why I could never reach him directly. He always had to be the one to contact
04:30me first. I connected to the network. Full bars, one lie after another, each one like a blade going in
04:36clean. I kept my voice easy. You two seem really happy. Does it worry you that he might get transferred
04:45back to New York someday? Mia's smile didn't waver. Not at all. They almost pulled him back earlier
04:50this year. He called in every favor he had to stay. My heart dropped like it had been thrown
04:55off a cliff. It wasn't the company keeping him out here. He had fought to stay. Although he had,
05:00knowing his mother had suffered a stroke and couldn't care for herself. Although he had,
05:05knowing his father had broken his leg in a fall and needed help. Although he had,
05:10knowing our son had cried more than once over missing his father. Although he had, knowing I had
05:15been worn down by work and family until I ended up in the hospital more than once. And he had
05:20stayed
05:20anyway. Comfortably, contentedly, a chill ran through me, my shoulders trembling slightly. Mia crossed the
05:26room and switched on the air conditioning, thinking I was cold. It'll warm up in a minute. My husband
05:32bought me the best air conditioner, a big brand name. She said everything about Julian casually, warmly.
05:38Nobody else in town has one. I didn't even want it. I told him it was too much. But he
05:44insisted.
05:46I kept the smile on my face. He's quite a bit older than you. Is this his second marriage?
05:5810 years older. We are both getting married for the first time. Mia smiled. I'm the lucky one. A girl
06:05like me, barely finished high school, ending up with a man who has a master's degree. He's the
06:10project manager for the whole development. I never imagined I'd end up married to someone like that.
06:16But instead, he says meeting me was the best thing that ever happened to him. She kept talking. The age
06:20gap's a good thing. Older men is responsible at work and at home. Every paycheck goes straight to me.
06:27Bitterness welled up in my chest. For years, Julian had been transferring money back to our joint account
06:34every month. Only left $1,000 for himself. He told me his housing and meals were covered, that he barely
06:41needed anything for himself out here. I had a college roommate who worked in payroll department of his
06:45company. Years ago, I quietly confirmed his monthly salary once $11,000. He takes good care of the whole
06:53family. I said, God, yes. My mom has a bad back. He bought her that massage chair without blinking.
06:59My dad likes his whiskey. So Julian keeps cases of the good top shelf stuff stocked for him. She added,
07:06and he gives me a separate allowance every month for whatever I want. She said the number plainly.
07:11I heard it and I knew Julian had been taking the bribes. The bitterness turned colder,
07:16not just for myself, but for his parents who had no idea.
07:23Three months ago, his mother had nearly died. A severe stroke. I had stood outside the ICU
07:29and called him, crying. Julian, please. She's in critical condition. She keeps asking for you.
07:35Please come home. I'm so sorry, Chloe. The project is at a critical stage right now. I really can't
07:42leave. She'll be okay. So many nights like that. His phone unanswered or always some excuse. He never
07:49came back. And the whole time he was here being a good husband, a good father, a good son-in
07:55-law.
07:56The irony was sickening. Mia's phone rang. She didn't step away or lower her voice. She just
08:02answered it right there. Close enough that I heard every word. Hey baby. Julian's voice. The same warm
08:07tone he used to use with me. Our son still hasn't broken his fever. The doctor wants to keep him
08:13overnight. I'm a little short on cash. Can you transfer me some? $300 should cover it. I laughed
08:19inwardly. How a devoted family husband. Mia smiled into the phone. Of course. I'll send it now. Then
08:26Julian's voice softened. I can't hold you tonight, baby. Stay warm, okay? Don't kick off the blankets.
08:3112 years of marriage. And the last time he'd said anything like that to me is ages ago. These days,
08:38he didn't even show that kind of warmth toward our own son. Time had made us an old married couple
08:44in name only. And slowly, without me noticing, it had made us the most familiar of strangers.
08:53Mia hung up and turned to me with a smile. I just realized I never asked your name.
09:01Chloe. What a pretty name. She was as cheerful as ever. Even now, I was still giving her the benefit
09:08of the doubt that she had no idea. Just as deceived as I was. Since Julian won't be back tonight,
09:14she said, why don't you just stay? You can talk to him about the work stuff tomorrow.
09:19That evening, Mia cooked a full dinner, a proper spread. Balanced and generous. I met their daughter
09:25for the first time. Mr. and Mrs. Miller were polite to me, but there was a wariness in the way
09:31they
09:31looked at me. At the table, the conversation kept coming back to Julian. The way they talked about
09:36him, he wasn't a son-in-law. He was their son. Mia was their and only child. In a rural
09:42area like this,
09:43her parents had spent their whole lives looked down on for not having a son. Then Julian arrived,
09:48moved in, supported the whole family. Mrs. Miller said, Julian is the backbone of this family.
09:53We can't do without him. Something lodged in my throat, like a thorn I couldn't remove.
09:58The backbone of our family, gone for seven years, had been holding up someone else's the whole time.
10:05Mia put me in the guest room for the night. After the lights went out, I lay there unable to
10:09sleep.
10:10Through the wall, I could hear Mr. and Mrs. Miller talking quietly for a long time. I made two
10:15decisions. I filed a report with documentation within evidence to Julian's corporate headquarters.
10:21Then I sent my brother a message. He was a police officer. I'm going to need you to come make
10:26an
10:26arrest. Julian broke the law. Neither decision felt satisfying, but both were right. An accounting
10:32for my own life, a consequence he had earned. The next morning, Mia pulled a coat from her closet
10:40and held it out to me. It's cold and you're not dressed for it. She added quickly,
10:44My husband just bought this for me. Only been washed once, never worn. A designer label I had
10:51spent an entire winter looking at, adding to my cart, removing it, telling myself there were more
10:56important things to spend money on, parents to care for, a child to raise. I used to say things
11:02like that to Julian. Other husbands buy their wives things. In all these years, you've never once picked
11:07something out for me. He always had the same answer, calm and easy.
11:11The money's yours. I wouldn't know what to choose anyway. I'm no good with that kind of thing.
11:16He just didn't want to bother. Not for me. Thank you. I said and took it. It was beautiful. It
11:22was
11:22warm. A flash of surprise crossing Mia's face. She had clearly expected me to politely refuse.
11:28At breakfast, she was back to her usual self. Cheerful, talkative, dropping Julian's name into every
11:34other sentence. At one point, she looked at me and asked, Are you happy? I smiled lightly.
11:40It's fine. My husband just isn't as attentive as yours.
11:44She smiled widely at that. Then just before noon, the front door swung open. Julian's voice
11:49filled the house. Honey, I'm home.
11:51Mia and I both stood up from the couch. He walked in with their five-year-old son.
11:55The moment his eyes landed on me, he went rigid. I looked at him steadily.
12:00Which honey are you talking to?
12:05Julian's face locked up. He stood there holding the boy and said absolutely nothing. I held his
12:11gaze. My eyes said everything I didn't speak aloud. Why? How could you? Do you have any idea what you've
12:18done to your son? To your parents? He was an only child. His whole life, they had sacrificed everything
12:24for him. And he had walked away from all of it and quietly become the son of someone else's family.
12:30I would never understand it. I would never forgive it. Mia broke first. What? What does that mean?
12:36Her voice cracked. She grabbed my arm then turned to Julian. Why is she asking you that?
12:41The paralysis broke from Julian's face. He quickly set the boy down. He took a few steps forward then
12:47stopped. Caught exactly halfway between us, unable to choose a direction.
12:54I'll explain everything, he said weakly. Explain what? I kept my voice level. That our 12-year
13:01marriage is nothing but an empty shell. That you have no parents, no son, or that you, a married man,
13:08have been living out here as another woman's husband and you're ready to file for divorce
13:12so she can finally have your last name? Every word landed. He had no answer. He looked like a man
13:19caught with nowhere to run. I know I don't deserve forgiveness, he finally said. I'm sorry.
13:24Mia fell apart. Sorry? What does that mean for me? She was crying now, fully. You said I was
13:30everything to you. You said I was your life. Say something. Tell me what's happening right now.
13:35And then Julian turned away from me and moved to pull her into his arms. My heart was bleeding.
13:41Fury rose through me. Then what are you saying? I demanded. He let go of her. He didn't dare hold
13:49her again. He stood there looking cornered, miserable, caught between two directions with
13:53no good move left. In the silence, my phone rang. Julian's father, a video call.
14:02I answered without hesitating and switched to the rear camera. Have you found Julian yet?
14:07The old man's voice was full of hope. He hadn't seen his son in almost two years. I walked the
14:13phone
14:14slowly across the living room until the camera landed on the family portrait on the wall. All
14:18six of them. All smiling. Found him, I said. Along with his new wife. His new son. His new daughter.
14:25His new family. I turned the camera to Julian and Mia. This is his other home. He moved in with
14:31her
14:31family. He's been taking care of them for years. I heard my father-in-law's sharp intake of breath.
14:37For a moment, he was too furious to speak. Dad, meet the new family. The old man erupted.
14:44Julian, is this what you've been doing? This? You have no regard for your mother and me. No regard
14:51for your wife and son. Are you trying to put me in the grave? Julian snapped. He lunged for the
14:57phone.
14:57Turn it off. Stop filming. Just stop. I no longer have a son. His father shouted from the screen.
15:04Do you hear me? I have no son. In the middle of it all, Mr. and Mrs. Miller walked through
15:11the front
15:11door. I ended the call. The moment Mr. and Mrs. Miller understood who I was, Mr. Miller spoke first.
15:22If Julian chose to marry my daughter and have children with her, that tells you everything
15:27about where he stands. End it clean and move on. We're not giving him up. Mrs. Miller nodded.
15:34I've treated Julian like my own son from the day he walked into this house. He and Mia love each
15:40other.
15:41That's not going to change. I turned to Julian. And what do you say? He had been staring at the
15:47floor.
15:47When my eyes finally forced his head up, he hesitated, then asked me slowly,
15:53do you still want me back? Before I could answer, Mia flew across the room. She dropped to the floor
15:59in front of him and grabbed his collar. What kind of question is that? If she still wants you,
16:04does that mean you'll throw me away? Julian, if you dare leave this family, I'll take the kids and
16:10end it all. I mean it. She gave you one child. I gave you two. I have given you more.
16:20Julian pulled her up and tried to calm her. I just need to know what sheep. I laughed hollowly
16:26to myself. Then deliberately, I said, I want you to come home. Cut everything here off. For good.
16:34I knew exactly what he was doing. He was waiting for me to make the choice for him. Sure, that
16:39someone
16:39like me, with my standards, would never accept a man who had done this. He expected me to say,
16:44I want a divorce and hand him his exit. When I didn't, surprise flickered across his face.
16:50Even a trace of disappointment. I stared at him. Now it's your turn to choose.
16:58His lips moved. Nothing came out. Mia shook him by the arm, crying. Say something. You said I'm the
17:04love of your life. You said you'd grow old with me. Say it to her face. Julian had no choice.
17:09He looked
17:10at me with pleading eyes. Could we just keep things the way they are? The way they are? I stared
17:17at him,
17:18cold. He wanted to keep both of us. My look made him too ashamed to repeat himself. You stay out
17:23here
17:23and keep playing husband? I go back to New York. Take care of your parents. Raise our son alone.
17:30Run your whole life from the background. While you enjoy this one? He had nothing to say. But I could
17:36see it in his face. That was exactly what he'd hoped for. Mia grabbed his arm again, sobbing.
17:41If you don't choose this family, I'll take these kids and die in front of you. You promised me we'd
17:47grow
17:47old together. You can't abandon us. She pulled both children over to her, crying. Ask your daddy.
17:53She said to them. Ask him if he's going to keep you. The two children didn't understand what was
17:59happening. But seeing Mia cry, they cried too. Crowding into Julian's arms, heartbroken. Daddy,
18:06please don't leave us. Daddy, mommy's crying. You always said you can't stand to see mommy cry.
18:13Please. Please. Julian finally broke. He pulled all three of them into his arms. His eyes went red.
18:25Then he looked at me. He had made his decision. Chloe, I'm sorry. I know you can manage on your
18:30own. I know you'll be okay. He swallowed. She can't. She has nothing without me. He glanced at Mia and
18:39the
18:39children. Then back at me. Take everything in the house. I won't fight you for custody. But this is
18:46the choice I have to make. I'm asking you to let us go. I'm asking you to let us go.
18:56I laughed,
18:56not from humor, from the absurdity of what I was hearing. She's the one to be pitied?
19:02What about your mother, who had a stroke and can't care for herself? Who wants nothing more
19:07than to see her own son? What about your father, who broke his leg and needed you home and never
19:13once said a word about the fact that you didn't come? What about your son, who gets mocked at school
19:19for not having a father around who has cried more times than I can count? As I spoke, tears fell
19:25from
19:25my eyes. Not for him. Never again for him. Only because a man like this was never worth everything
19:32our family had given him. Julian stood there in silence. Shame was written across his entire face.
19:39Mia filled the gap. Don't worry, she said, looking at me. I'll bring his parents here. I'll take care
19:45of them myself. You don't need to concern yourself with any of it. Then her eyes hardened. And you,
19:51you knew who I was from the very beginning, didn't you? You sat there and let me talk and talk
19:56and you
19:56were just collecting evidence. What kind of person does that? I smiled at her, contemptuous. Then I
20:02called Julian's parents back right there and told them in front of everyone what Julian had chosen.
20:11Julian had chosen. His mother's voice shook with fury. If you divorce Chloe, you are not my son.
20:18Do you understand me? She has done everything for this family. For us. While you were gone and you
20:26want to throw her away? I will never accept that woman and those children. I don't know them and I
20:32never will. Julian's father said the same. Mia broke down crying. Julian was at his breaking point.
20:38I ended the call. He wiped his eyes, couldn't look at me and finally said, Chloe, I have no right
20:44to ask
20:45anything of you, but name your terms. Whatever I can give you, I will. Mia knelt down in front of
20:51me.
20:51Please. You're educated. You're capable. You're beautiful. You'll find someone better than him.
20:57I can't. He is all I have. She pulled both children over. Kneel down, she told them softly. Ask her
21:04to let
21:04your daddy stay. Two small faces turned up toward me. Please, madam, don't take our daddy.
21:15Our family needs a daddy. Otherwise, it won't be whole. She was using the children to work on my
21:20conscience. Anger surged through me. Your children need a father and mine doesn't? Mia hesitated,
21:27then said, a little wounded, your child is older. Mine are still small. I laughed. The truth is,
21:36none of these children, yours or mine, will have a father from here on out. Both Julian and Mia
21:42looked up sharply, not understanding. Not until my brother walked through the door with local police
21:48officers behind him and Julian's boss and two company directors right after. Only then did Julian
21:54understand. I had never intended to give him a choice, and I was certainly not going to let them
22:00walk away clean. The sight of so many strangers sent both children into tears. An officer quietly asked
22:11Mrs. Miller to take them to another room. Julian stood still, calm, as if he had always known this
22:17day would come. Mia was anything but. What is this? You have no right to come in here and take
22:23my
22:23husband. When no one responded to her satisfaction, she turned all of it on me. Her pointing finger
22:29trembled. You call yourself a decent person? He already told you. You can have everything. What more
22:35do you want from him? He's your son's father. How can you be this heartless? Stop. Julian touched her
22:42arm. I looked at her and said plainly, everything you've been wearing, living in, eating. That money
22:50didn't just come out of my pocket. It was dirty. It came from fraud and corruption. You told me
22:56yourself what he was giving you every month. That figure is exactly what I used as evidence. You handed it
23:03to me yourself. Julian freezed. His boss stepped forward, his disappointment total. I trusted you
23:14with this entire project. Bribery, kickbacks, substandard materials, embezzlement of public
23:20funds. I gave you everything and this is what you did with it. Julian kept his eyes on the floor
23:27and said nothing. Mia spun toward the officers and grabbed one by the arm. We'll pay it all back,
23:33every cent. Just please. He's a father. We have children. Please give him one more chance. Ma'am,
23:39the officer's voice was firm. This is a criminal investigation. Repayment is not the issue. I said
23:46calmly. And while that's being sorted out, Mia, you should probably find yourself a lawyer. What you and
23:52Julian have constitutes bigamy. That's a separate charge. She went white. Julian finally looked up.
23:59His control snapped.
24:05Everything I did, I'll take responsibility for all of it. But she had nothing to do with any of it.
24:12She didn't know. Why are you going after her? I smiled, cold and contemptuous. Inside,
24:18the hatred was overwhelming enough that I wanted to strike him across the face. And then,
24:23right at the peak of it, I felt it all drain away into something vast and empty. None of this
24:29is worth anything. She didn't know, I said. She knew I was your wife. She brought me home deliberately to
24:36force the confrontation. To pressure you into a divorce. And if she hadn't bragged about the $50,000
24:41a month, I wouldn't have had the evidence I needed. Julian stared at Mia, stunned, demanding the truth.
24:53Mia shook her head frantically. I didn't know she was going to report you. I never thought she would.
24:59I played a recording. Julian's face drained of color at the first two sentences. Julian's going to have
25:05to go back and deal with his wife eventually. Even if he drags his feet, Mia will raise hell until
25:10he
25:10files. She's not the type to share. Mr. Miller's voice, unmistakable. Then Mrs. Miller's. Look at
25:16that woman. She sat here and took it all without a word. Either she has no backbone, or she's playing
25:22a very long game. Oh, she's playing a game. But it won't matter. Julian has no feelings for her
25:28anymore. Mia just has to cry, and he'll sign the papers. You know why Mia brought her home, right?
25:34To light the fuse herself. Julian's expression moved from shock to disbelief, to a deep,
25:39exhausted disappointment. He looked at Mia. So you knew all along that I was married. You brought
25:46her here on purpose, to force my hand. Mia couldn't argue her way out of it. She broke down and
25:53admitted
25:53it through tears. I just wanted you to belong to me completely. What's wrong with that? I never thought
25:59she'd go this far. I never thought she'd actually... Mr. Miller, who had said nothing until now, opened his
26:05mouth and immediately began deflecting blame. If you weren't so spineless and indecisive, none of this
26:11would have happened. Now you've brought this on yourself. What happens to the children? What happens
26:16to Mia? What are we supposed to do? How do we ever show our faces around here again?
26:26Julian suddenly laughed. As he laughed, tears slipped from the corners of his eyes. His face was full of
26:33helpless, exhausted disbelief at how stupid Mia had been. For a moment, he genuinely didn't know who to
26:40blame. He kept his head down the entire walk to the police car. Outside, people had gathered, then more
26:46from neighboring streets. By the time the officers walked Julian out, over a thousand people were
26:52watching. All of them there to see the most famously devoted husband in town taken away in handcuffs.
26:57His wife back in New York is beautiful, educated. A professor, I heard. And he threw all of that away
27:03for this? Men are never satisfied. Doesn't matter how good things are at home. He did everything Mia
27:10said. Never questioned her once. And he was rotten the whole time. Mia knew he was married. Brought
27:16his wife here herself to force a divorce. Backfired, didn't it? Tried to steal another woman's husband
27:22and burned her own life down. At the police car door, Julian stopped. He turned and found me in the
27:29crowd. Take care of yourself, he said quietly. I'm sorry, Chloe. Find someone who deserves you.
27:35I looked at him. I said nothing. He got in.
27:43Mia ran after the car. Stumbling, falling, picking herself up, and running again. Pounding on the
27:50window, screaming his name, until it turned the corner and disappeared. She came back and collapsed
27:56at my feet. Please. She was on her knees in front of everyone, past caring who saw. Please help him.
28:02You're educated. You understand how this works better than I do. I don't care about anything
28:07else anymore. I just need him not to go to prison. She held onto the hem of my coat. Believe
28:12me or
28:13don't. But I did love him. That part was real. I looked at her calmly. The hatred I had carried
28:20into this situation was gone. She kept going. Her voice breaking. I genuinely didn't know he was
28:33married when we first got together. I found out when our son was almost a year old. I found a
28:38photo
28:38of you on his phone. By then, I was already in too deep. The children, this house, my parents. We
28:45were
28:45all depending on him. I didn't know what to do. I know nothing I say matters now. I'm only asking
28:51if there's anything you can do. She didn't get up. She just stayed there on the ground in front of
28:56everyone, her hand clutching my coat, not caring about the stairs. I reached down and removed her
29:01hand. I looked at her. You know what your tears mean to me? I said quietly, crocodile tears. She blinked
29:09up at me. Then she folded over and wept into the ground, and I walked away.
29:19I did not soften. I pressed forward with every charge, including bigamy. Julian's parents never
29:26blamed me. They supported every decision I made. My son did not take it well. He spent months in
29:31therapy, struggling to accept that his father had another family out there, other children,
29:36living a parallel life. It took a long time. Six months later, Mia was sentenced to one year for
29:42bigamy. Julian's sentencing came three months after that. The court found that he had embezzled
29:47nearly $97 million, taken over $10 million in bribes, paid out $60 million in kickbacks,
29:53misused $20 million in public funds, violated construction regulations, and committed bigamy.
29:58Multiple charges, concurrent sentencing, 11 years. He asked to see me the day he was taken in.
30:04I didn't go. I sent my lawyer to handle the divorce. Julian's parents were good to me and
30:09my son until the end. Before they passed, they transferred both of their properties into my
30:14son's name and left everything they had to us. I kept my promise to them regardless. I cared for
30:20them, and I was there when they left. In the seventh year of Julian's sentence,
30:30they both passed. His mother went first. Another stroke. Too severe to survive. His father followed
30:36the next day. They had been devoted to each other their entire lives. He simply could not face a
30:42mourning without her. I arranged a proper funeral for both of them. I had my lawyer notify Julian.
30:47He sent back one message through the attorney. Thank you. Can I see you? I didn't respond.
30:52My son was accepted to an Ivy League school the following year. That, more than anything,
30:57let me breathe. I heard Mia remarried about three years after her release. A divorced man with two
31:03children of his own. She moved on. I moved on too. My son played matchmaker. He introduced me to the
31:09single father of one of his college friends. By then, I wasn't looking for anything grand. What I
31:13found instead was someone steady, someone present, someone who picked up when I called. We agreed from
31:19the start. No children together. We weren't starting over from scratch. We were two people who chose to
31:25share the rest of the road. Three years into that marriage, Julian was released. He came to find me.
31:30Eleven years had not been kind to him. He looked far older than a man his age should. Worn down,
31:36diminished, nothing left of the confidence he used to carry. He stood at my door and asked quietly,
31:43Chloe, is there any way I could come home? I looked at him. I took your advice, I said.
31:49I found someone good. I married him.
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