- 2 days ago
Rekindled love in error - full movie
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00:02my stepbrother Sebastian was drugged I undid my own clothes and dedicated my first time for my
00:08stepbrother I fantasized about this scene countless times I really wanted him his big
00:14manhood when I got pregnant parents pressured him to marry me the same day Sebastian agreed
00:20he got a car incident he was an ice hockey star and billionaire I didn't care that he'd never
00:26skate again I still wanted to be his bride I thought he'd be grateful I thought we'd grow old
00:32together until our wedding night the estate caught fire I woke up choking and my first thought was to
00:37get him out instead he smashed a vase over my head it's you you destroyed me don't think I don't
00:45know you orchestrated that night did you this thirsty but I will never love you I love Sienna forever
00:52now you can go to hell
01:00I woke up to Sebastian's ragged breathing from the next room I opened my eyes familiar walls
01:06no wedding decorations no smoke I'd been reborn
01:14Ellie get me some water I checked my watch I'd come back to the night he was drugged
01:23the memory hit me all at once the blood blurring my vision the fire eating through my skin it felt
01:29like it was happening again every instinct I had said run get as far from Sebastian Holt as possible
01:36I hadn't even grabbed my shoes when he appeared in my doorway
01:40Sarah I already called Sienna go pick her up now quickly
01:46I knew the drug tearing through him he needed release was Sebastian reborn too
01:50obviously this time he called Sarah because he didn't want to sleep with me
01:54grabbed my keys and slipped past him sideways walking fast for the door
02:01the address Sebastian gave me was near the arena district
02:04an apartment building a few blocks from the practice facility
02:08so Sebastian and Sienna had been living together this early he said I destroyed his love life
02:13he wasn't wrong Sienna spotted my car and yanked the door open dropping into the passenger seat
02:20she looked panicked I caught a flicker of satisfaction in her eyes
02:23how is he you'll see when you get there
02:27I didn't want to talk to her not because I was jealous because neither my mom nor I had ever
02:33trusted her
02:33Sienna Walsh had been a charity case my family sponsored through school
02:37at first my parents adored her
02:39she was driven brilliant
02:41dad and mom personally flew her out to Chicago to start college
02:45I always thought her eyes looked calculating
02:47I told myself I was being paranoid
02:50then one night she called dad crying
02:53some drunk guy had cornered her outside a bar
02:56he rushed over and she threw herself against him
02:59the second he arrived arms around him face buried in his chest
03:03she was dressed very provocatively
03:05rubbing her breasts against dad's chest
03:07and her genitals were also rubbing wildly against dad's body
03:11dad froze with both hands in the air
03:13looking like he'd touched a live wire
03:15mom pulled up 30 seconds later and saw the whole thing
03:23Sienna cried and said she thought of dad like a father
03:25she'd been so scared she hadn't thought
03:28my parents said all the right things
03:30but after that she was never invited to the house again
03:34and dad never dealt with her directly
03:36mom wasn't stingy
03:37she had her assistant wire Sienna $50,000
03:41the night before Sienna was supposed to fly out
03:43she came to say goodbye
03:44and she walked right into Sebastian
03:48he'd just gotten back from his graduate program in Vancouver
03:50fresh off two seasons playing in the Western Hockey League
03:54first round draft pick
03:55already a name people said with a little extra weight
03:58the next day
03:59Sienna returned every dollar and told mom she'd thought it over
04:02she was going to work first
04:04save up
04:05do things right
04:06Sebastian was heading out the door when he heard her say it
04:09he looked at her
04:10plain clothes
04:11steady eyes
04:12and something in his expression shifted
04:14a month later
04:15Sienna joined the Holt organization
04:18personal executive assistant to Sebastian
04:21I told him she wasn't what she looked like
04:23that getting close to him was a strategy
04:25Ellie
04:27not everyone thinks about romance all day like you do
04:29less than a year later
04:30she had a key to her apartment
04:32I drove fast
04:35Ellie
04:36being upset doesn't mean the rest of us want to die
04:39Sienna walked into the building
04:40I stayed in the car and stared at the steering wheel
04:44I knew exactly what was happening up there
04:47I wasn't jealous
04:48in my last life my death had taken my parents down with me
04:51that was what finally made it clear
04:54what I felt for Sebastian was poison to him
04:57just being loved by me cost him something
04:59Ellie
05:00he's your brother
05:03whatever twisted thing you felt for him drove him to another country
05:06he has me now
05:08let it go
05:09Sebastian had known
05:11he'd known all along that I had feelings for him
05:14and he'd left for Vancouver to get away from me
05:17if I'd known that sooner
05:18I wouldn't have
05:19last time
05:20watching him suffering and barely conscious
05:22I wouldn't have reached for my own buttons
05:24you're an adult now
05:26it's time to find someone right for you
05:29she was afraid I'd cling to Sebastian
05:31I wouldn't
05:32not this time
05:33whatever I'd felt for him was gone
05:40Sebastian came down in his sleeping clothes
05:42where were you last night?
05:43the marks on his neck were obvious
05:45his voice was rough
05:46lazy
05:47I went to see my friend Jess
05:48Jess was my best friend
05:50Sebastian had met her
05:51he still thought to check where I'd been
05:53maybe he'd made peace with things too
05:55maybe we could just be siblings again
05:57normal
05:58I almost let myself feel hopeful
06:00I know you look down on Sienna's background
06:02think she's not good enough
06:03but she's the woman I'm going to marry
06:05and you're gonna treat her with respect
06:06when had I ever looked down on where she came from
06:08I must have shown the confusion on my face
06:11drop the act
06:12she put herself on the line fixing a mess you made
06:14she paid for your mistakes with everything she had
06:16what does that mean?
06:17you're gonna tell me the drug wasn't from you?
06:20Sienna is a decent person
06:21she wanted to wait until our wedding night
06:23you took that from her
06:25I didn't
06:25I said it loud and clear
06:27yes
06:28I had feelings for Sebastian for years
06:30but I would never have done something like that
06:32we had dinner out
06:33came home
06:33I drank the milk you left on my nightstand
06:35if it wasn't you
06:36who?
06:36last time
06:37I never understood why Sebastian didn't investigate
06:39I assumed he'd been compromised outside the house
06:41and was too ashamed to dig into it
06:43he thought it was me
06:44that's why he hated me so much
06:46enough to want my parents to burn with him
06:48enough to make sure our six month old baby
06:50never saw the world
06:51something bitter sat in my chest
06:53my eyes burned
06:54believe me or don't
06:55but it wasn't me
06:57Sebastian's bedroom door opened
06:58Sienna stepped out wearing his dress shirt
07:01looking like a startled rabbit
07:03Sebastian is Ellie angry at me?
07:05his eyes were a clear warning
07:09Ellie's not angry
07:10she's happy for us
07:12Sebastian's right
07:13congratulations you two
07:15Sienna saved Sebastian
07:16I'll talk to mom and dad
07:17I'll make sure they agree to the wedding
07:19a flicker of triumph crossed Sienna's face
07:21Sebastian watched me like he was looking for the trap
07:24let him look
07:25he was willing to die for her
07:26even knowing what she was
07:27I wasn't going to let my parents
07:29carry any more risk because of me
07:31don't make things hard for his parents
07:32I know I'm not what the family expected
07:34I just want to be by his side
07:36Sebastian pulled her close
07:37Sienna showed me the look of someone who had already won
07:40Ellie
07:41your brother kind of wrecked my shirt
07:43can I borrow something?
07:44last month you didn't wear the dress I gave you
07:46you said you didn't like it
07:47why not give it to Sienna?
07:48he had given it to me for my birthday
07:50I hadn't worn it because I was saving it
07:52giving away something he gave me
07:53a small thing
07:54and I knew it
07:55I felt it anyway
07:55then I didn't
07:56Sienna put on my dress and did a little spin
07:59asking Sebastian if she looked beautiful
08:01ignoring me completely
08:02none of it touched me
08:03this time I just wanted my parents and me to be okay
08:06mom and dad got back from vacation after two weeks away
08:09the day they returned
08:10Sebastian told them he was marrying Sienna
08:12when I got home
08:13there were broken pieces of a teacup on the living room floor
08:16mom sat beside dad
08:17rubbing slow circles on his back
08:18her face was stone
08:20Sebastian sat across from them
08:21expressionless
08:22mom
08:24dad
08:24I went straight to them and wrapped my arms around them both
08:27fighting my eyes
08:28their faces softened immediately
08:30but he was already ruffling my hair
08:32mom pulled me onto the couch
08:33you're grown and you're still doing this
08:35Sebastian wants to marry his assistant
08:37what do you think Ellie?
08:43Sebastian's eyes came to me too
08:45I think it's great
08:46Sienna and Sebastian are good together
08:49you really think that?
08:50mom
08:51Sebastian is 26
08:52he gets to choose his own life
08:54we should support him
08:55whether you like Sienna doesn't matter
08:57what matters is Sebastian wants her
08:59after the wedding they can have their own space
09:01and I'll live with you two forever
09:02that softened their faces a little
09:04I caught Sebastian's eye and gave him a small nod
09:07our whole lives
09:09mom
09:09dad
09:10after we're married
09:11Sienna and I will take care of you both
09:13please
09:13Sebastian knelt on the floor in front of them
09:15I pushed again from the other side
09:17they looked at each other
09:18then they gave in
09:19Sebastian got his wedding
09:20this time the tragedy didn't have to happen
09:22I felt the tension drain out of my hands
09:24after mom and dad went to bed
09:26I went up to my room
09:27I'd just opened my journal
09:28when the door swung open without a knock
09:30Sebastian
09:32he glanced at the journal
09:33his face changed
09:34I barely stood up
09:35before his hand closed around my throat
09:37Ellie
09:39write more of your disgusting thoughts about me
09:43what are you talking about?
09:49Sebastian picked up the journal
09:52you kept a whole diary full of this
09:54when you were in high school
09:55he'd read my diary
09:56I was furious and humiliated
09:58and I shoved his hand off me
09:59I grabbed the journal
10:00and threw it at him
10:01what do you want from me?
10:03I helped you get what you wanted
10:04and it's still not enough?
10:05I had feelings for you
10:06that was my mistake
10:08I don't anymore
10:08what else do you want?
10:10you love looking at my private things?
10:12go ahead
10:13but the guy I'm writing about isn't you
10:16you actually said yes to my brother?
10:19you want to be my sister-in-law?
10:20she was so loud
10:21two people at the next table looked over
10:23I reached up and covered her mouth
10:25I ran into him a few days ago
10:27we just
10:28my face was getting warm
10:30clicked
10:31okay but tell me everything
10:32he asked you out six months ago
10:34and you turned him down
10:35how did you end up here?
10:37her brother Grant Walsh
10:38had asked me out six months
10:40before my rebirth
10:41at the time
10:41my whole heart was Sebastian's
10:43I said no
10:43coming back and fixing
10:45what I'd gotten wrong
10:46didn't change Sienna's behavior
10:48she was in my house every day
10:50marking her territory
10:52making sure I knew my place
10:53even after I stepped back completely
10:55she didn't stop
10:56I needed to get out of the house
10:57I went to a bar
10:59and had a few too many
11:00and when I was dizzy
11:01and trying to find the bathroom
11:03some guy cornered me in the hallway
11:04I was about to cry from panic
11:06when Grant appeared out of nowhere
11:08and dropped the guy with one punch
11:13when Grant pulled out a handkerchief
11:14to wipe my face
11:15I laughed out loud
11:16before I could stop myself
11:19Grant!
11:20who carries a handkerchief in this century?
11:22what are you, 80?
11:24do you have any idea what this cost?
11:26doesn't matter
11:26a napkin would have worked better
11:28he thought about it
11:29nodded
11:30and threw the expensive handkerchief in the trash
11:34Ellie says it
11:35Ellie gets it
11:36one handkerchief
11:36and suddenly we were talking every day
11:38whenever I was low
11:40I'd message him
11:41and he always had some ridiculous thing
11:42that landed exactly right
11:44after my rebirth
11:45the only time I felt like I could breathe
11:47was when I was talking to Grant
11:48don't billionaires have better things to do
11:50than text all day?
11:51because it's you
11:52I don't want you waiting even a minute
11:54I've basically had my phone in my hand
11:56for three weeks straight
11:57so this was what being loved felt like
11:59Sebastian had never given me anything close
12:02this time around
12:02I wanted to know what it felt like for real
12:05I told Grant
12:06yes
12:06I kept a journal
12:07lately the man in it was Grant
12:09I didn't know if Sebastian had read it this time
12:11when I got home
12:12the notebook was sitting neatly on my desk
12:15Sebastian was gone for days
12:16good timing
12:17I used the space to tell mom and dad about Grant
12:19the heir to the Walsh family
12:21I held their hands
12:22and made them promise to stay with me
12:23always
12:24they patted my head and said yes
12:26like I was being adorable
12:27I didn't care
12:28they'd agreed
12:28and I was holding them to it
12:30that evening
12:30Sebastian brought Sienna home for dinner
12:32she was wearing something expensive enough
12:34to somehow look elegant
12:35mom and dad were polite
12:36nobody caused a scene
12:38after dinner
12:39we all settled in the living room
12:40Sebastian
12:41Sienna
12:42we're not standing in the way away of your wedding
12:44but there are things we need to say first
12:46Sebastian's gaze kept drifting towards me throughout the evening
12:49it made my skin crawl
12:53Sebastian's getting married
12:54Ellie has a boyfriend
12:56to make sure there are no arguments down the road
12:58I want to be clear now
12:59married or moved out
13:00you each get half of what we leave behind
13:02that doesn't seem fair
13:03Ellie's a daughter
13:04she'll marry out of the family
13:05splitting it evenly is just handing assets to strangers
13:07you're not even part of this family yet
13:09and you're already telling us how to run it
13:12isn't that a little early?
13:17Ellie's boyfriend isn't trying to get his hands on our money by dating her is he?
13:21he pulled Sienna a little closer
13:23I'd actually say the split is unfair too
13:24Ellie's adopted
13:26I don't mind supporting her forever
13:28she can marry whoever she wants and stay in the house
13:30that's generous enough
13:31mom and dad's expressions went somewhere dangerous
13:34who told you Ellie was adopted?
13:37that's impossible
13:38Ellie is the one who
13:41Elisa is our biological daughter
13:43you're the one who were adopted
13:47mom and dad were among the first people from their small town to go to college
13:51they graduated
13:51moved to the city
13:52built something
13:53when it started to go well
13:54they came back for the people they'd grown up with
13:57brought a few of the younger ones to Chicago to give them a start
14:00Sebastian's father was one of them
14:01the town was poor back then
14:04your mother ran out on you and your dad when you were small
14:08your father was a good driver and a good son
14:11he didn't want to leave your grandmother
14:15your grandmother didn't want to be the thing holding him back
14:17so she made the choice herself
14:20Sebastian's face was blank with shock
14:23even I was hearing this for the first time
14:26your grandmother's last wish was for us to bring your father and you to the city
14:29we said yes you just started walking
14:32things didn't go the way anyone planned
14:34your father was killed in an accident within six months
14:37he was barely 25
14:38he left you behind at not even two years old
14:40mom's voice was steady but her eyes weren't
14:43I was pregnant
14:45I looked at this tiny little boy alone in the world and we talked it over
14:48and we said yes to taking you in
14:50Sebastian's expression kept shifting
14:52you're making this up
14:54you want to cut me out of the inheritance so you're inventing a story
14:57more disappointment settled into dad's face
14:59he looked at Sebastian without the warmth that was usually there
15:08mom and dad aren't lying
15:09junior year of high school when you were in the hospital with that flu
15:12I noticed your blood type 2 matched
15:16I brought the chart to mom that's when she told me
15:18we don't share blood
15:20that was also when I started to love him
15:22completely every page of every journal
15:25his mood was my mood and there had been years
15:27all the years before the last month of his senior year
15:30when he was actually a good older brother
15:33when mom and dad were working
15:34he was the one taking care of me
15:37I spent more time with him than I did with either of my parents
15:41there was a stretch when I'd watched a horror movie and couldn't sleep alone
15:45I crawled into his room every night
15:47his classes were brutal
15:49but he would sit with me
15:50patient
15:51until I fell asleep in his bed
15:54then he'd take a blanket to the chair in the corner
15:57in the morning light
15:58with his eyes closed and his face relaxed
16:01every piece of him seemed to glow
16:03that version of Sebastian fit every quiet dream I'd ever had
16:07I did his laundry without telling him
16:09straightened his room when he wasn't looking
16:10put a hot mug of something on his desk every night
16:12I thought I was hiding it
16:14I wasn't
16:14he saw it in how I looked at him
16:16and then that pink journal nailed it permanently into something shameful
16:20this is a lie
16:22you're making it up to give the estate to the girl you're actually related to
16:26Sienna's voice had gone sharp
16:28she worked inside the Holt organization
16:30she knew exactly what half the estate meant
16:39Sebastian's expression was unreadable for a long moment
16:42this can't be real
16:43you're doing this together
16:45all of you
16:46if you don't believe us
16:48we can run a paternity test
16:50the results say you're not our blood
16:52I'll give you a starting season and step back
16:54just add a go to Ellie
16:56dad was done
16:57the love he'd always shown Sebastian wasn't in his voice anymore
17:00the reason Sebastian had always been so certain I was the adopted one
17:04last time
17:05I had told mom to be honest with him about which one of us was bi
17:08illogical
17:09I didn't want our already complicated dynamic made worse by him feeling obligated to me
17:14Sienna's eyes were doing calculations
17:16Sebastian understood what dad was saying
17:18do the test
17:19and it means choosing to fight Ellie for what was left
17:22and cutting the cord on everything between our family and him
17:25he didn't take the test
17:28even with Sienna pushing he just looked at me
17:32I looked back at him
17:33nothing moved inside me
17:35after that night Sebastian barely came home
17:38without him taking up space in my head
17:41I felt lighter
17:42I didn't realize how much of my energy had been going toward managing that weight
17:49Grant and I started spending more time together
17:53he kept showing up asking to formally meet my parents
17:56his future in-laws
17:57he called them
17:58completely straight-faced
17:59I walked in one afternoon
18:01and mom was making soup
18:02while dad sat at the kitchen counter
18:04she called me over to taste it
18:06I told her it was the best thing I'd ever had
18:08which made her glow
18:09mom can we buy another place
18:12she paused
18:13for Sebastian?
18:14for the wedding?
18:15not exactly
18:15Sebastian had pushed the wedding date out
18:17two years for reasons I couldn't figure out
18:19but even with him barely home
18:20sharing walls with him felt wrong
18:22especially with our rooms right next to each other
18:25I want you to get me a place
18:27mom pinched my nose
18:31already trying to escape?
18:33you just grew up
18:37I'm not escaping
18:38I want you and dad to come with me
18:40give this house to Sebastian
18:42part of it was the distance from Sebastian
18:44part of it was that last time
18:45this house was where we all died
18:47the walls still made me uneasy
18:48before mom could answer
18:50there was movement from the living room
18:52Sebastian
18:54at dinner
18:54mom and dad seemed to have put the hard conversation behind them
18:58they kept putting food on my plate
18:59and Sebastian's
19:00Sebastian's eyes came to rest on me again
19:02like they'd been doing lately
19:03dad
19:05Ellie just graduated
19:06she shouldn't just be sitting around
19:08she should come work at the company
19:09I was sure I'd heard wrong
19:10he couldn't stand to be in the same room as me
19:13why would he want me in his office every day
19:14before I could object
19:15dad nodded
19:17good
19:17you should get real experience now
19:19before life gets more complicated
19:21I don't want to
19:22I want to be useless
19:24dad can support me now
19:25and when I get married
19:26my husband can support me
19:27I deployed full effort puppy eyes
19:29dad must have noticed
19:30something had shifted
19:31between me and Sebastian
19:32he assumed it was
19:33the inheritance conversation
19:34and he'd been quietly trying
19:36to smooth things over between us
19:40at this rate
19:41no one's gonna want you
19:42and you'll end up
19:43depending on your brother
19:44for the rest of your life
19:46dad was joking
19:48Sebastian inexplicably was not
19:50Ellie's welcome to stay home
19:51I'll take care of her
19:53as long as she needs
19:53the way he was looking at me
19:55had something in it
19:56I didn't want to name
19:56it made my skin crawl
19:58after dinner
19:59mom and dad went for a walk
20:01I did my makeup
20:02a soft deliberate look
20:04and got ready to meet Grant
20:05I hadn't even made it
20:07out of the hallway
20:07before Sebastian caught my arm
20:09are you avoiding me
20:10did he seriously need to ask
20:12his eyes had an anger in them
20:14I couldn't account for
20:15do you actually want
20:16to see me
20:17if you didn't have
20:18those feelings for me
20:19I would have treated you
20:20like a real sister
20:21I held his gaze
20:22I don't have them anymore
20:24but I felt for you
20:25burned up in the fire
20:26last time
20:29his grip on my shoulders
20:30tightened
20:30sharp enough to hurt
20:32and then
20:32at those last two words
20:34his hands went still
20:36you were reborn too
20:39he let go
20:44so you're running from me
20:46going off to marry
20:47some random guy
20:48is that how little
20:49you think of yourself
20:49his expression was
20:50something I couldn't read
20:51angry maybe
20:52regretful
20:53and something under it
20:54that looked like it
20:55refused to accept
20:56what was happening
20:58what random guy
20:59at that
21:00he looked startled
21:00then briefly
21:01something like hope
21:02crossed his face
21:04the man in your journal
21:06this
21:07grant
21:09you made him up
21:10he'd seen the journal
21:11and apparently
21:11he'd decided from what I wrote
21:13that grant was some kind of
21:14street level con artist
21:15all I'd written about
21:16was how he'd helped me
21:17that night outside the bar
21:19and then the things
21:19we did together
21:20wandering through an outdoor market
21:22on the edge of the city
21:23going to a live show
21:24watching grant play drums
21:25at a venue downtown
21:27under the stage lights
21:28loose and confident
21:29with half the women
21:30in the crowd
21:30losing their minds
21:31I'd been one of them
21:32yelling myself hoarse
21:33apparently I had described
21:35a charming screw up
21:36who preyed on rich girls
21:37he's a good person
21:39I pushed past Sebastian
21:43and he's not some deadbeat
21:46there was heat in my voice now
21:48come work with me
21:50meet real men
21:52you'll see what you're
21:53walking away from
21:54then I remembered
21:55grant had mentioned
21:56our families were in the
21:57middle of closing a deal
21:59fine
21:59I was curious
22:00honestly
22:02private grant
22:03the one who dragged me
22:05to flea markets
22:05and crowds
22:06surfed at concerts
22:08I wanted to see
22:09what he looked like
22:09when he walked into
22:10a room in a suit
22:11and made an entire
22:12boardroom nervous
22:13Ellie just
22:14stay close to me
22:15I'll look after you
22:16like a brother should
22:17I moved his hand
22:18off my arm
22:19something impatient
22:20rose in my chest
22:21that's okay
22:22I'll have my parents
22:24and my boyfriend
22:24for that
22:25Sebastian went cold
22:26I felt it
22:27and I still walked
22:28out the door
22:31on the street
22:32I made a mental note
22:33to push harder
22:34on the new apartment idea
22:40Grant was waiting
22:41outside in a casual
22:42jacket
22:42forehead creased
22:43in thought
22:45what are you thinking
22:46about
22:49wondering what else
22:50I can find
22:50for us to do
22:51he folded me
22:52against his side
22:53and I thought
22:53of something
22:54Jess had said once
22:55she said her brother
22:56spent his early 20s
22:58being exactly
22:59what everyone expected
23:00reckless
23:00loud
23:01careless
23:02with money
23:02and people
23:03then their grandfather
23:04handed him the company
23:05and put him through
23:06two years
23:07of the most intensive
23:08reshaping
23:08of his entire personality
23:09the result was
23:10someone almost
23:11unrecognizable
23:12steady
23:12calculated
23:13kind of man
23:14who made a room
23:14fall quiet
23:15when he walked in
23:16she'd said it
23:16like a complaint
23:17I'd laughed
23:18and said I'd never
23:19want a man like that
23:20Jess asked what I did want
23:21I said I wanted someone
23:22who'd still come out
23:23and play
23:23we were both laughing
23:24when Grant walked in
23:25with a bowl of fruit
23:26and stood in the doorway
23:28looking completely
23:28at a loss
23:29I looked at him now
23:30sideways
23:31Grant
23:32have you been doing
23:33all this
23:34the markets
23:35the shows
23:36the driving around
23:37at midnight
23:38because you thought
23:39that's what I wanted
23:39he hesitated
23:40you don't like it
23:42I knew it
23:43I felt something
23:44turn over slowly
23:44in my chest
23:48when I'd loved
23:49Sebastian
23:50without him knowing
23:51I'd asked him once
23:52carefully
23:52what kind of girl
23:53he was drawn to
23:54he said quiet
23:55steady
23:55for years after that
23:56I made myself
23:57smaller around him
23:58he thought it was
23:59maturity
23:59it wasn't
24:00Grant had taken me
24:01bungee jumping
24:02scuba diving
24:03and to a racetrack
24:04and somewhere in all of that
24:06I'd remembered something
24:07about myself
24:07that I'd always loved
24:08the feeling of my heart
24:09going too fast
24:10Grant was five years
24:11older than me
24:12and somehow loved
24:13exactly the way I did
24:14like someone who'd
24:15never been told
24:16to tone it down
24:18just be yourself
24:20you don't have to
24:21keep up with me
24:22Grant held on
24:26I was scared
24:27you'd think I was
24:28too old
24:29or boring
24:31or insufferable
24:32his voice had this
24:33quality
24:33like a complaint
24:34but soft
24:35and it made me laugh
24:36before I could help it
24:37I'm going to need
24:37to do a full inspection
24:39for the insufferability levels
24:41Grant laughed
24:42and tried to get away
24:43from my hands
24:44and I thought
24:45this is what it feels like
24:46being loved back
24:47Sebastian had never
24:49given me a single
24:50second of this
24:51wanting someone
24:51who doesn't want you
24:52is the whole problem
24:53I thought
24:54that was always
24:54the original sin
24:59I started at the company
25:00and immediately understood
25:02why Sienna had been
25:03on edge
25:03since the moment
25:04I walked in
25:05she'd been Sebastian's
25:06assistant on paper
25:06in practice
25:07she was running the floor
25:08like she'd already
25:09signed a prenup
25:11I came in as a junior
25:12associate on the
25:13projects team
25:13and I pushed hard
25:14to keep my name
25:15out of any introduction
25:16dad was supportive
25:17he thought starting
25:18at the bottom
25:19built real judgment
25:20Sienna treated my arrival
25:22like an occupation
25:22three separate attempts
25:24to make things difficult
25:25in the first two weeks
25:26and I ignored all of them
25:27mostly I kept to my desk
25:29and avoided the
25:29executive floor entirely
25:31it held up for two weeks
25:32then the day came
25:33when Grant was scheduled
25:34to walk into the building
25:35for a deal meeting
25:35I ran into Sienna
25:36in the break room
25:37while I was waiting
25:40Sienna
25:42I'm not here
25:42to take anything from you
25:43not Sebastian
25:45not your standing
25:45in this company
25:46I'm here because
25:47dad wanted me to come
25:48that's it
25:49no one else was around
25:50I said it plainly
25:52I don't believe you
25:57she looked at me
25:58like I'd said something
25:58in a language
25:59she'd decided not to speak
26:00I picked up my coffee
26:01that's your choice
26:03all I could think about
26:04was the look on Grant's face
26:05when he realized
26:06I was already here
26:07then she grabbed my arm
26:08there was a brief
26:09sharp struggle
26:10and then Sienna
26:11threw the contents of her mug
26:12against her own wrist
26:13and forearm
26:13the sound she made
26:14was loud enough
26:15to pull in most of the floor
26:17Ellie
26:18you act like you support us
26:20to our faces
26:20and then you follow
26:21your brother here
26:22and now this
26:23her voice carried
26:24people were filing in
26:25from every direction
26:26I know you hate me
26:28but scalding me
26:29isn't gonna make me
26:30walk away from Sebastian
26:31the employees around us
26:32were wide-eyed
26:33already running the math
26:34on the drama
26:34she's his sister
26:37that's wait
26:37this is a whole thing
26:39management is gonna be
26:40stuck in the middle
26:41of a family war
26:42who does he side with
26:43when he shows up
26:44either way he loses
26:45the noise closed in
26:47like walls
26:48my eyes were burning
26:50I have a boyfriend
26:52I said it loud
26:55sure
26:55you've got a fake boyfriend
26:57to make your brother jealous
26:58we've all seen that move
27:00you chased him
27:01to his own company
27:01and now you're playing innocent
27:03I slapped her
27:07it was reflex
27:08the second my hand connected
27:10I knew I'd handed her
27:11exactly what she wanted
27:13she just
27:15everyone saw that
27:16that's Sebastian
27:17old sister
27:18hitting his fiance
27:19because she's in love
27:20with her own
27:20I raised my hand again
27:23Sebastian came around
27:24the corner
27:24Grant was beside him
27:26Grant walked straight to me
27:27he was in a fitted suit
27:28the version of him
27:29that closed nine figure deals
27:31and put entire front offices
27:32on the back foot
27:33sharp
27:34clean
27:35the kind of presence
27:36that made a room
27:37recalibrate itself
27:38but I knew he wouldn't
27:39turn that sharpness on me
27:41I grabbed his hand
27:42without looking at Sebastian
27:43Sienna
27:45look at him
27:45that's my boyfriend
27:46he's better looking
27:48than Sebastian
27:48he has more money
27:49than Sebastian
27:50and he actually loves me back
27:52and I love him
27:57Grant's expression
27:57went from anger
27:58to something that looked
27:59a little like
28:00trying not to smile
28:01he stood up straighter
28:02you think I don't know
28:03what you're doing
28:04you don't want me
28:05near this company
28:05on one side
28:07you're scared
28:08I'll get too close
28:09to Sebastian
28:10on the other
28:11you're scared
28:11I'll use my share
28:12of the family assets
28:13to have a say
28:14in how this place runs
28:15I glanced at Sebastian
28:16my mouth pulled
28:17into something cold
28:19this is the woman
28:20you chose
28:22for her you were willing
28:23Sienna hadn't processed
28:24what was happening
28:25she turned
28:26and pressed herself
28:26against Sebastian
28:27Ellie hates me
28:29she burned me
28:30she hit me
28:31Sebastian
28:31I know I'm not
28:32good enough for you
28:33but
28:34I took a step forward
28:35I knew Sebastian
28:37loved her
28:37I knew my parents
28:39genuinely loved Sebastian
28:40and that I'd spent
28:41the last several months
28:42trying to make everyone
28:43happy by letting him
28:44have what he wanted
28:45I'd been wrong
28:46with Sienna involved
28:48there was no version
28:50of this family
28:50that didn't eventually
28:51come apart
28:52Sebastian
28:55I didn't go after her
28:56check the footage
28:58one of the watching
28:59employees spoke up
29:00the break room
29:01camera's been down
29:02maintenance
29:03hasn't gotten to it yet
29:04but the building's
29:05AI unit
29:05it was stationed
29:06right outside the break room
29:07even without a full
29:08video record
29:09it should have
29:09picked up audio
29:10should tell you
29:11pretty clearly
29:11you started it
29:15people noticed
29:16the unit standing
29:16just outside the
29:17break room door
29:18it blinked
29:19its camera eyes
29:20at the crowd
29:20and offered
29:21a small mechanical smile
29:23looks like my girlfriend
29:24has excellent taste
29:25in tech
29:26this model uploads
29:27all audio
29:28and visual data
29:29to cloud storage
29:30automatically
29:31permanent record
29:32you can pull anything
29:34going back as far
29:35as you want
29:36the color drained
29:37out of Sienna's face
29:38something close to panic
29:39my stomach tightened
29:42Jake pull it
29:43Sebastian said
29:44no expression
29:45Sebastian you don't
29:46believe me
29:47pull everything on file
29:48related to Mrs. Walsh
29:50while you're at it
29:50Sebastian didn't answer
29:51her
29:51I stepped in
29:52right behind him
29:53all of it
29:55everything that unit
29:56has ever recorded
29:57near her
29:57you think money
29:58gives you the right
29:59to invade my privacy
30:00Sebastian your sister
30:02is humiliating me
30:03Sebastian's face
30:04was working through
30:05something complicated
30:06this model
30:07is male presenting
30:08and has never recorded
30:09anyone in a private space
30:10Grant said
30:11in the tone of someone
30:12reading off a spec sheet
30:13just public areas
30:14the absolute deadpan delivery
30:16made me bite down
30:17on a laugh
30:17he pressed my hand quietly
30:19the fallout from Sienna
30:20spreading what she'd
30:21spread about me
30:22meant I handed in my notice
30:23that same afternoon
30:24when I went up to
30:25Sebastian's office
30:26to leave my resignation
30:28he watched me
30:28with an expression
30:29I couldn't name
30:30so
30:32Grant Walsh
30:33is actually Grant Walsh
30:34yes
30:35so you can relax
30:36I'm not chasing you
30:37I'm not fighting you
30:38for the inheritance
30:39and if you want to
30:39marry Sienna
30:40I'm not stopping you
30:41my voice was polite
30:42distant
30:42I've never talked to him
30:44like that before
30:44Sebastian
30:46I hope we both
30:47get to be happy this time
30:54Grant came to the house
30:55for dinner on the same day
30:56Jake delivered
30:57the footage results
30:58I didn't ask
30:59what was on it
31:00but my walking away
31:01had cut off
31:01whatever Sienna
31:02had been building toward
31:03and that felt like enough
31:04mom and dad
31:05took to Grant immediately
31:06dad especially
31:07they spent most of dinner
31:08talking about business
31:09and by the time
31:10dessert came out
31:11they were finishing
31:12each other's sentences
31:13after Grant left
31:14mom pulled me
31:14into her room
31:15since Sebastian
31:16and Sienna
31:16got together
31:17I've been worried
31:18about you
31:18my chest tightened
31:19did mom remember too
31:21she saw my face
31:22and smoothed my hair back
31:23you think I don't know
31:25why your father
31:25and I pushed back
31:26so hard on the wedding
31:28we had our own reasons
31:29but you handled it
31:30so well
31:32and now look at you
31:33I exhaled slowly
31:34she didn't know
31:35neither of them knew
31:36that was good
31:37Sebastian wouldn't
31:38make the same mistakes twice
31:40and our family
31:41would be okay
31:42the night before
31:43Grant's and my
31:44engagement party
31:44Sebastian came home late
31:46I thought it was mom
31:48when he knocked
31:48I didn't lock the door
31:49he came in
31:50and pulled me against him
31:51and the smell of whiskey
31:52hit me immediately
31:53Ellie
31:54I was wrong
31:56don't get engaged
31:57to someone else
31:58be with me
31:59I pushed against him
32:00as hard as I could
32:00and kept my voice low
32:01you've lost your mind
32:03marry me
32:04we stay a family
32:05all four of us
32:06isn't that what
32:08you always wanted
32:12you don't love me
32:14so what is this
32:15I couldn't get free
32:16I do
32:17I just didn't know it
32:18until it was too late
32:19he stepped back
32:20and held my shoulders
32:21looking at me directly
32:24I don't love you anymore
32:25the red in the corners
32:26of his eyes
32:26was visible now
32:27I don't buy that
32:28years don't just disappear
32:29Sebastian
32:30I told you
32:32whatever I felt for you
32:33was incinerated
32:34in that fire
32:35in our last life
32:36both his hands
32:37were trembling
32:38his eyes were wet
32:39I was wrong
32:40I'll say it to anyone
32:41I'll get on my knees
32:43in front of mom and dad
32:44I'll spend the rest of my life
32:45making it right
32:45just come back
32:46standing there watching him
32:48I felt something
32:49almost like grief
32:50not for him
32:51but for the version of me
32:52who would have fallen apart
32:53at the sight of this
32:54I'll sign everything over to you
32:56every asset
32:57every share
32:58I'll spend what's left of my life
32:59earning it back from zero
33:00I couldn't tell
33:01I couldn't tell if he was drunk
33:02or broken
33:02or both
33:03I put everything I had
33:04into shoving him back
33:05Sebastian
33:07mom and dad
33:08don't know anything
33:09about our last life
33:10don't blow that up
33:11I'm asking you to let this go
33:12he moved
33:14toward me again
33:14I said it
33:15steady and quiet
33:16do you want to lose
33:17the last thing we have
33:19because that's what this does
33:20he stopped
33:21the pain on his face
33:22was real
33:23I didn't look away from him
33:25Sebastian
33:26I love Grant
33:27the way I used to love you
33:28and he loves me back
33:30be happy for me
33:31I'll be happy for you too
33:33when you find someone
33:34who's actually right for you
33:35I said each word slowly
33:36Sebastian's face
33:37went white by degrees
33:38then he left
33:40Sebastian was one of the
33:41proudest people
33:42I'd ever known
33:42that retreat
33:43that night
33:44he would never
33:45put himself through it again
33:46I was sure of that
33:48what was done
33:48was done
33:49last time's pain
33:50was last time's
33:52holding on to it
33:53meant letting it
33:53keep costing me things
33:54I chose to let the light in
33:56and I believed
33:57standing there in the quiet
33:58after he left
33:59that we would both
34:00find our way
34:01to something good
34:04I was gonna lose
34:06Ellie completely
34:07even if she still
34:08called me her brother
34:08coming back the second time
34:10I fought to hold on
34:11to what I'd thrown away
34:11in the end
34:12I was just a joke
34:13the footage Jake pulled
34:14told me everything
34:15about why my parents
34:16could never warm to Sienna
34:17she'd been using
34:18the office landline
34:19to call her mother
34:20talking about my dad
34:21being old
34:21talking about my mom
34:22watching too closely
34:23talking about me
34:24like I was a lock
34:25she'd already figured out
34:26how to open
34:27she was disgusting
34:28she'd gone after my father first
34:30then pivoted to me
34:31and I fell for every bit of it
34:33how did I ever convince myself
34:34Ellie had drugged me
34:35Ellie was the most
34:37straightforward person
34:37I'd ever known
34:38the drug came from Sienna
34:39she'd slipped it to me
34:40over dinner
34:41then she'd fixed herself up
34:43and fed me a story
34:43about saving herself
34:44for our wedding night
34:45and I believed her
34:46because I needed to
34:47believe something
34:48she needed into the
34:49whole family fast
34:50so she took a shortcut
34:51last time
34:51when Ellie stood in my doorway
34:53looking uncertain
34:54and reached for her own buttons
34:56I still had some part
34:57of my brain left
34:58I knew what I was doing
34:59but she was so disarming
35:00and I was so weak
35:01and I did something
35:02I've never forgiven myself for
35:04then I buried the guilt
35:05under outrage
35:06and called it her fault
35:07and blamed it on her
35:08on my parents
35:10on everyone
35:11except the person
35:11who'd actually set
35:12the whole thing in motion
35:13I came back thinking
35:15I'd corrected it
35:16I'd made it worse
35:18I watched Ellie
35:19pull away from me
35:19inch by inch
35:20no more dropping by
35:22to share something funny
35:23no more mug of something hot
35:24appearing on my desk
35:25no more of any of it
35:30I heard her on the phone
35:31with Grant once
35:31telling him that
35:32after they were married
35:33she was going to watch him
35:34eat every meal
35:35to make sure he finished it
35:36the jealousy that hit me
35:37was so irrational
35:38I scared myself
35:39I spent every day
35:40with Sienna
35:41I thought about Ellie
35:42constantly
35:42when Sienna went after Ellie
35:44in that break room
35:44I'd already decided
35:46whatever the footage showed
35:47I was done with Sienna
35:48and I was going to Ellie's side
35:50I was going to protect her
35:52then Grant walked in
35:53and stood next to her
35:54and I understood
35:55that I had already lost
35:56the only thing
35:56I'd ever actually wanted
35:58Ellie didn't ask me
35:59what the footage contained
36:00she already knew
36:01more or less
36:02she'd always protected me
36:04from my own embarrassments
36:05even now
36:06knowing everything I'd done
36:07she left the company
36:09and cut off the last route
36:10Sienna had to get
36:11wah
36:12tea she wanted
36:13Ellie thought the sacrifice
36:14was worth it
36:15she was always worth
36:16more than I deserved
36:17the night before her engagement
36:19with the whiskey
36:20making me brave enough
36:20to be an idiot
36:21one last time
36:22I held her
36:23and asked her to stay
36:24she pushed me out the door
36:26I went back to my apartment
36:27and put into motion
36:28the thing I'd been building
36:29for weeks
36:30Sienna and her mother
36:31had been getting greedy
36:32I'd laid the groundwork
36:33carefully
36:34by morning
36:35both of them were in a position
36:36they weren't getting out of easily
36:37I hated them
36:38but I was the one
36:39who'd let them in
36:40that was on me
36:42Ellie didn't blame me
36:43my parents didn't blame me
36:44that almost made it harder
36:45without her
36:46this second life
36:47was going to be
36:48darker than the first
36:49that was the cost
36:50I was paying
36:51it was fair
36:52I wasn't going to get married
36:54I was going to build
36:55what my parents had built
36:56make it bigger
36:57and look at me
36:58that was my penance
37:01I'd chosen it
37:02and I meant it
37:03what my parents had built
37:06to be
37:06I
37:06the
37:06my passion
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