- 11 hours ago
Too Late To Beg-My Wife Lied For Ten Years Ep
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Short filmTranscript
00:00Ten years into our marriage, I had intended to give her 15% of the company's shares as a 10
00:06-year anniversary gift on our wedding anniversary tomorrow.
00:09But I accidentally came across a paternity test report on the computer in the study, a report whose existence I
00:15had never been aware of before.
00:18The report stated that the son I had raised for 10 years was not my biological child.
00:24Honey, why are you still working so late?
00:27I quickly closed the document in a hurry.
00:29When I turned around, I found her looking at me with a sullen face, asking me what I was looking
00:34at.
00:35I took a deep breath, reopened the paternity test report, and demanded to know from her what this was.
00:40But she immediately turned off the computer.
00:43She asked if I didn't trust her.
00:45She instead accused me of not respecting her privacy and questioned why I had rummaged through her materials.
00:51She picked up Zach from the open space behind the computer in the study and left.
00:56Watching her walking away, I finally realized how strange our 10-year marriage had become.
01:01I thought that the child I had raised for 10 years might not be my own.
01:06I had intended to give her 15% of the company's shares as a 10-year anniversary gift tomorrow.
01:12On our wedding anniversary, I tore up the 10th anniversary gift that I had prepared long ago, piece by piece.
01:20All the former joy had completely vanished, leaving only nausea.
01:24But now, it seems there's no need for that.
01:27I stood in the living room for a long time, looking at the light in the bedroom,
01:32then turned around and went to the guest room.
01:35I didn't sleep a wink all night.
01:38The next morning, I was woken up by Lilith.
01:40Her face was full of anger as she demanded to know what it meant for me to sleep in the
01:45guest room.
01:46It was a face I had seen for 10 years, incredibly strange.
01:50I told her that I needed some space.
01:52Our face flushed red.
01:53She huffed,
01:54Who cares?
01:55And then left.
01:56After Lilith went to work, I made breakfast as usual.
02:00Zach was sitting at the dining table, drinking milk, and said that I looked really bad.
02:05I stroked his hair.
02:06It was soft and slightly curly.
02:09I told him that I didn't sleep well last night and urged him to eat quickly or he would be
02:13late.
02:14When waiting for the red lights, I turned around.
02:16I plucked a hair from the back of his head, saying there was a white hair and Dad would pull
02:21it out for him.
02:22I clipped the hair into the small notebook I carried with me.
02:25I went to the paternity testing center.
02:27I requested an urgent test.
02:29The staff said it usually took five working days, but if it was expedited,
02:34the results could be available before 4 p.m. on the same day,
02:37and the cost was triple the fee.
02:40After collecting my oral mucosal cells, I sat in the waiting area,
02:44staring at the clock on the wall, watching it tick away every minute and second.
02:49When submitting the sample, my hands were shaking a bit.
02:52During this time, I contacted a private detective and asked him to investigate my wife, Lilith Wells,
02:59especially her whereabouts in the past few months.
03:02At 3.40 p.m., my phone rang.
03:04The results were out.
03:06I clicked on the electronic report and directly flipped to the last page.
03:10It said that, according to the DNA analysis results, the probability of a parent-child relationship between me and Zach
03:18was 0.0001%.
03:22I was not Zach's biological father.
03:25I thought I was prepared, but the moment I saw the result,
03:28I still felt as if my chest had been hit hard and I couldn't breathe.
03:33I drove straight to the maternity hospital where Lilith gave birth.
03:37Not my child.
03:38The boy I had raised for so long didn't have my blood flowing in his veins.
03:44Then, where was my child?
03:46The obstetrician who delivered my wife back then is now the director of the department.
03:51I came straight to the point and told her that I needed my wife's complete delivery files,
03:56including the labor process records, nursing records, everything.
04:00He smiled, froze.
04:01He said that.
04:02After all these years, the medical records should have been archived in the warehouse.
04:07After a while, the staff finally brought out a thin manila paper folder.
04:13My phone rang.
04:15Lilith asked where I was.
04:17She was already on her way to pick up Zach.
04:19I told her I was out running an errand and would be home soon,
04:23then hung up before she could ask more.
04:27After dinner, I faked a migraine and retreated to the guest room.
04:32Their voices drifted down the hall.
04:34In the living room, Lilith helped Zach with homework.
04:39Zach asked if Dad was mad at him.
04:43Lilith said he was just tired and told him to go to sleep after finishing.
04:47Once the house went quiet, I searched everywhere.
04:52Our bedroom.
04:54The living room.
04:57Zach's room.
04:59Still no clues.
05:02Finally, I turned back to the computer.
05:05I was sure the truth was in there.
05:09I was closing a document when Lilith appeared.
05:12She asked why I was still up.
05:14I said I was clearing out old files.
05:17She hesitated.
05:19Lips moving, like she wanted to say something.
05:22But in the end, just told me to get some rest.
05:26I sat in the dark, listening to her footsteps fade.
05:30I didn't turn the computer back on that night.
05:34Lying in bed, my mind was a mess.
05:38At first light, I asked her to take Zach to school.
05:42She shot me a look,
05:44then complained to Zach that his dad was lazy,
05:46lucky his mom spoiled him.
05:49The moment she left,
05:51I rushed to the study.
05:54I powered up the computer
05:55and started trying passwords.
05:59Our anniversary.
06:00Her birthday.
06:01Zach's birthday.
06:03All wrong.
06:04The day we met.
06:05Her mother's birthday.
06:06The company's founding date.
06:08All wrong.
06:09The system locked me out for 15 minutes.
06:16That evening, Lilith came home,
06:19took off her coat,
06:21and said she was heading to Portland
06:23the next day for a work trip.
06:25No return date.
06:27I came out from the kitchen,
06:29with a dish,
06:30and asked who she was going with.
06:32She set her briefcase between us
06:34like a barrier,
06:35and asked,
06:36can you not be like this?
06:40I didn't understand
06:41why a simple question set her off.
06:43She accused me of questioning everything.
06:46I turned around and went to fry the steak,
06:48and said I was just asking.
06:52She walked into the bedroom
06:54without answering.
06:58Dinner ended in silence.
07:01Zach seemed to sense something
07:03and didn't pick at his food for once.
07:07After her shower,
07:09Lilith picked up her coat from the sofa.
07:11A receipt fell out.
07:14After she left,
07:15I picked it up.
07:17It was for a designer perfume
07:19purchased the day before.
07:21I'd never heard of the brand,
07:23but I knew it wasn't for me.
07:25I jotted down the details.
07:27In 10 years of marriage,
07:29Lilith had never given me a gift.
07:31I used to make excuses.
07:33She wasn't romantic.
07:35Work was busy.
07:37The next morning,
07:38after she left for the airport,
07:40I called the store
07:41to verify the receipt.
07:43They confirmed the purchaser
07:45was a Mr. Stan Herbert.
07:47The name rang a bell.
07:50Lilith's secretary,
07:51a divorced man in his 30s,
07:53hired six months ago.
07:55I drove to the airport,
07:57not sure what I was hoping to confirm.
07:59Maybe the perfume was for a client.
08:02Maybe I was overthinking.
08:05I waited outside
08:06international departures
08:08for half an hour
08:09until I saw Lilith and him.
08:12Stan wore a beige trench coat,
08:14pulling a small suitcase,
08:16walking beside her.
08:17At the security checkpoint,
08:19Stan naturally reached out
08:21and straightened her collar.
08:23She didn't pull away.
08:24He leaned in
08:25and whispered something in her ear.
08:28I wanted to rush outside
08:29and confront her.
08:31The last shred of self-deception
08:33in my heart
08:34also vanished into thin air.
08:36Lilith smiled,
08:37then tiptoed up
08:38and gave him a gentle kiss
08:39on the lips.
08:40Her hand languered on his waist
08:42for a moment
08:42before reluctantly parting,
08:44the movement as if it had long
08:46become a habit.
08:47Help me look up Stan Herbert.
08:49I want to know all his information,
08:51especially whether he has any children.
08:53He has a 10-year-old son.
08:55His son was born
08:56only one week later than Zach.
08:58A thought suddenly struck me.
09:00I rushed into the study.
09:02My finger hovered above the keyboard,
09:04then slowly typed in Stan's birthday.
09:06The desktop is unlocked.
09:08There is only folder inside,
09:09work backup.
09:10Lilith and Stan
09:11dressed in school uniforms
09:13during their college years.
09:1410 years of deception.
09:16Looking at the wallpaper
09:17of our wedding photo on the screen,
09:19I felt a strong sense of disgust.
09:21At 3 p.m.,
09:22I drove to the West District.
09:24The school bell rang
09:25and the Kildrens rushed out of school door.
09:27He walked out alone
09:28with no one to pick him up.
09:30He looked around briefly,
09:31then slowly walked along the sidewalk.
09:33His walking posture is a bit like mine,
09:36with a slight pigeon-toed gaze.
09:37He has a birthmark on his wrist
09:39in the same position as mine.
09:41I saw his empty look,
09:43which didn't seem like that
09:44of a 10-year-old child.
09:46I covered my mouth
09:47to keep myself from making a sound.
09:50We have children.
09:51Think about the children
09:52or about Zach.
09:53Is it referring to the child
09:55I raised for 10 years
09:56who turns out to be yours
09:58and stanks?
10:03He disappeared around the corner.
10:07I broke down sobbing over the wheel
10:09for the boy walking home alone
10:11for 10 years wasted
10:13for being a fool
10:14in someone else's story.
10:16Then I wiped my tears
10:17and drove off.
10:20At the law firm,
10:21I handed Stuart a USB drive.
10:24Photos, paternity test,
10:26medical records,
10:27perfume receipt,
10:29Stan and Williams info.
10:30I told him.
10:32Divorce, she gets nothing.
10:33I want custody,
10:34and I want her to pay.
10:36Walking out.
10:37I remembered what Lilith said
10:38when she proposed 10 years ago.
10:40She said,
10:41Hugh, I'll give you a lifetime of ease.
10:43Turns out her lifetime
10:44was only 10 years, maybe less.
10:47I called my father's old colleague,
10:49the company's second largest shareholder.
10:51Said I wanted to discuss something
10:52before next week's board meeting.
10:54Lilith forgot,
10:55this company is a Beck company.
10:56She got her position
10:57because I convinced my father
10:59to give her the chance.
11:00What I gave,
11:01I can take away.
11:02Two weeks after she left,
11:04I liquidated everything in my name.
11:06Every afternoon I waited
11:07near William School.
11:08One rainy day he had no umbrella.
11:10After half an hour under a store awning,
11:12he ran home in the rain.
11:14Friday I got there early.
11:16When William came out,
11:17I pretended to be a stranger.
11:20Dropping a folder in front of him.
11:22He picked it up.
11:24I thanked him and asked
11:25if his mom was coming.
11:27She was working late,
11:28he said,
11:29he'd take the bus.
11:30I handed him a bottle of water.
11:33He hesitated,
11:34then took it and said thanks.
11:35I noticed he pressed his lips together,
11:38like me,
11:38his eyes looked like mine too.
11:40I asked if his mom often worked late.
11:43Sometimes,
11:43he said.
11:44I asked about his dad.
11:47He looked down at his worn out shoes.
11:50One lace broken.
11:52I didn't push.
11:53I gave him $200 for new shoes.
11:56He stepped back,
11:58saying he couldn't take it.
11:59I told him to think of it as
12:00thanks for picking up my folder.
12:02When I looked back,
12:03he was still standing there,
12:05unsure.
12:06That night I stood outside Zach's room.
12:09He was playing with a pricey Lego set
12:11Lilith had bought him.
12:12He asked what was wrong.
12:14I touched his hair and asked about homework.
12:17He'd finished long ago.
12:18He said,
12:19mom promised Disneyland
12:20if he made top 10 on the midterms.
12:22I smiled and said that's great.
12:24Lilith's completely different treatment
12:26of the two kids cut me like a knife.
12:28My own son wore scuffed shoes
12:30and rode the bus alone,
12:31while this one got everything.
12:32The moment I turned away,
12:34the smile left my face.
12:36After two weeks away on a business trip,
12:39Lilith was finally home.
12:40She set down her suitcase
12:41and immediately asked where Zach was.
12:44I told her I'd signed him up
12:45for a tutoring for a class
12:46two hours in the evening.
12:48She shot back,
12:49asking why,
12:50saying he was only in fourth grade.
12:52I didn't answer,
12:53but I caught the scent of her perfume.
12:56She came over to hug me
12:58and I turned aside.
13:01I asked who she'd had dinner with.
13:02Her face frozen for a second.
13:04Then she got annoyed,
13:05told me I was being paranoid,
13:07and asked if I could just stop.
13:09I reached into the coffee table drawer,
13:11pulled out an envelope,
13:12and slowly laid the photos
13:14out on the table.
13:15Lilith's face darkened,
13:16accused me of following her.
13:18She buried her face in her hands
13:20and asked what I wanted.
13:22I looked her straight in the eye
13:23and told her calmly,
13:25first, fire Stan
13:26and make sure she never sees him again.
13:29Second,
13:30tell me what really happened
13:31at the hospital ten years ago.
13:33She was furious,
13:34calling me crazy
13:34for trying to thin her
13:35with a few photos.
13:36My voice went cold
13:37as I reminded her
13:38whose company it was,
13:40that that everything she had today
13:41was because of me,
13:42and I could take it all back.
13:44I told her that we sake
13:45of shin years of Huyin
13:46and our kid,
13:47long as she did what I shod,
13:48we still go on too.
13:50As I spoke,
13:51I turned and went to the bedroom
13:52to grab a file,
13:53then handed it to her.
13:54A cancer diagnosis report.
13:56She stared blankly
13:58at the report for a moment,
13:59then looked up at me.
14:00She asked if you
14:01were sick.
14:03I said it was in the advanced stage.
14:05Her expression changed,
14:06her throat moved,
14:07and her gaze shifted
14:08back and forth
14:09between me and the report.
14:11As long as we sever with Stan,
14:12make ye how leave the compassy
14:14and our lives,
14:15and let we quietly
14:15wanch the last month,
14:17we can the let bygones
14:18be bygones,
14:19of course the tuners.
14:20Her gaze shifted to me,
14:21and there was obvious
14:22hesitation in her eyes.
14:23She said she needed
14:24to think it over
14:25and then went to the bedroom.
14:27The next morning,
14:27I watched Lilith come out
14:28with dark circles
14:29under her eyes.
14:30I pushed a glass of water
14:31in front of her.
14:32She took it silently
14:33without looking at me.
14:34She said she had made up
14:35her mind,
14:36but I took out
14:36the divorceagreet
14:37from the yellow folgut
14:38and placed it on the table.
14:40Her face turned
14:41deathly pale.
14:42She asked me
14:43what this meant.
14:43I held my phone
14:44in front of her
14:45and told her that
14:46it was thanks to the file
14:47in your computer.
14:48The password was
14:49Stan's birthday.
14:50You had been using it
14:51for ten years, right?
14:53Her breathing quicked,
14:54filled with panic,
14:55and she tried to get me
14:56to listen to her explanation.
14:58As if suddenly
14:59remembering something,
15:00she mumbled,
15:01William,
15:02under her breath,
15:03and said
15:04she had to see William.
15:05I told her that
15:06our son was in a place
15:07she could never find.
15:09Her son with Stan
15:10was still sleeping upstairs,
15:12completely unaware
15:13that his mother
15:13was facing a choice.
15:15Now,
15:15I told her to get
15:16out of my house.
15:17After I shut the door,
15:18I heard her pounding
15:19on it from outside.
15:20Then came the sound
15:21of a car driving away.
15:23I knew where she was going,
15:24to find Stan,
15:25to find the son
15:26she'd lost for ten years,
15:28but she would never
15:28find William.
15:30After I closed the door,
15:32I heard her pounding on it.
15:34Then a car driving off.
15:36I knew where she was going,
15:38to find Stan,
15:39to find the son
15:40she'd lost for ten years.
15:41But she'll never find William.
15:44Three days ago,
15:45when the private investigator
15:46gave me Stan's file,
15:48I saw the boy again.
15:49I told him the truth.
15:51He was eerily calm.
15:53Those eyes,
15:54so much like mine,
15:55held a maturity
15:56beyond his years.
15:58He said he'd always felt
15:59she wasn't his real mom,
16:01why else would she
16:02abandon him?
16:04I took his hand
16:05and promised to take him away,
16:07start over.
16:08He was quiet for a long time,
16:10then nodded.
16:13The day before,
16:15my assistant accompanied him
16:16on a flight overseas.
16:19Good schools,
16:20a house,
16:21new friends.
16:22After I finish things here,
16:24I'll reunite with my son.
16:27The divorce papers
16:28sat on the table
16:29for three days.
16:31Lilith finally showed up.
16:33She stood outside,
16:34dark circles under her eyes,
16:36unshaven.
16:37Hagrid in a way
16:38I hadn't seen
16:39in a long time.
16:41She wanted to talk.
16:43Leaning against the door
16:44in my sweats,
16:45I didn't let her in.
16:47I told her the papers were clear,
16:50nothing to discuss.
16:51She said desperately
16:52that we couldn't divorce,
16:54begged me to think of
16:55ten years of love,
16:56of the child.
16:58I cut her off
16:59with a cold laugh.
17:00Which child?
17:02The one in the video
17:03or the one upstairs?
17:05Lilith's face went pale.
17:07A week ago,
17:08Stan sent me a pile of files,
17:11I opened them,
17:12all videos.
17:14One showed William crying,
17:16locked in a pitch black room.
17:19Another,
17:19from when he was maybe five or six,
17:21showed him getting yelled at harshly
17:23for spilling milk.
17:24The email had just one line,
17:26thanks for raising my son
17:27all these years.
17:28I watched all night.
17:30Before dawn,
17:32I threw up three times.
17:38She seemed like she wanted to explain,
17:40saying that sometimes Stan
17:41just couldn't help himself
17:42with those videos.
17:43I let out a cold laugh
17:45and said,
17:45that's your son.
17:46You go see Stan every week
17:48and only notice his new cologne
17:49and haircut,
17:50but you've never once seen
17:51the bruises on your own child.
17:53She was struck silent.
17:55I coldly told her
17:56I'd already hired a lawyer.
17:57If she refused to sign,
17:59we'd see each other in court.
18:01The evidence of the switch children,
18:03her affair photos,
18:04and those videos,
18:05all of it would be in the case file.
18:07She said in a low voice,
18:08are you crazy?
18:09The company is about to go public,
18:11right before I closed the door.
18:13I said one last thing,
18:14so while I'm still giving you a chance,
18:16just sign it.
18:17The door shut.
18:18She stood outside for a long time
18:19before finally leaving.
18:21Three days later,
18:22Lilith signed.
18:23On the fourth day after the divorce,
18:25a wedding photo of Lilith and Stan
18:26showed up in my social media feed.
18:28I took a screenshot,
18:30then turned off my phone.
18:31That afternoon,
18:32lawyer Stewart called
18:33and said all the materials were ready.
18:35The bank transfer records
18:36of the switch child,
18:37her communication logs with Stan,
18:39the videos,
18:40the medical records,
18:41all enough to file a case.
18:43The next morning,
18:44the plane took off.
18:45My assistant Kathy picked me up
18:46at the airport
18:47and told me William
18:48had been doing much better this week.
18:49He'd started talking again
18:51and kept asking
18:51when I was coming.
18:52My heart skipped a beat.
18:54The car stopped
18:55in front of a white house.
18:56In the garden,
18:57a thin child was squatting
18:58on the ground,
18:59watching ants.
19:00I called his name.
19:01He looked a little better
19:02than in the videos,
19:03but still too thin,
19:04just skin and bones.
19:06I walked over,
19:07squatted down in front of him,
19:08and told him I was his dad.
19:10He looked at me
19:10for a long time,
19:11then gave a small nod.
19:13I carefully,
19:14gently held him.
19:15He didn't pull away.
19:16I apologized to him,
19:18said I should have
19:18found him sooner.
19:19He trembled slightly
19:20in my arms.
19:21For the next two weeks,
19:22I spent every waking moment
19:24with William.
19:25I took him to the park.
19:26The first time
19:27he rode the carousel.
19:28We went to the library,
19:30and I noticed
19:31he only wanted books
19:32about the stars.
19:33The only time
19:34I let myself touch his hair
19:35was after he fell asleep
19:36at night.
19:37He still didn't talk much,
19:39but once in a while,
19:40he'd give me a little smile.
19:42One afternoon
19:42we were making cookies
19:43in the kitchen
19:44when the doorbell rang.
19:45Kathy answered it.
19:46I heard her say,
19:48Mrs. Wells.
19:49Through the glass door,
19:50I saw Lilith standing there.
19:52Her hair was a mess,
19:53her eyes sunken in,
19:55dragging an old suitcase
19:56behind her.
19:57She said she'd been
19:59looking for us
19:59for two weeks
20:00and just wanted
20:00to see her kid.
20:02I wiped my hands,
20:03walked out of the kitchen,
20:04pulled the door shut
20:05behind me,
20:06and told her
20:07she'd seen him.
20:08Now she could leave.
20:09She looked toward the kitchen
20:11and said she wanted
20:12to see her child.
20:13Our child.
20:14She said she'd been
20:15having nightmares lately,
20:17dreams about him as a baby,
20:19dreams about Stan hurting William.
20:21Things she never knew back then,
20:22I cut her off.
20:23I told her she should have known.
20:25She just chose not to.
20:27Her face darkened.
20:28Then she lunged at me,
20:30all crazy.
20:31She was screaming
20:32that she wanted to see her son,
20:34that I couldn't do this to her.
20:36I just looked at her
20:37and laughed,
20:38a cold laugh.
20:39I told her to go deal
20:40with Stan first.
20:41Clean up her own damn mess.
20:44Then I pushed her out the door.
20:46Looking at her now,
20:48all I feel is disgust.
20:50A while later,
20:52Stuart,
20:52my lawyer,
20:53called.
20:53He said things had gotten ugly,
20:55but the outcome
20:56wasn't what we'd expected.
20:57Stan was yelling in court,
20:59exposing how Lilith
21:00had used her position
21:00to transfer money
21:01to him over the years.
21:02He accused her of promising
21:04to marry him after the divorce,
21:05then changing her tune
21:06the moment she found out
21:07about my shares in the company.
21:09In the end,
21:10Stan got three years,
21:11kidnapping,
21:12forgery,
21:12commercial fraud.
21:13And Lilith?
21:14She walked away clean,
21:15for hanging up,
21:16Stuart apologized quietly.
21:18Asked if I wanted to move
21:19to the next phase of the plan.
21:21I cut him off.
21:22Enough,
21:22I said.
21:23At least I got my son back.
21:25William was doing his homework.
21:27I walked over to him and asked,
21:28William,
21:29Dad made the bad people pay.
21:30Maybe not enough.
21:32Do you blame me?
21:33He looked up at me,
21:34calm as ever,
21:35and said,
21:35Dad,
21:36I know exactly who's good to me
21:37and who's not.
21:38I covered my mouth
21:39and just started crying.
21:40He looked back down at his homework,
21:42then added quietly,
21:43You look really ugly when you cry.
21:45I laughed through the tears.
21:46These days,
21:47I've been trying to make up for 10 lost years of fatherhood in one go.
21:50I transferred all my company shares to William.
21:53He's still young,
21:54but I know what that security means.
21:56I enrolled him in the best international program in the city.
21:58The principal frowned at William's old report cards.
22:01Stan Herbert had barely paid attention to his studies all those years.
22:05He basically left the kid to fend for himself.
22:07William was far behind other kids his age.
22:10I hired three tutors to take turns helping him catch up.
22:13He's determined and stayed up late studying every night.
22:16One morning,
22:16I brought him milk and found him asleep at his desk,
22:19still holding a pen.
22:20I didn't wake him,
22:21just gently covered him with a blanket.
22:24Friday afternoon,
22:25I went to pick William up from school.
22:27The entrance was packed with parents.
22:29William ran out with his new backpack,
22:31cheeks rosy from running,
22:32and told me he passed his math quiz.
22:34I was about to take his test paper when I caught a figure behind the coffee shop window across the
22:39street.
22:39Lilith sat in the corner,
22:41haggard,
22:41nothing like the confident,
22:43high-powered woman she used to be.
22:44William followed my gaze.
22:46I took his hand and said,
22:47let's go home.
22:50We just turned when I heard hurried footsteps behind us.
22:53Lilith crossed the street,
22:54stood in front of us,
22:55and asked if we could talk.
22:57I gestured for William to get in the car and told her there was nothing to talk about.
23:00She said Stan had gone to prison,
23:03adding quickly that everything was settled.
23:05She'd cut ties with him completely.
23:06I couldn't help but laugh.
23:08I told her Stan was put away by my lawyer.
23:10What did she have to do with it?
23:11Wasn't she the one crying hardest in court,
23:14playing the victim?
23:14Her expression turned grating.
23:16She said she knew she was wrong,
23:18begged me to forgive her for William's sake,
23:20and asked to stay with me through this last month.
23:22I calmly smoothed my coat and told her that was fake.
23:25Lilith froze,
23:26her eyes wide,
23:27meeting her gaze.
23:28I said calmly that the cancer report was something I fabricated.
23:32I just wanted to see what choice she would make.
23:34Three years later,
23:35in late autumn,
23:37William had grown a lot.
23:38He was already up to my shoulders now.
23:41He asked me if I could come to the parents' meeting next week.
23:44I put my hand on his shoulder and replied,
23:46Of course.
23:48There's nothing more important than my son's parents' meeting.
23:51He turned his head and gave me a smile.
23:54Over these three years,
23:56William had been so sensible
23:57that it made me feel in tongue.
23:59His grades had climbed from the bottom
24:01to the middle of the class,
24:03and his foreign language proficiency
24:05was even better than that of some local children.
24:08Only I knew what lay behind this sensibility.
24:12One weekend evening,
24:13we made pies together.
24:15The pies William made were always too regular,
24:17with every pleat exactly the same.
24:19I told him that he didn't have to be so good,
24:22behaved in front of his dad.
24:23I squatted down,
24:25looked into his eyes,
24:26and told him that he could lose his temper,
24:28complain,
24:28and say no,
24:29just like other kids.
24:30I loved him,
24:31because he was himself.
24:33He blinked,
24:33and asked me if I would stop loving him
24:35if he did something wrong.
24:36I pulled him into my arms,
24:38and told him that would never happen.
24:40The best thing I had ever done in my life
24:42was finding him.
24:44He was silent for a long time,
24:46and finally nodded slightly.
24:47That's even better.
24:49We still have William,
24:50and our decade-long relationship.
24:52I cut her short,
24:53snapping her out of her daydream.
24:55Wake up.
24:56Face reality.
24:57She ignored my words.
24:59As if suddenly remembering something,
25:01she pulled a velvet box out of her briefcase.
25:03One velvet box came out,
25:05then a second,
25:06a third.
25:07She lined them up on the floor,
25:09one by one.
25:10She said she'd bought one every single year,
25:13yet never dared to hand them over.
25:15Now she wanted me to take all of them,
25:17begging for a second chance.
25:18I squat down,
25:19and open the box closest to me.
25:22Inside lies a sleek diamond tie clip,
25:25minimalist and elegant,
25:26exactly my style.
25:28I stand up,
25:29place the tie clip back into the box,
25:31and speak to her in a deadly calm,
25:33cruel tone.
25:34Lilith,
25:35when I loved you the most,
25:37I'd be restless the second you left my texts on read.
25:40I'd bring homemade soup to your office
25:42when you worked overtime.
25:44One simple,
25:45honey, you worked hard,
25:46was all it took to make everything
25:48worthwhile.
25:49That love is long gone.
25:51These trinkets,
25:52they're nothing but garbage to me now.
25:55She parts her lips to speak,
25:57yet no words escape her mouth in the end.
26:00Every single thing about her
26:01means absolutely nothing to me anymore.
26:04I met Isabel Hanson
26:05at a community book club.
26:07I accompanied William
26:08to borrow books
26:09and was drawn to a discussion
26:11about a woman's autobiography.
26:13Isabel,
26:13in her early 40s,
26:14was the host.
26:15After the event,
26:17she stopped me at the door,
26:18saying my comments earlier
26:19were very interesting,
26:21and she'd like to get to know me.
26:22Isabel had been divorced for five years.
26:25Our first official date
26:26was at the science museum,
26:28and of course,
26:29William came along.
26:30Isabel didn't try too hard
26:32to please William.
26:33In the space exhibit,
26:34she naturally started talking
26:35about the Apollo program.
26:37William laughed,
26:38a light,
26:39carefree laugh.
26:40Another year passed.
26:42One spring evening,
26:43Isabel came over for dinner.
26:45After the meal,
26:45William went to do his homework,
26:47and Isabel and I
26:48sat on the balcony
26:49drinking tea.
26:49That night,
26:50I told her about the events
26:51of 10 years ago.
26:53Isabel listened quietly.
26:55One day,
26:56William and I
26:57were doing our own things
26:58in the living room
26:59when he suddenly said to me,
27:00Dad,
27:01if you like Aunt Isabel,
27:02you can be with her.
27:04William said this
27:05while assembling
27:06a model airplane,
27:07unknowingly,
27:08he had grown up.
27:09Love at 40
27:10is completely different
27:11from love at 20.
27:12Being with Isabel
27:13didn't bring a racing heart
27:15or sleepless nights,
27:16only a calm
27:17and steady sense of security.
27:19The happiness
27:20that I once thought
27:21was out of reach
27:22had quietly fallen
27:24into my hands.
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