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Short filmTranscript
00:00The third year after our breakup, Julian and I reunited at a luxury hotel. I was a receptionist. He checked
00:07into the presidential suite with a female companion. That night, I received three internal calls from him.
00:13The sheets are dirty. Change them.
00:17I called housekeeping to handle it. Two hours later, he called again to have the sheets changed. I complied once
00:23more. At two in the morning, he made his third call. I politely refused before he could even speak.
00:29I'm sorry, sir, but housekeeping has already gotten off work.
00:33The man let out a light scoff and said casually,
00:36Then you come change them.
00:37I ignored him and hung up the phone straight away. I worked at the front desk. There.
00:42Was no reason for me to do housekeeping's job. A colleague leaned in and asked me mysteriously,
00:49Was it that guest from the presidential ute again?
00:52Seeing me nod, she covered her mouth and snickered.
00:56Making housekeeping change the sheets three times in one night? His stamina is really something.
01:03So, when you told him housekeeping was off duty, what did he say?
01:08I told her the truth. He told me to go up and change them.
01:12My colleague froze for a moment. Then she let out a sarcastic laugh.
01:17Does staying in the presidential suite make him a big deal?
01:21He really doesn't respect people.
01:23Does he think the hotel is his home?
01:26Treating us receptionists like 24-hour maids?
01:29I kept my eyes fixed on the computer screen.
01:31Some guests just get off on making others jump.
01:34My job description doesn't include changing sheets for anyone.
01:36Before she could finish, the phone in front of her rang abruptly.
01:40She cleared her throat and answered it.
01:41The next second, she respectfully addressed the manager.
01:44I didn't know what was said on the other end.
01:46My colleague suddenly widened her eyes and looked at me.
01:49You're saying at Chloe Bennett should go up to the presidential suite to change the sheets right now?
01:53Fifteen minutes later, I stood at the door of the presidential suite.
01:57Bracing myself, I pressed the doorbell.
02:01The one who answered the door was Julian, dressed in a bathrobe.
02:04Loosely tied at the waist.
02:06Seeing it was me, he stepped aside to let me in.
02:09The faint sound of splashing water came from the bathroom.
02:12His girlfriend was still inside.
02:14He led me into the bedroom.
02:15Then he sat down on the sofa to the side, minding his own business, with perfect composure.
02:20He placed a cigarette between his lips and lit it.
02:22Before I could reach for the fresh linens, a voice drifted from the bathroom.
02:27Babe, I'm getting hungry.
02:29Can you order something else?
02:31Julian didn't glance toward the bathroom.
02:32He looked straight at me instead.
02:34You heard her.
02:35Go get room service.
02:36I'll wait.
02:37I stood there for a second.
02:38Then I turned and walked back out.
02:40Minutes later, I returned with a silver tray.
02:43Two glasses of sparkling water, a plate of sliced fruit.
02:47Julian's bathrobe had slipped further open while I was.
02:49Gone, his chest was half exposed.
02:51He didn't bother fixing it.
02:53His eyes followed every step I took toward the bedside table.
02:56The woman in the bathroom hummed a tune, completely unaware.
03:00I set the tray down carefully.
03:02My fingers trembled slightly.
03:03Julian watched me with an expression I couldn't read.
03:06Thanks.
03:07His voice was casual dat to casual.
03:09Like ordering room service from any receptionist.
03:14He gestured toward the bed with his chin.
03:16The sheets.
03:17Get to it.
03:18I walked to the bed and silently pulled back the quilt.
03:20The water stain on the bed sheet caught my eye off guard.
03:23It felt as if I had suddenly taken a punch to the chest.
03:26A dull ache twisted in my heart.
03:28I bent forward to strip the dirty linens as I reached across the mattress.
03:32I felt him move behind me.
03:34His presence closed in.
03:35I could feel the warmth of his body near my back.
03:37But I kept my head down and kept working.
03:40He didn't say a word.
03:41He just stood there.
03:43Watching me bend and reach and smooth the fabric.
03:45The silence was louder than anything he could have said.
03:48I quickly spread the clean sheet and gathered the dirty linens.
03:51Once finished.
03:52I turned to leave.
03:54But he suddenly closed in.
03:56He pressed me tightly against the edge of the bed.
03:58Nowhere to run.
03:59He leaned in further.
04:01I stumbled backward onto the bed.
04:03The next second.
04:04He yanked my right hand from the bed edge and pinned it above my head.
04:07I furrowed my brows.
04:09Pushing against his chest with my left hand.
04:11But the disparity in our strength was too great.
04:13I couldn't budge him an inch.
04:15The sound of water in the bathroom still hadn't stopped.
04:18I struggled to stand up.
04:20His other hand traced along my face.
04:22All the way to my lips.
04:24Then pressed hard.
04:25I turned my head away.
04:26But I could clearly.
04:28Feel his breath hitting my neck.
04:30Scorching.
04:31I trembled all over.
04:32Unable to move I could only lower my voice.
04:35You're in your bile we misunderstand.
04:38Let me shower.
04:40The man's eyes were cold and sharp.
04:42His breath heavy with the scent of alcohol brushing against my ear.
04:45For all these years, I couldn't figure it out.
04:50Why did you have to cheat on me with him back then?
04:54The sound of running water in the bathroom abruptly stopped.
04:57Yet he remained completely unfazed.
05:00In a panic, I bit down hard on his arm.
05:02He frowned and let out a muffled groan.
05:05His grip loosened slightly.
05:06I took the chance to push him away.
05:08Fleeing in a panic with the linens in my arms.
05:11As the door clicked shut, a woman's voice drifted out.
05:14Stop it!
05:15If you call someone to change the sheets again, I'll be too embarrassed to face anyone tomorrow.
05:21I couldn't quite catch his reply.
05:22Walking down the silent corridor, my violently racing heart finally began to calm down.
05:27I never thought that after three years.
05:30He would hate me this much.
05:32It would have been better if we never crossed paths again for the rest of our lives.
05:35I didn't sleep that night.
05:37The next morning, before my shift started, I walked through the hotel lobby.
05:41A woman's voice stopped me cold.
05:43Well, well.
05:45If it isn't the little receptionist who wandered into our room last night.
05:49I looked up.
05:50Julian's girlfriend stood by the front desk, dressed in designer heels.
05:54And a silk blouse.
05:55She flipped her hair and looked me up and down with open disdain.
05:59My earrings went missing after you left.
06:02Three million dollars worth.
06:03She took a step closer.
06:05I don't know what kind of tricks you pulled before.
06:08But let me make something clear.
06:10You're nothing but a cheap hotel worker.
06:13Julian is way out of your league.
06:16Her lip curled.
06:17Don't ever let me catch you near our room again.
06:19She shoved past me, shoulder checking me hard enough to make me stumble.
06:23The manager rushed over, bowing and apologizing to her.
06:26I straightened up and said nothing.
06:28My hands clenched at my sides.
06:31Back at the front desk, my co-worker leaned in to gossip.
06:34Do you know who the guest in the presidential suite is today?
06:37It was past midnight.
06:38And I was too exhausted to humor her.
06:41But she only grew more excited.
06:43I just looked him up online.
06:44He's actually the eldest son of the Vance family in Boston.
06:47I said flatly.
06:49It's against the rules to pry into guests' information.
06:53I was just curious, okay?
06:56No wonder he could alarm our manager with a single phone call at two in the morning.
07:01She continued like a machine gun.
07:03I did a quick search.
07:04It's all about the Vance family's $100 billion inheritance war.
07:08This young master fell seriously in at a critical moment.
07:13Almost lost his right to inherit.
07:16He had a girlfriend back then.
07:18His first love, too.
07:20But she was such a gold digger.
07:23Cheated on him while he was dying.
07:25People online are still cursing that woman to this day.
07:28My co-worker's noisy voice buzzed in my ears.
07:32Yeah, I know.
07:32She raised her voice slightly.
07:35You know?
07:36Have you read the news, too?
07:37I slowly turned my head and looked calmly at her surprised expression.
07:41I don't need to read the news.
07:43I am that cheating first love.
07:45The expression on her face instantly froze.
07:47She couldn't recover for a long while.
07:50Three years ago, when everything began, meeting Julian was an unusual accident.
07:55I kicked a creep in the crotch and dragged him to the police station.
07:59Julian followed.
08:00Leaning against the door waiting for me, he added my WhatsApp.
08:04And one thing led to another.
08:05The day he confessed his feelings, I asked him why.
08:09He just smiled.
08:10After a long while, he took my hand.
08:12I was captivated by the way you kicked that guy in the crotch.
08:15We were together for a long time.
08:17He bought an apartment near campus.
08:19And we lived like an ordinary couple.
08:21My parents divorced when I was young.
08:23I grew up depending solely on my grandmother.
08:26One time on a video call, Julian heard my grandmother say she'd lost her teeth and it was hard to
08:31eat.
08:31The very next day, he took her to get dentures over $200,000.
08:36He didn't even blink.
08:38I felt awkward about the cost.
08:40He saw through my hesitation.
08:42You don't need to worry about the expenses.
08:44I'll cover it.
08:44I told him.
08:45If we ever break up, please don't make my grandma pull her new teeth out.
08:49He burst out laughing at once.
08:54The memory faded.
08:56That afternoon at the hotel, I found the presidential suite surrounded by commotion.
09:01Julian sat on the sofa in the reception room.
09:03His girlfriend, half leaning into his embrace.
09:06The manager stood to the side, wearing an apologetic smile.
09:10Julian's girlfriend spoke with arrogant superiority.
09:12This morning, I discovered I'd lost a pair of earrings in our room, worth $3 million.
09:17And the only people who entered last night were me and the cleaning lady.
09:20The cleaning lady was already interrogated.
09:22They found nothing.
09:23Strip, we're searching you.
09:25She pointed a finger at me.
09:28My gaze swept subconsciously toward Julian.
09:31Last night, my every move had never left his line of sight.
09:34How could I have possibly stolen those earrings right under his nose?
09:38But he didn't seem to have any intention of defending me.
09:40He just sat there with his legs crossed, watching it all unfold with cold indifference.
09:45The manager came over and whispered to persuade me.
09:48We can't afford to offend this VIP.
09:50Just play along and cooperate a little.
09:52I clutched my shoulder bag tightly under my arm, keeping my chin up, refusing to compromise.
09:58If you suspect I stole it, then call the police.
10:00You have no right to strip-sert me privately.
10:03Hearing this, the woman shot up to her feet.
10:05My boyfriend is very busy.
10:07We don't have time for police procedures.
10:09With sake and inspector procedure, my earrings are worth over three million.
10:13A birthday gift.
10:14I felt something off about you last night.
10:17The moment I came out of the bathroom, I saw you scurrying away.
10:20If you didn't have a guilty conscience, why run?
10:22She strode over and snatched my bag.
10:24I gripped it desperately, but her strength was astonishing.
10:28After a brief struggle, she yanked it away.
10:30With a harsh sift, the bag was torn open.
10:33Everything inside hit the floor.
10:34Take off your jacket.
10:35Let's see what else you're hiding.
10:37My fingers trembled as I unzipped my outer layer.
10:40I slipped it off and held it out to her.
10:42Now the cardigan.
10:43I pulled it over my head, my thin camisole the only thing left.
10:47Julian sat motionless on the sofa, watching.
10:50His jaw tight.
10:51His eyes on me the entire time.
10:54Julian's voice cut through the silence like a blade.
10:57Low, controlled, but unmistakably sharp.
11:00Stop.
11:02A moon made of crystal hit the ground and shattered.
11:05When Julian's gaze fell upon that crystal moon, a crack appeared in his calm facade, his
11:10atom's apple bobbed slightly.
11:12He said in a deep voice.
11:14Enough.
11:15Stop making a scene.
11:16Pick out a new set you like tomorrow.
11:18Julian dismissed the manager and his girlfriend.
11:21The reception room fell quiet.
11:23Leaving only the two of us staring at each other.
11:25Shards of crystal had cut my calf during the struggle, beads of blood seeping through.
11:30A flicker of heartache seemed to flash through his eyes.
11:33I figured it had to be a hallucination.
11:35I crouched down, picking up scattered items one by one.
11:38His voice drifted down from above, cold as ice.
11:41Didn't he buy you anything nice?
11:43He must have gotten at least some of the scraps back then.
11:45And yet he still lets you keep things from your ex-boyfriend?
11:48I stood up, my tone perfectly calm.
11:51We broke up.
11:52There's no need for your sarcastic remarks.
11:54He paused, then suddenly let out a laugh.
11:59Got dumped after he had his fun?
12:01No wonder you've been reduced to working here.
12:04What a pity.
12:05If you'd kept up the act a bit longer, you wouldn't have ended up with a loser like Alexander
12:09Vance.
12:09I didn't want to hear another word and turn to leave, but he yanked me back and pinned
12:14me against the wall.
12:15He gripped my chin, tilting my face up to force me to meet his gaze.
12:19A dark, turbulent sea rolled in his eyes.
12:22He lowered his eyes.
12:23His gaze landed on the thin, bloody scratch on my calf.
12:27After a long moment, he turned his head away, but his words were meant for me.
12:31I'll take you back.
12:33There's medicine in the car.
12:35It was clearly just a minor scratch shot, yet, as if possessed, I still got into his
12:41car.
12:41I couldn't explain why.
12:43Perhaps in that brief moment, I craved the slight softening of his tone.
12:47Sitting in the passenger seat, I spoke up to emphasize,
12:50I didn't take your girlfriend's earrings.
12:52He didn't reply, as if losing three million dollars was of no consequence to him.
12:57He just opened his briefcase and rummaged inside.
13:00Then he found a box of band-aids and tossed it to me.
13:02Deal with it yourself.
13:04As he closed the briefcase, something fell out.
13:06It was an amulet, the one I had given him back when he was gravely ill.
13:10That year at the Lord's Sanctuary, I climbed the steps one by one, praying for him.
13:14I thought he would have thrown it away long ago.
13:16I never imagined it would still be kept so carefully in his car.
13:20He leaned over, picked it up, and tossed it back into the briefcase.
13:24His voice carried a trace of mockery.
13:26This thing actually saved my life once.
13:29But who would have thought?
13:31The one who prayed for this amulet for me was you.
13:34And the one who ultimately traded me was also you.
13:36He reached over and gripped my chin, forcing me to turn and face him.
13:40His thumb pressed against my lower lip.
13:42For a fraction of a second, his gaze dropped to my mouth, then his jaw tightened.
13:46He released me as if my skin had burned him.
13:48His hand flicked away sharply.
13:50He turned back to the steering wheel and gripped it hard.
13:53The car approached my place.
13:55From a distance, I spotted Alexander standing by my door.
13:59I glanced sideways at Julian.
14:00He had clearly seen him too, his hands on the steering wheel tightened.
14:04He slammed on the brakes right in front of Alexander.
14:07My body pitched forward from the sudden momentum.
14:09Alexander stood there, watching us.
14:12He frowned imperceptibly.
14:13Julian's icy voice rang out inside the car.
14:16Are you always this entangled with your ex-boyfriends?
14:18I didn't answer him.
14:19I simply unbuckled my seatbelt.
14:21Thank you for bringing me back.
14:23Julian kept the doors locked, refusing to let me out.
14:25The mocking smile on his lips deepened.
14:27Right, I almost forgot to ask.
14:30Did Alexander not even give you a breakup fee?
14:32Or did he think you didn't serve him well enough to be worth the price?
14:35Anger surged within me.
14:37I instinctively raised my hand and slapped him.
14:40Alexander's face changed.
14:41He hurried over to the passenger side, knocking anxiously on the window.
14:44Julian poked his inner cheek with his tongue, staring at me with dark eyes.
14:48Get out.
14:49I got out of the car.
14:51Alexander immediately pulled me over, shielding me behind him.
14:55The window rolled down.
14:56That amulet was thrown out forcefully.
14:58It landed right at my feet.
15:00The black sports car roared away like a gust of wind.
15:03I squatted on the ground and picked up the amulet.
15:05My fingers brushed away the dust.
15:07Teardrops fell onto it, blooming into water stains.
15:10Alexander squatted beside me, smiling bitterly.
15:13Just tell him the truth.
15:16I don't mind if he comes looking for trouble.
15:18You don't need to protect me.
15:20It's what I deserve.
15:21My voice choked with sobs.
15:22Forget it.
15:24He and I are in the past.
15:27After work the next day, the manager notified me of a staff dinner and sent an address.
15:31A high-end club.
15:32I was suspicious, but I went.
15:34I was led into a private room by a waiter.
15:37Unexpectedly, the room was full of Julian's friends.
15:40Julian sat at the head of the table.
15:42His gaze swept over me carelessly.
15:44A familiar-looking man spoke up.
15:46Chloe, right?
15:48Your manager said we lost an item worth $3 million belonged to Mr. Vance.
15:53Today, you were called here as a representative to apologize to him.
15:57I recognized him.
15:58The man speaking was the boss of our hotel.
16:00Being put on the spot like that, I couldn't just throw a fit and leave.
16:04They arranged for me to sit in the empty seat next to Julian.
16:07I could only bite the bullet.
16:08I picked up the glass of wine in front of me and drank it as a self-punishment.
16:12A buddy of Julian stood up and said loudly to me,
16:14A 10-7 German's piece of my story can be one of bays with just been title?
16:18About this.
16:20$100,000 per glace.
16:23His tone was full of vindictiveness.
16:24The net of heaven is vast, and I am the sinner caught in it.
16:28Julian glanced at me impassively and twitched his lips.
16:31$300,000 a glass.
16:36Switch to vodka.
16:40Glass after glass of liquor was poured into my stomach.
16:43Spicy and scalding as if it were going to burn a hole right through my chest.
16:47Julian sat at the head of the table, watching me drink.
16:51His expression.
16:52Unreadable.
16:52His friend leaned over and whispered something in his ear.
16:55Julian's eyes flickered toward me for a split second.
16:58He lifted his chin almost imperceptibly toward the waiter standing by the wall.
17:02The waiter nodded and slipped away.
17:04When the next glass was set in front of me, I picked it up and downed it.
17:07The bottle on that tray had been switched.
17:09Clear liquid.
17:10Yes, but no longer vodka.
17:12Julian had signaled for water, and the waiter had complied.
17:15But my eyes still grew blurry from the alcohol.
17:17I slumped over the table.
17:19I vaguely heard his buddy ask him,
17:21Just hit it again if you're that wung up on her.
17:23I'll have someone send her to a room upstairs.
17:25Julian smiled disdainfully.
17:28Alexander got tired of playing with her.
17:29You think I still care?
17:30Fine.
17:31Beat her up if you want.
17:32I already gave you the room card anyway.
17:35I didn't know how long I slept in my dreams.
17:38I went back to the time when we were deeply in love.
17:41Back then, his heart ached for my cramps.
17:44He took me to a specialist.
17:46The prescription tasted awful.
17:48Every time I choked it down with a grimace,
17:50he'd slip a chocolate into my mouth.
17:52I'd scowl and say I was never taking it again.
17:55He'd pull me into his arms and cut my face.
17:57Then his mouth would come down on mine.
17:59Sudden and deep.
18:01The half-melted chocolate.
18:02Dissolving between our lips.
18:04His voice was deep and bewitching.
18:06Is it still bitter like this?
18:08I blushed and answered his question with one of my own.
18:10Is this how you coax your girlfriends into taking their medicine?
18:13He smiled.
18:14What other girlfriends?
18:16I've only ever coaxed you like this.
18:19Suddenly, the bed dipped.
18:20The man in the dream was no longer rubbing against me gently.
18:23His kisses grew increasingly fierce and rough as...
18:26If he wanted to tear me apart and swallow me whole,
18:29everything became more and more real.
18:30So real that I could hardly catch my breath.
18:33I instinctively pressed against his chest.
18:36Subconsciously, I said,
18:37Julian, be gentle.
18:39His grip on my waist tightened.
18:41His mouth crushed.
18:42Against mine, what started as a kiss turned desperate three years of everything he'd held back,
18:47pouring out at once.
18:49I couldn't breathe.
18:50I couldn't think.
18:51The next second, I struggled to open my eyes.
18:54Our eyes met.
18:55We were both speechless for a long time.
18:59Perhaps it was the alcohol.
19:01I looked at him.
19:02Back then, I didn't betray you.
19:04His Adam's apple bobbed.
19:05Voice horse's sandpaper.
19:07Then tell me, why were you with him?
19:09Just as I was about to speak, my phone rang.
19:12Alexander's call.
19:13It was like a basin of cold water poured over my head.
19:15I sobered instantly.
19:16I struggled to prop myself up, but he pushed me right back down.
19:20He gritted his teeth.
19:22Chloe, explain yourself clearly.
19:24He looked down at me with burning eyes.
19:26I turned my head, avoiding his gaze.
19:29I have nothing more to say.
19:30He laughed, a faint hint of tears seeping into his eyes.
19:35You like him that much?
19:37One call from him and you can't wait to go back?
19:41Chloe, I must be out of my fucking mind to think you had your reasons.
19:45I was kicked out of the room by Julian.
19:47I walked down the corridor, unsteady.
19:49Sunlight crept through the hallway windows.
19:51I looked down.
19:52I was wearing his shirt, the white dress shirt from last night.
19:55Hanging past my thighs, the collar smelled like him.
19:58The door opened behind me.
19:59Julian stood there holding two cups of coffee.
20:02He saw what I was wearing for a moment.
20:04Neither of us spoke like we'd done this a thousand times before.
20:07Then his expression hardened.
20:08He set one cup on the table by the door.
20:11Get out.
20:11I'm done waiting.
20:12That night, I lay awake in my staff quarters.
20:16Footsteps paced in the corridor.
20:18Stopped right in front of my door.
20:19Then silence.
20:20My phone lit up.
20:21One missed call from a number I'd memorized years ago.
20:24It had rung twice before hanging up.
20:26I heard a hand touch the doorknob.
20:27Then nothing.
20:28Just retreating footsteps fading down the hall.
20:32I walked out of the club into the early morning air.
20:35The air was slightly cool.
20:36Yet Julian's girlfriend wore thin, sexy clothes.
20:39She held a phone in her hand and passed by me without even looking at me properly.
20:43As we brushed past each other, she bumped into me as if on purpose.
20:46I let out a muffled groan, but she ignored it completely.
20:49I heard her on the phone, whining in a sickly sweet tone.
20:53Not wearing one?
20:54I'm overvading today.
20:55Will you take responsibility if something happens?
20:58Marriage?
20:59Are you serious?
21:00My footsteps froze.
21:01The words hit me like a physical blow.
21:04Right in front of me, talking about marriage.
21:06About a future with Julian.
21:07At the hotel entrance, Alexander's car was already parked there.
21:11Seeing me come, he hurried over and helped me into the car.
21:14What happened?
21:14Did you drink a lot?
21:15I remained silent, and he didn't ask any more questions.
21:19The car drove through the early hour.
21:21I watched the scenery outside the car window, rapidly retreating backwards.
21:24I suddenly said to Alexander,
21:26Let's go back.
21:28Let's go back in a couple of days.
21:31For the past three years, he has always been by my side.
21:35When we were abroad, he told me he'd liked me for many years,
21:39since a fleeting glance in our first year of high school.
21:41To this day, his feelings remained unchanged,
21:44but my heart was already stuffed with every memory of Julian and our past.
21:48I politely rejected him, so he stayed in the friend zone, accompanying me until now.
21:53Upon returning home, I went into the bathroom and took off my clothes
21:57to take a shower, turning around.
21:59I saw myself in the mirror.
22:00An ugly scar crawled across my abdomen, left behind by the kidney donation surgery back then.
22:07That year, Julian fell gravely ill, his kidneys were failing and needed a transplant.
22:12That year, Julian forbade me from getting tested for a match.
22:15He said he'd rather die than let me remove a kidney for him.
22:18I begged all of his brothers and sisters.
22:21Only Alexander was willing to get tested, but he wasn't a match either.
22:25I hid it from Julian and secretly went to another hospital.
22:29I was the only match, but I had staged a hypertension.
22:32The doctor warned the risks were extremely high.
22:35I looked at Alexander.
22:37What do you think I should do?
22:38He was quiet for a long moment, then he said, voice heavy.
22:41It's your choice, but whatever you decide, I'll be there.
22:47I couldn't care about all that anymore.
22:49The surgery was performed at another hospital, kept secret from Julian.
22:53I had Alexander help me put on that act.
22:56Besides him, no one knew, because strict lifelong monitoring was required after the surgery.
23:01Alexander helped me contact top specialists abroad and took me overseas.
23:06Later, while abroad, my kidney function declined.
23:09Now, the doctor advised surgery.
23:11He warned it carried very high risks.
23:15Walking out of the hospital that day, Alexander suddenly asked me,
23:19Is there anything you want to do?
23:20The breeze was light and the sun was warm that day, yet I stood on a foreign street and burst
23:24into tears.
23:25Alexander, I want to see him one more time.
23:27Alexander's expression shifted.
23:29His voice was careful.
23:31Chloe, are you sure?
23:33He's made it very clear how he feels about you.
23:36You know what going back means.
23:37I wiped my face with the back of my hand.
23:41I'm sure.
23:42If the outcome this time is truly unpredictable, then let me have one proper, final meeting with him.
23:48Alexander looked at me for a long moment.
23:51His eyes were full of things he didn't say.
23:53Then he exhaled slowly.
23:56Okay, we'll go back.
23:57I'll book the flights right now.
23:58He pulled out his phone and started typing.
23:59I watched him, my chest tight with something between gratitude and guilt.
24:04Alexander came to see me that evening.
24:07His expression was heavy.
24:08He sat down across from me and said,
24:10I went to see Julian today.
24:12At his company.
24:14I froze.
24:16Alexander continued carefully.
24:18I walked into his office and placed a surgical record on his desk.
24:22Julian's eyelids suddenly twitched violently.
24:24Frowning, he opened that surgical record.
24:26When the patient's name in the first column caught his eye, his entire body seemed to freeze.
24:31All, the color drained from his face in an instant.
24:34Alexander looked at Julian, suddenly pale-faced, speaking at a leisurely pace.
24:38Chloe and I were high school classmates.
24:41I've liked her since then.
24:46When we met again later, she came to beg me to get tested as a match for you.
24:50That was when she learned you and I are half-brothers.
24:53Julian's hand trembled as he held the record.
24:56Knuckles white.
24:57That rumor was fake.
24:58She hid it from you and got tested herself.
25:00We were just putting on an act.
25:06Alexander continued.
25:08She donated her kidney to you, you, in secret.
25:11Julian forbade her from getting tested.
25:13He'd rather die than let her do it.
25:15So she hid everything.
25:17The surgery at another hospital.
25:19No one knew except me.
25:21Julian lunged forward, grabbing Alexander by the collar.
25:26Why did you play along with her nonsense?
25:29Why didn't you take her away?
25:32Alexander didn't flinch.
25:34Julian, I tried to shake her resolve.
25:36I even despicely urged her to give up on you.
25:39But she insisted on donating her kidney to you.
25:42She said she couldn't just watch you die.
25:47Alexander smiled helplessly.
25:49She begged me so hard, I had no choice but to help her deceive you.
25:53For the past three years, she and I have been completely innocent.
25:56Nothing happened between us.
25:57Her surgery is scheduled for next Monday.
26:02I asked her if she had any unfulfilled wishes.
26:04She said she wanted to return to the country to see you.
26:09Julian asked hoarsely.
26:10Did you arrange for her to be at that hotel too?
26:15I knew you had a long-term suite at that hotel.
26:19It was the only place where you two could bump into each other by chance without getting too deeply involved.
26:23After Alexander left, Julian closed his eyes in despair, his hand trembled, coffee spilled onto his suit pants.
26:33He curled up on the sofa, breaking down into loud sobs.
26:37The kidney, which seemed to fall from the sky,
26:41was secretly marked with the most expensive price.
26:49That night, Julian sat alone in his study.
26:52A friend came by.
26:58Forget her.
26:59She made her choice.
27:05Julian didn't look up.
27:06His phone showed an old photo of me.
27:15I can't forget her.
27:18The man who hated me for three years had been breaking apart inside all along.
27:23The next day, Alexander drove me to the hospital.
27:28I finished my pre-op preparations in the hospital room.
27:31I kept taking deep breaths nervously.
27:33Alexander had just gone somewhere unknown.
27:37I craned my neck to look toward the door.
27:40To my surprise, I saw Julian appear right in front of me.
27:46I was too nervous.
27:48So nervous that I started hallucinating.
27:52His face was full of dejection.
27:54The stubble on his chin unshaven.
27:56His eyes were completely...
27:57Beolet.
27:58He had always been so particular about his appearance.
28:01The last time I saw him this unkempt was when he was severely ill.
28:06That figure drew closer and closer to me.
28:08I clearly heard him call my name with a trembling voice.
28:12Chloe.
28:14If I had known it was like this...
28:17I would rather you had truly betrayed me back then.
28:21With red eyes, he cupped my hand in his palms.
28:24His scalding tears fell drop by drop onto the back of my hand.
28:35So it wasn't my hallucination after all.
28:37He really came to see me.
28:39Such a handsome face.
28:40Now completely drenched in tears.
28:52I want you to make it out alive.
28:56It was my fault.
28:57I owe you.
28:59When you come out, let's start over, okay?
29:04The night before my surgery, I lay in the hospital bed.
29:07Drifting in and out of sleep, Julian sat beside me the entire time.
29:11He hadn't left once.
29:13Sometime past midnight.
29:14I half-dash woke.
29:16My throat was dry.
29:20Julian.
29:22The name slipped out before I could stop it.
29:25His hand found mine instantly, gripping it firmly.
29:31I'm here.
29:32I'm not going anywhere.
29:35His face in the dim light looked exhausted,
29:37but his eyes were wide open,
29:39watching me like he was afraid I'd disappear if he blinked.
29:44Go to sleep.
29:46I'll be right here when you wake up.
29:59His thumb traced slow circles on the back of my hand.
30:03The moment I was wheeled out of the ward,
30:06I squeezed his hand back.
30:07After all these years, I was still full of courage.
30:11Okay.
30:12I'll make it out alive.
30:13The last thing I saw before the doors closed was Julian's face.
30:17Pale, rigid, his eyes locked on mine.
30:26Then the operating room swallowed me.
30:32When I woke, the first thing I felt was his hand gripping mine.
30:35The room was quiet.
30:37The operating light was off.
30:42Julian sat beside my bed,
30:44still in the suit jacket I'd once bought for him,
30:46in all the years we'd been apart.
30:48He hadn't worn it once,
30:50but even during the three years he hated me the most,
30:53he'd never thrown it away.
30:55His hand rested in the suit pocket.
30:57He pulled something out,
30:58and his palm lay over a dozen dried lilac.
31:01Blossoms, the petals had withered long ago.
31:05I remembered that early summer,
31:07the lilacs on campus had bloomed like a sea of stars.
31:13Ordinary lilacs usually have for petals,
31:16occasionally there are five-petaled ones,
31:18which are said to symbolize good luck.
31:21I told Julian that if you make a wish on a five-petaled lilac,
31:25it will come true,
31:26so I dragged him all over looking for five-petaled lilacs.
31:31He found it amusing.
31:33If you want five-petaled ones,
31:35I'll have someone deliver a whole truckload to you.
31:37But I said it only counted as good luck
31:39if I found them myself with a sincere heart,
31:41so he had to accompany,
31:43me all over campus looking for five-petaled flowers.
31:45In the end, we finally collected 18 five-petaled lilacs.
31:52After making my wish back then,
31:53I had secretly hidden the flowers in his pocket.
31:56He looked at the dried petals in his hand now,
31:58his lips curled to smile,
32:00but his throat tightened with a sudden ache.
32:03He closed his hand, gripping the petals tightly.
32:06On the boundary between life and death,
32:08this time it was his turn to make a wish.
32:11I made a wish back then.
32:13I want to be with you year after year.
32:16That sentence had become permanently etched in his heart
32:19and his lifelong ambition.
32:23Days passed.
32:24The doctor said my recovery was going well.
32:28Julian refused to leave my side.
32:30He fed me water.
32:32Cup by cup, he helped me walk down the hallway,
32:34one slow step at a time.
32:36When I got tired,
32:38I leaned my head against his shoulder.
32:40He didn't say anything.
32:41He just let me rest there.
32:44One afternoon,
32:45I woke up from a nap and felt cold.
32:48Julian noticed immediately.
32:50He picked up his jacket from the chair
32:52and draped it over me.
32:53It was his white dress shirt.
32:55The same one.
32:56I'd worn that morning after the night we'd spent together.
33:01I pulled it tighter around myself.
33:03The collar still smelled like him.
33:06He asked it casually,
33:08but his eyes stayed on my face.
33:10Does it fit?
33:13It's too big.
33:16But it's warm.
33:20He reached over and tucked the collar around my neck.
33:23His fingers brushed my jaw.
33:25For a moment,
33:26neither of us moved.
33:31A week later,
33:32the doctor cleared me to go home.
33:36Julian drove me himself.
33:37He opened every door for me,
33:39carried every bag.
33:44At the entrance to my apartment building,
33:47Alexander was waiting.
33:48He nodded at Julian,
33:50a silent acknowledgement
33:50between two men
33:51who both loved the same woman.
33:55Julian's arms settled around my waist,
33:57possessive, unyielding.
34:01Alexander saw it and said nothing.
34:04He just looked at me and smiled.
34:10Take care of yourself, Chloe.
34:13I'll be abroad if you need anything.
34:16I nodded.
34:17Thank you, Alexander.
34:19For everything.
34:21He turned and walked away without looking back.
34:23Julian watched him go.
34:25Then he looked down at me.
34:26He's gone.
34:29Are you ready?
34:30Let's go home.
34:31Home.
34:32He said it so easily,
34:33like the last three years had never happened.
34:40That night,
34:41I sat by the window
34:42while Julian made dinner in the kitchen.
34:44The domesticity of it all still felt unreal.
34:47He came out carrying the bowls,
34:49set them on the table,
34:50then sat across from me.
34:52I called the hotel today.
34:54Resigned your position for you.
34:56I blinked at him.
34:57You what?
34:59You're not going back to work there.
35:01Not ever.
35:02I opened my mouth to argue,
35:04but he kept talking.
35:05I also called the Vance Group legal team.
35:08The hotel violated multiple labor laws
35:10during that whole search incident.
35:14If you want,
35:15we can sue them into the ground.
35:16He paused,
35:17then added,
35:18By the way,
35:19her earrings turned up.
35:24They'd fallen behind the nightstand in the suite.
35:26She'd misplaced them herself.
35:31Julian,
35:32I didn't...
35:32I know what you're going to say.
35:39You're going to say it doesn't matter,
35:40that you just want to move on.
35:42He reached across the table
35:43and took my hand.
35:48But it matters to me.
35:54Everything they did to you matters to me.
35:56I looked at him,
35:57really looked at him.
35:58The man who had humiliated me,
36:01hurt me,
36:02broken me,
36:02and then put himself back together
36:04piece by piece
36:05just to earn forgiveness
36:06he might never fully deserve.
36:09Fine.
36:11Sue them.
36:12His eyebrows rose.
36:14That's my girl.
36:16I rolled my eyes,
36:18but I felt the corner of my mouth twitch,
36:20almost a smile.
36:26One evening,
36:27Julian sat beside me
36:29and spoke quietly.
36:31Three years after you walked away,
36:32a friend mentioned seeing you at his hotel.
36:35I checked,
36:37and you'd actually come back,
36:39working as a receptionist.
36:41He paused.
36:42I had a permanent suite there.
36:44I never brought anyone home.
36:46Over those three years,
36:47I changed girlfriends
36:48one after another.
36:50But there was a gaping hole in my heart.
36:52No one could fill it.
36:54That void was shaped exactly like you.
36:56I listened,
36:57my chest tight.
36:59The day I took her to check in,
37:00you happened to be on duty.
37:04I deliberately held her hand
37:05and walked right up to you.
37:09She didn't know I'd timed my arrival
37:11for your shift.
37:14I called the front desk over and over,
37:16asking for the sheets to be changed.
37:21Just to see you.
37:25Until that crystal fell out of your bag.
37:28The cheapest gift I'd ever given you,
37:30yet it made my heart soften instantly.
37:33He looked at me.
37:35I never got over you.
37:42Those nights,
37:44when I secretly replaced your vodka with water,
37:47I was protecting you all along.
37:52When I kissed you like a madman
37:54in that hotel room,
37:54I wasn't taking revenge.
37:57I was trying to hold on
37:58to the only person
37:59who'd ever truly loved me.
38:04Spring came early that year.
38:06The lilacs outside the hospital window
38:08were starting to bloom.
38:09Again,
38:10I sat on the bench in the garden,
38:11letting the sun warm my face.
38:13Julian appeared with two cups of coffee.
38:15He handed me one
38:16and sat down beside me.
38:18Remember these?
38:19He pointed up
38:20at the lilac branches overhead.
38:22Five-petaled ones scattered
38:23among the ordinary four-petaled blooms.
38:28I squinted up at the branches.
38:31How many do you think
38:32we can find this time?
38:33We're not climbing
38:34all over campus this time.
38:36My scar is still healing
38:38in case you forgot.
38:39He laughed.
38:40A real laugh.
38:41Not the cold mocking sound
38:43I'd grown used to hearing.
38:44Fair point.
38:45I'll do the climbing.
38:47You just sit here
38:48and make wishes.
38:51I turned to look at him.
38:52What would I even wish for?
38:55He set down his coffee
38:57and took my hand.
38:58His thumb traced the faint line
38:59of my surgical scar
39:00where my sleeve had ridden up.
39:03You don't need to wish anymore.
39:05Everything I have is yours.
39:07Everything I am
39:08is because of you.
39:13The wind carried the scent
39:15of lilacs toward us.
39:16I leaned my head
39:17against his shoulder.
39:18Then I wish for this.
39:20Right here.
39:22Just like this.
39:24Year after year.
39:28Some nights.
39:29I still wake up
39:30reaching for the edge
39:31of the bed.
39:33From the years
39:34when I slept alone
39:35in foreign hospitals
39:36and empty apartments.
39:37But every time
39:38his hand finds mine
39:39before I can pull away.
39:42I'm here.
39:43He says it half asleep.
39:45Eyes still closed.
39:46And I remember.
39:48I'm home now.
39:49The scar on my abdomen
39:50will stay with me forever.
39:51A permanent reminder
39:53of the price I paid.
39:54But when Julian's arms
39:56wrap around me
39:57even the scar
39:57feels different now.
39:59Not a wound.
40:00A proof.
40:01That love doesn't
40:02always make sense.
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