- 4 hours ago
I Saved My Wife's Cheating Lover
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Short filmTranscript
00:07morning doctor i was one of the nation's elite plastic surgeons a man who traded in perfection
00:14then my wife asked me to trade it all in for her
00:19i earn enough for both of us put down the scalpel and take care of our home
00:26for five years i buried eight years of medical training under laundry and home-cooked meals
00:31i became the invisible husband but seraphina was an icy wife love is not about the fiery
00:38passion adrian it's the mutual respect
00:47for five years she was a statue in my bed a ghost in my arms for five years same position
00:53same stoic reaction like she wasn't here but on our fifth anniversary the icy seraphina finally
00:59showed some heat just not for me
01:06but still it was our fifth anniversary i took the afternoon off from the hospital to prepare a
01:12surprise candlelight dinner i spent hours in the kitchen orchestrating a symphony of flavors
01:17feeling a rare surge of hope i snapped a photo of the feast and called her
01:25what hey when are you coming home i made a massive dinner for us should i come pick you up
01:29don't bother i'm working late and i have to leave for a business trip tonight don't wait up
01:36the line went dead before i could mention the anniversary the disappointment was heavy
01:40but i buried it under the excuse of her career then the hospital called an emergency transfer was
01:45coming in a male patient with a delicate traumatic injury i rushed to the er ignoring my empty stomach
01:58i spent five grueling hours in the operating theater meticulously saving the patient's dignity
02:02by 1 a.m i was exhausted as i stepped into the lobby a nurse called out to the waiting
02:07area
02:15family for julian white is anyone here for julian white a woman awoke from deep sleep
02:21despite her mask i knew that silhouette better than my own here i'm with julian i froze my wife who
02:28was
02:28supposed to be miles away on a business trip was standing 10 feet from me her eyes brimming with a
02:33terror she had never shown for me she was still wearing the beige minute dress she had left in
02:40that morning her hair was still perfect the gold bracelet i gave her gleaming on her wrist
02:48the business trip was a fiction the overtime was a lie
02:53i watched paralyzed as julian was wheeled out on a gurney
02:57celafina rushed to his side her hands trembling as she reached for him as they passed me i finally saw
03:02his face julian white the white moonlight her first love the man whose ghost had haunted the corners of
03:09our marriage for five years the world tilted the five-hour surgery the hunger and the sudden
03:18violent realization of her betrayal crashed over me my knees buckled adrian are you okay
03:26i'm fine just a bit of low blood sugar serafina didn't even look at me i was just another mask
03:33surgeon in a hallway full of them she was too busy whispering to julian as they boarded the elevator
03:37i sat in the lobby for an eternity staring at the floor until my eyes burned eventually i found myself
03:44outside julian's recovery room through the glass i saw her she was fussing over his pillows her
03:52movements filled with a desperate aching tenderness my wife the woman who claimed intimacy was
03:56unnecessary was currently holding another man's hand with a devotion that bordered on worship
04:01business trip over time julian i whispered the words to the empty hallway the irony was a poison
04:10i had spent five hours saving the very man who had just destroyed my life
04:16i had used my skills to ensure he could return to her arms
04:21i sat there until the silence became unbearable
04:25realizing that for five years i hadn't been a husband i had been a placeholder
04:32i turned to leave my body feeling like lead suddenly the door to the room swung open
04:37doctor help she nearly ran into me her face pale with panic i lowered my head my mask still firmly
04:44in place she didn't recognize me she sprinted past me toward the nurse's station returning seconds
04:49later with the resident on duty please you have to check him julian says he's in pain and he can't
04:56feel his legs please save him she brushed past me again her frantic energy filling the room
05:02she didn't look at my eyes she didn't notice the way i stood to her i was a ghost i
05:08walked to the
05:08locker room stripped off the scrubs that smelled of antiseptic and lies and drove home in a trance
05:24the house was a tomb i lay in the dark the silence ringing in my ears i opened our chat
05:30and typed a thousand
05:31words of fury and grief but i couldn't press send instead i sent a lie of my own hey honey
05:38i just got back
05:39from a late call how's the trip going hope you're resting well i waited the minutes turned into an
05:44hour the read receipt never appeared i finally fell into a shallow sleep haunted by images of them
05:50together when i woke the sun was blinding my phone was still silent
05:57no reply no explanation just the cold hard vacuum of her absence i realized then that i wasn't waiting
06:04for her to come home i was waiting for the strength to let go five years of devotion had been
06:09built on
06:09a foundation of sand and the tide had finally come in
06:14i was washing my face when i heard the front door open my heart hammered against my ribs as i
06:19stepped
06:19into the living room serafina was there beside her stood two massive suitcases she was still in the
06:26beige dress her expression returning to its usual mask of icy indifference you're back from your trip early
06:32yes she didn't offer a lie she didn't offer an apology she just looked at me as if i were
06:37an
06:37intruder in my own home i waited for the truth for a shred of honesty that might save a piece
06:42of my
06:42soul those suitcases belong to a friend he just had surgery and has no one to look after him
06:48i'm bringing him here to recover this afternoon the last flicker of hope died okay i said it so quietly
06:55i
06:55wasn't sure she heard me she looked at me then a flicker of surprise crossing her face at my lack
07:00of resistance but the fight had left me i walked into the bathroom let the cold water numb my skin
07:06and left for the hospital without looking back the afternoon shift was a blur of static i moved through
07:12the wards like a machine i was a man without a home a husband without a wife just before my
07:16shift
07:16ended there was a knock on my office door it was the dean's assistant
07:24dr adrian dean sterling needs to see you immediately i stood up my mind racing had i made a mistake
07:30had she complained about me i walked to the dean's office feeling like a condemned man
07:37dean sterling was staring at a news report his face was a map of grim lines i sat he turned
07:44off the
07:44monitor and leaned forward have you seen the news the chemical plant explosion in the north district
07:49no i've been busy it's a catastrophe toxic reagents have been released into the atmosphere in the
07:56water the local hospitals are overwhelmed and the medical staff are dropping like flies it's an airborne
08:03neurotoxin high risk high mortality he paused studying my face the government is calling for an elite volunteer
08:11team to man the field hospitals it's a dangerous mission adrian possibly a one-way trip but if you
08:18go and you come back the department head position is yours i thought of the suitcases in my living room
08:26i thought of the man currently taking my place in my bed i thought of the five years i had
08:30spent
08:30begging for a love that was never mine to begin with i'll go adrian think about it talk to your
08:36wife
08:37it's a high exposure zone you might not make it back i don't need to talk to her i'm ready
08:42to leave
08:42tonight i saw the shock in the dean's eyes but i didn't care i didn't want the promotion i didn't
08:48want the glory i just wanted a place where the poison outside matched the poison in my heart if i
08:54was
08:54going to die i wanted it to mean something i wanted to be somewhere where the pain had a purpose
09:04dean sterling's words about the suicide mission echoed in my ears they felt like a lifeline rather
09:08than a threat the drive back was a blur of neon lights and hollow silence i needed to leave i
09:14needed
09:14to be somewhere where the stakes were life and death because my life here had already died when i pushed
09:21open the front door the air in the apartment felt different suffocating i froze at the entrance there
09:26reclined on my sofa in a silk robe was a man he looked up with a lazy proprietary gaze julian
09:32he was
09:33leaner than in his photos his face pale with a fragile tragic beauty that seemed designed to elicit
09:39pity julian i poured the soup for you her voice drifted from the kitchen uncharacteristically soft
09:45humming a tune i hadn't heard in years she stepped out holding a delicate porcelain bowl of steaming
09:50broth when her eyes met mine her smile didn't just fade it vanished a flicker of guilt crossed her face
09:57replaced instantly by a defensive coldness you're home this is my friend julia he's weak after his
10:03surgery and has no one else he'll be staying in the guest suite well for a while i looked at
10:08the table
10:09she had prepared a four-course meal in five years of marriage she had never cooked for me
10:13not once i didn't even know she knew how to make soup adrian right sarah tells me you're a brilliant
10:21surgeon truly impressive i've heard so much about you he called her sarah a nickname i was never allowed
10:28to use he looked at me not with gratitude but with the quiet triumph of a conqueror returning to his
10:33throne adrian julian greeted you don't be rude i looked at her then at him the rage i expected didn't
10:43come it was replaced by a profound sense of absurdity i'm tired i turned toward our bedroom
10:49wanting only to close the door and vanish but when i turned the handle the sight inside stopped my breath
10:56my linens were gone my pillows my books the clothes i usually left draped over the chair all gone the
11:02room
11:03had been scrubbed clean of my existence in the corner stood a solitary packed suitcase my suitcase julian
11:10needs a proper bed to recover you're always at the hospital anyway i've booked you a suite at the
11:15hilton on spring road for the week your idea is at the front desk you're kicking me out of my
11:21own
11:21bedroom for him it's temporary adrian don't be so dramatic suddenly julian appeared in the doorway
11:28leaning heavily against the frame clutching his abdomen sarah please don't fight
11:36it's my fault i'll go i'll go sleep in a hotel
11:42i don't want to come between a husband and wife he began to cough a wet theatrical sound
11:48seraphina moved instantly catching him with an agonizing maternal protectiveness
11:53you're not going anywhere you're too weak
11:57look at what you're doing to him adrian just leave give us some peace
12:05the night air was biting as i rolled my suitcase through the lobby of the hilton the receptionist
12:10handed me my id with a look of pity i couldn't stand i sat on the edge of the king
12:14-sized bed staring at
12:15the sterile walls my life was packed into a single polyester bag i unzipped the side
12:21compartment to find my toothbrush but my hand brushed against something hard and square it was a black
12:25leather-bound notebook
12:30i frowned it wasn't my medical log it had an old-fashioned brass latch on a whim i tried the
12:36combination of seraphina's birthday it opened the handwriting inside was elegant slanted and
12:42unmistakably hers she must have packed it by mistake confusing it with my journals august 12th he left
12:48today the airport felt like a tomb why didn't he look back my heart flew away with that plane
12:54i felt sick i flipped through the pages years of entries all addressed to a him july 15th your birthday
13:02i bought a cake and ate it alone in the dark julian are you cold over there do you miss
13:09me at all
13:12i kept reading the dates crawling closer to the present my own name finally appeared near the end
13:18october 27th my parents like adrian he's stable he's a doctor we're getting married next month but
13:26julian if you ever came back what would i do i'll never forget you never the diary ended there five
13:34years of marriage and i was nothing more than a stable placeholder a ghost in my own house
13:42i didn't sleep i spent the night staring at the city lights the diary open on the nightstand like an
13:47open wound i didn't feel like crying i felt like a prisoner who had finally been shown the key to
13:54his cell
13:55she didn't love me she never had she had used my stability to fund a life while she waited for
14:02her moonlight to return i pulled a sheet of hotel stationery from the desk my hand was steady as i
14:10wrote the words that had been five years in the making seraphina let's end this the divorce papers
14:15will follow i tucked the note into the notebook and placed it back in the suitcase i wouldn't be staying
14:21at the hilton i wouldn't be returning to the apartment i called dean sterling at 6 a.m i'm ready
14:27when does the transport leave for the disaster zone known adrian are you sure you sound different
14:35i've never been more certain of anything in my life i left the suitcase at the hotel front desk
14:40addressed to her let her find her past and her future in that bag i was heading into the gray
14:45fog of the chemical clouds where the only thing that mattered was the pulse under my fingers
14:52the medical transport bus was filled with grim-faced doctors and nurses
14:55most were silent staring at photos of their children or texting their spouses one last
15:00i love you i sat in the back watching the city skyline shrink in the rear view mirror
15:06when we crossed the border into the neighboring city the sky turned a sickly bruised yellow the air
15:12smelled of burnt rubber and bitter almonds we stepped off the bus and were immediately ushered
15:17into a massive echoing warehouse that had been converted into a triage center it was a vision of hell row
15:23upon row of cuts were filled with people coughing up dark fluid their skin covered in angry weeping chemical
15:29burns the sound was a low constant moan punctuated by the screams of the dying dr adrian over here tracy
15:38in level one we have a male 30s acute pulmonary endema he's crashing i pulled on my respirator and
15:45goggles my world narrowed down to the patient in front of me for the next 72 hours i didn't think
15:50of
15:50seraphina i didn't think of julian i only thought of oxygen levels heart rates and the desperate struggle
15:56to keep the reaper at bay i worked until my hands went numb i worked until the sweat inside my
16:02soup
16:02made my skin raw i was a machine fueled by a strange cold peace if i died here i would
16:09die saving lives
16:11it was a far better fate than living as a shadow in a home that wasn't mine
16:17the air inside the field hospital was a thick invisible poison every breath i took through the
16:22respirator felt heavy like inhaling wet sand i spent days in a state of clinical detachment
16:26i wasn't adrian the man whose wife had replaced him i was a biological machine designed to stabilize
16:32failing lungs i saw thousands of faces all blurred into a single mask of agony my world was the size
16:37of
16:37a patient's chest rising and falling in desperate ragged rhythms
16:50by the end of the first week the ice goddess and her moonlight were nothing but fading ghosts
16:55but the body has limits that the spirit refuses to acknowledge the constant exposure the lack of sleep
17:00and the sheer psychological weight finally took their toll during a night shift while adjusting a
17:06ventilator for a young woman the world suddenly tilted the rhythmic hiss click of the machine surged
17:11into a deafening roar the floor rose up to meet me
17:28dr adrian someone help he's down the last thing i saw was the sickly yellow glare of the overhead lights
17:35before the darkness swallowed me whole i felt a strange sense of relief as i fell perhaps this
17:41was the exit i had been looking for a clean break from a world that had no room for me
17:48i woke up in the back of an ambulance the siren wailing a mournful tune i wasn't infected the tests
17:53were clear but i was a shell my lungs were strained from the chemical irritants
17:57and my heart was skipping beats from sheer exhaustion
18:06back at our city's main hospital dean sterling stood over my bed you're a hero adrian but you're
18:12a hero who's about to break i'm keeping you here for observation you've done enough for three lifetimes
18:20he stepped into the hallway and dialed the only family contact on my file
18:24serafina was in her office her mind occupied by corporate fires and the delicate task of nursing
18:30julian back to health when her phone rang she answered with her usual cold efficiency
18:38this is dean sterling your husband adrian has collapsed at the front lines we've transported him
18:44back he needs immediate care and a family advocate can you come collapsed is he is he going to be
18:50okay
18:50he's stable for now but his vitals are erratic we need you here serafina hesitated she had just
18:56promised to make julian a special dinner to celebrate his first day of walking without a cane
19:00but the dean's voice was stern leaving no room for excuses he'll be there give me an hour
19:17serafina hung up and immediately turned to julian who was watching her from the recliner with an
19:21expectant look julian i'm so sorry i have to go to the hospital adrian something happened at the disaster
19:28zone adrian but sarah i saw this recipe for honey glazed ribs i was so looking forward to it my
19:37stomach
19:37has been so unsettled i don't think i can eat anything else julian he collapsed the dean sounded
19:43serious i have to go sarah he's a doctor he's surrounded by the best medical minds in the city
19:48what can you do that they can't i just feel so alone when you're gone my incision it's throbbing
19:55again the pull of her moonlight was a physical force serafina looked at the car keys then at julian's
20:00pained expression she saw the fragile beauty she had spent years mourning and the choice became clear
20:05you're right he's in a hospital it's the safest place he could be i'll order the ribs from that
20:11bistro you like and stay until you fall asleep i'll check on him in the morning he's probably just
20:16exhausted she spent the evening in the kitchen her hands busy with plating food for the man she adored
20:21while miles away i lay in a darkened ward with an oxygen mask strapped to my face
20:26she chose a meal over the man who had nearly died to escape her
20:31at the hospital my friend and colleague dr liam kept checking the door of my private room
20:36where the hell is she it's been seven hours since sterling called does she think immediate
20:40means whenever i feel like it i was awake now though my voice was a mere rasp
20:48don't bother liam she's not coming don't say that you almost died out there even a stranger would show
20:54up for this she's not a stranger she's someone who made a choice a long time ago
21:02i'm just finally seeing the bill across town serafina sat at the dinner table julian was eating with gusto
21:08praising her taste between bites but for the first time the praise felt hollow she looked at the empty
21:15seat where i used to sit the man who never asked for praise only for a glance i should go
21:20i feel uneasy
21:24now but it's late and i think i'm getting a fever stay with me just until the morning
21:32fine i'll take you with me tomorrow we'll do your checkup and see adrian at the same time
21:37it's more efficient that way efficiency even her concern was a matter of logistics
21:45the hospital corridors were quiet at 10 pm i had managed to get out of bed leaning heavily on an
21:51iv
21:51pole trying to walk to the cafeteria for some water i didn't want to call the nurses they were already
21:56stretched thin as i rounded the corner near the stairs i stopped dead
22:04serafina was there she was radiant her arm linked tightly with julian's she was guiding him with a
22:09tenderness that looked like worship her eyes fixed on his face as if he were made of glass
22:14slowly julian don't strain yourself we're almost at the clinic i stood in the shadows my hospital gown
22:21fluttering in the draft the contrast was a physical blow i was the husband who had returned from a
22:27chemical wasteland standing alone with a plastic tube in my arm he was the lover who had received
22:31a minor scratch and was being treated like a king adrian he had spotted me serafina looked up and the
22:38shock in her eyes was quickly replaced by a sharp stinging judgment she saw me standing
22:42mobile and her guilt turned instantly into resentment you look fine to me the dean made it sound like you
22:48were on your deathbed i've been worried sick and here you are wandering the halls i looked at her
22:55really looked at her and realized the woman i loved never existed i'm sorry my existence disappointed
23:01you serafina please don't let me interrupt your date serafina's words were a cold slap more jarring
23:10than the physical exhaustion racking my frame i stood there leaning into the ivy pole feeling
23:15the sharp bite of the needle in my arm the sting of her dismissal was a familiar ache but tonight
23:20it carried a finality that silenced my urge to defend myself julian was the one who went through
23:26agony adrian yet here you are playing the martyr because you stayed up late it's pathetic i looked at
23:36her then at julian he was watching us his face a carefully constructed mask of fragile suffering
23:41though his eyes betrayed a flicker of predatory triumph i'm sorry my collapse was inconvenient for
23:47your evening serafina don't start with the sarcasm julian came here to settle his nerves and
23:52get a proper checkup and since you're clearly well enough to wander the halls you can at least be useful
23:58sarah please it's fine i don't want to be a burden
24:04though the pain in my side it's becoming unbearable serafina's expression softened
24:08instantly as she turned to him her voice dropping into that melodic nurturing tone i had spent five
24:13years craving it's okay julian i'm here she turned back to me her eyes hardening into flint he needs his
24:21dressing changed and a professional assessment since you're the brilliant surgeon you're going to
24:28do it now the irony was a bitter pill i was forced to swallow i was being ordered to tend
24:38to the man who
24:39had systematically dismantled my life i led them into a private examination room my head swimming with
24:44every step i went through the motions of a doctor sanitizing my hands donning gloves while my own
24:49lungs burned with every breath julian sat on the table watching me with a glint of pure malice
24:54when serafina stepped out to take a critical work call the mask dropped instantly
25:01you look like a ghost adrian sarah doesn't see a hero when she looks at you she sees a boring
25:08dutyful shadow even with tubes in your arm still losing i didn't give him the satisfaction of a
25:15response i finished the dressing in silence and stepped back you're healing perfectly there is no
25:21medical reason for you to be here as serafina walked back in julian's demeanor shifted with terrifying
25:26speed he lunged forward grabbing my wrist with surprising strength adrian wait i'm sorry i didn't
25:34mean to upset you before i could pull away he threw himself backward off the table he hit the floor
25:39with a sickening thud letting out a piercing theatrical shriek of pain julian she rushed into
25:47the room finding him curled in a ball on the floor she looked up at me her face a mask
25:52of primal fury
25:53he pushed me sarah i was just trying to thank him and he he just snapped
26:04adrian how could you her voice was a scream that echoed through the sterile ward
26:09she knelt beside julian cradling his head against her chest with a devotion that felt like a physical
26:14blow to my chest i knew you were jealous but this you're a monster you're a danger to your patience
26:29i didn't touch him serafina he threw himself off the table
26:36liar i saw your hand on him the commotion brought dr liam and the night supervisor dr vance rushing into
26:43the room julian was quickly hoisted onto a gurney sobbing into serafina's sleeve
26:50his incision has reopened he needs an immediate restitch to prevent infection adrian what the hell
26:56happened he attacked him i want him off this floor i want him reported to the board we need a
27:04surgeon
27:05vance is tied up into riage with the new arrivals adrian is the only one available who knows the
27:09specifics of julian's initial trauma serafina turned to me her face contorted with hatred fine you did this
27:17so you fix it i want you on that table adrian i want you to look at the damage your
27:23petty jealousy
27:24caused if he isn't perfect when he comes out i will destroy your career
27:31i looked at liam he saw my shaking hands the sweat on my brow and the hollow look in my
27:37eyes
27:38he knew i was in no condition to operate but the ultimatum was clear
27:44i stood over julian in the operating theater the overhead lights blindingly bright
27:48liam stood across from me as my assistant his eyes filled with a quiet simmering worry adrian
27:53i can take over your heart rate is through the roof no i started this i'm finishing it the procedure
28:02was simple a basic re-suturing but for a man whose lungs were failing it was an ascent of everest
28:07every stitch required a monumental effort of will sweat poured down my face stinging my eyes beneath my
28:13goggles my heart hammered a frantic irregular rhythm i wasn't just sewing skin i was sewing the shroud of
28:20my marriage with every pass of the needle i let go of a memory the day we met the day
28:24she said i do
28:25with a voice as cold as the ring the five years of quiet lonely hope when the last knot was
28:31tied i
28:31dropped the forceps the metallic clatter echoed in the silent room he's stable i reached into the pocket of
28:37my scrubs and pulled out a crumpled envelope the signed divorce papers i had been carrying since the
28:41hotel i handed them to liam without looking at him give these to seraphina tell her the debt is paid
28:47in full i didn't wait for a response my legs finally gave out and i collapsed into the arms of
28:52the
28:53nursing staff as the world turned to gray
29:00i drifted in and out of consciousness for the next 24 hours when i finally fully awoke the room was
29:05quiet
29:05i was back on high flow oxygen but the crushing weight on my chest had eased into a dull thrum
29:10liam
29:11was sitting in the chair by the window watching the sunrise you're awake you had us worried man
29:18your lungs took a massive hit from the stress and the toxins but the specialists say you'll recover
29:23you just need months of absolute rest and the papers liam's side a look of grim satisfaction
29:31crossing his face i gave them to her she was sitting by julian's bed feeding him when she read them
29:36she didn't even cry she just looked at me and said finally he's being realistic i closed my eyes and
29:43let out a long shuddering breath it didn't hurt for the first time in half a decade i felt light
29:49where
29:50is she now she left this morning the hospital board reviewed the incident julian tried to keep up the
29:57pushing story but the security cameras in the hallway saw him walk into that room perfectly fine
30:01and caught his little shadow comment through the open door he's been banned from the premises
30:06i nodded slowly it didn't matter whether they stayed together or burned down in a blaze of their
30:11own drama was no longer my concern i was a doctor who had saved his last patient even the one
30:16who
30:16didn't deserve it i looked out the window at the morning sun i was free
30:22the silence of the recovery suite was heavier than the noise of the triage center i lay there watching
30:28the dust motes dance in a stray beam of sunlight feeling like a ghost inhabiting a borrowed body
30:33the divorce papers were gone delivered into the hands of a woman who viewed my departure as a
30:37realistic outcome i expected to feel a vacuum a hollow ache where five years of devotion had been
30:43instead there was only a cool antiseptic clarity dr liam walked in his face tight he wasn't carrying
30:50a chart he was carrying a heavy cream colored envelope he dropped it on my lap like it was
30:55radioactive her lawyer moved fast they want you to sign the supplemental property division by the end
30:59of the day she's keeping the apartment adrian and the car and the savings letter are you insane you
31:07paid for 80 of that life you worked double shifts while she was building her career and chasing shadows
31:11i'm not paying for furniture liam i'm paying for the exit tell them i'll sign everything on one
31:16condition she never steps foot in this hospital again not as a visitor not as a spouse i picked
31:22up the pen my hand didn't shake the ink bled into the expensive paper severing the last threads of a
31:27life i had mistakenly called mine i wasn't just signing away a home i was signing away the permission
31:32for her to ever hurt me again three days later i was discharged i had no home to return to
31:41so i took a
31:42room at a small boutique hotel near the university a place serafina would never visit because it lacked
31:47the prestige she required i was sitting in the small garden breathing in air that didn't smell like chemicals
31:54or betrayal when my phone buzzed it was an unknown number against my better judgment i answered
32:04adrian her voice was as sharp as a diamond devoid of the guilt i thought might finally surface
32:09we have nothing to talk about serafina the papers are signed julian had a relapse this morning internal
32:16bleeding the surgeons here are incompetent they're suggesting a second bypass i want you to come back
32:22and look at his scans i almost laughed the sheer breathtaking arrogance of it was a marvel i am on
32:28medical leave and even if i weren't i wouldn't touch him with a 10-foot pole you're a doctor adrian
32:34you took an oath you're going to let a man suffer because of your petty fragile ego i'll report you
32:43for
32:43professional misconduct i'll make sure you never practice in this state again do it
32:50tell the board i refuse to treat your lover while i was recovering from the lung damage i sustained
32:56saving a thousand strangers i'd love to see that transcript i hung up the silence that followed was
33:02the sweetest sound i had heard in years
33:08the threat manifested an hour later my phone erupted with messages not from serafina but from her mother evelyn
33:17adrian how could you be so cruel serafina is in tears we treated you like a son after everything we
33:24did to welcome you into this family you're going to abandon her in her time of need julian is family
33:29to
33:30us i stared at the screen family julian the man who had vanished when things got difficult was family
33:36i the man who had paid their mortgages and handled their crises for half a decade was a villain because
33:42i
33:42refused to be a servant to my replacement i began to type a reply my heart racing but then i
33:47stopped
33:48i deleted the draft i blocked the number i walked to the hotel bathroom and looked at myself in the
33:53mirror i looked older there were lines around my eyes that hadn't been there a month ago but the
33:58desperate pleading look in my pupils the one that always searched for serafina's approval was gone
34:03the door to the hotel room knocked i expected a process server or a furious mother-in-law instead i
34:09found
34:09dean sterling standing there holding a bottle of aged scotch in a file folder i heard about the phone
34:14calls i figured you could use a drink and a new perspective
34:21am i being fired dean fired adrian i'm here to offer you the chief of surgery position at our sister
34:29branch in seattle it's three thousand miles away from this circus
34:36seattle a city of rain and evergreen trees a city where no one knew the name serafina or the white
34:41moonlight of julian white take the night to think about it but honestly looking at you now i think
34:49you've already left your body just hasn't caught up with your mind yet i took the scotch after he left
34:56i
34:57sat on the balcony watching the sunset bleed into the horizon for the first time i didn't feel like
35:02i was running away i felt like i was moving towards something
35:09my phone buzzed again a notification from a social media app i had forgotten to delete
35:13it was a photo posted by one of serafina's friends it was a picture of a hospital room filled with
35:18lilies
35:19serafina was leaning over julian pressing a kiss to his forehead the caption read true love finds a
35:25way through every storm they stayed together the comments were a chorus of heart emojis and praise
35:31for their eternal bond i felt a sudden sharp pang but it wasn't jealousy it was pity they were trapped
35:38in a narrative of their own making a drama of tragedy and rescue they needed the pain to feel the
35:42love
35:42i didn't i just wanted peace i deleted the app factory reset the phone and packed my single suitcase
35:51i arrived at the airport at dawn the terminal was a cathedral of glass and transit filled with
35:56people heading toward new beginnings i was checking my bag when a familiar frantic voice cut through the
36:02ambient noise adrian stop i turned she was sprinting through the terminal her expensive coat flapping
36:09behind her her face flushed and disheveled it was the most undone i had ever seen her you can't just
36:14leave the lawyer said you're transferring your your license out of state you're trying to disappear
36:20i'm not trying serafina i am what about us five years adrian you're just gonna throw it all away
36:32because of one mistake because i wanted to help a friend you didn't make a mistake you made a choice
36:42you chose a ghost over a living man every single day for five years i'm just finally respecting that choice
36:53you're being selfish i'm your wife no you're a woman who needs a martyr and i've resigned from the
37:00position i turned my back on her and walked toward the security gate she screamed my name a sound of
37:06pure
37:07entitled rage that turned heads across the terminal but i didn't look back as i stepped through the metal
37:12detector i felt the last of the ice break away the air in front of me was clear the flight
37:18was boarding
37:19and for the first time in my life i was the one in control of the destination
37:27the seattle rain was a constant rhythmic drumming against the floor to ceiling windows of my new office
37:33it was a cleansing sound three months had passed since i walked through that airport terminal and in that
37:38time i had become a stranger to my own past my hands once shaky and strained were now precise instruments
37:44of healing again i was finishing a late night consultation when a courier arrived with a thick
37:50legal sized envelope it wasn't from a lawyer this time it was a personal parcel forwarded through three
37:55different addresses inside was a single charred photograph of our wedding day and a letter on
38:00stationery that smelled faintly of the perfume serafina used to wear julian is gone adrian
38:05he left the moment the hospital bills started piling up and the glamour of his recovery faded he took the
38:11last of the settlement money you gave me and disappeared to europe with someone else i am
38:15sitting in this empty apartment surrounded by the things you paid for realizing that i traded a mountain
38:20for a mirage i stared at the words waiting for the surge of vindictive joy or the sting of old
38:26grief
38:26neither came it was like reading a report on a patient i had never treated her misery was no longer
38:31my
38:31responsibility i didn't finish the letter i walked to the shredder and watched the expensive paper turn
38:37into confetti
38:42the promotion to chief of surgery brought a new level of scrutiny and a relentless schedule
38:47i welcomed it i was no longer adrian the neglected husband
38:53i was dr miller the man who handled the cases no one else would touch
38:58one tuesday afternoon my administrative assistant buzzed me with an unusual urgency
39:04dr miller there's a woman in the lobby she doesn't have an appointment but she says she's traveled
39:08across the country to see you she says it's a matter of life and death
39:10i felt a cold prickle at the back of my neck i knew before i even looked at the security
39:17feed
39:18serafina she was sitting on the edge of a designer chair looking fragile and diminished
39:24the ice goddess had cracked her designer suit was wrinkled and the predator of confidence that
39:30once defined her had been replaced by a hollow haunted desperation
39:39i walked down to the lobby not as a former lover but as a sovereign in my own kingdom
39:48adrian thank god you look so different
39:54you shouldn't have come here serafina we have nothing left to discuss i'm sick adrian
40:02real sickness this time not a play for attention they found a mass
40:09i went to three specialists back home and they all said the same thing it's too close to the artery
40:15they said only one man has the technique to recept it you
40:22i looked at the scans she pulled from her bag my professional instinct took over
40:26momentarily pushing aside the history of our shared war she wasn't lying it was a complex
40:31aggressive growth tangled around the carotid it was a surgical nightmare they were right it's a
40:38high-risk procedure please i know i don't deserve it i know i was a monster to you
40:46but i'm terrified adrian i don't want to die alone in that apartment she reached out to touch my hand
40:53her fingers cold and trembling
40:57i pulled back intinctively the contact felt like a breach of a border i had spent months fortifying
41:04if i do this it is as a surgeon not a husband you will be treated like any other patient
41:10on my list you
41:11will sign a waiver acknowledging our history and the moment you are discharged you will leave this
41:16city and never contact me again anything i'll do anything just don't let me slip away
41:30i looked into her eyes and saw the same terror i had seen in a thousand strangers the power dynamic
41:36had shifted completely once i had begged for a crumb of her affection now she was begging for a second
41:43of my expertise i felt no triumph only a profound weary sadness for the man i used to be
41:51the surgery lasted 12 hours it was the most difficult procedure of my career every time my heart
41:57rate spiked i forced myself to visualize the rain in seattle the quiet of my new life and the distance
42:03i
42:03put between us i wasn't saving the woman who broke me i was conquering the challenge she represented
42:09when i finally stepped out of the theater my back aching and my eyes burning i found evelyn her mother
42:15waiting in the hall adrian is she she's in recovery the resection was successful she'll live a long
42:23healthy life oh thank god adrian we've been so wrong seeing you now the way you carry yourself we
42:30realize too late what we lost we want to make it up to you come to dinner tonight let us
42:34be a family
42:35again i looked at her the woman who had called me a villain and a coward when i left her
42:39realization
42:40was as hollow as seraphina's love it was based on my utility not my humanity i have a family evelyn
42:45they're waiting for me at the hospital's charity gala tonight they're the colleagues who supported me
42:49and the patients who trust me you are just a ghost from a previous life i walked past her without
42:53waiting for a reply the debt wasn't just paid the account was closed a week later i stood by
43:02seraphina's bed for the final discharge she was sitting up the color returning to her cheeks she
43:07looked beautiful again but the beauty no longer had any power over me it was just a well maintained
43:11exterior i'm leaving this afternoon my flight is at four good i've arranged for a car to take you to
43:18the
43:18airport adrian is there really no chance i've changed this brush with death it made me see
43:27everything i love you i finally know what that means i looked at her and for the first time i
43:33felt truly
43:34at peace the anger was gone the longing was gone even the pity had faded into a mild distant curiosity
43:40you don't love me seraphina you love the fact that i saved you you love the security i represent
43:45but you never loved the man who sat at that dinner table five years ago and that man is dead
43:52i killed him so this man could live
43:57i turned and walked toward the door will i ever see you again no i didn't look back i stepped
44:05out
44:05of the hospital and into the bright crisp seattle afternoon my phone buzzed a text from a friend
44:12asking if i wanted to grab coffee before my next shift i smiled tucked the phone into my pocket and
44:18walked toward the light i was no longer a shadow in someone else's story i was the author of my
44:24own
44:27my belly felt like a furnace and hit 45 degrees celsius he said what i was carrying wasn't a baby
44:33the doctor's hands shook he said i wasn't carrying a baby but magma to stay alive i soaked myself in
44:38icy
44:39water for three full days until i heard a crack my water broke and what flowed out was boiling black
44:44liquid the hospital alarms went off i knew i was giving birth to a monster it's done it's a creature
44:51covered in scales it didn't sound like human the expected newborn cry was replaced by a hiss i lay
44:56on the operating table half conscious only feeling the tearing pain in my abdomen suddenly get swallowed
45:01by an icy cold dr hanks hands trembled so badly he dropped his metal clamp with a clang he didn't
45:06even
45:06dare approach it i forced my head up and through blurred vision i saw them two creatures in
45:11translucent fluid their bodies were covered in red and black scales they even had small fleshy horns
45:17on their heads they're dragons then i passed out completely when i woke up the room was silent no
45:23nurses or flowers meanwhile the two creatures were curled together every breath from the red one sparked
45:28tiny embers from its nostrils then i thought of leonard hill he was from a hidden powerhouse at the top
45:33of
45:33the capital they were rumored to carry the divine bloodline he once threw me an obsidian card with an
45:37outrageous limit saying he wanted a perfect air if he found out i gave birth to two monsters he would
45:42tear me and them apart without hesitation dr hanks i pressed the call button dr hanks walked in face pale
45:48as a sheet i slapped the obsidian card onto the bedside table the babies died at birth both of them
45:53do you understand he looked at the card then at the box where the two creatures slowly opened their
45:58golden eyes soon greed prevailed i understand the babies didn't survive i'll report it also i pointed
46:06at the glass box give me a portable case i'm leaving the hospital now in the pouring rain at night
46:12i drove
46:13like i'd lost my mind racing toward the forest on the outskirts of the city scratching sounds kept
46:18coming from the suitcase in the passenger seat they stabbed my heart but i didn't dare listen or stop
46:22the car an hour later i pulled over at the pitch black face of the mountain i walked into the
46:26woods with
46:26the case i was totally soaked and my wounds burned i found a cave and opened the case with trembling
46:32hands go back to where you belong don't blame me if you stay with the hill family you'll die the
46:37two
46:38baby dragons seemed to understand they pressed their foreheads gently against my palm it felt cold but
46:43faintly warm my heart ached like something had been ripped out of me i forced myself to push them away
46:49and ran stay there never come back i gripped the steering wheel and cried how did my life end up
46:54like
46:55this i drove away and went back to my apartment i took a bath but it couldn't ease my despair
47:00the
47:01next morning i woke up to a strange warmth i reached for the bed sheet and felt something smooth and
47:06hard
47:07a scream lodged in my throat the red one was coiled around my neck breathing softly even puffing out a
47:13tiny
47:14ring of smoke like it was content the black one crouched by the bedroom door watching the living room with
47:19golden eyes like a guard i couldn't believe they came back on their own it was the 28th floor then
47:24my phone on the coffee table started vibrating it was leonard's assistant calling when i answered
47:29a cold female voice came through mr hill returned early he'll arrive at your apartment in one hour
47:36leonard will be here in an hour my heart started racing instantly i looked at noctis and ember now
47:42curiously inspecting the water dispenser and i felt my blood run cold leonard was incredibly sharp
47:47my lies wouldn't fool him i needed a decoy i grabbed my phone and instantly dialed a number
47:54i need two newborn boys now send them to moonlight department within an hour ms quinn this is illegal
47:59i've sent you one million dollars there's another 10 when it's done the next 40 minutes were the
48:04longest of my life i dragged noctis and ember into the wardrobe safe room it was soundproof originally
48:10built for valuables member got agitated snorting sparks and nearly burning my silk scarf please
48:16behave and stay hidden if you make a sound i'll be in trouble noctis pressed its tiny claw against
48:21my hand then it grabbed ember and slipped into the ceiling vent it was reassuring me everything
48:26would be okay soon someone knocked on the door the middleman rushed in with two babies these are
48:32abandoned newborns nothing's wrong with them pay me and i'm gone i transferred the rest of the payment
48:38and looked at the two sleeping babies on the couch i felt no love only endless fear soon i heard
48:45a deep
48:46engine roar limited edition maybach leonard is here the moment the door opened a suffocating pressure
48:54filled the room leonard hill wore a dark gray coat his presence towering and overwhelming rainwater dripped
49:00from his clothes and puddled onto the floor his darkened eyes swept across the room and landed on the
49:07swaddle babies he didn't look at them like a father but like a ruthless king my palms were slick
49:12with sweat and i forced a weak smile you're back i'm still weak so i didn't go to the airport
49:18leonard
49:19ignored me he walked straight to the couch and lifted a corner of the swaddle the air seemed to
49:25freeze he stared at the two human babies just when i thought i was about to be exposed he let
49:30out a cold
49:31laugh these are the airs you gave me my heart clenched yeah yes they look like you don't they nervous
49:38have to be exposed
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