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Don't miss a single moment of this captivating short drama. We bring you the best billionaire romance, intense revenge stories, and high-quality web series tailored for you.
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Disclaimer: All content is properly licensed and distributed.
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Short filmTranscript
00:00After the wedding, Marcus was recruited by Harwick University on a seven-figure salary.
00:06I gave up everything to follow him to London.
00:08Three years have passed.
00:10I still didn't have a single valid visa for my name.
00:13The woman who had flown over with us, his assistant,
00:16had already secured permanent residency through Marcus's connections.
00:20You don't need any of that. I take care of you.
00:23Besides, residency applications take time. There's a formal process.
00:27My position is sensitive right now.
00:30I can't be seen pulling stregs.
00:32As for Jade, she gave up everything to follow me here.
00:35Getting her settled is what a good boss does.
00:37I softened. I put the suitcase down.
00:40Then came the day I went to handle some paperwork
00:42and handed over my marriage certificate for verification.
00:45The clerk looked at her screen and looked back up at me.
00:49Ma'am, the system doesn't show you as Mr. Marcus's spouse.
00:52You'll need to go home and sort that out.
00:54All this time, I had never been his wife. Not legally.
00:57No spousal visa. No work arrangement.
01:00I didn't say a word. I packed everything I could carry and booked the first train out of the city.
01:06After returning to my apartment that day, I tried the door three times.
01:10Three times the lock beeped. Verification failed.
01:13I double-checked the address. It was right.
01:15But the lock was different.
01:17I called Marcus. He picked up fast.
01:19What is it?
01:20Why is the lock changed? It was fine when I left that morning.
01:23Oh.
01:23This afternoon, Jade said her lock was broken. She's used to hours. And ordering one online would
01:27take too long. So I took ours off and had it put on her door. I got a new one
01:31for us. But it hasn't
01:32arrived yet. Find a hotel for tonight. I'm working late. I won't be back.
01:36Jade's lock broke. So he gave her hours. Then they sent me, the hostess, to the hotel. I thought
01:42I'd heard wrong. By the time the words reached my mouth, all that was left was,
01:46Okay.
01:47What else was there to say? Our home, with a stranger's fingerprint on the lock. I hung up.
01:53I found a budget hotel at the end of the street. 90 pounds a night. When I tapped my card,
01:58the balance was almost gone. When we first arrived in London,
02:01Marcus had given me a linked card with no limit. After a while, Jade started handling most of his
02:07purchases. His clothes, his watch, the travel mug on his desk. She was responsible for buying
02:13everything. Gradually, the card migrated to her. He said she had better taste. She said she was just
02:19doing her job as his assistant. I didn't push back. On our third wedding anniversary, dinner for two,
02:26candles on the table. The mood was just settling in when the doorbell rang. Jade stood in the doorway,
02:32slightly out of breath, holding a small box. She pressed it into his hands.
02:36Professor, it's your special night. I made sure to pick these up for you.
02:40She glanced at me and smiled easily. You always say this brand is the most comfortable.
02:44Thoughtful of me, isn't it? Don't I deserve some credit?
02:46Marcus took the box. He made an awkward sound in his throat. She waved and left. The door closed.
02:52He carried the box of condoms back to the table and set it down without looking at me.
02:57I looked at the box. I didn't speak. I never knew which kind he preferred. We've been trying for a
03:02child. We hadn't been using anything. That candlelit dinner felt like a punishment. At the end of it,
03:07I said something had come up at the university. He picked up his jacket and left. The door clicked
03:12shut. And I understood that an assistant's duties could be that thorough. That night I dreamed of
03:18the year we first arrived. Two heavy suitcases. The arrivals terminal. Marcus waiting at the gate.
03:24Back then, he was still the man who had gone red-eyed with guilt because I had left everything behind
03:29to come to him. The man who carried my bags. Who let me lean on him when I was tired.
03:34Then Jade arrived. Marcus said she had sacrificed a lot to follow him here. He had to help her. So
03:40he
03:40helped her get residency. Found her a job. And now, helped her take the lock off my door.
03:46Three years of trying to justify my presence. Three years of refusing to just be a housewife.
03:51And in all that time, I had missed so many small things. Like every weekend, something's come up at
03:56the university. Gone all day. When I asked what, he always said, you wouldn't understand. Like the time he
04:03forgot a document and I brought it to his office. Two toothbrushes on the bathroom sink. One blue,
04:08one pink. I never looked too closely. The next morning I went to buy a train ticket home. Waiting
04:13in line, I thought about the queue at customs three years ago. It had been just as long. But I
04:18was about
04:19to see the man I loved. So I didn't feel it at all. Then a girl waved from behind him.
04:24Professor! What a coincidence! I was on the same flight as Claire.
04:27Marcus smiled and took her suitcase. He turned to me. I forgot to mention, Jade's coming on to keep
04:33working as my assistant. She's a long way from home. It wasn't easy for her. Jade smiled sweetly
04:38at me. Look after me, okay? My smile stiffened slightly. I nodded. In the car, I watched them
04:43talk. When she spoke, Marcus turned to listen. When she pointed out something in the sky, he looked
04:49where she pointed. A friend came back to New York and called me. Claire, that thing you asked me to
04:53look into. She hesitated. I could only access registration records. They're strict about
04:59privacy over there. I couldn't pull the full file. It's fine. Whatever you find. Two seconds of quiet.
05:06The wife registered Marcus in London. Her last name is the same as Jade's. I held the phone.
05:11I didn't speak. Are you okay? I'm fine. Thank you. I hung up. The same last name as Jade. His
05:18wife is not
05:19even me. Those first months in London, I tried to find work. My specialty was art history. Nice
05:26enough that nothing came up. Hundreds of applications. No response. Or a polite no. Being
05:32rejected, again and again, was something I didn't know how to hold. I spent those nights awake,
05:38turning it over. Was I not good enough? Finally, I went to Marcus. I said, haltingly.
05:44Could you ask around? There's that spousal arrangement in the talent package, isn't there?
05:49I wondered if there was something available. I couldn't finish. I had never asked for a favor
05:54in my life. I knew technically it was something I was entitled to, as his spouse. Part of the
05:59university's relocation terms. But saying it out loud made my face burn, like I was doing something
06:05shameful. Sure. He said, without looking up from his papers. If you want to work, I'll ask around.
06:10I felt a small loosening in my chest. That was three months before anything more was said.
06:16He said he'd been busy. He'd get to it. By then, Jade had already been at Harwick for months. Good
06:21hours. Good pay. Marcus said she'd applied through the normal process. I believed him. Looking back,
06:28her qualifications were below mine. Her professional experience was thinner. She struggled even with
06:33everyday English. I had applied through the same channels. Not a word back. The answer had been in
06:39front of me the whole time. I just hadn't been willing to see it. The line moved forward. My turn.
06:45I pushed my travel document through the slot. The clerk typed for a moment. Her brow creased.
06:51Ma'am, I can't issue a ticket with this document. Why not? She turned the screen slightly toward me.
06:57The system shows your permitted stay has expired. Expired? Your last extension application wasn't
07:02approved. There's no valid leave to remain on record for you. Three years. I had been in London for
07:07three years without a single valid permit. What do I do now? You'll need to go to the immigration
07:12office first. Once you have a die departure clearance, you can purchase a ticket. I didn't
07:17even have a legal right to be here. Then what had these three years been? I left the station and
07:22called
07:22the immigration consultant. Margaret, I need to ask about my situation. My extension applications have
07:27never gone through. I'm looking at a significant fine now. What happened? Mrs. Clare, that shouldn't be
07:33the case at all. Marcus is a Harwick professor. Spousal dependent application should have been
07:37straightforward. Were all his sponsorship documents filed? He said they were. That's
07:42strange. Let me pull something up. Silence for a moment. When she came back, her voice was quieter.
07:47Can I ask you something direct? When Marcus sponsored you, did he go through the spousal visa pathway?
07:52Family reunification? I held the phone. I didn't answer. The system is showing that the spousal slot
07:57linked to Marcus's file was approved by a woman whose last name matches his assistance. He did file
08:02something for you, but not as a spouse, a different route. That route was discontinued at about a year
08:07ago, which is why your renewal stopped going through. Understood. Thank you, Margaret.
08:12I hung up. I stood still and let the pieces settle. Three years ago, the day I arrived,
08:17Marcus had said he would handle all the paperwork. He took my documents, told me later it was sorted.
08:23I hadn't asked again. What I had thought was love, crossing an ocean, starting over, had become an
08:29illegal overstay. I spent the rest of the afternoon running from office to office. In the end, there
08:35was only one way out. Marcus, my former sponsor, had to submit a signed statement, confirming that
08:42he had failed to notify me of the change in sponsorship status, and that my overstay was not
08:47deliberate. Then I could pay the fine, apply for a short stay departure permit, and leave legally.
08:53Simple. One signature. But how do you ask for that? Since you gave my spousal slot to someone else,
08:58can you sign here so I can go? And if we were counting, what about the last three years?
09:04Did we settle that too? I went back to what Marcus called home. He wasn't there. The door was shut.
09:10I didn't wait. I called a locksmith. Once everything was in order, I went to university. His office door
09:17was slightly ajar. Professor, this artist residency with the Harwick Foundation, you're really putting me
09:24forward for it. Jade's voice. A note of practice delight in it. I know I'm not really qualified.
09:29This should go to Claire. It's literally her field. I stopped outside the door. An artist residency. I had
09:35never heard Marcus mention it. Art history. My program in New York takes eight people a year. I was
09:41one of them. It was the kind of degree that led somewhere. Curators, specialists, department heads. I had
09:48given all of that up. And this opportunity, he had never even suggested I apply.
09:53Don't worry about it. I've already made the call. As for Claire, she has me. She doesn't need these
09:59things. And honestly, with your abilities, if you'd had the same opportunities she did, you'd have done
10:05just as well. So my years of work were just opportunities in his mind. My specialty, the thing
10:11I was proudest of, was something anyone could match with the right breaks. The door opened. Jade stepped
10:17out. Claire, are you here to see the professor? This floor is staff only though. Maybe wait
10:23downstairs in the lobby? Love does something for a person. Move. I reached out to push past her. She
10:29stumbled back dramatically, falling into the office. Marcus stood up from his desk. He looked at me, cold.
10:36Then he crouched down to help her up. Are you hurt? She bit her lip and shook her head. I'm
10:42fine. I lost
10:43my balance. It wasn't Claire's fault. Marcus straightened and looked at me. Jade was just doing
10:48her job. What was that for? I looked at him, then at Jade, blinking up at him with red-rimmed
10:54eyes.
10:55I didn't bother. I need you to sign a statement for the immigration office. What statement? I handed him
11:01the pages. He took them, scanned the first few lines, and stopped. You came here and pulled that
11:07stunt for this? Claire, when did you get like this? Sign it, or I go to the dean right now
11:12and ask how a
11:13professor's spousal residency slot ended up filed under his assistant's name. Claire, enough. Don't
11:20forget who's been keeping you. Without me, you can't stay in this country. You can't go anywhere. Go home.
11:26We'll talk tonight. I looked at him for two seconds. When he begged me to come to London,
11:30he said, I'll take care of you. Now he said, don't forget who keeps you. Sign it now, and we
11:36can both
11:36walk away with some dignity. His gaze hardened. Security. Two uniformed men appeared. He glanced
11:42at me. Please see my wife out. She's not feeling well. He leaned close and said quietly, we'll talk
11:49tonight, okay? Don't make this into something. There was nothing left to say tonight. By nine that
11:55evening, Marcus was driving home. He thought about the afternoon, pushed it aside. Those pages she
12:01brought, he hadn't even finished reading them. Immigration statement? Claire was home all day.
12:06What did she need documents like that for? The new lock was on the door, slightly ajar. He stopped.
12:12The lights were on inside. He pushed the door open and walked to the bedroom.
12:17The spousal slot thing, I've explained this. Jade needed it more than you did. She came all this way.
12:23She deserved to be taken care of. Stop making it into something. He put his hand on the door handle.
12:28He pushed it open and stopped. Ten minutes later, two police officers stood in front of Marcus.
12:34Notebooks open. Mr. Marcus, you're certain this is a burglary? Yes. His voice was tight. My wife's
12:39documents, clothes, personal belongings, all gone. And when I came home, the door wasn't locked.
12:46Someone must have gotten in. The other officer examined the lock. It's new. No signs of forced entry.
12:52Marcus hesitated. I replaced the lock yesterday. I hadn't had a chance to program her print yet.
12:57You hadn't programmed her print. So how was your wife getting in?
13:00Marcus opened his mouth. How was she getting in? Wait for him to come home. Or stand at the door?
13:08He thought, suddenly, of how many times she had done exactly that over three years.
13:14Waited until dinner went cold. Waited until dark. Waited until he texted to say he wasn't coming back.
13:20What I mean is, he continued. She probably couldn't get in so she called a lock Nifno herself. The lock
13:26on
13:26there now, the one I installed. You're saying your wife couldn't get into her own home? And instead
13:30of calling you or waiting, she called a lark mister and changed the lock herself?
13:33Marcus opened his mouth. Yes. Her contact number. Off. It's been off. I can't get through.
13:41The officers exchanged a look. When did you last see her?
13:44This afternoon. In his office, he had called security to walk her out.
13:48This afternoon, she was still home this afternoon. Anything else missing? Besides her belongings?
13:52No. A pause. Just hers.
13:56Mr. Marcus, this may not be a burglary. It looks like your wife changed the lock,
14:00packed her things and left. That's not possible.
14:06She wouldn't leave.
14:07The flat was intact. Nothing valuable missing. Only her things. Only hers. But he held the line.
14:15My wife loves me. She left a career in New York to come here with me. She wouldn't just walk
14:20out.
14:20Mr. Marcus, did you and your wife have an argument this afternoon?
14:24An argument. He thought of her standing at his desk, holding out those pages.
14:28The way she had looked at him when security walked her out. Too calm.
14:33No argument.
14:34One officer finished writing. The other returned from checking the building's internal cameras.
14:39Broken, as it turned out.
14:40We'll try to pull footage from outside. In the meantime, we'd suggest reaching out to your wife's family or friends.
14:47See if anyone knows where she might be.
14:49Marcus nodded. The officers left. He stood in the doorway and looked at the door.
14:53Still slightly open. Family or friends.
14:56She had neither in London. Three years. And she had not made a single friend here.
15:00He had told her she didn't need to work. Didn't need a social life. She had him.
15:05He found his mother-in-law's number. Let it ring. She answered warmly.
15:09Oh, is everything alright? Calling this late?
15:11Marcus's throat moved.
15:12Has Claire been in touch today?
15:14No. Why?
15:15She lost her phone, he said. Just checking around.
15:18He hung up. He scrolled through his contacts. Her college roommate. Her closest friend from New York.
15:24Her old colleagues. He had none of their numbers. Not one.
15:29He stood in the hallway and thought about all the time she had asked to go back.
15:34My best friend's getting married next month. I want to go. There's a reunion next week.
15:38I haven't seen these people in years. My mom hasn't been well. I want to check on her.
15:44Every time he said, Don't bother. It's too much trouble.
15:47And she had stayed. He had assumed she was listening to him. Now he understood.
15:51She stayed because she knew he didn't want to go with her. And she wouldn't go without him.
15:56He tried her number again. Off. Still off.
15:59He walked to the bedroom. Stood in front of her side of the wardrobe. Empty.
16:03Three years. She had followed him here and given up everything.
16:07A career that was going somewhere. A mentor who believed in him.
16:11Her circle. Her friends. The life she would have had.
16:14She had never once said she regretted it.
16:16His phone rang. The police station.
16:22Mr. Marcus. We pulled footage from the cameras outside the building.
16:26At approximately 5 o'clock this afternoon, your wife left with a suitcase.
16:29No signs of distress. She was alone.
16:32He held the phone and didn't speak.
16:34At this stage, it appears she left of her own accord.
16:38She was really gone.
16:39Marcus slid down against the wardrobe until he was sitting on the floor.
16:43He looked at the wedding photo on the opposite wall.
16:46White dress. Dark suit.
16:48Both of them looking at the camera. Smiling.
16:51Three years.
16:52Marcus. Will we stay together?
16:56Yes.
16:58Then I believe you.
16:59And she had.
17:00For three years, she had believed him.
17:03He dropped his head into his hands.
17:05His phone buzzed.
17:06A transaction alert.
17:08The linked card he had given Jade.
17:10Just charged.
17:11A boutique in the city.
17:12$13,800.
17:15Women's handbags.
17:16Marcus stared at the screen.
17:18A couple of days ago, Jade mentioned wanting a new bag.
17:21He had said sure, without thinking.
17:23$13,800.
17:26Claire's allowance was $2,000 a month.
17:28Out of that, groceries.
17:30Utilities.
17:31Everything.
17:31Enough to get by.
17:33Nothing more.
17:34She had never asked for anything else.
17:36The one time she came to him with a request, standing in his office, holding those pages,
17:41he hadn't finished reading them.
17:43He got up.
17:44Called Margaret.
17:45Professor?
17:46It's late.
17:47Something wrong?
17:48Has Claire been in touch with you?
17:49She came to me before.
17:51Asked about residencies.
17:52And recently...
17:53She asked how to sort out the paperwork.
17:55To leave the country legally.
17:56She had come to his office today to get that sorted.
17:59That was all she wanted.
18:00A signature so she could go.
18:02There's something else I think you should know.
18:05When she came to see me, she mentioned the marriage certificate.
18:08She knows it's not real.
18:09The phone nearly left his hand.
18:13She knows?
18:14Yes.
18:15That's why she stopped asking about the spousal visa route.
18:17The call ended.
18:19The sound in his ears like static.
18:21His shoulders began to shake.
18:23Jade sent a message.
18:24A string of cheerful texts about the bag needing a matching outfit.
18:28More transaction alerts followed within minutes.
18:31He thought about when he had first handed her that card.
18:34Her first purchase had been a full wardrobe.
18:36Things befitting, she'd said.
18:38The assistant of someone in his position.
18:40But Claire had nothing.
18:41He had asked her to give up her career, her friends, her entire life.
18:45And in three years, what had he given her?
18:48A fake marriage certificate.
18:50A visa status that was never going to come through.
18:52An illegal overstay she didn't even know she was in.
18:56And he, her supposed husband, had let all of it slip from his mind entirely.
19:01Too busy building a life in London for someone else.
19:04He didn't know what he was doing.
19:06He drove to the transit terminal and sat there until morning.
19:09No record of Claire leaving the country.
19:11He stood in the terminal hall and stared at that information for a long time.
19:16No departure on record.
19:18She was still here.
19:19As long as she was in the city, he could find her.
19:22And if he could find her, he could explain.
19:24It's Marcus.
19:25I need your help.
19:26I want to get Claire's status sorted.
19:29Whatever it takes.
19:30Tell me what to do and I'll do it.
19:32Margaret met him at a cafe.
19:33He sat down and went straight to it.
19:37What's the fastest way to get her proper documentation?
19:39I'll cooperate with anything.
19:41Mr. Marcus, you've known the fastest way, if she's your spouse.
19:45Mr. Marcus, you've known the fastest way, if she's your spouse.
19:50Margaret, about the marriage certificate, I want to explain.
19:52A few years ago, someone looked into it for me.
19:55Told me that for the exceptional talent visa, it was cleaner to come in as single.
19:58Get settled first, then sort out the spouse paperwork later.
20:01Claire's mother was ill at the time.
20:03She wanted to see us properly married before.
20:05I had two certificates made up just to ease her mind.
20:08I intended to register properly once we were stable.
20:11Mr. Marcus, that's not true.
20:13There's no such rule.
20:14Who told you that?
20:16My assistant, she looked into it, said it wasn't common knowledge.
20:20Margaret was quiet for a moment.
20:21I've been an immigration consultant in this city for 15 years.
20:24The exceptional talent VASA has never had any such requirement.
20:28Being married doesn't complicate the application.
20:31If anything, a spouse accompanying you is a positive factor.
20:35The year you joined Hartwick, several other professors came over with their entire families.
20:39Spousal visas were processed normally.
20:42The fastest cases were done in three months.
20:44Three years ago, Jade helped him prepare his application materials.
20:48She had been insistent.
20:49Professor, it's really better not list yourself as married.
20:52The background checks get complicated.
20:54Get to London, get settled, and then handle the spouse paperwork.
20:58It won't cause any delays.
20:59He had believed her.
21:00He had always handed the administrative side of things to her.
21:03She knew what she was doing.
21:05He trusted her completely.
21:06So he had shown up at Claire's mother's bedside,
21:09with two forged certificates to put the old woman's mind at ease.
21:13He had intended to register properly once they were settled.
21:16There was always something in the way.
21:18The day Jade had confirmed she was coming to London,
21:21Professor, I'm giving up everything to follow you.
21:23You're responsible for me now.
21:25That I hope to build a life in London, to put down roots.
21:29It would mean so much, she said, if I could stay.
21:33A woman who had come all this way.
21:36He agreed without thinking.
21:37She had taken the spousal slot that should have been Claire's,
21:41gotten residency, gotten a job,
21:43used the card he had meant for his wife.
21:45Mr. Marcus.
21:46Margaret's voice.
21:47He looked up.
21:48The assistant.
21:49That's Jade, isn't it?
21:50He said nothing.
21:51Margaret let out a long breath.
21:53He stood to leave.
21:54His phone rang.
21:55Harwick administration.
21:58Professor Marcus.
21:59We need you to come into the dean's office this afternoon at three.
22:03There are some matters that require your explanation in person.
22:06It concerns your personnel file and your spousal sponsorship documents.
22:09Someone has submitted a formal complaint to the university.
22:15Marcus sat in the conference room in the dean's suite.
22:18Two documents on the table in front of him.
22:20Professor Marcus, can you confirm these are both genuine?
22:23Under UK law, bigamy is a criminal offense.
22:27The university has received a notice of cooperation with the home office.
22:30We also need an explanation regarding the marital status declaration you submitted when you joined the faculty.
22:35That he had concealed a marriage?
22:37Did he register a second one in London to give Jade residency?
22:40That he had left Claire waiting three years without so much as a legal right to be in the country.
22:45He couldn't say any of it.
22:47The investigators came in quickly afterward.
22:50Professor Marcus.
22:51Were you unaware that falsifying documents is a criminal matter?
22:55Or that two congruent marriages constitute bigamy?
22:57He had just not bothered to think.
23:00The things he hadn't bothered to think about.
23:02Someone else had spent three years thinking about them instead.
23:05Jade had thought about it for three years.
23:08How to stay.
23:09How to secure her position.
23:10How to move into space beside him.
23:13Inch by inch.
23:14Until it was hers.
23:15And Claire.
23:16Claire had stood in a kitchen for three years waiting.
23:19Waiting for him to come home for dinner.
23:21Waiting for him to remember they had a home.
23:23Waiting for him to take even a small part of his attention away from the things he couldn't be bothered
23:29to think about.
23:30And give it to her.
23:31He never did.
23:32Marcus was suspended from all teaching and research.
23:35His salary stopped during the investigation.
23:38When he walked out of the dean's suite.
23:40Jade was in the corridor.
23:41Her face was white.
23:43Her eyes were red.
23:44She came toward him.
23:47They've suspended me too.
23:48They called to say the placement has been withdrawn.
23:51Marcus looked at her.
23:52That coat was new.
23:53She bought it last week.
23:55The bag on her arm.
23:56$13,800.
23:59Charged last night.
24:00Claire never touched luxury labels.
24:03The card.
24:04Give it back.
24:05Professor?
24:06That card was for Claire.
24:08Not for you.
24:09She shifted the bag behind her.
24:10Her eyes went redder.
24:13I've been with you for three years.
24:15You followed me for three years.
24:16She waited for me for three years.
24:18You told me not to register for the marriage.
24:20You planned this from the beginning, didn't you?
24:23Her expression confirmed it.
24:24I just wanted to stay.
24:27Marcus looked at her and felt nothing but exhaustion.
24:29She just wanted to stay.
24:31So Claire had to go.
24:33He had stood here for three years and had not seen it.
24:35The legal proceedings were ugly.
24:37Jade refused to dissolve the registered marriage.
24:40She hired a lawyer and went after compensation, reinstatement, and a public statement from Marcus acknowledging their relationship as a
24:48genuine marriage.
24:49Marcus gave her none of it.
24:51She had come to London with nothing.
24:52She left with three years of employment on her record, residency status, and the debt from the card repayments the
24:58court ordered.
24:59Marcus didn't come out of it much better.
25:01He went back to New York several times to find Claire.
25:04Everyone in her neighborhood said she hadn't come back.
25:07Back and forth.
25:08Weeks becoming months.
25:09No job.
25:10No home.
25:11No one.
25:12He rented a small flat, far from where they lived.
25:15Some nights, he went and stood in the corridor outside their old building, where she used to wait for him.
25:20No one stood in that spot anymore.
25:22One year later, the London Art Fair.
25:25Marcus had been pulled along by a former student.
25:27Come and look.
25:29It'll do you good.
25:30He wandered through the rooms without much purpose.
25:32Then he stopped.
25:33To his left, in front of a large canvas, stood a woman.
25:37She was wearing a deep gray dress.
25:38Her hair was longer than he remembered.
25:40Pulled back loosely.
25:42She was turned slightly away, speaking to someone beside her.
25:45A quiet smile at the corner of her mouth.
25:48Marcus stopped breathing for a moment.
25:50He moved toward her without thinking.
25:52She was thinner, but she looked well.
25:54Her eyes were bright.
25:55When she spoke, she made small gestures with her hands, the way she always had.
25:59She smiled again.
26:00That smile.
26:01He hadn't seen it in three years.
26:03Not in London.
26:04He had seen it once.
26:06When they were first married.
26:07He walked faster.
26:08He just needed to get to her.
26:10Tell her what exactly.
26:11Was he wrong?
26:12That he had spent a year looking?
26:14That the certificate was fake, but he had never meant to deceive her.
26:17He had just been too busy.
26:19Too stupid.
26:20Claire.
26:20She turned.
26:21The moment she saw him, the smile left her face.
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