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00:00My name is Adrian Roper, codename Wraith. I used to sit at the top of the global assassin leaderboard, a
00:05name no other killer dared to challenge. Three years ago I got sick of the life of blood and blades.
00:09I faked an accident and vanished from that dark world for good. I changed my identity and came to this
00:14quiet coastal city where nobody knew me. I became a plain ordinary office worker, 9 to 5 every single day,
00:20cramming into the subway, eating cheap takeout lunches, and honestly I love this life, especially after I met Mia.
00:25Mia Morrison is my fiancée, a girl as warm as sunshine. She has no idea about my past. She thinks
00:30I'm just an ordinary guy from the countryside, trying to make it in the city. We are deeply in love,
00:35and next month we're getting married. Today she drags me through every jewelry store in the city. In the end
00:39at a store called Eternal Heart she stops in front of a diamond ring. The ring is called Stardust. Tiny
00:44diamonds circle a massive center stone, glittering under the lights, like the whole galaxy has been pressed inside. Mia's eyes
00:50shine with the same light. She asks me softly, Adrian, can we get this one? I glance at the price
00:55tag.
00:55A long row of zeros makes my heart clench. Damn. $1.3 million. My monthly salary is only $6,000.
01:01But I still smile and stroke her hair. Of course we can, as long as you like it. But she
01:05sweetly pulls me out of the store. It's too expensive, let's look at something else. It's just a ring. Looking
01:10at her forced smile, my heart aches like a needle is stabbing it. I swore I would give her the
01:14best in the world. I cannot let her feel any regret on the most important day of her life. That
01:18night, after Mia falls asleep, I walk out to the balcony and dial a number I've kept buried for three
01:22years. The phone rings for a long time before someone answers.
01:25An old, cautious voice comes through. Who is this? Kay, it's me. The line goes silent for a full 30
01:30seconds. His breathing turns heavy. Wraith, you're still alive. I need money. A lot of it. Give me a job.
01:35The highest paying one. You sure? You've been out for three years. Didn't you swear you'd never come back? I
01:40need $1.3 million. As fast as possible. My tone leaves no room for argument. Kay sighs. There's actually a
01:46job on the table. Bounty of $100 million.
01:48$50 million up front. The client demands an S-class assassin only. Nobody dared to touch it. But since you're
01:54asking, it's yours. My brows tighten. The bounty is insanely high. That means the target is a hot potato. Send
01:59me the file. Client codename M. The file is encrypted. Sent to your old inbox. Remember, failure is not an
02:04option. I hang up and open my dust-covered laptop. I log into that nearly forgotten inbox. One unread email
02:10sits quietly at the top. I open the attachment and type in a long, complex password.
02:14The moment the file unlocks and a photo pops up. Every drop of blood in my body freezes. In the
02:19photo, a man is standing at a crosswalk waiting for the light. A gentle smile on his face. I know
02:23that face down to the bone. Because that man is me. I freeze in front of the screen. A chill
02:28shoots from my feet straight to the top of my skull. Someone put a $100 million bounty on my own
02:33head. Right then, my phone buzzes. A message from Kay. Client M is online. She wants to talk to you.
02:38An encrypted chat window opens. The avatar is pitch black. The codename is M. Then a cold line of text
02:44appears.
02:44Aren't you supposed to be the top-tier assassin? It's just one target. Why is it taking you so long
02:49to decide? I pull a cigarette from my pocket. I light it up. The nicotine numbs me just enough to
02:53calm my racing mind. Who is this person? A survivor from a family I wiped out? Or the brother of
02:58someone I sent straight to hell? For three years I thought my cover was flawless. Who could track me down
03:02so precisely? And even knows I'm Wraith. After a long silence I stare at the screen. At my own face.
03:08My fingers tap softly on the keyboard. I send one line. Miss M. How would you like him to die?
03:12The other side goes quiet. As if she never
03:14expected that question. After a long pause, she finally replies. I want him to die on the happiest day of
03:19his life. I want him to taste falling from heaven straight into hell. I want him to die at his
03:23own wedding. Those three words. His own wedding. Strike me like a poison dagger. Driving straight into the softest part
03:29of my heart. My breath stops cold. Cigarette ash falls on the back of my hand burning a red mark
03:34but I feel nothing. She knows I'm getting married. That knowledge terrifies me more than the fact she wants me
03:39dead. My mind races through every past enemy trying to find who could possibly know so much about my current
03:43life. I
03:44bury the storm inside me and keep typing. No problem. But one hundred million dollars seems too much just to
03:49kill him. I'm testing her. The price on a target's head depends on how well he's protected. One hundred million
03:54on a plain office worker is the biggest red flag of all. Her reply comes fast. He's worth it. Because
03:59he is Wraith. That name alone is worth one hundred million. My pupils shrink. She doesn't just know who I
04:04am now. She knows my deepest secret. And I don't want him to die easily. I want you to crush
04:09every hope he has first. Ruin his name. Turn everyone against him. Make him a beaten dog everyone spits on.
04:14And finally when he thinks he has nothing left give him the killing blow. What a ruthless plan. This isn't
04:19a simple revenge kill. This is torture. Driven by pure boiling hatred. When will the deposit arrive? Anytime. To any
04:26account you name. Fine. I'll take the job. I shut the laptop and stand on the balcony. Letting the cold
04:31night wind slap against my face. My brain is spinning fast. Someone who knows I'm Wraith. Someone who knows I'm
04:36getting married. Someone who hates me to the bone. And someone who can move a hundred million dollars. That list
04:41is very short. Three years ago I wiped out my last family.
04:44The Ashford syndicate ruling the Golden Triangle. I was following orders back then. In a single night I wiped out
04:49all one hundred and twenty-seven members of the Ashford family. Along with their entire private army. Could it be
04:53a survivor of the Ashford's? But I studied their files. No one fits the profile of Miss M. So who
04:58exactly is this? I walk back to the bedroom. And look at Mia's sleeping face. A sweet little smile lingers
05:03on her lips. As if she's lost in a beautiful dream. A wave of warmth rises in my chest. And
05:08so does an unstoppable urge to kill. Whoever you are you should never ever have set your sights on her.
05:13You wanna see me abandoned? Left with nothing? Then let's play. The next morning I get up just like any
05:17other day and make breakfast for Mia. She hugs me from behind rubbing her cheek against my back. Adrian you're
05:22the best. I turn around and pinch her nose. Go wash up or you'll be late for work. I watch
05:26her skip into the bathroom. And the smile on my face vanishes. Ice takes its place. I send Kay a
05:31message with an overseas anonymous account attached. In less than a minute. My phone buzzes. Fifty million dollars. Received. The
05:37money's here. So now. The game begins.
05:39I take the day off from the office. The first thing I need to do is drag M out of
05:43the shadows. If she can track my movements. She must have eyes near me. Or some kind of high tech
05:48surveillance device. I go through our tiny apartment inch by inch. The couch cushions. Under the bed. Inside the lampshades.
05:54Any place that could hide a bug or a pinhole camera. I don't skip a single one. But I find
05:58nothing. I sit down on the couch. Deep in thought. If it's not physical surveillance. Then it has to be
06:03a network breach. Did she hack my phone? Or Mia's? I make up an excuse that Mia's phone is running
06:07slow and offer to clean it up. I check every corner.
06:09No Trojans. No back doors. Nothing. I sit still thinking. This is getting harder and harder. This M is like
06:15a real ghost. Invisible but everywhere. She knows everything about me. And I know nothing about her. I hate this
06:20feeling. I'm used to being in control. Not being a pawn on someone else's chessboard. That evening Mia comes home
06:26from work all excited. Honey I walked past Eternal Heart today. The clerk told me someone bought Stardust. Who do
06:31you think it was? I'm so jealous. Something stirs inside me. I look at her innocent smile and ask gently.
06:36Did you really love that ring? She nods hard. Then her face falls a little.
06:39I did love it. But it doesn't matter. As long as it's from you. Even a soda can pull tab
06:43would make me happy. I smile and pull a small velvet box out of my pocket. I open it in
06:47front of her. Then take a look at this pull tab. Do you like it? When she sees Stardust resting
06:51quietly inside the box. Mia's hands fly to her mouth. Tears well up in her eyes. She throws herself into
06:56my arms. Her voice trembling. Adrian. Where did you get this much money? I stroke her long hair and say
07:00softly. I won the lottery. Just enough to buy it. It's a terrible excuse. But I have no other choice.
07:05Mia doesn't doubt me. She's just drowning in joy. Crying and laughing in my arms.
07:09I slide the ring onto her finger. Under the light her finger and the ring look impossibly beautiful. And at
07:14that exact moment my phone buzzes again. A message from M just one photo. In it I'm bending down sliding
07:19the ring onto Mia's finger. A warm perfect moment. But the angle is from outside our living room window. A
07:25cold shiver crawls up my spine and floods my whole body. My body freezes. Outside the window on the 17th
07:30floor. That means either she's using a professional long range telephoto lens. Watching me from the rooftop across the street.
07:36Or she's using a drone.
07:37Either way. Her equipment is top of the line. And every move I make is being tracked. M's second message
07:42comes right after. The ring is beautiful. Too bad the hand wearing it will soon turn cold. The naked threat
07:46slithers into my eyes like a venomous snake. My arms tighten around Mia without me meaning to. She notices something
07:52is wrong. She looks up. Worried. Adrian. Are you okay? You don't look well. I quickly loosen my grip and
07:57force a smile. It's nothing. Just too happy. Seeing you like this. Everything I've done is worth it. My mind
08:02is racing. Stay calm. I have to stay calm.
08:05The worse things get the more I can't lose control. She wants me angry. Wants me to slip up and
08:09show a weakness. I force myself to settle down and type back. Miss M, you seem awfully interested in the
08:14target's personal life. That's not a healthy habit. It could affect my judgment. I'm just reminding you not to forget
08:18the job. And don't develop feelings for the target. After all, you're the one who has to destroy him. Looking
08:23at those words I actually laugh. She really thinks she has me cornered. My fingers fly across the screen. Relax.
08:28A professional never gets emotional. Money's in. Job's done. That night, I barely sleep. I sit in the dark of
08:33the living room still as a
08:34statue. Eyes locked on the window. I'm waiting. Waiting for whatever's watching me to show itself again. But the whole
08:40night passes in complete silence. She has patience too. One strike then back into the shadows. By dawn I have
08:46a plan. If I can't find you I'll force you out. You want me ruined and disgraced? Abandoned by everyone?
08:51Fine. Let's start with ruined and disgraced. I call the office and tell them I'm sick. I need extended leave.
08:56Then I pay off a street thug to spread rumors at my company saying I got fired for embezzling funds
09:00and I'm now wanted by the police. At the same time, I throw on old worn out clothes and start
09:04haunting
09:04the sleaziest bars and gambling dens in town. I let myself look completely wrecked. Getting drunk every night. Gambling away
09:10every dollar in my pocket. Then getting tossed out of the casino like a piece of garbage. It's all a
09:15performance for em. I know she's watching from some hidden corner enjoying the show. Sure enough, in less than three
09:20days, em sends a message. Good. I love the way he looks now. Keep going. I want to see him
09:25even more pathetic. Attached to the message is a photo of me getting kicked out of a casino. In the
09:29picture, my face is covered in dirt and there's blood at the corner of my mouth. I let out a
09:33cold laugh and delete the photo.
09:34The fish is taking the bait. And now, I need to cast the next actor in my Abandoned by Everyone
09:39drama. That actor is Mia's father. My future father-in-law, Gordon Morrison. Gordon is one of the most shallow,
09:45status-obsessed men I've ever met. When Mia first brought me home, the moment he heard I was an outsider
09:49with no house and no car, his face dropped. If Mia hadn't threatened to hurt herself, he never would have
09:53agreed to us being together. Even then, every time we meet he treats me with pure contempt. Nothing I say
09:58is right. Always looking down on me from above. He's the perfect pawn for my plan. That day, I deliberately
10:03lose everything at the tables.
10:04Ending up owing the casino $30,000. A few tattooed thugs corner me in an alley and beat the hell
10:09out of me. I don't fight back. I just protect the vital spots and let their fists and boots land
10:12on me. Only when my face is completely swollen and bloody do they finally stop, snarling their warning. Pay up
10:17by tomorrow, or we take your leg. I drag myself, broken and bruised, back to the apartment.
10:21The moment Mia sees me, her face goes pale. She bursts into tears, asking what happened. I feed her the
10:26story I've prepared. I got fired from the company, went gambling to cope, lost all my savings, and now I
10:31owe loan sharks. Mia's face goes white. She hugs me, sobbing. It's okay. Adrian, it's really okay. We can earn
10:36the money back. We can find another job. Please don't give up on yourself. I look into her tear-filled
10:41eyes and my heart stabs with pain. Then I shove her aside and start tearing through the apartment like a
10:45madman. Money! Where's the money? I need money!
10:47Finally, my eyes land on Stardust, still on her finger. I lunge at her like a starving wolf, grabbing her
10:52hand, trying to yank the ring off. Mia screams in terror. Adrian, what are you doing? My eyes are bloodshot,
10:57my voice hoarse. Give it to me! I'll pawn it! It'll get some cash! No! You gave it to me!
11:02I won't give it up! You don't have a choice! I yank harder and the ring scrapes across her skin,
11:06leaving a bloody line. Just as I'm about to rip the ring off, the door bursts open with a kick.
11:11Gordon storms in with several relatives. The moment he sees the scene, he starts shaking with rage. He jabs his
11:16finger at me and screams,
11:16You animal! You piece of trash! I always knew you were nothing but garbage! Behind him, an invisible lens is
11:22faithfully recording every second of this. I know M is watching this show with delight. Gordon charges forward and slaps
11:27me hard across the face. The crack echoes through the room. My cheek burns, but I don't move. Not even
11:32a flicker in my eyes. I just stare at him coldly. Gordon is fuming, jabbing his finger at me. You
11:36worthless bum! You broke loser! I should never have let Mia be with you! You ate our food, lived off
11:41our money, and now you dare grab my daughter's things? Are you even human? Mia rushes forward, sobbing and puts
11:46herself in front of me.
11:46Dad, stop! It's not Adrian's fault! It's mine! Gordon shoves Mia aside, and a young, strong relative immediately grabs her
11:53and holds her back. Behind Gordon, a middle-aged woman dressed to the nines. Mia's aunt, Vivian, stares at me
11:58with pure disgust. She sneers. Mia, you're still defending this bastard? Look at him! He's brought shame on our entire
12:04family! Another middle-aged man chimes in. That's right. We told her he was no good, but Mia, you wouldn't
12:09listen. Now look. Lost his job, hooked on gambling. She should have dumped him a long time ago.
12:13I stare at their ugly, self-righteous faces. My heart goes ice-cold. Keep acting. Go on. The uglier your
12:19words now, the more delicious your faces will be later. Gordon points at the door and roars.
12:23Adrian, listen to me. Right now, this second, get the hell out of this house. From today on, you will
12:27never see Mia again. The wedding is off. Mia cries out, her voice breaking.
12:31Dad, I'm begging you, please don't make Adrian leave. I slowly rise to my feet, wipe the blood from the
12:35corner of my mouth, and let a strange smile cross my face.
12:38Gordon, are you sure you want me to leave? My voice is low, but sharp as an icicle. The temperature
12:43in the room drops several degrees.
12:44Something in my eyes makes Gordon's chest jump, but he quickly burns with humiliated rage.
12:48You little brat! You dare call me by my name? How dare you! Get out! Or I'm calling the police!
12:53I nod and slowly scan every face in the room. Every smug, gloating expression I burn into my memory.
12:58I hope none of you regret this. Then without looking back, I walk out of the home I've lived in
13:02for two years.
13:03Behind me, I hear Mia's desperate sobs, and Gordon's triumphant shouting,
13:06Get out! And don't ever come back!
13:08I walk down the street. The night wind dries the blood on my face. My phone buzzes in my pocket.
13:12It's M. Beautiful performance. Seeing you thrown out like a dog makes me very happy.
13:17Next step, I want you dead. Tomorrow at noon. Abandoned building on the west side.
13:21Come alone. I'll tell you how to kill yourself. I reply with a single word. Fine.
13:24The next day I don't contact anyone. I go to the beach and watch the sunrise.
13:28Three years of a peaceful life, like a dream. Now the dream is over. Wraith is back.
13:3211.30 in the morning I take a taxi to the abandoned building on the west side. The place is
13:36completely
13:36deserted. Nothing but half-finished concrete frames and overgrown weeds everywhere. I walk
13:40into the tallest building and climb the stairs, one step at a time, up to the rooftop. The rooftop
13:45is empty. Only a single laptop sits in the middle. I walk over and open it. The screen lights up.
13:49An
13:50encrypted chat window pops open on its own. Jump now. I laugh. So this is your hundred million
13:54dollar deal? Make me jump off a building? You have no choice. Did you really think you could
13:58walk out of here alive today? I've set a trap all around this building with no way out. One word
14:02from me and you'll be riddled with bullets. I scan my surroundings. My gaze lingers on a few
14:07unremarkable corners for just a moment. Five sniper positions. Three assault teams. Looks like you
14:11really went all in. My tone is as flat as if I'm commenting on the weather. On the other end,
14:16M is clearly stunned. She never expected I could pinpoint her setup so precisely. How do you know?
14:20I let out a cold laugh. In your eyes, I'm the target. But in my eyes, you are the prey.
14:25The
14:25moment I finish speaking, muffled gunshots ring out in the distance, followed by sharp, agonized
14:30screams. What did you do? Nothing much, just called a few friends to help take out your trash.
14:34Before coming, I contacted K and had him deploy the organization's top cleanup crew. Against these
14:39amateur shooters, it's like using a sledgehammer to crack a nut. M's tone turns hysterical.
14:43You think this is over? Wraith, you are so naive. My real trump card isn't even here.
14:47I walk to the edge of the rooftop, staring down at the drop below. Really? My lovely fiancée,
14:51Mia? The chat window goes dead silent. The smile at the corner of my mouth grows wider.
14:55From the moment you told me to kill myself at my own wedding, I started suspecting you.
14:59In this entire world, someone who knows I'm getting married and hates me to the bone.
15:03A woman other than you. I can't think of anyone else. How could you possibly know? Are you curious?
15:07I was supposed to be a puppet in your hands. Why did I suddenly strike back? I pause.
15:11I say each word slowly. Because from the very beginning, I never trusted you.
15:15Mia? The moment I type her name, I can clearly feel M's breathing on the other end of the line
15:19completely lose rhythm. She stays silent for a long time. So long I almost think she's gone
15:23offline. Then a line of text slowly appears. How did you find out? I let out a soft laugh.
15:28Was it hard? A girl from a normal family working at a normal company with no background at all?
15:32How could she pull out $50 million in advance? And how did she know the codename Wraith?
15:36Your disguise was excellent. Absolutely flawless. For three years you were gentle and thoughtful,
15:40kind, perfect like an angel. But the more perfect you were, the bigger the flaw. Nobody in this world
15:45is truly perfect. You hate me. Enough to want me ruined, abandoned by everyone, and dying in agony.
15:50That kind of hatred doesn't grow in a day or two. So I dug into the files on the Ashford
15:54family,
15:54the one I wiped out three years ago, and I found a very interesting detail. Old Mr. Ashford's most
15:59beloved granddaughter was named Mia Ashford. Three years ago she happened to be studying abroad
16:03escaping the massacre. Mia Ashford. Mia Morrison. You just changed your last name, didn't you?
16:07The other end goes dead silent again. I know I got it right. Every doubt I had is finally answered
16:12in this single moment. So all of this from the moment we first met three years ago had already
16:15been set in motion. A three-year revenge disguised as love. Finally she stops pretending. Every word
16:20she types is soaked in bloody hatred. Adrian, you deserve to die. You destroyed my family. You killed my
16:25grandfather, my parents, every single one of my relatives. 127 people. You butcher. You monster.
16:30Every night I dream of them. I see them covered in blood, asking me why I haven't avenged them.
16:34I hate you. I want to tear you apart piece by piece. I stare at those hysterical words on the
16:39screen, and yet my heart is strangely calm. No anger. No sadness. Not even a ripple. Maybe from
16:44the moment I first suspected her my heart had already died. I ask one final question. So these three
16:49years of love, they were all fake? She reacts as if she just heard the funniest joke in the world.
16:53Ha ha ha. Adrian, you are so naive. You think I could ever love the man who killed my father?
16:57Every second I spent with you I felt sick. Every time you touched me I wanted to throw up. I
17:01was
17:01acting every single day, playing a foolish woman drowning in love for you. Watching you the butcher
17:06treat me with such tenderness. Watching you cook for me with your own hands. It was the most sickening
17:10joke in the world. I wanted you to fall for me. I wanted you to believe you had found redemption.
17:14That you had found a home. And then I would shatter it all with my own hands. So you could
17:18taste the
17:18pain I felt back then. I close my eyes and take a deep breath. So that's how it was. The
17:23redemption
17:23I thought I'd found was nothing but a hell she had carefully built for me. When I opened my eyes
17:27again,
17:27there's nothing left in them but endless cold. Mia Ashford, the game is over. No it's not. You
17:32think you've won? You think taking out a few snipers means you're safe? Let me tell you the
17:36real show is just beginning. Didn't you want to marry me? Didn't you want to give me a home?
17:40I'll give you that chance now. Tomorrow, our original wedding day, I'll be waiting for you
17:44in the cathedral wearing my wedding dress. But the guests at our wedding won't be guests.
17:48They'll be the top assassins from every corner of the world all here for you. I'll turn your
17:51wedding into your funeral. I'll show the whole world how the legendary wraith died at the
17:55hands of the woman he loved. Adrian, do you dare to come? I look at her challenge on the screen
17:59and
17:59laugh. Laugh so hard my chest shakes. Then I softly type a few words. Tomorrow, I'll be there. Not only
18:05will I come but I'll bring you a wedding gift you could never imagine. I cut off the connection and
18:09stand on the rooftop for a long time, letting the wind blow. The sea breeze passes through the
18:13abandoned steel and concrete, making a low moaning sound, like the wailing of lost souls. My heart is
18:18like this dead building, ruined and empty, never to see sunlight again. Mia Ashford. Mia, I chew on that name
18:23over and over, until my tongue tastes like bitter rust. Three years of shared everything, of loving
18:28through thick and thin, was just a carefully planned scam. The love I believed in was her blade of
18:32revenge. The heart I gave her was, in her eyes, the most ridiculous performance. Fine, very well. If you
18:38want to play, I'll play with you until the end. I take out my phone and call Kay, help me
18:41trace the
18:41Ashford Syndicate's overseas assets from back then, and every money trail Mia Ashford has left over the past
18:46three years. Also, send me the files on the top ten of the Global Assassin Leaderboard. Everything,
18:51in detail, their habits, weaknesses, recent activity. Kay doesn't ask why, he just responds
18:56in a low voice. You'll have it in 30 minutes. 30 minutes later, two encrypted files arrive in my
19:00inbox. The first is the Ashford Syndicate's asset report. When the Ashford's fell, most of their
19:05assets were frozen or divided up. But there was still one secret fund, $1 billion, funneled through
19:09a maze of trusts and offshore companies, all transferred into Mia Ashford's name. That's how she could afford the
19:14$100 million bounty. The second file is the top ten Global Assassin Leaderboard. Phantom, Bloodhound,
19:19Black Widow. Codenames both familiar and strange. Every one of them expensive. Every one of them
19:24ruthless. Mia Ashford, just to kill me you really spared no cost. I look at the list, a cold curve
19:29tugging at the corner of my mouth. I used to be one of them. In fact, I was the one
19:32at the very top.
19:33And now, these old colleagues have come to take my life. Nothing could be more ironic. I spend the
19:37entire afternoon studying every single file on all ten of them, line by line. Then, using anonymous
19:41accounts, I send nine of them each an email. The message is simple. Job cancelled. New target,
19:46Mia Ashford. Bounty doubled. As for the last one, Phantom ranked number one. I sent him a
19:51different message. An old friend, Wraith, is waiting for you at the cathedral on the east side. Come
19:55catch up. The next day, I get up early. I shave, comb my hair, and stand in front of the
19:59mirror,
19:59adjusting my tie again and again. The man in the mirror has calm eyes, but they're bottomless.
20:04On that familiar face, there is no trace left of Adrian's warmth, only the coldness and finality
20:08of Wraith. Ten in the morning, I arrive at the cathedral on the east side, right on time. Under the
20:13massive stained glass windows, the cathedral is empty. Just rows and rows of empty chairs.
20:17I walk down the long red carpet, one step at a time. At the end of the carpet, Mia Ashford
20:21stands
20:21in a pure white wedding dress. Her back to me. Hearing my footsteps, she slowly turns around.
20:26Her makeup is exquisite. She's as beautiful as a porcelain doll, but in her eyes, there's no warmth
20:31left. Only hatred carved into her bones and a complicated flicker of satisfaction.
20:35You actually dared to come. I said I would. I walk right up to her and meet her eyes.
20:39We're standing very close. Close enough for me to catch the soft scent of her perfume.
20:43The one I gave her on our very first date. Adrian, do you know? I've been waiting for
20:46this day for three years. Every day I thought about how to kill you. But killing you directly,
20:50that would be too easy on you. I wanted you to fall in love with me. To let your guard
20:53down
20:53completely. And then, at the moment you were happiest and most triumphant, deliver the
20:57killing blow. Today is the day you die. She starts to laugh. A slightly manic laugh.
21:01Look around you. She spreads her arms as if presenting her masterpiece. Hidden in this
21:05cathedral are ten of the top assassins in the entire world. Every single one of them wants
21:09your head to claim that sky-high bounty. There's no way out for you today. I listen
21:13quietly. No expression on my face. When she finishes, I finally speak. Done? Then it's
21:18time to see the wedding gift I brought you. The words are barely out when the heavy cathedral
21:22doors swing open from outside. Sunlight pours in, revealing the figure standing at the entrance.
21:27It's a man in a trench coat and dark sunglasses. The air around him is like a drawn blade,
21:32sharp and dangerous. The moment Mia Ashford sees him, her pupils shrink.
21:35Phantom, why are you here? Phantom ignores her. He walks straight up to me and removes
21:39his sunglasses, revealing a pair of sharp hawk-like eyes. He bows slightly to me.
21:43Long time no see, my king. Every drop of color drains from Mia Ashford's face.
21:48She stares at me in phantom in disbelief, her body trembling from shock.
21:51Phantom, are you insane? Do you have any idea what you're saying? He's just Wraith. Just an
21:56assassin. Phantom turns his head and looks at her like he's staring at an idiot. His tone
22:00drips with disdain. Ignorant woman. You thought Wraith was just a code name? In our world,
22:04the name Wraith belongs to the one and only king. Every assassin has either owed him a
22:08debt or feared his power. He is the one who makes the rules. And you dared to put a bounty
22:13on our king? Mia Ashford staggers back a step, catching her foot on her own wedding dress
22:17nearly falling. She stares at me like she's meeting me for the very first time. No, this
22:21is impossible. This can't be. I look at her broken, hollow expression, and I feel no pity
22:26at all. Mia Ashford, you thought you knew me. The truth is, you know nothing. You thought
22:30you had set a trap with no way out. The truth is it was nothing but a joke to me.
22:34The moment
22:34I finish speaking, the stained glass window on the second floor of the cathedral shatters
22:38with a crash. A dark figure falls from above and slams into the floor, blood pouring from
22:41his mouth clearly not going to survive. Then one, two, three, one after another, agile
22:46assassins are dragged out from every corner of the cathedral, thrown to the center of the
22:50room like garbage. Some have broken arms, some have broken legs, every one of them a
22:54wrecked mess. These are the assassins Mia Ashford paid a fortune for. The other nine top
22:58assassins aside from Phantom, and the ones who took them down are their former colleagues,
23:02Bloodhound, Black Widow, names that make people tremble on the black market. But right now they
23:06kneel before me on one knee like the most loyal guards. The cathedral falls into dead silence.
23:10Mia Ashford collapses onto the floor. Her pure white wedding dress is now stained with dust.
23:14Her makeup is smeared with tears. Her eyes are hollow. She mumbles to herself,
23:18How? How could this happen? How could this be? Her carefully crafted killing plan falls apart
23:22before me in seconds. Her revenge, the one she took such pride in, was a joke from start
23:26to finish. I walk over to her, look down at her, and pull a document from my coat,
23:30tossing it at her feet. Now, it's my turn. This is the first gift I have for you.
23:34Mia Ashford picks up the document with trembling hands. The moment she reads the title, her pupils
23:38blow wide, and the last bit of color drains from her face. It's an asset freeze order.
23:42The $1 billion secret fund that was transferred out of the Ashford syndicate into her name,
23:46on suspicion of illegal money laundering, has been fully frozen by the International Financial
23:50Crimes Division. And the person who reported it was me. Mia Ashford stares at the paper in
23:54her hands and lets out a piercing scream. No! This can't be! My money! My money!
23:59Don't rush! There's a second gift! I snap my fingers. The cathedral doors open once more.
24:03This time a group of uniformed police officers walks in. Leading them is a stern-faced middle-aged
24:07officer, Detective Harris. Miss Mia Ashford, you are suspected of contract killing and illegal
24:11fundraising. You are formally under arrest. Anything you say can and will be used as evidence in court.
24:16With a cold click, the handcuffs close around her pale white wrists. Mia Ashford completely breaks.
24:21She thrashes like a madwoman, screaming and cursing. Adrian, you devil! You will die a
24:26horrible death. Even as a ghost, I will hunt you down. I watch as the police drag her away.
24:30I watch her beautiful wedding dress drag a filthy lion across the floor. Not a flicker of emotion
24:34crosses my eyes. Phantom asks quietly, My king, how do you want her handled? I say flatly,
24:40the law will give her the fairest judgment. Killing her would be too easy. I want her alive. I want
24:44her to
24:45live with endless regret and despair, rotting in prison for the rest of her life. I want her to live
24:49every day in the agony of a failed revenge, never finding release. That is my cruelest revenge on
24:53her. The police take Mia Ashford away, along with the half-dead assassins. Only I and my people remain
24:58in the cathedral. After Phantom and the others finish cleaning up, they return to me. My king,
25:02what are your next orders? I look at the empty cathedral, at the red carpet I never got to
25:06finish walking down. My heart is completely hollow. Three years of a dream, shattered. The ordinary man
25:11called Adrian is dead. From now on, I am once again the solitary wraith. I wave my hand.
25:16You can all go. Phantom hesitates. My king, I say nothing more and turn to walk out of the
25:21cathedral. The sunlight is too bright. I squint instinctively. Where do I go now? There's no
25:25place for me left in this city. The place I once thought of as home I can never go back
25:28to.
25:29I wander the streets aimlessly, like a soulless ghost. Then my phone rings. It's Gordon calling.
25:34I swipe to answer but I don't say a word. Mr. Adrian! No, Master Adrian, it's me, Gordon Morrison!
25:39I stay silent, just staring at the phone. Master Adrian, it was all a misunderstanding.
25:43I had no idea you were such an important person. I was blind. I failed to see who you really
25:47are.
25:47I'm not even human. I'm begging you. Please be merciful. Please forgive me. I laugh. The laugh
25:52is dripping with mockery. Gordon, have you forgotten how you chased me out of your house
25:55like a dog just two days ago? Have you forgotten how you pointed at my face and called me worthless,
25:59called me an animal? I hang up the phone and send Kay a message. Gordon Morrison. Morrison
26:03construction materials bankrupt him. In less than ten minutes my phone gets the reply. Done. After
26:08dealing with Gordon, I don't feel any satisfaction at all. The hollow in my chest only grows bigger.
26:12I go back to the small rented apartment where Mia and I live for three years. Her traces are still
26:17everywhere. The makeup on the vanity, her dresses in the closet, the matching couple mugs we bought
26:21together. Every single item is like a needle stabbing into my heart. I sit on the couch,
26:25from day into night, replaying every little moment of the past three years. The way she cooked for me.
26:29The way she curled up in my arms to watch movies. The way she secretly prepared surprises for my
26:34birthday. Those warm memories have all become the sharpest of blades, slicing my heart apart,
26:38cut by cut. I stand up and walk into the bedroom. I pull open the drawer of the nightstand.
26:42In the corner sits a tiny velvet box. Inside is the silver ring I bought her with my very first
26:46paycheck. It wasn't worth much, but it was everything I had. When she got it, she cried
26:50like a child, saying it was the best gift she had ever received. I pick up the box, walk to
26:54the
26:54balcony and without hesitation, throw it down. Let it all end here. I book a plane ticket. I want to
26:59leave this place forever. But just then an unknown number calls. I almost hang up. But somehow,
27:04I answer anyway. On the other end is a woman's voice, choked with tears but unfamiliar.
27:08Is this Adrian? I'm Lily, Mia's classmate from college. Before everything happened,
27:13Mia left a letter with me, told me to make sure it reached you personally. She said,
27:16if you're still willing to see her, go to the place where the two of you first met and wait
27:19for her there. The place where we first met? My brow tightens. An image flashes through my mind.
27:24Three years ago when I had just arrived in this city, on a rainy evening, I walked into a bookstore
27:28called Warm Light. I was soaked to the bone, a complete mess. It was Mia who handed me a warm
27:32cup of
27:33tea and a clean towel. The way she smiled was like the sun breaking through after the rain.
27:36In an instant, she lit up my gray world. It was the first time I ever felt warmth.
27:41Mr. Adrian, are you still there? Lily's voice pulls me out of the memory. I understand.
27:45I hang up the phone and stand there for a long time. To go, or not to go. Logic tells
27:49me this
27:50could be another trap set by Mia Ashford. She's already been arrested but who's to say she doesn't
27:54have another play in motion. And yet, deep inside me, a voice keeps screaming, go. In the end,
27:59I decide to go and see her. Because I want to know what the letter says. I want to know
28:03what she
28:03still wants to tell me. At the end of this enormous lie. That night, I return to the Warm
28:07Light bookstore. The store looks exactly the same. Warm lighting, the air filled with the scent of
28:11books and coffee. I take a seat by the window and order the same hot tea I had three years
28:15ago.
28:15I wait for a long time. Long enough that I start to think I've been played again. Just as I'm
28:19about
28:19to leave, a woman in a prison uniform walks in, escorted by two prison guards. It's Mia Ashford.
28:24She's stripped of all her makeup. Her face is pale, her eyes dim. She sits down across from me.
28:28The guards stand a short distance away, watching us carefully. Neither of us says a word. The air
28:32is heavy and awkward. You came? Give me the letter. She pulls a slightly crumpled envelope from her
28:37pocket and hands it to me. I take it but I don't open it right away. Adrian, I know it's
28:40too late
28:41to say any of this. I just want to tell you some things were real. I love you. When she
28:45says those
28:45three words, her eyes are so sincere, it shakes something loose inside me. The first time I saw you
28:50in this bookstore, you were soaked through. But your eyes carried a loneliness and a brokenness
28:54that didn't belong to this world. In that moment, I admit my heart moved.
28:58In the beginning, I got close to you for revenge. I wanted you to fall in love with me so
29:02I could
29:02destroy you afterward. But I failed. Tears begin to fall, one after another, onto the table. These
29:07three years, you were too good to me. Good enough to make me forget the hatred. Good enough that all
29:11I wanted was to spend my life with you. Countless times I thought about giving up the revenge,
29:15just living out an ordinary life with you. But I couldn't forget my family. I couldn't forget the
29:19blood debt of over a hundred Ashfords. Every single day, I was tearing myself apart between love and
29:24hatred. I was losing my mind. So I came up with that insane plan. I thought, if you were dead,
29:29it would all be over. I could finally be free. She collapses onto the table, sobbing uncontrollably.
29:34I listen in silence. My knuckles turn white from how tightly I'm gripping the envelope.
29:38She lifts her head, looking at me through her tears.
29:40Adrian, this letter. I wrote it before I decided to die together with you.
29:44Back then I thought if I died, I at least wanted you to know how I truly felt.
29:47Giving it to you now, at least I can consider one last wish fulfilled.
29:51Visitation time is up. The guard walks over to take her away.
29:54She stands up and looks at me deeply. Her eyes are filled with despair and reluctance.
29:58Adrian, I'm sorry. I'm really sorry and please forget me.
30:01She's taken away, disappearing through the door of the bookstore.
30:03I sit there alone, clutching the burning letter in my hand, like I'm holding a red hot iron.
30:08I don't open the letter right away. I tuck it against my chest and leave the bookstore.
30:11Outside, the city lights are coming on, traffic flowing everywhere.
30:14But I feel completely out of place in all this life.
30:16I go back to the empty apartment. This may be my last night here.
30:19I sit on the couch and pull out the letter. My hands are shaking a little.
30:23I take a deep breath and tear open the envelope.
30:25Inside is a single thin sheet of paper, with handwriting that is delicate and painfully familiar.
30:30Adrian, by the time you read this letter, I may no longer be in this world.
30:33Please forgive my selfishness and my cruelty.
30:35For three years I lived trapped between love and hatred.
30:38Every single day was torment. My love for you was real. My hatred for you was real.
30:42Those two feelings were like vipers, coiling around my heart and gnawing at it day and night.
30:47I imagined our future countless times. A future without hatred.
30:50With only us. We would have our own home.
30:52We would have a beautiful child. We would grow old together, slowly.
30:55But I couldn't. Every time I closed my eyes I saw my family dying in blood.
30:59I couldn't forget. I wasn't allowed to forget.
31:01So I chose this final, brutal path.
31:03Using your death to honor my family.
31:05Using my own death to end this hopeless love.
31:07I know I'm selfish. I destroyed every hope you had for the future.
31:10I destroyed everything we ever had.
31:12If there is a next life, I hope we meet again on an ordinary day.
31:15You won't be Wraith.
31:16I won't be Mia Ashford.
31:18We'll be like every other ordinary couple in the world, loving each other and staying together
31:22for a lifetime.
31:23Adrian, I love you.
31:24I lied about this for three years.
31:26But this time, it's true.
31:27Forget me.
31:28Live well.
31:29The letter slips from my fingers.
31:31My eyes burn so hot it frightens me.
31:33So she loved me.
31:34So she had struggled too and suffered too.
31:36The perfect deception I thought it was had been her own purgatory.
31:39I cover my face.
31:40My shoulders begin to shake beyond my control.
31:42Every emotion I've buried for so long breaks loose in this single moment.
31:45Like a child in this apartment filled with our memories, I cry out loud.
31:48That night, I cry every tear I have left.
31:50When dawn comes, I stand up and light the letter with a lighter.
31:53The flames dance, turning her words and the past carved into my bones, into ashes.
31:57I pack a simple bag, taking nothing from this apartment with me.
32:00I delete every contact from my phone and wipe every social media account.
32:03I book the earliest flight overseas to somewhere no one can find me.
32:06Before leaving, I take one last look at the city.
32:09Goodbye Mia.
32:10Goodbye Adrian.
32:11The plane cuts through the clouds, leaving the city far behind.
32:13The destination I choose is a remote island in the South Pacific.
32:16With some of my money, I buy a small wooden cabin by the sea and settle into a life of
32:20rising with the sun and sleeping with the dark.
32:22I never touch anything from my past again.
32:24Every day I just fish, bask in the sun, and read.
32:27The days pass one after another, but my heart is like a pool of stagnant water.
32:31No ripples ever form on its surface again.
32:33I thought my life would end this way, drifting quietly toward the end in silence and solitude,
32:37until the day Kay's phone call shatters the quiet again.
32:39His voice is heavier than I have ever heard it.
32:42Wraith, something happened.
32:43Mia Ashford is gone.
32:44She took her own life in prison.
32:45My mind goes blank, like a switch was flipped.
32:48How?
32:48She swallowed a pill hidden in her tooth.
32:50Very professional.
32:51By the time the guards found her, it was already too late, and she wrote three words on the
32:55wall, in blood.
32:56I think you already know what she wrote.
32:58I gripped the phone, unable to speak for a long time.
33:00The sunlight in front of me suddenly turns unbearably harsh.
33:03Even the sound of the waves becomes noisy and unbearable.
33:05There's one more thing.
33:07Kay's voice pulls me back.
33:08Our people uncovered something.
33:09Before she died, Mia Ashford met with someone.
33:12Who?
33:12The second in command of the Ashford Syndicate.
33:14Her own uncle.
33:15Victor Ashford.
33:16In my memory this man should have died three years ago in the purge.
33:19I killed him with my own hands.
33:20Wasn't he already dead?
33:21He faked his own death.
33:22He used a body double to fool everyone, and went into hiding under a false identity.
33:26For the past three years he's been quietly rebuilding his power, gathering the remnants
33:30of the Ashford family, and he was very likely the mastermind behind all of Mia Ashford's
33:34revenge plan.
33:35My pupils shrink into the sharpest, most dangerous needles.
33:38An unstoppable rage erupts from inside my chest, almost burning away every last piece
33:42of my reason.
33:42I slowly rise to my feet, looking out to where the sea meets the sky.
33:46My eyes turn cold as Siberian ice.
33:48Where is he now?
33:49Thailand.
33:49He's one of the biggest arms dealers there now.
33:51Send me everything you have on him.
33:53I want him dead.
33:54He is going to join Mia in the grave.
33:55Three days later, I'm on the streets of Bangkok.
33:58The tropical sun and thick humid air melt none of the cold inside me.
34:01I am no longer the Adrian who wanted to retire to a quiet life.
34:04I have become Wraith again.
34:06Cold and merciless.
34:07My target is one man.
34:08Victor Ashford.
34:09According to Kay's files, Victor Ashford's power base is concentrated in an estate in northern
34:14Bangkok.
34:14That estate isn't so much a home, as it is a military fortress.
34:18Guards every few steps, sentries every few more, fully armed mercenaries and high-definition
34:22cameras everywhere.
34:24The outer perimeter even has landmines buried in the ground.
34:26A frontal assault would be suicide.
34:28I don't rush.
34:29Instead, I check into a small hotel near the estate and watch, patient as a leopard studying
34:33its prey.
34:34I spend two full days mapping every patrol route in the estate, shift change times, surveillance
34:38blind spots, and Victor Ashford's own daily routine.
34:41He's extremely cautious.
34:42He rarely leaves home.
34:43Eight personal bodyguards are with him at all times, every one of them retired special
34:46forces elite.
34:47Finding an opening near him is nearly impossible.
34:49On the third night, the opportunity comes.
34:51Victor Ashford is heading into the city for an underground auction.
34:54This is my perfect chance.
34:55That night, I put on a waiter's uniform and slip into the hotel where the auction is being
34:59held.
34:59The auction floor is packed, with a mixed crowd, people from every walk of life.
35:03I weave through the crowd my eyes locked on the man seated in the front row, in the
35:06very important person section.
35:08Victor Ashford.
35:09He looks much older than he did three years ago, but his eyes are as dark and ruthless
35:13as ever.
35:13Carrying a drink tray I move toward him, step by step.
35:16Ten meters.
35:16Five.
35:17Three.
35:17One of his bodyguards glances at me alert.
35:19I lower my head and act perfectly deferential.
35:22In the exact moment I brush past him my wrist flicks.
35:24A tracking device smaller than a grain of rice attaches silently to the hem of his suit
35:28jacket.
35:28With that done, I walk away as if nothing happened and vanish into the crowd.
35:32After the auction ends, Victor Ashford's motorcade rolls out of the hotel in full force.
35:36I ride a motorcycle I prepared in advance and follow at a distance.
35:39The motorcade doesn't head back to the estate.
35:41It drives toward an abandoned dock on the outskirts.
35:43Something clicks in my mind.
35:45Looks like there's another Actonite.
35:46I park the bike far away and creep closer.
35:48At the dock, Victor Ashford is talking with several foreigners, clearly conducting some
35:52kind of deal.
35:53Dozens of mercenaries stand guard around them, weapons ready, sealing off the entire dock.
35:57I crouch in the shadow of a shipping container, like a ghost, waiting for my moment.
36:00The deal finishes quickly.
36:02The foreigners walk away with their cases.
36:04A satisfied smile spreads across Victor Ashford's face.
36:06He's about to get into his car.
36:08Now.
36:08I pull my silenced pistol from my belt and pull the trigger, once, twice, aiming at the floodlights
36:13on the dock.
36:13A few muffled pops, and the entire dock is plunged into darkness.
36:17Assassin, protect the boss.
36:18Chaos explodes in an instant.
36:20Mercenaries shout in panic, firing blindly into the dark.
36:22Victor Ashford's bodyguards immediately close in around him, trying to pull him back to the
36:25car, and I, using the chaos's cover, move through them like a bolt of black lightning
36:29cutting straight toward Victor Ashford.
36:31I move between the containers like a phantom.
36:33Every flicker of movement is followed by the dull thud of a body hitting the ground.
36:36Those well-trained mercenaries are as fragile as paper in front of me.
36:39Their bullets can't even catch my shadow.
36:40There!
36:41Open fire!
36:42Finally, someone spots me.
36:43A wall of gunfire sweeps toward me.
36:45I roll and duck behind a pile of discarded tires.
36:47Bullets punch into the tires with soft, muffled thuds.
36:49I don't stay to fight.
36:50I have only one target.
36:51I peek out from behind the tires, eyes locking precisely onto Victor Ashford, still surrounded
36:56by his guards, about to climb into the car.
36:57His face is twisted with fear.
36:59He's screaming something at the top of his lungs.
37:01I raise my gun and fire at the bodyguard beside him.
37:03The bodyguard drops.
37:05Victor Ashford lets out a terrified scream and scrambles into the car in a mess of panic.
37:08The remaining guards lose their composure.
37:10Firing wildly in my direction, trying to pin me down with suppressive fire.
37:14Using the muzzle flashes as cover, I shift positions again, sliding around to their flank
37:18like a phantom.
37:19A few more shots ring out.
37:20A few more guards drop.
37:22In a heartbeat, Victor Ashford has only two guards left.
37:24They press their backs against the car door, shielding him behind them.
37:27Their face is full of despair.
37:29Victor Ashford hides behind the car, roaring with fake bravado.
37:32Come out!
37:32Come out here!
37:33Whoever sent you, I'll pay you double.
37:34No, ten times the price.
37:36Just let me live!
37:36I step slowly out of the shadows.
37:38The moment Victor Ashford sees my face clearly, his pupils blow wide open, his expression more
37:42horrified than if he had seen a ghost.
37:44It's you, Wraith!
37:45Adrian Roper!
37:46Aren't you- aren't you supposed to be dead?
37:47I walk toward him, one step at a time.
37:50My voice is as cold as the deepest hell.
37:52You used Mia to try to kill me.
37:53Did you ever think this day would come?
37:55Victor Ashford's face turns hideous.
37:56That stupid woman, useless at getting anything done, but plenty good at ruining it.
38:00I should have killed her a long time ago.
38:02The moment those words leave his mouth, the last trace of pity in me disappears.
38:06I raise my gun and aim right between his eyes.
38:08You deserve to die.
38:09No!
38:09Don't kill me!
38:10Victor Ashford, completely, breaks.
38:12He drops to his knees, tears and snot running down his face.
38:15Master Adrian, I was wrong.
38:16It was all my fault.
38:17I shouldn't have used Mia.
38:19Please, for Mia's sake, spare me.
38:20She was the woman you loved most.
38:22I laugh.
38:23It's a deeply chilling laugh.
38:24You're right, she was the woman I loved most.
38:26So I'm going to send you down there to apologize to her in person.
38:28I pull the trigger without a moment's hesitation.
38:31A single sharp shot.
38:32A bloody hole opens between Victor Ashford's brows.
38:34The expression on his face freezes in absolute terror and disbelief.
38:38He falls straight backward.
38:39The last two guards stare at their boss's body.
38:41All their fight gone.
38:42They drop their weapons and fall to their knees,
38:44begging for mercy.
38:45I don't spare them another glance.
38:47I turn and walk back into the darkness.
38:49With Victor Ashford dealt with, I don't stay in Thailand any longer.
38:52I leave as silently as I came.
38:54I don't go back to the little island in the South Pacific.
38:56That place carries too much sorrow.
38:58Things I want to forget but can't.
38:59I begin to wander the world.
39:01I go to the Sahara, where I see endless desert and skies full of stars.
39:05I go to Iceland, where I see brilliant auroras and glaciers that have lived for 10,000 years.
39:09I pass through many places, see many landscapes.
39:11But my heart is still a wasteland.
39:13I have truly become Wraith.
39:14A ghost with no past and no future.
39:16Kay reaches out to me from time to time, asking where I am, how I am doing.
39:20I never tell him where I am.
39:21I just reply with two words, still alive.
39:24A year later, I drift to Paris.
39:25On a rainy afternoon, I sit at an outdoor cafe by the Seine, watching people pass by.
39:30Then a familiar figure comes into view.
39:32Gordon Morrison.
39:33He's aged more than 20 years since the last time I saw him.
39:35His hair is completely white.
39:37His back is hunched.
39:37He's wearing a cheap janitor's uniform, sweeping fallen leaves off the ground.
39:41The Gordon Morrison who once thought himself above everyone, who loved money more than
39:45life, has fallen this far.
39:46I watch him quietly.
39:48He works hard, sweeping every single leaf into a trash bag.
39:51A gust of wind blows through, sending a few leaves back out of the bag.
39:54He sighs, shuffles over, bends down and picks them up one by one.
39:57I watch him, feeling nothing at all.
39:59Just as I'm about to look away, a young girl runs over with an umbrella to his side.
40:03She hands him a thermal lunchbox and pulls out a small towel, carefully wiping the rain
40:07from his forehead.
40:08Gordon Morrison looks at her, and a gentle smile spreads across his wrinkled face.
40:12It's a smile I have never seen on him before.
40:14A smile from the heart.
40:15The girl chatters at him in French, seemingly scolding him for still working out in the rain
40:18instead of resting.
40:19He doesn't understand a word, but he keeps smiling and nodding.
40:22I watch this scene, and suddenly, my head feels far away.
40:25If Mia hadn't died, if none of that hatred had ever existed, years from now, would we have
40:29been like this too?
40:30You, leaning on each other on some foreign street, growing old together slowly.
40:34I pull my eyes away, finish the last sip of my coffee and stand up.
40:37Before I've taken more than a few steps, an old, trembling voice calls out behind me.
40:41Adrian, is that you?
40:42My steps freeze.
40:43My body locks up.
40:44I don't turn around.
40:45I hear the sound of rushed, unsteady footsteps behind me.
40:48Gordon Morrison catches up and blocks my path, out of breath.
40:50His cloudy eyes are locked on me, filled with excitement, fear, and something else, tangled
40:54and hard to name.
40:55Adrian, it really is you.
40:56I look at him coldly.
40:57You have the wrong person.
40:59No, I could never mistake you.
41:00He grabs my arm, his hands trembling from the force.
41:03Even if you were reduced to ashes, I would still know you.
41:05I frown and try to shake him off.
41:06Master Adrian, I beg you, please hear me out.
41:08He drops to his knees in front of me.
41:10People passing by turn to stare.
41:12What are you doing?
41:12Get up.
41:13If you don't listen to me, I won't stand up.
41:14Tears stream down his face.
41:16He wraps his arms around my leg and refuses to let go.
41:18I take a deep breath, forcing down the irritation inside me.
41:22Speak.
41:22Master Adrian, I know I was wrong.
41:24The worst thing I ever did in my life was looking down on you, throwing you out of my house
41:27that day.
41:28As he speaks, he slaps himself hard across the face.
41:30I went bankrupt.
41:31My wife ran off with another man.
41:33I lost everything.
41:34This is what I deserve.
41:35I accept it.
41:35I drifted all the way here with no one to turn to, nowhere to go.
41:38More than once, I wanted to give up, but I couldn't.
41:41He lifts his head and points at the young girl a short distance away, standing under
41:44her umbrella, watching us with worry.
41:46That is my granddaughter.
41:47She's the child Mia left behind.
41:49My mind is struck like it's been hit by lightning.
41:51A child.
41:51Mia's child.
41:52When Mia found out she was pregnant, she wanted to tell you.
41:55But by then, everything between you two had already fallen apart.
41:58She was afraid you wouldn't want the child, and afraid that Victor Ashford would harm
42:01the baby.
42:02So she gave birth to her in secret, and left her with her college classmate
42:05Lily.
42:06After Mia was gone, Lily found me and handed the child over.
42:09She said,
42:09This child is Mia's only bloodline, and yours.
42:12The words hit me like lightning.
42:13I stand frozen in place, every drop of blood in my body running backward.
42:17My child.
42:18Mia and I have a child, step by step, as if in a dream I walk toward the little girl.
42:22She looks at me too.
42:23Her bright, lively eyes look exactly like Mia's.
42:26She's about four or five years old, her hair in two small braids, her cheeks pink and
42:29soft like a beautiful little doll.
42:31When she sees me approaching, she gets a little scared and hides behind Gordon Morrison,
42:34peeking out with only her curious eyes, studying me quietly.
42:38Something inside my chest twists so hard it hurts to breathe.
42:40What?
42:41What is her name?
42:42Her name is Nia Roper, name for the mother she'll always long for.
42:45My tears finally break free, pouring down.
42:47I slowly kneel down and reach a trembling hand toward the little girl.
42:50Nia, I, I am your papa.
42:52The little girl blinks her bright eyes, her face blank with confusion.
42:55She looks back at Gordon Morrison.
42:57He says a few words to her in French and points at me.
42:59The little girl hesitates for a moment, then slowly steps out from behind him.
43:03She walks up to me, reaches out her tiny hand, and gently touches my cheek.
43:06She wipes the tears from my face.
43:08The way she moves is exactly like Mia.
43:10I can't hold it in anymore.
43:11I pull her tightly into my arms.
43:13Papa.
43:14A soft, childlike voice reaches me from within my arms, in a French accent.
43:17I hold her like I'm holding the whole world.
43:19At some point the rain over the Seine is stopped.
43:21A rainbow stretches across the sky.
43:23I look at my daughter in my arms.
43:24She looks up at me, and gives me a smile like an angel's.
43:27In this moment, I know, Wraith is dead.
43:29What lives on is Adrian, a father.
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