- 19 hours ago
Clearing My Name Ep
Category
🎥
Short filmTranscript
00:00Ten years ago, the Hudson River Bridge One was responsible for building collapsed, causing mass casualties.
00:07My parents screamed that I was a murderer and cut off all ties with me.
00:11The victims' families doused me in gasoline, ready to die alongside me.
00:16And so, I spent ten years in prison.
00:19After 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.
00:39The 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?
00:47I let out a cold laugh.
00:48What they didn't know was that ten years ago, it was Silas Sterling himself who let his little mistress infiltrate
00:55the construction crew
00:56to pocket kickbacks, and when everything fell apart, he made me take the fall.
01:01Under the blaze of camera flashes, Silas Sterling's face remained cold and composed.
01:07Welcome to my humble cafe, Mr. Silas.
01:10Can I get a picture?
01:11My daughter's going to 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!
01:32So you've been hiding here in a coffee shop!
01:34You were once a world-renowned genius architect.
01:37Doesn't it feel like a fall from grace washing cups like this?
01:40We've heard your ex-husband has been waiting for you all these years, postponing his wedding again and again.
01:44What do you make of that?
01:46I ignored the microphones, practically jabbing at my face, and kept my hands busy with work.
01:50But the cup in my grip was trembling badly.
01:53I knew Silas Sterling's methods.
01:55I didn't believe for one second he had any deep feelings for me.
01:58I stayed on guard.
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.
02:10Please clear the area.
02:11Then 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
02:53the 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' hand and pressing
03:09a light kiss to the corner of his lips.
03:11She was the true culprit behind the Hudson River bridge collapse ten years ago.
03:16She was also Silas Sterling's current fiancée, Ivy Thorne.
03:21And behind her, the very people who had cut me off ten years ago, my own parents.
03:28Ivy's gaze swept over to me.
03:30She smiled, cold and contemptuous.
03:33Mrs. Vance, the great architect.
03:35It's been a long time.
03:37Oh, 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
04:04very person who had put their real daughter away.
04:07We only have one daughter, and it's Ivy.
04:09A woman who threw away human lives for a little money.
04:12Looking at her turns my stomach.
04:14Silas, why would you come looking for someone like this?
04:17This kind of scum.
04:18Better if she just died out there.
04:19The moment my parents spoke, everyone in the shop, including my boss, turned to look
04:25at 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, or rather, I accepted it the way I would a card from any
04:54ordinary customer, politely, and 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
05:04seeing him again.
05:05Then, three days later, my boss called, and his voice was thick with discomfort.
05:11Laura, 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, it was never a good fit.
05:23I'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.
05:36He had already blocked my number.
05:39A text arrived seconds later.
05:40My wages had been deposited.
05:43$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, and 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.
06:35Won what grounds?
06:36On what grounds did he push me into the abyss himself?
06:39Let everyone in the world condemn me.
06:42Strip me of everyone who ever cared for me.
06:45And then waltz back in as my savior, and tear apart the quiet life I'd rebuilt.
06:51On what grounds did he presume to arrange everything for me, as though I had no say?
06:57Help Ivy Thorne?
06:58That was nothing but wanting me to be her shadow, her ghostwriter, her invisible hand.
07:03The thought made me sick to my stomach.
07:05I forced my feelings down, spoke through gritted teeth.
07:10Thank you for your kind offer, Mr. Sterling.
07:12But I have my own life now.
07:13Please don't interfere with it again.
07:16There was a long silence on the other end.
07:18Then, Silas spoke.
07:20Alara, don't be stubborn.
07:21A proud talent like you, you're only ever truly happy when you're working on blueprints.
07:26I'm securing your livelihood and giving your gift a place to breathe.
07:30What exactly are you dissatisfied with?
07:33And if you insist on saving face and refusing, I have other options.
07:40He hung up.
07:42A quiet dread settled in my chest.
07:44By that afternoon, I understood exactly what his other options were.
07:49With my coffee shop job gone, I spent the day walking all over town looking for work.
07:55But no matter where I went, no matter how desperately they were hiring, the moment I walked in, everyone
08:01was perfectly polite, and everyone refused to let me work.
08:05Eventually, with nowhere left to try, I made my way back to my rented room.
08:10But at the gate, I found my landlady waiting for me.
08:13Mrs. Kowalski was a wonderful woman.
08:16When I'd first arrived with almost nothing, she had waived a full month's rent, and whenever
08:20she cooked something good, she always brought a bowl to my door.
08:24But now she stood at the entrance, eyes red-rimmed.
08:45She couldn't finish the sentence.
08:47She started crying.
08:48I packed my things that same night and moved out.
08:52This, I thought, is what Silas calls compensation.
08:55Burn down everything I have, then offer me the ashes with a gracious hand.
09:00The day I moved out of my rented room, Silas appeared in my small upstate town.
09:05He was thinner than he'd been a few days ago, dark circles heavy under his eyes, like a man
09:10who hadn't slept.
09:11He had brought a moving company.
09:13He directed them to carry my things with a naturalness that made my skin crawl.
09:17As though we hadn't divorced at all.
09:19As though he were simply a husband coming to bring his wife home.
09:22At the new house, he poured me a glass of honey water.
09:25You've always been prone to tension.
09:27This will help you relax.
09:29I took the glass from him in silence.
09:32I took a small sip.
09:33I set the glass down and spoke.
09:36What happened before is in the past.
09:38If you truly wanted to make it right, you wouldn't have appeared at all.
09:41You would have stayed away.
09:43Alora, stop making a scene.
09:46I know you're not satisfied.
09:48But this is only the beginning.
09:50I'll find someone else to shoulder the blame.
09:55Then, step by step, I'll help restore your reputation.
09:59I know you don't like Ivy.
10:01I'll make sure she keeps a lower profile.
10:03Rest for now.
10:04His tone was gentle, but the meaning was unmistakable.
10:07You don't get to resist.
10:08He wanted me held firmly in his hands.
10:14Silas!
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
10:35and becomes a better person going forward.
10:38Ivy, the one who had actually done everything wrong,
10:41said all of this in front of the cameras without a trace of shame.
10:43This is just a small gesture from me.
10:46You're a senior in the field,
10:47and you're my fiancé's former wife.
10:51Please, 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.
11:06Can the victims ever rest?
11:08And I, once again,
11:09was pushed to the center of the storm,
11:11pelted from all sides.
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, Dad, you're here!
11:44Come in, have some water.
11:45We wouldn't dare drink the water of a murderer.
11:48Alana,
11:49what you did back then,
11:51we truly cannot forgive you.
11:56You can't keep making mistake after mistake.
12:00We're begging you.
12:03Ivy genuinely loves Silas.
12:05You're already divorced.
12:07Stop clinging to him.
12:09Ivy is a good girl,
12:10and it's not her place to say this.
12:13So we came to say it ourselves.
12:17If you keep refusing,
12:19don't blame us for finding other ways to make you go.
12:23That same gentle voice
12:24that had once sung me lullabies
12:26and coaxed me to sleep,
12:27night after night,
12:28now every word carried the edge of a threat,
12:31driving into my heart like the tip of a blade,
12:33one cut at a time.
12:34Mom!
12:35Dad, did you never believe me?
12:37Not even once?
12:42You wretch!
12:43Even now you dare slander Ivy?
12:45He rushed over in a panic,
12:47trying to intervene.
12:48But at that moment,
12:49his phone rang.
12:50His assistant.
12:52Mr. Sterling, it's bad.
12:54Mrs. Thone got drunk.
12:55She's at the hospital getting a shot to sober up.
12:57The moment they heard that,
12:59Silas and both my parents went pale with alarm.
13:03All three of them turned and piled into the car,
13:06and I laughed.
13:07I watched their retreating figures.
13:09The tears came with the laughter.
13:12Whether they were threatening me
13:13or pretending to care for me,
13:14no matter how much pain I was in,
13:16none of it compared to Ivy Thorne crooking her finger.
13:19After all,
13:2010 years had taught me one clear lesson.
13:22I could not afford to have expectations of my parents
13:25or of Silas Sterling.
13:27A group of victims' family members
13:29knocked 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!
13:44She was 19!
13:46She just started college!
13:48You animal!
13:51You owe us so many lives.
13:53Cutting you into a thousand pieces
13:55wouldn't be enough.
13:59You're in our hands now!
14:00We want blood for blood!
14:02Ninety-nine blows!
14:04I lost consciousness
14:05and was doused awake
14:06again and again.
14:11The place of water
14:12closed in from every direction.
14:14The suffocation
14:15wrapped around me like a fist.
14:18Just as soon as I was in the midst of it,
14:20the place of water
14:21closed around me.
14:26Mom, Dad, don't worry.
14:29I've looked into these families.
14:31They're all ordinary, decent people.
14:33They won't do anything
14:35seriously harmful to Alara.
14:36If anything,
14:37a good scare might make her go into hiding
14:40and protect herself.
14:41Reassured by those words,
14:43Alara's parents had passed along her whereabouts.
14:46The number you dialed
14:48is currently switched off.
14:51Something keeps knocking
14:52in my chest lately.
14:54Alara hasn't sent
14:54any word for days.
14:56Should we go look for her?
14:57Maybe call the police?
14:58Look for her?
14:59Call the police?
15:00Wasting resources
15:01to protect that creature?
15:03Huh.
15:04That's ridiculous.
15:05No news is better, isn't it?
15:06A troublemaker like her,
15:08if she's dead,
15:09that's one less burden
15:10on the world.
15:11Silas Sterling
15:11was just as uneasy.
15:13I knew it!
15:14You still can't let go
15:15of that ex-wife of yours.
15:16If that's how it is,
15:17why did you come to me at all?
15:20For three consecutive days,
15:22every time he tried
15:22to go find Alara,
15:24Ivy stopped him.
15:25While Ivy wasn't around,
15:26he slipped away
15:27and headed straight
15:27for the house.
15:28When he arrived,
15:29all he found
15:30was an empty house
15:31and Alara's parents,
15:33standing there,
15:34faces tight
15:34with the same wordless dread.
15:37The three of them
15:37greeted each other
15:38with a nod
15:39and without discussion,
15:40began searching.
15:41It must be Alara.
15:43She's come back.
15:48You are...
15:50Officers,
15:50did Alaxis cause trouble again?
15:52If she's hurt someone again,
15:54you can shoot her on the spot.
15:56I have no daughter.
15:57We're here to speak
15:58with Mrs. Vand's parents
15:59and former husband
15:59regarding the circumstances
16:01of her case.
16:02Miss Alara Vand
16:03is very likely deceased.
16:05The individuals responsible
16:06have been apprehended.
16:07We are doing everything
16:08in our power
16:08to locate her remains.
16:10We ask that you please
16:11accept our condolences.
16:12Mother swayed
16:13and nearly collapsed.
16:15Silas stared
16:16at the officer
16:17in disbelief,
16:18tears spilling down his face
16:19before he could stop them.
16:22They guided him
16:23and Alara's parents
16:24to help us.
16:26Our loved ones
16:27were killed
16:27by your daughter.
16:29Taking her out
16:30was justice.
16:32You told us
16:32where she was.
16:33Wasn't that
16:34what you wanted?
16:35Her own parents
16:36gave us her location.
16:37They're not pressing charges.
16:38On what grounds
16:39are you arresting us?
16:40Whatever wrong
16:41was done to you,
16:42the law will decide
16:43your remedy.
16:44Vigilante justice
16:45is never acceptable.
16:46Killing is a crime.
16:48Full stop.
16:49Whatever came after that,
16:50neither Alara's parents
16:52nor Silas
16:52could hear a single word.
16:54She was your own daughter.
16:55Even a tiger
16:56won't devour its cubs.
16:58How could you do
16:59something like this?
17:01No!
17:02We didn't know
17:03this would happen!
17:04It was Ivy!
17:05Ivy said these people
17:06would only scare her,
17:07that Alara would go
17:08into hiding
17:08to protect herself.
17:09The name Ivy Thorn
17:10cracked through Silas' mind
17:12like a bolt of lightning.
17:15Ivy.
17:17It was Ivy again.
17:19She must have planned
17:20all of this
17:20from the beginning.
17:21No wonder she had
17:22worked so hard
17:23to keep him away.
17:24Silas' face darkened
17:25to something terrifying.
17:28Alara's parents
17:28were reeling too.
17:29Now that they thought back,
17:30Ivy's behavior
17:31had been strange
17:31all along.
17:34You care that much
17:35about that murderer?
17:36Didn't you hate her?
17:38Didn't you love me most?
17:40She's dead?
17:41Isn't that exactly
17:42what you wanted?
17:43I can still be your daughter.
17:44I'm still Silas Sterling's
17:46fiance!
17:47Someone like her!
17:48She killed all those people
17:49ten years ago!
17:50Getting what she deserved
17:51is only natural!
17:59The moment Ivy
18:00finished speaking,
18:01Silas lunged forward
18:02and closed his hand
18:03around her throat.
18:05Who told you to do this?
18:07I'm not wrong!
18:08Someone who caused
18:09that much damage
18:10after ten years,
18:12she's still a pest!
18:13Ivy's words
18:14stopped abruptly.
18:15Her face slowly
18:16drained of color.
18:17She looked as though
18:18something had just
18:19surfaced in her memory.
18:20Silas let out a laugh.
18:24I've woken from
18:25nightmares countless times,
18:26sick with regret
18:27over what I did
18:28to the person I loved most,
18:29all to protect
18:30something like you.
18:32You and I both
18:32know the truth.
18:33You were only
18:34my mentor's daughter.
18:35My mentor did
18:36so much for me,
18:37so I sacrificed
18:38my own wife
18:38to take your punishment.
18:39The real truth
18:41of ten years ago.
18:42You,
18:43the actual culprit,
18:44know it better
18:45than anyone!
18:45The words detonated
18:46in the room of a bomb.
18:47Then Alara's father
18:48spoke,
18:49his voice barely
18:50finding shape.
18:51Silas,
18:52what you just said,
18:53the one who caused
18:53the collapse ten years ago,
18:54it wasn't Alara?
18:55We wronged her!
18:56And we took in
18:57the person who destroyed
18:58her and called
18:58her our daughter!
19:00Silas lowered his eyes.
19:02He said nothing.
19:03Alara's father stumbled.
19:04He fell back
19:05into a chair.
19:07Her mother surged
19:08forward,
19:09raised her hand,
19:10and brought it down
19:11hard across Silas' face.
19:13His face snapped
19:14to one side,
19:15but he stood
19:15where he was
19:16and took it.
19:17I'm sorry.
19:18I'm so sorry.
19:19Her mother
19:20didn't accept
19:21the apology.
19:22She was silent
19:22for a moment.
19:23Then a cry
19:24tore out of her,
19:25raw and inconsolable.
19:26My daughter!
19:27My daughter!
19:30We took revenge
19:31on the wrong person?
19:33When I woke up,
19:34I was in a soft bed.
19:35I tried to sit up.
19:37The pain that tore
19:38through my body
19:39made cold sweat
19:40break across my skin
19:41instantly.
19:43Don't move.
19:44Lie still and rest.
19:45A gentle male voice
19:47came from the doorway.
19:48I turned toward the sound.
19:50A young man
19:51in a cotton shirt.
19:53The doctor said
19:54you'd wake up around now.
19:55I've been making
19:56a fresh bowl
19:57every day
19:57waiting for you.
19:58And here you are.
20:00You just woke up,
20:01nothing too rich yet.
20:02This will do for now.
20:04Once you're better,
20:05I'll take you
20:05somewhere proper.
20:06He set the bowl
20:07on the nightstand
20:08as he spoke.
20:08Then,
20:09with practiced ease,
20:10he adjusted the bed
20:11so I could sit up
20:11more comfortably.
20:12and brought the spoon
20:13to my lips.
20:14I looked at him
20:15properly for the first time.
20:16Strong,
20:17straight brows.
20:18Warm,
20:19expressive eyes.
20:20A small mole
20:21just beside his nose.
20:22Perfectly placed.
20:24For some reason
20:24I couldn't name,
20:25he felt immediately
20:26familiar,
20:27as though we had
20:28known each other
20:29for a long time.
20:30Because of that feeling,
20:32I could barely
20:32put my guard up.
20:34When he brought
20:34the porridge
20:35to my lips,
20:36I drank it
20:36before I even
20:37thought to hesitate.
20:38The moment it
20:39hit my tongue,
20:40I went still.
20:41This taste,
20:42it was the exact
20:43taste from my
20:44grandmother's house
20:45when I was a child.
20:46The porridge
20:47she used to make
20:48just for me.
20:49I stared at him,
20:50and after a long
20:51moment,
20:52Who are you?
20:54A shadow of sadness
20:55crossed the young
20:56man's eyes.
20:58Silly.
21:00Grandma's sweet potato
21:01porridge,
21:01besides grandma
21:02herself,
21:03only one person
21:04in the world
21:04knows the recipe.
21:05You really don't
21:06remember?
21:06And then it came
21:08back to me all
21:08at once.
21:09When I was little,
21:10there was a boy
21:11who used to play
21:12with me all the
21:13time.
21:13Because our
21:14grandmother was
21:14always so busy,
21:16he would be the
21:16one to look after
21:17me.
21:18For a while when
21:18my stomach was
21:19bad and I could
21:20only manage
21:21porridge,
21:21he had learned
21:22grandma's sweet
21:23potato porridge
21:24recipe specifically
21:25for me.
21:26Julian?
21:32You finally
21:33remembered.
21:34It was only then
21:35that Julian told
21:36me everything.
21:37It turned out
21:37that after my
21:38parents had taken
21:39me to the city,
21:40Julian's own
21:41biological parents
21:42had found him
21:43as well.
21:43His true identity,
21:45the lost heir to
21:46the Knight family,
21:47the wealthiest in
21:48the region.
21:48After a whole drama
21:50of proving who he
21:51really was,
21:51he had taken his
21:52rightful place at
21:53the head of Knight
21:54Technologies.
21:55But he had never
21:56forgotten me.
21:57He had never
21:58stopped looking for
21:59me.
21:59When he saw me
22:00become a well-known
22:01architect, he felt
22:02genuinely happy for
22:03me.
22:04But because I had
22:04already married
22:05Silas, he hadn't
22:06wanted to intrude.
22:08Ten years ago,
22:09the bridge collapse
22:10case.
22:11Everyone thinks
22:12you are a murderer.
22:13I never believed
22:14you were the murderer.
22:15He had spent years
22:16quietly investigating,
22:17collecting evidence
22:18in the background.
22:19But even by the
22:20time I was released,
22:21he hadn't found
22:22enough.
22:23At the end of it
22:23all, I've been
22:24keeping an eye on
22:25your movements.
22:26So, I was able
22:27to detect those
22:27people's plot in
22:28time and rescue
22:29from the river.
22:31But I know this
22:32violates your
22:32privacy.
22:33Will you be angry
22:34with me?
22:34I laughed.
22:36I shook my head.
22:37Thank you, Julian.
22:39I watched the news
22:40from the bed.
22:41When I saw Ivy Thorne
22:43being led away by
22:44police on the
22:45television screen,
22:46I couldn't quite
22:47believe it.
22:48Julian and I
22:49looked at each
22:49other.
22:50Neither of us
22:50had expected that
22:51the truth revealed
22:52to the world
22:53just like that.
22:54In the reporter's
22:55cameras, Silas
22:56Sterling's face
22:57was ashen.
22:58Not a trace
22:59remained of the
23:00man he once had
23:01been.
23:01And my parents,
23:02over their own
23:03daughter, looked
23:04as though every
23:05ounce of life had
23:06been drained from
23:07them.
23:07My father slumped
23:08in a chair.
23:09My mother sat
23:10beside him, hands
23:11pressed over her
23:12face.
23:13I lay in bed
23:13watching all of it.
23:15There was none of
23:15the triumphant
23:16satisfaction I might
23:18have imagined.
23:18Only a vast
23:20emptiness and a
23:21tiredness.
23:22My former firm
23:23released a statement
23:24restoring my
23:25standing.
23:25Apologies flooded
23:26social media.
23:27Countless strangers
23:28brought flowers to
23:30the cenotaph that
23:31had been erected
23:31in my name.
23:32Julian watched it
23:33all beside me,
23:34then turned and
23:35asked, brow furrowed,
23:36what are you going
23:37to do?
23:38Tell everyone
23:38you're still alive?
23:39The moment he
23:40finished speaking,
23:41the faces of my
23:42parents and Silas
23:43rose up in my
23:44mind.
23:44I could already
23:45picture exactly
23:46what their version
23:46of making it up
23:48to me would
23:48look like.
23:49Their compensation
23:50felt like something
23:51demonic.
23:51I never wanted to
23:52live through that
23:53again.
23:53I shook my head.
23:54I gave Julian a
23:55small smile.
23:56Julian, let's
23:58just call this a
23:59rebirth.
24:00No matter how
24:01public opinion
24:02shifted back in
24:03my favor, no
24:04matter how many
24:05people came forward
24:06to sympathize, to
24:08apologize, to
24:09demand justice on
24:10my behalf, it all
24:11felt like something
24:12from a previous
24:13life.
24:14Since everyone
24:14already believed I
24:16was dead, I would
24:17give them exactly
24:18that.
24:18I stayed with Julian
24:20to recover for six
24:21months.
24:21He cared for me the
24:22way he always had,
24:24with quiet, unhesitating
24:26attention.
24:26already the commanding
24:28head of night
24:28technologies, and yet
24:30he still looked after
24:31me exactly the way
24:32he had when we were
24:33children.
24:34Once I was able to
24:35eat normally, he
24:36always cooked himself.
24:38Every day he found
24:39a new way to prepare
24:40something nourishing.
24:41Six months later, I
24:42was not only healed, I
24:44had gained ten pounds.
24:46Then spring came
24:46again.
24:47Jacaranda blooms
24:48opened just outside
24:49the window beside my
24:51bed.
24:51I stared at them for a
24:52long time.
24:53Then I turned to
24:54Julian and said,
24:55Julian, let's go
24:56somewhere.
24:57We left the city.
24:58Julian arranged his
24:59company to run with
25:01remote management, then
25:02stepped back and
25:03accompanied me as we
25:04set out to see the
25:05world.
25:06We followed the steps
25:07of my favorite poets.
25:08We traced the romantic
25:09solitude of Neruda through
25:11the coastal landscape of
25:12Chile.
25:13We stood in Monlach in
25:14Paris and tried to guess
25:16where the little rabbit
25:17had been buried.
25:18We walked through temple
25:19gardens in Kyoto and
25:20contemplated the violent
25:22beauty of a Japanese
25:23master's aesthetic.
25:24I had never imagined,
25:26after all those years
25:27apart, that Julian and
25:28I would find our
25:29interests and our way of
25:30seeing the world so
25:32completely aligned.
25:33At last we came to
25:34England.
25:35Beside the Thames, Julian
25:36turned to look at me.
25:37His eyes were full of a
25:39nervousness he was trying
25:40very hard not to show.
25:42I knew what he was
25:43about to say.
25:44I smiled at him and
25:45spoke first.
25:46Julian, I think I've
25:47fallen for you.
25:48His face went red all
25:50the way to his ears.
25:51Then a kiss landed on
25:52my lips.
25:53At last, Julian and I
25:55opened a small bookshop
25:56in England.
25:57The days passed quietly.
25:59Only occasionally did
26:00news from back home
26:01reach us.
26:02After my death, Silas
26:04seemed to become a
26:04different person entirely.
26:06He restructured his
26:07company with swift,
26:09decisive force and
26:10purged everything
26:11connected to Ivy Thorne.
26:13And he never gave up
26:14looking for me.
26:15The overwhelming weight
26:16of what he owed kept
26:18him convinced, with a
26:19kind of obsession, that
26:21I must still be alive
26:22somewhere.
26:23As it turned out, he
26:24was right.
26:25On a Christmas Eve, London
26:27was buried in heavy snow.
26:29I had closed the shop
26:30early and was on my way
26:31home to cook Christmas
26:33dinner with Julian.
26:34But just as I reached
26:35the bottom of our
26:36building, I saw a
26:37familiar silhouette.
26:38He was standing in the
26:40snowfall as though he
26:41intended to become part
26:43of it, still as a
26:44statue made of ice.
26:45When he saw me, the
26:47gray deadness in his
26:48eyes came alive.
26:49Alara!
26:50He ran to me and
26:51grabbed my hands, his
26:53whole body trembling.
26:54I knew you weren't
26:55dead.
26:56Thank God, you're not
26:57dead.
26:57What happened back then
26:59was my fault.
27:00I've cleared your name.
27:01Come back with me.
27:02Let's start over.
27:03Please.
27:04He was incoherent, tears
27:06breaking through his
27:07voice, more humble than
27:08I had ever seen him.
27:10I looked at this man I
27:11had once loved deeply,
27:13and once hated just as
27:15deeply.
27:15My heart was utterly
27:17still.
27:17Mr. Sterling, I said.
27:19You have the wrong
27:20person.
27:21Ilara Vance is dead.
27:23He looked at me with
27:24something close to
27:25madness in his eyes.
27:27No, please.
27:28I'm begging you.
27:29Let me make it right.
27:30Please.
27:31Make it right?
27:33I gave a cold laugh.
27:34You destroyed my life.
27:36You made everyone
27:37abandon me.
27:38You cost me ten years
27:40in prison.
27:41When I finally found my
27:43way back to a quiet life,
27:44your so-called compensation
27:46forced me out of it and
27:48nearly killed me.
27:49Silas Sterling, what exactly
27:51do you think you still have
27:53left to make right?
27:54I turned away, and there was
27:56Julian, standing just behind
27:58me, watching with a quiet,
28:00steady smile.
28:01I walked forward without a
28:03moment's hesitation.
28:04I took Julian's hand.
28:05I didn't look back, not even
28:07once, as the sound of Silas
28:09breaking down faded behind
28:11us.
28:12One week later, my parents
28:13appeared at the bottom of
28:14our building.
28:15They looked so much older.
28:17Their hair had gone white.
28:18Their faces were full of a
28:20timid, beseeching uncertainty.
28:22My mother was holding a
28:23thermal bag.
28:24Lotus pastries, she said, the
28:26ones I had loved as a child.
28:28When she saw me, she opened
28:29her mouth, but the tears came
28:31before any words did.
28:33I looked at them.
28:33The fine, dense ache moved
28:36through me again, the way it
28:37always had.
28:38Come up for tea, I said.
28:40I turned and led the way.
28:42Julian respected my choices
28:43completely.
28:44He helped me prepare the tea,
28:46setting a cup in front of each
28:47of my parents without a word.
28:49Then he quietly found somewhere
28:51else to be.
28:52My father was the first to
28:54speak.
28:54Elara, we were wrong.
28:57Come home with us.
28:58I finished my tea in silence.
29:00Then I set the cup down and
29:02spoke.
29:02Mom, Dad, I took a slow
29:05breath.
29:06Consider me dead.
29:07This is my home.
29:08I'm not going back.
29:10I don't hate you anymore, but
29:12I can't be what I was to you
29:13before.
29:14Between us, there are ten years
29:16of a wrongful sentence and one
29:18life that almost ended.
29:20We are each other's best ending
29:21if we simply wish each other well
29:23from a distance.
29:24I didn't take the lotus pastries.
29:26They cried for a long time.
29:28In the end, they left, unsteady on
29:31their feet, stumbling down the
29:32steps.
29:33The snow on the ground below
29:34caught the last of the sunset
29:36light, small patches of red, and
29:38their shadows stretched long
29:39behind them.
29:40I cried anyway.
29:41Silas and my parents never came
29:43back.
29:44Only money, from time to time,
29:46deposited quietly into my account.
29:48And postcards, occasionally, routed
29:51through circuitous paths.
29:52No name signed.
29:53I knew they were from Silas.
29:55I never read them.
29:57I never replied.
29:58I carried each one to the fireplace
30:00and watched the flames take it.
30:02Life always moves forward.
30:04Ding!
30:05The wind chime above the door rang.
30:07A customer had come in.
30:09After selling one more book, I lay back
30:11in the rocking chair in the courtyard.
30:13Julian handed me a cup of tea and
30:15asked, any regrets?
30:17I shook my head.
30:19Never.
30:19This bookshop and Julian.
30:22This was my new life.
Comments