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Discover captivating stories featuring powerful CEOs, hidden identities, second chances, family conflicts, emotional relationships, and dramatic life-changing moments. Every movie brings suspense, passion, and exciting plot twists that keep viewers watching until the very end.
From billionaire romances and secret marriages to revenge stories and inspiring journeys, these trending drama movies deliver entertainment, emotion, and compelling storytelling.
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New full drama movies uploaded regularly. Subscribe and stay connected for more trending stories, emotional dramas, and unforgettable movie experiences.
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AmusantTranscription
00:00Sous-titrage Société Radio-Canada
00:30He hated me, couldn't stand me, couldn't stand the child growing inside me.
00:33That day, I took his hand and placed it on my belly, thought he'd want to feel it.
00:38He yanked it back, like he'd touched something filthy.
00:41You know what? You made me sick.
00:43You stole my sister's life. Why didn't you die instead?
00:47After that, he never looked at me again.
00:49One night, they came. They dragged me off the bed.
00:52A gun pressed to my temple, a boot stomped down on my belly.
00:55Tell Dante Marchea this is for what his father did to our family.
01:00I couldn't stop the bleeding.
01:02Just as Dante wished, my baby died, and so did I, before my eyes closed.
01:06I looked back on this life. From five to fifteen, I was truly happy.
01:10The Marchettis treated me like their own daughter.
01:12We were like a normal, happy family.
01:13If you didn't think about why the study door was always locked,
01:16didn't count the strangers slipping in and out the back door late at night.
01:19And Dante, he had always been my knight.
01:21We weren't even in the same grade.
01:22He still took me to school and picked me up every day.
01:24In school, no one dared say a single bad word to me because Dante Marchetti walked beside me.
01:29He had blood on his hands.
01:31Everyone said so, but he never made me feel afraid.
01:33Once, I had a fever.
01:35I woke up in the middle of the night and found him asleep on the floor beside my bed,
01:38still clutching a damp towel.
01:40I fell for him so easily.
01:42Then one day, everything changed.
01:44Dante wasn't the Dante I loved anymore.
01:46After that night, he hated me even more.
01:47Before I died, I wasn't afraid.
01:49Not even a little.
01:49I even thought it wasn't so bad.
01:51Somehow, I opened my eyes again.
01:54I was back.
01:55To the day they came to the group home.
02:01Nola, what are you doing back here?
02:03Miss Linda scooped me off the fire escape.
02:06Mrs. Linda, I don't want to go.
02:09She smoothed my hair down, tucked a strand behind my ear.
02:12Silly girl, it's the Marchettis.
02:14If they pick you, you'll finally have a real home, sweetheart.
02:17Just smile, okay?
02:19That's all you have to do.
02:20Just one smile.
02:22One smile.
02:24I thought of Dante's eyes in my past life.
02:26Cold.
02:27Hateful.
02:28The moment that black Escalade pulled up.
02:31I hid in the storage room.
02:33I don't know how long I was in there.
02:34At some point, I fell asleep.
02:36By the time they found me, the Marchettis had already left.
02:39They didn't end up choosing anyone.
02:41I didn't know why.
02:42Didn't care either.
02:43That night, I lay in bed.
02:45Three other kids shared the room with me.
02:47Just like me.
02:48No family.
02:49I didn't know who the Marchettis' biological daughter was.
02:51But in my past life, I'd overheard it from one of Ms. Linda's phone calls.
02:54The Marchettis believed she was here.
02:56Kidnapped at two years old.
02:57Passed through the system for years.
02:58They've been searching ever since.
03:00I didn't want anything to do with the Marchetti family.
03:01But in my past life, the first ten years with them,
03:05the Marchettis and Dante were all so good to me.
03:07If in this life, their real daughter could find her way back to them, we'd be even.
03:10But before I could do anything about it, the Marchettis came back a second time.
03:14All the girls around five or six were lined up for a DNA test.
03:18A cotton swab along the inside of the cheek dropped into a vial labeled Ten Seconds.
03:22That's all it took.
03:23This never happened in my past life.
03:25When I walked out after the test, I saw Dante coming toward me.
03:28Expression cold.
03:29Something stirred in my chest.
03:30Word was, this DNA test was requested by the young heir of the Marchetti family.
03:35Could it be?
03:36Had Dante been reborn too?
03:39I lowered my head and stepped aside.
03:41Dante paused in front of me.
03:43Even at eight years old, there was something about him.
03:45A pressure that made you not want to get too close.
03:48The next day, the girl sleeping across from me, Sarah, was gone.
03:51Sarah barely talked.
03:53She cried all the time.
03:54A total crybaby.
03:55Turns out, she was the Marchettis' biological daughter.
03:59Two days later, the Marchettis came back again.
04:01This time, they said they wanted to adopt a girl to keep their daughter company.
04:05And this time, I didn't hide.
04:06All of us, myself included, lined up in a row, waiting for the Marchettis to come pick.
04:11The first one out of the car was the Marchettis' little girl.
04:14The crybaby who used to cry over everything.
04:16Now treated like a princess by everyone around her.
04:19Dante carried her the whole way.
04:20Only set her down when they reached us.
04:23Sarah had this scent around her I couldn't quite name.
04:25Not perfume.
04:26More like a warmth.
04:27The Marchetti warmth.
04:28The smell of money.
04:29Dry cleaning.
04:30Leather seats.
04:31Sarah!
04:32A bunch of kids rushed up to her.
04:34Eyes bright with excitement.
04:35We were all young.
04:37But group home kids learn early.
04:38You learn to read adults.
04:40You learn to read a room.
04:41Everyone knew.
04:42If you got to leave with Sarah today, you'd get to wear pretty dresses like hers.
04:46Live in a big house.
04:47Have your own room.
04:48All eyes were on Sarah.
04:49But for some reason, she stopped right in front of me.
04:51My stomach dropped.
04:53Before I even realized what I was doing, I shoved Sarah away.
04:55Sarah!
04:57Nola!
04:59That day, Ms. Linda made me stay in my room for three hours.
05:03As punishment, I thought there was no way the Marchettis would still want me after what I did.
05:07But three days later, I was sitting in that black escalade.
05:11Ms. Linda said the Marchetti family had filed for my foster placement.
05:14The paperwork was already done.
05:16I froze.
05:17But it was settled.
05:19All I could do was accept it.
05:21At least Sarah was easy to get along with.
05:24And the Marchettis, just like the first ten years of my past life, were kind to me.
05:29The coldest one in the house was Dante.
05:31He barely spoke to me.
05:33But sometimes, I'd catch him watching me in silence.
05:35Something complicated in his eyes.
05:37I didn't want to get into it.
05:39A few days later, after dinner, I heard Dante bring something up.
05:43Dad, the furnace at the group home is ancient.
05:45It breaks down every winter.
05:47Why don't we get them a new one?
05:48I stiffened.
05:49The truth was, I'd been thinking about the same thing for days.
05:52How to keep the group home from the disaster.
05:54In my last life, the group home caught fire.
05:57An old space heater short-circuited in the middle of the night.
06:00Those heaters were all second-hand donations.
06:02Used for God knows how many years.
06:04And those kids were so young.
06:06Five, six years old.
06:07They couldn't smell the smoke.
06:09Couldn't wake themselves up.
06:10Couldn't get out.
06:12Right.
06:13That's on me.
06:14They looked after Sarah for years.
06:16We owe them.
06:18I knew what oh meant in the Marchetti world.
06:21From now on, that group home was under Marchetti protection.
06:26The Marchettis replaced the group home's entire furnace and donated a large sum on top of it.
06:31I didn't expect Dante to do something like that.
06:33I still kept my distance from him.
06:35But honestly, I was grateful.
06:37Setting aside everything between us from the past.
06:40Dante's rebirth had genuinely saved a lot of people from a terrible fate.
06:45In the blink of an eye, Sarah and I were both old enough for high school.
06:49Dante was still in college, but he'd already started handling family business.
06:52He and I barely crossed paths.
06:54I kept my distance on purpose.
06:56And Dante was just as cold toward me as ever.
06:58The contrast with how he treated Sarah couldn't have been more obvious.
07:02I knew the deal.
07:03The Marchettis adopted me to keep Sarah company.
07:05That was always the point.
07:06So for all those years, school and Sarah, that was my life.
07:10When everyone found out I wanted to transfer from St. Ignatius to a public high school,
07:13the Marchettis, even Dante, looked at me like I'd lost my mind.
07:17Nora, why would you want to transfer to public school?
07:19No one from the family will be there to look out for you.
07:22Outside Marchetti territory, no one would know who I was.
07:25No one would care.
07:26But I didn't want to stay.
07:27In this life, I wanted to live my own life.
07:29Marchettis tried to talk me out of it.
07:31I didn't budge.
07:32Dante, who hadn't said a word the entire time, spoke up.
07:35Let her go.
07:36The living room went silent for two seconds.
07:38No one argued after that.
07:39One night, during finals, I stayed at the library studying until almost 11.
07:43When I came out, the school gate was deserted.
07:45November night, wind cutting hard.
07:46I hunched my shoulders and walked along the sidewalk,
07:48passing in and out of pools of streetlight.
07:51The neighborhood around a public school was nothing like Long Island.
07:53No Marchetti people.
07:54No iron gates.
07:55No surveillance cameras.
07:57No Dante.
07:58My phone rang.
07:59It was Dante.
08:00I hesitated.
08:01Picked up anyway.
08:02Where are you?
08:03His voice was low.
08:04I didn't answer.
08:05You're just now heading home?
08:08Yeah.
08:09Where exactly?
08:11I looked up.
08:13Outside the bodega near school.
08:15Don't move.
08:16I'm coming to get you.
08:17You don't have to.
08:18I can-
08:18He hung up.
08:19Ten minutes later, a black Escalade turned the corner.
08:22He didn't kill the engine.
08:23Just rolled down the window and looked at me.
08:25I got in the passenger seat.
08:26The smell of tobacco and woody cologne filled the air.
08:29Dante's scent.
08:30I was trying to clear my mind.
08:31Dante suddenly moved closer to me.
08:33I was startled and instinctively flinched backward.
08:36He didn't say anything.
08:37He just glanced at me.
08:38Buckled my seatbelt.
08:40Silence.
08:41Then he suddenly spoke up.
08:43You afraid of me?
08:45In my past life, this was when the truth came out.
08:49That Sarah had been at the group home all along.
08:52I was at St. Ignatius back then.
08:54Those family kids knew exactly which side to be on.
08:57My locker got wide open.
08:59My things tossed in the trash.
09:01Some girl threw milk on me.
09:03There was even an anonymous account making up stories about me.
09:06After that night with Dante, even the Marchettis started looking at me differently.
09:11Streetlights flickered past the passenger window.
09:13I pulled myself out of those memories.
09:15The car had already turned into the Long Island neighborhood.
09:18Dante's profile shifted between light and shadow under the passing street lamps.
09:22There was a faint scent in the car.
09:24Tobacco and woody cologne.
09:26I shouldn't have cared.
09:27But there it was.
09:28The car pulled into the garage.
09:30He killed the engine.
09:31Neither of us got out first.
09:33I stared at the time on the dashboard.
09:3511.47.
09:36A few seconds later, he pulled the key, pushed open his door, and got out.
09:41I followed behind.
09:42Two.
09:42Three steps back.
09:44Through the Marchetti front door.
09:46After that, I buried myself in schoolwork.
09:49Sarah's college was already set.
09:51The Marchettis had arranged a school in England for her.
09:53All she had to do was graduate.
09:55Before summer break, Sarah made plans to go to Europe with friends.
10:00Noah, I thought you'd finally hang out with me.
10:02Why are you doing a summer program?
10:04I smiled.
10:05It's just how it is.
10:07But I haven't spent time with you in forever.
10:10Sarah looked hurt.
10:11Before high school, we were practically inseparable.
10:13It's fine.
10:14Just send me pictures of everything.
10:16The fun stuff.
10:16The good food.
10:17It'll be like I'm there too.
10:19I meant it.
10:20I wanted to go.
10:21But I couldn't.
10:21I wasn't smart enough.
10:23I was giving everything I had just to keep my GPA looking good.
10:27And even then, compared to kids with private tutors, legacy admissions, and resumes packed
10:32with extracurriculars, I was still miles behind.
10:35If I was going to make it on my own, I wasn't doing enough.
10:38Not even close.
10:41After Sarah left, I started spending every day after school in the library, until the
10:46staff kicked me out.
10:48Library's closed.
10:48Then I'd walk to the McDonald's on the corner, order a coffee, and sit there until late.
10:53Gianna wasn't happy at first about me coming home so late.
10:56But eventually, she didn't say anything.
10:58Senior year.
10:58Spring break.
10:59A whole week off.
11:00Sarah came to pick me up from school.
11:02I thought it'd just be her.
11:03But when I walked out, I saw the black Escalade parked by the curb.
11:07Dante in the driver's seat.
11:08I noticed a bunch of girls on the steps, glancing that way.
11:11I thought of how Gianna always said,
11:13After all these years, Dante still hadn't brought a single girl home.
11:16Maybe he's gay.
11:17Every time she said that, Sarah would laugh and volunteer to find Dante a boyfriend.
11:21I raised the book in my hands a little higher, about to slip past.
11:24But Sarah had already spotted me.
11:26Nola!
11:27She shoved the car door open and grabbed my arm.
11:30Didn't you recognize Dante's car?
11:33We're right here.
11:34She pushed me into the back seat.
11:36Dante, I want to go to that new steakhouse.
11:39When we got there, Dante gave a name.
11:41The hostess led us straight to a window table.
11:44Nola, what do you want to eat?
11:46Anything's fine.
11:47I shifted in my seat.
11:48A little uneasy, Sarah was about to order the Cajun ribeye and the spicy shrimp appetizer.
11:53But Dante changed it.
11:54Switched it to mushroom soup and herb-crusted filet.
11:57I quietly exhaled.
11:58My stomach had been bad lately.
12:01Even though I tried to eat on time every day.
12:03When the pain hit, it was brutal.
12:07After dinner, we drove back to Long Island.
12:09My stomach was getting worse.
12:11I dug out the Pepto and took two.
12:13It kicked in pretty fast.
12:14Soon, I could read again.
12:16I pushed through the rest of spring break, trying to finish a paper due right after.
12:20Used every last bit of energy I had.
12:22When I got home, I crashed.
12:23Slept straight through to the next day.
12:25Probably went too long without eating.
12:27The stomach pain woke me up.
12:28I was about to go find something to eat.
12:30The second I opened the door, I saw Dante leaning against the hallway wall.
12:34We both froze.
12:34He looked away.
12:35Mom says come down and eat.
12:36His voice was flat.
12:37I nodded.
12:38Okay.
12:39We walked downstairs.
12:40Nora, you're seriously amazing.
12:42Sarah pushed a sandwich she'd made herself right in front of me.
12:45We all see how hard you've been working.
12:47You will get everything you want.
12:49I know it.
12:49April.
12:50College offers started rolling in.
12:52Sarah ordered the entire family to be there when my results came out, including Dante.
12:56I sat on the living room couch, opened my laptop, and logged into the application portal.
13:00The page loaded for two seconds.
13:03Congratulations.
13:04Oh my god!
13:05No!
13:06Sarah screamed and threw herself at me, wrapping me in a hug.
13:09My hands were shaking as I reached up and hugged her back.
13:11But my decision took them all by surprise.
13:15I got offers from several schools.
13:18East coast.
13:19West coast.
13:19I chose San Francisco.
13:21Five-hour flight from New York.
13:22Not that far.
13:22But far enough.
13:23Far enough that I wouldn't be breathing Marchetti air every single day.
13:26If he was in New York, then I'd go west.
13:28Gianna wasn't happy about it.
13:29Almost backed out of the graduation trip we'd already planned.
13:31In the end, Sarah talked her mom into it again.
13:34Sarah.
13:34She's so nice.
13:36She didn't always understand me, but she always respected my choices.
13:39More than once, I felt grateful to Dante.
13:41Grateful that in this life, he'd brought Sarah back to us as soon as he could.
13:44April.
13:44Prom season.
13:45The hallways were full of promposals.
13:47Balloons.
13:48Spray paint in the parking lot.
13:49Handmade posters blocking classroom doors.
13:51Within one week, three different guys asked me to be their prom date.
13:54One did it at lunch.
13:55In front of the entire cafeteria.
13:56One slipped a note into my locker.
13:58One sent a friend to ask on his behalf.
14:00I turned them all down.
14:01After that, Sarah and I went to Europe together.
14:03A trip that belonged to just the two of us.
14:05When we got back, I made one more stop.
14:07The group home where I grew up.
14:08Ms. Linda still remembered me.
14:10When she heard I'd gotten into college, her eyes welled up.
14:13Good.
14:15Good, sweetheart.
14:16Once she pulled herself together,
14:18she asked if the Marchetti family had been good to me.
14:21Yeah.
14:22Really good.
14:23This time around, I wasn't going to let myself fall into tragedy again.
14:26The night Sarah flew to England, I packed my bags too.
14:29Gianna couldn't understand why I wanted to go to school so early.
14:32That evening, I passed by Gianna's room.
14:34She's never going to see us as her real family.
14:36No matter what we do, she's always going to...
14:38I heard her voice through the door.
14:40I went back to my room.
14:44Didn't turn on the light.
14:45Sat there in the dark the whole night.
14:47The next day,
14:48the Marchettis were driving me to JFK.
14:50Dante was behind the wheel.
14:52Enzo and Gianna were in the back.
14:53The whole ride, Gianna kept talking.
14:54Call us if you need anything.
14:56Don't forget to eat.
14:57We're always here.
14:58I responded to every single one.
15:00At the airport, I said goodbye to each of them.
15:04I reached for the suitcase in Dante's hand.
15:06He pulled it back.
15:06Let's go.
15:07I blinked.
15:08Watched him walk with me through security.
15:10Then onto the plane.
15:10He sat down next to me.
15:11I still hadn't processed what was happening.
15:14What?
15:14He slid a gray neck pillow behind my head.
15:16Quick.
15:16No warning.
15:17When his fingers brushed the back of my neck,
15:19my whole body went rigid.
15:20He didn't say anything else.
15:21Leaned back in his seat and closed his eyes.
15:23I put my earbuds in.
15:24Body stiffed the entire flight.
15:26Didn't sleep a single second.
15:28After we landed, Dante carried my luggage all the way from the parking lot to the dorm.
15:32He walked half a step ahead of me.
15:33Not side by side.
15:34Not holding hands.
15:35Just him in front.
15:36Everything had to go through him first.
15:38It had been like that my whole life.
15:39My roommates assumed he was my boyfriend.
15:41After he left, they found out he was my brother.
15:43Every single one of them came at me for his Instagram.
15:46That is not a brother face.
15:49The truth is, in this life, Dante and I barely interacted.
15:52I knew he probably hated me.
15:54So I always kept my distance.
15:56I never smiled at him.
15:57Not once.
15:57And it wasn't just him.
15:58I kept my distance from everyone.
16:00In my past life, he hated that smile I gave him when I was five.
16:04That day at the group home, he looked at every single girl.
16:07Then walked up to me.
16:09All because I smiled at him.
16:10He chose me.
16:11And Sarah was left behind.
16:12The reborn Dante.
16:14He probably hated my smile, too.
16:15So in the Marchetti house, I was always guarded.
16:18Just like Gianna said, I never let myself belong.
16:20Only around Sarah could I relax a little.
16:23Now that I was in San Francisco, I didn't have to face any of them.
16:26I couldn't finally breathe.
16:27College was busy.
16:28Full.
16:28That was good.
16:29The only hard part.
16:31Every Christmas, I had to come up with a different excuse each year not to go back.
16:35The first year, Sarah FaceTimed me.
16:37She looked a little hurt.
16:38Behind her was the Marchetti living room.
16:40Christmas tree.
16:41Fireplace.
16:41Gianna setting the table.
16:43The second year.
16:44I still didn't go back.
16:45Nora?
16:46What's going on with you?
16:47Sarah's tone changed.
16:48I feel like you didn't just go to college.
16:50You left us.
16:52For good.
16:53I gripped my phone.
16:54Didn't know what to say.
16:55Sarah waited a long time.
16:56Then hung up.
16:59That night, I made myself a cup of hot cocoa.
17:02Steam fogged up the window.
17:04That gray neck pillow was still at the bottom of my closet.
17:07Some nights, a trace of tobacco and woody cologne would drift through.
17:10I wasn't sure if I actually smelled it or if it was just a memory.
17:14The dorm was almost empty.
17:16Not a single person in the hallway.
17:18The door to the room next door hung open.
17:20Beds stripped bare.
17:21Nothing left but fairy lights still blinking on the wall.
17:23I forced my eyes shut.
17:25Then my phone rang.
17:25Sarah.
17:26Sarah?
17:27Nora, come downstairs.
17:28Now.
17:30Nora, come down.
17:31I'm right outside your building.
17:33I froze for a second.
17:35Grabbed my jacket and ran.
17:36From a distance, I could see a few figures standing below.
17:38I slowed.
17:39Sarah had already spotted me.
17:40Nora!
17:41I ran toward them.
17:42It wasn't just Sarah.
17:44Dante was there too.
17:45Behind them was a bodyguard.
17:46Sarah was holding a bag of Whole Foods groceries.
17:48Dante had a small tabletop Christmas tree cradled in his arms.
17:51My eyes burned.
17:52I suddenly felt like I'd been so selfish.
17:54When Sarah saw me cry, she looked happy about it.
17:57She pulled me into a tight hug.
17:58I knew it.
17:59I knew you missed us.
18:01That night, Sarah made Christmas dinner in the communal kitchen.
18:04A pot of pasta, garlic, olive oil, parmesan.
18:07The smell filled the entire floor.
18:09Dante set the little Christmas tree on the windowsill and plugged it in.
18:12He didn't say a word, but he was there the whole time.
18:15We were halfway through eating.
18:16Then, hurried footsteps at the end of the hallway.
18:18A voice, low and urgent.
18:20Dante's bodyguard burst in, face white.
18:23We need to move.
18:24Now.
18:25Before I could process it, the window shattered.
18:27Sarah screamed.
18:28Dante shoved her to the ground.
18:30Glass still hanging in the air.
18:31I saw a shadow flash at the doorway.
18:33The gun was aimed at Sarah.
18:34I don't know where the strength came from.
18:36I threw myself in front of her.
18:37Then a bang.
18:38My abdomen, torn through.
18:39Dante's face appeared above me.
18:41He was shouting something.
18:42I couldn't hear it.
18:43Everything went black.
18:46When I woke up again, I was in the ICU.
18:48The doctor said the bullet hit my left kidney.
18:51During emergency surgery, they removed it.
18:53The surgery was a success, they said.
18:55I was lucky.
18:56But on the third day post-op, my attending came in with a report.
18:59He said, my remaining right kidney had some congenital issues.
19:03Something I might have gone my whole life without knowing.
19:05If the left one were still there.
19:07But now, the pressure on a single kidney was too much.
19:10We need to monitor your kidney function closely going forward.
19:13In the worst case scenario, you may need a transplant down the line.
19:17I stared at the ceiling.
19:18I didn't understand.
19:19I tried so hard, so hard to break free from the Marchettis.
19:24To live my own life.
19:25I'd gotten into a great school.
19:27Two more years and I could have been working.
19:29Independent.
19:30But now, everything felt like it was sinking into the dark.
19:33I was transferred to a private hospital in San Francisco.
19:36Enzo arranged it.
19:37One phone call.
19:38One black SUV.
19:39And just like that, I was moved from a public hospital bed into a private room with an ocean view.
19:44Sarah's eyes were swollen from crying.
19:47Her school was about to start.
19:48She didn't go.
19:49Took a leave of absence.
19:51Refused to leave my side.
19:52That bullet was meant for me.
19:54She held my hand.
19:56Voice trembling.
19:57Nora, that bullet was meant for me.
20:00Don't be stupid.
20:02Don't say that.
20:03I touched her face.
20:04After surgery, things got worse than the doctors expected.
20:08He confirmed it.
20:08I needed a kidney transplant.
20:10And worse.
20:11My blood type was rare.
20:12Finding a match would be extremely difficult.
20:14What I didn't expect was Sarah going behind everyone's back to get tested for compatibility.
20:19And she was a match.
20:22I lay in the hospital bed, listening to Gianna's voice out in the hallway.
20:25Sarah, have you thought about this?
20:27If you give up a kidney, what happens to you for the rest of your life?
20:31Stop telling me you'll be fine with one kidney.
20:34You don't know that.
20:38I won't allow it.
20:39Do you hear me?
20:41I won't allow it.
20:42My tears fell.
20:44Sarah, I won't allow it either.
20:46When none of the Marchettis were around, I packed my things and left the hospital.
20:50I had nowhere to go, and I didn't want the Marchettis to find me.
20:53I couldn't even book a flight, rent a car, or check into a hotel under my own name.
20:57Enzo had people in every system.
20:59The second my name showed up, the Marchettis would know.
21:01I called a car outside the hospital, paid cash, told the driver to keep heading east,
21:05Sacramento, a city I'd never been to before.
21:08I'd always planned to pay back every dollar the Marchettis ever spent on me.
21:12But now, clearly, that wasn't going to happen.
21:14I'd owe the Marchetti family for the rest of my life.
21:16I found a tiny studio on a quiet side street, off Craigslist, cheap rent, everything old.
21:22To make myself feel somewhat normal, I got a job at a flower shop wrapping bouquets.
21:26The owner was a Mexican lady in her 60s.
21:28She didn't ask me any questions.
21:29She just looked at me once and told me to come in at 9 the next morning.
21:33The hours weren't long.
21:34Six hours a day.
21:35Not hard work.
21:36But every time I came back to that little studio, I felt so alone.
21:42Valentine's Day.
21:43The flower shop was slammed until late.
21:45By the time I clocked out, it was almost midnight.
21:47Sacramento at night was dead quiet.
21:49The last bus was long gone.
21:51All I could do was walk.
21:52But on the way, I kept feeling like someone was behind me.
21:55Up ahead was a narrow stretch with no streetlights.
21:58No one around.
21:58I walked faster.
21:59And faster.
22:00Eventually, I broke into a jog.
22:02But the footsteps behind me, they sped up too.
22:04I panicked.
22:05Tripped.
22:06Hit the ground.
22:07I could feel someone coming toward me.
22:08I screamed, scrambling backward.
22:10Headlines started flooding my brain.
22:12Rape.
22:12Murder.
22:13Body found three days later in the ditch.
22:15A hand closed around my wrist.
22:17No!
22:18Please let me go!
22:20Please!
22:21I'm sick!
22:22I really am!
22:23I don't have money!
22:25Please!
22:26Leave me alone!
22:28Help!
22:30I kicked and hid at whoever was in front of me.
22:32Then someone pulled me in, held me tight.
22:33No.
22:35No.
22:35It's me.
22:37That scent came back.
22:38Tobacco and woody cologne.
22:39In the darkness, it surrounded me completely.
22:41I froze for one second.
22:43Then I broke down crying.
22:46Dante held me while I fell apart and couldn't get a single word out.
22:49After a long time, I pulled myself free and went back to the little studio.
22:53I didn't know how Dante found me here.
22:55I didn't want to know why he came.
22:57In our past life, he hated me.
22:58So why?
22:59Over the next few days, Dante was just there, following me.
23:03He didn't talk.
23:04He didn't explain.
23:05He didn't get too close.
23:06He was just there.
23:07When I went to work at the flower shop, he sat in the cafe across the street, pretending
23:12to look at his phone.
23:13When I walked home after my shift, he trailed half a block behind.
23:16I didn't want to deal with it, didn't want to ask, but the shop owner noticed.
23:20She glanced out the window at Dante, sitting in the cafe, then looked back at me.
23:28Boyfriend trouble?
23:29I didn't answer, just walked out in silence.
23:30I just didn't want anything to do with the Marchettis anymore.
23:33One time, Dante showed up outside my building again.
23:37I couldn't help it.
23:38I walked up to him.
23:40Let me go.
23:41Clean.
23:42Is that too much to ask?
23:43Something shifted in his eyes.
23:44Not anger.
23:45Something heavier than anger.
23:47Nola.
23:48I'm sorry.
23:50My condition was deteriorating fast.
23:53The next time I ended up in the ICU, I was transferred back to New York.
23:56Sarah was at my bedside again.
23:57She held my hand, forehead pressed against the back of it.
24:01Her shoulders were shaking.
24:03Nola, please.
24:05Let me do this.
24:07Let me save you.
24:08Please.
24:09She looked up at me, eyes so swollen from crying.
24:11She could barely keep them open.
24:12You're my sister.
24:14Do you hear me?
24:17You're my sister.
24:18That was the first time Sarah ever said that.
24:20I held her hand weakly.
24:21Shook my head.
24:21I was happy she said it.
24:22But no matter how many times she did, I couldn't let Sarah give me her kidney.
24:26Before, the reason I refused was because I couldn't bear it.
24:28What if?
24:29What if something happened to Sarah because of me?
24:31I couldn't imagine how the Marchettis would treat me then.
24:33But now, my reason was different.
24:35I just couldn't ruin the rest of Sarah's life.
24:37She was still young.
24:38She'd only been back in this family for a few years.
24:40Losing a kidney.
24:41No one knew what that would mean for her future.
24:45Gianna had aged so much during this time.
24:47The elegant matriarch of the family.
24:49Now, the lines around her eyes had deepened overnight.
24:51I knew she had regrets.
24:52Because after that fight, Sarah still refused to speak to her.
24:55She probably thought she'd failed as a mother.
24:57An adoptive one, at least.
24:58That her selfishness was the reason my condition got this bad.
25:01But I never blamed Gianna.
25:02Not really.
25:02Because I knew it wasn't just Sarah who got tested.
25:05Gianna did too.
25:05She just wasn't a match.
25:06And she never told anyone she tried.
25:10Just when everyone was about to lose hope,
25:12we got a call from the hospital.
25:16I made an excuse.
25:17Said there was a shipment issue on the West Coast.
25:19Had to fly out and handle it.
25:20Mom gave me hell for it.
25:21Said Nola had finally found a kidney donor.
25:23Surgery was right around the corner.
25:24And I, her brother, couldn't even be bothered to care.
25:27You remember Sarah's birthday every single year.
25:29Every single year.
25:31But Nola's?
25:32You've never once remembered.
25:33She's your sister too.
25:35But you're the only one in this family
25:37who's always treated her like an outsider.
25:38The truth was, I just didn't know how to face Nola.
25:41Every time I looked at her, I thought of our past life.
25:43Thought about what I did to her.
25:44Of course I knew.
25:45Sarah's death in our past life had nothing to do with Nola.
25:47Not one bit.
25:48But back then, we were all drowning in grief.
25:50Too blind to think straight.
25:51So I watched Nola get bullied.
25:52Humiliated.
25:53Over and over.
25:54And I clenched my jaw and pretended I didn't see.
25:56Like that would somehow make her hurt the way I hurt.
25:58Sarah was dead.
25:59Nola should have been in pain too.
26:00I even said cruel things to her face.
26:02More than once.
26:03Until the night of that family dinner.
26:04when someone slipped something into Nola's drink.
26:08I noticed her glass had been tampered with.
26:10I went after her immediately.
26:11But what I didn't expect?
26:12The moment Nola saw me, she held onto me and wouldn't let go.
26:15I lost control.
26:16That was the first time I ever completely lost it.
26:18I knew what I felt for her was more than what a brother should feel.
26:21I'd been suppressing it.
26:22For over a decade, I kept it buried.
26:23That night, it all came crashing down.
26:25After that night, the regret hit.
26:27When I found out Nola was pregnant, I pushed her away, truly.
26:30I knew the Vicaris had been watching us, looking for a weak point.
26:33But I still turned my back and walked away.
26:35It wasn't until she was dead that I realized what I really was.
26:37A complete and utter piece of shit.
26:41In this life, I brought Sarah back.
26:43And I brought Nola back, too.
26:44I thought I was making things right.
26:45But slowly, I started to realize, Nola didn't seem happy.
26:48It's not like I didn't notice.
26:49Back at the group home, she was already hiding from us.
26:51But I told myself that the Marchetti family could give her a better life.
26:54Besides, in our past life, we owe her.
26:56So in this life, when Nola wanted to go to public school, I convinced the family to let her.
27:00When she wanted to go somewhere five and a half hours away by plane, I convinced them again.
27:04What Nola didn't know, during her two years in San Francisco, I flew out to see her more than once.
27:08The lecture halls, the library, even outside her dorm.
27:11Every time, I parked a block away.
27:13Baseball cap on.
27:14A jacket that didn't look like mine.
27:15I never let myself get close.
27:17When people around me asked where I was going, I said business.
27:20No one dared push it.
27:21Until that Christmas, when Sarah insisted on going to see Nola, I went with her.
27:25Then the Vicari showed up.
27:26That bullet was meant for Sarah.
27:27Nola threw herself in front of it.
27:29I watched her life all off a cliff, right in front of me.
27:31I saw how Mom fought against Sarah donating a kidney.
27:34I also saw how Mom quietly got tested herself and dragged Dad into it, too.
27:37Neither matched.
27:38I went and got tested on my own.
27:40My kidney was a match for Nola.
27:43I went into the operating room first.
27:45Before they wheeled me in, I saw the door to another OR down the hall.
27:48The light above it was on.
27:49She was behind that door, I knew.
27:50Before surgery, I stopped the doctor.
27:52Take care of her.
27:53Whatever it takes.
27:53The surgery was a success.
27:55I was transferred to a different hospital to recover.
27:57My family was thrilled.
27:58Messages came in one after another.
27:59The surgery went well.
28:01Nola's numbers were improving.
28:02No one knew whose kidney it was.
28:04Later, Nola went back to San Francisco to finish school.
28:06And me.
28:07I actually found that missing a kidney didn't really change my life.
28:09If it weren't for the scar, I'd sometimes forget there was something missing inside me.
28:13Once I healed up, I fell back into old habits.
28:15Flying out to San Francisco to see Nola.
28:17I knew her grades were good.
28:18Knew she got into a prestigious research lab her senior year.
28:21One time, I saw Nola walk out of the school gates.
28:23There was a man beside her.
28:24The two of them.
28:25Walking close.
28:26Nola's eyes.
28:27That look she had.
28:28Shy.
28:28Uncontainable.
28:29A smile she couldn't hold back.
28:30I'd never seen her smile like that.
28:32Not once.
28:32Not at me.
28:33Not at anyone in our family.
28:34Never.
28:35And it hurt so bad I couldn't breathe.
28:36I thought, maybe during that surgery, the doctors made a mistake.
28:39Gave Nola half my heart along with the kidney.
28:41Why else would it hurt this much?
28:42I met someone at school.
28:45Luca Caldwell.
28:46The first time I noticed him was in the research lab.
28:48He was sitting at the bench across from mine.
28:50A book spread open in front of him.
28:52One I happened to be reading too.
28:54He didn't look like the other guys.
28:55Not the deliberately messy, I don't care type.
28:59Not the trying too hard polish type either.
29:01Just clean, white t-shirt.
29:03A worn leather watch strap on his wrist.
29:05The first time we spoke was because he borrowed my highlighter.
29:11Thanks.
29:11He smiled a little when he handed it back.
29:13A light smile.
29:15No edge to it.
29:16After that, we kept running into each other in the lab.
29:19He didn't talk much.
29:20But every time he spoke to me, he'd really look at me.
29:23Not the way Dante looked at me.
29:24The kind that made you want to run.
29:26This was the kind that made you feel like every word you said was actually heard.
29:31One night, I stayed late in the lab finishing something due.
29:35Everyone else had left.
29:36Just the two of us.
29:37He stood up.
29:38I thought he was leaving.
29:39Instead, he pulled a sandwich out of his bag and set it on my desk.
29:44You didn't eat lunch today.
29:46I blinked.
29:47How would you know?
29:49Because you were in here the whole time.
29:51He didn't explain further.
29:53Grabbed his bag and left.
29:55That night, walking back to the dorm alone, I realized I was smiling.
29:59It had been a long, long time since that happened.
30:04Luca never asked about my past.
30:06He didn't ask why I always ate alone.
30:08Didn't ask why I'd slip to the end of the hallway whenever certain calls came in.
30:11One time, we were reading on the campus lawn.
30:13I was wearing a slightly shorter top.
30:15When I sat down, it might have ridden up a little.
30:17His gaze brushed past it.
30:19Just one second.
30:21Then he said nothing.
30:22Just handed me his jacket.
30:24Getting windy.
30:25That was all.
30:26Luca pursued me slowly.
30:27Not the overwhelming roses and proposal kind of loud.
30:30It was a coffee that appeared on my bench every time he came to our lab to drop off data.
30:35It was me staying late in the lab, pushing the door open, and finding him leaned against
30:39the hallway wall.
30:40I was passing by.
30:41It was one time it rained, and I didn't have an umbrella.
30:43He ran over from God knows where, completely soaked, holding an umbrella in his hand.
30:48He was out of breath.
30:49You didn't pick up.
30:50I looked at him, rain dripping down his forehead, white shirt drenched, clinging to his body.
30:55He wasn't angry.
30:56Just looked at me and smiled.
30:57Pick up next time.
30:59I said okay.
31:01That night, I said yes.
31:06After Luca and I got together, I suddenly understood something.
31:09Being liked by someone, it could be this easy.
31:11He didn't make me guess.
31:12Didn't make me wonder if I'd done something wrong.
31:14Didn't make me replay a single word or look of his over and over in the middle of the night.
31:18He never once made me feel like I was something to be hated.
31:21That December, Sarah called.
31:23Nola, you're coming home for Christmas this year.
31:25Non-negotiable.
31:26Sarah.
31:26Don't even start.
31:27I don't care.
31:28Three years in a row, you haven't come back.
31:30If you skip again this year, I'm flying to San Francisco and dragging you home myself.
31:33I was quiet for a second.
31:35Okay.
31:37Really?
31:38You said yes?
31:39You actually said yes!
31:41Yeah.
31:42I hung up and looked at Luca beside me.
31:44I'm going back to New York for Christmas.
31:46Home.
31:47He smiled.
31:48That's great.
31:49I hesitated.
31:50Do you want to come with me?
31:52He looked at me.
31:53That look so gentle.
31:55You sure?
31:57Yeah.
31:57I want them to meet you.
31:59Three days before Christmas, we landed at JFK.
32:02Sarah was holding a handmade sign with a crooked little heart drawn on it.
32:05The second she saw me, she screamed and ran over.
32:08Then she noticed Luca beside me.
32:09Oh my god, Nola?
32:11Before I could even introduce him, I heard a sound behind me.
32:13An engine cutting off.
32:14A black escalade parked at the curb.
32:16The door opened.
32:17Dante stepped out.
32:18His gaze passed over Sarah.
32:19Passed over me.
32:20Landed on Luca.
32:20The air froze.
32:23Dante looked at Luca for a full three seconds.
32:25Didn't speak.
32:26No expression.
32:27Just looked.
32:27Then he pulled his gaze away and walked towards Sarah.
32:30Get in the car.
32:31Dante, didn't you see Noah brought-
32:33I saw.
32:33He opened the back door, waited.
32:36On the drive back to Long Island, Luca and I sat in the third row of the escalade.
32:39Sarah was in the second row, twisting around to stare at us the whole time.
32:43Eyes full of gossip.
32:45Dante didn't say a single word, but I could feel his gaze in the rearview mirror, not angled
32:49at the road.
32:49When we pulled up to the estate, Gianna was already waiting at the door.
32:52She paused when she saw Luca, but smiled quickly.
32:55Noah didn't tell me she was bringing a friend home.
32:57Sarah beat me to it.
32:58Boyfriend.
32:59Gianna's smile deepened.
33:00Even better.
33:01Come inside, it's cold out.
33:02Dinner was Gianna's Christmas Eve Italian feast.
33:05Luca sat to my left.
33:06Dante sat across from me.
33:07The entire meal, Luca was polite, composed.
33:11He answered every one of Gianna's questions.
33:14Jeanette.
33:14Complimented the food.
33:15Poured wine for Sarah.
33:17Dante said nothing.
33:18Just ate.
33:19Glanced up every now and then.
33:21Every time he did.
33:22It was the exact moment Luca was smiling at me.
33:26Looked too.
33:27I know.
33:28Luca's tone was even.
33:29I already got her water.
33:30He had.
33:31The wine glass in front of me had been swapped for a water glass.
33:34I didn't even notice when he did it.
33:36Dante's gaze landed on that glass of water.
33:38Lingered for one second.
33:39Then he stood up and left the table.
33:42After dinner, Luca went to the guest room to drop off his bags.
33:46Sarah pulled Gianna into conversation.
33:48I stood alone in the hallway, heading back to my room.
33:51Nola.
33:52Behind me, I turned around.
33:54Dante was standing at the other end of the hallway.
33:56Backlit.
33:57I couldn't make out his expression.
33:58He walked toward me.
34:00Every step slow.
34:01I stepped back instinctively.
34:03My back hit the wall.
34:05He leaned in closer.
34:08Does he know where that scar on your body came from?
34:11My breath caught.
34:14Does he know why you can't drink?
34:16I didn't answer.
34:16That last one.
34:17His voice was so low.
34:19Almost just a breath.
34:20Does he know whose kidney you're carrying?
34:22I clenched my fists.
34:24That's none of your business.
34:25He looked at me.
34:26That look.
34:27Dark.
34:28Heavy.
34:28Like it could swallow me whole.
34:30None of my business.
34:32His hand came up.
34:33Fingertips touched the side of my face.
34:35Just a touch.
34:36So light it might not have happened at all.
34:37Then he turned and walked away.
34:39I stood there.
34:40Heart pounding so hard it scared me.
34:44That night.
34:45I couldn't sleep.
34:47Luca was right next door in the guest room.
34:49But all I could think about was that moment in the hallway.
34:52Dante's fingertips.
34:53The warmth on the side of my face.
34:55That look.
34:56I forced my eyes shut.
34:57At some point.
34:58I fell asleep.
35:00In the dream.
35:01I was back on that night when I was 18.
35:03The family dinner.
35:05Crystal chandeliers.
35:07A room full of noise.
35:12I pushed open a door.
35:14Dante was inside.
35:16Shirt collar undone.
35:18Eyes red.
35:19He looked at me.
35:20Then he stood up.
35:23And walked toward me.
35:25In the dream he didn't say.
35:26You make me sick.
35:28He pressed me against the door.
35:32Forehead against mine.
35:34His breath scalding.
35:36Do you know how long I've waited?
35:38The moment his lips touched mine.
35:41I jolted awake.
35:423am.
35:44Heart slamming.
35:47Drenched in sweat.
35:52I stared at the ceiling.
35:54A wave of self-hatred washed over me.
35:59The next morning.
36:00I ran into Dante in the kitchen.
36:02He was leaning against the espresso machine.
36:04Black coffee in hand.
36:05His eyes flicked over me when I walked in.
36:07Luca was already up.
36:08Sitting at the table with a plate of Gianna's cannoli in front of him.
36:11Morning.
36:13He smiled at me.
36:14Pulling out the chair beside him like it was the most natural thing in the world.
36:17I sat down.
36:18Dante carried his coffee over and sat across from me.
36:21No one spoke.
36:22Sarah came bounding down the stairs.
36:24And broke the silence.
36:27Luca.
36:28What's your major?
36:29She was leaning over the table.
36:30Chin propped on both hands.
36:32Eyes bright and locked on him.
36:34CS.
36:35Luca said.
36:35Doing some computational modeling stuff.
36:38And after graduation?
36:39Might do my own thing.
36:41Start a company?
36:42Sarah perked up.
36:43What kind?
36:44Luca smiled.
36:46Still figuring it out.
36:47He said it so lightly.
36:48Like he really was just another college kid without a plan yet.
36:52But that afternoon.
36:53I happened to walk past Enzo's study.
36:55The door wasn't fully shut.
36:57I heard Enzo's voice.
36:58Low.
36:58Caldwell.
36:59Have you looked into that name?
37:01Then Dante's voice.
37:02Yeah.
37:03And?
37:03Two seconds of silence.
37:05Clean.
37:06Strangely clean.
37:07I didn't stay to listen.
37:09Walked away fast.
37:11Christmas Day.
37:12A dinner at the Marchetti Estate was never just a meal.
37:15The long table stretched from the dining room into the living room.
37:18Over twenty people.
37:19Some faces I recognized.
37:20Uncles.
37:21Cousins from the family.
37:22Others I'd never seen before.
37:24Men in dark suits.
37:25Women in gowns.
37:26The fireplace burning high.
37:28Luca wore a simple black turtleneck with a gray blazer over it.
37:31He stood among the crowd.
37:32Not conspicuous, but impossible to overlook.
37:35A few family members glanced his way.
37:37Eyes lingering for a second or two.
37:38That appraising look of who are you.
37:40Luca didn't look uncomfortable.
37:41Not once.
37:42He chatted with Gianna easily.
37:44Passed wine.
37:45Picked up conversations.
37:46Smiled at just the right moments.
37:48Neither too humble nor too eager.
37:50Like he'd done this a hundred times before.
37:52Halfway through dinner.
37:53Enzo stood and raised his glass.
37:54To family.
37:55Everyone raised theirs.
37:56And in that exact moment, a deafening bang from the direction of the front hall.
38:01Then a second.
38:01A third.
38:02Glass shattering.
38:03Someone screaming.
38:04Counter reacted faster than anyone.
38:06Get down!
38:07He grabbed Sarah beside him and shoved her under the table.
38:10The room exploded.
38:11Screams.
38:12Chairs crashing to the floor.
38:14My body froze in place.
38:15This scene.
38:16That one.
38:16Again.
38:16My hand seized my wrist and pulled me down hard.
38:19Not Dante.
38:20Luca.
38:20He pressed me beneath him.
38:21One hand cradling the back of my head.
38:23His heartbeat against my back.
38:24Steady.
38:25So steady.
38:26Not the heartbeat of someone afraid.
38:28Don't move.
38:29His voice right against my ear.
38:31Low and deep.
38:32Much farther than usual.
38:34That tone.
38:35I'm here.
38:35It didn't sound like an ordinary college student.
38:39The chaos lasted less than two minutes.
38:41Enzo's people had it under control.
38:43A few men in black coats rushed in and pinned the intruders to the ground.
38:47Vicari.
38:47Again.
38:48After it was over, I got up from beneath Luca.
38:50As he stood, I caught his phone screen lighting up.
38:53The caller ID, no name.
38:55Just a string of numbers.
38:56He glanced at it.
38:57Didn't pick up.
38:57Flipped the phone face down.
38:59Then he looked at me, and he was the gentle Luca again.
39:01You okay?
39:02I nodded, but I saw it.
39:03In those few seconds of chaos, the look in Luca's eyes wasn't fear.
39:07It was assessment.
39:08Calculation.
39:08Control.
39:09That look.
39:10I'd seen it on one other person before.
39:12Dante.
39:12After the dinner, the estate was in disarray all night.
39:14Enzo locked himself in the study.
39:16Family men coming and going.
39:17No one slept.
39:18Sarah was taken upstairs by Gianna.
39:20Her face was white.
39:21I knew what she was thinking.
39:22The last bullet had been Vicarra's too.
39:24Luca stayed with me the whole time.
39:26We sat at the end of the second floor hallway.
39:28Him leaning against the wall.
39:29Me leaning against his shoulder.
39:31His hand resting on the back of mine.
39:33Thumb brushing back and forth.
39:35It was all quiet.
39:37Were you scared?
39:38He asked.
39:39No.
39:39I said.
39:39And I meant it.
39:40When you've already died once, gunshots don't scare you that easily.
39:43Luca.
39:44Hmm?
39:45Just now you...
39:46I wanted to ask.
39:47But I didn't know how to start.
39:48Why were you so calm?
39:49Why weren't your hands shaking?
39:50Who was that call from?
39:51He waited a moment.
39:53I've seen this kind of thing before.
39:54He said.
39:55I looked up at him.
39:56He didn't explain.
39:57Just leaned down and pressed his lips to my forehead.
40:00Barely a touch.
40:01You don't have to be scared.
40:03I'm here.
40:03The next morning, when I came downstairs, I heard Enzo and Dante talking outside the study
40:08door.
40:08Enzo's voice was heavy.
40:10Last night, someone intercepted the Vicardi's second wave.
40:13It wasn't our people.
40:14Dante was quiet for a second.
40:15It was Caldwell.
40:16You're sure?
40:17His men showed up on the perimeter of the estate.
40:19At least four of them.
40:20Enzo's voice dropped even lower.
40:22So low I could barely hear.
40:24Who the hell is this kid?
40:25I stood at the turn of the staircase.
40:27Palms drenched.
40:28Luca Caldwell.
40:29Who are you?
40:31The day after Christmas, Long Island got buried in snow.
40:34The entire estate was covered in white.
40:36A layer of frost clung to the M on the Iron Gate.
40:39Luca was standing by the window on the phone.
40:41His back was to me.
40:41Voice low.
40:42I only caught one word.
40:43Handled.
40:44He hung up, turned around, and saw me standing in the doorway.
40:46Not a trace of panic on his face.
40:48Morning.
40:49Luca.
40:50Hmm?
40:52Last night, those men, were they yours?
40:54He looked at me for two seconds.
40:56You heard.
40:57Not a question.
40:57I didn't say anything.
40:58He walked over and stood in front of me.
41:00My family's in investing.
41:01Fairly large scale.
41:03We keep a low profile.
41:04So you have armed personnel?
41:06Security team.
41:07He corrected me gently.
41:08In our line of work, you make enemies.
41:10Having a few people around is normal.
41:11It all sounded perfectly reasonable, but my gut told me he wasn't telling me everything
41:15before I could push further.
41:17Nola.
41:17End of the hallway.
41:18Dante.
41:18Leaning against the wall.
41:19Hands in his pockets.
41:20He was looking at Luca.
41:21Mind if we have a word, Mr. Caldwell?
41:23Not the tone of a request.
41:24Luca smiled.
41:25Of course.
41:26They walked into the study.
41:27The door closed.
41:27I stood in the hallway, heart racing.
41:29Through that door, I couldn't hear a thing.
41:30But three minutes later, it opened.
41:32Luca came out first.
41:33Expression unchanged.
41:34Dante followed.
41:35Face dark.
41:36When he passed me, he stopped.
41:38His lips moved like he wanted to say something.
41:40In the end, he said nothing.
41:41Went straight upstairs.
41:43I looked at Luca.
41:43What did he say?
41:44Luca looked at me.
41:45One second of silence.
41:48He asked if I was worthy of standing beside you.
41:51What did you say?
41:52The corner of Luca's mouth lifted just slightly.
41:54I said, maybe he should ask himself that first.
41:59The day before New Year's, Luca flew back to San Francisco early, at the airport.
42:03He held me for a long time before he left.
42:05Be safe going back.
42:06Call me if anything comes up.
42:07I nodded.
42:08When he let go, his thumb grazed my cheekbone.
42:10I'll be waiting for you.
42:11He walked into the security line, didn't look back.
42:13But he left that feeling of safety hanging in the air, still there even after he was gone.
42:17So different from Dante.
42:19Dante's presence was overwhelming.
42:21When he was there, you couldn't ignore him.
42:23When he wasn't, you still couldn't.
42:24Luca's presence was easy.
42:26Like sunlight coming through a window.
42:28Not burning.
42:29Just warm.
42:29The day after Luca left, I was helping Gianna clean up the kitchen.
42:32Sarah was curled up on the couch, scrolling her phone when she suddenly sat up.
42:36Noya, come look at this!
42:38She held her phone out to me.
42:39On the screen was a Forbes article.
42:41Long headline.
42:42But I only caught two things.
42:43Caldwell.
42:44And a number.
42:45A lot of zeros.
42:45Isn't that your boyfriend's last name?
42:47Sarah's eyes were wide.
42:48I stared at the article.
42:49Caldwell family office.
42:51Spanning tech.
42:52Energy.
42:52Real estate.
42:53Family assets.
42:54I didn't finish reading.
42:55I handed the phone back to Sarah.
42:56Probably just the same last name.
42:58But my hands were shaking.
43:01After New Year's, I went back to San Francisco.
43:04Life seemed to go back to normal.
43:05Lab.
43:06Classes.
43:07Luca.
43:08But something had shifted.
43:09I started noticing things I'd overlooked before.
43:11Luca never talked about his family.
43:13His apartment looked ordinary, but it was in Pacific Heights, one of the most expensive neighborhoods
43:18in San Francisco.
43:19That worn leather watch strap of his.
43:21I leaned in close once.
43:23The logo on the dial, Patek Philippe.
43:25The old Volvo he drove.
43:26I happened to catch a document on the back seat.
43:28The letterhead read, Caldwell family office.
43:31I didn't ask.
43:32Just like he never asked about my past.
43:34I didn't poke at his.
43:35Maybe we were both people hiding scars.
43:37His were just covered with money.
43:38February.
43:39Late one night, Sarah called.
43:41She was crying.
43:43Nola, something happened to Dante.
43:45My blood went cold.
43:46What?
43:47He was in a car accident, north shore of Long Island.
43:50He's at the hospital now.
43:51I gripped my phone, knuckles white.
43:53How bad is it?
43:54Sarah was crying, too hard to speak.
43:56Gianna took over the phone.
43:57Her voice was steady, but I could tell it was the kind of steady new force.
44:00Nola, you don't need to come back.
44:02He's not in danger.
44:04I...
44:04Surgery's already done.
44:05He's in the ICU for observation.
44:08Surgery?
44:08Gianna was quiet for a second.
44:10The impact to his abdomen was too severe.
44:13The doctor said...
44:14She stopped.
44:14Said what?
44:15He only has one kidney, Nola.
44:18The injury was too close to it.
44:20I heard the words, but my brain refused to process them.
44:22He only has one kidney.
44:24Why?
44:25Why does Dante only have one kidney?
44:28I booked the next red eye back to New York.
44:31Five and a half hours.
44:32I didn't sleep a single second.
44:33After landing, I took a cab straight to the hospital.
44:36Four AM hallway lights, pale and harsh.
44:39Sarah was curled up on a bench outside the room.
44:41He's stable.
44:42Just got moved from ICU to a regular room.
44:45Can I go in and see him?
44:47But she didn't cry.
44:48He's still asleep.
44:49I just want to look.
44:51That's all.
44:52She didn't stop me.
44:53I pushed the door open.
44:54Dante was lying in the hospital bed.
44:56Face white.
44:57Lips drained of color.
44:58Tubes in his arm.
44:59The heart monitor beeping in steady rhythm.
45:01His hospital gown was loose at the collar.
45:03An old scar above his collarbone.
45:05My eyes moved lower.
45:06The gown had been left partly open.
45:08I saw it.
45:08His left abdomen.
45:09A long, healed, surgical scar.
45:11My knees gave out.
45:12I grabbed the edge of the bed.
45:14That kidney.
45:14The one I thought came from an anonymous donor.
45:16The one that kept me alive.
45:17It was his.
45:18I crouched beside his bed.
45:19Hand pressed over my mouth.
45:21Tears hit the hospital floor.
45:22He was asleep.
45:23He didn't know a thing.
45:24And I was right there beside him.
45:28I don't know how long I crouched there beside his bed.
45:31My tears dried up.
45:33Knees gone numb.
45:34The heart monitor beeped on.
45:36Then he woke up.
45:38Not the slow, drifting open kind.
45:40It was instant.
45:42Like he sensed something.
45:44He turned his head.
45:45Saw me.
45:46I was still on the ground.
45:48Eyes swollen.
45:49A mess.
45:51He didn't ask how I got here.
45:53Didn't ask why I was crying.
45:55He just looked at me.
45:56Then reached out.
45:58Fingertips touched my face.
46:00Light as that time in the hallway.
46:02You came.
46:03Your kidney.
46:04My voice was shaking.
46:06It was yours, wasn't it?
46:08His hand stayed on my face.
46:10Why didn't you tell me?
46:11He didn't pull it back.
46:12What difference would it make?
46:13He didn't deny it either.
46:16Would you have accepted it?
46:17I couldn't speak.
46:18He looked at me.
46:19Eyes heavy.
46:20You wouldn't have.
46:21You would have said no.
46:24You would have run.
46:25Just like you always do.
46:27I clenched my fists.
46:31So you just kept it from me?
46:34Yeah.
46:35He said it softly, without a second of hesitation.
46:39I kept it from you.
46:42I don't regret it.
46:43My chest felt like someone had it in a fist, squeezing until it hurt.
46:47I stood up, tried to step back, but he caught my wrist.
46:51He shouldn't have had any strength.
46:53Just out of surgery, abdomen still wrapped in gauze.
46:56But his grip was tight.
46:57He pulled me forward.
46:59I lost my balance, one hand landing on the pillow beside his head.
47:04Our faces were so close.
47:06Close enough to see the shadows on his lashes, and to feel his breath land on my lips.
47:11His gaze dropped from my eyes to my mouth.
47:13Do you know how long I've waited?
47:15The exact same words from the dream.
47:17My mind went blank.
47:18His lips grazed the corner of my mouth.
47:21Not a kiss.
47:21Something worse than a kiss.
47:23A test.
47:24A crack breaking through after holding back for too long.
47:27My heart was pounding so hard I thought it would burst.
47:30His hand slid from my wrist to the back of my neck.
47:32Fingers threading into my hair.
47:34I closed my eyes, and I snapped them open.
47:36No, this isn't right.
47:38We're free from his hand.
47:40I stepped back.
47:41His hand hung in the air.
47:42We stared at each other.
47:43There was so much in his eyes.
47:46Pain.
47:46Want.
47:47And something I'd never once seen on Dante Marchetti's face before.
47:51Vulnerability.
47:51But I still turned around.
47:53Pushed the door open.
47:54Walked out.
47:55The hallway was quiet.
47:56Lights pale and harsh.
47:58I leaned against the wall.
47:59My legs barely holding.
48:00The warmth of his breath still lingering at the corner of my mouth.
48:03Closed my eyes.
48:04Hated myself.
48:05More than after that wet dream.
48:08After I came back from the hospital,
48:10I stayed on Long Island for three more days.
48:13Not because I wanted to.
48:14Sarah wouldn't let me leave.
48:16You just got into trouble.
48:17And you're flying back right away?
48:19Do you really not want to stay with us?
48:21I didn't explain.
48:22Dante was discharged.
48:23Back at the estate.
48:24He didn't come find me.
48:25I didn't go find him either.
48:27But that night.
48:28The scar.
48:29Those words.
48:30The warmth of his lips brushing the corner of my mouth.
48:32I hadn't forgotten a single second of it.
48:35On the third day, Luca flew here.
48:37He didn't tell me ahead of time.
48:38I opened the front door of the estate.
48:40And he was just standing there.
48:41Gray coat.
48:42Scarf draped loosely.
48:43I looked at him.
48:44He smiled.
48:45Gentle.
48:46Same as always.
48:47I'll come pick you up and take you back.
48:49I couldn't speak.
48:50You didn't answer my calls and I was worried sick.
48:53I just walked over and buried my face in his coat.
48:55His hand came up to the back of my head.
48:57He didn't ask questions.
48:58That evening, Luca was in the living room chatting with Sarah.
49:02I went to the kitchen for water.
49:04Passing the study.
49:05The door was open.
49:07Dante was inside.
49:08Standing by the window, he saw me walk by.
49:11Nola.
49:12I stopped.
49:14I don't know why.
49:15I walked in.
49:18So you're just gonna act like nothing happened?
49:22Dante.
49:22He took a step toward me.
49:24You know now.
49:25You know everything.
49:27So what?
49:27You go back and live your nice little life with that guy?
49:30He has a name.
49:31I don't care what his name is.
49:33His voice dropped low.
49:34Nola, do you have any idea?
49:36That child.
49:38The one you were carrying.
49:40My blood went cold.
49:41I think about it every day.
49:42If I hadn't walked away.
49:43If I hadn't pulled everyone off you.
49:45Stop!
49:45It would have been born.
49:47Grown up.
49:48Could have been calling me dad by now.
49:50Could have...
49:50I said stop!
49:51Stop!
49:52My voice came out louder than I expected.
49:54He went still.
49:55We stared at each other.
49:56Then, a soft sound at the study door.
49:58Leather shoes on hardwood.
49:59I turned my head.
50:00Luca stood in the doorway.
50:01His expression hadn't changed.
50:02But his eyes...
50:03And I'd never seen that look before.
50:05Not anger.
50:05Not hurt.
50:06It was the kind of calm that comes when something suddenly clicks into place.
50:09He looked at me.
50:10Then at Dante.
50:11Then he spoke.
50:11Quietly.
50:12Sorry.
50:12Didn't mean to interrupt.
50:13He turned and walked away.
50:15His footsteps were steady.
50:16Didn't speed up.
50:16But I knew.
50:17Something had just broken.
50:20Luca didn't ask me.
50:21That night.
50:22He said nothing.
50:22We sat together in the living room.
50:24Sarah was watching a movie beside us.
50:26Gianna was in the kitchen.
50:27Everything looked normal.
50:28But he didn't rest his hand on the back of mine like he always did.
50:32Didn't lean in with a smile and whisper something random in my ear like he always did.
50:36He just sat beside me.
50:37Quiet.
50:38Not the Luca kind of quiet.
50:39The easy kind.
50:40This was a glass wall.
50:42After the movie ended, Sarah yawned and went upstairs.
50:45The living room was left with nothing but the flicker of the fireplace.
50:48We sat side by side.
50:50Ten centimeters between us.
50:52There had never been those ten centimeters before.
50:54Luca?
50:57You.
50:58Not tonight.
50:59He cut me off.
51:00Voice soft.
51:01Tomorrow.
51:01His gaze was on the fire.
51:03Firelight shifting across his profile.
51:05Quiet.
51:05But I saw his hand.
51:07The one resting on his knee.
51:09Knuckles tightening.
51:10That was the first time I'd ever seen restraint on Luca.
51:12He was always relaxed.
51:14Always warm.
51:15Always the person who made me feel like nothing could go wrong.
51:17But right now, he was holding back.
51:20I knew what he was holding back from.
51:21That child.
51:22Those three words Dante said.
51:24To Luca, those three words meant.
51:27Between Dante and me, there was a past he would never be able to understand.
51:30Not a fling.
51:32Not old feelings.
51:33A child.
51:36That night, I went and knocked on his guest room door.
51:39He opened it.
51:44saw me.
51:45Expression unchanged.
51:46Come in.
51:51Luca, what you heard today.
51:52That child.
51:53He spoke.
51:53Voice flat.
51:54The child he was talking about.
51:56What did he mean?
51:56My breath caught.
51:57I walked in.
51:58Did something happen between you two?
52:00I opened my mouth.
52:01I couldn't tell him about the past life.
52:02No one would believe it.
52:04Saying it out loud would only make me sound insane.
52:06That was a long time ago.
52:07How long?
52:09A long time.
52:10He looked at me.
52:11Those eyes.
52:12So clear.
52:13Clear enough to make you feel guilty.
52:17I'm not gonna force you to explain.
52:19He said.
52:19But I need to know one thing.
52:22He stepped closer.
52:25Do you still love him?
52:26I could hear my own heartbeat.
52:27I don't know.
52:28I meant it.
52:29Maybe it was the cruelest answer I could have given.
52:31I don't know.
52:32Is more hopeless than yes.
52:34Because yes is at least an answer.
52:36I don't know.
52:37Thank you for not lying to me.
52:38Means I'm still caught in it.
52:40Luca looked at me for a long time.
52:42I won't pressure you to choose.
52:43The next morning Luca booked a flight back to San Francisco.
52:46Before he left.
52:47He stood at the front door of the estate looking at me.
52:50Figure it out.
52:51Then come find me.
52:54Whatever the answer is I'll take it.
52:56Coat collar turned up.
52:57Breath turning to white fog in the cold air.
53:00His thumb grazed my cheekbone one last time.
53:02The same motion as the very first time.
53:04Gentle.
53:05Steady.
53:05Then he got in the car.
53:06Didn't look back.
53:07This time after he left.
53:09There was nothing in the air.
53:10Not like Dante.
53:11After Dante left.
53:12His traces lingered.
53:13Tobacco.
53:13Cologne.
53:14That gaze in the rear view mirror.
53:16That brush across the corner of my mouth.
53:17I stood in the doorway.
53:18Palms cold.
53:19And suddenly realized.
53:20Why do I always compare him to Dante?
53:24I stood at the door crying like a lunatic.
53:27For a long time.
53:28Then I turned around and saw Dante.
53:30Long Island had cleared up for once.
53:32The snow was half melted.
53:33He looked so much thinner.
53:34I was about to go back inside.
53:36Nola.
53:37I stopped.
53:38I have something for you.
53:39He pulled an envelope from his pocket.
53:41Took two steps toward me.
53:42And held it out.
53:43I didn't take it.
53:44What is it?
53:45Open it.
53:45I hesitated.
53:46Then took it.
53:47Inside was a document.
53:48A property transfer agreement.
53:50Address in San Francisco.
53:51Mission District.
53:52A one bedroom apartment.
53:53The name on it.
53:55What is this supposed to mean?
53:56It's not Marchetti's.
53:58It's under my personal name.
54:00Nothing to do with the family.
54:01His voice was flat.
54:03You don't have to live in places you find on Craigslist anymore.
54:06I gripped the document hard.
54:08I don't want it.
54:09I'm not asking you to want it.
54:11It's yours.
54:12Throw it away if you want.
54:13I looked at him.
54:13Those eyes.
54:14Calm.
54:15Nola.
54:16This was the kind of calm that comes after a decision has already been made.
54:19I'm not going to hold you back anymore.
54:21Go live your life.
54:22With whoever you want.
54:24Dante!
54:24I owe you two lives.
54:27One from our past life.
54:29One for this life.
54:30He pressed a hand to his left abdomen.
54:32I won't cage you anymore.
54:34He finished.
54:34That day at the group home.
54:36You smiled at me.
54:38That was the most right decision I've ever made in my life.
54:41And the most selfish.
54:42Then he walked away.
54:43I stood in the backyard.
54:44The envelope trembled slightly in the wind.
54:47My whole life.
54:48I was always the one running.
54:49He was always the one chasing.
54:51Pinning me in place with his silence and his presence.
54:53This was the first time.
54:55He left first.
54:56I thought I'd feel relieved.
54:57But I stood there.
54:58For a long, long time.
55:00Unable to move a single step.
55:03A week later, I went back to San Francisco.
55:06Life seemed to return to normal.
55:07Lab.
55:08Classes.
55:08Alone.
55:09Luca didn't reach out.
55:10I didn't reach out either.
55:11But things were happening quietly.
55:13Those people I used to notice.
55:14Standing on the corner.
55:15Trailing half a block behind in a car.
55:17They were gone.
55:17The Marchetti people assigned to watch over me.
55:19All of them.
55:20Gone.
55:20I assumed Dante had pulled them.
55:21Until one day.
55:22Nola, have you seen the news?
55:24What?
55:25The Vakiris.
55:25FBI raided them.
55:26Several members arrested.
55:27Rico charges.
55:29Dante did that?
55:30No.
55:31Dad says it wasn't our people.
55:32Someone fed evidence to the FBI.
55:34But no one knows who.
55:35I hung up.
55:36A vague answer already forming in my mind.
55:38That afternoon, I got a text from Luca.
55:40Short.
55:40Free.
55:41Want to see you.
55:41Come to my place.
55:42He'd never invited me to his home before.
55:44Pacific Heights.
55:45A white apartment building.
55:46Top floor.
55:47When the elevator doors opened.
55:48I saw the Golden Gate Bridge through the floor to ceiling windows.
55:51Sunset had turned the entire bay orange.
55:53Luca stood in the living room.
55:54Wearing a simple white linen shirt.
55:56But the space was anything but simple.
55:58A painting on the wall.
55:59I didn't know art.
56:00But I could tell.
56:00This didn't belong to a college student.
56:02Want something to drink?
56:04Luca.
56:05Hmm?
56:06The Vakari thing.
56:07That was you.
56:08Not a question.
56:09The Vakari thing.
56:10The Vakari thing.