- 3 hours ago
She Was Never Just a Mistress ASM
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Short filmTranscript
00:00The day my husband told me he was marrying someone else and I was pregnant.
00:03Look Isabella, I love you, okay? You know that. But I have to marry Olivia. I don't have a choice.
00:08My wedding has to be perfect. So I have to erase every trace of us. Every single one.
00:13I stare at Alexander. I'm in shock. He lifts the hand. The bodyguard behind him flicks the
00:18lighter and heads straight for the apartment. In a heartbeat, the flames swallow everything.
00:22I'm wiping down the counter when Alexander Loras walks in. I look up, rag still in my hand.
00:28I'm marrying Olivia Silverwood in three days. I'm Alexander Loras, heir to the Loras group.
00:33Her and me, we run in the same circles. It's already a done deal.
00:36I freeze. The rag hits the floor.
00:42I'll buy you a house outside the city. You and the baby will want for nothing.
00:48So, I'm just gonna be your dirty little secret? Forever?
00:52She's chill. As long as you don't make a scene in front of her, I can give you and the
00:56baby everything.
00:57Everything. Except the title.
00:59Three years together. And all of it means nothing to him.
01:02What if I told you I can be your equal too?
01:10Isabella, I know I screwed up. Hiding who I am, moving on to someone else.
01:14But it is what it is. In this whole city, the Silverfields are the only family on my level.
01:18We've played house in this tiny apartment for three years.
01:21I know exactly who you are. You don't have some powerful family.
01:25I look around this tiny apartment.
01:26The walls we painted together.
01:28The furniture we picked out.
01:30The daisies he planted for me on the balcony.
01:32I can't make myself believe this.
01:34Alexander, I'm having your baby.
01:36Can't we just go back to how it was?
01:38Please don't marry her. Please.
01:41If he just says yes,
01:42I'll pretend none of this ever happened.
01:44He presses his lips together.
01:47I already hooked up with her.
01:48Okay?
01:49I have to make this right.
01:51And what about me?
01:52You don't think you owe me and your baby the same?
01:54Alexander wipes my tears.
01:56The pain in his eyes looks so real.
01:58Baby, I'm just taking a new wife.
02:01I am not leaving you.
02:03There's a three-story house on Long Island.
02:05I already bought it.
02:06You love flowers, right?
02:07I'll have roses planted all over the yard.
02:10Whatever you want, I'll do it.
02:11Trust me.
02:12You want me stuck in some house
02:14being your dirty little secret?
02:16No.
02:17I'm not letting me and my kid live in the shadows.
02:20Not anymore.
02:22I've never treated you like a mistress.
02:24Long as you don't make a scene in front of Olivia,
02:26you'll still be my woman there.
02:27Okay?
02:28He still hasn't said wife.
02:30Not once.
02:31To him, I'm only ever the mistress.
02:33No.
02:33I'm not going anywhere.
02:35I'm staying here.
02:36Then, a sharp pain at the back of my neck.
02:39I black out.
02:40When I wake up,
02:41I'm locked inside that Long Island villa.
02:46The Lawrences actually called the Andersons
02:49for Olivia's ring,
02:50pulled strings to get that heirloom designer.
02:52The Silver Sids are old money, too.
02:55They deserve that kind of treatment.
02:57I remember all the sweet things Alexander once said.
03:00My woman deserves nothing but the best.
03:02I mean, even those Anderson jewels.
03:04And now, that ring is on Olivia's finger.
03:08Funny thing.
03:09Nobody knows this, but that ring's designer?
03:12He's been designing for me since I was little.
03:14I'm Isabella Anderson.
03:16The only heir to one of the biggest business empires in North America.
03:20Three years ago, I had a massive fight with my father and ran away from home.
03:25I wanted to prove I could survive on my own.
03:27No family.
03:28No nothing.
03:29I ditched my bodyguards and landed a job at a convenience store in some forgotten corner of the city.
03:34That's where I met Alexander.
03:37He pushed the door open that day.
03:39Suit soaked from the rain.
03:41Got any umbrellas?
03:43Aisle three.
03:44He grabbed one, came to the register, glanced down at my name tag.
03:49Isabella?
03:50You knew?
03:51Yeah.
03:52He slid the change back towards me.
03:55Keep it.
03:56I'm Alexander.
03:57I'm a lawyer.
03:59And then he smiled, eyes crinkling at the corners, and I fell.
04:03Hard.
04:05He told me later he never even needed an umbrella.
04:07His car was parked right across the street.
04:10He just saw a girl with a ponytail through the window, and something pulled him inside.
04:14On our hundredth day together, he took me to that old church on the corner.
04:19No flowers.
04:20No guests.
04:21Just a silver-haired priest and two silver rings.
04:25I can't give you a mansion or a fancy car, but every morning, I'll make the coffee.
04:31Every week, I'll push the cart at the grocery store.
04:35Isabella, will you marry me?
04:38I held out my hand.
04:41After everything thing we've been through, I decide to give him one last chance.
04:48Alexander, can you just not marry her?
04:51Not marry her?
04:53And marry you instead?
04:55You're really going to make me say the ugly part out loud?
04:58She's Olivia Silverwood.
05:00And you?
05:01A cashier at a convenience store.
05:03How exactly would you be fit to be Mrs. Loris?
05:06All the blood drains from my face, but I can't let it go.
05:09So three years together?
05:11That means nothing if I don't have the right status?
05:14In our cycle, status is everything.
05:16He pauses.
05:17Then that guilt-stricken look slides back across his face.
05:19Olivia, she might be pregnant.
05:21I blank.
05:22When did that happen?
05:24My voice is shaking.
05:25Alexander can't even look at me.
05:27Your birthday.
05:30My birthday.
05:32Alexander just vanished.
05:33I searched for him the whole damn night, every floor of the apartment building, everywhere.
05:40He didn't show up until the next day, looking wrecked, telling me he got lost trying to find me the
05:45perfect gift.
05:46Then, like he was unveiling some grand gesture, he pulled a Tiffany necklace from behind his back.
05:51I'd been up all night, but seeing how much effort he'd put in, I couldn't be mad.
05:56I just tucked the necklace away.
05:59And now he's telling me, that whole time, my birthday, he was with Olivia.
06:04A sick feeling twists in my stomach.
06:07The villa on Long Island.
06:08Fences everywhere.
06:10The only way I can see the outside world is from that second floor window.
06:13At dusk, Alexander comes in carrying a whole box of my favorite tiramisu.
06:17He sits across from me.
06:18Eat something.
06:19The baby's hungry.
06:22So I pick up the spoon.
06:24Tiny bites.
06:25Just a few bites in, a sharp pain starts spreading through my lower belly.
06:29I curl up on the couch.
06:31Cold sweat soaks through my clothes.
06:34Alexander, my belly, it really hurts.
06:37He glances at me.
06:38There's pity in his eyes, sure, but mostly just resignation.
06:41Isabella, just, it'll pass.
06:43Get a doctor.
06:43I'm gripping the cushion so hard my knuckles are white.
06:45Please, please, call a doctor.
06:47He shakes his head.
06:48Isabella, the drug's already working.
06:50Just give up.
06:51After Olivia has her baby, we can try again.
06:53Alexander, listen to me.
06:55I have a name.
06:57Okay?
06:57I'm not nobody.
06:59Please, just get a doctor.
07:04You're disappointing me big time.
07:06If you're gonna lie, at least make it believable.
07:09A miscarriage won't kill you.
07:10You made your bed.
07:11I watch him walk away.
07:12The very last flicker of hope inside me just died.
07:16I collapse onto the couch, my mind going dark.
07:18And right when I think I'm gonna die in this place, nobody even knows about, the door
07:22smashes.
07:23Then someone's right next to me, calling out, panicked.
07:25Miss, miss, we're here.
07:27My father's personal assistant.
07:30The chairman, get the hospital on the line, have the best OB team standing by right now.
07:34As they rush me into a black SUV, I barely make out her voice on the phone.
07:37Sir, we found her.
07:39They gave her something to end the pregnancy.
07:41The baby might not make it.
07:42After that, I don't remember a thing.
07:49Dad.
07:51Don't talk.
07:53The baby's still here.
07:57What?
07:57The baby's still here.
07:59The doctors fought for six straight hours.
08:01The baby made it.
08:03But your body's been through a lot.
08:06Next few months, bed rest.
08:08Total bed rest.
08:09You can't move.
08:09Not one step out.
08:10That man and the Loris family.
08:13I'm gonna make them pay.
08:15No, dad.
08:16Don't tip them off.
08:18I want them to walk into hell on their own.
08:20And I want them to watch in front of everyone while they lose everything they threw away.
08:25The wedding day.
08:26Loris state.
08:27Red carpet stretching out.
08:28The whole place buzzing.
08:30The Anderson air rest is here.
08:34Silence.
08:35The crowd goes dead quiet.
08:37Olivia's bouquet trembles.
08:39A faint smile flickers at the corner of her mouth.
08:41She never actually thought the Andersons would show up.
08:44The Anderson heiress?
08:45The Loraises actually got the Anderson family to come?
08:48They say she never attends any social events.
08:49Nobody's ever even seen her face.
08:51She's a complete mystery.
08:52The murmurs haven't died down when a black stretch limo pulls up at the entrance.
08:56The door opens.
08:57Custom heels hit the red carpet.
08:59I'm wearing the Anderson family's signature gown, the crest embroidered right over my chest.
09:04On my head, the diamond tiara, the one the heirloom designer made, the one everyone talks about.
09:09Flanked by bodyguards and my assistant, I walk slowly into the Loris mansion.
09:14The ring box slips from Alexander's hands, hits the floor with a sharp crack.
09:18Is Isabella?
09:20I stop in the middle of the red carpet.
09:22You could hear a pin drop.
09:24Olivia rips off her veil.
09:26A cold laugh.
09:27The Anderson heiress?
09:28You?
09:29She looks me up and down, mouth twisting into a sneer.
09:32I've been in New York society for three years.
09:34I've never once laid eyes on you.
09:36Does anyone here actually buy this?
09:38Enough.
09:40Miss Silverwood, do you recognize this?
09:45She raises her hand, an antique signet ring.
09:48Every classified letter, every billion dollar contract the Anderson family sends, sealed with the wax stamp of this exact ring.
09:55Olivia's smirk freezes solid.
09:57This is Isabella Anderson, the sole heir to the Anderson family.
10:01Emily finishes, then her gaze drops to Olivia's hand.
10:04Oh, and that ring on your finger?
10:06It was made by our family's heirloom designer, too.
10:09Yours?
10:09He was a little short on cash.
10:11Took a side job.
10:12That's all.
10:13Olivia's face goes from white to green, then green to gray.
10:17No.
10:18No way.
10:18She yanks the ring off her finger and hurls it at the ground.
10:21Diamonds scatter everywhere.
10:22You lied to me!
10:23Everyone lied to me!
10:24She jabs her finger at the noble lady's, heads bound, her voice sharp enough to cut glass.
10:28Lena!
10:29Hannah!
10:29Say something!
10:30Not a single person looks up.
10:32Olivia's knees buckle.
10:33She crumbles to the floor.
10:34I...
10:35I am Olivia Silverwood.
10:36I cannot lose to a cashier.
10:39I cannot...
10:39Dead silence.
10:40I walk slowly over to Alexander.
10:42He kneels on the red carpet, looking up at me, tears falling silently.
10:45Isabella!
10:46I didn't know!
10:47I swear, I didn't know!
10:49Didn't know what?
10:49My voice is perfectly calm.
10:51Didn't know I'm the Anderson air-ret?
10:52If I were still just that cashier at the convenience store, would you be down on your knees right now?
10:56I let the silence stretch.
10:58His mouth opens, shuts.
10:59Nothing comes out.
11:00I crouch down, right next to his face.
11:03Do you know what it felt like, lying on that operating table?
11:06Alexander's whole body starts shaking.
11:08The doctor said if they'd gotten there ten minutes later, I would have died.
11:13And our baby...
11:14I pause.
11:15Alexander's face drains completely.
11:17His body trembles violently now.
11:19She was already gone.
11:21Inside me.
11:23You killed her.
11:24I take a step back, my voice thick with disgust.
11:27Alexander Loris!
11:28You will never get her forgiveness.
11:30Not ever.
11:30The wedding can go on.
11:32I wish you both a lifetime of happiness.
11:37Isabella!
11:38Isabella!
11:39Please!
11:40Three years!
11:41Three years together!
11:42Does that mean nothing to you?
11:44When you burned down our home?
11:46When you killed our baby?
11:48Did it mean anything to you?
11:50I was wrong.
11:52I was so wrong.
11:54I shouldn't have married her for the family.
11:57I shouldn't have drugged you.
11:59Isabella, just give me one chance.
12:01I'll divorce her.
12:02I'll divorce her right now.
12:03We can start over, please.
12:07Alexander.
12:08Get up.
12:10You're begging another woman in front of the entire New York elite?
12:14What exactly am I to you?
12:15There's nothing between me and her.
12:18You know that.
12:18It's just a family arrangement.
12:20The one I love has always been you, Isabella.
12:22Always.
12:25Alexander Loris.
12:26Say that one more time.
12:28I said I want a divorce!
12:31The wedding's off.
12:33I'll take responsibility for that baby in your stomach.
12:35I'll send money every month.
12:37But don't you dare try to trap me!
12:41Olivia stares at him.
12:43And then a smile slowly creeps across her lips.
12:46Alexander Loris.
12:47You are the biggest fool on this earth.
12:49Alexander sobs Chokoff.
12:51He looks up at her.
12:53Olivia wipes the laughter tears from her eyes.
12:56You actually thought this baby in my tummy was yours?
13:00Alexander freezes.
13:03What are you saying?
13:04Olivia glances down at her barely there bump.
13:06A mocking smirk on her face.
13:08This baby's my cousins.
13:09We hooked up a few times.
13:11Didn't bother with protection.
13:14I was gonna get rid of it.
13:15But then I did some digging.
13:16And guess what?
13:18You're the eldest son of the Loris family.
13:20She tilts her head, looking at him still there on his knees.
13:24And you were so damn easy.
13:26I said the baby was yours.
13:27And you just believed it.
13:29Wedding all set up and everything.
13:31I figured I'd keep the secret forever.
13:33But today?
13:35Since you're about to throw me away for that woman, I see no reason to protect your pride anymore.
13:42Right?
13:43You.
13:44Pathetic.
13:46Chump.
13:47Alexander is completely frozen.
13:50His mouth opens and closes.
13:52No sound.
13:53And then his whole body starts shaking.
13:56Violently.
14:00You whore!
14:02You ruined me!
14:04You ruined everything!
14:09Olivia screaks, clawing and trashing at him.
14:12The guests rush in and pull them apart.
14:15I turn and walk out of the estate.
14:17I don't look back.
14:19The next few months, I stay at our family's private hospital.
14:23My father locks down all information.
14:26The official story.
14:28I'm recovering in Europe.
14:29And Alexander?
14:30He's drowning in his own mess.
14:32Olivia was humiliated in public at the wedding.
14:34The Silverwood family was furious.
14:36The whole alliance between the two families turned into a complete circus.
14:40Every day they tear each other apart.
14:41Pointing fingers.
14:42The entire upper clard laughing at the spectacle.
14:44Seven months later, in the delivery room, I give birth to a baby girl.
14:49The nurse lays her in my arms.
14:51Her tiny hand wraps around my finger and won't let go.
14:54I name her Scarlet.
14:56Starlight.
14:58She's my Starlight.
14:59My father holds her.
15:01His big, rough hands cradle her tiny head so carefully.
15:04His eyes are all red.
15:06Just like you when you were little.
15:08Exactly the same.
15:09My brother stands beside him, reaching out awkwardly to touch her face.
15:13Then pulling back, afraid he'll hurt her.
15:17My mother flies back from Italy.
15:19Brings the best children's designer from Milan straight to our home.
15:23Box after box of tiny dresses fill the nurbury.
15:26That day, the whole Anderson estate overflows with joy.
15:31Nobody mentions Alexander.
15:33Nobody needs to.
15:35This baby, from beginning to end, is the Anderson family's most precious jewel.
15:39And nothing else matters.
15:42Whenever I'm bored, my best friend Sophie comes over.
15:45She shows up with a ton of snacks and gossip.
15:48Flops onto the couch and starts filling me in on everything going on out there.
15:52Alexander and Olivia?
15:53Divorce?
15:54Not happening.
15:55I flip a magazine page.
15:57I don't even look up.
15:58The Loricks and Silverwood families are locked in deep.
16:01Joint ventures, cross-shareholderships, billions in projects, all tangled up together.
16:05Divorce?
16:06No way in hell.
16:07Sophie takes a sip of her Coke.
16:08Pure shed and dagae in her voice.
16:10So now they're stuck in the same mansion.
16:12Separate bedrooms.
16:13I heard they don't even eat at the same table.
16:15The staff have to make two separate meals delivered to different rooms.
16:18Last week, at the family dinner, they went at each other in front of everyone.
16:26And there's more.
16:30Olivia's baby?
16:31You remember that whole thing?
16:33Alexander had been drinking.
16:35They got into another fight.
16:36And he shoved her.
16:37She fell down the stairs.
16:39My hand freezes.
16:40The baby's gone.
16:41Seven months.
16:42A boy.
16:43Didn't make it.
16:45Sophie lets out a sigh.
16:47I heard when Olivia came out of surgery, she was laughing and crying at the same time.
16:52Total breakdown.
16:53Like she's lost her mind.
16:55The entire New York elite is watching them crash and work.
16:59I set the magazine aside.
17:02I look down at Scarlett's tiny sleeping face and gently stroke her cheek.
17:08Alright.
17:10No more about them.
17:11They're not worth it.
17:13Yes, yes.
17:14No more about them.
17:16Now, look what I brought for the little princess.
17:19A birth gift.
17:20After that, Alexander starts coming for me.
17:23First time, he shows up at the estate gates and stands there all night in the pouring rain.
17:28Emily comes in to tell me.
17:31I'm feeding Scarlett.
17:33Let him stand.
17:35Even if he drops dead out there, it's none of my business.
17:41Next morning, they carry him away.
17:44For three months after that, the same act plays out, over and over.
17:48I never see him.
17:50Not once.
17:51Scarlett's growing every day.
17:53One afternoon, the weather's gorgeous.
17:56The nanny takes her out to the garden to get some sun.
17:59She spots a butterfly in the grass and just laughs.
18:02This perfect little giggle.
18:04I didn't know Alexander was here.
18:06He didn't come through the main gate.
18:08He climbed over a side fence into the garden.
18:10I hear something.
18:11When I look up, he's already standing at the entrance to the garden.
18:14Eyes locked on the tiny person in the grass.
18:17Scarlett happens to look up and gives him a big grin.
18:20Soft little cheeks.
18:21Big bright eyes.
18:22She looks so much like him.
18:24Who is she?
18:25I don't answer.
18:27Isabella, who is she?
18:30You said the baby...
18:32You're mistaken.
18:33That's my brother's daughter.
18:35My niece.
18:36You're lying to me!
18:38She looks just like me!
18:40Look at her eyes!
18:41Alexander, you're seeing things.
18:43There is no child of yours here.
18:45Leave.
18:45Now.
18:46The nanny scoops up Scarlett and heads straight for the house.
18:51Alexander tries to go after her.
18:52Two bodyguards block him.
18:54He struggles against them.
18:55Eyes fixed on the direction Scarlett disappeared.
18:58That's my daughter, isn't it?
18:59Isn't it?
19:00I don't answer.
19:02I turn and walk inside.
19:05Three days later, Emily finds me.
19:07Alexander's lost his mind.
19:08He pulled some strings, got hold of Scarlett's birth certificate.
19:11He knows.
19:12He's on his way here right now.
19:14From downstairs, I can already hear it.
19:16Bodyguards trying to hold him back and Alexander shouting.
19:20Isabella!
19:21I know she's my daughter!
19:23Let me see her!
19:24And that's only the beginning.
19:26Every single day after that, he shows up.
19:28Some days he brings toys.
19:30Some days, little clothes.
19:32Other days, nothing at all.
19:34He just stands at the gate calling her name.
19:36We upgrade security again and again.
19:38He always finds a way.
19:40Leaks stories to the press.
19:42Bribes the staff to pass along messages.
19:45He even bursts into my father's office to beg.
19:47Let me see her.
19:49She's my daughter.
19:50I have rights.
19:51Lawyers' letters, one after another.
19:54It just keeps escalating.
19:56And somehow, word of it reaches Olivia.
19:59Emily bursts into the nursery.
20:01Olivia knows!
20:02My hand freezes.
20:05She just lost her child.
20:07She's not right.
20:08The staff says she locks herself in her room all day, talking to the air, going over that
20:12one ultrasound photo again and again.
20:14And now she knows your baby is alive.
20:17Isabella, something's very wrong with her.
20:18Before I can speak, a scream tears through the house from downstairs.
20:21I walk to the window.
20:23Olivia is standing outside the estates' iron gates.
20:27She's in her nightgown, hair a wild mess, clutching a pillow to her chest.
20:32I know you're in there.
20:34I know you have a daughter.
20:37My baby's dead.
20:38Why does yours get to live?
20:40Touch me!
20:41Why?
20:44Don't touch me!
20:45Don't you dare touch me!
20:46She stumbles backward, still clutching that pillow, then stops.
20:51Isabella Anderson, your daughter is going to join my son in the grave.
20:57Just you wait.
20:59And then she smiles, turns, and walks away.
21:02Emily stands behind me, her voice shaking.
21:04Isabella, you need to tell the family.
21:06This is not a game.
21:07That night, I call Alexander.
21:09Keep your people in line.
21:11Silence.
21:11Then, a few seconds later...
21:13She came to you.
21:14She stood at my gate and told me my daughter would join her son in the grave.
21:18Then, one afternoon...
21:19The nanny is in the garden with Scarlet, playing.
21:24Six bodyguards spread around the perimeter.
21:26Everything normal.
21:27A delivery truck pulls up at the estates' back gate.
21:29The driver hands over a manifest.
21:31Baby supplies.
21:32Ordered by Mr. Anderson.
21:33Security checks the information.
21:34Cleared.
21:34The truck drives into the back courtyard.
21:36The driver gets out and starts unloading.
21:37Nobody notices the second person slipping out of the cargo hold.
21:39Within minutes, someone comes up behind the nanny in the garden
21:42and clamps a hand over her mouth.
21:44By the time the bodyguards realize something's wrong, Scarlet is gone.
21:47On the other end, the nancy can barely get the words out through the sobs.
21:50This is the baby.
21:51She's gone.
21:52There's this buzzing in my head.
21:54Within minutes, every Anderson family asset is mobilized.
21:58My father's private security unit.
22:00The family surveillance network.
22:02Every connection that can be pulled, all of it, in motion.
22:05My brother calls from London.
22:07I'm already on a plane.
22:09My father says exactly one thing.
22:11Find her.
22:12I don't care what it costs.
22:13I don't care whose strings you have to pull.
22:15An hour later, Emily gets a lead.
22:16Olivia left the mansion she shares with Alexander this morning, destination unknown.
22:20And a remote property under the Silverwood name?
22:22Someone spotted a black SUV coming and going.
22:26Two hours later, our car pulls up up in front of that house.
22:30The door isn't locked.
22:32I push it open.
22:33From upstairs.
22:36Scarlet's crying.
22:38I run up the stairs to the second floor bedroom.
22:40Olivia is sitting on the edge of the bed, holding Scarlet in her arms.
22:43Scarlet is thrashing against her.
22:44Little face bright red.
22:45Tears everywhere.
22:46Olivia looks down at her.
22:47This soft smile on her lips.
22:49You came.
22:50Her voice.
22:50Look how beautiful she is.
22:51My son, if he had lived, he would have been this beautiful too.
22:54Olivia, give Scarlet to me.
22:57Why?
22:58My baby is gone.
23:01Why does yours get to live?
23:04Give Scarlet to me.
23:05Don't come any closer!
23:09I stop dead.
23:11My heart feels like someone's squeezing it in their fist.
23:13Olivia, don't do anything from behind me, stupid.
23:15Think about what happens next.
23:17You hurt her?
23:17Not even the Silverwood family can save you.
23:20Olivia laughs.
23:21My son is dead.
23:23What consequences could I possibly be afraid of?
23:25I take a deep breath, force myself to stay calm.
23:28Olivia, put her down.
23:29Whatever you want, I'll give it to you.
23:30I don't want any.
23:31She looks down at Scarlet.
23:32Her voice suddenly goes soft, almost tender.
23:35I just want her to stay with me.
23:36My son's all alone.
23:38It's too lonely for him.
23:39The scissors go up.
23:40No!
23:41The door gets kicked open.
23:43Alexander bursts in.
23:44The second he sees the scissors in Olivia's hand, all the blood drains from his face.
23:48Olivia, put her down.
23:48You let her go, I'll give you anything.
23:50The divorce, the assets, whatever you want.
23:51Anything?
23:52Then can you give me back my baby?
23:54Alexander falters.
23:55Just for a split second.
23:56In that split second, Olivia raises the scissors.
23:59A gunshot.
24:00Outside the window.
24:02My father's sniper, already in position.
24:04Olivia takes the bullet in her wrist.
24:06The scissors hit the floor.
24:07She collapses.
24:09I lunge forward and scoop up Scarlet.
24:11She's trembling all over, her tiny hands clutching my collar, not letting go.
24:15It's okay, baby.
24:16Mommy's here.
24:17She buries her face against my chest.
24:19The crying slowly fades.
24:20I crouch there on the floor holding her, and the tears finally break free.
24:24Alexander stands in the doorway, eyes red, trying to step forward.
24:27Stay away from them.
24:28Emily blocks him.
24:29He opens his mouth.
24:31Nothing comes out.
24:32From that day on, the Anderson family launches an all-out assault on the Silverhost.
24:35Their stocks get hammered.
24:36Business partners poached.
24:37Banks call in loans.
24:38Supply trains snap.
24:40Scarlet is three years old now.
24:43Mommy, I love you.
24:46I thought that nightmare was behind us.
24:48For good.
24:49Then the phone rings.
24:50Miss Anderson, your daughter's blood work shows her bone marrow is failing.
24:53Did you take any medication during your pregnancy?
24:55It's caused a congenital blood disorder.
24:57My hand holding the phone is just a shave.
24:58The drug Alexander gave me.
24:59Right now, the only a marrow transplant or a full blood exchange with a specific antibody serum.
25:03We need all immediate family members tested for a match.
25:05Immediately.
25:06Right now, the only options are a bone marrow transplant or a full blood exchange with a specific antibody serum.
25:10The doctor's voice is urgent.
25:11No match.
25:11I'm the first to get blood drugs on.
25:12Just for a match.
25:13No match.
25:13Immediately.
25:13My brother flies back.
25:14No match.
25:15The entire Anderson family.
25:16Not a single match.
25:17What about the biological father?
25:19The doctor asks.
25:20I don't answer.
25:22Scarlet's condition.
25:23He's the one who caused it.
25:26How could I possibly go to him?
25:30But Scarlet doesn't have time.
25:32Day three.
25:33Her face turns pale.
25:34She can barely stand.
25:36Mommy, I'm tired.
25:38Day four.
25:38I'm holding her.
25:39I dial the number I swore I'd never dial again.
25:42He comes.
25:42He stands at the door of the hospital room, staring through the glass at Scarlet, completely
25:47hollowed out.
25:47Is it because of me?
25:51I don't say a word.
25:53He drops his head.
25:55His shoulders start to shake.
25:57I love you so much.
25:57I don't know.
25:57I know.
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