- 22 hours ago
Too Late To Beg HD 720p ASM
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Short filmTranscript
00:00his first love to spend three nights with him before the wedding my fiance's mother invited
00:05his first love to spend three nights with him it's the moretti way before the wedding my son
00:11spends three nights with his past love a gesture of gratitude a proper goodbye the absurdity hit
00:18me like a slap i turned to marco he didn't push back it's tradition bella you want the moretti
00:25name you play by moretti rules he just leaned back on the couch lit a cigarette and smirked
00:32besides you waited eight years for this ring it's three nights you can handle it everyone in that
00:36room expected me to lose it i just nodded fine i respect the moretti tradition because one second
00:43earlier my phone had buzzed luca castellano head of the castellano empire the oldest and most powerful
00:49crime family on the east coast also the man i personally burned eight years ago when i turned
00:54down our arranged marriage to be with marco bella say the word i'll make this disappear three days
00:59later on what was supposed to be my wedding night the groomsmen shoved marco through the bedroom door
01:05they froze the second they saw the bed i wasn't alone i was lying there with a powerful muscular man
01:11under everyone's shocked gazes i lazily wrapped my arm around the man's waist oh i forgot to mention
01:16my family has a tradition too on the wedding night the bride has a man of her choosing test the
01:22bed first
01:22to make sure her groom actually measures up as marco's mother declared their ridiculous custom
01:29before the guests i said fine without a word of hesitation marco left me and moved in with vanessa
01:36three full days not a single call not a single text the night before the wedding i tracked him
01:41down at the morelli family's private club in lower manhattan vanessa tucked under his arm the whole
01:45mouth loud and loop i pushed the door open every voice in the room cut out at once what are
01:50you doing
01:50here am i interrupting the reunion bella don't read into it a lot of the old families do this
01:55a clean goodbye before the wedding is a sign of respect the boss is 100 yours after tonight i know
02:00like i told you i get it damn boss really has her trained no training involved she loves me too
02:07much
02:07to do a damn thing about it she's mine she knows it seeing i still hadn't moved someone got bold
02:14boss last night before the wedding
02:21let's make it interesting
02:26go ahead
02:29start with a deep french kiss vanessa right here right now
02:36marco smiled he grabbed vanessa by the back of the neck and kissed her
02:44deep slow deliberate right in front of me the whole booth erupted i watched for exactly three
02:52seconds my voice cut through the noise the wedding is tomorrow marco don't be late i turned and walked
02:58out behind me tony's voice carried over the laughter boss your girl just watched you make out with your
03:03ex and didn't even flinch you know how rare that is lucky bastard doesn't know what he's got i stopped
03:07walking of course she's been with me eight years and she survived three miscarriages
03:13she can handle a little kiss the deepest pain of my life and he just used it as a punchline
03:18the first time we were still in college marco was just a runner for the family a kid right now
03:25is a
03:25liability bella so i walked into that clinic alone and made a choice i never recovered from
03:31the second time he'd just been promoted to capo we were in brooklyn for a meeting when a rival
03:37crew hit us i was two months along i lost the baby on a hospital hallway floor the third time
03:44was two
03:44years ago ectopic pregnancy internal bleeding emergency surgery they took one of my fallopian tubes
03:55afterward marco knelt at my bedside and slapped himself across the face he cried he swore he'd spend
04:02the rest of his life making it up to me now he's underboss he's made it and he's decided that
04:09means
04:09i have nowhere else to go he thinks i can't live without him he's about to find out how wrong
04:15he is
04:16i got home and went straight to bed then marco called his voice was slow relaxed that particular
04:22kind of satisfied that told me everything i needed to know about his night were you upset about earlier
04:27no you've been so agreeable lately bella it's honestly starting to throw me off look vanessa
04:32flew all the way back from palermo just because she heard i was getting married don't read too much
04:36into it she's the past you're the one i'm marrying it's a family tradition i have to honor that's all
04:41fair enough you respect your legacy and i'll respect mine tomorrow i hope you're ready to
04:46honor the serrano tradition too of course what kind of tradition marco last night don't get
04:50distracted tell me who feels better me or your little fiancee bella wedding's tomorrow be there
04:55be good i stared at the screen after the call ended funny thing about reaching your limit it doesn't feel
04:59like pain anymore it just feels like nothing something inside me went quiet not broken just done
05:05i turned my phone off and went to sleep the first message on my phone that morning was from
05:11gina grainy video low light two bodies the caption read coming back to the states was worth every
05:18minute didn't stop all night eight years apart and he's still just as addictive as i remember
05:23vanessa made sure i saw her staking her claim vanessa and marco celebrated too soon what they didn't
05:30know was i'd already set things in motion i put my phone away got in the car and drove to
05:37my own
05:37wedding calm dry eyed like i was running an errand by the time i sat down in the makeup chair
05:43gina was
05:44already shaking madama what is wrong with him this isn't tradition this is just cheating with extra
05:50steps in front of the whole city you cut off your entire family for this man bella you went to
05:57war with
05:57your father and marco stood before god and swore he'd never hurt you now he's in bed with that sicilian
06:05bitch the night before your wedding does he feel anything at all you know the first child would
06:10have my stress to boss if you weren't in a game probably not when marco and i got together the
06:17moretas were a second new family at best he was nobody a street level runner trying to climb my father
06:24said bella you are a serrano you do not throw yourself away on a thug with ambition
06:30luca castellano that is the man you married i told my father no i walked away from the arranged marriage
06:38walked away from my family walked away from everything they'd built and marco he knelt before
06:45an icon of the virgin mary and swore on his life he would never betray me i've thought about when
06:51exactly
06:51i lost him i think it was six months ago a call from palermo vanessa freshly out of a relationship
06:57coming home that was it that one phone call eight years three losses every sacrifice i made and all
07:03it took was her voice on a line to pull him back bella please tell me you're not actually going
07:08through with this why are you still marrying him i looked at her i reached up and wiped the tear
07:12from
07:13the corner of her eye you've known me your whole life so you already know the answer in this family
07:19women don't cry he just makes me sure the debt gets paid blood for blood 20 minutes before the
07:26ceremony that's when marco finally showed up his crew practically applauded boss seven rounds last
07:33night we weren't sure you'd make it out of bed almost sent someone in your place you really don't
07:38give me enough credit then his eyes found me for just a second something crossed his face
07:43surprise maybe even guilt damn bella you almost make me feel guilty don't listen to those idiots
07:51seven rounds they're joking vanessa had a stomach ache this morning things ran a little late that's all
07:56i smiled back and said nothing then a face popped out from behind him grinning like the cat that got
08:01the green happy wedding day bella so happy for you both vanessa she was a mess this morning
08:07begged to come i didn't see the harm don't worry the tradition's done i'll keep my distance after
08:13today beside me gina went sturdy i put my hand on her arm before she could open her mouth she
08:19came
08:20all this way she's a guest vanessa looked me over slowly head to toe bella your dress is lovely
08:28very understated not every girl can pull off something so simple then she turned to marco with a
08:35playful pout wait didn't you get her a vera wang because i remember when we were 18 you told me
08:41our
08:41wedding to have a custom limited edition vera wang the plaza the morelli family diamonds 300 guests
08:47minimum you said a million dollar wedding was the only thing good enough so what happened the whole
08:53room went silent every bridesmaid stopped breathing eyes moving back and forth between us marco cleared his
08:59throat bella and i have been together so long we're past needing all the fanfare right i'd
09:05always known in his heart the scale was never level it was always tipped toward her the photos
09:10the tears the dj started warming up the ballroom the big screens came alive with photos marco and me
09:16eight years of moments on a loop vanessa watched for maybe 30 seconds then she started crying
09:22bella i'm so jealous she said it to me her eyes went straight to marco i don't think i'll ever
09:29get
09:29this the doctors found something lupus no cure i just wanted to know what it felt like to have a
09:36wedding of my own just once before the end he watched her like she was the only person in the
09:43room then he turned to me bella let vanessa take your place for the ceremony are you out of your
09:50goddamn mind you can't just swap out a bride who are you actually marrying marco her or bella it's
09:57symbolic we give her this one moment bella still signs the papers at city hall tomorrow nothing
10:03changes he crouched down to my eye level his voice went soft his usual appeasing tone bella you made it
10:10through three days what's one more hour i promise you vanessa gets the vows but the one in my bed
10:15tonight
10:16is you a ceremony is just words tonight is what actually counts isn't it then he raised his hand
10:22and made the sign of the cross over his heart the same gesture the same hand the same man who
10:29once
10:30swore before the virgin mari he would never betray me from the ballroom i could hear guests starting
10:35to murmur wondering where the bride was the bridesmaids were looking at me like i was already
10:39pathetic i didn't care fine marco exhaled he reached over and ruffled my hair the way you'd pet a dog
10:47that finally sat on command that's my girl go up to the honeymoon suite i'll be there the second the
10:52vows are done honestly i didn't want to say those vows anyway i was more than happy to skip straight
10:58to
10:58the wedding night because i'd already prepared my wedding night surprise downstairs the ballroom was
11:05loud with music and toasts up here it was just me
11:11this penthouse was the first thing marco bought after he made capo i was the one who decorated it
11:16the bedding the candles the white rose petals scattered across the floor every detail chosen
11:22by my hands i sat there looking at all of it and thought what a waste gina came through the
11:27door like
11:27she was trying to knock it off its hinges you give a staping on your wedding she was shaking
11:31that son of bitch the second you left they killed the slideshow don for the wedding replaced every
11:40photo of you with pictures of him and vanessa and the dress you're not gonna believe this
11:47he had a million dollar wedding gown ready for her all along
11:55they even brought in a whole new guest list
11:59now half the room was vanessa's family and friends this was never your wedding bella
12:05he used you to throw one for her he did it because your father wasn't there he saw no one
12:10watching your
12:11back so he took the shot and he burned it all down with a smile it's fine gina i'm keeping
12:16a very
12:16careful tab every single thing gets paid back he showed up around eight drunk enough to sway
12:23slightly satisfied enough to smile about it bella ceremony's done vanessa's gone from here on out
12:31there's nothing between us i mean it this time he dropped on ted beside me and pulled me against his
12:38shoulder you're not mad about today are you no he let out a long breath god you are something else
12:48starting tonight it's just you and me i'm gonna spend the rest of my life his phone rang
12:55the second he picked up i could hear vanessa on the other end muffled ragged crying marco hello i
13:01didn't mean to bother you but i fell down the stairs there's so much blood vanessa what happened
13:06are you okay his face changed completely he was already standing up marco loan to not in whirl
13:12bella i have to go you just said i know this is the last time i swear he raised his
13:18hand and made
13:18the sign of the cross over his heart third time he'd done that same hand same chest different lie
13:2430 minutes i'll be back what a joke how much is his promise even worth
13:29go once a man's heart wanders nothing can hold him back he grabbed his jacket and walked out without
13:37looking back the suite fell silent a moment later the door creaked open a tall silhouette filled the
13:44doorway the man i'd been waiting for was finally here 30 minutes later the hallway exploded with noise
13:51the groom men the groomsmen hammered into howling
13:58boss told us not to stir shit up that's rich he spends all night with vanessa seven rounds no less
14:02and now he's got nothing left for bella bella's been loyal to him for eight years i'm the first
14:05one calling bullshit exactly we're raising hell tonight however it goes boss owes bella her seven rounds
14:12the laughing stopped like someone cut the power every one of them frozen in the doorframe
14:18marco cleaned it up put a bandage on it and stood you're fine just a scrape on your thigh
14:24vanessa i have to go i'm bella's husband now this has to stop all of it marco grabbed his jacket
14:32off
14:32the chair you need something you call tony he'll take care of you he meant it for the first time
14:38in a
14:38long time he actually meant it vanessa's eyes filled immediately she grabbed his sleeve with both hands
14:46marco please one more night i don't have anyone here i'm alone in this whole country and i'm scared and
14:54i just he pulled his arm free i can't he checked his watch an hour he'd promised me 30 minutes
15:08he'd been
15:09gone a full hour his phone was going insane brax says he for true minutes the crew back to back
15:21four
15:22calls in two minutes he figured it was the usual noise guys drunk at the party wanting him back
15:29he hit declined marco frowned that wasn't party noise in the group chat the first one stopped him
15:37cold boss holy shit your wife's in bed with another man the second one marco man answer your phone and
15:46get back here now marco scrolled down the image was blurry shot fast bad lighting someone's shaking hand
15:55but the background was unmistakable his penthouse his honeymoon suite the bed he'd told bella to
16:00wait for him in and in the middle of that bed another man marco ripped his phone to his ear
16:06and
16:06called back the background of the call was pure chaos what the hell is going on tony's voice came
16:14through hesitant and shaky we don't know boss we came up to pull a wedding night prank like we said
16:21before
16:21and the second we burst in there's a guy he's half naked lying right there in your bed and bella
16:30she
16:30looks like she's pretty damn comfortable with him boss you're being played get back here now marco
16:36gripped the phone so hard his knuckles turned white his eyes were bloodshot bella had been with him for
16:41eight years she loved him so much she'd set her own family on fire just to stay by his side
16:47how could she
16:48cheat in his mind it didn't matter how far he put would never leave him they had spent years together
16:53she was there when he was a nobody she'd endured three miscarriages without a single complaint she'd
16:57even kept her cool when he moved in with his ex right before their wedding there had to be a
17:01mistake
17:02she couldn't be cheating right then vanessa leaned over his shoulder and peeked at the screen
17:07she let out a sharp gasp marco your wife is sleeping around how could she it's your wedding night
17:15how does she have the nerve to bring some stray man into your honeymoon suite
17:21are you really gonna let her get away with this marco couldn't breathe he couldn't wait another second
17:28he grabbed his jacket and sprinted out the door
17:35when he slammed into the suite the tension in the room was thick enough to cut with a knife
17:39his crew was standing in a circle around the bed surrounding the man tony stepped forward
17:45his face twisted with anger boss finally don't worry we've been guarding the place
17:51this bastard hasn't had the chance to touch bella yet you got here just in time give us the word
17:56and
17:57we'll take him for a ride marco's gaze shifted to the bed luca castellona was lying there right where
18:03marco was supposed to be he looked completely relaxed as if he owned the room he didn't even bother to
18:10look
18:10up when marco walked in marco you're finally home you said 30 minutes i've been waiting over an hour
18:20waiting waiting for me to catch you in the act bella you better start explaining who the hell this
18:25guy is right now of course that's exactly why i waited for you to come back so i could explain
18:31it
18:31to your face i reached out and pulled back the duvet slowly right in front of everyone i let my
18:37hand
18:38slide over luca's firm chiseled abs as marco's face turned a violent shade of purple i let out a
18:45soft laugh this is what i told you about marco the serrano family tradition on the wedding night
18:50the bride chooses a man to make sure the groom measures up right in front of her husband marco
18:54froze for two seconds his jaw twitching in pure rage bella are you kidding me what tradition
19:04i have never heard of any family having a rule this insane or disgusting if a marati groom gets
19:10three nights with his ex
19:13a serrano bride gets a man of her own choosing
19:18i let out a cold sharp laugh marco it doesn't work that way you demanded that i stay quiet and
19:25accept
19:25your bullshit tradition the least you can do is respect mine the room went deathly silent
19:34that's when gina came charging in
19:38what's the matter marco you only follow morelli rules
19:42the serrano family name doesn't mean anything to you
19:45she stared him down with a mocking smur you spent three days in bed with your first love
19:50seven rounds right bella doing this once on her wedding night that seems pretty fair to me
19:56besides a man's word is his bond you gave her your word before the wedding that you'd accept this rule
20:02you're not a liar are you she started grabbing the groomsmen by their arms and shoving them towards
20:07the hallway all right the groom is here the show is about to start let's go boys the husband needs
20:15some privacy to watch his bride and her ex-lover get down to business clear out
20:24marco finally snapped he let out an animalistic roar that shook the room
20:28bella you're doing this on purpose just to get back at me this is revenge for me staying with vanessa
20:34for the last three days you found some random guy just to fuck with me didn't you
20:40yes since he decided to say it out loud i wasn't gonna pull any punches
20:45i stared directly into his bloodshot eyes a mocking smile playing on my lips marco you were the one
20:51who betrayed us first you took my dignity and you dragged it through the dirt for everyone to see
20:58you cheated in broad daylight and expected me to just take it why on earth did you think i would
21:03stay silent while you spit in my face and honestly you gave your whole wedding to vanessa as far as
21:09the world is concerned she's your wife so who i sleep with really isn't any of your business is it
21:14marco suddenly went quiet fine i admit it the tradition was a lie the wedding was for vanessa
21:22i lied to you but i had a reason bella i had a reason for all of it vanessa has
21:27lupus the doctor
21:29said there's no cure she just wanted to feel loved one last time before she dies
21:33she was on her knees bella she was sobbing begging me i didn't have the heart to say no he
21:39looked at
21:39me his voice trembling with a mix of desperation and guilt i told you i was done with her and
21:44i meant
21:44it i made it clear today from this second on i am yours i will be loyal i will never
21:49speak to vanessa
21:49again so stop this game send this man away and i'll pretend tonight never happened pretend it never
21:55happened it was almost funny almost he cheated on me he spent three days in bed with another woman
22:01right under my nose and now he was acting like he was doing me a favor by forgiving me the
22:06audacity
22:06was staggering marco's crew started chomping in trying to smooth things over come on bella don't
22:12do this to the boss he only said yes to vanessa because he felt sorry for her you know you're
22:16the
22:16only one he loves you guys have eight years of history you can't just throw that away over a
22:20misunderstanding exactly it's your wedding night kick this guy out so we can all move on don't
22:25let this become a joke that's when luca finally spoke you want to kick me out his voice was slow
22:30and smooth like he was savoring a fine glass of bourbon then make me luca got out of bed with
22:35a
22:35deliberate slow grace he walked over and wrapped a heavy possessive arm around my shoulders he looked at
22:41marco with a look of pure satisfied laziness bella you promised me tonight was mine you're not gonna
22:47break your word are you get your hands off her marco lunged forward ripping luca's hand away from
22:53my shoulder his eyes were burning with a manic fury who the are you to touch my wife who the
22:59hell do you think you're talking to luca just brushed his sleeve where marco had touched him
23:03and let out a soft mocking huff i'm bella's ex and according to the serrano family tradition
23:09i'm the one spending the wedding night with her
23:11bullshit bella never dated anyone before me i'm her first her only she doesn't have an ex
23:19you're a fake you're just some guy she hired to piss me off busted luca's lips curled into a lazy
23:25dangerous smirk you're right i'm not bella's ex-boyfriend actually i'm her fiance what are you
23:30talking about i'm her fiance i'm the one she's marrying marco i cut him off my voice cold and
23:36lethal don't forget you already got married today your wife is vanessa the two of you stood in front
23:41of 300 guests and exchanged vows you and i we're done i looked him straight in the eyes as the
23:46realization started to sink in luca is the man my parents chose for me years ago cerrone and castellino
23:51families had this plan since we were kids so yes he's my actual fiance and if i want to spend
23:56a little
23:56time reconnecting with him what business is it of yours marco froze every bit of color drained from
24:02his face until he looked like a ghost luca let his gaze sweep across the room looking at the crew
24:07like
24:07they were ants all right i'm going to spend a wonderful night with my bride-to-be unless you
24:12guys are planning on staying to watch this is my house i bought this place this is my honeymoon suite
24:18my bed god who are gonna treat best down you don't get to come into my home and act like
24:24you own the
24:24place luca looked around the room with fake curiosity you know you're right this place is quaint he
24:30turned back to me pulling me close and tucking a strand of hair behind my ear let's go bella i'm
24:35taking you home i promise you'll forget this pathetic little room ever existed before the sun
24:39comes up he tightened his grip on my waist and started leading me toward the door marco threw
24:44himself in front of us grabbing my wrist with a desperate crushing grip let her go i'm not letting
24:51you take bella anywhere she's my wife you have no right let go of her luca's eyes finally turned cold
24:59marco refused to budge the standoff lasted less than three seconds before the door was kicked open
25:05a group of men in sharp black suits formed the room the light caught the holsters beneath their jackets
25:16before marco could even blink two soldiers had him pinned by the arms he thrashed against them
25:22his voice rising to a frantic grief-stricken howl get off me who the hell are you you can't do
25:29this
25:29hurry bella just take my wife you can't just take my wife as luca led me toward the door marco's
25:36screams started to break the rage turned into a pathetic choked up sob bella please don't go come back
25:45i'm sorry i'm so sorry i shouldn't have lied it's you bella you're the one i really love you're the
25:52only one i wanted to marry please don't leave with him i felt nothing his love was so cheap i
25:58didn't
25:58even look back as i walked out of the room once we were gone the soldiers tossed marco onto the
26:04floor
26:04like a piece of trash he stayed there on his knees his entire body shaking with a mix of fury
26:11and
26:11heartbreak why why bella how could you do this to me his crew was finally starting to snap out of
26:20their shock tony swallowed hard his face going pale as he looked at the retreating soldiers boss i thought
26:27that guy looked familiar those weren't just hired muscle those were castelloni soldiers that man
26:32that was luca castellano the head of the castellano empire finance real estate weapons they own the
26:39whole east coast even the politicians are in their pocket boss this isn't a fight this is an
26:45execution we can't win this after we left marco's penthouse luca drove me straight back to the serrano
26:51estate the moment my parents saw me walk through the door with luca their eyes filled with tears there were
26:59no lectures no i told you so my father just pulled me into a hug his voice thick with emotion
27:06you're
27:07home that's all that matters seeing how much older my parents looked how the gray had settled into their
27:13hair i couldn't hold it back anymore mom dad i'm so sorry i was wrong eight years ago i was
27:20obsessed with
27:21marco he was a nobody back then my parents tried everything to stop me but i wouldn't listen to
27:28anyone i remember my father told me marco isn't for you bella one day you're going to come back here
27:34in tears it took eight years but he was right i had lost everything my mother squeezed my hand
27:40her eyes soft it's okay baby we were all young and stubborn once you found your way back that's enough
27:49for me my father looked over at luca a proud smile touching his lips now that she's home we should
27:54get
27:54the wedding back on schedule this kid has been in love with you since he was a teenager bella
28:00after all these years he finally got his wish i saw tips of lucas's ears turn bright red looking
28:06uncharacteristically flustered mr serrano mrs serrano i should probably head out and let you
28:11have some family time bella go walk luca to his car my mother nudged me i walked him out to
28:19the porch
28:20and for a long moment neither of us said a word i'd always known luca liked me
28:25our families were close and we grew up together but luca was a nightmare back then he was a
28:32troublemaker and he expressed his feelings by being an absolute jerk in high school he intimidated every
28:37guy who tried to get close to me on the night of our senior prom he actually put out a
28:41warning that
28:42nobody was allowed to ask me to dance i ended up sitting in a corner alone all night the laughing
28:47stowed up the school i was so furious i told him i'd never speak to him again after that i
28:51hated him
28:52then i met marco fell head over wills and stopped looking at anyone else over the years i wiped luca
28:57out of my life entirely but i never imagined that while i was busy building a life with marco the
29:01man
29:01i hated most was actually waiting for me the whole time i thought back to the text he sent me
29:05that morning
29:06he had heard from somewhere that my wedding with marco was falling apart almost instantly he sent that
29:11message bella if you need me i'm ready to settle the score for you i didn't take it seriously at
29:17first
29:17because of everything that happened in the past he was the last person on earth i wanted to call
29:23but standing here on the porch looking up at this tall silent man i felt a wave of confusion mixed
29:29with guilt were those jerky things he did when we were kids because he hated me or because he just
29:34didn't know how to speak the language of love what does he want from me now a new game to
29:39play
29:40or is this actually the devotion of a dawn
29:45after what marco did to me i don't think i can ever truly believe in a man's heart again
29:49but regardless of the future right now castellino backing is the best thing we could have luca
29:58i don't think this is fair to you i spent eight years with marco i gave him everything i lost
30:05three
30:05babies for him someone like me i'm not good enough for you you deserve someone better stop luca reached
30:14out his thumb gently pressing against my lips to quiet me bella that was your past it isn't a stain
30:21on who you are you gave your heart to someone who didn't deserve it you were the victim that isn't
30:27a
30:27crime why on earth would that mean you don't deserve to be happy you owe that man nothing you
30:33owe yourself everything he looked at me his gaze burning with a fierce solemn sincerity i've loved
30:38you for a long time bella which means i accept every single part of you let the past be the
30:42past
30:43his eyes were full of hope and honesty give yourself a chance and give me one too okay before my
30:48mind
30:48caught up i nodded my wedding with luca was set for next month the invitations went out almost
30:56immediately the night marco heard the news he came looking for me it had only been a few days but
31:03he
31:03looked like a ghost of himself he was gaunt his eyes were sucking and dark and his face was covered
31:07in a messy unshaden stubble his suit was wrinkled and his hair usually perfectly slicked back was a
31:13disaster bella don't do this don't marry him he reached out and grabbed my hand i fucked up i know
31:21i did but i'm done with vanessa she's gone i swear on my life i'll never see her again
31:29just please don't marry luca castelloni we were together for eight years you were willing to turn
31:36your back on your own parents for me why are you being so cold now how can you just walk
31:40away without
31:41giving me a single chance bella this is cruel i ripped my hand out of his grip i was so
31:48tired of
31:48the drama marco i gave you eight years of chances i waited nearly a decade for you to decide i
31:54was
31:55worth the ring i endured everything but you crossed the line when you brought her into our bed before
32:00the wedding even started go away it's over in that moment i was just grateful we hadn't made it to
32:06city
32:06hall to sign those papers i turned around and walked away without looking back marco stood
32:10there in the street looking like a man who had lost the entire world he had nowhere to go no
32:16one
32:16to turn to he ended up stumbling into his private club ordering the strongest grappa they had and
32:23knocking back glass after glass like he was trying to drown himself his crew couldn't stand to watch it
32:27they took turns trying to talk sense into him boss stop it you're gonna kill yourself at this rate
32:34bella is marrying someone else drinking yourself into a coma won't bring her back she's gone but
32:40no one could get through to him finally tony and the guys tracked down vanessa and brought her to the
32:46club find vanessa hoping she could calm him down but it only made things a thousand times worse
32:53vanessa snatched the bottle out of his hand her lips twisted in a pow marco stop it already look at
33:00you
33:00it's not worth it to ruin yourself over a woman like her honestly she's not even that great if she
33:07had the nerve to bring a stray man into your bed on your wedding night it means she's been sleeping
33:11around for a long time she's trash marco you should be happy you're finally rid of her
33:18marco snapped he lunged forward grabbing vanessa by the collar and shaking her his face twisted in a
33:25mask of pure agony you don't get to talk about bella like that do you hear me she is not
33:31trash
33:31she gave me eight damn years of her life i know who she is better than anyone vanessa how do
33:38you
33:38even have the balls to show your face this is all your fault you're the one who manipulated me into
33:43that tradition you're the reason bella left you destroyed my life why won't you just leave me alone
33:49suddenly his eyes caught something on her skin his expression shifted from rage to icy dawning horror
33:56he reached out and ripped her collar open what the hell is that on your neck what are those red
34:02spots
34:03vanessa panicked she tried to pull away her voice stammering marco i told you i have lupus
34:08that's just a symptom no that's not lupus a sickening realization began to crawl up marco's spine
34:15he didn't care about her protests and screaming he grabbed her by the arm and dragged her toward
34:20the door hell bent on getting her to a hospital vanessa fought back like a cornered animal her
34:25long acrylic nails clawed at his face leaving deep bloody gashes across his cheek marco didn't even
34:30flinch he just turned around and backhanded her across the face with everything he had the two lovers
34:35who had been tangled together in bed just days ago now looked like bitter sworn enemies the secret
34:41vanessa had been fighting so hard to bury was finally coming to light every gift from the gods
34:47comes with a hidden price tag and some debts are more than one person can afford to pay at the
34:53hospital marco didn't give her a choice under his terrifying threats vanessa was forced to undergo a
34:59full battery of tests when the results finally came back the truth was worse than anything he could
35:04have imagined she didn't have lapis she was in the late stages of syphilis marco felt like he'd been
35:10struck by lightning in that second his whole world came crashing down you
35:15bitch he lunged at her his hands clamping around vanessa's throat his eyes nearly popping out of
35:20his head with rage you were sleeping around in europe and caught a goddamn disease you told me it was
35:27lupus you tricked me into your bed just to rot me from the inside out i'll kill you i'll kill
35:34you
35:34because of her he had lost the woman he loved and now his body was likely tainted too his entire
35:41life was in ruins and it was all because of her what are you screaming about you were the one
35:46who
35:46cheated you were the one who couldn't stay out of my bed you thought bella was weak you thought
35:51she was a doormat who would let you do whatever you wanted don't you dare pin this on me you
35:56selfish
35:57coward you wanted to call me your true love while keeping bella around to wait on you i saw right
36:02through you from day one the words pushed marco over the edge he lost every ounce of reason
36:07squeezing her throat harder and harder determined to watch the life leave her eyes it took three
36:12hospital security guards to pull him off her vanessa didn't wait around she stumbled out of the
36:17hospital bruised and gasping and caught the very first flight out of the country she vanished back to
36:23europe before the sun even went down marco wandered out of the hospital like a hollow shell of a man
36:27he drifted through the streets his mind a chaotic blur he saw flashes of bella's smile from years
36:32ago the warmth of their life together then the memory of his heat with vanessa and finally this
36:37is exactly what you deserve his legs finally gave out marco marco exhausted broken and terrified of the
36:45poison in his blood marco collapsed on the sidewalk as the world when marco opened his eyes again he was
36:53back
36:53in the hospital for a moment he didn't remember how he got there boss the doctor is here
37:07mr moretti your test came back positive we need to begin treatment immediately
37:14there it was the price of vanessa's lie had finally reached his blood the first face that flashed
37:21his mind wasn't vanessa's it was mine bella give me my phone
37:30i need to call her
37:36boss today is her wedding
37:43while marco was drowning in the wreckage of his choices
37:47i was standing in front of a mirror wearing white for a second time you look beautiful baby
38:06are you ready sweetheart i am
38:09who are you ready for a second time you're ready for a second time you're ready for a second time
38:15luca was waiting at the end of the aisle
38:18for once the man who had waited for me his whole life didn't look smuck at all
38:23he looked nervous
38:29my father walked me down the aisle
38:35this time i wasn't walking towards humiliation
38:38i was walking away from it
38:41i don't want the version of you the world thinks is easiest to love
38:47i want all of you bella the broken parts the angry parts the parts still learning how to breathe
38:57i can't promise i'm healed
39:00but i can promise i'm done living for the man who broke me
39:04if you'll walk beside me luca i'll try
39:14boss it already started you can't make it in time
39:18i have to see her
39:26he should have stayed in that hospital bed
39:32but regret has a way of making dying men run
39:36please
39:48you may kiss the bride
39:52and just like that i became mrs castellino
40:00marco arrived just in time to see the ending
40:07not the ending he wanted
40:09the ending he deserved
40:11by noon every family on the east coast knew
40:14bella serrano was no longer the discarded almost wife of marco moretti
40:18she was mrs castellino
40:20and the ring on my finger was not just a wedding ring
40:22it was a warning the morning after the wedding luca took me downstairs for breakfast
40:27the entire castellino household stood waiting in perfect silence
40:32soldiers house staff advisors captains
40:36every eye lowered the second i entered the room
40:44good morning donna castellino
40:47for eight years i had been treated like marco's shadow now men twice my age bowed their heads
40:53because i walked beside luca i should have felt powerful instead i felt strangely calm
40:59power didn't make noise power simply entered a room and changed the temperature luca pulled out
41:04my chair himself a few captains exchanged surprised looks he noticed his voice went cold
41:12my wife does not stand while any man in this house sits every chair scraped back at once
41:18luca
41:19yes wife
41:20i don't need them scared of me because you ordered it
41:23then make them scared of you for their own reasons
41:25before i could answer the butler stepped in
41:30donna don serrano is here
41:32and the moretti family has requested an emergency meeting
41:37a slow smile touched my lips of course they had the morettis had laughed when i had no one standing
41:42behind me now that the castina crest was on my hand they suddenly remembered respect tell them
41:46i'll see them tonight you don't have to i know i lifted my coffee cup that's why i'm going
41:51the meeting was held at the old serrano cigar room my father sat on one side luca sat beside me
41:57on the
41:57other across the table were marco's father his mother tony and three moretti elders who looked
42:03like they had aged 10 years overnight marco was not there his mother tried to smile bella sweetheart
42:09surely we can handle this like family family you were with marco for eight years we all loved you
42:15no you used me for eight years you used my name when the morettos needed legitimacy you used my money
42:21when marco needed backing you used my silence when he humiliated me and on my wedding day you gave my
42:27dress my ceremony my vows and my guests to another woman we admit mistakes were made marco's father
42:34lowered his eyes mistakes my voice stayed soft that word is for spilt wine not public humiliation
42:42one elder cleared his throat what do you want donna castellina there it was not bella not sweetheart
42:56donna castellina i placed a file on the table the moretti waterfront contracts the brooklyn trucking
43:03routes the three shell companies registered under marco's name that would cripple us marco's father
43:09went pale no that would keep you alive marco's mother slammed her hand on the table this is extortion
43:19i turned to her no extortion is when a weak person begs for mercy from someone stronger this is
43:28repayment i smiled tony looked sick marco's father swallowed hard and marco marco loses his seat as
43:38underboss publicly for the first time my smile disappeared
43:45his mother gasped marco arrived 20 minutes late for once no one applauded he looked thinner than he
43:53had at the gate the arrogance was gone from his face what remained was worse need regret a man suddenly
44:01realizing that love was not a door he could keep unlocked forever he said my name like a prayer
44:08luca's hand rested against the back of my chair not touching me not controlling me just there
44:17marco saw it and flinched i didn't know they were meeting with you i came as soon as i heard
44:22we are removing you as underboss his father didn't look at him marco froze what
44:36his mother burst into tears because of her because she couldn't handle one mistake
44:45one mistake
44:48i stood the room seemed to shrink around us you gave your ex my wedding you left me alone on
44:55our wedding
44:55night you lied about tradition you let your friends mock my miscarriages then you begged me to forgive
45:00you because the woman you chose was sick marco's face crumpled bella please no that one word stopped him
45:10i begged for your love for eight years quietly patiently
45:16pathetically i kept this because i thought maybe one day it would mean something again
45:20i slid it toward him he reached for it with shaking hands i can fix this now it means nothing
45:28you can't even fix yourself
45:32his knees hit the floor everyone stared i love you marco morelli once the proud golden sun kneeling in
45:38front of the woman he thought would never leave i looked down at him no marco my voice was almost
45:44gentle you loved being loved by me that night vanessa resurfaced not in new york not in palermo
45:52online a video spread through every private group chat in the city before midnight vanessa sat in a dim
45:58hotel room face bruised hair messy eyes wide with fake terror my name is vanessa ricci
46:07if anything happens to me if anything happens to me blame bella serrano and luca castellino
46:18i watched the video from luca's studio
46:29she's desperate she knows the morettis can't protect her anymore on screen vanessa pressed a
46:35trembling hand to her chest vanessa continued her performance marco loved me bella couldn't accept it
46:41she sent luca's men after me she ruined my life because marco chose me first luca's expression darkened
46:48i'll have it taken down no bella leave it up he looked at me gina stopped pacing
47:00are you insane no vanessa wants attention so let's give her a stage luca studied me for a long moment
47:08then his mouth curved faintly what are you planning i looked back at the screen at vanessa's tearful
47:15performance for eight years i swallowed humiliation because i thought dignity meant silence i was
47:21wrong sometimes dignity meant letting your enemy talk long enough to hang herself i closed the
47:26laptop she wants to be the tragic woman in this story fine tomorrow night we host a charity gala
47:32a gala yes i turned to luca invite the press invite every family invite the morettis and vanessa my
47:39smile sharpened especially vanessa the gala was held in the castellino conservatory glass ceilings
47:49white orchids champagne towers a room full of powerful people pretending they had never enjoyed
47:57watching me suffer i wore black luca stood beside me one hand resting at my waist his face unreadable
48:03when i stepped onto the small stage the room quieted tonight the castelloni and serrano families are
48:09launching a protection fund for women abandoned threatened or exploited by criminal households
48:15a ripple moved through the crowd i saw marco at the back pale hollow watching me like i was the
48:23last
48:23light in a burning city then the doors opened vanessa walked in wearing a white dress and a black veil
48:31dramatic predictable perfect she stumbled forward you hypocrite you talk about protecting women you
48:41destroyed me because marco loved me every head turned vanessa pointed at me marco's face twisted
48:47she ignored him i was dying i had lupus i just wanted one wedding before the end i looked at
48:54gina
48:54she pressed a button the screen behind me lit up you wanted belly waiting at home while you called me
49:00your true love this is exactly what you deserve hospital security footage vanessa screaming at marco
49:07then came the medical report not lupus the room exploded into whispers i stepped down from the stage
49:13you weren't dying vanessa my voice was calm you were lying she lunged at me before she came close
49:22luca caught her wrist touch my wife and you lose the hand
49:31you wanted my wedding so badly congratulations
49:36everyone is looking at you now
49:40vanessa was dragged out but not before she laughed it was sharp ugly almost victorious you still don't know
49:48do you i stopped that brooklyn attack
49:53the one where you lost your baby she looked straight at me the room went silent my breath
49:59caught before i could stop it vanessa smiled through her tears it wasn't random marco staggered forward
50:06what did you say vanessa's eyes flicked toward his mother ask her every person in the room turned
50:14marco's mother went white that girl is diseased and hysterical oh please you paid people to make
50:23sure marco came home scared you didn't want bella pregnant with his child you said a serrano baby would
50:28put a leash around your son's neck forever that girl is diseased and hysterical vanessa laughed
50:34harder oh please you paid people to make sure marco came home scared you didn't want bella pregnant with
50:39his child you said a serrano baby would put a leash around your son's neck forever she said nothing the
50:46silence answered for her something inside me went cold i remembered the hospital hallway the blood
50:54marco had held me afterward he had cried he had sworn it was just bad luck the sound of my
51:00own voice
51:01begging someone to help i turned away because if i looked at his mother any longer i might forget
51:05every rule i had learned luca moved beside me his voice was soft say the word for the first time
51:11since
51:12marrying him i understood exactly how dangerous devotion could be i looked at marco's mother no everyone
51:18stared i lifted my chin death is too easy for three days luca's men tore through the past old phone
51:25records cash transfers a warehouse security log from brooklyn a hospital intake delay that had
51:30always been explained away as chaos by the fourth morning gina placed the final file in front of me
51:36tony's name was on it i found him in the chapel behind the old moretti club he was drunk pale
51:41and
51:42praying like god still answered men like him bella i didn't know she was pregnant he stood too fast i
51:50said nothing tony began shaking i swear on my mother i didn't know marco's mother told us to leak the
51:55meeting location he said it was just to scare him to remind him family came first and after his eyes
52:00filled after the hospital i figured it out said marco tony looked away that was all i needed my fingers
52:07tightened around the pew he knew not at first tony's voice broke years later when he became underboss
52:12his mother told him enough not everything but enough chapel blurred for half a second marco had
52:18known maybe not that day maybe not while i bled on the floor but later he had known his family's
52:22ambition had cost me a child and he had still let me sit at their table still let his mother
52:26call me
52:27daughter still let me plan a wedding in their name tony fell to his knees i'm sorry i looked at
52:32him
52:32you're not sorry my voice was empty you're just finally afraid marco came to the serrano estate
52:38before sunset no guards no crew no pride just him standing outside the gates like a man waiting for
52:45judgment i agreed to see him in the courtyard luca didn't stop me he only said i'll be close for
52:50once
52:50that was enough marco looked destroyed i found out two years ago he said before i could speak his voice
52:55was rough almost dead after i became under voice my mother was drunk she said she had saved me from
53:01being trapped i didn't move i asked her what she meant she told me pieces not all of it i
53:05swear i
53:05didn't know everything not everything but you knew enough tears slipped down his face yes the honesty
53:10was too late to matter i hated her for it he whispered i hated myself but but if i exposed
53:16her
53:16the family would collapse i told myself it wouldn't bring the baby back i told myself protecting the
53:20future mattered more than digging up the past our child was not the past he flinched like i had struck
53:25him i stepped closer you didn't just cheat on me marco you buried me alive inside your family and
53:32called it love he sobbed tell me what to do anything i'll do anything i looked at the man i
53:36once would
53:37have died for then i finally saw him clearly small weak late live what he blinked live with it i
53:44turned
53:44away that's the only punishment you deserve the commission gathered two nights later five families
53:50one long table no raised voices that was how real power worked the loud men were usually the ones about
53:56to lose marco's mother sat at the far end dressed in black lace like a grieving saint most admired the
54:02performance almost luca stood behind my chair my father sat to my left marco sat across from me hollow
54:10eyed and silent the head of the romano family spoke first donna castellino you asked for this hearing
54:16state your claim i placed the evidence on the table the moretzi family ordered that led to the
54:21brooklyn attack eight years ago the attack caused the death of my unborn child a heavy silence fell
54:26this is a family matter no this is a blood debt the old men looked at one another they understood
54:34that
54:34language i continued i am not asking for her death marco's mother looked relieved for the rest of her life
54:40she will have no family protection no access to moretti funds no seat at any table and no right to
54:48use
54:48the moretti name her relief vanished you can't erase me i'm not erasing you i leaned forward i'm making
54:58sure everyone remembers exactly what you are then i looked at marco as for marco moretti he keeps his
55:05life nothing else his father closed his eyes the vote was unanimous marco's mother screamed as they
55:12stripped the ring from her hand marco never moved he only looked at me and whispered i'm sorry this
55:20time i didn't answer some apologies deserved silence three weeks later the moretti empire collapsed quietly
55:27no war no street bloodshed just frozen accounts broken alliances missing contracts and doors that no
55:33longer opened people called it merciful they were wrong mercy would have been quick this was precision
55:39marco sold his penthouse first then the private club then the car i once helped him choose i heard
55:45he moved into a small apartment above an old booker shop in queens i didn't visit i didn't ask i
55:51didn't
55:51care at least that's what i told myself one rainy afternoon luca found me in the library staring at
55:58nothing thinking about him i looked up thinking about who i was with him and i don't hate that girl
56:06anymore his expression softened she got you here she survived no she fought for a long moment neither
56:14of us spoke then luca placed a sealed envelope on the table what is that one of my men found
56:20it in
56:20vanessa's luggage when she was caught trying to leave through the docks i opened it inside was a
56:26ledger page old names dates payment my eyes moved down the list moretti ricci and then castellino
56:35my blood went cold luca saw my face change bella bella's voice i turned the page toward him his
56:42expression frozen at the bottom was a signature his uncle salvatore castellano the man who had raised
56:49luca after his father died i looked at my husband how long has your family been lying to me too
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