- 22 hours ago
He Used Up 99 Chances, Then Begged Me to Stay
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Short filmTranscript
00:01how much did my husband love me to marry me Ethan proposed 99 times it wasn't until the
00:09hundredth proposal that I finally said yes Olivia Quinn you're the only woman I'll ever love if you
00:15say no today I'll come back tomorrow and if tomorrow doesn't work I'll come back the day
00:18after that I'll keep asking until you finally believe me that day in front of our families
00:23and closest friends I finally gave in on our wedding night I gave him a crystal box inside
00:31were 99 second chance cards each card represented one mistake I was willing to forgive as long as
00:38there were cards left I promised I would stay five years later every time he broke a promise
00:43because of his young assistant Chloe Hart he used one up then one day he realized something had
00:50changed I no longer cried and begged him to stay the only thing I asked was if you leave with
00:56Chloe
00:56tonight can I use another second chance card of course it's not like I've used that many use one
01:02if you want I nodded and watched him walk away what he didn't know was that tonight was his 97th
01:07card
01:07and there were only two left tonight was Blackwell Group's Celebration Gala it was also my third day
01:14out of the hospital after liver surgery the doctors had specifically told me to rest but I still came
01:21to support Ethan then Chloe Hart knocked over the champagne tower glass shattered across the ballroom
01:27floor champagne splashed all over one of our key business partners Mr. Harrison Ethan's first
01:33instinct wasn't to ask Chloe to apologize instead he immediately stepped in front of her protecting her
01:38Olivia apologize to Mr. Harrison for her I froze for a moment I thought I had misheard him
01:45Mr. Blackwell your assistant is the one who made the mistake she's the person who owes me an apology
01:51Chloe's eyes instantly turned red she tugged lightly on Ethan's sleeve
01:56I'm sorry I really didn't mean to Ethan gently patted her hand then leaned slightly closer to me
02:03lowering his voice so only I could hear go make it right with Mr. Harrison if it
02:08takes a few drinks just stay with him keep him calm he had forgotten that I was only three days
02:13out of
02:14surgery the doctors had made it clear that alcohol was off limits or maybe he simply didn't care
02:19whispers spread through the ballroom everyone knew it wasn't my fault everyone could see Ethan was
02:26determined to protect Chloe I wanted to refuse but Ethan seemed to do anticipate that silently he
02:32mouthed two familiar words second chance card five years ago Ethan Blackwell had proposed to me 99 times
02:39to honor that love I created 99 second chance cards on our wedding day as long as there were cards
02:46left
02:46our marriage would survive for the first three years Ethan never used a single one then Chloe entered our
02:53lives in just two years he burned through 96 cards and tonight he used the 97th the gala had just
03:01ended
03:01without thinking I walked toward the front passenger seat and reached for the door handle a sharp click
03:08the doors were locked through the tinted window I saw Ethan slowly roll his window down his expression
03:14was calm take a cab I just had the interior detailed you smell like alcohol it's unpleasant if this had
03:20been
03:20before I would have immediately tried to explain myself tearfully insisting it was just a little
03:26alcohol nothing serious but this time I just nodded all right drive safe for a brief moment his grip on
03:32the steering wheel loosened he looked at me like he wanted to say something before he could say another
03:36word Chloe had already walked over Ethan I'm ready we can go she was wearing the formal jacket I had
03:43picked out for him that morning the dress underneath still carried faint stains from the champagne tower
03:47incident earlier but Ethan showed no sign of discomfort in fact he adjusted the collar of
03:52her jacket with careful hands it's cold outside don't get sick that soft and controlled tone was a
03:59different world from how he had spoken to me moments ago only after that did he turn back to me
04:04a brief
04:05flicker of hesitation crossed his eyes don't misunderstand Chloe just graduated she's not used to these kinds of
04:11events yet I'm just looking out for her I understand you've already used the second chance cards anyway
04:17I won't be upset he froze he mouth opened slightly as if he wanted to respond but before he could
04:23Chloe sneezed his attention snapped back to her instantly go home early the door closed the car pulled
04:31away into the Manhattan night disappearing down the street I stood there for a long time until the cold
04:37finally settled into my bones at home I pulled out the box where I kept the second chance cards
04:42it used to be full now there were only three left without hesitation I took out card 97 tore it
04:48in half
04:49and dropped it into the trash then I opened my laptop and started drafting the divorce agreement
04:53with Ethan Blackwell for fairness I called a professor from my law school days she had supervised my
05:00thesis and had been one of the most trusted academic mentors in my career professor if I were to divorce
05:05Ethan how should the assets be divided a divorce everyone at the university still remembers how
05:12he proposed to you 99 times how did it come to this how did it come to this I repeated
05:19it to myself
05:20maybe it started with the increasingly familiar scent of women's perfume on him maybe when he started
05:25coming home later and later or maybe when those second chance cards began disappearing one by one
05:31because of Chloe Hart I looked at the box my voice was steady when he uses the last two chances
05:37at that moment the door opened what chances Ethan stood in the doorway a paper bag in his hand tone
05:45casual but his eyes had already changed I hung up the phone and calmly closed my laptop nothing I was
05:51just talking to my law professor about some divorce related matters Ethan's expression changed he crossed the
05:56room almost immediately divorce you want a divorce no it's a case she's working on she wanted some
06:02opinion he studied me for a few seconds before the tension in his face eased slightly this is for you
06:08the logo on the bag belonged to a dessert shop I had always loved before we got married whenever we
06:13argued Ethan would buy me a cake from that store to make up with me the place was incredibly popular
06:18the line was usually at least two hours long he never asked anyone else to go for him no matter
06:24how bad
06:24the weather was he always waited in line himself once I felt bad and told him to send an assistant
06:29instead you should have sent an assistant Olivia it's okay for you I do it in a heartbeat the memory
06:36softened something in my chest I can't believe you still remember inside wasn't a cake it was clothing
06:42two pieces of clothing a faint smell of alcohol still lingered on both what is this Chloe's dress got
06:50stained since you've always been good at handling things like this I figured I'd bring it home with mine
06:54you can just take care of it when you have time and if it bothers you I can use a
06:58second chance card
06:59you still have plenty left don't you every word I wanted to say died in my throat I wanted to
07:04tell
07:04him there weren't plenty left including the one he had just used there was only one second chance card
07:09left but in the end I only looked at him for a long moment before taking the clothes to the
07:13laundry
07:13room over the years I had managed every detail of his life the suits that needed pressing before board
07:19meetings the ties that matched each gala fundraiser and investor dinner I handled all of it looking
07:24back now it felt almost ridiculous I had called it love to Ethan it had simply become a service he
07:31expected to exist nothing more I let out a quiet laugh closed the laundry room door and returned to the
07:37bedroom when he saw me come back so quickly he frowned that was fast already taken care of that dress
07:44is
07:45Chloe's favorite one I promised her it would be cleaned properly I picked up my skincare products
07:49and continued getting ready for bed without another word just then Ethan's phone started
07:54vibrating his expression softened the moment he saw who was calling he got out of bed immediately and
08:00walked out of the bedroom quietly I followed Chloe's cheerful voice drifted through the phone
08:05Ethan the dessert you bought me was amazing I've never had anything that good before but the line
08:11was so long I kind of feel bad for making you wait Ethan glanced toward the bedroom before lowering
08:16his voice it doesn't matter if you want it I'll go get it anytime it's not a big deal Chloe
08:22laughed
08:22softly what about my dress won't it be too much trouble for Olivia I don't want to make things
08:28difficult for you she's used to it besides your hands are too pretty for that kind of work I lowered
08:33my eyes and looked at my own hands years of taking care of a household had left them no longer
08:37soft or
08:38delicate so he had noticed he had simply never cared unable to listen any longer I retreated into
08:44the bathroom ten minutes later there was a knock at the door Olivia there's something I need to handle
08:50at the office I have to head out get some rest okay Ethan he stopped I looked at my reflection
08:58in the
08:59mirror at the tears silently running down my face my voice was barely above a whisper if you don't come
09:06home tonight can I use a second chance card of course Ethan smiled at me looking completely at
09:13ease don't worry I'll be home before midnight you definitely won't need that second chance card
09:17looking at the face that hadn't changed much over the past five years I forced down the bitterness in
09:22my chest and smiled faintly okay I'll wait for you three hours until midnight I paid extra for a
09:30delivery service to bring me a cake Ethan's assistant Zoe posted an Instagram story she complained about
09:36still being stuck at work according to her she was the only person left in the office at the same
09:42time
09:42Ethan texted me just got to the office be home soon two hours until midnight while scrolling through
09:48old photos I came across a picture from the day Ethan proposed on impulse I posted it five years already
09:55I captioned the photo more than five Ethan replied within seconds at the same time he sent me a photo
10:02of
10:02the city skyline beautiful night made me think of you I didn't reply because I recognized the buildings
10:07in the background they weren't anywhere near Blackwell Group they were in Midtown Manhattan near one of New
10:13York's most famous romantic restaurants just then Chloe posted close friends story and somehow I was the
10:19only one who could see it you got the ring I got his heart in the lower corner of the
10:23photo Ethan's left
10:25hand was clearly visible his wedding ring was nowhere to deceive one hour until midnight curled up on the
10:31couch I replayed our wedding video while eating the cake that had been delivered earlier for some
10:35reason the cake tasted salter with every bite I thought to myself that I probably wouldn't like it
10:40anymore after tonight 30 minutes until midnight Ethan stopped replying to my messages I stopped bothering
10:47him instead I quietly began packing my things one minute until midnight I took the last remaining
10:53second chance card out of the box just as I was about to tear it in half the doorbell rang
10:58I froze
10:58then hurried to answer it good evening Miss Blackwell this is a gift purchased by Mr. Ethan Blackwell
11:03please sign here at the same moment a text from Ethan appeared on my screen sorry I'm staying at the
11:10office tonight use a second chance card if you want I'll bring you your favorite cake when you get home
11:14I was about to reply when I accidentally knocked into the bookshelf the framed wedding photo that had sat
11:20there for five years crashed to the floor glass shattered everywhere ma'am do you need help
11:26cleaning that up I shook my head then lowered my eyes to my phone and typed don't bring the cake
11:32Ethan Blackwell you've run out of second chance cards after a brief pause I sent another message
11:38let's get divorced the next second countless notifications flooded my phone I ignored the
11:44constant buzzing of my phone and turned it off from that moment on my five-year marriage to Ethan
11:49had truly come to an end in the hotel suite after seeing my message Ethan left me countless voice
11:55messages divorce stop kidding how could all those second chance cards possibly be gone already
12:01Olivia answer the phone let's talk he refused to believe I would actually ignore him again and
12:06again he called my number after hearing the automated voicemail for the 39th time Ethan finally
12:11started to panic no that's impossible it can't be she was fine before I left the image of me
12:17the second chance cards flashed through his mind I had been so calm so calm that it looked like I
12:24had
12:24already given up at that thought Ethan grabbed his jacket and hurriedly put it on Chloe wrapped her
12:29arms around his neck and snuggled against him Ethan you promised you'd stay with me all night
12:34distracted and anxious Ethan pushed her away without offering any explanation he rushed out of the hotel
12:41the entire drive home he kept calling me over and over again I never answered once the moment
12:47he stepped through the front door he was moving so fast that he accidentally stepped on something
12:52Ethan looked down his body froze it was our wedding portrait the shattered glass split our wedding photo in
12:59two just like our broken marriage slowly he crouched down and lifted the frame from the floor
13:05then carefully brushed away the shards of glass looking at the two young people in the photo smiling so happily
13:10Ethan felt his eyes began to sting after placing the portrait back where it belonged he started
13:16searching the house for me when he finally opened the walk-in closet and saw that my side was completely
13:20empty he was forced to accept the truth I was really gone he collapsed onto the couch in the living
13:27room
13:27and stared at the television screen in silence the proposal video playing on repeat was the last trace of
13:33me left in the house his fingers buried deep in his hair Ethan tried to think of where I might
13:38have gone
13:39as his gaze swept across the room it suddenly landed on the trash can nearby the pile of pink scraps
13:44inside looked painfully familiar so familiar that the sight of them nearly took his breath away
13:48slowly he crouched down and picked them up one by one then with extraordinary care he pieced them
13:53back together no more no less exactly 99 second chance cards he remembered five years ago when I placed
14:02those cards into the box Olivia trust me you'll never have to use them all then he remembered all
14:07the times he had casually asked to use a second chance card the love he had spent years building
14:13between us had been recklessly squandered during the two years since Chloe appeared until there was
14:18nothing left every time he broke a promise he bought me a gift what reason could I possibly have
14:23to be unhappy at that thought Ethan's eyes drifted toward the display cabinet in the living room
14:29then he froze once more the entire cabinet was filled with gifts he had given me over the years
14:34but upon closer inspection three identical watches sat prominently in the center one of them had been
14:40purchased just two hours ago suddenly Ethan remembered the limited edition necklace he had
14:45given Chloe yesterday the moment she said she liked it he had it flown in from France overnight
14:51whether in value or thoughtliness it far surpassed everything in front of him for the first time
14:57Ethan fell into deep contemplation when had it happened when had his once unique love for Olivia
15:02became careless and cheap that night he sat alone in the living room he drank an entire bottle of whiskey
15:08and still couldn't find the answer he was looking for the moment Ethan arrived at the office
15:14Chloe followed him inside Ethan here's the contract from yesterday she placed the file on his desk and
15:20walked over to his side resting a hand on his shoulder that kind of intimacy used to feel normal
15:25now it suddenly made Ethan uncomfortable Ethan opened the contract his expression darkened after the
15:30first page the contract was a total mess in the past before a single contract reached Ethan's desk
15:36I would reviewed it no fewer than three times I made sure every potential risk to the company was
15:41identified but this one who drafted this contract does no one in this company have basic professional
15:47competency anymore get Olivia in here I'd like to ask whether our general counsel still wants her job
15:53the color drenned from Chloe's face Ethan I drafted it all his anger died instantly looking at Chloe's
16:02reddened eyes and wounded expression Ethan felt an unfulfilled your sense of exhaustion for the first time
16:08I'm sorry Ethan maybe you're right maybe I'm not qualified for this job at all
16:12all I ever do is cause trouble for you with that she turned to leave instinctively Ethan reached out
16:19and grabbed her arm but when he met Chloe's tearful eyes he suddenly froze I had never looked at Ethan
16:25that way before no matter what happened I always found a way to solve the problem I was nothing like
16:31Chloe every time Chloe made a mistake I was the one who cleaned up the mess eventually whenever Chloe
16:37screwed something up Ethan would instinctively push it onto me to fix as if it had always been my
16:43responsibility slowly he released Chloe's arm you should go Chloe's face alternated between red and
16:52pale without the reassurance she had expected tears nearly spilled from her eyes seeing that Ethan
16:57rubbed his temples impatiently redo the contract bring it back when you're certain there are no problems
17:02biting her lip Chloe finally left the office unwillingly a co-worker who had always been
17:08close to me secretly snapped a photo of the scene and sent it to me Olivia that little assistant who
17:13keeps stealing everyone else's credit got kicked out of Ethan's office today serves her right inside
17:19the office Ethan kept dialing my number again and again the calls never connected he kept telling
17:25himself that I was just angry yet every time his eyes landed on my empty office the irritation inside him
17:31grew stronger he couldn't even focus on work anymore
17:36Mr. Blackwell is there something you need did Olivia take the day off the H-erector froze for a moment
17:40then looked at him in confusion Ms. Blackwell resigned what when did that happen who approved it why
17:46wasn't I informed the HR director looked completely bewildered she submitted the resignation last night
17:51you personally approved it this morning the word struck Ethan like a bolt of lightning he froze in place
17:57then he abruptly opened his computer and clicked open the resignation letter his gaze fell to the
18:03bottom of the page approved by Ethan Blackwell his own signature a crushing sense of panic swept
18:09through him withdraw it right now the process has already been completed just then Chloe walked into
18:16the office carrying a document with no return address gone was the pitiful expression from earlier
18:21there was even a trace of satisfaction in her eyes Ethan an overnight delivery arrived for you Ethan's
18:28gaze swept across the first page the next second he collapsed back into his chair it took him a long
18:35time to
18:35recover finally he picked up his phone and called a friend help me find out where this package was sent
18:42from after hanging up Ethan remained in his office long after everyone else had gone home eventually he
18:53unlocked my office and sat down at my desk his eyes settled on the framed photo of us one memory
19:01after
19:02another flashed through his mind nine years ago Ethan met me for the first time at a university debate tournament
19:08back then i was confident and unstoppable standing behind the podium i dismismantled every argument with
19:16sharp logic and unwavering composure whenever an opponent challenged me i always had the perfect
19:23response ready after the competition most people described me as intimidating difficult and impossible to
19:31approach Ethan however called me rational brilliant and decisive from that day on he pursued me relentlessly
19:42it took us two years to go from strangers to lovers and another two years to go from lovers
19:48to husband and wife even now Ethan still remembered the day he proposed he remembered the way i blushed and
19:55nodded yes the joy he felt in that moment exceeded even the thrill of closing a multi-billion dollar
20:01acquisition then somewhere along the way our marriage began to fall apart but even now he couldn't pinpoint
20:08exactly where things had gone wrong all he knew was that the distance between us kept growing
20:14many luck time employees had tried to warn him but by then Ethan had become too accustomed to having
20:20everyone follow his decisions he never took their advice seriously looking back now he realized that
20:26if he had listened to even one of them perhaps we would never have ended up here nine years together
20:33and this was how it ended anyone would think it was a tragedy
20:39just then his phone rang
20:42the address has been traced but are you sure you want to go yourself you'll have to fly there
20:47ethan's parents had both died in a plane crash ever since then airplanes and flying had become his
20:52greatest fear even when blackweld group had overseas business it was usually me who carried the signed
20:59documents and flew out to handle everything in person what happened why are you suddenly leaving the country
21:08olivia left what
21:13let me ask you something for the past three years did all of you think i crossed the line with
21:18chloe did
21:20all of you think i was betraying olivia i understand now i was wrong ever since chloe showed up i
21:28found
21:28myself drawn to her without even realizing it she reminded me of olivia when we first met back then
21:35olivia wasn't carrying the weight of the world on her shoulders she was brilliant confident and radiant
21:42she always seemed to know exactly what she wanted but i never should have confused the two of them
21:48for the past two years i've used up all the 99 chances olivia gave me i never imagined we'd end
21:55up apart
21:56but now she doesn't want me anymore the line fell silent okay i understand the call ended
22:04a moment later a text message appeared on his screen the divorce papers were mailed from this
22:09address go there and ask around you might be able to find olivia after a seven-hour flight i arrived
22:18safely in paris the moment i landed my former professor was already waiting at the airport with
22:24several colleagues from the law firm everyone welcomed me warmly this was my third time in paris
22:31in the past whenever i came here for work ethan would call me back to new york the moment a
22:36contract
22:37was signed now free from the burden of that life i felt lighter than i had in years because from
22:44this
22:44day forward i only had to live for myself and ethan would never find me here my professor looked at
22:51me
22:51with a sigh back in law school i had been one of her most promising students the only person who
22:57could rival me
22:58was my senior daniel brooks but then i married ethan i turned down her offer to join the paris firm
23:03i also gave up the career path she had carefully planned for me years in advance before i left she
23:09had looked at me seriously there had been both regret and disappointment in her eyes olivia i'm truly
23:15glad you decided to come back the divorce papers have already been delivered as for the divorce
23:24proceedings i'll have daniel handle them i guarantee complete fairness then i'll have to count on you
23:32daniel when i get my settlement drinks and a vacation in the south of france are on me
23:40come on let's get you familiar with your new work environment what i didn't expect was to run into
23:46ethan so soon on my very first day at the firm i saw him standing outside the building at first
23:52i
23:52thought i was imagining things i even rubbed my eyes several times but no matter how many times i looked
23:58it was still ethan in just a few days he had become noticeably thinner dark circles shadowed his eyes he
24:05looked as though he might collapse at any moment yet he remained stubbornly planted at the entrance
24:10refusing to leave the moment he saw me he hurried towards me instinctively i took a step back putting
24:16distance between us the hurt in ethan's eyes was immediate olivia don't be mad anymore i was wrong
24:22over the past two years i paid too much attention to chloe because she reminded me of the olivia i
24:26met
24:26nine years ago i mistook that feeling for love but after you left i finally realized it was never love
24:32the person i've always loved is you i looked at him with thinly veiled mockery forcing down the wave
24:39of nausea rising in my stomach but his declaration continued these years i've watched everything you've
24:44done maybe it was because you became so capable so successful so strong you put so much pressure on
24:50me that i started feeling like you changed you became rational powerful almost like a machine that
24:55never made mistakes so when chloe appeared i found myself drawn to her it felt like i was seeing the
25:01olivia i first fell in love with all over again olivia i don't want a divorce and i don't want
25:09to lose
25:09you i even got on a plane for you can't you forgive me just this once by the time he
25:14finished tears were
25:15streaming down his face but all i felt was cold this was the man i had loved for nine years
25:21he had
25:22emotionally cheated on me yet he was still desperately searching for excuses worse he was trying to shift
25:29part of the blame onto me because i became more rational he said i had changed because i became
25:35more successful he said i made him feel pressured because i grew he fell in love with someone else
25:42everything he once praised about me had somehow become the reason he betrayed our marriage
25:48how ridiculous i looked at him calmly not a ripple stirred in my voice wrong is wrong when you betray
25:55someone you have to accept the consequences if a simple apology could erase every mistake we wouldn't
26:01need courts or lawyers ethan we're over later i heard from my colleagues that ethan had remained
26:08outside the building for the entire day he ignored the stairs from strangers and the cold wind but what
26:15was the point some things once lost are lost forever for two years i gave him 99 chances
26:23and he wasted every single one of them after leaving the law firm ethan didn't return to his
26:28hotel right away instead he sat alone by the scene the autumn wind was cold enough to cut through layers
26:34of clothing yet he seemed completely oblivious to it staring only at a photo of me on his phone
26:40it had been taken years ago shortly after we got married in the picture i was leaning against his
26:45shoulder smiling brightly and without restraint nothing like the woman i was now calm distant so
26:51indifferent that even looking at him felt unnecessary just then his phone vibrated an unfamiliar email
26:56had arrived the sender was my former professor the message itself was brief if you truly want to
27:02know what you've lost look through these attached was a single compressed file after a moment's
27:06hesitation ethan opened it the first document was an offer letter it came from one of paris's most
27:12prestigious international law firms annual salary five hundred thousand dollars global partner track
27:17program the date on the email was exactly one month before our wedding ethan's breathing caught
27:22he had never known about any of this he continued scrolling the second document was an email from
27:27daniel brooks to me olivia i know you're hesitating but if you accept this position you'll make partner
27:33within five years don't give up your future for anyone ethan's grip on his phone tightened suddenly he
27:40remembered that period of time i had been busy every day interviews applications endless paperwork
27:48then for reasons he never questioned i suddenly gave it all up at the time it had seemed perfectly
27:56natural to him after all we were about to get married wasn't it normal for his wife to stay in
28:04new
28:04york the third document was something i had written to my professor it had been saved during the second
28:10year of our marriage ethan opened it the moment he finished reading he froze blackwell group has
28:16been expanding lately ethan only sleeps three or four hours a night if i stay at the firm we'll barely
28:21have any time together i want to leave and help him at least that way he won't have to carry
28:27everything alone the message ended there nothing followed yet those few short sentences made it
28:35difficult for ethan to breathe for the first time he realized the truth olivia why did you join black
28:43wet group i hadn't joined black wet group because i loved the job i had done it because i was
28:48worried
28:48about him because i didn't want him carrying the burden alone because i had willingly given up the
28:54career i loved for his sake the fourth document was from my professor the email contained only a single
29:00sentence one day i hope he deserves that sacrifice it felt as if something exploded inside ethan's mind
29:07suddenly memory after memory came flooding back the countless nights i stayed awake reviewing contracts
29:13the boardroom conflicts i resolved on his behalf the negotiations i flew across the world to handle
29:20the legal department i built from the ground up for blackwell group and what had he done
29:23he had taken all of it for granted he had convinced himself that i was simply supposed to be there
29:30supposed to stand behind him supposed to never leave only now did ethan finally understand
29:40it wasn't that i couldn't live without him it was that i had given up an entire world that
29:44had once been within reach for him he sat there beside the seine head lowered silent for a very long
29:50time tears fell one by one onto the screen of his phone unfortunately the realization had come too
29:58late the olivia who had once been willing to give up everything for him didn't want him anymore for
30:05seven straight days ethan showed up outside the law firm rain or shine every time he saw me he wore
30:12the
30:12same heartbroken expression he never openly harassed me yet somehow managed to make it obvious to everyone
30:19that there had once been something between us naturally daniel noticed ethan as well every time
30:25he walked past him he would casually slip a freshly printed divorce settlement agreement into ethan's
30:30hands the two men seemed to be engaged in a silent competition my professor didn't want ethan
30:36affecting my work so she arranged a firm retreat during the trip i finally got to experience all the
30:44things ethan i had talked about doing for years but never found the time for skiing mountain climbing
30:53skydiving
30:56chasing the northern lights every experience reminded me how vibrant life could be
31:02compared to that marriage suddenly didn't seem all that important
31:08on my first day back at work ethan didn't appear he left behind only one message i won't give up
31:14then
31:15he returned to new york back to the mess chloe had made of blackwell group every day former colleagues
31:20sent me updates chloe got yelled at until she cried three times today chloe was demoted from executive
31:26assistant to administrative assistant chloe got transferred to the administrative department
31:33in just a few days chloe had been demoted several times she became the target of all of ethan's anger
31:40as for me i simply smiled and continued living my new life gradually everything began falling into
31:48place within six months i won 15 cases my name started gaining recognition in legal circles across europe
31:56in my free time i rode gondolas through the canals of venice or traveled to sicily to watch the sea
32:05whenever i felt exhausted i would disappear into a small fishing village along the lagonian coast for a
32:11week during that first year apart ethan received 99 divorce settlement agreements yet he refused to sign
32:18a single one it seemed he wanted to summon the same persistence he had once used to pursue me
32:22as if determination alone could make me soften and take him back at first i admit my heart would
32:30still waver from time to time but the updates from new york quickly extinguished that foolish sympathy
32:37at one point ethan personally visited my parents he confessed everything and tearfully expressed his
32:45regret what he forgot was that children often take after their parents i don't tolerate betrayal
32:54and neither do they after hearing everything my mother throw him out of the house then she immediately
33:00called me and told me she fully supported my decision to divorce him any lingering hesitant i had
33:07disappeared completely after that ethan never appeared outside the firm again two years later i accepted a
33:16commercial litigation case from new york by then we had been separated for two years the divorce had
33:23already become final for the first time in years i boarded a flight back to new york when i arrived
33:31my
33:32parents looked a confident self-assured woman i had become for the first time they were truly at ease
33:39we have daniel to thank he sent us photos and videos of you almost every day otherwise we never would
33:45have
33:45stopped worrying i turned toward the man standing behind me and smiled knowingly mr brooks what's the
33:53legal penalty for invading someone's privacy again daniel cleared his rote the tips of his ears turned bright red
34:02well if there was a legitimate reason and if the family provided authorization a court might take
34:08that into consideration his answer made everyone laugh the light-hearted moment eased the emotions
34:16of our reunion as we headed home together my father finally told me why ethan had disappeared
34:22in an attempt to climb higher chloe sold intimate photos of herself and ethan to the media
34:28blackwell group was immediately dragged into a public scandal the stock price plummeted
34:36many business partners who had once worked closely with me terminated their contracts on the spot
34:42several newly signed partners were caught in the fallout as well
34:45the company lost hundreds of millions of dollars massive breach of contract claims followed
34:52ethan completely lost control he physically assaulted chloe in his office eventually he
34:57was convicted of assault and sentenced to three months in jail blackwell group never survived long
35:02enough to see his release overwhelmed by debt the company filed for bankruptcy protection
35:08as for chloe the scandal destroyed her reputation she was blacklisted across the industry no respectable
35:15company would hire her in the end she found herself working at a small restaurant enduring contempt
35:21from both customers and management every single day the next time i saw ethan was at a corporate gala
35:27two years later as the lead attorney responsible for taking a company public i was treated as one of the
35:34evening's most honored guests meanwhile in a corner of the ballroom ethan stood holding a glass of wine
35:40he was forcing polite conversation with business partners he once looked down upon one drink after
35:45another the site reminded me of myself years ago back when i drank until my stomach bled just to help
35:51him
35:51build his empire the moment our eyes met i saw it all in his gaze embarrassment shock pain and regret
36:00across the crowded room i raised my champagne glass toward him then slowly took a sip
36:07this toast was for the love we had lost and for the woman i became after surviving it
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