- 1 week ago
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00:00My husband, William, is allergic to seafood.
00:02Even the smell or the tiniest trace of it would give him a rash.
00:05When he told me this, he didn't even look at me.
00:08He sounded like he was giving orders to a maid.
00:10Don't touch seafood.
00:12And if you do, don't even come close to me.
00:15Here's the thing. I work at a seafood restaurant.
00:17I spend my shifts hunched over the kitchen sink,
00:19scrubbing grease off plates until my knuckles go white.
00:21I change my gloves twice, but the smell still clings to my skin like it's soaked right through.
00:26So many guests got seafood platters today.
00:30I'd be scrubbing my hands a hundred times when I get home.
00:33Once, I came straight from work and didn't have time to shower before making William's dinner.
00:38He lost it.
00:40Threw his steak right on the floor.
00:45Are you trying to kill me, Serena?
00:47Tears welled up as I looked at the sauce spluttied everywhere.
00:51William, I've washed my hands over and over. There's no smell.
00:54William winced and scratched at the back of his hand until a red patch appeared.
00:58Next time I catch a hint of seafood on you, don't bother coming home.
01:03From that day on, I scrubbed my hands raw in the kitchen before going home.
01:08Sometimes I used disinfectant until my skin peeled.
01:12Back home, I cooked and cleaned for him, but he never bothered to see.
01:16And the seafood restaurant was the only place that would take me for part-time work.
01:20Then William's company started taking off.
01:22People in the industry began calling him a rising star in architectural design.
01:25And me?
01:26I went from being the writer Endrette to Mrs. Grimm, a housewife, a dishwasher scraping by on minimum wage.
01:31Because he never shared his money with me.
01:40You handle the household bills? My money goes back into the business?
01:45Should be fine, I told myself after I washed my hands for the 11th time.
01:50Before stepping out of the kitchen, I glanced through the serving window into the dining room.
01:56And I froze.
01:58William was sitting by the window.
02:00He wore a dark gray suit jacket, one shirt button undone.
02:03He looked relaxed, comfortable.
02:05Across from him sat his secretary, Wendy.
02:07Long hair, red lips, a delicate collarbone necklace.
02:10She had her chin propped on her hand, smiling at him.
02:13In that moment, I felt a strange sense of loss.
02:15On the table sat a large platter of butter shrimp.
02:17Red shells piled on a small plate.
02:19The oily sauce glittered.
02:20The dish had just arrived.
02:21Steam was still rising.
02:22Then I watched William roll up his sleeves.
02:24He picked up a shrimp with his long, slender fingers.
02:26Freely twisted off the shrimp head, removed the vein, and placed the entire meat into
02:30Wendy's bowl.
02:30Wendy took a bite and frowned slightly.
02:33William smiled.
02:34He picked up another shrimp, carefully peeled it, dipped it in the sauce, and held it to
02:38her lips.
02:39Better?
02:39Wendy opened her mouth, took the shrimp, and deliberately sucked William's finger in,
02:44gently.
02:45Perfect.
02:45That's when I saw the back of his hand.
02:47A faint allergic reaction.
02:49Just a tiny red patch.
02:50He didn't seem bothered at all.
02:51Still smiling, he continued peeling shrimp for Wendy with that shrimp juice-covered hand.
02:55My hand started to tremble.
02:56Three years of marriage.
02:57Three years of endless fights over seafood.
02:59I thought his allergy was life-threatening.
03:01But here he was, peeling shrimp with his own hands, feeding another woman one after
03:06another, smiling.
03:09He wasn't allergic to seafood.
03:11He was allergic to me.
03:14No matter how clean my hands were, no matter how much disinfectant I used, how many layers
03:18of skin I scrubbed off, in his world, I was the rash.
03:22I took a deep breath and walked over.
03:25William.
03:26What a surprise.
03:27William and Wendy looked up at the same time.
03:29Shock written all over both their faces.
03:36William froze for two seconds.
03:38Then he let go of Wendy's wrist.
03:40A flicker of unease crossed his face.
03:42But just as quickly, it settled back into that familiar expression of disgust he always
03:46seemed to have ready for me.
03:47Serena?
03:48What are you doing here?
03:50This is a seafood restaurant.
03:51Aren't you allergic?
03:52William shot a quick glance at Wendy, then straightened his back, speaking like it was
03:56the most obvious thing in the world.
03:58Wendy wanted to eat at this place.
03:59I'm just keeping her company.
04:00I'm not eating.
04:02I almost laughed.
04:04You're not eating, but you're peeling shrimp for her?
04:07William's expression darkened, but he quickly regained his condescending menina.
04:10Serena, don't make a scene here.
04:11Wendy just got her nails done, so she has some trouble peeling them.
04:13As her boss, is it a crime to help out a little?
04:15William, didn't you say?
04:16The smell of seafood alone was enough to trigger your allergy?
04:19William faltered.
04:20Wendy chimed in.
04:21She tilted her head, looking at me with a perfectly practiced look of regret.
04:24Serena, it was me who wanted to eat here.
04:26Don't blame William.
04:27I have been away from L.A. for so long, and I simply wanted to visit some of my old
04:30favorite
04:30spots.
04:31William was just being nice.
04:32I looked at her delicate, pretty face and suddenly remembered who she was.
04:35Wendy.
04:37Same school, two years ahead of me.
04:39She was famous back then.
04:41Beautiful and brilliant.
04:42Then she went abroad to study and just disappeared.
04:45I remembered a photo of her that used to sit in William's study.
04:48Eventually, it vanished.
04:49Wendy, I know who you are.
04:51Didn't you go abroad?
04:52When did you get back?
04:53She gave a small, polite smile.
04:55I've been back for two months.
04:56I'm interning at William's company now.
04:57And really, we have you to thank for that, Serena.
05:00My internship's depo comes out of your household account.
05:02William mentioned you were always home anyway.
05:04Thank you for your support.
05:05My blood went cold.
05:06All those times he asked me to sign the bills, I never even read them.
05:09I just signed.
05:10Turned out, my money went straight to Wendy's paycheck.
05:13You're using my money to mess around with my husband?
05:15How shameless can you be?
05:16William instinctively shielded Wendy, stepping back and covering his nose and mouth.
05:21I froze, staring at this man I called husband, who looked at me like I was a monster.
05:25William stood up, looking down at me.
05:27Serena, haven't you caused enough trouble?
05:29We'll talk about this at home.
05:30Stop embarrassing yourself here.
05:32That's when William seemed to have finally noticed my work uniform.
05:35And what are you wearing?
05:37You'd better have a good explanation.
05:38I work here.
05:39William blinked.
05:40A complex expression crossed his face.
05:42Not pity, but shame.
05:43The corner of his mouth twicked downward, as if he'd swallowed a fly.
05:45Work here?
05:46At a place like this?
05:48Serena, isn't this embarrassing?
05:49Embarrassing.
05:50I looked at him and suddenly recalled three years ago.
05:52I remembered standing in my father's study as he slammed a stack of documents on the desk.
05:56Serena, this William is short-sighted and ill-intentioned.
05:58If you marry him, you will regret it.
05:59Dad, you don't know him.
06:00I've been reading people for 40 years.
06:02I'm not wrong.
06:02Then consider yourself without a daughter.
06:04My father went silent.
06:06The day I dragged my suitcase out of that house, no one came after me.
06:09I thought I was being brave, sacrificing everything for love.
06:12Three years.
06:13I hadn't been home once.
06:14Now, standing here in this seafood restaurant, watching this man and his first love, I finally
06:17understood.
06:18My father was right.
06:18William thought I was just a housewife, wasting his money.
06:20He had no idea that the name Grim Space grew from a tiny studio into an industry contender
06:23only because of my father's connections, the Ryder family network.
06:26He didn't deserve to know.
06:27Wendy spoke up again, her voice dripping with fake concern.
06:29Serena, please don't be angry.
06:30There's really nothing going on between William and me.
06:32Why don't you go home first?
06:33I'll make he follows right after.
06:35So I should go home first and leave my husband with you so that you two have enough time together
06:38before you send him home to me?
06:39William sighed like he was comforting a spoiled child.
06:41All right.
06:42All right.
06:42You go home first.
06:43I cut him off, a slow smile spreading across my face.
06:47No need.
06:48I turned my phone screen towards them, showing the bank transaction record.
06:51Didn't you say you were only here because wanted to eat seafood?
06:54Well then, I looked towards the counter, raising my voice enough to quiet the entire restaurant.
06:59Server, bring out 99 seafood platters.
07:01I turned back to William.
07:03Since you seem to enjoy peeling shrimp for her, why don't you peel every single one of
07:06these for her?
07:0799 seafood platters piled up on the table.
07:09The entire table disappeared under them.
07:11For the first time, I saw a truly spectacular expression on William's face.
07:16The 99 seafood platters covered the entire table.
07:19William's face cycled through purple and red before he slammed his fist on the table.
07:24Serena, are you determined to make a scene?
07:27I'm making a scene?
07:28You tell me you're allergic to seafood, but behind my back, you're peeling shrimp for
07:31another woman.
07:31I order these to satisfy you both, and that's making a scene?
07:34Serena, please don't be like this.
07:36William never meant to upset you.
07:37William pointed a finger, nearly jazzing my nose.
07:39Serena, know your place!
07:41You're the one who threw yourself at me back then!
07:43What did you say?
07:44I couldn't believe what I heard.
07:45You're a housewife.
07:47Eating my food, spending my money?
07:49What right do you have to cause a scene?
07:50You're worthless.
07:52Serena, please let me apologize on William's behalf.
07:55Don't touch me.
07:57Ouch!
07:58Wendy stepped toward me.
08:00I barely sidestepped.
08:02I hardly moved at all, but she crumpled to the floor anyway, clutching her stomach and
08:06screaming like she'd been shoved.
08:07My stomach!
08:08William!
08:09The baby!
08:10Our baby!
08:10Wendy, are you okay?
08:12I'm taking you to the hospital right now!
08:13William, what if we lose the baby?
08:14We've been trying for so long!
08:15The baby.
08:16Those two words nailed me to the spot.
08:18Memories flooded back.
08:19Three years of marriage.
08:20Every time I mentioned wanting a child, William refused.
08:22He said I smelled.
08:23He said I was dirty.
08:24I'm at the critical stage of my career.
08:25I can't have a child.
08:26I put birth control pills on your vanity.
08:28Remember to take them.
08:29Once, I secretly stopped taking pills.
08:31He threw the bottle on the floor.
08:33Are you trying to trap me with a child, Serena?
08:35That's disgusting!
08:37Disgusting.
08:38Yet he and Wendy had been trying for so long.
08:40William crouched to support Wendy.
08:42He looked up at me with pure disgust.
08:44See what you've done?
08:45Get out of the way!
08:46I didn't move.
08:47Instead, I raised my hand and slapped William hard across the face.
08:50William's head snapped to the side, a red mark blooming on his cheek.
08:53You deserve this.
08:55I turned and walked towards the exit.
08:57Serena!
08:58Stop right there!
08:59His enraged voice chased me.
09:03William, I hope I never see you again.
09:05You'll be crawling back to me in three hours.
09:06What do you think you are without me?
09:07A house like you can't survive alone.
09:08I didn't look back.
09:09I pushed through the door and walked into the night.
09:10After walking a distance, I leaned against a tree and pulled out my phone.
09:12I dialed a number I hadn't called in three years.
09:14It rang Tweese, then someone picked up.
09:15A tired, aged voice answered.
09:18Hello?
09:19Dad, it's me, Serena.
09:23Dad, I was wrong.
09:24I want to go home.
09:25Dad is waiting for you.
09:27William, you don't know that your biggest client is my father's close friend, that the
09:30two million dollar investment you secured last month came from a company whose legal
09:33representative bears the name name Ryder.
09:34Since you despise me so much, I'll show you exactly what's left when you don't have
09:37Serena.
09:41When the taxi pulled up to the Ryder mansion, I almost couldn't bring myself to look up.
09:44Three years, the most opulent residence in L.A., the place I had stormed out of without
09:48a backward glance.
09:49The car door opened from the outside.
09:50Carrie, the butler, eyes red-rimmed.
09:51Her lips trembled several times before she could speak.
09:53Miss Ryder?
09:56Her voice was unchanged, but it sounded like a lifetime away.
10:01I stepped out and walked up the driveway in my heels.
10:03The front door was already open.
10:05The living room was empty.
10:06I thought my father would be waiting on the sofa, but he wasn't.
10:10Mr. Ryder is in his studio.
10:12I climbed the stairs, each step heavy.
10:15Three years earlier, I had walked down these stairs.
10:17The study door was slightly a murn.
10:20I knocked twice.
10:21No answer.
10:21I pushed the door open.
10:22My father was sitting behind his desk, looking at a document.
10:25A desk lamp illuminated his white hair.
10:27He hadn't had this much white hair three years ago.
10:29Dad.
10:30He didn't look up, his voice calm.
10:32You're back.
10:33Sit down.
10:34I sat in the chair across from him.
10:36The same one I had sat in as a child.
10:38A long silence.
10:39He put down the document and looked up at me.
10:41I expected him to yell.
10:42To tell me I deserved this.
10:43To say, I told you so.
10:44I had mentally prepared my response.
10:46But he only said one thing.
10:48You've lost weight.
10:48My tears surge.
10:49Unstoppable.
10:50In three years, William never once noticed I had lost weight.
10:52He never even really looked at me.
10:53He only cared about the seafood smell on my hands, the dishes I washed.
10:56Dad, I'm sorry.
10:57I lowered my head.
10:58Tears falling on my hands.
10:59My father didn't respond.
11:01He pushed the document on the desk towards me.
11:03Take a look.
11:04I wiped my eyes and looked down.
11:05It was a share of winding structure for Grim Space.
11:07Notes indicated, Harrington Development, 15 for Skeif.
11:09Ryder Family Affiliated Binion Sherp.
11:11The project leader for the family fund was listed as me.
11:13I looked up sharply at my father.
11:15Did you really think I abandoned you?
11:17My father picked up his coffee cup, blowing on the foam.
11:20The night you left, I had people investigated William's company.
11:24For three years?
11:25For three years.
11:26Every project you helped him secured.
11:27I was the one approving them behind the scenes.
11:29He set down the cup.
11:30Do you think Mr. Harrington from Harrington Development signed that contract just because
11:34you're pretty?
11:36My lips trembled.
11:37Grim Space didn't survive because of William.
11:39It survived because of you.
11:40Because of me.
11:41I just didn't expect him to blow it in less than three years.
11:44A wave of bitter washed over me.
11:45When William called me worthless, he had no idea.
11:48Dad, I want a divorce.
11:50Then get one.
11:51My father said it.
11:52His tone as casual as commenting on the weather.
11:54But don't let him off easy.
11:56He stood up and patted my shoulder.
11:57First, get comfortable as vice-ident of Ryder Group.
12:00He smiled.
12:01The first smile I had seen from him in three years.
12:03William is short-sighted.
12:04He won't even see his own downfall coming until it's already here.
12:08I looked up into my father's eyes.
12:09Starting tomorrow, I'll teach you.
12:11The young master of the Ryder family doesn't get bullied without fighting back.
12:16I nodded.
12:17Tears still wet on my face.
12:19But something inside me felt like it was growing back.
12:21It's good to have you home.
12:23My father turned to leave, then stopped at the door.
12:27The door closed.
12:29I sat alone in the study and finally let myself saw.
12:34At seven the next morning, Kari woke me.
12:36Miss Ryder?
12:37Mr. Ryder is waiting for you in the dining room.
12:39I sat down at the table ten minutes later.
12:41My father had a thick stack of documents before him.
12:43He was eating kanjo.
12:44He nodded towards the seat across from him.
12:46Eat first.
12:46I forced down a bowl.
12:47My father pushed the documents to me.
12:49I opened the first page.
12:50Ryder Group Organizational Structure and Business Divisions.
12:52Starting today, you are vice president of Ryder Group, in charge of the real estate divisions.
12:55His tone left no home for argument.
12:56I've already spoken with Mr. Harrington at Harrington Development.
12:58He'll show you the ropes.
13:00Vice president?
13:01Dad, I just got back-
13:02You spent three years in the Grimhaum hold, wasting three years.
13:06How much more time do you think you can afford to waste?
13:08I fell silent.
13:10William's company is still alive, but not for long.
13:13I looked up.
13:15Before you left, I had Kara withdraw Ryder Family Fund's entire investment.
13:19William should have gotten the notice today.
13:21I picked up my phone.
13:22A message from Cardi was on the screen.
13:23Misride it.
13:24All 20% of the Ryder Group investment in Grim Space has been withdrawn.
13:26They are urgently trying to contact us.
13:27We haven't picked up.
13:28My father stood up.
13:28Dress formally.
13:29Dad, what if William comes looking for me?
13:31He won't come for you.
13:33My father turned back.
13:34First, he'll look for other investors.
13:35Then he'll find that no one dares to take his call.
13:37When he finally realizes where the problem lies-
13:39He looked at me.
13:40You'll already be far out of his reach.
13:42I sat in the dining room, still gripping the documents.
13:45Sunlight streamed through the window onto the garden.
13:47Everything looked the same as three years ago.
13:49But I was not the same as three years ago.
13:53For the afternoon board meeting, I wore a black suit.
13:56It was the only valuable thing I had taken from the Ryder Mansion three years ago.
13:59During my three years as Mrs. Grimm, I couldn't bear to wear it,
14:02afraid I would ruin it with nowhere to get it cleaned.
14:04Now it was a little loosen at the shoulders.
14:06I was thinner than I used to.
14:07But the woman in the mirror looked better than before.
14:09The meeting was in the top floor conference room of Ryder Tower.
14:11When I arrived, my father was already seated at the head of the long table.
14:14A dozen middle-aged men in suits sat on either side.
14:16Their eyes followed me.
14:17Some recognized me.
14:18Some didn't me.
14:18My father didn't introduce me.
14:20He just had me sit to his right.
14:22As I sat, whispers rippled through the room.
14:26The meeting covered projects, financing, land acquisitions, and planning.
14:30When I was Mrs. Grimm, William never let me participate in such things.
14:33He only asked me to sign where he pointed.
14:35Near the end, my father said it casually.
14:37Serena will be in charge of the real estate division going forward.
14:39Silence.
14:40Mr. Ryder, Serena has been away from the industry for some time.
14:43My father didn't answer.
14:44Everyone looked at me.
14:45I know I have a lot to learn.
14:46Give me a month.
14:47I'll deliver results.
14:47No one responded.
14:49One of the middle-aged men sneered.
14:51My father looked up at me then.
14:52Not a month.
14:53One week.
14:54My heart clenched.
14:55One week.
14:57Do you know why I'm giving you a week?
14:58I shook my head.
14:59Because William doesn't have a week.
15:02My father leaned back, looking out at the clouds.
15:04He made over a dozen calls this morning.
15:05Every potential investor, no one answered.
15:07If he has any brains left, he should have figured out by now that it was you.
15:10He won't guess it's me.
15:10He never even knew who I really was.
15:12My father glanced at me.
15:13A slight curve to his lips.
15:14Then make him find out.
15:17Just then a video call from William lit up my phone.
15:20Everyone's gaze turned to me.
15:22I coldly pressed answer.
15:24William's face appeared on the screen.
15:26He looked irritated, not worried.
15:28Where the hell have you run off to?
15:29Haven't you been mad long enough?
15:31Time to come home.
15:31The house is a mess.
15:33I felt amused.
15:35You're calling just to tell me to come home and clean the house?
15:38What else would I call for?
15:39My father glanced at the other shareholders and gestured for them to leave.
15:41They understood.
15:42They stood up, bowed respectfully towards me, and spoke with formal deference.
15:46Miss Serena, we'll take our leave.
15:47We await your leadership of the real estate division meeting as our new president.
15:50I nodded slightly.
15:51On the phone, William's voice exploded with shock.
15:54What?
15:55President?
15:55Real estate meeting?
15:57Serena, what are you doing?
16:00I watched the slight panic in William's face.
16:03It was almost funny.
16:05William, if you actually cared about me, you wouldn't ask such a stupid question.
16:08Silence on the other end for a moment.
16:10I don't have time for your riddles.
16:11I'm giving you one day to get your ass home.
16:13Otherwise, don't bother coming back.
16:15His tone shifted back to impatience.
16:17He hung up.
16:17I looked at my father, who was pinching the bridge of his nose.
16:20I placed my phone on the table.
16:22Don't worry, Dad.
16:23I'll make sure he understands his own stupidity.
16:25I heard about Wendy from Carrie.
16:27I didn't ask.
16:29Carrie had been with our family for over a decade and was usually discreet,
16:32but this time she couldn't help herself.
16:34Miss Ryder, guess what that Wendy is up to now?
16:36I was reviewing documents, not looking up.
16:38I'd rather not guess.
16:39She's in the hospital.
16:41Kara's voice trembled with barely suppressed excitement.
16:44I put down my document and looked at her.
16:49Prenatal checkup?
16:53Carrie leaned in, lowering her voice.
16:55No.
16:56She was never pregnant.
16:58I paused.
16:59That day at the restaurant, when she screamed about her stomach, claiming pregnancy, I had
17:03her medical records checked.
17:04She did go to the hospital, but it wasn't for a checkup.
17:06It was for a gynecological infection.
17:08I leaned back in my chair.
17:09The irony was rich.
17:10A fake pregnancy.
17:11She had fooled William.
17:12William had called me disgusting for wanting a child.
17:15He had pushed me aside for her baby.
17:16And that baby never existed.
17:18There's more.
17:19Carrie pulled out her phone, showing a screenshot.
17:22Her foreign social media account.
17:24Last December, she posted a photo with a man.
17:26Caption, my love.
17:28I looked.
17:29Wendy was smiling, arm linked with a foreign man.
17:31Carrie continued, scrolling to another photo.
17:34She came back in February.
17:35That man saw her off at the airport.
17:37So her story about returning single was a lie.
17:39And right before she came back, she had an abortion.
17:41I set the phone down and took a deep breath.
17:43Does William know any of this?
17:45No.
17:46He's still busy begging for money.
17:47He hasn't had the time or mind to look into Wendy.
17:49Then let him not know.
17:51Carrie looked surprised.
17:53Miss Ryder.
17:53Wouldn't telling him, letting him realize she's been cheating on him too, be more satisfying?
18:00I picked up my document again.
18:01If we tell him now, he'll just hate Wendy and throw all his energy into chasing after me.
18:05When he has truly nothing left, then let him know.
18:07That's when he'll understand he's been a joke from the very beginning.
18:10Carrie stared, her mouth opening and closing.
18:12But she said nothing.
18:13I turned to the next page of the document, suddenly remembering William's expression at the
18:17restaurant.
18:17The way he had shielded Wendy, like a king protecting his queen.
18:21How funny.
18:22That queen didn't even have an air in her belly.
18:27The call came while I was driving back from my second board meeting.
18:30An unfamiliar number.
18:31I answered.
18:31The voice on the other end made my blood rush to my head.
18:34Serena.
18:35William's voice.
18:36Horsey, tired, carrying a humble tone I had never heard from him.
18:39I didn't hang up.
18:40I wanted to hear what else he had to say.
18:42Serena, when are you coming home?
18:43House hasn't been cleaned in days.
18:44His tone was like coaxing a runaway child.
18:46But underneath, that same condescension.
18:48I know I was wrong the other day.
18:49Come home.
18:50We'll talk.
18:51I gripped the phone.
18:52My fingers cold.
18:55Why did you change your number?
18:56I couldn't reach you.
18:57Do you know I've been worried?
18:59Worried.
19:01He was worried about me.
19:02Not about whether I had eaten or found a place to sleep.
19:05Not about how a housewife might survive.
19:06He was worried that the house wasn't clean.
19:08Serena, are you listening?
19:09Impatience crept back into his voice.
19:11Come back.
19:11I promise I'll let you touch me from now on.
19:13I won't be disgusted anymore.
19:14Okay?
19:15I closed my eyes.
19:17Three years.
19:18He had treated me like garbage he wanted to avoid.
19:21Now he said he would let me touch him.
19:23Like it was a great favor.
19:28William Grimm.
19:31I finally spoke.
19:33How's your company doing?
19:34He paused.
19:35Probably not expecting my full name address.
19:37Three seconds of silence.
19:37Fine.
19:38What's it to you?
19:38You just focus on the household.
19:40I almost laughed out loud.
19:42His company was dying.
19:43And he still thought it was none of my business.
19:47Don't look for me anymore.
19:48I'm not going back.
19:51Serena!
19:52His voice shifted instantly, from causing to threatening.
19:56Don't be ungrateful.
19:57Who do you think you are?
19:58A housewife like you without me?
20:03I hung up.
20:04Then I blocked that number two.
20:07I leaned back in my seat.
20:08A wave of relief washing over me.
20:11He still thought I couldn't live without him.
20:16Carrie asked me more than once if I wanted to see how miserable William was then.
20:20I refused every time.
20:23Not because I was soft.
20:25Because I didn't want to waste another minute thinking about him.
20:30But that day, I went back to that seafood restaurant.
20:35Not for him.
20:36For myself.
20:38I changed into new clothes.
20:40Put on light makeup.
20:41I sat in the same restaurant where I used to crouch in the back washing dishes.
20:45When the shift leader recognized me, his eyes nearly popped out.
20:50Ryder?
20:51Miss Ryder?
20:53You're...
20:53I'd like a meal.
20:55Give me a table by the window, please.
20:57The shift leader practically sprinted to seat me at the best table.
21:01I sat down and ordered a shrimp platter.
21:03While waiting, I glanced out the window, and I saw William and Wendy.
21:06They were across the street, arguing.
21:08Wendy wore a pink maternity dress, but she wasn't pregnant.
21:10One hand rested on her lower back, the other pointed at William's nose.
21:13Her mouth moved rapidly.
21:14I couldn't hear what she was saying.
21:16William looked worse than the previous week.
21:18His suit was wrinkled.
21:19He hadn't shaved.
21:21His head was bowed, letting Wendy berate him without a word of defense.
21:25My shrimp platter arrived.
21:28The shells were bright red, glistening with oil.
21:31I picked up a shrimp, mimicking William's actions from that day,
21:34twisted off the head, peeled, revealing the plump, fragrant meat.
21:38Then I put it in my mouth.
21:39Delicious.
21:40Through the window, I watched Wendy shove William.
21:43He stumbled back two steps, nearly falling.
21:46Wendy turned and walked away.
21:48William stood there, stamping his foot in frustration.
21:51I picked up my lemon water and took a sip.
21:54His world was collapsing.
21:57And I was just sitting there, quietly enjoying my meal.
22:00The server came by to ask if everything was satisfactory.
22:04It's great.
22:05I'll take another order to go.
22:07That order, I decided, I would bring home to my father.
22:11This time, I didn't have to nervously scrub off the seafood smell.
22:16Just as I was leaving with the takeout bag,
22:19William suddenly whipped his head around and looked my way.
22:33I kept walking with my takeout bag.
22:36William stared at my back from across the street.
22:39He didn't chase after me.
22:42Maybe he couldn't imagine that the polished woman he had just seen was the wife he had thrown away.
22:48A few more days passed.
22:50William finally started investigating me.
22:52Carrie brought the news.
22:53She said William had been asking everyone he could about Serena.
22:56He tried to look up your household registration, but he couldn't access it.
23:00Of course not.
23:01The Ryder family's information was protected.
23:03But he did find the location of Ryder Tower.
23:08I didn't speak.
23:12Miss Ryder, will he come to the office?
23:16She sounded nervous.
23:18Let him come.
23:20But Carrie, he wasn't coming because he missed me.
23:23He was coming because his company was dying and he wanted to know who I was and if I could
23:28help.
23:31Carrie's mouth opened, then closed.
23:33I'll wait for him.
23:36On the third day, the security desk at Ryder Tower called my office.
23:44Miss Ryder, there's someone downstairs asking for you.
23:47He says his name is Grim.
23:48Send him up.
23:51I sat in my office, a document in front of me.
23:54The latest status report on Grim Space.
23:57The company accounts had been frozen.
23:59Half the staff had already left.
24:01The rest were submitting resignations.
24:04The door pushed open.
24:07Heavy, slow footsteps entered.
24:09Then a breath.
24:10Like a drowning man grabbing at a blade of grass by the shore.
24:18Serena.
24:18I looked up.
24:19He stood in the doorway, wearing a wrinkled gray shirt, collar open, sweat stains on his neck.
24:23His eyes were bloodshot, his lips cracked.
24:25He looked ten years older.
24:26His gaze across my office, floor-to-ceiling windows, leather sofas, mahogati book cakes, furnishings he had never seen before.
24:32They hit him like a slap.
24:35Sit, please.
24:36He stood there, not moving.
24:38His lips trembled several times.
24:42You?
24:43You're the vice president of Ryder Group?
24:45Yes.
24:46His face turned as white as paper.
24:51Surprised?
24:52I smiled.
24:53William, if you had paid even a little more attention to me over the years, you wouldn't be so shocked.
25:01His body swayed.
25:02He grabbed the door wheel for support.
25:04Those projects your company got.
25:06Those partners.
25:07Did you really think you secured them on your own?
25:09I stood up and looked directly at William.
25:12No, that's not possible.
25:12William shook his head mechanically.
25:14No, no, impossible!
25:15You're lying!
25:16You hired actors to make me regret leaving you!
25:17Stepping backward.
25:18He didn't realize he was trembling.
25:20I didn't walk toward him.
25:22No, impossible.
25:24Stop lying to me.
25:26Come home.
25:27Stop pretending.
25:29Believe it or not, it's up to you.
25:32You can leave now.
25:38Serena!
25:39Serena!
25:40William, why are you here right now?
25:47His tears flowed harder because your company is dying.
25:52Because you've realized that without me you can't survive.
25:56His body shook violently.
25:58Wendy isn't pregnant.
25:59I stood up again and walked to the window.
26:04Did you not know that yet?
26:08What?
26:09I had her medical records checked.
26:12Gynecological infection.
26:14Not pregnancy.
26:15I turned back to look at him.
26:17And she had a boyfriend abroad.
26:19She had an abortion right before she came back.
26:23And it wasn't yours.
26:28William's face crumpled like a stepped-up paper bag.
26:32You were deceived.
26:34From the very beginning.
26:37Serena, give me another chance.
26:40Please.
26:41I don't care about anything else.
26:43I only want you.
26:47I looked down at his hands.
26:50Those hands had peeled shrimp at the restaurant.
26:52Had fed Wendy.
26:54Those hands had never held mine.
26:59William.
27:00Let go of me first.
27:04William's company finally collapsed.
27:07Carrie didn't tell me this news.
27:08I calculated it myself.
27:11I sat in the conference room.
27:12Looking at a new project partnership list.
27:14From Harrington Development.
27:19Under recommended partners.
27:20Grim Space's name had once appeared.
27:24It was gone now.
27:32Mr. Harrington came to see me in person at Ryder Tower.
27:35He was nearly 60.
27:36A close friend of my father's.
27:38And had watched me grow up.
27:40Serena.
27:41Do you want to cut off Grim Space completely?
27:45Yes.
27:47Then I'll terminate the contract directly.
27:52Mr. Harrington.
27:53Not just termination.
27:56He looked at me.
27:58Notifies all enterprises that have cooperative relationships with Ryder Group.
28:01Doing business with Grim Space means making an enemy of Ryder Group.
28:06Mr. Harrington was silent for a moment.
28:08Then he laughed.
28:10Your father once told me his daughter was tougher than him.
28:13I didn't believe him.
28:17Now I do.
28:21After he left, I sat alone in the conference room.
28:23The sunset outside the window painted LA in shades of orange-red.
28:27I picked up my phone and scrolled to William's number.
28:30Though I had deleted him long ago, the digits were still etched in my memory.
28:44The next day, Carrie brought me a long list.
28:48It was a directory of all 300-plus partners of Ryder Group and its affiliates.
28:51Mr. Harrington had moved quickly, sending out Outnoted.
28:53By evening, over 200 companies had a Grim Space with Grimination.
28:56The remaining ones have long-term contracts sets and can't terminate immediately.
28:59But when those contracts expire, they won't renew.
29:04William sold the house.
29:05I knew about it before he did.
29:07The real estate agent was a Ryder subsidiary.
29:09When the agent saw William's property deed, she immediately called Carrie.
29:13Miss Ryder, he listed the house you used to live in.
29:15The asking price is 30% below market value.
29:17Looks like he needs cash urgently.
29:20The house we used to live in.
29:21I closed my eyes and could still see every corner of that place.
29:24There was a hole in the living room sofa that I had sewn up.
29:27I had replaced the kitchen faucet at three times because William complained the water pressure was too low.
29:31The bedroom curtains were from a second-hand market.
29:33Washed so pale, he always said he would replace them.
29:35But he never did.
29:36I had lived in that house for three years.
29:38For three years, I had scrubbed every tile, cleaned every toilet, washed every piece of clothing.
29:42And he sold it.
29:43He sold it to fill the hole his own company had dug.
29:46He won't be able to sell it.
29:47Miss Ryder, what do you mean?
29:48Tell the agency that Ryder Group will buy that house.
29:52For triple his asking price.
29:54Triple?
29:56Why would you pay more?
29:58It's not about paying more.
29:59It's about letting him think his house is worth something.
30:02And then?
30:03And then.
30:03After he sells the house and his company still goes bankrupt,
30:06he'll realize that when he sold his last life, Rind, I was the one who handed it to him.
30:10Miss Ryder, you really have changed.
30:12I didn't answer.
30:13Changed?
30:14Maybe.
30:14But some things hadn't changed.
30:16Like how I remembered every inch of that house.
30:18All the years I had invested there.
30:20How much were three years worth?
30:21William thought they were worth a low-bob listing.
30:23I thought they were worth an expensive irony he would never understand.
30:28The news of William's bankruptcy reached L.A. on a sunny afternoon.
30:31I was having coffee with my father.
30:33He ground the beans himself.
30:35The rich aroma filled the room.
30:36He poured two cups, pushed one to me, and slowly sipped the other.
30:40My phone buzzed.
30:42Miss Ryder, Grimm's face has officially filed for bankruptcy liquidation.
30:45I looked at it for two seconds, then placed the phone face down on the table.
30:50My father glanced at me.
30:53William?
30:54Yes.
30:56Upset?
30:57I picked up my coffee and took a sip.
31:00Not upset, just a little empty.
31:03My father sat down his cup and looked at me.
31:06William?
31:06Three years ago, when you left home, that's how I felt too.
31:10I looked up.
31:12You're my daughter.
31:13When you left, this house felt empty.
31:15But after a while, I got used to it.
31:17Dad!
31:17I'm not talking about you.
31:19My father smiled.
31:21I'm talking about William.
31:22He lost you, so his life will feel empty.
31:24But he'll get used to it.
31:25Get used to what?
31:26Get used to living without you.
31:29My father stood and walked to the window.
31:31For someone who had been an up-and-coming architect three years earlier,
31:35this number wasn't huge.
31:36But for a man who had just sold his house, lost his company, and lost his wife,
31:40this number was a mountain.
31:41I zoomed in and looked at it for a long time.
31:44William's ID photo in the screenshot was still from three years ago.
31:47He had smiled so confidently back then, his eyes full of light.
31:50I had taken that photo.
31:52It was the day he landed his first project.
31:54He was as happy as a child and dragged me to a photo studio
31:56to take headshots for professional use.
31:58Serena, we won't have to rent anymore.
32:04Dad.
32:08Yes?
32:09I want to eat your pie.
32:11My father turned, looked at me, and smiled.
32:14Wait here.
32:16He walked into the kitchen.
32:18I sat in the living room.
32:20Sunlight streamed through the floor-to-ceiling windows, warm on my skin.
32:23Out there, someone's sky had fallen.
32:26And I just wanted a warm slice of pie.
32:30Wendy came to see me on a rainy day.
32:33Carrie said she had waited at the gate for two hours.
32:36The security guards told her to leave, but she refused.
32:39She didn't even use an umbrella, just stood there in the rain.
32:43Carrie asked if I wanted to see her.
32:45I said no, but she was Wendy.
32:48She wouldn't wait for nothing.
32:50Sure enough, ten minutes later, Cara came back up, holding an envelope.
32:55She asked me to give you this.
32:56I opened the envelope.
32:58Inside was a pregnancy test result.
33:00Fake.
33:01I had already checked.
33:02She was never pregnant.
33:03I put the test result back in the envelope and said to Cara,
33:06Send her up.
33:08When Wendy walked into my office, I almost didn't recognize her.
33:11She had lost a lot of weight.
33:13Her eyes were sunk.
33:14Her lips pale.
33:16She wore a soaked beige thringe coat.
33:18Her hair plastered to her face.
33:20The woman who had smiled and sucked William's finger at the restaurant
33:23now looked like a paper doll soaked in water.
33:26Serena.
33:27Her voice trembled.
33:30Sit.
33:30She didn't sit.
33:32She stood in front of me, tears falling before her voice could.
33:37Serena, I'm sorry.
33:39I know I shouldn't be here, but I really have nowhere else to go.
33:43I leaned back in my chair and looked at her.
33:46He begged me, okay?
33:47He said his wife was boring.
33:48A housewife, that he was sick of her smooth.
33:51I poured her a glass of water and pushed it across the desk.
33:53Drink some water.
33:54She foalsed, probably not expecting me to give her anything.
33:57She picked up the glass and took a sip.
33:59Then she sobbed again, as if scolded.
34:01Why are you being so nice to me?
34:04Don't you hate me?
34:05I looked at her.
34:08Why would I hate you?
34:11For taking William.
34:12Wendy, he wasn't taken from me.
34:15He lost himself.
34:16Her mouth hung open.
34:18I didn't investigate you because you're not worth my time.
34:22Her face went white.
34:24I stood up and walked to the window.
34:28But you came to me because you want me to pay off your debts?
34:31Or because you want me to help you get back together with William?
34:33She lowered her head, silent.
34:35William has nothing left.
34:37Going to him won't help.
34:38As for your debts, those are your own problem.
34:41Serena!
34:42Carrie!
34:43Show her out!
34:43As Carrie led Wendy away, she turned back to look at me.
34:49You really don't hate me?
34:50I looked at her.
34:52Hating someone takes energy.
34:54I don't have any more energy to waste on you.
34:56The door closed.
34:58I watched the rain through the window and suddenly remembered the day three years earlier
35:02when I had dragged my suitcase out of the Ryder Mansion.
35:04Back then, I didn't know I would become this person.
35:07Now I knew.
35:09Not hating was harder than hating.
35:11But it was also freer.
35:15William applied for a job at the seafood restaurant.
35:18The shift leader called to tell me.
35:19He said William had stood at the kitchen entrance in his wrinkled suit,
35:22asking if there were any dishwashing positions.
35:24The shift leader recognized him.
35:25Miss Ryder, he said he could do anything.
35:26Any salary was fine.
35:28I didn't dare hire him.
35:29Why not?
35:31He said he was allergic to seafood.
35:33The shift leader's voice had a stifled laugh in it.
35:35But he was applying to wash dishes.
35:38All seafood plates.
35:40I told him, how can you work here if you're allergic?
35:42He said...
35:43The shift leader paused.
35:44What did he say?
35:45He said, I'll just endure the allergy.
35:47I need the money.
35:48I held my phone, saying nothing.
35:50I'll just endure the allergy.
35:52Then what about the past three years?
35:54How many times had he said to me,
35:56Stay away from me.
35:57I'm allergic.
35:57He wouldn't even touch my hand.
35:59Would cover his nose and mouth when I came near.
36:01Now he said, I'll just endure the allergy.
36:03It wasn't that the allergy was endurable.
36:06It was that I wasn't worth enduring for.
36:09Let him go.
36:10Yes, Ms. Ryder.
36:11One more thing.
36:12When he left, he dug through the trash can in the kitchen
36:14and took a few shrimp shells.
36:16My heart clenched.
36:18I see.
36:19I hung up and stood by the window.
36:22My fingers slowly curling into a fist.
36:25He picked shrimp shells out of the trash.
36:28Back then, the shrimp I peeled for him, he wouldn't even look at.
36:31Carrie came in with coffee, saw my expression, and asked softly,
36:35Ms. Ryder, what's wrong?
36:36Nothing.
36:37I was just thinking that some people live long enough
36:39to become exactly what they once looked down on.
36:41Carrie didn't understand, but she didn't ask further.
36:43I looked out at the city through the window.
36:45It was almost dark.
36:46How far did someone have to fall
36:48before they dug other people's leftover shrimp shells out of the trash?
36:51Far enough to realize that the woman they threw away
36:53had been their only gold mine.
36:56But gold mines don't wait forever.
36:58Gold mines grow hands and feet and walk far, far away.
37:03The lawyer delivered the divorce papers to William
37:05when he was in the hospital.
37:07Not because he was sick.
37:08Because of Wendy.
37:10Wendy, desperate, had gone to William to reconcile.
37:12When he refused, she called the police
37:15and accused him of domestic violence.
37:17William was taken to the police station for a statement.
37:19When he came out, the officer told him
37:20Wendy had collapsed outside the station.
37:22She had been taken to the hospital.
37:24The test results came back, malnutrition plus severe stress,
37:27and still not pregnant.
37:28William sat on a plastic chair in the hospital hallway,
37:31holding the divorce papers, looking at them for a long time.
37:34Carrie heard these details from a nurse at the hospital,
37:36a nurse who worked at a Ryder family hospital and knew Carrie.
37:39Did he sign?
37:41Yes.
37:41But before he signed, he asked the lawyer one question.
37:45What question?
37:47He asked, is she never coming back?
37:49The lawyer didn't answer.
37:51William signed by himself.
37:54Carrie brought me a copy of the signed agreement.
37:58On the last page, William's signature was shaky and crooked,
38:01nothing like the way he used to sign contracts.
38:04His old signature had been smooth and confident,
38:06radiating, I am a successful man.
38:08This signature looked like his hand had been trembling.
38:10I put the agreement in my desk drawer next to Ryder Group's annual reports.
38:15One drawer held the past.
38:17The other held the future.
38:26At the board meeting, I presented the real estate division's quarterly performance.
38:30Before I went up, my heart pound.
38:32Not from nervousness, but because I knew my father was watching me.
38:35Not watching his daughter Serena, but watching Vice President Serena.
38:38The data appeared as a red curve on the big screen, trending upward.
38:41I had closed three projects.
38:43One was a joint development with Harrington Development.
38:46Net profit had increased by 27%, compared to the same quarter last year.
38:52When I finished, the room was silent for a few seconds.
38:57Then my father was the first to applaud.
39:03After the meeting, he called me into his office.
39:06Sit.
39:08I sat down and waited.
39:10He poured two cups of coffee, gave me one, and kept one for himself.
39:16Do you know what your grandfather said to me when I was young?
39:20I shook my head.
39:22He said,
39:23You're better than your brother.
39:25Just that one sentence.
39:26I was happy for an entire year.
39:28I wasn't sure why he was telling me this.
39:31Then he looked at me.
39:33Serena, you make me even more confident than your brother did.
39:38My nose immediately sting.
39:40The Ryder family's future rests on you.
39:43I didn't cry.
39:44Not because I didn't want to, but because I couldn't cry in front of my father anymore.
39:48I had cried too many times for a man who wasn't worth it.
39:52Now, I needed to stand up for someone who was.
39:55Dad, I won't let you down.
39:57My father nodded, picked up his coffee cup, and took a sip.
40:01The sunlight through the window fell on his white hair, warm and soft.
40:07Dylan appeared at a business reception.
40:09The reception was hosted by Harrington Development.
40:12I attended as a partner representative.
40:14The guest list was small, just the key players in L.A.'s real estate circle.
40:18I wore a dark green evening gown, my hair pinned up, with light makeup.
40:22Carrie had picked out the outfit.
40:24She said,
40:25Miss Ryder, someone will definitely flirt with you today.
40:30I don't need anyone to flirt with me.
40:33Then Dylan walked up to me.
40:36Miss Ryder.
40:37I looked up.
40:38Tall, lean, broad-shouldered.
40:40He wore a navy blue suit, his tie perfectly knotted.
40:43His eyes were deep.
40:44When he smiled, fine lines appeared at the corners.
40:46Not from age, but from smiling often.
40:49Hello?
40:50I'm Dylan, Harrington Development.
40:52I know who you are.
40:54Mr. Harrington mentioned you.
40:55What did Mr. Harrington say about me?
40:57He asked with a smile.
40:59He said,
41:00You're the most difficult project manager he's ever worked with.
41:04He laughed out loud, then extended a hand.
41:07Then I'd like to have a drink with the most difficult partner,
41:10Mrs. Ryder.
41:11I didn't shake his hand.
41:13I don't shake hands.
41:15I'm allergic.
41:16He paused, then laughed.
41:17Not an embarrassed laugh, but an I get it laugh.
41:20All right, then we won't shake.
41:22He raised his glass.
41:24To everything we're not allergic to.
41:26I took a sip of my drink.
41:28He stood next to me.
41:30Didn't talk too much.
41:31Didn't try too hard.
41:33Occasionally, he would point to someone in the crowd and quietly told me who they were.
41:37As the reception was ending, he suddenly said,
41:40Ms. Ryder, I heard you used to be familiar with architecture industry?
41:46Yes.
41:47There's an architect recently went bankrupt.
41:49Last name Grimm.
41:51I turned to look at him.
41:52He looked back at me.
41:53His expression calm.
41:55No hint of probing.
41:56Just stating a fact.
41:57I'm not close with him.
41:59Good.
42:01I heard he lost a very good person.
42:03I said nothing.
42:05He raised clinked it against mine again.
42:06Lucky for you, he didn't pick her back up.
42:11Dylan started pursuing me.
42:13Not the persistent, annoying kind of pursuit.
42:15He never even explicitly said, I like you.
42:18He just showed up everywhere I went.
42:19When I went to inspect a plot of land, he just happened to be there too.
42:22When I attended an industry forum, he just happened to be a speaker.
42:26When I worked late and walked out of Ryler Tower, his car just happened to be parked outside.
42:30Just happened to pass by again?
42:32He leaned against his car door, holding a bag of late night snacks and smiled.
42:35I got in the car.
42:36Not because I was muched, but because his late night snacks were delicious.
42:41In the car, he didn't talk much.
42:43Low jazz played on the radio.
42:45He drove steadily, unharried.
42:50Dylan?
42:52Yes?
42:53Are you pursuing me?
42:56He paused, then laughed.
42:59Is it that obvious?
43:00I'm just curious.
43:01You know I've been married, divorced, washed dishes for another man for three years.
43:05Don't you think?
43:08The car stopped at a red light.
43:09He turned his head to look at me.
43:11Serena, just because you washed dishes didn't mean you're only fit to wash dishes.
43:14My fingers twitched slightly.
43:16I've made mistakes too.
43:17Lost someone.
43:17It took me five years to learn one.
43:19He pressed the gas.
43:21It wasn't that you weren't good enough.
43:22It was that the person at the time was blind.
43:24I leaned back in my seat and didn't speak.
43:26But the corner of my mouth curved up without my realizing it.
43:35My hand slowly relaxed.
43:41William came to L.A. again.
43:42This time, he didn't go to Ryder Tower.
43:44He went to the Ryder Mansion.
43:45He stood at the front gate, wearing a suit he had probably borrowed from somewhere,
43:49holding a bouquet of flowers, red roses.
43:51The wrapping paper was wrinkled, like he had picked them from the discount bin at a florist.
43:55When security called, I was having dinner with my father.
43:58Miss Ryder, that grim person is here again.
44:00My father put down his chopsticks and looked at me.
44:04Do you want to see him?
44:08No.
44:10Then don't.
44:11He says he'll stand at the gate until you come out.
44:14I continued eating.
44:17I ate for half an hour.
44:19Drank a bowl of soup.
44:22Ate it a plate of fruit.
44:28I'll go outside for a moment.
44:30My father didn't speak.
44:31He just looked at me.
44:32The meaning in his eyes was clear.
44:34Don't be soft.
44:35When I stepped out of the mansion, it was already dark.
44:38The streetlight at the gate was on.
44:39William stood beneath it, the flowers in his hand battered by the wind.
44:43When he saw me, his eyes lit up.
44:45Serena!
44:46He ran towards me, then stopped after two steps, as if afraid getting too close would scare me.
44:52Serena, I know I shouldn't have come, but I really, I think about you every day.
44:55I can't sleep.
44:56I can't eat.
44:57I can't stop thinking about you.
45:00I stood on the steps, looking down at him.
45:03Do you know what you look like right now?
45:06He froze.
45:07A beggar.
45:18I'm not insulting you.
45:20I'm saying you're begging.
45:24What are you trying to get from me?
45:29I'm not here to beg for anything.
45:31I'm here to...
45:32Return the flowers?
45:34I looked at the roses in William's hand.
45:38William's hand trembled.
45:40A few petals fell.
45:42Serena, you used to love roses.
45:44Remember?
45:45You told me you had a yard full of roses as a child.
45:48I remembered.
45:49I remembered everything.
45:50But remembering didn't mean I had to go back.
45:56William.
45:57Go home.
45:59Take the flowers with you.
46:01Don't waste them.
46:03I won't!
46:04William shoved the flowers into my hands, gripping hard.
46:09The thorns pierced William's skin.
46:11Blood beaded up.
46:13I didn't take them.
46:15The flowers fell to the ground, scattering.
46:17I looked down at the flowers, then up at William's bleeding fingers.
46:21You used to refuse to touch me, afraid of an allergic reaction.
46:24Now your hand is cut by thorns.
46:26You don't feel it?
46:27William looked down at his fingers.
46:29Drops of blood welled up red and stark.
46:31Allergies?
46:32I can endure them.
46:33I laughed.
46:34But William, I've already endured you.
46:37I don't want to endure you anymore.
46:39Do you understand?
46:42I turned and walked through the gate.
46:44Serena!
46:45Serena!
46:48Give me one more chance!
46:50Just one!
46:51The gate closed.
46:54I leaned against it.
46:57Looked up at the ceiling.
47:00And didn't cry.
47:04The day Dylan proposed, there were no roses, no diamond ring, no kneeling.
47:08He took me to a seafood restaurant.
47:10Not the old one.
47:11A newly opened one in L.A. with a view of the entire city's night skyline.
47:15We sat by the window.
47:16On the table was a shrimp platter.
47:17He looked at me and suddenly said,
47:21Serena, give me your hand.
47:22You know I don't shake hands.
47:24Not a handshake.
47:25Just hold out your hand.
47:28I extended my hand, palm up.
47:31He took a wet wipe from his pocket and carefully cleaned my fingers.
47:35Not a disgusted cleaning.
47:37A gentle, slow cleaning, like he was polishing something precious.
47:40After he finished, he placed his own hand in mine.
47:43I will wash your hands clean.
47:45Not because I'm disgusted, but because I want to cherish you.
47:48My eyes grew hot.
47:49Serena, marry me.
47:51I didn't say yes.
47:53I just held his hand.
47:56The river outside glittered in the moonlight.
47:59The restaurant's lights were warm and soft.
48:02The server came by and asked if we wanted another order of shrimp.
48:06Yes.
48:08Me too.
48:12We peeled shrimp together.
48:15He peeled one for me.
48:18I peeled one for him.
48:20My hands were covered in shrimp juice.
48:23His hands were too.
48:29But neither of us had an allergic reaction.
48:38I didn't invite William to the wedding.
48:41But he came.
48:44He wore that wrinkled suit and stood by the roadside outside the church.
48:49He didn't come in, just watched from a distance.
48:52Carrie saw him and quietly told me.
48:55I didn't turn my head.
48:57I wore a white wedding dress,
48:59walked arm in arm with Father,
49:00step by step,
49:02toward Dylan.
49:03The wedding vows were simple.
49:06I will never make you wash another dish.
49:09Everyone in the audience laughed.
49:12Only I didn't laugh.
49:14Because I knew that for me,
49:16this meant more than 10,000 I love you's.
49:19After the ceremony,
49:20Dylan and I walked out of the church.
49:21The sunlight was just right.
49:23I glanced across the street.
49:25William was still standing there,
49:27holding something in his hand.
49:28It was half a shrimp.
49:29He held up the shrimp and waved it at me.
49:33His lips moved,
49:34but I couldn't hear what he was saying.
49:37I didn't get a good look.
49:40Because Dylan held my hand tighter.
49:43Get in the car, my darling wife.
49:45I sat in the car and didn't look back.
49:49The night after the wedding,
49:51I stood alone on the hotel balcony,
49:53looking out at the myriad lights of LA.
49:55Dylan was in the room,
49:56on a work call.
49:57Dylan's voice was low and gentle,
49:59just as calm and unharrying as always.
50:01I suddenly remembered that night three years ago.
50:04I had dragged my suitcase out of the Ryder mansion,
50:07thinking I was the bravest woman in the world.
50:09I thought I had sacrificed everything for love,
50:11and that one day Serene would be rewarded.
50:14The reward was three years of dishwater,
50:17and the words,
50:18you can't live without me.
50:20My phone buzzed.
50:22An unknown number.
50:24A text message.
50:31I read the message twice,
50:33then I deleted it.
50:34Dylan walked out with two glasses of warm milk.
50:37He handed one to me.
50:39Who was that?
50:42No one.
50:43He smiled and didn't ask further.
50:46We stood side by side on the balcony.
50:49The steam from the warm milk curled into the night air.
50:54Serena.
50:57Yes.
50:58Do you have any regrets?
51:01I took a sip of milk and thought for a moment.
51:04No regrets.
51:05The one with regrets isn't me.
51:08News of Wendy came three months later.
51:11She had returned to the country,
51:12not in triumph, but deported.
51:15She had accumulated a large gambling debt abroad
51:17and had been implicated in a fraud case.
51:20She was placed on a blacklist.
51:22Kari said that when she was stopped at the airport,
51:24she cried and shouted.
51:26I know the young master of the Ryder group!
51:29No one listened to her.
51:32Where is she now?
51:34In a basement.
51:37She does manicures for a living.
51:39I nodded.
51:41Kari hesitated, then added,
51:42William is also in L.A.
51:44I heard William works as a draft station for a renovation company,
51:47earns about $5,000 a month.
51:48I see.
51:49Miss Ryder, don't you hate them anymore?
51:51I looked at the document in my hand and turned the page.
51:53Kari hating someone takes energy.
51:55I need to spend my energy on things that matter.
51:58Kari smiled, her eyes a little red.
52:00Miss Ryder, you really have changed so much.
52:03I haven't changed.
52:05I've just gone back to who I used to be.
52:10Six months later, I went on a business meeting.
52:14Harrington Development had a project there that needed approval.
52:19Dylan couldn't go, so I went alone.
52:22After finishing my work, I waited for a taxi by the roadside.
52:26While waiting, I happened to glance across the street.
52:29A man was crouching by the roadside, wearing dirty work clothes, eating a boxed meal.
52:35It was William.
52:37He was much thinner.
52:39His cheekbones were sharp, his eyes deep-set.
52:44His hair was cut very short, revealing patches of white on William's scalp.
52:49The boxed meal in William's hands was vegetarian, a few greens over white rice.
52:55He ate slowly, as if trying to make it last.
53:00He didn't see me.
53:02I stood across the street and looked at him for five seconds.
53:06In the first second, I remembered the time he threw soda in my face.
53:10In the second second, I remembered him crouching in the restaurant.
53:12Peel shrimp for Wendy.
53:14In the third second, I remembered him kneeling on my office floor, saying he was wrong.
53:18In the fourth second, I remembered him standing at the mansion gate, his hand bleeding from rose thorns.
53:23In the fifth second, I turned away.
53:25Opened the taxi door and got in.
53:28Where to, ma'am?
53:31The airport.
53:32The car pulled away.
53:34I leaned back in my seat and closed my eyes.
53:38The last image in Serena's mind was William crouched by the roadside, eating a boxed meal.
53:43I thought I would feel something.
53:45But I didn't.
53:47Some people's endings were written from the very minute they made their first choice.
53:53I got pregnant.
53:54I found out while I was reviewing documents in my office.
53:59Carrie had left a pregnancy test in the bathroom.
54:02I took it on a whim.
54:04When I saw two lines, I froze.
54:07I called Dylan.
54:09Where are you?
54:10In a meeting.
54:11What's wrong?
54:13Come home after your meeting.
54:14What happened?
54:16Finish your meeting first.
54:19I hung up.
54:21Dylan was home in ten minutes.
54:23He didn't come after the meeting.
54:25He left the meeting early.
54:27He walked in with his tie crooked.
54:29What's wrong?
54:30Are you okay?
54:31I was sitting on the sofa.
54:32I placed the pregnancy test on the coffee table.
54:35He looked at it.
54:37He didn't understand at first.
54:40What is this?
54:42A pregnancy test.
54:45He froze.
54:48Then his face turned red.
54:51Then his eyes got red too.
54:53He crouched down and buried his face in my lap.
54:56His shoulders shook.
54:58Why are you crying?
54:59I papped Dylan's head.
55:01I don't know.
55:02I'm just happy.
55:05I laughed.
55:06Sunlight streamed through the window and fell on both of us.
55:11Carrie stood in the doorway, saw us.
55:14And quietly backed away, pulling the door closed.
55:19The day Serena's daughter was born, Dylan cried for the second time.
55:23When the nurse placed the baby in Dylan's arms, both Dylan's hands trembled.
55:26Dylan looked like a new father who had no idea how to hold a baby.
55:29Holding the tiny infant as if unsure whether to cradle it or hold it up.
55:32Serena, look.
55:33She looks like me.
55:35She's so small.
55:36You can't even tell who she looks like.
55:38She has my eyes.
55:39Her eyes are closed.
55:41Even closed.
55:42They look like mine.
55:43I didn't argue.
55:45Seeing Dylan like that.
55:46I felt this life was worth it.
55:48We gave the baby the nickname Echo.
55:50Dylan chose it.
55:52If you never forget, there will be an Echo.
55:55I felt this life was worth it.
55:57Dylan had lost someone once.
55:58And then Dylan met me.
55:59I had waited for the wrong person.
56:02And then I met him.
56:04What you never forget isn't the pain.
56:07It's the hope.
56:10A year later, I passed by that seafood restaurant.
56:14It was still there.
56:15The decor had changed.
56:17The sign had been replaced.
56:18But the shift leader was still the same.
56:20When the shift leader saw me, and the shift leader hurried over.
56:24Miss Serena!
56:29Find me a table.
56:30The usual spot?
56:32By the window?
56:33Yes.
56:34I sat down and ordered a shrimp platter.
56:37When the server brought it, the shells were bright red, glistening with oil, just like that day a year ago.
56:43Picked up a shrimp.
56:44Twist off the head.
56:45Peeled the shell.
56:46Removed the vein.
56:47Dipped it in sauce.
56:48And put it in my mouth.
56:49Delicious.
56:51I ate the entire platter by myself.
56:53After my finished, I was-
56:55I wiped Serena's fingers clean.
56:57Took out my phone, and sent a message to Dylan.
57:00I'm at that seafood restaurant.
57:01I finished my meal.
57:03Dylan replied instantly.
57:05Was it good?
57:11I paid the bill and walked out of the restaurant.
57:16The sunlight was just right.
57:18Warm on Serena's face.
57:19The help wanted sign was still posted by the door.
57:22But the paper had yellowed and the corners were curling up.
57:25As if it had been there for a long time without being torn down.
57:28The sunlight was just right warm on my face I turned.
57:31Behind me, the restaurant's glass door closed.
57:35Didn't look back.
57:36The past was a closed door.
57:39Found the flavor of freedom I was-
57:42There was nothing more to say to the past.
57:45Everything that once hurt was gone.
57:48Heading to the future.
57:50Dylan would be waiting for me.
57:52The restaurant was just a dot now.
57:55I never felt lighter.
57:58Life was exactly what my made it.
58:03Finally home.
58:04The restaurant was just a dot now.
58:04The restaurant was just a dot now.
58:05The restaurant was just a dot now.
58:06The restaurant was just a dot now.
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