After undergoing life-changing surgery, Bianca discovers her husband chose to stay with his mistress instead of being by her side. Heartbroken by betrayal and years of neglect, she walks away from their marriage to begin a new life. Filled with emotional twists, romance, revenge, and unforgettable moments, this short drama delivers a powerful story of love, heartbreak, and second chances.
#ShortDrama #RomanticDrama #MarriageDrama #Betrayal #Divorce #Revenge #DramaSeries #LoveStory #EmotionalDrama #FullEpisode #ShortMovie #Drama
#ShortDrama #RomanticDrama #MarriageDrama #Betrayal #Divorce #Revenge #DramaSeries #LoveStory #EmotionalDrama #FullEpisode #ShortMovie #Drama
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Short filmTranscript
00:00The moment the scalpel sliced into my left eye, my husband, Darian Blackwood, was tangled up in bed with his
00:07mistress.
00:09When I woke from general anesthesia, the first thing I did was open my chat with Darian.
00:14Darian, tomorrow night's the full moon. My curse is going to flare up again.
00:19The doctor said the success rate this time is only one in three.
00:22If I wake up and you're not there, then we're over.
00:25The messages had been sent a day ago. He still hadn't replied.
00:30Then an anonymous message popped up.
00:32A video. He was roughly pulling open his mistress's nightgown straps, kissing drunkenly along her neck.
00:40The bedside clock showed the exact time I'd been in surgery the night before.
00:45In the video, he looked so passionate.
00:48But in our chat history, every reply he ever sent me was cold.
00:52I'm busy. Get my assistant to sign the papers.
00:56I'm in a board meeting. You don't need to tell me these things anymore.
01:00Eventually, he muted my messages altogether and assigned me a private assistant.
01:04Someone who's only was signing documents that required a partner's authorization.
01:08Sorry, but I don't think he'll have time to visit you today either.
01:11I stared blankly at that message.
01:13And finally decided to give up on this relationship.
01:16I texted the assistant.
01:19Don't come anymore.
01:20Then I called my lawyer.
01:22Draft a separation agreement for me.
01:26As the anesthesia wore off, my skull started throobing with pain.
01:30I couldn't even close my eyes.
01:31When this curse flared up, I might lose my left eye completely.
01:37Half conscious, I wondered.
01:39If I died on that operating table this time, when would Darian find out?
01:45Probably when they called him to identify my body.
01:48After all, his time and attention would never belong to a beta like me.
01:52Someone without pheromones.
01:54That evening, the isolation room door opened.
01:57Darian walked in, carrying a thermos bag and a gift bag.
02:00How are you feeling?
02:01I'm okay.
02:02That's good.
02:08Brought you soup.
02:10I'm allergic to seafood.
02:12The one who lucked seafood was his mistress, Luna.
02:14Then had taken the gift bag.
02:17Sorry I couldn't stay with you last night.
02:19This is to make up for it.
02:20Inside was a delicate hair clip.
02:23He didn't care about anything related to me.
02:26He didn't even know that after multiple serenial surgeries, I'd shaved my head long ago.
02:32Luna got sunburned at the beach, so I brought her to the hospital to get checked.
02:36As he spoke, he poured me a bowl of soup.
02:39She got burned pretty badly.
02:41Her whole back's red.
02:44I said nothing.
02:45Why aren't you drinking it?
02:47He leaned closer, and I caught the heavy, sugary scent of perfume.
02:51I ignored the question.
02:52You changed cologne?
02:54He paused, then smiled.
02:57Luna recommended it.
02:59Smells nice, doesn't it?
03:02If you like it, I'll have her bring you some.
03:05After all these years, he should have known that as a scentless beta, I hated anything that masks natural scent.
03:11But nothing about me had ever mattered to him.
03:14The isolation room fell silent for a few seconds.
03:17Then his phone notification broke the quiet.
03:20Oh, right.
03:21The assistant said you told him not to come anymore?
03:23He won't need to sign anything for me anymore.
03:25Hmm.
03:25As long as you're getting better.
03:27Softly, I said.
03:28I'm not.
03:29The curse is getting worse.
03:31I may need permanent isolation at any time.
03:38Do you still want this relationship?
03:40Darian, look at this video.
03:41It's so funny.
03:43He muted the volume and finally looked at me.
03:47What did you say?
03:49The machines kept beeping steadily.
03:52You went to the Hamptons this time?
03:54Done with work?
03:55His expression stayed calm.
03:58Luna's been wanting to go to the beach for ages.
04:00There happened to be a project inspection there, so I took her along.
04:05If you want to go, I'll take you once you recover.
04:08There was a knock at the door.
04:10My attending physician walked in to discuss my treatment plan.
04:13You guys talk.
04:14Luna's probably done with her checkup by now.
04:16Darian glanced at his watch and grabbed his coat.
04:18He was always like this, living entirely in Luna's bright, lively world.
04:24Nothing about me had ever mattered to him.
04:27The day I was discharged, Darian said he'd pick me up.
04:30I sat outside the hospital waiting for him.
04:33Beside me was a canvas bag filled with discharge papers, medical files, and a huge pile of suppressive medication.
04:39I scrolled through my phone.
04:41Luna had updated her story again.
04:447 a.m.
04:45A sunrise jogging photo.
04:47Two silhouettes from behind.
04:48One tall, one short.
04:50Caption, early birds get the sunrise.
04:538 a.m.
04:54A bathroom door fogged with steam.
04:56A smiley face drawn in the condensation.
04:58Someone's waiting for me to shower.
05:008.30 a.m.
05:01Breakfast on a hotel balcony.
05:03Two sets of utensils under warm sunlight.
05:06Mornings are better when you eat with someone.
05:07The man who said he was coming to pick me up was busy living someone else's life.
05:13At 10 o'clock, Darian's car finally arrived.
05:16The passenger side window rolled down.
05:19Luna.
05:20Hi, Bianca.
05:21Darian's dropping me off at work.
05:26Traffic was bad.
05:27Darian got out from the driver's seat and opened the back door.
05:30I said nothing and walked over carrying my medication.
05:33Luna leaned against the car window, suddenly staring at my left eye.
05:37What happened to your eye?
05:39It looks cloudy.
05:41That's so weird.
05:42She waved her fingers in front of me.
05:45Can you see this?
05:47How many fingers?
05:49She's near feast.
05:50Darian interrupted.
05:51Oh.
05:52Luna pulled her hand back.
05:53My left eye had been blind for three years.
05:55I told him more than 10 times.
05:57He still didn't remember.
06:00Luna and opened the car door and walked over.
06:03What are all these meds?
06:04Can I look?
06:05She reached into my bag.
06:07I shifted slightly, trying to avoid her touch.
06:10The bag wasn't tied properly.
06:12The moment she touched it, pill bottles and medication boxes spilled everywhere.
06:17Pills rolled across the ground.
06:19Some disappeared into cracks between the steps.
06:22Others rolled beneath the tires.
06:23How can you not even hold onto a bag properly?
06:26Darian frowned and looked away.
06:28I crouched down, picking them up one by one.
06:31My stitches had only just been removed.
06:34The moment I bent down, pressure mounded through my cull and my vision darkened.
06:38Luna crouched too.
06:40Let me help.
06:41In her panic, she crushed several pills beneath her hand.
06:44Oops.
06:45Sorry, Bianca.
06:47Darian crouched beside her and helped her back up.
06:49They're broken.
06:50Forget it.
06:51No need to pick them up.
06:52They're not expensive.
06:54I slowly stood.
06:55Yeah, not expensive.
06:57He checked his watch and frowned.
06:59Then have her go back into the hospital and get me new ones.
07:02That's unnecessary.
07:03She was only trying to help.
07:05You can go get them yourself.
07:07Luna's going to be late for work.
07:08I'll drop her off first.
07:09I'll send someone to pick you up.
07:11Luna was already back in the passenger seat,
07:13waving at me through the window.
07:15Bye!
07:17Darian left me with nothing but his back.
07:20I thought I would cry, but my eyes stayed dry.
07:23Even my heartbeat remained calm, like the person driving away wasn't someone I loved,
07:28just a stranger.
07:30Maybe I really didn't care anymore.
07:31When I got home, I took the partner agreement out of my bag and signed it.
07:36Then I started packing my things.
07:38One 24-inch suitcase was enough to hold eight years of my life.
07:42There was a framed photo of Darian and I on the bedside table,
07:46taken at a gala three years ago.
07:47Back then, my hair was still long, tied in a low pintail.
07:51He wore a dark suit and smiled softly.
07:53I picked up the frame and turned it over.
07:55On the back, someone had written,
07:57You're already the past.
07:59The one beside him now is me, Luna.
08:02I stared at it for a few seconds before turning it back over
08:05and placing it on top of the agreement.
08:08My phone rang.
08:09Darian.
08:10He almost never called me first.
08:12I answered.
08:14There was music in the background, like he was at a bar.
08:18Darian, about the separation agreement, he interrupted me.
08:21Luna likes your painting, Moonlight Fragments.
08:24Of course it was about her.
08:26I paused.
08:27Not for sale.
08:29She really likes it.
08:30One million.
08:32I don't like her.
08:33I'm not selling it to her.
08:35Silence hung on the other end for two seconds.
08:38How much do you want?
08:40Name your price.
08:41I laughed softly and set the phone down on the table.
08:43The bedside drawer was slightly open.
08:45I pulled it open.
08:47Inside was our marriage certificate.
08:49Luna had stuck one of her selfies directly over my face.
08:53In the picture, she smiled brightly and threw up a peace sign.
08:56My face was completely covered.
08:58I remembered the day we took that photo.
09:00I was healthy then, full of color.
09:03Darian stood beside me, smiling gently.
09:06When I found out Luna had tampered with the certificate,
09:09I contrunted him about it.
09:10He barely glanced at it before promising he'd go replace it with me.
09:13It's just a photo.
09:15It's not a big deal.
09:16Luna likes joking around.
09:18Just let her have this one.
09:20Three years.
09:21He never found the time to replace it.
09:24His voice came through the phone again.
09:26Luna's sensitive.
09:27If she doesn't get what she wants, she'll keep making a fuss.
09:29Just give in and stop making things difficult for me.
09:32Since you won't sell it no matter how much I offer,
09:35then your gallery sponsorship won't be approved either.
09:37Let me know when you change your mind.
09:40Do whatever you want.
09:41I tugged at the corner of my lips.
09:44The sound of the call ending echoed through the empty room.
09:47Everything in my left eye was blurry gray,
09:49like fog that would never clear.
09:51And that familiar pain slowly crept back into my chest.
09:54When Darian first pursued me,
09:56everyone in the family thought he'd lost his mind.
09:58My unpredictable curse.
10:00My unstatable temper.
10:01My scentless beta body.
10:02None of it made me seem fit to be anyone's partner.
10:05But he said it didn't matter.
10:06He said quiet was fine.
10:07Coldness was fine.
10:09He liked all of it.
10:10For the first time in my life,
10:12I thought maybe I could rely on someone.
10:14But what happened after that?
10:15He was always busy.
10:17Said he'd spend time with me once the company stabilized.
10:19The way he looked at me changed slowly.
10:22From heartbreak whenever my curse flared up,
10:24to helplessness,
10:25to numbness.
10:26Eventually,
10:27he stopped coming altogether.
10:29He missed so many moments,
10:30and every time I told myself,
10:33next time we'll be different.
10:34Next time he'll come.
10:36Until the surgery where I almost died.
10:38As my consciousness faded,
10:40I thought,
10:40I'm probably never going to see Darian again.
10:43When I woke up,
10:44I only had one thought.
10:46I wanted to see him.
10:47So I spent 20 exhausting hours
10:49traveling to Paris,
10:50where he was supposedly on a business trip.
10:52And what I saw,
10:53was him naked in bed with Luna,
10:54holding her in his arms.
10:56That's when I finally understood.
10:58He wasn't busy.
10:59He hadn't lost the desire to share his life with someone.
11:02That someone just wasn't me anymore.
11:04It was the first time in my life
11:05I broke down like a mad woman.
11:08I slapped that girl hard
11:09and smashed everything I could get my hands on.
11:12Why are you doing this to me?
11:14Do you know I almost died?
11:16Broken glass sliced across my calf.
11:18Warm blood streamed down my leg,
11:20but I felt nothing.
11:21Do you think I'm pathetic?
11:23Is that it?
11:28Calm down.
11:29The way you look right now is ugly.
11:33I stood trembling among the shattered glass,
11:35gasping for breath.
11:3720 hours of flying.
11:38Going straight from the operating table just to see him.
11:41All of it turned to ashes in that moment.
11:45From that day on,
11:46Darian rarely came home.
11:48He muted my notifications.
11:50The only way I could know anything about his life
11:53was through Luna's posts.
11:57Three days later,
11:59I got a message from Darian.
12:00Charity gala tonight,
12:018 o'clock.
12:02Be there.
12:03He ignored my messages
12:04and still hadn't signed the separation agreement.
12:06After thinking it over,
12:07I decided to talk to him face to face.
12:09I put on a wig
12:10and slipped the agreement into my bag.
12:13The moment I entered the ballroom,
12:15I saw Darian with Luna in his arms.
12:17They were dancing in the middle of the floor.
12:19She leaned against him
12:20while he lowered his head to say something,
12:22smiling softly.
12:23I stood there watching for a moment
12:25before walking in.
12:27You froze beyond his gallery funding because of me?
12:29Do you think she'll be upset?
12:31Luna whispered in his ear brightly.
12:33She starved for affection.
12:34A little comforting and she'll get over it.
12:36Without missing a step,
12:37Darian patted her waist lightly.
12:39I stood at the edge of the dance floor.
12:40People nearby glanced between me
12:42and the couple dancing.
12:43Isn't that Darian's beta?
12:44Haven't seen her in forever.
12:46Is she here to catch him cheating?
12:48With how biased Darian is towards that girl?
12:50Who even knows who the real third party is?
12:53Look at her.
12:53Did you hear?
12:55The song ended.
12:58Why are you here?
12:58Darian saw me and let go of Luna.
13:00Luna looped herself around his arm
13:02and smiled sweetly at me.
13:04I need to talk to you.
13:05I immediately understood.
13:06She was the one who'd sent the message.
13:08I looked at Darian.
13:10Luna tugged on his arm.
13:12Darian, the next dance is starting,
13:15he frowned.
13:15Whatever it is,
13:16wait until this dance is over.
13:17Suddenly, the lights flickered,
13:19then went out.
13:21The crowd erupted into noise.
13:23In the darkness,
13:24a hand suddenly yanked hard at my wig,
13:26pain ripping across my scalp.
13:29Then the lights came back on.
13:31I looked down,
13:32my wig lay on the floor.
13:34All that remained on my head
13:35was a layer of short stubble
13:37and red scars left behind
13:38by the curse.
13:44The entire ballroom fell silent.
13:46Eyes turned towards me
13:48from every direction.
13:49That's horrifying.
13:51No wonder Darian never brings her
13:52anywhere anymore.
13:52If it were me,
13:53I'd feel sick just looking at her.
13:54Is that curse backlash?
13:55Is it contagious?
13:56A camera flash went off.
13:58Someone had raised a phone
13:59and started taking pictures.
14:01Luna smiled faintly.
14:03She crouched down,
14:04picked up the wig,
14:05and held it out to me.
14:07Biana, I'm sorry.
14:09It was too dark.
14:10I didn't see.
14:12I stared blankly
14:13without taking it.
14:15Darian walked over,
14:16helped me up,
14:17and pulled me outside.
14:18Bald,
14:19dragged through the entire ballroom
14:21under everyone's eyes.
14:22The whispers slowly faded behind us.
14:25Neither of us spoke.
14:26My mind was empty.
14:28My hands shook uncontrollably.
14:30I hadn't thought about
14:31those dark years
14:32in a very long time.
14:33Isolation.
14:34Vomiting.
14:35Seeing my bald reflection
14:36in the mirror
14:37while everyone whispered,
14:38Stay away from her.
14:39And now the person
14:40I once loved most
14:42had personally shoved me
14:43back into that hell.
14:45When we got home,
14:46Darian poured me
14:47a glass of water.
14:48I'll have all the photos
14:49and videos from tonight deleted.
14:51I said nothing.
14:52You don't need to think
14:53too much about it.
14:54I'll make sure
14:55nobody spreads them.
14:56I blinked slowly,
14:57including Luna.
14:58She was the one
14:59who texted me.
15:01He frowned.
15:02The lights were out.
15:03She couldn't see.
15:04She's not that kind of person.
15:06Do you really not see
15:07how cruel she is
15:08or do you just refuse to?
15:10The great head
15:10of the Blackwood family
15:11can't possibly be too blind
15:13to see through
15:13something this obvious.
15:15The living room
15:15fell silent
15:16for several seconds.
15:17Then his phone rang.
15:19Luna's teary voice
15:20leaked through the speaker
15:21clearly in the quiet room.
15:24Darian,
15:25is Bianca mad at me?
15:26I really didn't mean it.
15:29I'll apologize tomorrow,
15:30okay?
15:31Please don't be angry with me.
15:32Don't cry.
15:33No one's blaming you.
15:34He hung up
15:34and looked at me.
15:35She's upset.
15:36I need to go check on her.
15:38Didn't you say
15:38you had something to tell me?
15:39We'll talk properly
15:40when I get back.
15:41He walked to the door,
15:42changing his shoes
15:43and grabbing his keys.
15:45Darian.
15:46He stopped.
15:47You always say
15:48you'll come back
15:49and talk to me.
15:50But when have you
15:50ever actually come back?
15:51He clearly had
15:52no intention of staying.
15:54I'll be back in an hour.
15:55Without even turning around,
15:57Darian left.
15:58I walked into the bedroom
15:59and placed the separation agreement
16:00beneath the picture frame.
16:02Then I pulled out my suitcase
16:03and called a cab to the airport.
16:05At one in the morning,
16:07I boarded a flight to London.
16:08Three hours had already passed
16:10since Darian said
16:11he'd come back to talk.
16:12As the plane began taxiing,
16:13a message from him popped up
16:15just before I shut my phone off.
16:17What's the meaning
16:18of that agreement?
16:19I didn't reply.
16:20I turned off my phone.
16:23Darian.
16:23Let's never appear
16:25in each other's lives again.
16:27The plane landed at Heathrow.
16:29When turning on,
16:30the phone vibrate
16:31for several minutes
16:32before stopping.
16:33I didn't look.
16:36Past customs.
16:38Collected luggage.
16:39Took a taxi.
16:42The hotel was booked in advance.
16:44The front desk handed over
16:46the room key.
16:47I took it.
16:47Elevator up.
16:49Opened the door.
16:50Put down the suitcase.
16:53Sat by the bedside.
16:58The phone vibrated again.
17:01I picked it up.
17:02It's from Darian Blackword.
17:04Dozens.
17:05Explain the agreement.
17:07Said we'd talk.
17:08Where did you go?
17:10Don't push it.
17:11There's a limit
17:11to throwing tantrums.
17:13Bianca, are you serious?
17:14I didn't scroll up.
17:19Locked screen.
17:21Threw it on the nightstand.
17:22The next day went to
17:23Royal Free Hospital.
17:25The attending doctor
17:26was a beta.
17:27In his 40s,
17:28speaking at a moderate pace.
17:30Mrs. Reed,
17:31Dr. Lynn has briefed me.
17:32We need a full workup
17:33before the purification protocol.
17:35Odds?
17:36Better than last time.
17:37But the vision loss
17:39in your left eye
17:39is permanent.
17:40He glanced at me.
17:41Didn't say more.
17:42The nurse took me
17:43to handle admission,
17:44fill out forms.
17:46The emergency contact
17:47act field was blank.
17:49Who should we put here?
17:52No one.
17:53I'm alone.
17:54She didn't press further,
17:56left it blank.
17:56The ward was cramped.
17:58The window faced
17:59a busy street.
18:00The sound of traffic
18:01was faint.
18:02Quieter than New York.
18:03The phone rang.
18:04It was Darian.
18:05I picked up.
18:06I asked Dr. Lynn.
18:07You went to London?
18:08His voice was hoary.
18:10The background was wind noise
18:11from the airport runway.
18:13He was probably standing
18:14on the tar pack.
18:15Darian, sign the papers.
18:16You flew alone
18:17for the purification?
18:18Do you even know
18:19your condition?
18:20Then when will you sign?
18:22Bianca, we are really
18:23doing this?
18:26Where do you think
18:27we should be?
18:29Fine.
18:30I'll have Luna apologize.
18:31I admit I neglected you,
18:33but you don't have
18:33to take it this far.
18:35I don't need it.
18:36Bianca.
18:37I'm hanging up.
18:38Sign the papers.
18:39I didn't wait for him
18:40to say anything more.
18:42Turned off.
18:43Stuffed the phone
18:43under the pillow.
18:44The phone vibrated
18:45under the pillow once,
18:46then again.
18:47I didn't take it out.
18:49After hanging up the phone,
18:51Darian sat in the study
18:52of Blackwood Estate
18:53for a long time.
18:54He sank into the leather chair,
18:56trying to sort out
18:56his thoughts.
18:57Why did Bianca want
18:58to dissolve the partnership?
18:59Because of Luna?
19:00Because he didn't accompany
19:01her on the full moon night?
19:02Because he was always busy?
19:05He felt these were
19:06all small matters.
19:07He hadn't marked
19:08anyone else.
19:09Hadn't committed
19:09domestic violence.
19:11Hadn't frozen
19:11her credit card.
19:13He just,
19:13didn't care as much anymore.
19:15Right.
19:16Just didn't care as much.
19:17In the first two years
19:19of marriage,
19:19he sent her I messages
19:20every day.
19:21Asking if she had eaten,
19:22asking about the degree
19:23of curse flare-ups,
19:24asking if she missed him.
19:26Later messages
19:26became fewer and fewer.
19:28Not intentional,
19:29really had nothing to say.
19:30He felt this wasn't his fault.
19:32Isn't that how feelings are?
19:34Passion cools,
19:35novelty exhausts.
19:36Who can still be like
19:37the honeymoon period
19:38after eight years of marriage?
19:39He picked up his phone,
19:41opened her chat box.
19:42Dense green bubbles,
19:43all sent by her.
19:44The last time he replied
19:46to her was half a year ago.
19:47He didn't know
19:48when he had developed
19:48this habit.
19:49Just didn't want to look.
19:51Her messages were
19:52always those few lines.
19:53Did you eat?
19:54Going into isolation.
19:55Can you come home?
19:56The doorbell rang.
19:57He placed his phone
19:58face down on the table
19:59and stood up.
20:01Two housekeepers
20:02in gray uniforms
20:03from Beta.
20:03Miss Reed arranged
20:04for us to clear out
20:05her belongings.
20:07Clothes,
20:07shoes,
20:08personal items,
20:09all to be donated.
20:11Darian stood at the door
20:12stunned for a few seconds.
20:13She sent you?
20:14Yes.
20:15Ma'am scheduled it
20:17last week.
20:17The two aunts
20:18pushed the cart,
20:19opened the walk-in closet,
20:20taking down her clothes
20:21one by one.
20:22Silk nightgowns,
20:23cashmere coats,
20:24scarves.
20:25He recognized
20:25that off-white
20:26Max Mara coat.
20:27He had accompanied
20:28her to buy it.
20:29Three years ago,
20:30when she said
20:31she wanted to go
20:31sketching in Iceland,
20:32he helped her pick it.
20:33And those Manolo Blanick
20:35flat shoes,
20:35her feet were small,
20:36hard to buy.
20:37These were found
20:38after browsing seven stores.
20:39He watched all her things
20:40being folded,
20:41stacked into black
20:42recycling bags.
20:44Wait.
20:45I'll buy these.
20:46The aunts left.
20:47The door closed,
20:49the house was dead silent.
20:50He sat on the sofa,
20:51holding that coat.
20:52The phone vibrated again.
20:54Bianca,
20:55I want that T-bone steak
20:56you make tonight.
20:57He looked at that message,
20:58didn't reply.
20:59A few minutes later
21:00it vibrated again.
21:01Darian?
21:02Are you busy?
21:03He placed the phone
21:04on the coffee table,
21:05didn't touch it.
21:06The sky darkened.
21:07He didn't turn on the lights,
21:09sat in the darkness
21:09for a long time.
21:11Later he stood up,
21:12walked into the study.
21:13The safe was hidden
21:14behind the bookshelf.
21:15He entered the password,
21:16her birthday.
21:17Pulled it open,
21:18on top was a Moleskine journal.
21:21He opened it.
21:22The first page
21:23had a movie ticket
21:24stub pasted on it.
21:25La La Land,
21:25and the date was their first date.
21:27She wrote beside it.
21:27He was 15 minutes late,
21:29but his hair was flying.
21:30When he ran in,
21:31I forgave him.
21:32The second page
21:33was a Polaroid.
21:34She wore a knit hat,
21:35face red from cold.
21:36She wrote,
21:37fourth purification today.
21:39He said,
21:39I look cute bald,
21:40liar,
21:41but I want to believe him.
21:42Third page,
21:43fourth page,
21:44fifth page.
21:44Every page was her writing.
21:46Characters small,
21:47crowded together,
21:48recording every treatment,
21:49recording the paths
21:50he walked with her,
21:51recording things he said.
21:52When I get better,
21:53we go to Tromso for the Aurora.
21:55You promised so many times.
21:56I wrote it here so you can't lie.
21:58The last page of the journal
22:00had an airplane ticket
22:01tucked in it.
22:02Destination,
22:02Tromso.
22:03Next to it was a sticky note,
22:05in her handwriting.
22:06When I get better,
22:07when you have time,
22:08let's go.
22:09Don't stand me up again.
22:10He had simply forgotten.
22:12He closed the journal,
22:13hugged it to his chest.
22:15The journal was small,
22:16the cowhide cover
22:17pressing against his palm.
22:19Those characters showed
22:20through the paper,
22:21carrying an aged warmth.
22:22He only now realized
22:23she wrote so much,
22:25and he never looked once.
22:26He picked up his phone,
22:27booked a flight to London.
22:30The purification ritual
22:31was scheduled for two weeks later.
22:33The days in the hospital
22:34were very quiet.
22:35Every morning blood draw,
22:37every afternoon examination.
22:39Messages from Darian
22:40kept popping up on my phone.
22:41I occasionally swept a glance,
22:43didn't reply.
22:44He asked which hospital I was at.
22:46I deleted the chat box.
22:47He said he flew over,
22:49I still didn't reply.
22:50The day before the ritual,
22:52the nurse came for
22:52preoperative education.
22:54When signing the informed
22:55consent form,
22:56my hand holding the pen
22:57shook a bit.
22:58Turns out,
22:59not needing to wait
22:59for anyone's signature
23:00wasn't as hard as imagined.
23:02That night there was
23:03a torrential downpour.
23:04I slept early,
23:05woken in the middle
23:06of the night by knocking.
23:07Opened the door,
23:08the corridor light was blinding.
23:10Darian stood in the doorway.
23:11Shirt wrinkled,
23:12hair messy,
23:13carrying a rimawa.
23:14Called a dozen hospitals
23:16to find you.
23:19Signed?
23:20I won't sign!
23:22Bianca,
23:23I don't think our marriage
23:24is beyond repair.
23:25And I don't buy
23:26that you feel nothing for me.
23:28I couldn't be bothered
23:29to waste words anymore.
23:31Darian,
23:32you overestimate yourself.
23:34And you underestimate me.
23:37There's nothing left to talk about
23:38except the divorce.
23:41I'm sorry for neglecting you,
23:43Bianca.
23:44It won't happen again.
23:46You never used to think
23:48you were wrong.
23:49I was always the unreasonable one.
23:51The past is the past.
23:54The past was too long.
23:55I closed the door.
23:56He stood in the corridor
23:57and didn't leave.
23:59I turned off the lights
24:00and lay back on the bed.
24:01After a long time,
24:02I heard footsteps
24:03gradually fading away.
24:06The next day was the surgery.
24:08Before anesthesia,
24:09Dr. Chin came in to check.
24:11The person outside?
24:12Family?
24:13No.
24:13The anesthesiologist
24:15began pushing the medicine.
24:16A chill spread from my arm.
24:18I closed my eyes.
24:19When I woke,
24:20the sky was completely dark.
24:22My throat was dry and painful,
24:24like swallowing sandpaper.
24:25The nurse pulled out a tube,
24:27saying in accented English,
24:28Surgery was successful.
24:30I nodded.
24:31Then saw a person
24:32sitting by the bedside.
24:33Darian sat in the chair,
24:35elbow propped on the bed rail,
24:36asleep.
24:37Coat draped over his legs,
24:38hair messy,
24:39blue stubble growing on his chin.
24:41Every time before in surgery,
24:42after hovering between life and death,
24:44I always hoped the first person
24:45I saw upon opening my eyes
24:47would be him.
24:47But every time I woke,
24:49there was only the pale ceiling.
24:50Now that he came,
24:52there was dead water in my heart.
24:53I looked at him for a few seconds,
24:55then turned to look out the window.
24:57The London night was deep blue,
24:59without stars.
24:59He woke,
25:00raising his head.
25:02How do you feel?
25:03Doctor said it worked.
25:04He didn't mention last night.
25:06Water?
25:07Didn't mention the agreement,
25:08didn't mention Luna,
25:09as if he just happened to pass by,
25:11dropping by to take a look.
25:13When are you leaving?
25:14I don't want to see you.
25:15When you're better.
25:16He reached out wanting to hold my hand.
25:18I withdrew it under the covers.
25:20I know you're serious this time.
25:22I didn't speak.
25:24I wasn't good enough before.
25:26Go back.
25:27I'm tired.
25:29No energy to argue.
25:30He sat there unmoving.
25:32For a long time,
25:33the nurse came in to change dressings.
25:35Only then did he stand up to make way.
25:37The nurse left.
25:38He sat back down.
25:39I didn't look at him again.
25:42The third day post-surgery,
25:43the wound still hurt,
25:44but lighter than last time.
25:46Darian came every day,
25:47arriving in the morning,
25:48leaving at night.
25:49The nurse thought he was my husband.
25:51I didn't have the strength to correct her.
25:53The fifth day afternoon,
25:54the ward door was pushed open.
25:56Luna stood in the doorway.
25:58Light colored coat,
25:59long hair loose,
26:00eye sockets red.
26:01That strong strawberry pheromone
26:02instantly drowned out the disinfectant smell.
26:05She looked at Darian.
26:06Darian.
26:06Darian stood up from the sofa,
26:08frowning.
26:09How did you find this place?
26:10Asked around everywhere.
26:12Darian,
26:12come back with me,
26:13okay?
26:14Darian didn't move.
26:15I called you so many times.
26:17You wouldn't answer.
26:18I went to the house.
26:19You weren't there.
26:20I've been here for days.
26:22Just waiting.
26:23I messed up.
26:24I know.
26:24Tell me what to fix.
26:25Enough.
26:26He interrupted.
26:27Luna was stunned.
26:28You know exactly what you did.
26:30I didn't say anything before.
26:31Doesn't mean I didn't know.
26:32Her lips trembled.
26:33I was for you.
26:36Darian,
26:36I love you.
26:38Out.
26:39You weren't like this.
26:40You used to protect me.
26:42Did she brainwash you?
26:43Is she forcing you?
26:44Darian picked up his phone,
26:45dialed.
26:46Come in.
26:47Take her out.
26:48Make sure she doesn't come back.
26:50As Luna was pulled out,
26:51she was still looking back.
26:52Her crying voice echoing in the corridor,
26:54gradually disappearing.
26:56The ward returned to silence.
26:58Darian stood with his back to me.
27:00After a while,
27:00he turned around,
27:01sat back in the chair by the bed.
27:03He said,
27:04Sorry did we wake you.
27:06Get some rest.
27:07I looked at the ceiling,
27:08didn't speak.
27:10A week later,
27:11Dr. Chen said still needed observation.
27:14But the left eye is gone.
27:15I know.
27:16Falling asleep,
27:17in the ward only the sound of instruments ticking.
27:20I turned my head to take a look.
27:22Darian was still there.
27:23He was curled on that sofa a size too short.
27:25MacBook on his knees,
27:27screen lit,
27:27but he wasn't looking at it.
27:29Awake.
27:29I ignored,
27:31opened my phone.
27:32Hundreds of messages.
27:33All from Darian.
27:35Every message I sent before the surgery,
27:37he had all made up for.
27:38I'm here.
27:39I'm sorry.
27:40I should have been there.
27:41I'm here now.
27:42I looked at a few,
27:44averted my gaze.
27:45You don't have to do this.
27:47I want to.
27:49Darian,
27:49it's pointless.
27:51You don't have to accept it.
27:53I just need to do it.
27:55He looked at me,
27:56eyes full of red veins,
27:57lips chapped.
27:58He closed the computer,
27:59put it back in his pocket.
28:00I turned over,
28:01back to him.
28:02The curtains weren't drawn tight.
28:04A line of light fell on the back of my hand.
28:07A month later discharged.
28:09I booked a ticket to Nice,
28:10France.
28:11The day of departure,
28:13Darian stood at the hospital entrance.
28:15I'll go with you.
28:16No need.
28:18You shouldn't be alone.
28:19I was alone before.
28:21He didn't speak.
28:22I hailed a taxi.
28:24He stood in place,
28:25wind filling his coat hem.
28:26I didn't look back.
28:27I went to a small town on the Cote d'Azur.
28:30Phone on,
28:31messages poured in.
28:32Darian's,
28:33dozens,
28:33hundreds.
28:34Did you land?
28:35Is the place safe?
28:37Did you pack enough meds?
28:38Weather,
28:39cold there.
28:40Did you eat?
28:41Just reply so I know you're safe.
28:43Half an hour later,
28:44another,
28:45it's cold there.
28:46Where layers?
28:47I didn't reply.
28:48He started sending gallery exhibition invitations
28:50to my email.
28:51Paris,
28:52Milan,
28:53Berlin.
28:53He said his friends in the art circle could help me hold a solo exhibition.
28:57He said my art deserved to be seen.
28:59Reply,
29:00not interested.
29:01This isn't compensation.
29:02Your art is genuinely good.
29:04He sent another contract.
29:06A sponsorship agreement from some international art fund.
29:08Is this your money or the family offices?
29:11He was silent for 10 minutes.
29:13You know everything.
29:14I don't need anything from you anymore,
29:16Darian.
29:17The phone rang.
29:18I picked up.
29:19Then he asked.
29:21Then what do you want?
29:22Nothing.
29:23Just sign the papers and disappear.
29:25Bianca,
29:25wherever you go,
29:26I'll follow.
29:27I'll prove I was wrong.
29:28I love you.
29:29Follow me to London,
29:30Paris,
29:31Berlin.
29:31Buy a house there.
29:32I'll move to the next city.
29:34Buy up all of Europe.
29:35I'll go to the Americas,
29:36Africa,
29:37Antarctica.
29:38I won't spend my life hating you,
29:39but I will spend every second of it showing you I don't love you anymore.
29:43You say you want to prove you were wrong.
29:45I'll prove I never look back.
29:47I didn't wait for him to say anything more.
29:49Hung up.
29:50Later he really did follow.
29:52When I was in Paris,
29:53he stayed at a hotel on the other side of the Seine.
29:55I moved to Lyon.
29:56He moved too.
29:57I stayed in Kyoto for a month.
29:59He rented an apartment nearby.
30:00We never spoke.
30:02Occasionally seeing each other from afar on the street,
30:04he would stop,
30:05standing in place watching me walk past.
30:09In early winter,
30:10I went to Chamonix at the foot of the Alps.
30:12The snow was heavy,
30:13the road slippery.
30:14I fell,
30:15skinning my knee.
30:16When getting up,
30:17caught a glimpse of a figure in a dark gray coat at the street corner.
30:20He didn't come over.
30:22That night the snow stopped.
30:23I sat at the window of the wooden house.
30:25My phone lit up.
30:26His text.
30:28Back then I didn't understand.
30:29Now I do.
30:31Moonlight outside the window shone on the snow.
30:33Very bright,
30:34but couldn't sink down.
30:35I looked at that message for a long time,
30:37typed.
30:38Darian,
30:38stop appearing in each other's lives.
30:40He didn't reply.
30:42The next morning,
30:43the front desk handed me a letter without a stamp.
30:45My name was written on the envelope,
30:47the handwriting his.
30:48I took it to the room,
30:49placed it on the table,
30:50didn't open it.
30:52Through the envelope,
30:53could feel the paper inside.
30:54Probably four or five pages written.
30:56Pulled open the curtains,
30:58the snow had cleared,
30:59sky bright.
31:00The street was clean,
31:01he wasn't there.
31:02He went back.
31:03In spring,
31:04I received an email from the lawyer.
31:05I booked a ticket back to New York.
31:07He was already waiting.
31:09Gray Brioni suit,
31:10neat hairstyle,
31:11person a bit thinner,
31:12jawline sharper.
31:13We stood face to face.
31:15Let's go.
31:16We sat side by side before the notary signing.
31:19The staff member checked,
31:20stamped.
31:21All set.
31:22Bianca.
31:23I looked at him.
31:24He opened his mouth,
31:26Adam's apple rolling.
31:27In the end only said one sentence.
31:29Can I hug you?
31:30Voice very low,
31:31the trailing tone swallowed by the echo in the hall.
31:34He stood before me,
31:35both hands hanging at his sides,
31:37not raised,
31:37like a person who had lost all chips.
31:39I looked at his eyes,
31:41the corner of his eye read.
31:42Three seconds.
31:43Maybe five.
31:44I didn't answer,
31:46turned around,
31:46didn't look back.
31:47Behind was very quiet.
31:49He didn't chase,
31:50nor did he call my name again.
31:51Pushed open the door.
31:53The light outside was dazzling.
31:55Left I couldn't see,
31:56right I was stung sore by the light.
31:58I returned to that small town in the south of France,
32:00stayed for a long time.
32:02Snow on the mountaintop hadn't melted.
32:04Flowers at the foot of the mountain bloomed into a sea.
32:07Sunlight outside the window was dazzling.
32:09I remembered a long time ago,
32:10someone said they would take me to see the aurora.
32:13In that journal was tucked an airplane ticket,
32:15destination Norway.
32:16The date blank.
32:17Not going.
32:18Moonlight cannot sink into the deep sea.
32:20It shines on the sea surface,
32:22bright in one piece,
32:23shattered in another piece.
32:25Looks very close,
32:26actually very far.
32:27Just like some people,
32:29you thought they loved you,
32:30but they were just passing by.
32:31But it doesn't matter.
32:33The sky will always brighten.
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