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Short filmTranscript
00:02The debt is mine. I'll settle it.
00:04And who might you be? This is family business. Stay out of it.
00:09That's $100,000.
00:10But for slapping her, and for threatening my son, you will be run out of this town by the end
00:15of the week.
00:16And if you so much as look at them again, you'll wish you'd never been born.
00:28Luna! You bitch! Come back!
00:31She can't run far! I drugged her soda ten minutes ago! She'll pass out soon!
00:40Sir, the car broke down. There is a nearby. I will go and have a look.
00:47Do you know what you are doing?
00:50Please, let me hide here. They want to kidnap me.
00:55Please don't let them take me away.
00:58Hey! Anyone inside? Have you seen a tall girl with brown hair, wearing a white t-shirt and jeans?
01:04No. There's no one else here but me.
01:07Are you sure? She took my money. My son and I have been looking for her for hours.
01:12I said no.
01:16Let's go, Dad. She can't have gone far. Let's search the woods.
01:23You're burning up. I have to take you to the hospital.
01:26No! I can't go to the hospital. They'll find me there. Please.
01:57You don't know what you're doing.
01:59No, I can't play anymore.
02:01Jasper, I'm sorry. Mommy doesn't know who your father is either.
02:07Finally found you!
02:13what are you doing this is all my income all your income you owe us more than that
02:18you ran away six years ago cost me miles carter's wedding gift money you're coming back with me
02:23today give me three thousand dollars next month if you can't i'll sue you in court for elder abuse
02:28and take away jasper's custody it's not your fault baby mommy is useless no you have a dad
02:37he is a very powerful man he will definitely come find us arthur stop rushing me i know your 90th
02:44birthday is coming up soon push if i don't push i'll die without seeing my grand-grandson
02:50if you don't bring me a grand-grandson today don't call me grandpa
02:56stop the car
03:01mom this man looks exactly like the daddy i drew in my picture
03:07little guy what's your name my name is jasper snow
03:12jasper i'll give you ten thousand dollars you act in a play with me be my son for one day
03:16okay
03:17act in a play what kind of play pretend to be be my son and cheer up your great-grandpad
03:21once you're done acting ten thousand dollars is yours you can use the money to find your dad
03:28sir this my name is asher king don't worry it's just acting after it's done i'll arrange a place
03:36for you to live as an extra
03:39you
03:56mom am i handsome yes my handsome boy our jasper is the most handsome
04:06must be fake when has ashon ever been in a relationship just wait we'll expose him soon enough
04:15grandpa
04:18oh my sweet little one grandpa finally gets to meet you
04:27sweetheart look this is the room grandpa prepared for you it has dinosaur toys and legos
04:34wow thank you grandpa as long as you like it from now on this is your home
04:40hurry up and do the dna test tomorrow at the party i'll make them lose everything
04:43don't worry i've already arraigned it with the lab i know the results will be ready tomorrow
04:51is this asher's wife and son they are so beautiful yes a perfect match
04:58oh i'm so sorry i didn't mean to
05:03it's okay
05:06aunt watch your step
05:16jasper come to grandpa
05:19grandpa
05:24what could it be he's mr asher's son looks like there's a big announcement today
05:29grandpa jasper wish you a happy birthday i drew this myself i hope you like it
05:34grandpa i know you love grandchildren one grandson isn't enough so i drew you five more
05:42sweetheart you really know what your grandpa wants
05:49good good thank you jasper
05:57mom let's use the plates
06:02look at her does she look like a rich man's wife exactly she must be some random woman
06:06he found just to make the old man happy
06:10i said she was some noble lady but i was clearly mistaken
06:13hilarious even my maid wouldn't eat like that that's how construction mercants eat
06:19everyone come look the young lady the king family is squatted on the ground eating how ridiculous
06:26mom are you laughing at us sweetheart mom mom seems to have embarrassed you
06:41what's wrong with squatting while eating i squatted and ate when i was camping as a kid
06:45that's right when my great grandfather came to america from ireland he squatted on the dock and ate too
06:54look it turns out squatting while eating is so noble and elegant
06:59from now on i will also squat to eat dad why attitude so fast sweetheart as long as you successed
07:07everything you do is right
07:13ladies and gentlemen please be quiet i have an important announcement to make everyone has been
07:16deceived this child is not a king at all this woman is not some lady of noble birth she's just
07:19a single
07:20mother from the countryside bringing a bastard child to scam family's money marcus what nonsense
07:24are you talking i'm not talking nonsense i've already taken ashen in this child's hair for a dna
07:28test and the results will be here any minute that's right we have proof once the report comes out let's
07:31see what they have to say uncle you've gone too far too far i'm doing this for the king family
07:36i can't
07:37let outsiders ruin our reputation i've also contacted her family they're on their way
07:44brother you've been deceived this child is not your grandson at all he's just someone ashley hired to
07:49fool you you bastard how dare you lie to me don't you hit my dad dad he's not your dad
07:58at all
08:01grandpa are you okay mom did dad get hit because of me no it's not because of you it's mom's
08:07fault
08:08mom we messed up didn't we grandpa he's not gonna be okay is he you a country woman with a
08:14child out
08:15of wedlock dare to cling to our family and dream of rising to the top in one step you're finished
08:20the test results will be here any minute
08:25i've been waiting day and night and finally got a grandson
08:29i never thought it would be fake grandpa oh brother i told you long ago this grandson was fake
08:37you just wouldn't believe me when we got home a month later i married damon whitmore a year
08:41later we had our first baby and now i was pregnant with our second honestly if it had not been
08:46for
08:46damon's family memorial i never would have set foot back in this country and i definitely would not
08:50have run into ethan
08:57madden's baby needs a dad on paper i'll marry you once my dorses final
09:02everyone thought i would swallow my pride and wait another month after all i had already waited
09:07seven years but that night i left the country for an arranged marriage i vanished from his world
09:12completely three years later i returned with my husband for a family memorial my husband had
09:17something urgent to handle at the last minute so he asked his local branch to send someone to pick
09:21me up i stepped out of the airport and froze behind the wheel was ethan my ex-fiance ethan isn't
09:27that your obsessed ex isn't that natalie see i told you guys she would come crawling back natalie
09:33disappeared for three years not a call not a text and now ethan finally has money and look who
09:38suddenly found her way back she probably spent every night stalking his socials and crying into
09:42a cheap pillow natalie if you're trying to stage a dramatic reunion sweatpants were a bold choice
09:47couldn't you at least brush your hair first or did life without ethan's get so bad you stop trying
09:51altogether you look like you came here to ask for a favor not make a comeback it was true i
09:56used to
09:56spend hours getting ready for ethan full makeup tight designer dresses i always made sure i looked
10:01absolutely perfect for him but i didn't need to do that anymore i'm pregnant so my husband won't
10:06let me wear makeup he wants me to dress however feels best he even has this plain looking lounge
10:11wear custom tailored for me in paris listening to them mock me it suddenly clicked they had only
10:16read the name on the corporate dispatch they had no idea the vip they were picking up was me
10:20a former acquaintance of mine anyway it's nice having you back ethan actually spent years hunting
10:25for you and asking all over about ethan's face stiffened for a second then he acted like nothing
10:29happened madison's kid starts preschool next week from now on you're in charge of drop off and pickup
10:34he was still incredibly arrogant but i was not that naive little girl anymore seeing him only filled
10:38me with annoyance i did not want to waste another second on them when i was just about to tell
10:43them exactly who i was natalie don't blame ethan for this he's only trying to look out for you you
10:48disappeared for three years who knows what kind of shady things you had to do to survive look at you
10:53life really chewed you up ethan even wanted to give you a job as my personal secretary but clearly
10:58that would be too much for you don't worry being my narnie is honest work no one's gonna look down
11:02on you for that all right natalie drop the attitude you clearly couldn't make it on your own so stop
11:08making a scene take care of the kid and learn your place don't worry we still have a spare room
11:15for the
11:15nannies downstairs natalie look how good ethan is to you he's giving you free room and board isn't
11:20babysitting better than whatever life you've been scraping by on hurry up and say thank you don't
11:25worry dear if my son acts up i'll make sure he behaves i won't let anyone give you a hard
11:29time
11:30give me a break who's giving her a hard time she disappeared over one tiny misunderstanding
11:34if life got rough out there maybe she needed the lesson hearing that my heart actually skipped a beat
11:39even now he still thought doing the city hall wedding registration with madison was only a tiny thing
11:44the ethan who used to love me was truly dead he was no longer the boy who carried me across
11:48town
11:49whatever that love had been it was all in the past after all i was about to give birth to
11:53my second
11:53baby anyway aren't you here to pick me up let's go the scene went quiet for a moment
11:59several people exchanged looks then they suddenly burst into laughter madison laughed like i had told
12:04a joke waiting for you do you even deserve that read the sign we're waiting for mrs whitmore do you
12:10even know who that is mrs whitmore is the lady of the whitmore family she is damon whitmore's lawful
12:14wife and mr whitmore is a ruthless billionaire but in private he is deeply devoted people say he refused
12:20to get married back then because he was waiting for her everyone in our circle knows this don't
12:24bother sucking up to damon suck up to mrs wiltmore she is his entire world listening to them
12:29gossip about my marriage i could not help smiling after three years of marriage damon's business had
12:34grown bigger and bigger and his reputation as a fiercely devoted husband had spread everywhere
12:39madison had always wanted to stand above me she would never miss a chance to show off in front of
12:43me
12:43to spoil his wife damon whitmore once bought a diamond bracelet at christie's it's called eternal heart
12:49it costs 20 million dollars mrs whitmore is literally the most envied woman on earth that's the exact same bracelet
12:59it's a pretty good fake what broke delivery guy bought you this a cheap knockoff as a gift pathetic
13:08it really is a high quality fake way better than the replica i bought but i'd never wear mine in
13:12public
13:13that would be humiliating foreign knockoffs really are something the weight almost feels real wait don't
13:19tell me you're saying you're the real mrs whitmore natalie are you seriously claiming you're the legendary
13:24billionaire's wife natalie why don't you sell me this fake i'll pay you double whatever that broke
13:29delivery guy paid give that back right now damon gave that to me shut your mouth natalie are you
13:40trying to get us both killed you think you can just casually drop mr whitwell's name are you trying to
13:46drag me down with you do you have any idea how hard we fought for this airport pickup mr whitfield
13:52bought
13:52out ethan's company last year now all of us depend on him to survive the only way ethan keeps his
13:56position is if we impress mrs whitfield and you're out here spreading insane rumors about knowing him
14:00are you trying to ruin ethan's career don't push your luck natalie you ungrateful little ethan was
14:08kind enough to keep you off the street i know you're bitter about the past but trying to wreck his
14:12career just to get back at him that's sick hearing her say that felt exactly like three years ago
14:17no matter what i did madison twisted it she would feed ethan her poisoned version of the truth in the
14:22early days he used to defend me but by the end he always took her side just like right now
14:30you're such a bitter jealous woman
14:36for the sake of what we used to be i'll let this slide take the cash go buy yourself something
14:40decent
14:40to wear if you really don't want a nanny madison's kid i'll pull some strings and get you a proper
14:44job
14:44next week don't worry ever since the whitmore acquisition this kind of money is pocket cheese
14:49to me no thank you sir i don't take handouts from strangers
15:00natalie i gave you money and you still refused what do you mean i'm a stranger to you since we've
15:05already broken up it's better not to have any contact otherwise people might understand the company
15:09is holding a dinner for mr whitmore in three days i plan to take you there to see the world
15:12but you need
15:13buy a proper outfit first don't embarrass me when the time comes there really is no needed natalie
15:17you really have learned some attitude sure and poor always have the worst piece and you don't want
15:20to go forget it i'll take madison ethan i'll behave well i absolutely embarrassed you i did not want
15:25to keep getting tangled up with them i hope that in three days you can still be this confident i
15:30practically sprinted out of the arrival terminal the fresh air outside finally pushed down the nausea
15:34churning in my stomach my mind flashed back to three years ago this is the best choice for our
15:41family you have to accept natalie don't be childish it's for your own good i will never marry someone
15:44i don't love ethan just elope with me let's leave here
15:56her child needs a legal father i will divorce madison in a month then marry you watching him
16:03hold her hand and walk into that clerk's office i was completely done i flew overseas for a blind date
16:07that very night a month later i married damon whitmore a year later we had our first baby and
16:13now i was pregnant with our second honestly if it had not been for damon's family memorial i never
16:17would have set foot back in this country and i definitely would not have run into ethan
16:27you said you wouldn't come but your body is honest if you want to chase me and make me turn
16:31back you at
16:32least need to make me happy for an occasion like today you need to dress properly only then can you
16:36match my
16:37status natalie i'm talking to you did you hear me our seats are right here where do you think you're
16:43going those are your seats my seat is over there natalie tonight is miss miss witter's first public
16:53appearance this year this winter dare you wear that bracelet wait is that the eternal heart bracelet
16:57the one mr whitworth bought for his wife tonight is mrs whitworth's first public appearance is this
17:02woman trying to insult mrs whitworth she's snoke in she trying to embarrass us in front of mr whitworth
17:06excuse me ethan is this young lady with you no i don't know her take that fake bracelet off and
17:11get out are you sure you want me to leave what are you pretending for stop acting like you're
17:15important hurry up and take off the bracelet
17:22survived but all the guests went quiet at once dominic stood out in any crowd without even trying
17:28red roses had always been my favorite after one night with my foster father dominic i found out i was
17:33pregnant i clutched the pregnancy test and confessed my love to him he rejected me then he got together
17:39with my best friend blair blair framed me for pushing her down the stairs and causing her miscarriage
17:43because of that i was sent to london for college when my water broke in the hospital the pain nearly
17:48tore me apart but i couldn't even afford the bill so i called dominic dominic please could you lend me
17:54some money i swear i'll pay you back aria you knew today was my engagement party did you call just
17:58to
17:58ruin it blair was right i've spoiled you rotten that night the woman in your bed was enough stop
18:05lying if you refuse to change don't even think about coming home he hung up while i am giving birth
18:09alone dominic is getting engaged to blair five years later i had been invited back to attend their
18:13wedding the man standing across from me looked just as i remembered he is your kid i'm watching
18:19him for a friend he he looks a lot like me right when you see blair you need to apologize
18:24to her you
18:25owe her a life i froze for a second then i let out a bitter laugh and got into the
18:30back seat
18:33dominic rolled down the window and blew out a stream of cigarette smoke
18:36soon the car stopped outside the familiar estate it was halloween my head suddenly split with pain
18:41you tonight for a moment i almost felt safe
18:47dominic i don't feel well can you come stay with me blair isn't feeling well i have to check on
18:52her
18:52you'll be fine right he carried our luggage to my room everything in this house looked the same
18:56but i was no longer the princess he once sheltered my wound had torn open again earlier you come back
19:01and have nothing to say to me you've been gone for five years i'm sorry i'll apologize to blair when
19:06i
19:06see her he turned and left the day before the wedding dominic called me to the fitting room
19:11my clothes used to fill half this closet now there was no trace of them when the bridesmaids dresses
19:16were brought in my stomach dropped most of the gowns were cut to show skin bare shoulders or arms
19:21but my body now blair had picked these on purpose if dominic saw my scars he would start asking for
19:26reasons then he would only think i was trying to blame blair again dominic do i have to try these
19:30on
19:30i picked these for you are you still unhappy with me aria we're best friends right if you don't like
19:36these no worries i have hundreds more picked out for you she wanted to humiliate me no thank you i'll
19:42just wear what i have on don't push your luck don't be so hard on her i spent one whole
19:46night picking
19:47these out but if aria doesn't like it's fine we can go shopping together i know i still can't walk
19:52for
19:52too long because she pushed me down but after all she's your i said no dominic grabbed a glass and
19:58smashed it onto the floor at my feet what the hell do you want why are you overreacting like this
20:04aria five years abroad and you've learned to hurt yourself for sympathy it wasn't like that you were
20:10never like this before doctor checked my wound if aria doesn't want to be a bridesmaid that's
20:14totally fine but leo could be our ring baron we don't have one yet no i don't agree if it
20:21weren't
20:21for what you did to me my child would be about his age right now just think of it as
20:26granting me
20:26one small wish i still don't understand how she fell down the stairs that's how it'll be
20:30i didn't trust leo's safety with them so i followed every step from the fitting to the
20:35rehearsal nothing went wrong but my unease only grew the wedding day arrived i stay with leo in
20:42the farthest corner trying to make myself invisible isn't that area montgomery she dressed like she can
20:47barely pay rent dominic cut her off three years ago i'd heard enough filthy comments about being an
20:52unwed mother over the years these were nothing compared to what i'd already survived but all the
20:57guests went quiet at once dominic stood out in any crowd without even trying red roses had always been
21:03my favorite considered it were you threatening to call security on evelyn shaw over damon pierce's
21:10unpaid balance seven days before my wedding i discovered my fiancee was already married to his
21:15brother's widow my name is evelyn shaw a week before my wedding i flew back from london to
21:21finalize the paperwork for my marriage to damon pierce the wedding planner wanted floral approvals
21:25the venue needed final guest numbers whether the seating chart should read evelyn shaw
21:29or evelyn pierces i had stared at that question for a long time for eight years i had been waiting
21:36to
21:36become mrs pierce that morning i sat across from my attorney in a private office my attorney marion vale
21:43flipped through damon's financial disclosures then her pen stopped moving evelyn has damon ever been
21:49married before i frowned no why she turned her screen toward me a marriage certificate filled the
21:56monitor damon james pierce and clara marie bennett filed 14 months ago i stared at it until the letters
22:02blurred eight years i had spent eight years building that man from nothing his company pierce digital
22:08i funded the seed round his penthouse on the upper west side my down payment his porsche
22:13his investor network his reputation as a self-made tech genius all of it was mine
22:18handed to him piece by piece while i stayed behind the scenes because he said he was not ready to
22:22go
22:22public with us she's his late brother's widow he told me he was just helping her with legal paperwork
22:28my attorney's expression told me everything her words did not i picked up my phone and called him i said
22:35the prenup lawyer found your marriage certificate damon
22:39two seconds of silence damon said it's not what you think clara needed legal protection after my
22:45brother died she has a daughter i married her on paper so lily could stay on my insurance and benefits
22:50it means nothing you've been legally married for over a year and i would have told you eventually
22:55you've waited eight years evelyn what's a little longer i closed my eyes
23:03i have no interest in married men then i hung up the last eight years hit me all at once
23:12then i called my assistant freeze damon pierce's access to everything black card office credentials
23:17building entry parking garage all of it effective immediately not long after my phone started lighting
23:23up damon's name kept flashing across the screen until i finally answered what the hell is wrong
23:28with you you're acting like a child evelyn i explained the situation you explained that you
23:33committed fraud it's not fraud it's a favor clara has no one lily calls me dad what was i supposed
23:38to
23:38do let them end up on the street evelyn please don't blame damon blame me i'm the one evelyn you're
23:43gonna call your assistant restore everything then you're going to apologize to clara for making her
23:46feel unwelcome do that and we can move past this i looked at the prenup draft on the table in
23:50front of me
23:50then i picked it up and fed it into the shredder there's nothing to move past damon there's no
23:56wedding evelyn you brought a wife to our wedding paperwork i brought a witness
24:02to start pulling every asset record with damon pierce's name on it every building every account
24:08every share he thought he was a self-made man he was about to find out what happens when the
24:14woman
24:14who made him decides to unmake him the next morning damon's car was waiting outside my building
24:20now he sat at the curb in the porsche i had paid for looking less like a man caught in
24:24a lie than a
24:24man waiting for his fiancee to stop embarrassing him get in we're going shopping shopping clara is
24:30upset lily is upset you made a scene yesterday the least you can do is help fix it of course
24:35he had
24:37married another woman lied to me for 14 months and somehow i was the one expected to fix the mood
24:41don't
24:41mind i get carsick in the back old evelyn would have argued new and felt nothing but a calm so
24:47steady it
24:47surprised even me i slipped into the back seat because my time stamp let him show who he is in
24:51front of witnesses and don't stop him when he does so i sat behind them phone in my coat pocket
24:55recording everything damon still believed he could get away with damon took us to a luxury boutique on
25:00madison avenue and held the door for clara like she was his wife which legally she was clara and lily
25:07need
25:07new things for the season you should pick something too god knows you could use it i had spent three
25:11years overseas building his investor pipeline he mistook exhaustion for neglect he looked at me like i
25:16was the embarrassing one clara tried on dresses lily twirled in a princess gown damon stood beside them
25:23patient that one wrap that too whatever lily wants luces daisy and shirgondal the sending quet
25:33she had spent all afternoon pretending to be the fragile wife but the second that
25:38dress touched my hands she looked afraid i might outshine her
25:44so i tried it on
25:58clara was checking the child who had just shoved me it's okay sweetheart nobody's going to yell at you
26:05she's a child evelyn don't make a scene she pushed me keep your balance that's not her fault
26:13you saw what happened
26:17let's go she's not worth upsetting lily ever
26:23i changed back into my own clothes when i stepped back out the vip lounge was empty no
26:27cli- two weeks before the wedding a fever brought back the hearing i'd lost 10 years ago excited to
26:31share the good news i grabbed a cab straight to his office the first thing i heard him say was
26:35that
26:35deaf girl doesn't deserve me vanessa you're the one i want to marry because she kept saying her
26:40parents saved my life i hit record my heart died i ripped it up dropped it in the trash then
26:46i called
26:46my uncle i can hear again i said it quietly and hung up then i bought a one-way ticket
26:50to la two weeks
26:51before the wedding a fever brought back the hearing i'd lost 10 years ago saving axel
26:58i grabbed a cab straight to his office excited to share the good news but after all these years the
27:03first thing i heard him say was that deaf girl doesn't deserve me vanessa you're the one i want
27:08to marry i got engaged to her because she kept saying her parents saved my life her laughter and gasps
27:13were clear over the phone relax she's deaf besides isn't this hotter i listened to the moan
27:20i hit record my heart died then i bought a one-way ticket to la for the exact day of
27:25the wedding
27:25when his frantic calls came in i sent him the recording and my message axel i can hear
27:31axel snapped who's there i held my breath tightly a moment passed i don't remember how i got home when
27:37i flicked on the lights i saw a trail of bloody footprints that was when i realized i'd run out
27:41barefoot the glass somewhere had sliced my foot open i pulled the shards out ripping skin with them
27:45none of it hurt like my chest did i lay on the couch in a daze tears soaked the pillow
27:49i
27:49wanted this to be a dream two weeks from now i'd still be axel's bride walking into the wedding
27:54i'd been waiting ten years for but the recording told me axel had betrayed me i don't know how long
27:58i lay there a sharp pain in my foot woke me i opened my eyes axel was holding my foot
28:02picking
28:03out the last bits of glass dabbing antiseptic on the cuts it had been ten years since my parents
28:07died saving him in that fire since i'd gone deaf saving him too looking after me had become a habit
28:12he finished bandaging me he didn't ask where the cuts came from he just sighed irritated
28:16you know you can't hear why don't you just stay home then he must have remembered that i couldn't
28:20hear him anyway his face hardened whatever i won't marry a deaf girl anyway that line cracked something
28:27open in my chest i remembered high school a group of bullies followed me down the street laughing
28:32saying things i couldn't hear i kept my head down and limped forward as if nothing had happened
28:36but the moment axel came to pick me up he charged at them without a second thought and started fighting
28:42them
28:44he came back to me and pulled me into his arms i signed to him why he'd fought them he
28:48replied
28:49they called you deaf hannah that's not true you have ears i'm your ears okay i'll always be your ears
28:54he
28:55cried that day hard that was the first time i understood how cruel the world was to deaf people
28:59but i didn't care because axel said he'd always be my ears now my ears were back so why was
29:05the word
29:05coming out of his mouth like that deaf i held my tears back but maybe my expression gave it away
29:10he pressed his lips together and signed fast does it hurt his phone buzzed before i could answer
29:15it was a voice message from vanessa honey you're so bad my legs are still shaking from that kiss
29:20vanessa was his college friend after they graduated she became his secretary they sent each other voice
29:25messages all the time late at night too but i trusted axel i just assumed it was work there's worse
29:31want to try who are you texting i said it out of nowhere he looked at me suspiciously and asked
29:37can you
29:37hear me now i gave no response like the usual deaf girl and he was relieved he steadied himself fast
29:44and signed a client rush order the second he finished signing he tapped record i bought hannah
29:49some lingerie but your body is ten times better than hers i bought you one too you should put it
29:55on for
29:55me ew i don't want to match that cripple freak i didn't want to hear anymore i limped back to
30:00the
30:00bedroom i held the framed photo of my parents against my chest curled up in bed pulled the
30:05blanket over my ears but the flirting outside came through anyway next time different position i want
30:11to do it in front of the mirror every word cut my heart this axel was so filthy i didn't
30:15want him
30:16anymore a few minutes later the front door slammed i sat up it was midnight i didn't have to ask
30:21where he
30:21was going i looked at the gold foil wedding invitation on the nightstand the one i'd spent
30:25two weeks picking out i ripped it up dropped it in the trash then i called my uncle uncle
30:31i want to come stay with you with grandma and grandpa his voice came back worried what happened
30:36sweetheart then he remembered i couldn't hear the line went quiet i heard him typing nothing i just miss
30:42you guys my voice cracked my uncle had built his empire in la real estate finance the works he'd brought
30:48grandma and grandpa out there with him when my parents died he flew back to take me too but i
30:52couldn't leave the house that still smelled like mom and dad later i just couldn't leave axel even
30:56when they begged i kept saying no thank god thank god you finally came around he sounded like he was
31:01about to cry then he caught himself hannah your ears yeah i can hear again i said it quietly and
31:10hung up
31:10he booked me a flight he booked me a flight the morning of my wedding
31:17two weeks before the wedding a fever brought back the hearing i'd lost 10 years ago excited to
31:21share the good news i grabbed a cab straight to his office the first thing i heard him say was
31:25that
31:25deaf girl doesn't deserve me vanessa you're the one i want to marry because she kept saying her parents
31:30saved my life i hit record my heart died i ripped it up dropped it in the trash then i
31:36called my uncle
31:36i can hear again i said it quietly and hung up then i bought a one-way ticket to la
31:41two weeks before
31:42the wedding a fever brought back the hearing i'd lost 10 years ago saving axel
31:48i grabbed a cab straight to his office excited to share the good news but after all these years the
31:53first thing i heard him say was that deaf girl doesn't deserve me vanessa you're the one i want
31:58to marry i got engaged to her because she kept saying her parents saved my life her laughter and gasps
32:03were clear over the phone relax she's deaf besides isn't this hotter i listened to the moan
32:10i hit record my heart died then i bought a one-way ticket to la for the exact day of
32:15the wedding when
32:16his frantic calls came in i sent him the recording and my message axel i can hear axel snapped who's
32:22there i held my breath tightly a moment passed i don't remember how i got home when i flicked on
32:27the
32:27lights i saw a trail of bloody footprints that was when i realized i'd run out barefoot the glass
32:31somewhere had sliced my foot open i pulled the shards out ripping skin with them none of it hurt
32:36like my chest did i lay on the couch in a daze tears soaked the pillow i wanted this to
32:40be a dream two
32:41weeks from now i'd still be axel's bride walking into the wedding i'd been waiting 10 years for but
32:45the recording told me axel had betrayed me i don't know how long i lay there a sharp pain in
32:49my foot woke
32:50me i opened my eyes axel was holding my foot picking out the last bits of glass dabbing antiseptic on
32:55the cuts it had been 10 years since my parents died saving him in that fire since i'd gone deaf
32:59saving him too
33:00looking after me had become a habit he finished bandaging me he didn't ask where the cuts came
33:04from he just sighed irritated you know you can't hear why don't you just stay home then he must
33:09have remembered that i couldn't hear him anyway his face hardened whatever i won't marry a deaf girl
33:13anyway that line cracked something open in my chest i remembered high school a group of bullies followed
33:21me down the street laughing saying things i couldn't hear i kept my head down and limped forward as if
33:26nothing had happened but the moment axel came to pick me up he charged at them without a second
33:30thought and started fighting them he came back to me and pulled me into his arms i signed to him
33:37why he'd fought them he replied they called you deaf hannah that's not true you have ears i'm your
33:43ears okay i'll always be your ears he cried that day hard that was the first time i understood how
33:48cruel the world was to deaf people but i didn't care because axel said he'd always be my ears now
33:53my
33:53ears were back so why was the word coming out of his mouth like that deaf i held my tears
33:58back but
33:58maybe my expression gave it away he pressed his lips together and signed fast does it hurt his phone
34:04buzzed before i could answer it was a voice message from vanessa honey you're so bad my legs are still
34:09shaking from that kiss vanessa was his college friend after they graduated she became his secretary
34:14they sent each other voice messages all the time late at night too but i trusted axel i just assumed
34:19it
34:20was work there's worse want to try who are you texting i said it out of nowhere he looked at
34:25me
34:25suspiciously and asked can you hear me now i gave no response like the usual deaf girl and he was
34:32relieved he steadied himself fast and signed a client rush order the second he finished signing he tapped
34:38record i bought hannah some lingerie but your body is ten times better than hers i bought you one too
34:44you should put it on for me ew i don't want to match that cripple freak i didn't want to
34:49hear
34:49anymore i limped back to the bedroom i held the framed photo of my parents against my chest curled
34:54up in bed hold the blanket over my ears but the flirting outside came through anyway next time
34:59different position i want to do it in front of the mirror every word cut my heart this axel was
35:04so
35:04filthy i didn't want him anymore a few minutes later the front door slammed i sat up it was midnight
35:09i
35:10didn't have to ask where he was going i looked at the gold foil wedding invitation on the nightstand
35:14the one i'd spent two weeks picking out i ripped it up dropped it in the trash then i called
35:18my uncle
35:19uncle i want to come stay with you with grandma and grandpa his voice came back worried what happened
35:26sweetheart then he remembered i couldn't hear the line went quiet i heard him typing nothing i just miss
35:32you guys my voice cracked my uncle had built his empire in la real estate finance the works he'd brought
35:37grandma and grandpa out there with him when my parents died he flew back to take me too but i
35:42couldn't leave the house that still smelled like mom and dad later i just couldn't leave axel even
35:46when they begged i kept saying no thank god thank god you finally came around he sounded like he was
35:51about to cry then he caught himself hannah your ears yeah i can hear again i said it quietly and
35:59hung up
36:00he booked me a flight the morning of my wedding considered it were you threatening to call security
36:08on evelyn shaw over damon pierce's unpaid balance seven days before my wedding i discovered my fiance was
36:15already married to his brother's widow my name is evelyn shaw a week before my wedding i flew back from
36:21london to finalize the paperwork for my marriage to damon pierce the wedding planner wanted floral approvals
36:25the venue needed final guest numbers whether the seating chart should read evelyn shaw or evelyn
36:31pierces i had stared at that question for a long time for eight years i had been waiting to become
36:37mrs pierce that morning i sat across from my attorney in a private office my attorney marion vale flipped
36:44through damon's financial disclosures then her pen stopped moving evelyn has damon ever been married
36:50before i frowned no why she turned her screen toward me a marriage certificate filled the monitor
36:57damon james pierce and clara marie bennett filed 14 months ago i stared at it until the letters blurred
37:03eight years i had spent eight years building that man from nothing his company pierce digital i funded
37:09the seed round his penthouse on the upper west side my down payment his porsche his investor network his
37:15reputation as a self-made tech genius all of it was mine handed to him piece by piece while i
37:20stayed
37:20behind the scenes because he said he was not ready to go public with us she's his late brother's widow
37:26he told me he was just helping her with legal paperwork my attorney's expression told me everything
37:31her words did not i picked up my phone and called him i said the prenup lawyer found your marriage
37:37certificate damon two seconds of silence damon said it's not what you think clara needed legal
37:44protection after my brother died she has a daughter i married her on paper so lily could stay on my
37:49insurance and benefits it means nothing you've been legally married for over a year and i would have
37:54told you eventually you've waited eight years evelyn what's a little longer i closed my eyes
38:04i have no interest in married men then i hung up the last eight years hit me all at once
38:13then i called my assistant freeze damon pierce's access to everything black card office credentials
38:18building entry parking garage all of it effective immediately not long after my phone started
38:23lighting up damon's name kept flashing across the screen until i finally answered what the hell is wrong
38:28with you you're acting like a child evelyn i explained the situation you explained that you
38:33committed fraud it's not fraud it's a favor clara has no one lily calls me dad what was i supposed
38:38to
38:38do let them end up on the street evelyn please don't blame damon blame me i'm the one who evelyn
38:42you're gonna call your assistant restore everything then you're gonna apologize to clara for making her
38:46feel unwelcome do that and we can move past this i looked at the prenup glass on the table in
38:50front of me
38:51then i picked it up and fed it into the shredder there's nothing to move past damon there's no wedding
38:56evelyn you brought a wife to our wedding paperwork i brought a witness
39:02to start pulling every asset record with damon pierce's name on it every building every account
39:08every share he thought he was a self-made man he was about to find out what happens when the
39:14woman who
39:14made him decides to unmake him the next morning damon's car was waiting outside my building now he
39:21sat at the curb in the porsche i had paid for looking less like a man caught in a lie
39:24than a man waiting for
39:25his fiance to stop embarrassing him get in we're going shopping shopping clara is upset lily is
39:32upset you made a scene yesterday the least you can do is help fix it of course he had married
39:37another
39:37woman lied to me for 14 months and somehow i was the one expected to fix the mood don't mind
39:42i get
39:43carsick in the back old evelyn would have argued new and felt nothing but a calm so steady it surprised
39:48even me i slipped into the back seat because my time stamp let him show who he is in front
39:52of witnesses
39:52and don't stop him when he does so i sat behind them phone in my coat pocket recording everything
39:56damon still believed he could get away with damon took us to a luxury boutique on madison avenue
40:01and held the door for clara like she was his wife which legally she was clara and lily need
40:07new things for the season you should pick something too god knows you could use it i had spent three
40:11years overseas building his investor pipeline he mistook exhaustion for neglect he looked at me like i was
40:16the embarrassing one clara tried on dresses lily twirled in a princess gown damon stood beside them
40:24patient that one wrap that too whatever lily wants luces daisy and shirgandha the sending quent
40:34she had spent all afternoon pretending to be the fragile wife but the second that dress touched my
40:39hands she looked afraid i might outshine her
40:44so i tried it on
40:59clara was checking the child who had just shoved me it's okay sweetheart nobody's going to yell at you
41:05she's a child evelyn don't make a scene she pushed me keep your balance that's not her fault
41:13you saw what happened
41:18let's go she's not worth upsetting lily ever
41:23i changed back into my own clothes when i stepped back out the vip lounge was empty no clara
41:27no lily no damon only the sales associate behind the counter wearing the smile of someone who had
41:32already decided i was the problem mrs shaw mr pierce has left he's charged all selected items to your
41:36personal account
41:39i'd opened that account years ago so damon could buy suits for investor meetings
41:44now he'd used it to dress the wife he'd hidden all along
41:51i left the bill under your name consider it a lesson in humility come home when you're ready to
41:55apologize she can't pay why did she act like she owned the place five minutes ago just another
41:59pretender if there's an issue with payment miss shaw we'll need to call security and now i stood in
42:05a luxury boutique threatened with security over a bill i could pay ten times over with my own money
42:14security
42:19mr mercer
42:23kieran mercer i knew the name the way a soldier knows the sound of an enemy's footsteps
42:28mercer capital old money private equity royalty every founder in new york either wanted to impress
42:34him or prayed never to cross his path damon pierce's most dangerous rival for three years damon had tried
42:39to outrun him outperform him outrank him for three years i'd made it possible i blocked mercer's buyout
42:43offer clean directed messes before kelpin's team could find them i'd fought this man in the dark for a
42:47thousand days and now here he was watching me messy humiliated trapped behind the bill damon had left
42:55me for one cold second i thought kieran mercer had come to collect every war i'd ever fought for damon
43:07i hated that he saw it
43:11if you're here to watch me embarrass myself mr mercer get in line
43:16i considered it
43:19were you threatening to call security on evelyn shaw over damon pierce's unpaid balance
43:24mr mercer i was only following mr pierce instructions this is not a payment issue
43:29this is theft get your manager
43:39what do you think i flew here to save damon pierce's face
43:44i've spent three years trying to figure out who the real brain behind pierce digital is
43:48and now i find her bleeding on a boutique floor while he buys dresses for his wife
43:54mrs shaw i'm so sorry i had no idea you were back in new york
43:59ms shaw is one of our parent company's primary investors mr pierce's authorization was revoked
44:03hours ago damon pierce clara bennett and the child walked out after charging purchases to an account
44:08they no longer had permission to use of course save the receipt file the report and send mr pierce
44:12the copy of course ms shaw one hundred seventy eight thousand dollars bold for a man living on
44:16borrowed power you're evelyn shaw and you're kieran mercer you were very good at keeping me out
44:23careful that almost sounded like a compliment
44:26it was a warning to me to damon
44:30my mother did not steal anyone's place she married father three years after your mother died
44:37please stop we are still family family who is family with you filthy people
44:41ivette balan what are you doing my fiancee seraphine was the commander of the light
44:46knights he was sacred restrained and untouchable and i was the royal high priestess i tried to tempt
44:52him many times but he never lost control i used to think he had sealed away all desire until the
44:58night
44:58before our wedding i saw seraphine kneeling beside laurel's bed her limp hand closed around him and his
45:04whole body went rigid hot and feverish hot sweat fell onto his white robe his breath was ragged his eyes
45:11dark his face was lost in raw forbidden desire the only reason i agreed to marry your sister was so
45:18i could come see you every single day after that night i tore up our betrothal scroll i'm not
45:28marrying seraphine anymore i'm marrying arthur ivette have you lost your mind
45:39arthur was mutilated by a cursed blade three years ago he beats people half to death over nothing
45:44you're marching straight to your grave if you marry him mother at this point it does not matter who i
45:51marry besides do you really think we can refuse the imperial family in the receiving hall father was
45:59smiling from ear to ear it is an honor that his minus would consider my daughter but my elder
46:05daughter still sleeps under a holy curse and my second daughter is bound to the lancid family by
46:10engagement an engagement is still only a contract break it
46:18if lady even valian agrees to marry his highness the imperial family will offer a vial of sacred sun
46:23blood as the bride gift i hear it has awakened sleepers sealed by curses before i'll do it
46:29i'm not sure i'll do it
46:35yvette haven't you always loved seraphine why so suddenly i did not answer because every time i
46:43thought of what i had seen that night my heart ached unbearably my ten years of devotion suddenly felt
46:49like a joke
46:53the vial of sacred sun blood worked within three days aurora woke up
47:01father was overjoyed to prepare a celebration feast for her that was when i saw aurora she was
47:06wearing the gown mother had spent months making for me she stood among the temple guests smiling like
47:12a saint yvette may i borrow this gown for tonight i just woke up i had no time to prepare
47:19a new gown
47:21mother tugged at my sleeve your sister just recovered let her have it
47:28of course
47:33may the light bless you yvette
47:40this gown fits me better doesn't it your tet is too thin she cannot fill it up my aurora has
47:47awakened
47:48from tonight on she will return as the high priestess of the sun temple
48:02suddenly the hall doors opened sunlight poured in behind seraphine the moment seraphine stepped
48:08into the hall every voice fell silent he walked straight to aurora then in front of everyone he
48:14dropped to one knee he bowed his head and kissed the back of her hand
48:21welcome back my high priestess
48:25you were always the one i was sworn to say my breath stopped he was always so aloof so proud
48:30i
48:31had never seen him kneel before anyone but as long as it was about aurora even the holiest knight
48:36would lose his heart see the one seraphine really loves is aurora the marriage only fell to yavit
48:40because aurora was cursed and fell into sleep i bet yavit must be dying of embarrassment right now
48:44i walked alone onto the terrace but even the cold wind could not ease the pain in my chest
48:49then i heard footsteps behind me does it hurt you must have enjoyed yourself while i was in a coma
48:56didn't you you even took my bedrothal to seraphine father told me it was arthur's sacred sunblood that
49:02woke me but do not expect me to thank you remember this clearly yvette you will always live in my
49:08shadow
49:08just like when we were children you only ever got what i had already grown tired of
49:15you know it mean a great that's only different
49:32what have you done the blade flashed with sacred light a sharp wave of force cut across my leg
49:38blood instantly stained my dress aurora hides against seraphine's chest flashing me a triumphant
49:44smile my eyes burned i forced myself to turn away in that split second crushed me against the stone step
49:53seraphine
49:55aurora suddenly pressed a hand to her forehead aurora leans weakly against seraphine
50:00i'm so scared i feel dizzy
50:05when i woke up again emma was sitting beside my bed in the temple healing chamber
50:09seraphine that bastard stop crying emma remember i'm marrying arthur
50:16emma looked at me like her heart was breaking then emma cried even harder
50:22one of seraphine's attendants came to me seraphine wanted to see me at the garden pavilion
50:31seraphine pushed a delicate white box across the table inside was a pair of pale blue lace gloves
50:37i will still honor the betrothal as long as you stop targeting aurora
50:44no need it was always my sister's betrothal anyway before he could finish aurora appeared
50:50beside him she was dressed in a pale blue gown her lace sleeves matched the gloves in the box
50:56exactly it was not a gift chosen for me yvette i asked seraphine to bring you this
51:00do you like it i forced a smile my nails dug deep into my palm
51:09when i returned to the valen estate i saw mother limping down the stairs mother grips the railing
51:14moving with difficulty mother i rushed over to help her my fingers brushed the bruises on her wrist
51:25my voice trembled did aurora push you again suddenly the front door burst open aurora steps
51:32into the manor tossing her cloak to a servant aurora walked in as if nothing had happened i could not
51:38hold back aurora why did you push my mother who told her to steal someone else's place aurora raised her
51:47hand and slapped mother across the face my mother did not steal anyone's place she married father
51:52three years after your mother died please stop we are still family family who is family with you
51:59filthy people i bet balan what are you doing seraphine stood in the doorway seraphine was still holding
52:05aurora's forgotten cloak aurora's expression changed instantly she threw herself into his arms sobbing
52:13seraphine my sister tried to hit me i watched him pull her closer i watched the revulsion in his eyes
52:21suddenly it all felt absurdly funny consider it your apology to aurora
52:32do not disgrace the valigan name again consider it your apology to aurora
52:41do not disgrace the valigan name again i sat at the grand piano set beside the ceremonial platform
52:47my fingers moved mechanically across the keys from the corner of my eye i saw aurora glance at me again
52:53and again the moment the final note faded a deafening bang rang out the lid crashed over my hands
53:00excruciating pain shot through all ten fingers i screamed my vision was going black
53:14in the distance but aurora immediately grabbed his arm seraphine the dawn procession is about to begin
53:22please walk with me
53:25arthur sent his best royal physician i think perhaps his highness is not as terrible as the rumors say
53:32we're a father in aurora
53:36your father went to join aurora's dawn procession arthur sent his best royal physician
53:41i think perhaps his highness is not as terrible as the rumors say
53:46we're a father in aurora the whole capital is celebrating her return
53:56that night i returned to my room at the valen estate everything related to seraphine was still
54:01there the letters i had written but never sent the sketches i had drawn of him and the broken
54:05betrothal scroll i placed them all into the fireplace the flames rose one by one
54:12the day i arrived at arthur's estate i was stunned by what i saw the royal guards and palace servants
54:19this is your home now
54:23don't be nervous
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