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00:03Ten years ago, the Hudson River Bridge One was responsible for building collapsed, causing
00:08mass casualties.
00:10My parents screamed that I was a murderer and cut off all ties with me.
00:14The victims' families doused me in gasoline, ready to die alongside me.
00:18And so, I spent ten years in prison.
00:21After my release, I changed my name, found a coffee shop in a small upstate New York
00:26town, and became a barista.
00:28Life was quiet, peaceful.
00:30Just when I thought it would stay that way forever, my ex-husband, Silas Sterling, came
00:35looking for me.
00:36The architectural firm he'd founded had long since gone public.
00:39He was at the peak of everything.
00:41The reporters swarming around him turned all their cameras on me.
00:45Mr. Sterling has been engaged for ten years but never married.
00:48Has he been waiting for you this whole time?
00:50I let out a cold laugh.
00:51What they didn't know was that ten years ago, it was Silas Sterling himself who let his little
00:57mistress infiltrate the construction crew to pocket kickbacks.
01:01And when everything fell apart, he made me take the fall.
01:04Hello.
01:04Under the blaze of camera flashes, Silas Sterling's face remained cold and composed.
01:10Welcome to my humble cafe, Mr. Silas.
01:13Can I get a picture?
01:14My daughter's gonna lose her mind.
01:16Please?
01:18When he noticed I hadn't moved, he turned and called out to me specifically.
01:22Alara, come take a photo with Mr. Sterling.
01:24He's the youngest CEO in the world.
01:26A photo with him will bring so much traffic to the shop and I'll give you a raise.
01:29The moment my boss called out, my hands froze over the cup I was washing.
01:34Miss Vance!
01:34So you've been hiding here in a coffee shop!
01:37You were once a world-renowned genius architect.
01:40Doesn't it feel like a fall from grace washing cups like this?
01:43We've heard your ex-husband has been waiting for you all these years, postponing his wedding again and again.
01:47What do you make of that?
01:48I ignored the microphones practically jabbing at my face and kept my hands busy with work.
01:53But the cup in my grip was trembling badly.
01:56I knew Silas Sterling's methods.
01:58I didn't believe for one second he had any deep feelings for me.
02:01I stayed on guard.
02:02The standoff dragged on until Silas stepped in front of me and blocked the cameras with his body.
02:08What happens today is between me and my former wife.
02:10We won't be taking any interviews.
02:12Please clear the area.
02:13Then he turned to look at me, his gaze deep and unreadable.
02:16Allura.
02:20It's been a long time.
02:21After so many years hearing his voice again, I couldn't stop my hand from jerking.
02:39How are you always so careless?
02:41I pulled my hand back immediately and turned to my boss with repeated apologies.
02:45I'm so sorry.
02:46I'll clean it up myself and please deduct the cost of the cup from my wages.
02:51Before my boss could even recover from the shock, a bright female voice floated in from the doorway.
02:56Simus, what are you doing here?
02:59You left without a word.
03:02Mom, Dad, and I were so worried about you.
03:04I looked toward the voice.
03:06A woman walked in from the doorway, smiling softly, naturally taking Silas' hand and pressing a light kiss to the
03:13corner of his lips.
03:14She was the true culprit behind the Hudson River bridge collapse ten years ago.
03:19She was also Silas Sterling's current fiancée, Ivy Thorne.
03:24And behind her, the very people who had cut me off ten years ago, my own parents.
03:31Ivy's gaze swept over to me.
03:33She smiled, cold and contemptuous.
03:36Mrs. Vance, the great architect.
03:37It's been a long time.
03:40Oh, by the way, your parents have officially taken me in as their adopted daughter.
03:45I suppose I should be calling you Big Sister.
03:49I glanced past her at my parents.
03:51They had aged so much.
03:53Compared to ten years ago, their backs were bent, their hair completely white.
03:58A fine, dense pain bloomed in my chest all at once.
04:02I wondered what they would think if they knew that the daughter they had taken in was the very person
04:08who had put their real daughter away.
04:10We only have one daughter, and it's Ivy.
04:12A woman who threw away human lives for a little money, looking at her turns my stomach.
04:17Silas, why would you come looking for someone like this?
04:20This kind of scum.
04:21Better if she just died out there.
04:22The moment my parents spoke, everyone in the shop, including my boss, turned to look at me with strange expressions.
04:29I turned my face away.
04:31I forced the pain down and refused to meet my parents' eyes.
04:36Don't blame her parents.
04:38What happened back then was a devastating blow to them.
04:41He reached into his jacket and produced a gold-trimmed business card, holding it out to me.
04:47I owe you more than I can repay.
04:49Call me anytime you need anything.
04:51I didn't refuse Silas' card.
04:53Or rather, I accepted it the way I would a card from any ordinary customer, politely,
04:58and then set it down to the side without another look.
05:02I didn't believe Silas had sought me out on purpose, and I had no intention of ever seeing him again.
05:08Then, three days later, my boss called, and his voice was thick with discomfort.
05:13Laura, I'm really sorry.
05:16I had no idea you had such a distinguished background.
05:20Someone like you making coffee in a little shop like mine was never a good fit.
05:25I've counted this month as full attendance, and your wages will be in your account shortly.
05:33Take tomorrow off.
05:34You don't need to come in.
05:36He hung up before I could get a word out.
05:38I tried to call back.
05:40He had already blocked my number.
05:41A text arrived seconds later.
05:44My wages had been deposited.
05:45$4,500.
05:47The extra $1,000 is my apology.
05:50Our little shop can't handle this kind of attention.
05:53I'm begging you.
05:55Please don't come back.
05:57My stomach dropped.
05:59I already had a feeling this was Silas' doing.
06:02Sure enough, his call came through moments later.
06:06Hey, Laura.
06:07I know I can't overturn the verdict for what happened back then,
06:11and I hope you can understand that.
06:13But I will make it up to you in every other way.
06:16The barista work was too hard for you.
06:19I've already handled that.
06:21I've also purchased a house for you in the city.
06:26And Ivy is still young, not as experienced with the more complex blueprints.
06:30If you could help guide her, I'll pay you $200,000 a month.
06:34My fists clenched so hard my knuckles cracked.
06:38One what grounds?
06:39On what grounds did he push me into the abyss himself?
06:42Let everyone in the world condemn me,
06:45strip me of everyone who ever cared for me,
06:48and then waltz back in as my savior,
06:50and tear apart the quiet life I'd rebuilt?
06:54On what grounds did he presume to arrange everything for me,
06:58as though I had no say?
06:59Help Ivy Thorn?
07:01That was nothing but wanting me to be her shadow,
07:04her ghostwriter, her invisible hand.
07:06The thought made me sick to my stomach.
07:08I forced my feelings down,
07:10spoke through gritted teeth.
07:13Thank you for your kind offer, Mr. Sterling.
07:15But I have my own life now.
07:17Please don't interfere with it again.
07:19There was a long silence on the other end.
07:21Then, Silas spoke.
07:23Alara, don't be stubborn.
07:24A proud talent like you,
07:26you're only ever truly happy when you're working on blueprints.
07:29I'm securing your livelihood,
07:31and giving your gift a place to breathe.
07:33What exactly are you dissatisfied with?
07:35And if you insist on saving face and refusing,
07:41I have other options.
07:43He hung up.
07:45A quiet dread settled in my chest.
07:47By that afternoon,
07:48I understood exactly what his other options were.
07:52With my coffee shop job gone,
07:55I spent the day walking all over town looking for work.
07:58But no matter where I went,
08:00no matter how desperately they were hiring,
08:02the moment I walked in,
08:04everyone was perfectly polite,
08:06and everyone refused to let me work.
08:08Eventually, with nowhere left to try,
08:11I made my way back to my rented room.
08:13But at the gate,
08:14I found my landlady waiting for me.
08:16Mrs. Kowalski was a wonderful woman.
08:19When I'd first arrived with almost nothing,
08:21she had waived a full month's rent,
08:23and whenever she cooked something good,
08:25she always brought a bowl to my door.
08:27But now she stood at the entrance,
08:29eyes red-rimmed.
08:30Ilada, you're finally back!
08:32I'm so sorry.
08:34I can't rent to you anymore.
08:37Please don't be angry with me.
08:39I have no choice.
08:41There's someone powerful in town now.
08:43If I keep renting to you,
08:45my daughter,
08:46she works in the city,
08:47they'll, they'll...
08:48She couldn't finish the sentence.
08:50She started crying.
08:52I packed my things that same night
08:54and moved out.
08:55This, I thought,
08:56is what Silas calls compensation.
08:58Burn down everything I have,
09:00then offer me the ashes with a gracious hand.
09:03The day I moved out of my rented room,
09:05Silas appeared in my small upstate town.
09:08He was thinner than he'd been a few days ago,
09:10dark circles heavy under his eyes,
09:12like a man who hadn't slept.
09:14He had brought a moving company.
09:16He directed them to carry my things
09:17with a naturalness that made my skin crawl,
09:20as though we hadn't divorced at all,
09:22as though he were simply a husband
09:24coming to bring his wife home.
09:25At the new house,
09:26he poured me a glass of honey water.
09:28You've always been prone to tension.
09:30This will help you relax.
09:32I took the glass from him in silence.
09:35I took a small sip.
09:36I set the glass down and spoke.
09:39What happened before is in the past.
09:41If you truly wanted to make it right,
09:43you wouldn't have appeared at all.
09:44You would have stayed away.
09:46Allura, stop making a scene.
09:49I know you're not satisfied.
09:51But this is only the beginning.
09:53I'll find someone else to shoulder the blame.
09:58Then, step by step,
10:00I'll help restore your reputation.
10:02I know you don't like Ivy.
10:04I'll make sure she keeps a lower profile.
10:06Rest for now.
10:07His tone was gentle,
10:09but the meaning was unmistakable.
10:10You don't get to resist.
10:11He wanted me held firmly in his hands.
10:18Silas!
10:19I heard Mrs. Vance had arrived.
10:21Why didn't you call me?
10:25Although Mrs. Vance made serious mistake then,
10:28everyone still needs to live their life.
10:37I hope she takes this as a lesson
10:39and becomes a better person going forward.
10:41Ivy, the one who had actually done everything wrong,
10:43said all of this in front of the cameras
10:45without a trace of shame.
10:47This is just a small gesture from me.
10:49You're a senior in the field,
10:50and you're my fiancé's former wife.
10:54Please, don't refuse.
10:56If you ever have any difficulties,
10:57just say the word.
11:04But that afternoon,
11:05the news had spread across every platform in the city.
11:08Killer back in high society.
11:10Can the victims ever rest?
11:11And I, once again,
11:12was pushed to the center of the storm,
11:14pelted from all sides.
11:23Whether or not it was intentional,
11:25Ivy had leaked my address to the public.
11:29After that,
11:30victims' families and furious protesters
11:32gathered outside my door every day.
11:35Three days later,
11:36my parents arrived.
11:37It was the first time in 10 years
11:39they had come looking for me on their own.
11:45Mom, Dad, you're here.
11:47Come in, have some water.
11:48We wouldn't dare drink the water of a murderer.
11:52Alana,
11:52what you did back then,
11:54we truly cannot forgive you.
11:59You can't keep making mistake after mistake.
12:03We're begging you.
12:06Ivy genuinely loves Silas.
12:08You're already divorced.
12:10Stop clinging to him.
12:12Ivy is a good girl,
12:14and it's not her place to say this,
12:16so we came to say it ourselves.
12:20If you keep refusing,
12:22don't blame us for finding other ways to make you go.
12:26That same gentle voice
12:27that had once sung me lullabies
12:29and coaxed me to sleep,
12:30night after night,
12:32now every word carried the edge of a threat,
12:34driving into my heart like the tip of a blade,
12:36one cut at a time.
12:37Mom!
12:39Dad, did you never believe me?
12:40Not even once?
12:45You wretch!
12:46Even now you dare slander Ivy?
12:48He rushed over in a panic,
12:50trying to intervene.
12:51But at that moment,
12:52his phone rang.
12:53His assistant.
12:55Mr. Sterling, it's bad.
12:57Mrs. Thone got drunk.
12:58She's at the hospital getting a shot to sober up.
13:00The moment they heard that,
13:02Silas and both my parents went pale with alarm.
13:06All three of them turned and piled into the car.
13:09And I laughed.
13:10I watched their retreating figures.
13:12The tears came with the laughter.
13:15Whether they were threatening me
13:16or pretending to care for me,
13:18no matter how much pain I was in,
13:19none of it compared to Ivy Thorne crooking her finger.
13:22After all,
13:2310 years had taught me one clear lesson.
13:25I could not afford to have expectations of my parents
13:28or of Silas Sterling.
13:31A group of victims' family members
13:33knocked down my location.
13:34They knocked me unconscious with iron rods
13:36and took me away.
13:37When I came to,
13:38I was inside a burlap sack.
13:40Damn you!
13:41You murderer!
13:42We didn't come after you
13:43and you had the nerve to come back!
13:45Give me back my daughter's life!
13:47She was 19!
13:49She just started college!
13:51You animal!
13:54You owe us so many lives.
13:56Cutting you into a thousand pieces
13:58wouldn't be enough.
14:02You're in our hands now!
14:04We want blood for blood!
14:0599 blows.
14:07I lost consciousness
14:08and was doused away
14:09again and again.
14:14The reason water closed in
14:16from every direction.
14:17The suffocation wrapped around me
14:19like a fist.
14:21Just as soon as I was anxious,
14:23the least of my hands
14:24closed around me.
14:29Mom, Dad, don't worry.
14:32I've looked into these families.
14:34They're all ordinary, decent people.
14:36They won't do anything
14:38seriously harmful to Alara.
14:40If anything,
14:41a good scare might make her
14:42go into hiding
14:43and protect herself.
14:45Reassured by those words,
14:47Alara's parents had passed along
14:48her whereabouts.
14:49The number you dialed
14:51is currently switched off.
14:54Something keeps knocking
14:55in my chest lately.
14:57Alara hasn't sent
14:58any word for days.
14:59Should we go look for her?
15:00Maybe call the police?
15:02Look for her?
15:02Call the police?
15:04Wasting resources
15:05to protect that creature?
15:06Huh.
15:07That's ridiculous.
15:08No news is better, isn't it?
15:09A troublemaker like her,
15:11if she's dead,
15:12that's one less burden
15:13on the world.
15:14Silas Sterling was just as uneasy.
15:16I knew it.
15:17You still can't let go
15:18of that ex-wife of yours.
15:20If that's how it is,
15:21why did you come to me at all?
15:23For three consecutive days,
15:25every time he tried
15:26to go find Alara,
15:27Ivy stopped him.
15:28While Ivy wasn't around,
15:29he slipped away
15:30and headed straight
15:31for the house.
15:32When he arrived,
15:33all he found
15:33was an empty house.
15:34And Alara's parents,
15:36standing there,
15:37faces tight
15:37with the same
15:38wordless dread.
15:40The three of them
15:41greeted each other
15:41with a nod
15:42and, without discussion,
15:44began searching.
15:45It must be Alara.
15:46She's come back.
15:51You are...
15:53Officers,
15:54did Alaxas
15:55cause trouble again?
15:56If she's hurt someone again,
15:57you can shoot her
15:58on the spot.
15:59I have no daughter.
16:00We're here to speak
16:01with Mrs. Vand's parents
16:02and former husband
16:03regarding the circumstances
16:04of her case.
16:05Miss Alara Vand
16:06is very likely deceased.
16:08The individuals responsible
16:09have been apprehended.
16:10We are doing everything
16:11in our power
16:12to locate her remains.
16:13We ask that you
16:14please accept our condolences.
16:15Mother swayed
16:16and nearly collapsed.
16:18Silas stared
16:19at the officer
16:20in disbelief,
16:21tears spilling down
16:22his face
16:22before he could stop them.
16:25They guided him
16:26and Alara's parents
16:29Our loved ones
16:30were killed
16:31by your daughter.
16:32Taking her out
16:33was justice.
16:35You told us
16:36where she was.
16:37Wasn't that
16:37what you wanted?
16:38Her own parents
16:39gave us her location.
16:40They're not pressing charges.
16:41On what grounds
16:42are you arresting us?
16:44Whatever wrong
16:44was done to you,
16:45the law will decide
16:46your remedy.
16:47Vigilante justice
16:48is never acceptable.
16:50Killing is a crime.
16:51Full stop.
16:52Whatever came after that,
16:54neither Alara's parents
16:55nor Silas
16:55could hear a single word.
16:57She was your daughter.
16:58She was your own daughter.
16:59Even a tiger
17:00won't devour
17:00its cubs.
17:01How could you
17:02do something like this?
17:05No,
17:05we didn't know
17:06this would happen.
17:07It was Ivy.
17:08Ivy said
17:08these people
17:09would only scare her,
17:10that Alara
17:10would go into hiding
17:11to protect herself.
17:12The name Ivy Thorne
17:13cracked through Silas's mind
17:15like a bolt of lightning.
17:18Ivy.
17:20It was Ivy again.
17:22She must have planned
17:23all of this
17:24from the beginning.
17:25No wonder
17:25she had worked so hard
17:26to keep him away.
17:28Silas's face darkened
17:29to something terrifying.
17:31Alara's parents
17:31were reeling too.
17:32Now that they thought back,
17:34Ivy's behavior
17:34had been strange
17:35all along.
17:37You care that much
17:38about that murderer?
17:40Didn't you hate her?
17:41Didn't you love me most?
17:43She's dead?
17:44Isn't that exactly
17:45what you wanted?
17:46I can still be your daughter.
17:48I'm still Silas Sterling's fiance.
17:50Someone like her.
17:51She killed all those people
17:52ten years ago.
17:53Getting what she deserved
17:54is only natural.
18:02The moment Ivy finished speaking,
18:04Silas lunged forward
18:06and closed his hand
18:07around her throat.
18:08Who told you to do this?
18:10I'm not wrong.
18:11Someone who caused
18:12that much damage
18:13after ten years,
18:15she's still a pest.
18:16Ivy's words
18:17stopped abruptly.
18:18Her face slowly
18:20drained of color.
18:20She looked as though
18:22something had just
18:23surfaced in her memory.
18:24Silas let out a laugh.
18:27I've woken from nightmares
18:29countless times,
18:30sick with regret
18:30over what I did
18:31to the person I loved most,
18:32all to protect
18:33something like you.
18:35You and I both
18:36know the truth.
18:37You were only
18:37my mentor's daughter.
18:38My mentor did so much
18:40for me,
18:40so I sacrificed
18:41my own wife
18:42to take your punishment.
18:43The real truth
18:44of ten years ago.
18:45You,
18:46the actual culprit,
18:47know it better
18:48than anyone.
18:49The words detonated
18:50in the room of a bomb.
18:51Then Ilarra's father
18:52spoke,
18:52his voice barely
18:53finding shape.
18:54Silas,
18:55what you just said,
18:56the one who caused
18:56the collapse
18:57ten years ago,
18:57it wasn't Ilarra?
18:58We wronged her,
18:59and we took in
19:00the person who destroyed
19:01her and called
19:02her our daughter?
19:03Silas lowered his eyes.
19:05He said nothing.
19:06Ilarra's father stumbled.
19:08He fell back
19:09into a chair.
19:10Her mother surged
19:12forward,
19:13raised her hand,
19:13and brought it down
19:14hard across Silas' face.
19:16His face snapped
19:17to one side,
19:18but he stood
19:19where he was
19:20and took it.
19:20I'm sorry.
19:21I'm so sorry.
19:23Her mother didn't
19:24accept the apology.
19:25She was silent
19:26for a moment.
19:27Then a cry tore
19:27out of her,
19:28raw and inconsolable.
19:29My daughter!
19:31My daughter!
19:33We took revenge
19:35on the wrong person?
19:36When I woke up,
19:37I was in a soft bed.
19:39I tried to sit up.
19:40The pain that tore
19:41through my body
19:42made cold sweat
19:43break across my skin
19:45instantly.
19:46Don't move.
19:47Lie still and rest.
19:49A gentle male voice
19:50came from the doorway.
19:52I turned toward the sound.
19:53A young man
19:54in a cotton shirt
19:55The doctor said
19:57you'd wake up around now.
19:59I've been making
20:00a fresh bowl every day
20:01waiting for you.
20:02And here you are.
20:03You just woke up
20:04nothing too rich yet.
20:06This will do for now.
20:07Once you're better,
20:08I'll take you
20:09somewhere proper.
20:10He set the bowl
20:10on the nightstand
20:11as he spoke.
20:12Then,
20:12with practiced ease,
20:13he adjusted the bed
20:14so I could sit up
20:15more comfortably
20:15and brought the spoon
20:17to my lips.
20:17I looked at him
20:18properly for the first time.
20:20Strong,
20:21straight brows.
20:22Warm,
20:22expressive eyes.
20:23A small mole
20:24just beside his nose.
20:26Perfectly placed.
20:27For some reason
20:28I couldn't name,
20:29he felt immediately
20:30familiar,
20:31as though we had
20:32known each other
20:32for a long time.
20:34Because of that feeling,
20:35I could barely
20:36put my guard up.
20:37When he brought
20:37the porridge
20:38to my lips,
20:39I drank it
20:40before I even
20:40thought to hesitate.
20:42The moment it hit
20:43my tongue,
20:43I went still.
20:45This taste,
20:45it was the exact
20:46taste from my
20:47grandmother's house
20:48when I was a child.
20:49The porridge
20:50she used to make
20:51just for me.
20:52I stared at him,
20:53and after a long
20:54moment,
20:55Who are you?
20:57A shadow of sadness
20:59crossed the young
21:00man's eyes.
21:01Silly.
21:03Grandma's sweet
21:04potato porridge
21:05besides grandma
21:05herself,
21:06only one person
21:07in the world
21:07knows the recipe.
21:08You really don't
21:09remember?
21:10And then it came
21:11back to me
21:12all at once.
21:13When I was little,
21:14there was a boy
21:14who used to play
21:15with me all the time.
21:17Because our grandmother
21:17was always so busy,
21:19he would be the one
21:20to look after me.
21:21For a while
21:22when my stomach
21:22was bad
21:23and I could only
21:24manage porridge,
21:25he had learned
21:26grandma's sweet
21:26potato porridge
21:27recipe specifically
21:28for me.
21:30Julian?
21:35You finally remembered.
21:37It was only then
21:38that Julian
21:39told me everything.
21:40It turned out
21:41that after my parents
21:42had taken me
21:42to the city,
21:43Julian's own
21:44biological parents
21:45had found him as well.
21:47His true identity,
21:48the lost heir
21:49to the Knight family,
21:50the wealthiest
21:51in the region.
21:52After a whole drama
21:53of proving
21:54who he really was,
21:55he had taken
21:55his rightful place
21:56at the head
21:57of Knight Technologies.
21:58But he had never
21:59forgotten me.
22:01He had never
22:01stopped looking
22:02for me.
22:03When he saw me
22:03become a well-known
22:04architect,
22:05he felt genuinely
22:06happy for me.
22:07But because I had
22:08already married Silas,
22:09he hadn't wanted
22:10to intrude.
22:11Ten years ago,
22:12the bridge collapse case.
22:14Everyone thinks
22:15you are a murderer.
22:16I never believed
22:17you were the murderer.
22:18He had spent years
22:19quietly investigating,
22:21collecting evidence
22:22in the background.
22:22But even by the time
22:24I was released,
22:25he hadn't found enough.
22:26At the end of it all...
22:27I've been keeping
22:28an eye on your movements.
22:29So I was able
22:30to detect those
22:31people's plot in time
22:32and rescue from the river.
22:34But I know
22:35this violates your privacy.
22:36Will you be angry with me?
22:38I laughed.
22:39I shook my head.
22:40Thank you, Julian.
22:43I watched the news
22:44from the bed
22:45when I saw Ivy Thorne
22:46being led away
22:47by police
22:48on the television screen.
22:50I couldn't quite believe it.
22:51Julian and I
22:52looked at each other.
22:53Neither of us
22:54had expected
22:55that the truth
22:55revealed to the world
22:57just like that.
22:58In the reporter's cameras,
22:59Silas Sterling's face
23:01was ashen.
23:02Not a trace remained
23:03of the man
23:04he once had been.
23:05And my parents,
23:06over their own daughter,
23:07looked as though
23:08every ounce of life
23:09had been drained from them.
23:10My father slumped
23:12in a chair.
23:12My mother sat beside him,
23:14hands pressed over her face.
23:16I lay in bed
23:17watching all of it.
23:18There was none
23:19of the triumphant satisfaction
23:20I might have imagined.
23:22Only a vast emptiness
23:23and a tiredness.
23:25My former firm
23:26released a statement
23:27restoring my standing.
23:29Apologies flooded
23:30social media.
23:31Countless strangers
23:32brought flowers
23:33to the cenotaph
23:34that had been erected
23:35in my name.
23:36Julian watched it
23:37all beside me,
23:38then turned and asked,
23:39brow furrowed,
23:40what are you going to do?
23:41Tell everyone
23:42you're still alive?
23:43The moment he finished speaking,
23:44the faces of my parents
23:46and Silas
23:46rose up in my mind.
23:48I could already picture
23:49exactly what their version
23:50of making it up to me
23:51would look like.
23:52Their compensation
23:53felt like something demonic.
23:55I never wanted to live
23:56through that again.
23:57I shook my head.
23:58I gave Julian
23:58a small smile.
23:59Julian,
24:01let's just call this
24:02a rebirth.
24:04No matter how public opinion
24:06shifted back in my favor,
24:08no matter how many people
24:09came forward to sympathize,
24:11to apologize,
24:12to demand justice
24:13on my behalf,
24:14it all felt like something
24:16from a previous life.
24:17Since everyone already
24:18believed I was dead,
24:20I would give them
24:21exactly that.
24:22I stayed with Julian
24:23to recover for six months.
24:25He cared for me
24:26the way he always had,
24:27with quiet,
24:28unhesitating attention.
24:29already the commanding head
24:31of night technologies,
24:33and yet he still
24:34looked after me
24:35exactly the way he had
24:36when we were children.
24:37Once I was able
24:38to eat normally,
24:39he always cooked himself.
24:41Every day he found
24:42a new way
24:43to prepare something nourishing.
24:45Six months later,
24:46I was not only healed,
24:47I had gained 10 pounds.
24:49Then spring came again.
24:51Jacaranda blooms
24:52opened just outside
24:53the window beside my bed.
24:54I stared at them
24:55for a long time.
24:57Then I turned to Julian
24:58and said,
24:58Julian, let's go somewhere.
25:00We left the city.
25:02Julian arranged his company
25:03to run with remote management,
25:05then stepped back
25:06and accompanied me
25:07as we set out
25:08to see the world.
25:09We followed the steps
25:10of my favorite poets.
25:11We traced the romantic
25:12solitude of Neruda
25:14through the coastal
25:15landscape of Chile.
25:16We stood in one lock
25:17in Paris
25:18and tried to guess
25:19where the little rabbit
25:20had been buried.
25:21We walked through
25:22temple gardens in Kyoto
25:23and contemplated
25:25the violent beauty
25:26of a Japanese master's aesthetic.
25:27I had never imagined
25:29after all those years apart
25:31that Julian and I
25:32would find our interests
25:33and our way of seeing
25:34the world
25:35so completely aligned.
25:37At last,
25:37we came to England.
25:38Beside the Thames,
25:39Julian turned
25:40to look at me.
25:41His eyes were full
25:42of a nervousness
25:43he was trying
25:44very hard not to show.
25:45I knew what he was
25:46about to say.
25:47I smiled at him
25:48and spoke first.
25:49Julian,
25:50I think I've fallen for you.
25:52His face went red
25:53all the way
25:54to his ears.
25:55Then a kiss
25:55landed on my lips.
25:57At last,
25:58Julian and I
25:58opened a small
25:59bookshop in England.
26:01The days passed quietly.
26:02Only occasionally
26:03did news from back home
26:05reach us.
26:05After my death,
26:07Silas seemed to become
26:08a different person entirely.
26:10He restructured
26:11his company
26:11with swift,
26:12decisive force
26:13and purged everything
26:15connected to Ivy Thorne.
26:16And he never gave up
26:18looking for me.
26:19The overwhelming weight
26:20of what he owed
26:21kept him convinced,
26:22with a kind of obsession
26:24that I must still
26:25be alive somewhere.
26:26As it turned out,
26:28he was right.
26:29On a Christmas Eve,
26:30London was buried
26:31in heavy snow.
26:32I had closed the shop
26:33early and was on my way
26:35home to cook Christmas
26:36dinner with Julian.
26:37But just as I reached
26:39the bottom of our building,
26:40I saw a familiar silhouette.
26:42He was standing
26:43in the snowfall
26:44as though he intended
26:45to become part of it,
26:47still as a statue
26:48made of ice.
26:49When he saw me,
26:50the gray deadness
26:51in his eyes
26:52came alive.
26:53Alara!
26:53He ran to me
26:54and grabbed my hands,
26:56his whole body trembling.
26:58I knew you weren't dead.
26:59Thank God,
27:00you're not dead.
27:01What happened back then
27:02was my fault.
27:03I've cleared your name.
27:05Come back with me.
27:06Let's start over.
27:07Please.
27:08He was incoherent,
27:09tears breaking
27:10through his voice,
27:11more humble
27:12than I had ever seen him.
27:13I looked at this man
27:15I had once loved deeply
27:16and once hated
27:17just as deeply.
27:19My heart was utterly still.
27:21Mr. Sterling,
27:22I said,
27:23you have the wrong person.
27:25Ilara Vance is dead.
27:26He looked at me
27:27with something close
27:28to madness in his eyes.
27:30No, please.
27:31I'm begging you.
27:33Let me make it right.
27:34Please, make it right?
27:36I gave a cold laugh.
27:38You destroyed my life.
27:40You made everyone abandon me.
27:42You cost me 10 years in prison.
27:44When I finally found my way
27:46back to a quiet life,
27:48your so-called compensation
27:50forced me out of it
27:51and nearly killed me.
27:53Silas Sterling,
27:54what exactly do you think
27:56you still have left
27:57to make right?
27:58I turned away
27:59and there was Julian
28:00standing just behind me
28:02watching with a quiet,
28:04steady smile.
28:05I walked forward
28:06without a moment's hesitation.
28:07I took Julian's hand.
28:09I didn't look back,
28:10not even once,
28:12as the sound of Silas
28:13breaking down
28:14faded behind us.
28:15One week later,
28:16my parents appeared
28:17at the bottom of our building.
28:18They looked so much older.
28:20Their hair had gone white.
28:22Their faces were full
28:23of a timid,
28:24beseeching uncertainty.
28:26My mother was holding
28:27a thermal bag.
28:28Lotus pastries,
28:29she said,
28:30the ones I had loved
28:31as a child.
28:31When she saw me,
28:32she opened her mouth,
28:33but the tears came
28:35before any words did.
28:36I looked at them.
28:37The fine, dense ache
28:39moved through me again,
28:40the way it always had.
28:42Come up for tea,
28:43I said.
28:44I turned and led the way.
28:45Julian respected
28:46my choices completely.
28:48He helped me prepare the tea,
28:50setting a cup in front
28:51of each of my parents
28:52without a word.
28:53Then he quietly found
28:54somewhere else to be.
28:55My father was the first
28:57to speak.
28:58Elara,
28:59we were wrong.
29:00Come home with us.
29:02I finished my tea in silence.
29:04Then I set the cup down
29:05and spoke.
29:06Mom,
29:07Dad,
29:08I took a slow breath.
29:09Consider me dead.
29:10This is my home.
29:12I'm not going back.
29:13I don't hate you anymore,
29:15but I can't be
29:16what I was to you before.
29:18Between us,
29:18there are 10 years
29:19of a wrongful sentence
29:20and one life
29:22that almost ended.
29:23We are each other's
29:24best ending
29:25if we simply wish
29:26each other well
29:27from a distance.
29:28I didn't take
29:28the lotus pastries.
29:30They cried
29:30for a long time.
29:32In the end,
29:33they left,
29:33unsteady on their feet,
29:35stumbling down the steps.
29:36The snow on the ground
29:37below caught the last
29:38of the sunset light.
29:40Small patches of red
29:41and their shadows
29:42stretched long behind them.
29:43I cried anyway.
29:45Silas and my parents
29:46never came back.
29:47Only money,
29:48from time to time,
29:50deposited quietly
29:51into my account.
29:52And postcards,
29:53occasionally,
29:54routed through
29:55circuitous paths,
29:56no names signed.
29:57I knew they were
29:58from Silas.
29:59I never read them.
30:00I never replied.
30:02I carried each one
30:03to the fireplace
30:04and watched the flames
30:05take it.
30:06Life always moves forward.
30:08Ding!
30:09The wind chime
30:09above the door rang.
30:11A customer had come in.
30:13After selling one more book,
30:14I lay back in the rocking chair
30:16in the courtyard.
30:17Julian handed me
30:18a cup of tea
30:19and asked,
30:20Any regrets?
30:21I shook my head.
30:22Never.
30:23This bookshop
30:24and Julian.
30:25This was my new life.
30:27This was my new life.
30:30This was my new life.
30:30I was going to put my
30:31new life to the sky
30:31and I was going to
30:31carry this out.
30:32and see.
30:32The wind chime
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