- 2 weeks ago
Clearing My Name
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Short filmTranscript
00:00Ten years ago, the Hudson River Bridge 1 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
00:52who let his little mistress infiltrate the construction crew to pocket kickbacks.
00:57And when everything fell apart, he made me take the fall.
01:01Hello.
01:01Under the blaze of camera flashes, Silas Sterling's face remained cold and composed.
01:07Welcome to my humble cafe, Mr. Silas.
01:09Can 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!
01:31So 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?
01:39We'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.
01:59I stayed on guard.
02:00The standoff dragged on until Silas stepped in front of me and blocked the cameras with his body.
02:05What happens today is between me and my former wife.
02:07We won't be taking any interviews.
02:09Please clear the area.
02:10Then he turned to look at me, his gaze deep and unreadable.
02:13Allura.
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.
02:59Mom, Dad, and I were so worried about you.
03:01I looked toward the voice.
03:03A woman walked in from the doorway, smiling softly, naturally taking Silas's hand and pressing a light kiss to the
03:10corner 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.
03:34It'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 was the very person
04:05who 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, turned 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, holding 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, politely,
04:55and then set it down to the side without another look.
04:59I didn't believe Silas had sought me out on purpose, and I had no intention of ever seeing him again.
05:05Then, three days later, my boss called, and his voice was thick with discomfort.
05:10Laura, 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 was never a good fit.
05:22I've counted this month as full attendance, and your wages will be in your account shortly.
05:30Take 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.
05:37He 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.
05:52Please 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.
06:03Hey, Laura.
06:04I 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.
06:16I've already handled that.
06:18I've also purchased a house for you in the city.
06:23And Ivy is still young, not as experienced with the more complex blueprints.
06:27If you could help guide her, I'll pay you $200,000 a month.
06:31My fists clenched so hard my knuckles cracked.
06:35On 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,
06:47and tear apart the quiet life I'd rebuilt?
06:51On what grounds did he presume to arrange everything for me,
06:55as though I had no say?
06:56Help Ivy Thorne?
06:58That was nothing but wanting me to be her shadow,
07:01her ghostwriter,
07:02her invisible hand.
07:03The thought made me sick to my stomach.
07:05I forced my feelings down,
07:07spoke 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,
07:23you're only ever truly happy when you're working on blueprints.
07:25I'm securing your livelihood
07:27and giving your gift a place to breathe.
07:30What exactly are you dissatisfied with?
07:33And if you insist on saving face and refusing,
07:38I have other options.
07:40He hung up.
07:42A quiet dread settled in my chest.
07:44By that afternoon,
07:45I understood exactly what his other options were.
07:49With my coffee shop job gone,
07:52I spent the day walking all over town looking for work.
07:55But no matter where I went,
07:57no matter how desperately they were hiring,
07:59the moment I walked in,
08:01everyone was perfectly polite
08:03and everyone refused to let me work.
08:05Eventually, with nowhere left to try,
08:08I made my way back to my rented room.
08:10But at the gate,
08:11I found my landlady waiting for me.
08:13Mrs. Kowalski was a wonderful woman.
08:16When I'd first arrived with almost nothing,
08:18she had waived a full month's rent
08:20and whenever she cooked something good,
08:22she always brought a bowl to my door.
08:24But now she stood at the entrance,
08:26eyes red-rimmed.
08:27Ilada, you're finally back.
08:30I'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,
08:42my daughter,
08:43she works in the city,
08:44they'll, they'll...
08:45She couldn't finish the sentence.
08:47She started crying.
08:49I packed my things that same night and moved out.
08:52This, I thought,
08:53is what Silas calls compensation.
08:55Burn down everything I have,
08:57then offer me the ashes with a gracious hand.
09:00The day I moved out of my rented room,
09:02Silas 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.
09:11He had brought a moving company.
09:13He directed them to carry my things
09:14with a naturalness that made my skin crawl,
09:17as though we hadn't divorced at all,
09:19as though he were simply a husband
09:21coming to bring his wife home.
09:22At the new house,
09:23he 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.
09:38If you truly wanted to make it right,
09:40you wouldn't have appeared at all.
09:41You would have stayed away.
09:44Allura, stop making a scene.
09:46I know you're not satisfied,
09:48but this is only the beginning.
09:51I'll find someone else to shoulder the blame.
09:55Then, step by step,
09:57I'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,
10:05but the meaning was unmistakable.
10:07You don't get to resist.
10:08He wanted me held firmly in his hands.
10:15Silas!
10:16I 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
10:36and 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
10:42without 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.
10:51Please, don't refuse.
10:53If you ever have any difficulties,
10:55just say the word.
11:01But that afternoon,
11:02the news had spread across every platform in the city.
11:05Killer back in high society.
11:07Can the victims ever rest?
11:08And I, once again,
11:09was pushed to the center of the storm,
11:11pelted from all sides.
11:12Let's go!
11:13Let's go!
11:18Let's go!
11:20Whether or not it was intentional,
11:22Ivy had leaked my address to the public.
11:26After that,
11:27victims' families and furious protesters
11:29gathered 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.
11:42Mom!
11:43Dad!
11:43You're here!
11:44Come in,
11:44have 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.
12:01We're begging you.
12:03Ivy genuinely loves Silas.
12:05You're already divorced.
12:07Stop clinging to him.
12:09Ivy is a good girl,
12:11and 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
12:25that had once sung me lullabies
12:26and coaxed me to sleep night 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!
12:36Dad, did you never believe me?
12:38Not 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
13:30knocked down 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!
13:45She was 19!
13:46She just started college!
13:48You animal!
13:51You owe us so many lives.
13:53Cutting you into a thousand pieces wouldn't be enough.
13:59You're in our hands now!
14:01We want blood for blood!
14:02Ninety-nine blows.
14:04I lost consciousness
14:05and was doused awake
14:06again and again.
14:11The reason water closed in from every direction.
14:14The suffocation wrapped around me like a fist.
14:18Just as soon as I went to the house,
14:21the reason water closed around me.
14:27Mom, Dad, don't worry.
14:29I've looked into these families.
14:31They're all ordinary, decent people.
14:34They won't do anything seriously 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 her whereabouts.
14:47The number you dialed is currently switched off.
14:52Something keeps knocking in my chest lately.
14:54Alara hasn't sent any word for days.
14:56Should we go look for her?
14:57Maybe call the police?
14:59Look for her?
15:00Call the police?
15:01Wasting resources to protect that creature?
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 on the world.
15:11Silas Sterling was just as uneasy.
15:13I knew it.
15:15You still can't let go of 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 to go find Alara,
15:24Ivy stopped him.
15:25While Ivy wasn't around,
15:26he slipped away and headed straight for the house.
15:29When he arrived,
15:30all he found was an empty house.
15:32And Alara's parents,
15:33standing there,
15:34faces tight with the same wordless dread.
16:05The three of them greeted each other with a nod,
16:12the letter of the house.
16:17You could have seen the scene with her.
16:26The family were killed.
16:29And my father was having to see her.
16:35The four of them were killed.
16:36parents gave us her location. They're not pressing charges. On what grounds are you
16:40arresting us? Whatever wrong was done to you, the law will decide your remedy. Vigilante
16:45justice is never acceptable. Killing is a crime. Full stop. Whatever came after that,
16:51neither Alara's parents nor Silas could hear a single word. She was your own daughter. Even
16:56a tiger won't devour its cubs. How could you do something like this? No, we didn't know
17:03this would happen. It was Ivy. Ivy said these people would only scare her, that Alara would
17:08go into hiding to protect herself. The name Ivy Thorne cracked through Silas's mind like a bolt
17:13of lightning. Ivy. It was Ivy again. She must have planned all of this from the beginning. No wonder
17:22she had worked so hard to keep him away. Silas's face darkened to something terrifying. Alara's
17:29parents were reeling too. Now that they thought back, Ivy's behavior had been strange all along.
17:34You care that much about that murderer? Didn't you hate her? Didn't you love me most? She's dead?
17:42Isn't that exactly what you wanted? I can still be your daughter. I'm still Silas Sterling's
17:47fiance. Someone like her. She killed all those people 10 years ago. Getting what she deserved
17:52is only natural. The moment Ivy finished speaking, Silas lunged forward and closed his hand around her
18:05throat. Who told you to do this? I'm not wrong. Someone who caused that much damage, after 10 years,
18:12she's still a pest. Ivy's words stopped abruptly. Her face slowly drained of color. She looked as though
18:19something had just surfaced in her memory. Silas let out a laugh.
18:25I've woken from nightmares countless times, sick with regret over what I did to the person I loved
18:29most, all to protect something like you. You and I both know the truth. You were only my mentor's
18:35daughter. My mentor did so much for me, so I sacrificed my own wife to take your punishment.
18:40The real truth of 10 years ago. You, the actual culprit, know it better than anyone.
18:46The words detonated in the room of a bomb. Then Alara's father spoke, his voice barely finding
18:51shape. Silas, what you just said, the one who caused the collapse 10 years ago, it wasn't Alara?
18:56We wronged her, and we took in the person who destroyed her and called her our daughter?
19:01Silas lowered his eyes. He said nothing. Alara's father stumbled. He fell back into a chair.
19:08Her mother surged forward, raised her hand, and brought it down hard across Silas' face.
19:14His face snapped to one side, but he stood where he was and took it.
19:18I'm sorry. I'm so sorry.
19:20Her mother didn't accept the apology. She was silent for a moment. Then a cry tore out of her,
19:25raw and inconsolable. My daughter! My daughter! We took revenge on the wrong person?
19:33When I woke up, I was in a soft bed. I tried to sit up. The pain that tore through
19:39my body
19:39made cold sweat break across my skin instantly. Don't move. Lie still and rest. A gentle male
19:47voice came from the doorway. I turned toward the sound. A young man in a cotton shirt.
19:53The doctor said you'd wake up around now. I've been making a fresh bowl every day waiting for you.
19:59And here you are. You just woke up, nothing too rich yet. This will do for now. Once you're
20:05better, I'll take you somewhere proper. He set the bowl on the nightstand as he spoke. Then,
20:10with practiced ease, he adjusted the bed so I could sit up more comfortably, and brought the spoon to
20:14my lips. I looked at him properly for the first time. Strong, straight brows. Warm, expressive eyes.
20:20A small mole just beside his nose. Perfectly placed. For some reason I couldn't name,
20:26he felt immediately familiar, as though we had known each other for a long time.
20:31Because of that feeling, I could barely put my guard up. When he brought the porridge to my lips,
20:36I drank it before I even thought to hesitate. The moment it hit my tongue, I went still.
20:42This taste. It was the exact taste from my grandmother's house when I was a child.
20:47The porridge she used to make just for me. I stared at him, and after a long moment,
20:52Who are you?
20:54A shadow of sadness crossed the young man's eyes.
20:58Silly.
21:01Grandma's sweet potato porridge besides grandma herself, only one person in the world knows the
21:05recipe. You really don't remember?
21:07And then it came back to me all at once. When I was little, there was a boy who used
21:12to play with me
21:13all the time. Because our grandmother was always so busy, he would be the one to look after me.
21:18For a while when my stomach was bad, and I could only manage porridge,
21:22he had learned grandma's sweet potato porridge recipe specifically for me.
21:27Julian?
21:32You finally remembered.
21:34It was only then that Julian told me everything.
21:37It turned out that after my parents had taken me to the city, Julian's own biological parents had
21:43found him as well. His true identity, the lost heir to the Knight family, the wealthiest in the region.
21:49After a whole drama of proving who he really was, he had taken his rightful place at the head of
21:55Knight Technologies. But he had never forgotten me. He had never stopped looking for me. When he saw me
22:01become a well-known architect, he felt genuinely happy for me. But because I had already married Silas,
22:06he hadn't wanted to intrude.
22:09Ten years ago, the bridge collapse case. Everyone thinks you are a murderer. I never believed you were
22:15the murderer. He had spent years quietly investigating, collecting evidence in the background. But even by
22:21the time I was released, he hadn't found enough. At the end of it all, I've been keeping an eye
22:25on your
22:26movements. So I was able to detect those people's plot in time and rescue from the river. But I know
22:32this violates your privacy. Will you be angry with me? I laughed. I shook my head. Thank you, Julian.
22:40I watched the news from the bed. When I saw Ivy Thorne being led away by police on the television
22:46screen, I couldn't quite believe it. Julian and I looked at each other. Neither of us had expected
22:52that the truth revealed to the world just like that. In the reporter's cameras, Silas Sterling's face
22:58was ashen. Not a trace remained of the man he once had been. And my parents, over their own daughter,
23:05looked as though every ounce of life had been drained from them. My father slumped in a chair.
23:10My mother sat beside him, hands pressed over her face. I lay in bed watching all of it. There was
23:16none of the triumphant satisfaction I might have imagined. Only a vast emptiness and a tiredness.
23:22My former firm released a statement restoring my standing. Apologies flooded social media. Countless
23:29strangers brought flowers to the cenotaph that had been erected in my name. Julian watched it all
23:34beside me, then turned and asked, brow furrowed. What are you going to do? Tell everyone you're still
23:40alive? The moment he finished speaking, the faces of my parents and Silas rose up in my mind. I could
23:45already picture exactly what their version of making it up to me would look like. Their compensation
23:50felt like something demonic. I never wanted to live through that again. I shook my head. I gave
23:55Julian a small smile. Julian, let's just call this a rebirth. No matter how public opinion shifted back
24:04in my favor, no matter how many people came forward to sympathize, to apologize, to demand justice on my
24:11behalf, it all felt like something from a previous life. Since everyone already believed I was dead,
24:17I would give them exactly that. I stayed with Julian to recover for six months. He cared for me the
24:23way
24:24he always had, with quiet, unhesitating attention. Already the commanding head of night technologies,
24:30and yet he still looked after me exactly the way he had when we were children. Once I was able
24:36to eat
24:36normally, he always cooked himself. Every day he found a new way to prepare something nourishing. Six months
24:43later, I was not only healed, I had gained 10 pounds. Then spring came again. Jacaranda blooms
24:49opened just outside the window beside my bed. I stared at them for a long time. Then I turned to
24:55Julian and said, Julian, let's go somewhere. We left the city. Julian arranged his company to run with
25:02remote management, then stepped back and accompanied me as we set out to see the world. We followed the
25:07steps of my favorite poets. We traced the romantic solitude of Neruda through the coastal landscape
25:13of Chile. We stood in Juan Mach in Paris and tried to guess where the little rabbit had been buried.
25:19We walked through temple gardens in Kyoto and contemplated the violent beauty of a Japanese
25:24master's aesthetic. I had never imagined, after all those years apart, that Julian and I would find our
25:30interests and our way of seeing the world so completely aligned. At last we came to England.
25:36Beside the Thames, Julian turned to look at me. His eyes were full of a nervousness he was trying
25:41very hard not to show. I knew what he was about to say. I smiled at him and spoke first.
25:47Julian, I think I've fallen for you. His face went red all the way to his ears. Then a kiss
25:53landed on
25:53my lips. At last, Julian and I opened a small bookshop in England. The days passed quietly. Only
26:00occasionally did news from back home reach us. After my death, Silas seemed to become
26:05a different person entirely. He restructured his company with swift, decisive force and purged
26:12everything connected to Ivy Thorne. And he never gave up looking for me. The overwhelming weight
26:17of what he owed kept him convinced, with a kind of obsession, that I must still be alive somewhere.
26:24As it turned out, he was right. On a Christmas Eve, London was buried in heavy snow. I had closed
26:30the
26:31shop early and was on my way home to cook Christmas dinner with Julian. But just as I reached the
26:36bottom
26:37of our building, I saw a familiar silhouette. He was standing in the snowfall, as though he intended
26:43to become part of it, still as a statue made of ice. When he saw me, the gray deadness in
26:49his eyes
26:49came alive. Alara! He ran to me and grabbed my hands, his whole body trembling. I knew you weren't dead.
26:56Thank God, you're not dead. What happened back then was my fault. I've cleared your name. Come back with
27:03me. Let's start over. Please. He was incoherent, tears breaking through his voice, more humble than
27:10I had ever seen him. I looked at this man I had once loved deeply, and once hated just as
27:16deeply.
27:16My heart was utterly still. Mr. Sterling, I said, you have the wrong person. Alara Vance is dead.
27:24He looked at me with something close to madness in his eyes. No, please. I'm begging you. Let me
27:31make it right. Please, make it right? I gave a cold laugh. You destroyed my life. You made everyone
27:38abandon me. You cost me 10 years in prison. When I finally found my way back to a quiet life,
27:46your so-called compensation forced me out of it and nearly killed me. Silas Sterling,
27:52what exactly do you think you still have left to make right? I turned away, and there was Julian
27:58standing just behind me, watching with a quiet, steady smile. I walked forward without a moment's
28:04hesitation. I took Julian's hand. I didn't look back, not even once, as the sound of Silas breaking
28:11down faded behind us. One week later, my parents appeared at the bottom of our building. They looked
28:16so much older. Their hair had gone white. Their faces were full of a timid, beseeching uncertainty.
28:23My mother was holding a thermal bag. Lotus pastries, she said, the ones I had loved as a child. When
28:29she
28:29saw me, she opened her mouth, but the tears came before any words did. I looked at them. The fine,
28:36dense ache moved through me again, the way it always had. Come up for tea, I said. I turned and
28:42led the
28:42way. Julian respected my choices completely. He helped me prepare the tea, setting a cup in front
28:48of each of my parents without a word. Then he quietly found somewhere else to be. My father was
28:54the first to speak. Alara, we were wrong. Come home with us. I finished my tea in silence. Then I
29:02set the
29:02cup down and spoke. Mom, Dad, I took a slow breath. Consider me dead. This is my home. I'm not
29:10going back.
29:11I don't hate you anymore, but I can't be what I was to you before. Between us, there are 10
29:16years of a
29:17wrongful sentence and one life that almost ended. We are each other's best ending if we simply wish
29:24each other well from a distance. I didn't take the lotus pastries. They cried for a long time.
29:29In the end, they left, unsteady on their feet, stumbling down the steps. The snow on the ground
29:35below caught the last of the sunset light, small patches of red, and their shadows stretched
29:40long behind them. I cried anyway. Silas and my parents never came back. Only money, from time to
29:47time, deposited quietly into my account. And postcards, occasionally, routed through circuitous
29:53paths. No name signed. I knew they were from Silas. I never read them. I never replied. I carried each
30:00one to the fireplace and watched the flames take it. Life always moves forward. Ding!
30:06The wind chime above the door rang. A customer had come in. After selling one more book, I lay
30:12back in the rocking chair in the courtyard. Julian handed me a cup of tea and asked,
30:17Any regrets? I shook my head. Never. This bookshop and Julian. This was my new life.
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