- 6 hours ago
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00:07Before our honeymoon to the Amalfi Coast,
00:09my husband Julian cancelled our flight behind my back.
00:13He swapped them for tickets to Ibiza
00:15with his childhood best friend, Poppy.
00:19Even his pack of party boyfriends thought he'd gone too far
00:22and tried to talk him down.
00:27The fuck?
00:28Julian.
00:29Julian, this is messed up.
00:30Claire's been looking forward to it forever.
00:32Julian didn't care.
00:34He brushed them off without a second thought.
00:36It's Poppy's birthday wish.
00:37One more single girl trip with her before I'm locked down for good.
00:40Claire always blows everything out of proportion.
00:43This'll be good for her.
00:44Reminder she's not the center of the universe.
00:46The Poppy he was talking about was his weepy childhood playmate.
00:49And I was Claire,
00:50the wife he couldn't even bother to say my wife about.
00:53I didn't fight.
00:54I didn't argue.
00:55I pretended I had no idea,
00:57quietly cancelled the honeymoon.
00:58And bought a one-way ticket to another country on the other side of the ocean.
01:02My phone was lagging.
01:04The cancellation screen kept spinning.
01:06Meanwhile, on Poppy's pink tablet,
01:08an iMessage group chat called
01:09Astor's Royal Guard wouldn't stop lighting up.
01:12I tapped it open.
01:13Poppy's avatar filled the screen.
01:15What the hell is wrong with you assholes?
01:17Every single one of you is taking Claire's side.
01:19Like she's your bro, not me.
01:21Fine.
01:22You're right.
01:23It's all my fault.
01:24I'm just a bitch.
01:25I shouldn't have a birthday.
01:27I definitely shouldn't have wished for Julian to come with me.
01:30I should be like the rest of you,
01:32kissing Queen Claire's ass.
01:34You're her real friends.
01:35I don't matter at all.
01:36Happy now.
01:37Julian, who'd been ghosting me for two days,
01:39claiming he was in meetings,
01:40replied in seconds.
01:42He at the other six guys and sent one thing.
01:44A single question mark.
01:47Sorry, sorry, sorry.
01:48It's just one bachelorette trip.
01:50Queen Poppy says jump.
01:52We don't just send Julian.
01:54All six of us drop everything and show up as bodyguards.
01:59Screw you.
01:59Claire's the one you actually answered to.
02:01Claire, please.
02:02So they had a wedding.
02:03Big deal.
02:04Julian still got that paperwork locked in his safe.
02:07She's a wife in name only.
02:09Legally, none of it counts.
02:10Last laugh's still up for grabs.
02:12I blinked, staring at the group chat
02:14that was so much livelier without me in it.
02:17If Poppy hadn't left her tablet in Julian's car,
02:19I wouldn't have even earned a peek at all this fun.
02:23And there I'd been, naively reading travel guides,
02:26hoping the honeymoon would make for great photos.
02:29I stared at the empty itinerary for a long time.
02:33Then I went back to the home screen,
02:35typed in a new destination,
02:36and made a call.
02:39Mom, I'll go to London with you.
02:42On the other end, my mother caught it immediately.
02:44Something was wrong.
02:45Back then, she'd turned down a once-in-a-lifetime job offer for my sake.
02:50Mom, I know you have questions,
02:52but right now, I don't have the energy
02:54to explain everything that just happened.
02:57I've made up my mind.
02:59Once I wrap up work and get my visa sorted,
03:01I'll fly out.
03:02Then I'll tell you everything.
03:03Mom went quiet for a few seconds.
03:05In the end, she didn't push.
03:07I hung up and collapsed onto the couch,
03:09trying to steady myself.
03:10Julian's friends had a point.
03:12We'd signed a prenup.
03:13We'd had a wedding.
03:13But he deliberately locked the marriage license,
03:16the one we still had to file with City Hall,
03:17in his safe,
03:18until it was legally binding.
03:19I was just a wife, who could be swapped out at any moment.
03:22Which, right now,
03:23meant I didn't have to wait for him to come home.
03:26No divorce proceedings.
03:27No drawn-out fights over assets.
03:29I pushed the wave of feeling back down,
03:31and forced myself up to start packing.
03:33In the closet, the his and hers vacation outfits,
03:35freshly pressed, seemed to grin at me.
03:37I'd designed them myself.
03:38For the honeymoon.
03:40For Julian.
03:41I'd pulled all-nighters.
03:43Revising them over and over.
03:44The final pieces had just come in today.
03:46Half an hour ago,
03:47I'd still been waiting for Julian to come home and try them on.
03:51Now,
03:51I just wanted to throw every single one of them in the trash.
03:55By the time I'd packed and dragged my suitcase to the door,
03:58it was the middle of the night.
04:05Julian, say it.
04:06Come on.
04:07You're my royal stallion.
04:09Giddy up.
04:10Yeah, yeah.
04:10Through my stinging, blurred vision,
04:12I saw Julian, who hadn't been home in three days,
04:15giving Poppy a piggyback ride.
04:17Her face was flushed red.
04:19One hand had his ear in a death grip.
04:21The other was patting his head,
04:23demanding he neigh.
04:28Poppy's drunk.
04:28I didn't know why he was bothering to explain.
04:31When he'd moved in with me,
04:32and Poppy bought the apartment directly above ours the very next day,
04:36he hadn't explained.
04:37When Poppy had giggled in our doorway,
04:40hanging off Julian and purring,
04:41sweetie,
04:42I'll always be on top of you,
04:43he hadn't explained then either.
04:45All he ever said was,
04:48Claire, you know what we are to each other.
04:50They were childhood sweethearts, after all.
04:52Two old money families joined at the hip.
04:55Everyone had watched them grow up.
04:56For years, they'd been the golden couple in every photo,
04:59until Julian launched a three-year campaign chasing me in college.
05:02To him, that was proof enough that there was nothing between him and Poppy.
05:06Once I tore myself apart over it,
05:08I obsessed.
05:09I picked fights.
05:10But now, whatever they did had nothing to do with me anymore.
05:13I looked away.
05:14All I said was,
05:14Yeah, of course.
05:16Then I started to wheel my suitcase past him.
05:18It was the answer he should have wanted.
05:21He didn't take it well.
05:23Say that again?
05:24I said,
05:25We're done, Julian.
05:28I'm breaking up with you.
05:31You're really not done throwing this tantrum, are you?
05:34And by the way, Claire,
05:35we had our wedding last week.
05:38If you're throwing a fit,
05:39the words divorce,
05:42not breakup.
05:43Breakup.
05:44Divorce.
05:45To Julian,
05:45they were the same kind of joke.
05:47He looked at me lazily,
05:48the way you humor a child who's being unreasonable.
05:51I didn't bother arguing.
05:52The corner of my mouth twitched.
05:54Call it whatever you want,
05:55but I couldn't leave.
05:56The standoff lasted only a few seconds.
06:03Enough!
06:04I can't deal with you two anymore!
06:10Julian instinctively reached down to help her up.
06:13She shoved him away.
06:14Don't touch me.
06:15I'm done.
06:16I'm done.
06:17The second she sees me,
06:18it's I want to break up.
06:19I'm leaving.
06:20Am I some kind of prop?
06:21Am I garbage?
06:22Why is she so disgusted by me?
06:24Julian,
06:26let's cut each other off.
06:28I am sick of walking on eggshells around her.
06:32It's all my fault.
06:33I shouldn't have ever shown up in your lives.
06:36I shouldn't have grown up with you.
06:38Right on cue,
06:38she launched into dramatic dry heaving,
06:40faking that she couldn't breathe,
06:41tearing through her Hermes bag for something.
06:43My pills!
06:43Where's my Xanax?
06:44I'm dying!
06:45Maybe I should just die!
06:46Anything's better than being treated like this every single time!
06:49The heat at my wrist disappeared.
06:51Julian had already pulled her into his arms,
06:53stopping her.
06:55It took maybe a few seconds.
06:58Poppy was gasping wildly against his chest,
07:01her eyes red.
07:04Happy now?
07:05It was always like this.
07:07The instant I showed even a hint of resistance,
07:10Poppy would declare an anxiety attack
07:12and start frantically hurting herself.
07:13Can't speak to her.
07:15Can't touch her.
07:16Can't even walk away.
07:17In the early days,
07:19Julian had begged me to humor her.
07:21Claire, you've been through it yourself.
07:22You know how it is.
07:23When she's like this,
07:24all you can do is go along with her.
07:26Because lives were on the line,
07:27I caved every time.
07:29I avoided the storm,
07:30but eventually,
07:31I figured it out.
07:32Poppy's condition
07:33only flared up
07:34when Julian wasn't choosing her over me.
07:36That so-called anxiety disorder,
07:38it was just possessedness in costume,
07:39forcing him to pick a side.
07:41I looked down at the smug little look on Poppy's face.
07:43I nodded.
07:45Sure.
07:46Very happy.
07:48Though,
07:48you moved a little too fast.
07:50You didn't get to find the pills.
07:52Your acting could use some work.
07:54Try harder next time.
07:56A flash of shock crossed Poppy's face.
07:57She froze,
07:58then started gearing up for round two.
08:00His tall frame loomed over me.
08:02Suddenly,
08:03my whole field of vision went dark.
08:05The shoulder that used to shelter me
08:07was now carrying another woman.
08:09Carrying her
08:10while blocking my way out.
08:12Claire,
08:13I really have been spoiling you too much.
08:18She has every right to make you pay for that.
08:20Be grateful, Claire.
08:22I'm the one holding her back.
08:23For a moment,
08:24the world went vacuum silence.
08:26I couldn't hear a thing.
08:29Even Poppy froze.
08:30Then she snapped out of it,
08:31jerked her hand free,
08:32and swung it hard at my face.
08:34A second before her palm hit me,
08:35Julian caught her wrist.
08:36Those eyes.
08:37The ones that used to watch over me through the night.
08:39That used to pull me out of nightmares.
08:42Tonight they were cold as ice.
08:43A flicker of disgust.
08:44A warning.
08:45You really thought you could just walk out on me?
08:48If she'd actually hit you,
08:49you'd be throwing a fit for days, right?
08:51She got hurt and you don't even care?
08:56When you're ready to be reasonable,
08:57you'll apologize to Poppy yourself.
09:00I stood there,
09:02watching the floor numbers climb,
09:03my whole body shaking.
09:05Cold.
09:05So cold.
09:06The kind that crept up from the bottom of you,
09:08that no coat,
09:09no matter how expensive,
09:10could keep out.
09:12Five years.
09:13Five whole years.
09:15My body could make a clean break.
09:17My heart couldn't pull free that fast.
09:19I don't know how long it took.
09:21Eventually,
09:22I flagged down a cab
09:23and headed to a hotel near work.
09:25Until I left the country,
09:26that's where I'd stay.
09:28While I waited for my visa,
09:30I had to close out the project
09:31I'd been leading for almost two years.
09:34My personal life was already a wreck.
09:37My career wasn't going to be.
09:39I buried myself in overtime,
09:41kept myself slammed,
09:42partly to speed things up,
09:44partly so I wouldn't have time to think.
09:45As long as I was busy,
09:47I couldn't dwell on anything else.
09:49Maybe it was the toll on my body and nerves.
09:51Lately,
09:51I'd been constantly tired,
09:53constantly nauseous.
09:54My boss reminded me to pull it together.
09:56The client was coming a-sting-in this afternoon
09:58to finalize the contract.
10:01At the head of the table sat someone I knew.
10:04Julian,
10:05in a sharp suit.
10:06And beside him,
10:07in a cinched-waist,
10:08backless cocktail dress,
10:09sat Poppy.
10:10My nails dug into my palms
10:12before I could stop them.
10:14My boss thought I had nerves
10:15and whispered,
10:16Relax,
10:16the proposal and the designs
10:18have already been signed off
10:18by their project lead.
10:19These two are just bored
10:20trust-fung-wabies
10:21playing at being adults.
10:22Smile through it,
10:23humor the rich kids,
10:24and we're done.
10:24Just give them your usual pitch.
10:28I drew a breath.
10:29I forced on a smile.
10:30I opened the deck
10:30and walked them through my design vision.
10:32Smooth, composed,
10:33point by point.
10:34Poppy propped her chin in her hand,
10:35nodding along all smiles
10:37under the table.
10:38My boss flashed me
10:39a discreet thumbs up.
10:40I exhaled,
10:41reading the room.
10:42Someone slid the contract
10:43across the table.
10:44Hmm,
10:45it's not doing it for me.
10:46The design's so boring.
10:47It gives me a headache
10:48just looking at it.
10:50I don't think I want a sign.
10:52The smile froze on my boss's face.
10:54I kept mine polite.
10:56Is there a specific element
10:57you're not happy with?
10:58Poppy didn't even glance
10:59at the contract.
11:01She held up her hand,
11:02admiring her fresh manicure.
11:04Hard to say.
11:05It's more of a feeling.
11:07Then she hooked her arm
11:08through Julian's.
11:09What do you think?
11:09Every eye in the room
11:10turned to him.
11:11Julian's eyes landed on me.
11:13On instinct,
11:14I looked away.
11:15Sounds like your project lead
11:16doesn't have much faith
11:17in her own work either.
11:18I'm suddenly losing interest
11:19in this investment.
11:21Pulling out.
11:23Oh,
11:24and just so you know,
11:25I've already authorized
11:26my people to begin
11:27a hostile takeover
11:28of your company.
11:29Congratulations, Claire.
11:31You'll be working for me
11:32very soon.
11:33Two years on this account.
11:35A thousand discarded drafts.
11:36I'd lost count of the nights
11:37I'd spent at my desk
11:38to get here.
11:39We were finally about to land.
11:41This was supposed to be
11:42the showcase project.
11:43The perfect closing chapter
11:44on this stage of my career.
11:45One careless sentence from him
11:46and it was all stillborn.
11:48Back at the office,
11:49my boss came tearing in,
11:51white as a shield,
11:52shaking from head to toe.
11:54He was practically sobbing.
11:56Claire, he will destroy
11:58the whole firm.
11:59Please,
12:00just go apologize.
12:02It wasn't that I didn't
12:03want to save the project.
12:06It was that I knew exactly
12:07who Poppy was actually
12:09here for.
12:10The only way this project
12:12survived
12:12was if I disappeared.
12:16I just hadn't expected
12:17the one thing tying me
12:18to this city
12:19would get torn apart
12:20this fast.
12:21The wave of nauseous
12:22hit again.
12:22I stumbled out of the office.
12:24Julian,
12:25still here?
12:26His hands started
12:28wandering somewhere.
12:28It had no business going.
12:30I bit down on him
12:31with everything I had.
12:33The taste of blood
12:34bloomed thick
12:34between our mouths.
12:36Get out!
12:38Julian stood there,
12:39his expression unreadable.
12:45Claire,
12:47after all this time,
12:48why haven't you learned?
12:49I tried to twist away.
12:51The harder I fought,
12:52the tighter he held me.
12:54If you'd just apologized
12:56for what happened last time,
12:59none of this would be
13:00happening today.
13:04How hard is it
13:05to lower your head
13:06just once?
13:08Julian's voice
13:09was softer
13:09than any sweet nothing
13:10he'd ever whispered
13:11in my ear.
13:11But I was shaking anyway.
13:13Not from the cold,
13:14from a cramp
13:15tearing through my stomach.
13:17An eerie,
13:18sinking,
13:18dragging down feeling.
13:20Something was rushing
13:21out of me.
13:22A ridiculous thought
13:24surfaced in my mind.
13:25I tried to look down.
13:28Julian's grip on my chin
13:29held me in place.
13:30All I could do
13:31was bite my lip
13:32and hold on.
13:34Something warm
13:35slipped down my thigh.
13:37Dripping onto the carpet,
13:38Julian noticed.
13:47Claire, you...
13:48My head went blank.
13:52Everything blacked out.
13:54I couldn't hold myself up anymore.
13:57My whole body just folded.
14:03I had a long,
14:05long dream.
14:07I dreamed of the college campus.
14:13The first time I met Julian,
14:15leaning against a railing,
14:17bending down
14:18to ask me a question.
14:23Hi.
14:24What's your name?
14:27I just looked at him.
14:29I didn't say a word.
14:31Ever since high school,
14:33since my best friend
14:34cracked under the pressure,
14:35jumped from the dorm roof,
14:37and shattered on the pavement
14:38right in front of me,
14:39I didn't talk much.
14:41Then my father died too.
14:42A lab accident.
14:46Two devastating blows in two years.
14:49I was diagnosed with moderate depression.
14:52To the other kids,
14:53to the teachers,
14:54I was the weird one.
14:55I ignored Julian,
14:57figuring he'd hit a wall
14:58and lose interest like everyone else.
15:00After all,
15:01the whole school said the same thing about him.
15:02He had no patience.
15:04But Julian kept asking
15:05for three solid years.
15:07He was like a shadow.
15:08Every place I went,
15:09he was there.
15:10The library,
15:11the lecture halls,
15:12the auditorium,
15:13every competition,
15:14every charity drive,
15:15pulling books down from the top shelf for me,
15:17holding an umbrella out to me in the rain,
15:19being the first to clap
15:20after my stumbling speech,
15:21handing me the first bouquet on stage.
15:23He got nothing back.
15:24He waited anyway.
15:25Until,
15:26finally,
15:27I spoke.
15:28Claire.
15:29Beautiful name.
15:33I started talking more.
15:35My therapy scores started climbing.
15:40Back then,
15:42Julian was the antidote to the nightmare.
15:48He dragged me out of the dark,
15:50told me that as long as he was with me,
15:53everything would be okay.
15:56I dreamed of our first kiss,
15:58the first time he held my hand.
16:00I dreamed of him bringing me home
16:02and the look his parents gave me,
16:04the screaming match in the study.
16:07Have your fun outside,
16:08fine!
16:10But what the hell were you thinking
16:11bringing her into this house?
16:14Haven't you embarrassed us enough?
16:17Julian,
16:18did you forget the clause on your trust fund?
16:20If you don't marry Poppy Aster,
16:22you lose your seat on the board!
16:25Destroy the alliance between our families!
16:27That was the day I learned the truth
16:29about Julian and Poppy's
16:30childhood sweetheart story.
16:32They were bound together by family trust funds
16:34and a corporate alliance,
16:35woven in deep.
16:36No, it wasn't some ancient arranged marriage.
16:39But the two families' interests
16:41were tangled together at the roots.
16:42When it came to who their kids married,
16:44only one answer was acceptable.
16:46Each other.
16:47That day,
16:47Julian and his father tore the study apart.
16:49He smashed two priceless vases.
16:51The next morning,
16:52all his credit cards were cut off.
16:54He took me by the hand and moved out.
16:55A quiet act of defiance.
16:57I dreamed of the hardest stretch.
16:59Cramped together in a tiny rental,
17:01holding each other,
17:02dreaming out loud about the future.
17:04I had a dream.
17:05We had a baby.
17:07I asked him what the baby looked like.
17:08A little girl,
17:09just like you.
17:10A little girl,
17:11just like me.
17:12A baby.
17:13A wave of pure panic hit me.
17:15I shot upright in bed,
17:16at the sharp bite of disinfectant.
17:18A white ceiling.
17:20I turned my head.
17:22There was Mom.
17:24Her eyes were red.
17:25Her hand was wrapped tight around mine.
17:28Claire.
17:31Do you want to cry?
17:32Cry.
17:33Let it out.
17:36Don't keep it in.
17:38Okay.
17:40This was the second time.
17:41I'd seen that look in my mother's eyes.
17:44The first was when I'd slit my wrists
17:46in the depths of my depression.
17:50The time she'd almost lost her only child.
17:54And now this.
17:56I looked down.
17:58My belly hadn't changed.
18:02It just felt empty.
18:06There had been a life inside me.
18:09And it had left.
18:11Before I even knew it was there.
18:13My hand drifted to where it had been.
18:15The place that no longer held any sign of life.
18:18And I tried to take in the truth.
18:20Out of the corner of my eye,
18:22I could see my boss through the window of the hospital room.
18:27I had collapsed in Julian's arms.
18:32I remembered hearing his pulse,
18:35bammering in panic.
18:37Remembered him,
18:38for once,
18:39losing control,
18:40shouting.
18:41Help somebody!
18:43And then,
18:44a second later,
18:45his phone going off like a death knell.
18:47It was Poppy,
18:49crying,
18:50terrified.
18:51It hurts.
18:52It hurts so much.
18:54Julian,
18:55I think I'm dying.
18:57Then my boss had rushed in,
18:59and it was him who'd taken me to the hospital.
19:03I had a pretty good guess what Julian had told him to say.
19:08Mr. Blackwood says,
19:10if you'd just be willing to apologize to Ms. Astra.
19:13The project goes forward.
19:15Two years of the team's work doesn't go to waste.
19:18And the firm's future doesn't have to be a question mark either.
19:22The Blackwoods can offer whatever support we need.
19:26My nails sank into my palm.
19:29The wound that had just been bandaged tore open.
19:32I bit down on my lip,
19:34using the pain to hold back the storm rising inside me.
19:38To someone like Julian,
19:40born with everything,
19:41projects and achievements were small change.
19:43Things he could turn on,
19:44or off with a word.
19:46Things he could hand out as party favors.
19:48Two years of mine,
19:49bled out onto paper.
19:50To him,
19:51just a chip on the table.
19:52If he wasn't happy,
19:54he swept it back.
19:56And if I learned my lesson,
19:57he'd give me twice as much.
20:00The taste of blood filled my mouth.
20:02I swallowed it down,
20:03and managed a smile for my boss.
20:05I'm sorry.
20:06I don't think I can do that anymore.
20:09Apologize to the rest of the team for me.
20:11They worked two years on this.
20:12If it weren't for me,
20:13maybe they wouldn't have gotten this unlucky.
20:16Forced to watch their project collapse.
20:18My boss didn't try to argue.
20:19He just nodded.
20:24Claire,
20:25you and Mr. Blackwood,
20:27is there some kind of personal history?
20:29I'm just curious.
20:31Why is he...
20:32Why is he doing this to me?
20:34If I were younger,
20:35maybe I'd want to fight it out.
20:37Want someone else to weigh in
20:39on who was right and who was wrong.
20:42But now,
20:43none of it seemed worth the breath.
20:46That was a long time ago.
20:48Going forward,
20:49there's nothing between us.
20:51After my boss left,
20:53I looked at my mother.
20:54There was so much I hadn't gotten to explain.
20:57I figured she'd have a thousand questions.
21:00But she just sat there looking at me.
21:03Quiet,
21:03for a long time.
21:05Until finally she spoke.
21:07She didn't ask why I'd suddenly cancelled the honeymoon to fly to London.
21:11Didn't ask about the baby,
21:13about Julian.
21:14About Poppy.
21:16Will you regret it?
21:18Will you regret walking away from the one thing that ever saved you?
21:22Going to a place where you may never see him again?
21:25I thought about it.
21:26I shook my head.
21:28Mom,
21:29the Julian I knew doesn't exist anymore.
21:31I don't want to spend my whole life living in the past.
21:34Mom wanted me to stay home a while and recover.
21:37I shook my head.
21:41I left on the original date,
21:43exactly as planned.
21:45The same date Julian and I were supposed to fly out for our honeymoon.
21:52Just before I boarded,
21:54I turned and looked,
21:56one last time,
21:57at the country I'd planned to put down roots in forever.
22:06The moment we landed,
22:08there was someone waiting for us.
22:14Two years ago,
22:15a research lab abroad had invited Mom to come to London
22:18and work on something she'd been dying to pursue.
22:21She'd turned it down.
22:23She hadn't wanted to leave me alone in America.
22:27Mom had always carried Gil for my childhood.
22:30She and Dad had been buried in their research.
22:32They'd missed so much of me growing up.
22:35Then Dad died in that lab accident.
22:38I unraveled.
22:39For a while,
22:40I hated everything they'd ever cared about.
22:43Mom couldn't get out from under it either.
22:45Not for a long time.
22:49Now,
22:49watching her laugh and trade ideas
22:51with the people who'd brought her here,
22:53the stone that had been crushing my chest
22:55loosened a little.
22:56People have to keep moving forward.
22:59Mom threw herself into her new work right away.
23:02Me,
23:03she ordered to rest.
23:05The miscarriage
23:05had been driven more by emotional collapse
23:08than anything physical.
23:09My body healed up.
23:10My mood didn't bounce back nearly as fast.
23:13I rested,
23:13but I also started learning the culture,
23:16laying groundwork for life here.
23:18When I came across something fun,
23:19I wanted to snap a photo for Instagram.
23:21Instead,
23:22I saw Julian's face first.
23:24The post was from Sophie,
23:26his friend's girlfriend,
23:27someone I'd added at a party once.
23:31The caption,
23:33this is how couples spend the summer,
23:35glued together.
23:36The picture was the whole group
23:37on a tropical vacation with their partners,
23:39and next to Julian,
23:41in a bikini,
23:42was Poppy.
23:43I stared at it.
23:44There was a flicker.
23:45Then nothing.
23:46None of the old turmoil.
23:47I even calmly tapped like.
23:49Two minutes later,
23:51Sophie called.
23:51She sounded awkward.
23:53Claire,
23:54don't get the wrong idea, okay?
23:56I just copied the caption
23:57off some random post.
23:59I didn't double check the photo
24:00before I posted.
24:01That's not what I meant at all.
24:06I answered her,
24:07even.
24:09It's fine.
24:10I didn't really want to talk.
24:13But Sophie was off to the races.
24:15Claire,
24:16did you and Julian have a fight?
24:17Because honestly,
24:18I can tell he still cares.
24:20He's been hanging out with us,
24:21but his mood's been in the gutter all week.
24:23He keeps zoning out,
24:24staring at his phone,
24:25like he's waiting for someone to text.
24:27Poppy's been all over him a couple of times,
24:29and he didn't even register.
24:30I knew exactly what she was getting at.
24:32Apart from me,
24:34she and the other girls
24:34had their own issues with Poppy,
24:36the eternal princess of the friend group.
24:38But none of that was my problem anymore.
24:40I made some excuse to end the call,
24:41then went through my contacts one more time,
24:43deleting anyone connected to Julian.
24:45I thought that would be the end of it.
24:47I missed one thing.
24:51My mom's contacts.
24:53A week later,
24:55the trip ended,
24:55and my mother's phone lit up
24:57with an incoming call,
24:58Mrs. Blackwood.
25:00Mom was in the kitchen,
25:01pulling an apple pie out of the oven.
25:05I took the phone out to the balcony
25:07and answered.
25:09The Blackwoods had let the wedding happen,
25:11but I knew they'd never wanted me.
25:14Not really.
25:16My mother had been the one
25:17paying for that in silence.
25:19I didn't give the other end
25:20a chance to start.
25:24This is Claire.
25:26Julian and I are over.
25:28You don't have to worry about me
25:29ruining the alliance
25:30between the Blackwoods and the Asterisks.
25:32And you don't have to keep pretending
25:34to accept a daughter-in-law
25:35you never wanted.
25:37Julian and I will have nothing to do
25:38with each other from this point on.
25:41Please stop calling.
25:42I thought about how arrogant
25:44they'd been before.
25:46The way they'd looked down
25:48on my mother
25:48for being just a researcher.
25:50So I added one more line.
25:53For the record,
25:55I dumped him.
25:56The breathing on the other end
25:58went heavy.
25:59Whoever it was,
26:00I'd hit a nerve.
26:02Claire,
26:03what did you just say?
26:04I said,
26:06Julian,
26:07from now on,
26:08there is nothing between us.
26:10Don't call,
26:10don't come looking for me
26:11and don't touch anyone in my life.
26:13I didn't wait for him to answer.
26:14I hung up.
26:15Then I went through mom's contacts
26:17and scrubbed every Blackwood
26:19from her phone too.
26:20Life here turned out
26:22to be much easier
26:22to adjust to
26:23than I'd expected.
26:24I studied.
26:26I sent out resumes.
26:27I'd been bracing
26:28for a string of rejections.
26:30Instead,
26:31everything fell into place
26:32on the first interview.
26:33The interviewer
26:33was an American expat too.
26:35We hit it off.
26:36He walked me down
26:37to the lobby himself.
26:38Outside,
26:39I was humming as I walked,
26:40light on my feet,
26:41thinking about whether
26:42to take the long way home
26:43just to swing by
26:44that macaron place
26:45everyone raved about.
26:47I turned to leave.
26:49Julian closed the gap
26:50in two strides
26:51and caught my hand.
26:52Claire,
26:54this is your reaction,
26:55seeing me?
26:56Two weeks.
26:58Nothing.
26:59No texts.
27:00My numbers blocked.
27:01Every social account wiped.
27:03You vanish
27:05and everything you own.
27:06And the second I reach you,
27:08it's we're done.
27:09Then you sneak off
27:09to another country.
27:11Do you have any idea
27:12what you've done?
27:13You had to push me to this,
27:14drop everything,
27:15fly across an ocean,
27:17beg in the street.
27:19Is this what it takes
27:20to satisfy you?
27:21Even now,
27:21Julian still thought
27:22I was throwing a tantrum.
27:24He thought I should be grateful
27:25that he'd shown up.
27:26Suddenly,
27:27it just hit me as absurd.
27:31Julian,
27:32don't flatter yourself.
27:34I told you we were done
27:36a long time ago.
27:38We've been over
27:39for a long time.
27:40You ran an illegal search
27:42on me to track me
27:42to this country.
27:44I can call the police.
27:46Do you understand?
27:48I warned him to let go.
27:52The fact that I didn't
27:53even care anymore
27:53set him off.
27:54His drive scraped
27:55my mouth,
27:56my ear,
27:58like he was punishing
27:59me for leaving.
28:00Claire,
28:02you don't get to make
28:04this call.
28:04I didn't agree to it.
28:07I fought back.
28:09Julian,
28:10did you forget
28:11there's nothing legal
28:12binding us?
28:13A breakup only takes
28:15one person.
28:20Let go,
28:21or I'm calling...
28:23The interviewer was back.
28:26He pinned Julian's shoulder
28:28and passersby
28:29came over to help.
28:30Miss,
28:31do you want us
28:32to call the police for you?
28:33Under Julian's shocked eyes,
28:35I nodded.
28:37During the statement,
28:39Julian never took
28:40his eyes off me.
28:42They went from disbelief
28:43to confusion
28:44to incomprehensence
28:46to pain.
28:48He seemed to
28:49finally understand.
28:51This time was different.
28:53Claire,
28:57you're really
28:58going to leave me
28:58here alone?
29:03I looked at him.
29:04I shook my head.
29:08As that flicker
29:09of hope rose
29:09in his face,
29:10I opened my phone,
29:12snapped a picture,
29:13and sent it
29:14with the address
29:16straight to Poppy.
29:21Someone had to bail him out
29:22and take him home.
29:26Before I could
29:26block Poppy again,
29:27her call came through.
29:29Claire,
29:30you scheming little bitch.
29:31You think this is
29:32going to get under my skin?
29:33You think you're winning?
29:34Listen to me.
29:35So what if he's there
29:36with you right now?
29:37We're childhood sweethearts.
29:39Our family's alliance
29:40is ironclad.
29:41Julian's lost his head
29:42for a minute,
29:43but he'll dump you eventually.
29:44You two never registered.
29:46Believe me,
29:46as long as I'm around,
29:48you will never be legal.
29:49Not in this lifetime.
29:51You want to fight me?
29:53You're going to lose.
29:56Poppy had gotten
29:57the wrong end of it.
29:58She was screaming at me.
30:00Shut up!
30:06Claire,
30:07come back with me.
30:11We'll file the paperwork.
30:12Today.
30:14Even then,
30:15he was still finding
30:16ways to defend her.
30:19Don't take what she said
30:20to heart.
30:21Poppy.
30:24Poppy's having an episode.
30:26I looked at him.
30:28I shook my head.
30:29Slowly.
30:30That's only with you.
30:32Around me,
30:32Poppy has always been
30:33exactly like that.
30:36And Julian,
30:37I'm so glad
30:37we never filed.
30:39Go home.
30:40Don't ever let me
30:41see you again.
30:47Poppy got there fast.
30:48The next morning,
30:49word came that Julian
30:50had been bailed out.
30:51But she couldn't
30:52drag him back.
30:53Julian became
30:54the same kind of shadow
30:55he'd been to me in college.
30:57Wherever I went,
30:58he stayed at a careful distance.
31:00Only this time,
31:01Poppy was the new tale.
31:02When she realized
31:03she couldn't get him
31:04on a plane,
31:05she escalated.
31:06She started pressuring him
31:07through his parents,
31:08through the family.
31:10Julian,
31:11your mom called again
31:12last night.
31:12She wants to know
31:13when we're coming home.
31:14She hasn't been feeling well.
31:16She's having nightmares.
31:17She can't sleep
31:18without seeing you.
31:19And your dad's board
31:20is in chaos.
31:21The other shareholders
31:22are getting restless.
31:23They all heard
31:24you got arrested overseas.
31:26Everyone's freaking out.
31:27If you don't get home soon,
31:28someone's gonna make
31:29a move on you.
31:29Julian seemed almost convinced.
31:32Then a second later,
31:33he turned thoughtful.
31:36So let them all
31:36move to England.
31:38Poppy froze.
31:40What?
31:41They can do business
31:43over here,
31:43set up investments,
31:44makes it easier
31:45to get the visas
31:46to relocate.
31:47Are you out of your mind?
31:48You're gonna move
31:49your whole family
31:50across the world
31:51for Claire?
31:52Your parents
31:53are gonna lose it!
31:54Pressure tactics
31:55weren't working.
31:56Poppy switched gears.
31:58She started getting
31:59her and her outfits
32:00custom made
32:01to match Julian's.
32:02Hung off him.
32:03Played up the cute act.
32:05Caught colds.
32:06Sprained ankles.
32:08Got drunk a lot.
32:09Needed Julian
32:10to keep her upright.
32:11Then tried to climb him
32:12like a koala.
32:13Every time she put on
32:14one of these
32:14too much for friends
32:16physical displays,
32:17she'd shoot me
32:17a sideways look.
32:18I recognized
32:19that silent message.
32:21It said,
32:21See?
32:22He's mine.
32:22I saw it.
32:23I thought it was funny.
32:24She thought I was
32:25playing hard to get.
32:26She had no idea.
32:27I'd already given
32:28Julian away.
32:30And besides,
32:31Julian was starting
32:32to pull away.
32:34He wasn't bending
32:35to Poppy anymore.
32:36He flinched
32:37when she crowded in.
32:38He shrugged off her arm
32:39whenever she hooked
32:40it through his.
32:41He kept two spapers
32:42of distance.
32:43Always.
32:44Sometimes he zoned out
32:45and his hand
32:46reflexively took
32:47whatever she handed him.
32:49A second later,
32:50his eyes would find me.
32:52His expression
32:53would shut down
32:54and he'd dump it
32:55in the trash.
32:56If you can't finish
32:57a drink,
32:58throw it out.
33:00What are you
33:00handing it to me for?
33:02I'm not your trash can.
33:04The third time
33:05she fake fainted
33:06and Julian sidestepped her.
33:10Poppy lost it.
33:12She went straight
33:13to the nuclear option,
33:15the anxiety attack.
33:17Julian,
33:18Julian,
33:18I have had it!
33:19I'm trash!
33:21Okay?
33:22I came all the way
33:23out here to chase you
33:24and you,
33:25you can't even see me!
33:27If you hate me this much,
33:29then I'll just die!
33:31I'll die
33:31and you'll all be happy!
33:36Claire,
33:37you'll be happy!
33:39Then Poppy committed.
33:41This time,
33:42Julian didn't run
33:43to stop her.
33:45He just stood there.
33:48His eyes didn't move.
33:50His cold gaze
33:51landed on her fingers,
33:53white-knuckled
33:54around the rambling.
33:55Poppy hadn't expected this.
33:56She froze.
33:58She couldn't climb back over.
34:00She couldn't jump.
34:01Passersby were staring
34:02at her stunt.
34:03She bit her lip.
34:04For the first time
34:05in her life,
34:06she felt humiliated.
34:08Julian,
34:09if I die
34:10right in front of you,
34:11you really wouldn't care?
34:13His answers
34:14shattered the last
34:15of her fantasy.
34:17Your condition,
34:19it's cured now.
34:21Days of being ignored.
34:23Days of cold shoulders.
34:25And now this question,
34:26frozen over.
34:29Caught out,
34:30Poppy snapped.
34:36What the hell
34:37is wrong with you?
34:38Don't touch her!
34:39Poppy's eyes landed
34:40on the pill bottle
34:41that had rolled out.
34:43Julian.
34:46Look.
34:47Look what this is.
34:49Seracitine,
34:49antidepressants.
34:51Why would she be
34:51carrying this around?
34:53You've been following
34:53her like a puppy
34:54and you don't even realize
34:56how unstable she is.
34:58She's insane!
35:00She gets out
35:01of the country
35:01and immediately
35:02finds another man
35:04and now she's
35:05medicating
35:06to keep it together.
35:09Julian froze.
35:11He stared
35:13at the antidepressants,
35:14his throat
35:14working violently,
35:17struggling to breathe.
35:19Claire.
35:23That isn't yours.
35:24That is not...
35:25I didn't dodge.
35:26I took the bottle
35:27right out of
35:28Poppy's hand.
35:29It's mine.
35:30I wasn't planning
35:31to explain anything
35:32to Julian.
35:33The faster he gave up
35:35and walked away,
35:36the better.
35:36But Poppy wasn't
35:37done with me.
35:38Wow, Claire.
35:39Look at you.
35:39Total psycho.
35:41Get on a plane
35:41and you're sleeping
35:42with strangers.
35:43Bet you did plenty
35:44of that back home too.
35:46Julian just wasn't
35:48there to catch you.
35:49The smug look
35:50on her face
35:50like she'd finally
35:51caught me in something.
35:53I suddenly didn't feel
35:54like letting this end
35:55so easily.
35:56Remember?
35:56You said you dreamed
35:58about our baby.
35:59As his confused,
36:01bewildered eyes
36:01met mine,
36:02I rested my hand
36:03on my stomach.
36:04She was real,
36:05but she's dead now.
36:07She died.
36:08The day you killed
36:10my project.
36:11Julian,
36:12you remember,
36:13don't you?
36:14You were in that
36:15conference room with me.
36:18You watched it happen.
36:20And this?
36:21This is what my
36:22therapist put me on
36:23after.
36:24He said I'd need it.
36:26After losing my child,
36:28Julian's pupils
36:29blew open.
36:32He must have remembered
36:33the blood on the
36:34inside of my legs
36:35and the call
36:36that had pulled him
36:37away.
36:37His whole body
36:39started trembling.
36:40His lips parted,
36:41but no sound
36:42came out.
36:43It took a long time
36:45before Julian
36:46found his voice.
36:47Claire,
36:49I didn't know.
36:50I'm sorry.
36:51I didn't know.
36:52It's my fault.
36:53What do I have to do to...
36:55He couldn't get
36:55to be forgiven.
36:58But I gave him
36:59a chance.
37:01Julian,
37:03I have a wish.
37:04I've always believed
37:05that people who love
37:06each other should be
37:07together forever.
37:08Poppy thought I was
37:09about to take him back,
37:10the color drained
37:11from her face.
37:13Then I turned the line.
37:14So I want the
37:15Blackwood Aston Alliance
37:16to last forever.
37:17And I want you
37:18and Poppy
37:19to grow old together.
37:21Something in
37:22Julian's eyes broke.
37:23He stood there,
37:25frozen like a statue.
37:26I turned around.
37:27I didn't look back.
37:31This time,
37:32Poppy got him
37:34on the plane home.
37:36What happened next?
37:37I heard from Sophie.
37:40I'd unfollowed her,
37:42but she couldn't
37:43help herself.
37:44She added me back
37:45to spill gossip.
37:47Julian agreed
37:47and agreed to marry
37:48Poppy.
37:51According to Sophie,
37:52once he got home,
37:54Julian was a different person.
37:58He moved straight
37:59into a flash wedding.
38:01His parents were
38:02over the moon,
38:03thinking the two empires
38:05were finally fusing.
38:09They had no idea.
38:11This was the beginning
38:12of the nightmare.
38:14On the wedding day,
38:16Julian was two hours late.
38:19He didn't wear the suit
38:20they'd had tailored.
38:22He showed up
38:24still wearing
38:24the wedding ring
38:25from me.
38:27He made it
38:28to the altar.
38:30But he humiliated
38:32the asters
38:32in front of
38:33every guest.
38:36And you know what?
38:37Poppy
38:38didn't have a meltdown.
38:40She got through
38:40the whole ceremony.
38:42The Blackwoods
38:43had put the wedding
38:44together themselves
38:45and invited
38:46every press outlet
38:48they knew.
38:52They tried to
38:52pay it down later,
38:54contain the damage,
38:55but somebody
38:56leaked everything.
38:58By that night,
39:00the scandal
39:01was everywhere.
39:03Then,
39:04it got crazier.
39:06Julian disappeared
39:07on the wedding night.
39:10Poppy spent it alone.
39:13He spent it
39:15in our old
39:15East Valley rental,
39:17the one we used
39:18to share.
39:21By dawn,
39:22he was spotted
39:23at a charity
39:24for miscarriages
39:25and infant loss,
39:27making a massive
39:28public donation
39:29in my name.
39:35I'm doing this
39:36in honor
39:37of my child.
39:39Strangers had
39:40no idea
39:40what to make
39:41of it.
39:43Paired with
39:44the wedding chaos,
39:45the rumor
39:46became
39:47secret love
39:48child.
39:49Nobody else
39:50knew what was
39:50going on.
39:51Poppy knew
39:52exactly who
39:53he was mourning.
39:54She couldn't
39:54take the public
39:55humiliation.
39:57She marched
39:58straight to him
39:59to confront him.
40:01And guess
40:02what happened?
40:03Sophie almost
40:04laughed out loud.
40:06Julian had her
40:08thrown out.
40:09He went public,
40:10said this guilt
40:11was on her too.
40:12They were going
40:13to have
40:13thrown together.
40:19He didn't
40:20stop there.
40:21Julian sold off
40:23every joint business.
40:24the families
40:25had merged
40:26at fire sale
40:27prices.
40:28He donated
40:30all of it
40:30to that same
40:31charity.
40:33When Poppy
40:34found out,
40:34she completely
40:35snapped.
40:36She swore
40:37she'd destroy
40:38whatever Julian
40:39still cared about.
40:40So she anonymously
40:41fed page six,
40:43a string of
40:44fabricated stories
40:45about my
40:46wild lifestyle
40:47overseas.
40:48Thank God.
40:52Julian caught
40:53it in time,
40:55killed the
40:55story publicly
40:56and stopped
40:57it from spreading.
41:00The Astors
41:02had already
41:02been simmering
41:03over Julian's
41:04behavior,
41:04but out of
41:05respect for
41:06decades of
41:07family ties.
41:08And with
41:09the Blackwoods
41:10running interference,
41:11they'd held
41:12back.
41:13this time,
41:14somebody could
41:15have gotten
41:16hurt.
41:17Nobody could
41:18sit on their
41:18hands anymore.
41:20The Astors
41:21demanded an
41:22explanation from
41:23the Blackwoods
41:24and reparations
41:25for Poppy.
41:26The Blackwoods
41:27demanded the
41:27Astors hand
41:28Poppy over,
41:29calling her a
41:30malicious slanderer
41:31who'd nearly
41:32destroyed their
41:33only son.
41:34A friendship
41:35between two
41:35dynasties
41:36lasting decades
41:38done
41:38over.
41:41Claire,
41:42honestly,
41:44I always
41:45admired you.
41:46All those
41:47years,
41:48they treated
41:49Poppy like
41:50a princess.
41:51You were the
41:52only one
41:53who ever
41:54pushed back.
41:56The rest of
41:57us,
41:57we were too
41:58gutless.
42:00Now that
42:00she's fallen,
42:03I've thought
42:04about it for
42:05real.
42:05I'm not just
42:06calling for the
42:07gossip.
42:08I wanted
42:09to tell
42:10you.
42:12I broke
42:13up with
42:13him too.
42:16The next
42:17time I saw
42:18Julian,
42:19it was
42:19winter.
42:21I was on
42:21my way out
42:22to build
42:23a snowman.
42:24There he
42:25was,
42:26standing
42:27outside my
42:27gate.
42:29It took
42:30him a long
42:30time to
42:31speak.
42:32Claire,
42:33I couldn't
42:34grant your
42:34wish.
42:36I got the
42:37divorce.
42:37I'm
42:38married.
42:39Right
42:39then the
42:40door behind
42:40me opened.
42:42A man
42:43much broader
42:43and taller
42:44than Julia
42:44stepped out,
42:45a warm
42:46cashmere
42:46coat in
42:47his hand.
42:48Claire,
42:49it's freezing
42:50out here.
42:51Why aren't
42:52you wearing
42:52a coat?
42:53He wrapped
42:54the coat
42:54around me,
42:55without
42:56leaving room
42:56for argument.
42:58His arm
42:59locked around
42:59my waist
43:00like an
43:00iron band
43:02and pulled
43:03me into
43:03him.
43:08Get off
43:09my property
43:11before I
43:12call the
43:12cops.
43:13Julian.
43:14Julian.
43:15Why?
43:16What?
43:18What?
43:18What?
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