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Transcript

00:00:00My name is Isabel. Smith. I chose this name myself. Smith is my mother's nername. I picked Isabel after going

00:00:06through a whole book of English names. It means God's promise. But I don't believe in God. I just refused

00:00:12to keep the name that man gave me.

00:00:14He was my father, a man who lost everything on Wall Street and jumped to his death. That's all I

00:00:18know. I was 10 at his funeral, standing in the very last row. No one handed me a tissue. I

00:00:22wore a black dress a neighbor bought from a thrust store. It was two sizes too big with frayed cuffs.

00:00:26The priest's prayer blew right past my ears like the wind. I didn't take in a single word.

00:00:30Later, I put myself through college on scholarships, talked my way onto Wall Street with my wits, and worked like

00:00:35hell to become a quantum analyst. My model delivered a 37% annual return. My boss called me the money

00:00:41printer. They called me a genius.

00:00:43But geniuses don't live in a basement in Queens. Leaky ceiling. Landlord tried fixing it three times and failed. Geniuses

00:00:49don't eat sandwiches on the subway for dinner, picking crumbs out of their keyboard with a toothpick and getting back

00:00:54to work. Geniuses don't shake so hard they can barely hold the phone when the hospital calls.

00:00:58Miss Isabel, your mother needs a liver transplant. The cost is five million dollars. Insurance won't cover it.

00:01:04That voice sounded like it came from miles away, or from deep inside my own body. I stood at the

00:01:09subway exit, wind cutting into my collar, cold as a knife. Five million.

00:01:12All my savings, my mom's house, my next ten years of salary, none of it added up. But I couldn't

00:01:17let her die. She was my only family, the woman who raised me alone after my father was gone.

00:01:20She'd grown thin, her hair turned white, her eyes soaking. But every time I visited, she smiled and said,

00:01:25Isabel, you're too skinny. Eat more.

00:01:27I spent a month crunching numbers. Lone hoss, selling a kidney, marrying a rich guy. I didn't even seriously consider

00:01:32the first two.

00:01:33The third, I've screened my labo in my face. My fingers hovered over the keyboard for a long time.

00:01:37Then I typed, the richest bachelors in New York. First result, first name, Sebastian Black. Head of black group, 32

00:01:43years old, worth billions, never linked to any scandal.

00:01:46Not because he was a saint, because he didn't need one. He needed an heir. A condition in the black

00:01:50family trust.

00:01:51The heir must marry and have a child before 35, or the entire fortune goes to charity. He had three

00:01:55years left.

00:01:56I have no idea how he found me. Maybe through a headhunter, maybe my work email.

00:02:00His lawyer showed up at my office on a rainy day. Gray suit, black umbrella, not a single drop on

00:02:05his shoes.

00:02:06He slipped a contract across my desk, gold lettering on the cover like a hardcover book.

00:02:10Miss Smith, Mr. Black is offering you a three-year marriage contract. The payout is five million dollars.

00:02:14I stared at him, not answering right way. Not because I hesitated, because I could barely.

00:02:17It really was a scam, a joke, a hallucination, being too tired. But the rain outside was real.

00:02:21The words on the contract were real. The lawyer's breathing was real.

00:02:24During the term, you'll live in his apartment, attend required public events, and never reveal the true nature of this

00:02:29marriage.

00:02:29When the contract ends, you'll receive five million dollars in a Manhattan condo.

00:02:33I picked up the pen and flipped through the contract. Over 300 pages of tense legal jargon.

00:02:37I didn't finish it. I didn't need to. Only one thing mattered. When the money would hit.

00:02:41Now.

00:02:41The lawyer slid a signed stamped check across the desk. I folded it and pressed it to my chest.

00:02:46Thin paper, but burning hot, like a branding iron.

00:02:49The wedding was at City Hall. No flowers, no music, no guests.

00:02:53Two witnesses, two lawyers, one priest.

00:02:56I wore a used wedding dress. Stained at the neck, yellowed lace.

00:03:00Bought for $35 at a Brooklyn thrift store.

00:03:02I'd once imagined it for my real wedding.

00:03:04Central Park lawn, perfect sunshine, a violinist playing.

00:03:07Now it was being used. But no sun, no lawn, no violin.

00:03:10Sebastian stood across from me in a black suit.

00:03:12He looked better than his photos. Or the photos were just bad.

00:03:15His eyes were dark gray, like a frozen lake in winter.

00:03:18Thin lips, pressed tight, no expression at all.

00:03:20His hair was perfectly combed, not a strand out of place.

00:03:23Just like him. Precise, restrained, flawless.

00:03:25Sebastian, do you take Isabel to be your lawfully wedded wife?

00:03:28I do.

00:03:29His voice was flat, like he was reading a contract.

00:03:32Isabel, do you take Sebastian to be your lawfully wedded husband?

00:03:36I looked at the contract in the lawyer's hand.

00:03:38The $5 million was already in the hospital account.

00:03:41My mom's surgery was tomorrow morning.

00:03:44I do.

00:03:45So, place the ring on her finger.

00:03:47When we exchanged rings, his fingers were slender.

00:03:49The ring was a little tight. I had to push hard to get it on.

00:03:51He placed the ring on my finger gently.

00:03:53His fin tip brushed my hand, cold as glass.

00:03:55I stared at the ring. A plain platinum band.

00:03:58No design, no engraving, like a washer.

00:04:00You may kiss the bride.

00:04:00He hesitated for a few seconds.

00:04:03I saw his Adam's knuckle bomb.

00:04:05Then he leaned down and kissed my forehead.

00:04:07Not my lips, my forehead.

00:04:09Light as snowflakes landing on skin, barely there at all.

00:04:13After the wedding, he got into his black Maybach.

00:04:16I got into a taxi.

00:04:20Ma'am, where to?

00:04:22The hospital.

00:04:24My mother's in the ICU.

00:04:26We drove over the Manhattan Bridge.

00:04:29The river below was gray and foggy.

00:04:32I looked down at the ring on my finger.

00:04:34Twist it.

00:04:35It was a little loose.

00:04:37Mom's surgery was a success.

00:04:39When she opened her eyes in the recovery room, night had fallen.

00:04:42Only one bedside lamp was on,

00:04:44its warm glow turning her face into an old photograph.

00:04:46I held her hand.

00:04:48It was thin, bony, but warm.

00:04:50Isabel, where did you get the money?

00:04:52Who did you marry?

00:04:54Someone good.

00:04:55She didn't push.

00:04:57She never asked about things I didn't want to talk about.

00:05:00That night, I sat on a bench in the hospital corridor all night.

00:05:03It was quiet.

00:05:04A nurse rolled a medicine cart past now and then,

00:05:06its wheels making a soft sound on the floor.

00:05:08I stared at the fluorescent light on the ceiling.

00:05:10One bulb was flickering, and it didn't burn out for a long time.

00:05:13My phone lit up, a text from an unknown number.

00:05:16It was his lawyer.

00:05:17Mr. Black asks me to inform you that you must move into his apartment tonight.

00:05:21The media may take photos, so you need to live together.

00:05:23Below is the address and the digital lock code.

00:05:26The apartment was in the tallest residential building in Manhattan, the top floor.

00:05:31The elevator required fingerprint recognition, and mine was already in the system.

00:05:36When the doors opened, I froze.

00:05:38The entrance was dim.

00:05:39Only one wall lamp on.

00:05:41The living room was huge.

00:05:43Floor-to-ceiling windows showed the entire Manhattan skyline.

00:05:46Empire State Building, World Trade Center, Central Park Greenery, all under our feet.

00:05:51The lights outside looked like an upside-down starry sky, endless and dense.

00:05:55But the decor was minimalist.

00:05:57Black, white, gray, no fourth color.

00:05:59No paintings, no photos, no trace of a human being on the walls.

00:06:03Nothing on the coffee table.

00:06:04Not even a magazine.

00:06:06The kitchen counter was bare.

00:06:08No spices.

00:06:09No bowls.

00:06:10Like no one had ever cooked there.

00:06:12It wasn't a home.

00:06:13It was a showroom.

00:06:14A model apartment waiting to be auctioned.

00:06:17He was away on business.

00:06:18A short-haired woman greeted me, his assistant, in a professional suit, with a face as cold as his.

00:06:24She showed me around the house, opening one door after another, with one sentence each time.

00:06:30This is the living room.

00:06:32This is the dining room.

00:06:34This is the study.

00:06:37This is your room.

00:06:38The guest room.

00:06:39Next to the master bedroom.

00:06:40The sheets were gray.

00:06:42The pillows gray, without a single wrinkle.

00:06:44A few women's clothes in my size hung in the closet, tags still on.

00:06:48He didn't buy them.

00:06:49His assistant did.

00:06:51He wouldn't waste time on things like that.

00:06:53That night I lay in bed, staring at the ceiling.

00:06:55Blank.

00:06:56No cracks.

00:06:57No lines.

00:06:58Nothing.

00:06:58No sound from next door.

00:07:00No footsteps.

00:07:01He wasn't even home.

00:07:01This hundred-million-dollar apartment was as quiet as a tomb.

00:07:05This hundred-million-dollar apartment was as quiet as a tomb.

00:07:08I tossed and turned, replaying one image in my head.

00:07:13Mom looking back at me as they wheeled her into the operating room.

00:07:17She didn't speak, but her lips moved.

00:07:19Later I guessed she was saying thank you.

00:07:21The next morning, there was a cup of coffee, a sandwich, and a note on the dining table.

00:07:28Breakfast.

00:07:29I have a dinner event tonight.

00:07:30Won't be home for dinner.

00:07:32No signature.

00:07:33No greeting.

00:07:35I picked up the coffee.

00:07:36It was cold.

00:07:37We barely spoke those days.

00:07:39We could count our words on one hand.

00:07:41Good morning.

00:07:41Good night.

00:07:42Keys are in the drawer.

00:07:43Thanks.

00:07:43Coffee is on the table, okay.

00:07:45Sometimes we passed each other in the hallway.

00:07:46He'd step aside slightly, but never look at me.

00:07:49His eyes were always fixed ahead, like he was searching for something, or avoiding it.

00:07:52Once I carried a glass of water out of the kitchen, and he walked out of the studio.

00:07:56We met in the middle of the hallway.

00:07:58He paused, stepped sideways, his back against the wall.

00:08:01As I walked past, I caught his scent.

00:08:04Not cologne, but faint laundry detergent, like fresh grass after rain.

00:08:07Late that night, I heard the door open.

00:08:09Heavy footsteps.

00:08:10Then the sound of a bottle rolling.

00:08:12Then a dull thump of bone hitting wood.

00:08:14I opened the door and saw him sitting on the floor, leaning against the hallway wall, head

00:08:17buried in his knees.

00:08:19The air smelled of whiskey, strong like an entire bottle had been spilled.

00:08:23He was curled up into a ball, like a cat soaked in the rain.

00:08:26I knelt down.

00:08:27Are you okay?

00:08:29I'm fine.

00:08:30Go back.

00:08:30You're drunk.

00:08:31I know.

00:08:32I tried to help him up, reaching for his arm.

00:08:34He pushed my hand away.

00:08:36I said I'm fine.

00:08:37His palm was hot, his grip strong, like he was using all his strength to refuse.

00:08:42He pushed himself up against the wall, swaying like a tree blown sideways by the wind.

00:08:47I reached out instinctively to stable him, but he had already balanced himself.

00:08:51He walked into the master bedroom and closed the door.

00:08:55It wasn't locked, but I didn't follow.

00:08:58I was his contract bride, not his wife.

00:09:01The contract was clear.

00:09:02In the middle of the night, I was woken up by the sound of him throwing up.

00:09:05It came from the master bathroom, wave after wave, lasting a long time.

00:09:10That sound twisted my stomach.

00:09:11Not ordinary nausea, but his body forcing something out, like he was trying to vomit himself up.

00:09:17I poured a glass of warm water, left it at his door, knocked, then went back to my room.

00:09:23The hallway floor was cold.

00:09:26I walked back barefoot, my toes icy as stone.

00:09:29When I got up this morning, the cup outside his door was empty.

00:09:33But inside the trash can, there was a new addition.

00:09:36An empty wine bottle.

00:09:38It was green, bearing a foreign language label, and traces of a deep amber liquid still cling to its rim.

00:09:45His mother came that weekend.

00:09:47I'll never forget the sunlight that afternoon.

00:09:50Pouring through the floor-to-ceiling windows, blinding bright, like melted gold on the floor.

00:09:56Dust particles spun slowly in the light, like tiny planets.

00:10:00I was reading in the living room when the doorbell rang.

00:10:04Wearing an old sweat hurt and sweatpants, my head up loosely, a few strands falling by my face.

00:10:09I opened the door.

00:10:11A woman in a Chanel suit stood there, carrying in her mess bag, wearing high heels that clicked sharply on

00:10:17the marble floor.

00:10:18Her hair was perfectly styled, not a strand out of waste.

00:10:21No wrinkles on her face, but her eyes held a scrutinizing look, like appraising a fake antique.

00:10:27She looked me up and down, her gaze pausing on my old sweat hurt for a short second, then moving

00:10:32to my face.

00:10:34You're Isabel?

00:10:35Hello, Mrs. Black.

00:10:36Don't call me Auntie, call me Mrs. Black.

00:10:37She walked past me, her heels clicking crisply in the entrance, each step like a nail driven into the floor.

00:10:42She looked around the living room, sofa, chalk table, floor-to-cleaned windows, her gaze critical, as if every corner

00:10:47wasn't clean enough.

00:10:49Do you know why my son married you?

00:10:50I do.

00:10:52Then you know you're just a stand-in?

00:10:53Not his stand-in.

00:10:54The family's stand-in.

00:10:55He needs a wife to meet the inheritance conditions.

00:10:58When your job is done, you can leave.

00:10:59The contract doesn't specify the job details.

00:11:01The contract can be amended.

00:11:03I won't sign it.

00:11:03She stood up, straightened her skirt, and looked down at me.

00:11:06Her shadow fell over me, covering me completely.

00:11:09Her lips were painted deep red, like a fresh cut.

00:11:12You will sign it, because you have no choice.

00:11:15By the way, was your mother's surgery successful?

00:11:18I hope she recovers soon.

00:11:19The daughter-in-law of the black family can't be held back by her maternal family.

00:11:24The sound of her heels echoed in the hallway for a long time, like nails being hammered into the floor

00:11:28one by one.

00:11:28I stood in the living room.

00:11:30The sun was on me, but I felt cold.

00:11:32Cold from the inside out, from my bones.

00:11:34He came back that night.

00:11:35I was waiting for him in the living room in pajamas with a coat over them, sitting on the sofa.

00:11:39The TV was on, but muted, pictures flashing.

00:11:42I wasn't watching anything.

00:11:46Mother came today.

00:11:49I know.

00:11:50She asked if we could have dinner together next week.

00:11:53Ignore her.

00:11:54We didn't talk about that before.

00:11:55We didn't.

00:11:56Will you change it?

00:11:57No.

00:11:58He walked into the study and closed the door.

00:12:00I heard the click of the lock, then the sound of a chair being pulled out.

00:12:03The light went out.

00:12:04Only neon light from outside seeped through the blinds, striping the floor like a pool of blood.

00:12:08I sat in the living room until the TV screen turned to static.

00:12:11My body started feeling strange.

00:12:14I gagged when brushing my teeth in the morning.

00:12:16The toothbrush barely touched my tongue, and my stomach chermed, acid rising to my throat.

00:12:21The smell of baking from the coffee shop made me nauseous.

00:12:24It used to be my favorite smell.

00:12:26Now it smelled like rancid oil.

00:12:28Someone ate an egg sandwich on the subway.

00:12:30I had to get off two stops early, squat by the trash can on the platform, and dry hoot for

00:12:36a while.

00:12:37I felt so sick.

00:12:38I thought it was just stress.

00:12:40I'd lost eight pounds in a month, a clear hollow under my collarbone.

00:12:44I couldn't sleep at night, and I still had to visit mom and in the hospital during the day.

00:12:49The nurse said I looked pale, asked if I hadn't eaten.

00:12:53I said I had, but I hadn't.

00:12:55I walked into a pharmacy on a whim and bought a pregnancy test.

00:12:58The cashier was a young girl with glasses.

00:13:01She glanced at me and said nothing.

00:13:03I stuffed the box into my coat pocket and walked home, my heart racing the whole way.

00:13:07Two lines.

00:13:08I came out of the bathroom and slid down the wall to the floor.

00:13:11The tile was cold, even through my pajamas.

00:13:13I held the white plastic stick.

00:13:15The two red lines were as clear as if carved with a knife.

00:13:18It can't be.

00:13:19He never touched me.

00:13:20The contract was clear.

00:13:21It was his own draft.

00:13:22He crossed out every clause involving physical contact.

00:13:25Got a business trip.

00:13:25Back in a few days.

00:13:26He went on a business trip ahead of every so-called intimacy day.

00:13:30I once thought he hated me, or hated women, or hated everyone.

00:13:33But those two lines told me someone had touched me.

00:13:36When I didn't know.

00:13:37When I was unconscious.

00:13:40I placed the test on the dining table.

00:13:43White table, white stick, two red lines, like two silent witnesses.

00:13:46I waited for him to come home.

00:13:48The door lock clicked at 1am.

00:13:50He pushed the door open, saw the light on in the living room,

00:13:53saw me sitting at the table, saw the thing on it.

00:13:57Is that yours?

00:13:58You're pregnant?

00:13:59Yes.

00:14:00Who's the father?

00:14:04Yours.

00:14:04A long silence.

00:14:06The kitchen clock ticked.

00:14:08Like a countdown.

00:14:09The fridge compressor hummed for a while, then stopped.

00:14:12Manhattan was bright outside.

00:14:14But only one dining lamp was on inside,

00:14:16wrapping the two of us in its glow.

00:14:18I never touched you.

00:14:19You know that.

00:14:20I know.

00:14:21So you tell me.

00:14:22Who is the father?

00:14:23I didn't touch you.

00:14:25But someone else did.

00:14:27Who?

00:14:28Nick.

00:14:29My half-brother.

00:14:31Your brother?

00:14:32His mother was the one who broke my family apart.

00:14:35After my father died, I removed him from the family.

00:14:37He's been waiting for a chance to get revenge.

00:14:39Framing you and laking false rumors to the media,

00:14:41his goal isn't to hurt you.

00:14:42It's to destroy the black group's reputation.

00:14:44Black group chairman's wife caught in a fabricated scheme with his own brother.

00:14:47How much damage would that headline cause?

00:14:50What are you going to do?

00:14:55Terminate it.

00:14:56No.

00:14:58Why?

00:14:59Because it's a life.

00:15:01Not your tool.

00:15:02That's his child.

00:15:03Are you sure you want to keep it?

00:15:04I don't know whose child it is.

00:15:06But it's in my belly.

00:15:07It's mine.

00:15:08If you keep it, it will become Nick's tool.

00:15:10He'll use this child to control you to control me.

00:15:13So you're just going to let him win?

00:15:14He was silent.

00:15:15For a long time, a plane flew by outside.

00:15:19Its red indicator light blinked in the night sky, like a heartbeat.

00:15:23I need time.

00:15:26Nick didn't give me time.

00:15:28He didn't give Sebastian time either.

00:15:30The next morning, my phone was bombarded with messages.

00:15:33Notifications popped up one after another, too many to keep up with.

00:15:36Someone anonymously leaked on social media,

00:15:39a black group group don't should aunt priune with brother's child.

00:15:41No evidence, no photos, only a source is close to the matter.

00:15:45But that was enough.

00:15:46The stock opened down 8%.

00:15:49Financial analysts shook their heads on camera,

00:15:51saying black group face a crisis of confidence.

00:15:53Reporters blocked the company entrance.

00:15:55Flashes going off non-stop.

00:15:57Security had to put up a barricade.

00:15:58Sebastian didn't go to work.

00:16:00He locked himself in the study and was on the phone all morning.

00:16:02I sat in the living room.

00:16:04Through the closed door, I heard his voice.

00:16:06Low, urgent, occasionally raised like someone bargaining on the end of the edge of a cliff.

00:16:10I see.

00:16:11Then silence again.

00:16:13He looked terrible when he came out.

00:16:15The dark circles under his eyes were darker.

00:16:16His shirt was unbuttoned at the neck.

00:16:18His tie was gone.

00:16:19He walked to the kitchen, poured a glass of water, and drank it in one gulp.

00:16:22His atom joined bobbling.

00:16:23He said, setting the glass down, his voice harny.

00:16:25I found out.

00:16:26That DNA report, Nick already has it.

00:16:29He's going to release it at tomorrow's press conference.

00:16:31My fingers turned cold.

00:16:33So cold I could barely hold my water glass.

00:16:36I set the cup down.

00:16:37The bass clicked sharply on the marble counter.

00:16:40How did you get this information?

00:16:42It doesn't matter.

00:16:43What do you want me to do?

00:16:45Admit the father's your ex-boyfriend.

00:16:47Which ex-boyfriend?

00:16:48Make one up.

00:16:49Sebastian, I don't want to lie.

00:16:51You already are.

00:16:52The day you signed the contract, you started lying.

00:16:54He was right.

00:16:55I lowered my head, my bangs covering my eyes.

00:16:58The soup in the bowl was cold.

00:17:00Oil had conrealed on the surface.

00:17:02A thin film, like ice on a winter river.

00:17:05I've had a statement prepared.

00:17:06You just need to read it.

00:17:08He pushed a file bracket over.

00:17:09Beige cap paper, sealed with wax.

00:17:11Stamped with a black family crest.

00:17:12A lion and a rose.

00:17:13Opened it.

00:17:13Two pages, neatly printed in a formal searing font.

00:17:16It listed my ex-boyfriend's name, background, timeline of how we met.

00:17:19Every detail perfectly fabricated.

00:17:20He was even good at this.

00:17:21I held the two pages.

00:17:22The paper was smooth, the ink fresh, still warm from the printer.

00:17:25If I read this, what happens to Nick?

00:17:27He loses all credibility.

00:17:28An unsubstantiated rumor, plus a denial from the person involved, he'll have nothing.

00:17:32What if he has other evidence?

00:17:35He glanced at me.

00:17:36It was a quick look, but I understood.

00:17:38He was saying we had to gamble.

00:17:40The press conference was held in the main hall of Black Group Headquarters.

00:17:44The hall was huge, with marble floors so polished they reflected light.

00:17:48The crystal chandelier overhead looked like a waterfall.

00:17:50Hundreds of media outsets.

00:17:52The red lights on cameras were dense, like a sea of fire.

00:17:55Flashes exploded like an avalanche.

00:17:57No, like a bomb.

00:17:58Wave after wave, endless.

00:18:00Sebastian stood on stage.

00:18:02Black suit, white shirt, dark blue tie.

00:18:04His expression was calm, like still water.

00:18:07I sat next to him.

00:18:08There was someone else's child in my belly.

00:18:10No, not someone else's.

00:18:12Mine.

00:18:12My hands rested on my knees, nailsing into my palms, the pain keeping me awake.

00:18:16Mrs. Black, are you pregnant?

00:18:17I looked at the camera.

00:18:19Those black lenses stared at me like countless eyes.

00:18:22Dark, without pupils, but able to see through everything.

00:18:25Yes.

00:18:26Who is the father?

00:18:27He took the microphone.

00:18:28His fingers were steady, no tremor in his wrist.

00:18:31I am.

00:18:31The room erupted in gasps.

00:18:33Someone inhaled sharply.

00:18:34Keyboards clapped loudly.

00:18:35People stood up from their seats.

00:18:37Flashes became even more intense, like a downpour.

00:18:39But you've only been married two months.

00:18:41He took my hand.

00:18:43His fingers were cold, but steady.

00:18:45Like Hassan steel and concrete.

00:18:47We've known each other longer.

00:18:48We just didn't go public.

00:18:50Reporters in the audience bowed their heads and typed, fingers flying over keyboards.

00:18:54News stories were already on their way.

00:18:55No one pressed further.

00:18:57No one questioned.

00:18:57The word of a billionaire was worth more than the truth.

00:19:00After the press conference, we were escorted out by security.

00:19:03The corridor was long.

00:19:04Our footsteps echoed in the empty space.

00:19:06Nick didn't show up.

00:19:07He had an evidence left.

00:19:09His leak was ruled unsubspantiated rumor, his account temporarily suspended.

00:19:13But I knew he wouldn't give up.

00:19:15In the car, he leaned back and closed his eyes.

00:19:17Neon lights outside painted colorful shadows on his face.

00:19:20Red, blue, green, shifting like a silent firework show.

00:19:23Was the first time I thought he looked tired.

00:19:25Not physically tired, but mentally tired.

00:19:27The kind that couldn't be fixed by a single sleep, rooted in his bones.

00:19:31What are you going to do about Nick?

00:19:34I gave him a large sum of money.

00:19:36Told him to leave New York.

00:19:40You bought off your enemy?

00:19:42Not bought off.

00:19:43Making him understand that destroying me is pointless.

00:19:46He can take the money and start over.

00:19:49Staying here will only lead to mutual destruction.

00:19:51Don't you hate me?

00:19:53No.

00:19:54Why?

00:19:55Because hating you is a waste of time.

00:19:56Ultrasound examination.

00:19:58The exam room was dim.

00:20:00Only the machine screen was lit.

00:20:02The doctor applied cold, sticky gel to my belly.

00:20:06I flinched.

00:20:07The probe glided over my skin, projecting a gray and white image on the screen.

00:20:12Two tiny shadows curled up, like two broad beans, or two babies hugging in their sleep.

00:20:17Their outlines weren't clear yet, but you could see heads, bodies, limbs, like two small moons taking shape.

00:20:22Heartbeats came from the speaker.

00:20:24One fast, one slow, like a duet.

00:20:27The faster one was like a pony running.

00:20:29The slower one was like a drummer beating.

00:20:31Congratulations, twins.

00:20:33Sebastian stood next to the ultrasound machine, hands in his pockets.

00:20:37He didn't speak, but I noticed his fingers curled slightly in his pockets, like he was holding something.

00:20:42His Adam's doken bobbed.

00:20:43The sun was shining brightly as we walked out of the hospital.

00:20:47Manhattan's sun was direct, unfiltered, hitting straight down.

00:20:51People walked on the street.

00:20:52No one looked at us.

00:20:54No one knew there were two heartbeats in my belly.

00:20:56He suddenly spoke.

00:20:58It's not safe for you to live alone.

00:21:00I'll move next to you.

00:21:03Aren't you already next door?

00:21:04With a wall between us.

00:21:06Not the same room.

00:21:07That afternoon, he had an old screen brought out of storage.

00:21:11He had it cleaned and moved into the bedroom.

00:21:14He placed the screen in the middle of the room, dividing it into two halves.

00:21:18I slept on the bed.

00:21:20He slept on the sofa.

00:21:21He tossed and turned the first night.

00:21:23The sofa was too small.

00:21:25His legs couldn't stretch out.

00:21:27Knees pressed against the armrest.

00:21:28Ankles hanging over the edge.

00:21:30I heard him change positions several times.

00:21:32Shoving a cushion under his waist, then taking it out.

00:21:35Flipping his pillow over and back.

00:21:37Insomnia?

00:21:38Yeah.

00:21:39I'll get used to it.

00:21:40Are you comforting me?

00:21:42Stating a fact?

00:21:43A soft chocker came from the dark.

00:21:45Very short.

00:21:46Very light.

00:21:47Like wind over water.

00:21:48A leaf falling on snow.

00:21:50It was the first time he'd smiled in front of me.

00:21:52Morning sickness got worse that afternoon.

00:21:54Not just in the morning.

00:21:55Anytime, anywhere.

00:21:57I threw up everything I ate.

00:21:59Even plain water.

00:22:00Once I tried eating plain conch.

00:22:02I'd barely swallowed two spoonfuls when my stomach twisted.

00:22:05And everything came back up.

00:22:06I felt emptied out after throwing up.

00:22:08Slumped on the bathroom floor.

00:22:10Forehead against the cold tile.

00:22:12He took time off work to stay home.

00:22:14His study computer was always on.

00:22:16I could see the numbers and graphs on the screen through the door.

00:22:20But he poked his head out every 30 minutes to check on me.

00:22:23Like a vigilant owl.

00:22:29I knelt by the toilet puking for a long time till my stomach was empty.

00:22:33My throat stinging from the heartburn.

00:22:36His expression was serious.

00:22:38Brows furrowed.

00:22:39Lips lightly parred.

00:22:40Like he was solving a complicated math problem.

00:22:42I don't know what to do either.

00:22:44I know.

00:22:45Know what?

00:22:47I looked it up.

00:22:48It listed foods and methods to relieve morning sickness.

00:22:51Ginger tea.

00:22:52Soda crackers.

00:22:52Small frequent meals.

00:22:54Wrist pressure points.

00:22:55Lemon water.

00:22:56Mints.

00:22:56Bananas.

00:22:57Toast.

00:22:57He pulled a crumpled list out of his pocket.

00:22:59Folded twice.

00:23:00Edges frayed.

00:23:01The handwriting was neat.

00:23:03Like his signature.

00:23:04Every word was written properly.

00:23:06Not even a punctuation mark was sloppy.

00:23:10When did you look this up?

00:23:11Last night.

00:23:13After you fell asleep.

00:23:14I stared at him.

00:23:15Stunned.

00:23:17This man who couldn't even be bothered to say goodnight to his wife.

00:23:20Researching pregnancy recipes on his phone in the middle of the night.

00:23:23This man who slammed his fists on the boardroom table and struck fear into his rivals.

00:23:28Squatting on the bathroom floor with a crumpled list.

00:23:31This billionaire who never had to bow to anyone.

00:23:34Staring at his phone late at night.

00:23:36Copying down methods to relieve morning sickness word by word.

00:23:39That afternoon, he brought me a cup of ginger tea.

00:23:42It was strong.

00:23:43The ginger was cut into thin shreds.

00:23:46Thinner than toothpicks.

00:23:47The knife work was too good for a first time cook.

00:23:50The honey was just right.

00:23:51Not too sweet.

00:23:52Not too plain.

00:23:53Like it had been measured.

00:23:55His assistant didn't make it.

00:23:56He did.

00:23:57There was a layer of burnt residue on the bottom of the pot.

00:24:00Black like a map.

00:24:01Ginger peels.

00:24:02Honey wrappers.

00:24:03And a used knife were scattered on the stove.

00:24:05Thank you.

00:24:06He nodded, went back to the study, and closed the door.

00:24:09I held the ginger tea, sat on the sofa, and sipped it slowly.

00:24:13The spiciness of ginger and sweetness of honey mixed on my tongue.

00:24:16Warmth spread from my throat to my stomach.

00:24:19For the first time in a long while, I felt warmth in my body.

00:24:22My belly started to show.

00:24:24At first, just a small bump.

00:24:26Like I'd swallow a small bowl.

00:24:28Then it looked like I was carrying a watermelon.

00:24:30Later, I couldn't see my toes when I walked.

00:24:32Only my round belly.

00:24:33I went to the supermarket to buy groceries in a loose dress.

00:24:36Corn, tomatoes, eggs.

00:24:38Into the shopping cart, pushing it along.

00:24:40A woman recognized me in the fresh produce section.

00:24:42Mrs. Black, you're pregnant.

00:24:43She wore a designer coat.

00:24:44Her dyed her hair a trendy pinkish brown,

00:24:46pushing a stroller with a matching designer bag charm hanging from it.

00:24:49She smiled warmly, but her eyes were sizing me up.

00:24:51From my hair, to my belly, to my shoes.

00:24:52I smiled and nodded.

00:24:53She glanced at my belly, then my face.

00:24:55Twins?

00:24:56Your belly is huge.

00:24:57I didn't explain.

00:24:57The entrance was piled high with delivery boxes when I got home.

00:25:00Big and small stacked together, like a small mountain.

00:25:02He was opening packages, a utility knife slicing through tape neatly, opening boxes one by one.

00:25:06Cribs, strollers, baby bottles, diapers, baby monitors, pappers, bee bathtubs, thermonometers,

00:25:11wipe warmers, two of everything.

00:25:12Foam packing peens scattered on the floor, white and crumbly, like a fresh snowfall.

00:25:16The air smelled of cardboard and plastic.

00:25:18When did you buy all this?

00:25:20Online.

00:25:20I don't know how to pick them.

00:25:21My assistant helped choose.

00:25:22We might not need them.

00:25:23We will.

00:25:24I'm going to be a father.

00:25:25He bent to pick up a box, his face appearing from behind it.

00:25:27It's not a contractual obligation.

00:25:29Then why?

00:25:30Because they're children, not tools.

00:25:33He carried the box into the nursery.

00:25:34I followed.

00:25:35He set the box on the floor, picked up a baby bottle, held it up to look at it, then

00:25:38put

00:25:38it back.

00:25:39I stood in the doorway, watching his back.

00:25:41He squatted on the floor, stacking packs of diapers neatly into the cabinet, movements

00:25:44clumsy but earnest.

00:25:45Sunlight streamed through the window, falling on him, turned his black hair light brown.

00:25:51In that moment, I thought maybe this man wasn't just an iceberg.

00:25:55Maybe beneath the ice, something was melting.

00:25:58That night, he didn't go back to the sofa.

00:26:00He leaned back in the chair by bed, closed his eyes.

00:26:03His breathing gradually became steady.

00:26:05His brows relaxed.

00:26:06His lips slightly parted.

00:26:07Moonlight fell on his face where long, casting all fan-shaped shadow under his eyes.

00:26:12I watched him for a long time.

00:26:13Then I closed my eyes too.

00:26:15Nick was gone, but the nightmares weren't.

00:26:16In my dream, he stood by my bed, holding a syringe, the needle glinting cold.

00:26:20His face flickered in the dark like a faulty light.

00:26:22He smiled, showing his teeth, blood on them.

00:26:24I tried to scream but couldn't make a sound.

00:26:25My mouth was open, but my throat was stuffed with cotton.

00:26:27I tried to move but couldn't.

00:26:29My arms and legs were nailed to the bed.

00:26:31He was coming closer.

00:26:32The syringe was coming closer.

00:26:34The needle was one decimeter from my arm.

00:26:37I screamed awake, covered in cold sweat.

00:26:39My pajamas were soaked, sticking to my back, icy cold.

00:26:42My heart was pounding like it would jump out of my chest.

00:26:45I was breathing fast like I just ran 800 meters.

00:26:47He was sitting by the bed, holding my hand.

00:26:49His hand was warm, large, dry, with thin calluses.

00:26:52From working out or holding a pen, I didn't know.

00:26:54I didn't know when he'd come, or how long he'd been sitting there.

00:26:56A glass of warm water was on the nightstand, still steaming, white mist curling up in the

00:27:01warm lamplight.

00:27:02Bad dream?

00:27:03Yeah.

00:27:04Nick isn't in New York anymore.

00:27:06I know.

00:27:07I won't let anyone hurt you.

00:27:08That sentence was soft, like stating a fact.

00:27:11But when he said anyone, my heart skipped a beat.

00:27:14Not fear.

00:27:15Something else.

00:27:16Like someone tapping on a frozen lake, water stirring beneath the ice.

00:27:20Why are you being nice to me?

00:27:22Because you're my wife.

00:27:23Contractual wife.

00:27:24On paper.

00:27:25But you're a person.

00:27:27He said you're a person in a flat tone, like saying today is Wednesday or the coffee is

00:27:31cold.

00:27:31But his fingers tightened slightly, his thumb brushing gently over the back of my hand.

00:27:35Moonlight streamed through the window onto the screen.

00:27:38Shadows of flowers and birds fell on the wall, like an ink painting.

00:27:42Plum flammer shadows swayed gently in the breeze, like real wind was blowing.

00:27:47Neither of us spoke.

00:27:48The day mom was discharged, I waited for her at the hospital entrance.

00:27:52The sun was warm, like a thin blanket covering me.

00:27:55The jinko trees at the door were turning yellow.

00:27:58Leaves shaking gently in the wind.

00:28:00A few falling down.

00:28:02Spinning.

00:28:02She wore a new sweater, bought by the nurse, sent by me.

00:28:05Light blue wool, with a circle of white patterns on the collar.

00:28:08She was in a wheelchair, pushed out by the caregiver.

00:28:11When she saw me, she smiled, the wrinkles on her face spreading like a flower blooming in

00:28:16the sun.

00:28:16She took my hand and looked at my belly.

00:28:18A mother's eyes were always sharper than anyone else's.

00:28:22Isabelle, you're pregnant?

00:28:23Yeah.

00:28:24I waited.

00:28:25But she didn't ask if the father was that good man.

00:28:29She just touched my belly and smiled.

00:28:32Grandma's finally going to be a grandma.

00:28:34Her palm was warm, pressed against my belly through my clothes.

00:28:38Something moved gently inside me.

00:28:40I couldn't tell if it was the baby or just my imagination.

00:28:43Sebastian didn't come to the hospital, but he sent a driver to pick us up.

00:28:47Mom got into the black Maybach, looked around, touched the leather seat, then pulled her hand

00:28:52back, like she was visiting a museum.

00:28:55Your husband is very rich.

00:28:57Yeah.

00:28:59Is he good to you?

00:29:02He's okay.

00:29:03She was quiet for a moment.

00:29:04The car drove out of the hospital gate, sunlight casting patches of light on the window.

00:29:10Okay isn't enough.

00:29:11Her face fleshed bright and dark in the light.

00:29:14I didn't answer.

00:29:15E drove over the Manhattan Bridge, the apartment in Brooklyn getting farther away.

00:29:20Seagulls flew over the river outside, white wings shining in the sun.

00:29:24Dot Mom looked out the window and suddenly said,

00:29:26Your father was rich too, but he wasn't good to you.

00:29:30I didn't know how to reply.

00:29:32She didn't say anything else either.

00:29:34The car stopped downstairs from the apartment.

00:29:37I helped her out.

00:29:38She stood steady, looked back at the building.

00:29:41It was tall, the top floor glass curtain wall reflecting the blue sky.

00:29:45Do you live on the top floor?

00:29:46Yeah.

00:29:47Is it cold?

00:29:48No.

00:29:49She nodded and walked slowly into the building.

00:29:51I followed behind, watching her thin back.

00:29:55Her hair was all white, like snow in the sun.

00:29:58I had to attend the Black Group Anniversary Gala.

00:30:01A designer came to take measurements, a Frenchman with a strong accent.

00:30:05He measured my best, waist, hips, shaking his head as he measured, muttering to himself.

00:30:11Finally, he delivered a dark blue velvet dress, high-waisted to cover my belly.

00:30:15The dress was light, sliding over my skin like water.

00:30:19The neckline was studded with tiny sequels that sparkled under the lights.

00:30:23A makeup artist did my hair, pulled back neatly, exposing my ears and neck.

00:30:27She put pearl earrings on me, two small ones, glowing softly under the light.

00:30:31The person in the mirror looked strange, not like a woman who'd signed her life away,

00:30:36but a real lady.

00:30:37He was waiting for me at the entrance of the banquet hall.

00:30:39He wore a new suit, dark gray, with a small white flower in his pocket.

00:30:46What's wrong?

00:30:47Nothing.

00:30:48His voice was calm, but I noticed the tip of his ear turning slightly red.

00:30:52His hand rested on my lower back.

00:30:54Not too close, not too far, just right.

00:30:57Warmth came through the fabric of my dress.

00:30:59Not cold, not hot, like a glass of warm water.

00:31:04People came to toast.

00:31:05He only drank sparkling water.

00:31:07She's pregnant.

00:31:09There was something natural about the way he said those three words.

00:31:12Mrs. Black, how did you two meet?

00:31:17Introduced by a friend.

00:31:19I looked down and sipped some juice.

00:31:21Introduced by a friend.

00:31:23Introduced by a contract.

00:31:24The human kept staring at me at me, her gaze unfriendly.

00:31:28She stood by the champagne tower in the corner, wearing a red dress, lipstick the same color.

00:31:33She looked at me like a knife, cutting me little by little from a veil.

00:31:36I later found out she was Nick's mother, my father's mistress.

00:31:40She didn't come over, didn't speak.

00:31:43But the way she looked at me reminded me of a word.

00:31:46Love me.

00:31:47Hate my house.

00:31:48During the intermission, I went to the bathroom to touch my makeup.

00:31:51The bathroom was huge, bright lights.

00:31:54I had dark circles under my eyes, not from crying, but from smudged mascara.

00:31:57I wiped it off little by little with a cotton shrub and redid it.

00:32:00My hand shook a little, but right the lines were straight.

00:32:03I took three deep breaths in the mirror and walked out.

00:32:05He was standing in the corridor outside the bathroom, leaning against the wall, hands in his pockets.

00:32:11When he saw me come out, he stood straight, said nothing, just held out his hand.

00:32:17I looked at him and put my hand in his palm.

00:32:20The letter came tucked inside the newspaper.

00:32:23No postmark, no sender.

00:32:25My name was printed on the envelope.

00:32:27He didn't even dare to sign it.

00:32:30White envelope, plain A4 paper, folded three times.

00:32:34When I opened it, Sebastian was heating milk in the kitchen.

00:32:37I unfolded the letter, only a few lines, printed, default font.

00:32:41Dear sister-in-law, you think I'm gone?

00:32:44I'm not.

00:32:45I'm waiting for a better time.

00:32:46When your baby is born, when the media pays attention to the black family again, then

00:32:51I'll tell the whole world the truth.

00:32:53You signed a contract.

00:32:55You're carrying my child.

00:32:56Guess if Sebastian will still want you then?

00:33:00My fingers started shaking.

00:33:02The paper rustled in my hands.

00:33:04He walked toward me, holding a glass of milk.

00:33:06Upon seeing the contents of the letter in my hand, the cup he held froze in myth air.

00:33:11Is he back?

00:33:12He put the cup down, took the letter, and read it.

00:33:15His expression didn't change, but I saw his knuckles' white eye as he held the letter.

00:33:19I'll protect you.

00:33:21You can't.

00:33:22He's everywhere.

00:33:23Then I'll take you somewhere he can't find you.

00:33:26Where?

00:33:28Switzerland.

00:33:29I have a house there.

00:33:30He turned around, picked up his phone, and dialed a number.

00:33:33Arrange a plane.

00:33:35Tomorrow.

00:33:35Yes, two people.

00:33:37No, three.

00:33:38He hung up, and looked at me.

00:33:40Pack your things.

00:33:41Only the essentials.

00:33:43We'll buy the rest when we get there.

00:33:44My hands were still shaking as I packed.

00:33:47I folded my clothes neatly into the suitcase, one by one, as if forcing myself to do something thoughtless.

00:33:53He stood in the doorway, watching me pack.

00:33:56You don't need to bring that much.

00:33:59I'm used to being prepared.

00:34:01I'll prepare everything when we get there.

00:34:05I stopped and looked up at him.

00:34:08Why are you helping me?

00:34:10You're my wife.

00:34:11There it was again.

00:34:13Contractual wife, on paper wife.

00:34:15But the way he said it was different from before.

00:34:18Before it was like reading a document.

00:34:21Now, it was like saying something important.

00:34:23The villa by Lake Geneva was quiet.

00:34:25No reporters, no paparazzi, no Nick.

00:34:28Only snow, only the lake, only us.

00:34:30The villa was wooden, hidden on the mount side, surrounded pine trees.

00:34:34From the trondo you could saw the entire Lake Geneva.

00:34:36The lake was frozen, reflecting the gray sky, like a huge mirror.

00:34:39Snow was thick on the roof and grass, sinking up to the ankles when you stepped on it.

00:34:43The air was cold but clean.

00:34:44Every breath was like drinking ice water.

00:34:46He walked with me every day, along the lake, slowly.

00:34:49His hands were in his pockets, not holding me.

00:34:51But he stopped to wait for me.

00:34:53When the wind was strong, he stood sideways to block it.

00:34:56His ears read from the cold.

00:34:57The snow was slippery.

00:34:58I wore non-slip boots but still slipped a few times.

00:35:01Every time I tilted, his hand came out of his pocket to hold my arm, then quickly pulled back.

00:35:06Aren't you going to work?

00:35:07The company has a CEO.

00:35:08Aren't you worried about Nick?

00:35:09He's in New York, not Switzerland.

00:35:11Are you afraid of him?

00:35:11No, but I'm worried about you.

00:35:13He didn't look at me when he said worried about you, like he was talking to himself.

00:35:16His gaze fell on the distant lake, where a few people were skating, red coats standing out on the white

00:35:20ice.

00:35:21One day we walked far, to a small wooden bridge.

00:35:23The bridge was old, the planks blackened.

00:35:25The lake under it was frozen, thick ice, with bubbles visible low.

00:35:28White, round, frozen in the ice, like strings of pearls.

00:35:31He suddenly stopped.

00:35:32I came here when I was little.

00:35:34With your parents?

00:35:34With my mother.

00:35:35She loved Switzerland, said it was quiet, no one would bother us.

00:35:38What happened later?

00:35:39Later she died, cancer.

00:35:40She came to my mother's funeral, clad entirely in red.

00:35:42She is my current stepmother.

00:35:43His voice was that calm, but I what knew was hidden under ice.

00:35:45You couldn't see it, but it was always flowing.

00:35:47The wind blew, snow falling from the pine trees onto his shoulder.

00:35:51I wanted to say something, but nothing came out.

00:35:54I just reached out and brushed the snow off his shoulder.

00:35:57He looked at me, said nothing, but didn't pull away.

00:36:00My feet swelled.

00:36:01I couldn't fit into any shoes, only wore slippers in the snow.

00:36:05My ankle is severely swollen, the skin stretched tight and shiny.

00:36:09When pressed it turns slightly red, and it takes aegis for the redness to fade.

00:36:12He bought a pair of soft-soled shoes, two sizes too big, plush lining, light brown,

00:36:18with a circle of white fur around the top, like Santa's boots.

00:36:22I froze when he took out the shoes.

00:36:24Where did you buy them?

00:36:25Online.

00:36:27You picked them yourself?

00:36:29Yeah.

00:36:29He placed the shoes on the ground, squatted down, and helped me put them on.

00:36:33His fingers were long and cold.

00:36:36I flinched when they touched my ankle.

00:36:41Cold.

00:36:42He pulled his hand back, rubbed it, then reached out again.

00:36:46Still cold, but not as cold.

00:36:48He held my ankle, slipped the shoe on, tied the laces, slowly, carefully,

00:36:54like my feet were made of porcelain.

00:36:56You don't have to do this.

00:36:57I said I'd protect you.

00:36:59You're protecting the baby.

00:37:00The baby is in your belly.

00:37:02How can I protect the baby without protecting you?

00:37:04I walked far in those shoes.

00:37:05Snow was still falling, on his hair, his shoulders.

00:37:09Small, fine snowflakes, like salt.

00:37:12His black hair turned grayish white.

00:37:14He didn't look like a billionaire.

00:37:16Just an ordinary man walking with his pregnant wife.

00:37:19When we got back to the villa that day, he made melt wine.

00:37:22The smell of cinnamon and oranges filled the living room.

00:37:24Warm, like wrapped in a blanket.

00:37:26The fireplace crackled.

00:37:28Logs burning red.

00:37:29Occasionally spitting sparks.

00:37:31I sat in front of the fireplace.

00:37:33He sat opposite.

00:37:34The firelight softened his sharp features.

00:37:36There was firelight reflected in his eyes, like two small pieces of charcoal.

00:37:41Ultrasound at the Swiss doctors.

00:37:42The clinic was small, on the second floor of an old building, window facing the lake.

00:37:46The doctor was an old man with white hair, gold-rimmed glasses, English with a German accent.

00:37:52He put the probe on my belly.

00:37:54Two small shadows appeared on the screen.

00:37:56The two shadows wiggled.

00:37:57One curled up, like a baby curled in its sleep.

00:37:59The other stretched its legs, like doing yoga.

00:38:02Their tiny fingers moved, five thin digits like starfish tentacles.

00:38:05Girls, both of them.

00:38:07He didn't speak, but his hand reached over, covering my belly through my clothes.

00:38:12Hi, I'm Daddy.

00:38:13His voice was soft, like talking to a scared kitten.

00:38:16Hi.

00:38:17So soft, I almost missed it.

00:38:18Something fluttered inside me.

00:38:20Not the baby, but butterflies.

00:38:22Maybe they heard.

00:38:23The doctor stepped out.

00:38:24We were alone, except for the hum of the ultrasound machine.

00:38:27He knelt down and pressed his ear to my belly, listening for a secret.

00:38:31His hair rubbed against my clothes.

00:38:33A few white strands stood out in his black hair.

00:38:35They're calling you.

00:38:37Calling what?

00:38:37I don't know, but they're moving.

00:38:39He smiled.

00:38:40Not just a twitch of the mouth.

00:38:42A real smile.

00:38:43His eyes curved like crescent moons.

00:38:46Fine lines appeared at the corners.

00:38:48Cracks in the ice.

00:38:49But cracks didn't always mean broken.

00:38:51I looked at his smile, and suddenly my nose tingle.

00:38:55Not from sadness.

00:38:57From happiness.

00:39:00Nick found Switzerland with a fake passport.

00:39:03He stayed at a small hotel in town.

00:39:05The town only had one main street, with a bakery, post office, grocery store, and a red mailbox.

00:39:10The hotel was in a graystone building.

00:39:12The second floor window faced the street.

00:39:14Curtains tightly closed.

00:39:15He sent a text.

00:39:17I'm here.

00:39:18Surprise?

00:39:20I was peeling orange on the living room sofa.

00:39:23My phone lit up.

00:39:25I looked down, and the orange fell from my hand.

00:39:27I showed him the phone.

00:39:28He glanced at it.

00:39:29His face unchanged, but his hand was steady as he picked up his phone.

00:39:33He dialed a number.

00:39:35Hello?

00:39:35I need to report a crime.

00:39:37Someone entered the country illegally.

00:39:39His voice was calm, like making a restaurant reservation.

00:39:42He hung up and looked at me.

00:39:47It's okay.

00:39:49What will he do?

00:39:51The police will find him.

00:39:53Deport him.

00:39:54The Swiss police arrived at the hotel 20 minutes later.

00:39:57I stood at the entrance of the bakery across from the hotel and, through the glass window,

00:40:01caught sight of Nick's face.

00:40:03He smiled when he saw me.

00:40:05That smile was eerie.

00:40:06Not one of anger, nor of triumph, but of relief.

00:40:09They seized him.

00:40:10He offered no resistance.

00:40:11He merely glanced back at me, then looked toward Sebastian.

00:40:14His lips moved.

00:40:16He said,

00:40:17Sorry.

00:40:17I didn't know who he was saying it to.

00:40:19He was taken away.

00:40:20The baker poked his head out to see the excitement, then went back to kneading dough.

00:40:28Everything went back to quiet, like nothing had happened.

00:40:32On the plane back to New York, Sebastian leaned back and closed his eyes.

00:40:37The cabin lights were dimmed.

00:40:38Only the reading light was on, casting a small glow on his face.

00:40:42His eyelashes were long.

00:40:44He didn't look like an iceberg when he slept.

00:40:46Just an ordinary person who got tired and had nightmares.

00:40:50He woke up when the plane landed and saw me looking at him.

00:40:53Did I fall asleep?

00:40:54Yeah.

00:40:55You were watching me the whole time?

00:40:57No.

00:40:58Yes.

00:40:58The corner of his mouth lifted slightly.

00:41:00New York unflowly in the night outside.

00:41:03Thousands of lights, like an upside-down starry sky.

00:41:05The nursery was ready.

00:41:07Two cribs stood side by side by the window.

00:41:09White railers, pink sheets, soft mattresses on the beds, slowly bouncing back when pressed.

00:41:13A comfort doll on each bed.

00:41:14A rabbit, a bear, both light pink, fluffy.

00:41:17Cartoon wallpaper on the walls, clam running on the grass, rabbits, squirrels, a hedge wearing a scarf.

00:41:21The wallpaper was matte, with a slight grainy feel.

00:41:25How did you know I like pink?

00:41:27I didn't, but girls probably like it.

00:41:29You should have asked me.

00:41:30You didn't ask.

00:41:31I'm asking you now.

00:41:33I like light purple.

00:41:34I'll change it next time.

00:41:38And he really did change it later.

00:41:40Not the wallpaper, but a set of light purple sheets and curtains, with a string of handmade lavender dried flowers

00:41:46hanging above the cribs.

00:41:48The dried flowers were light purple, strung with hemp rope, hanging on the white railings, swaying gently in the wind.

00:41:54I didn't know where he found them.

00:41:56Maybe ordered from Favance.

00:41:57He wouldn't say.

00:41:59I wouldn't ask.

00:42:00That afternoon, I sat on the nursery floor, hanging the dried flowers one by one.

00:42:04and he stood next to me, passing the rope.

00:42:08Sebastian?

00:42:08Yeah?

00:42:09Did you have a nursery when you were little?

00:42:11Yeah.

00:42:12What color?

00:42:12No.

00:42:13What color do you like?

00:42:15I don't know.

00:42:16Never thought about it.

00:42:17I looked at his side face.

00:42:18He was looking down, holding a string of dried flowers, serious as if signing a contract.

00:42:23Sunlight streamed through the window, falling on him, stretching his shadow long on the floor.

00:42:27You can think about it now.

00:42:28Light purple?

00:42:31Mom called.

00:42:32I was cooking conch in the kitchen.

00:42:33The rice bubbling, white soup forming circles around the pot.

00:42:37My phone was cashened between my ear and shoulder.

00:42:40I stirred the conch with one hand, held a spoon with the other.

00:42:44Isabel, I found a letter under the bed board in your old room.

00:42:48What letter?

00:42:49From your father.

00:42:51The conch boiled over, soup spilling onto the stove, hissing white smoke.

00:42:56I turned off the stove and put down the spoon.

00:42:58Did you read it?

00:43:00I did.

00:43:02He said he's sorry.

00:43:04Not sorry for going bankrupt.

00:43:06Sorry for not being there to watch you grow up.

00:43:09He said he hoped you'd have a better life than him.

00:43:11Not to bet your life like he did.

00:43:13I stood in the kitchen, the smoke still rising from the stove, the smell of rice filling the air.

00:43:18Manhattan's skyline sparked in the sun outside the window.

00:43:21I burned you, don't mind, do you?

00:43:22Good.

00:43:24She hung up.

00:43:25The conch was cold.

00:43:27The soup had kneedled on the stove into a white film.

00:43:29He walked in, saw me standing still, frowned.

00:43:33What's wrong?

00:43:34Mom found a letter.

00:43:35From dad.

00:43:37What did it say?

00:43:39He said he's sorry.

00:43:40He didn't speak.

00:43:41Walked to the stove, picked up a rag, wiped the spilled conch.

00:43:45Skilled movements.

00:43:46Not like he'd never done this before.

00:43:48You're not.

00:43:48I looked at him.

00:43:49He turned on the faucet, washed the rag, ringed it dry, folded it, put it by the sink.

00:43:54Then he turned to look at me.

00:43:55He didn't lose at the gambling table.

00:43:57He lost you.

00:43:58I don't know why, but when I heard that, tears fell.

00:44:00Not crying.

00:44:01Tears just fell one by one down my cheeks.

00:44:04He didn't speak, just stood there looking at me.

00:44:06No tissue, no hug, no don't cry.

00:44:09He just stood there and watched me cry.

00:44:11When I finished, he poured a glass of hot water and handed it to me.

00:44:14Drink.

00:44:19I took the cup and drank.

00:44:21The water was perfect temperature.

00:44:23Two babies moved inside me, like two little fish swimming around.

00:44:26Sometimes a kick on the left, a kick on the right, like fighting.

00:44:30Sometimes with moved at the same time, like having a party.

00:44:33My belly swelled and fell, like waves rolling.

00:44:35I put my hand on my bell, like telling me, we're here, we're okay.

00:44:38Sebastian came home late from a meeting one day.

00:44:41It was almost 11 when the door opened.

00:44:42He changed shoes at the entrance.

00:44:44I turned over when I heard him.

00:44:46The babies were still kicking, keeping me awake.

00:44:48He walked into the bedroom, saw me lying on my side, hand on my belly, frowning.

00:44:52Still awake?

00:44:54They won't let me sleep.

00:45:00Stop kicking.

00:45:01Mommy needs to sleep.

00:45:03His voice was low, soft, like talking to two little babies.

00:45:07It got quiet inside me.

00:45:09Not right away.

00:45:10Slowly.

00:45:11Like someone turning off a radio.

00:45:14Turning the knob slowly.

00:45:15Music fading away.

00:45:17I looked at him.

00:45:19They listen to you.

00:45:21They're scared of me.

00:45:23Why?

00:45:24Because I don't smile.

00:45:28You look good when you smile.

00:45:31He lowered his head, like thinking if I was serious.

00:45:34He didn't say anything later.

00:45:36Walked behind the screen.

00:45:37Turned off the light to sleep.

00:45:38I heard him turning over behind the screen, then quiet.

00:45:42Sebastian?

00:45:44Yeah.

00:45:45Good night.

00:45:48Good night.

00:45:49Nick was put on trial and sentenced to five years.

00:45:52He didn't appeal.

00:45:54Only a dozen seconds of footage aired on the news.

00:45:56Wearing an orange prison uniform, with short hair and a gone face, he was led into court by

00:46:02bailiffs, head hung low, Sebastian decided to go to see him once.

00:46:07He put on a dark gray sweater instead of his suit.

00:46:10He hesitated for a moment at the entrance, then picked up his keys and left.

00:46:20When he came back, he didn't say a word.

00:46:22How is he?

00:46:24He's okay.

00:46:26Do you hate him?

00:46:28No.

00:46:29Why?

00:46:31Because he made me realize family is more important than money.

00:46:34I broke the silence and asked him about Nick, and whether he still held hatred in his heart.

00:46:38To my surprise, he let it all go.

00:46:40This whole incident made him see the truth.

00:46:42Family means far more than wealth.

00:46:44He walked into the study and closed the door.

00:46:47I could hear him talking on the phone in a low voice inside.

00:46:49He went to bed early that night, curled up on the sofa like a cat.

00:46:53I covered him with a light purple fluffy blanket gently.

00:46:56He moved a little but didn't wake up.

00:46:58Moonlight fell on his face.

00:47:00His brows were relaxed and his lips slightly parted, as if he was talking in his sleep.

00:47:04I leaned close to listen, but heard nothing.

00:47:07An urge came over me to kiss his forehead.

00:47:10But I didn't.

00:47:11I was his contract bride, not his real wife.

00:47:14I pulled the blanket up over his shoulders, then walked back to my bed and turned off the light.

00:47:19Contractions started right after we got back from the supermarket.

00:47:22Bags held strawberries and yogurt.

00:47:23He carried them.

00:47:24I walked in front.

00:47:25The smell of strawberries came out of the bag.

00:47:27Sour and tweet.

00:47:27The sun was bright, warm on my body.

00:47:29Suddenly, my lower abdomen tightened, like someone twisting it inside.

00:47:32I stopped.

00:47:33Held onto the wall.

00:47:34He dropped the bags and ran over.

00:47:35Bags fell on the ground.

00:47:37Strawberries rolling everywhere.

00:47:38Red and white scattered on the gray ground like blood.

00:47:40What's wrong?

00:47:41Probably false contractions.

00:47:42What do you mean probably?

00:47:43It means maybe.

00:47:44He helped me sit down, then called the doctor.

00:47:47I heard him talking to the doctor in the hallway, urgent, fast, like negotiating.

00:47:51Later the doctor said it was normal, not premature, but to rest.

00:47:53He took a long leave.

00:47:54His study was moved next to the bedroom.

00:47:56Door open.

00:47:57The blue light from his computer screen shone on his face.

00:48:00He frowned, looking fierce.

00:48:01His phone rang.

00:48:02He answered in a cold tone, like talking to an enemy.

00:48:04He turned around when he hung up.

00:48:06Tone changed.

00:48:07Any discomfort?

00:48:08None.

00:48:09Just hungry.

00:48:10What do you want to eat?

00:48:12Tomato and egg noodles.

00:48:13He put down his computer and went to the kitchen.

00:48:15Sounds of chopping, water, spatula, the smell of tomatoes, eggs, and burnt oil filled the kitchen.

00:48:21He came out with a bowl of noodles, sweating.

00:48:23His wet bangs stuck to his forehead.

00:48:25Black stains were still on the spatula.

00:48:26Tomato sauce on his fingers.

00:48:28I took a bite.

00:48:29Is it salty?

00:48:30A little.

00:48:31I'll use less salt next time.

00:48:32When is next time?

00:48:33Tomorrow.

00:48:34I dreamed about mom.

00:48:35That she stood in white light, wearing a white dress, hair loose.

00:48:38She smiled at me, gently, like when she rocked me to sleep as a kid.

00:48:42Isabel, you're going to be a mom.

00:48:45Mom, I'm scared.

00:48:46Scared of what?

00:48:48Scared I won't be good at it?

00:48:50You will, because you're my daughter.

00:48:53I dreamed about mom.

00:48:54I woke up with a wet pillow.

00:48:56He was sitting by the bed, holding my hand.

00:48:58The desk lamp was on.

00:49:00Warm light, casting his shadow on the wall.

00:49:02Bad dream?

00:49:04No.

00:49:05I dreamed about mom.

00:49:06What did she say?

00:49:08His thumb brushed the back of my hand.

00:49:10His hand was warm, thin calluses on his palm rubbing my hand.

00:49:13A little rough, but reassuring.

00:49:14She's right.

00:49:15I looked at him.

00:49:16There were red lines in his eyes, from not sleeping or maybe crying.

00:49:19He wouldn't tell me.

00:49:20I wouldn't ask.

00:49:20The sky was just lightning outside.

00:49:22Manhattan's skyline was a gray-blue line in the morning light.

00:49:24The tip of the Empire Statebound was lit like a candle.

00:49:27Sebastian?

00:49:27Yeah?

00:49:29Have you ever dreamed about your mom?

00:49:30A long silence.

00:49:33Yes.

00:49:34What did she say?

00:49:36She said, you deserve to be happy.

00:49:38Naming our daughters.

00:49:39He showed me his phone.

00:49:40A long list of names.

00:49:41English, French, Italian.

00:49:43From A to Z, every letter.

00:49:44Each name had meaning and origin marked, like a research report.

00:49:47How do we choose?

00:49:48You decide.

00:49:50Why not you?

00:49:51I'm afraid I'll pick the wrong one.

00:49:53I froze.

00:49:54A man in charge of a billion-dollar empire, afraid of picking the wrong name for his daughters.

00:50:00I scrolled through.

00:50:01My finger slid across the screen.

00:50:03A, B, E, C.

00:50:05Stopped at one name.

00:50:06Isabella, for the older one.

00:50:09The younger one?

00:50:10Sophia.

00:50:11He typed the two names, stared at them for a long time.

00:50:14His finger stayed on the screen for a long time.

00:50:16Then he nodded.

00:50:18I woke up to drink water that night.

00:50:19Heard his voice from the nursery.

00:50:21Soft, like talking to someone.

00:50:23I quietly walked to the door.

00:50:24Didn't push it open.

00:50:25Through the crack, I saw him standing by the critted, holding his phone.

00:50:28Screen light on his face.

00:50:29Isabella, Sophia.

00:50:31Isabella, Sophia.

00:50:33Over and over.

00:50:34Like practicing.

00:50:35Like confirming.

00:50:37Like carving the names into his bones.

00:50:39I woke up from a nap that afternoon and saw him carving on the crib head pulled.

00:50:42With a small knife, stroke by stroke, serious.

00:50:46Woodships fell on his fingers.

00:50:47White, fine.

00:50:48He frowned, lips pressed tight.

00:50:50Like doing something very important.

00:50:52I walked over to look.

00:50:53Isabella, Sophia.

00:50:54Neat handwriting, like his signature.

00:50:56Even strength, even spacing, like printed.

00:50:58How do you carve so neatly?

00:51:00I practiced.

00:51:02Where did you practice?

00:51:04He didn't answer.

00:51:05Later, I found a piece of mud in his studio drawer.

00:51:08Covered with Isabella and Sophia.

00:51:10Some crooked, some uneven.

00:51:11The last line was exactly the same as on the crib.

00:51:14He practiced many times on the wood before daring to cluff on the real crib.

00:51:18My water broke.

00:51:193 a.m.

00:51:20I was asleep when I suddenly felt wetness beneath me.

00:51:23I woke up, lifted the kilt.

00:51:25Sebastian.

00:51:26Rustling sounds came from behind the screen.

00:51:28He ran over barefoot.

00:51:30What's wrong?

00:51:34My water broke.

00:51:35His face turned white instantly.

00:51:37He picked me up and ran to the garage.

00:51:40In the elevator, he kept looking at my face.

00:51:43Lips trembling.

00:51:44I wanted to say it was okay.

00:51:46But contractions hit.

00:51:48Too painful to speak.

00:51:49He drove himself.

00:51:51The streets were empty in the early morning.

00:51:54Street lights were cloistered one by one.

00:51:56He held my hand the whole way.

00:51:59Fingers intertwined.

00:52:00Tight.

00:52:00He ran a few red lights.

00:52:02I didn't know.

00:52:07Nurses stopped him at the hospital.

00:52:09Family waits outside.

00:52:11I'm her husband.

00:52:13Please wait outside.

00:52:14He drove himself.

00:52:16Lights flashed overhead.

00:52:17Upside down stars.

00:52:19Upside down meteor shower.

00:52:20He yelled something behind me.

00:52:22I didn't catch it.

00:52:23The corridor was long.

00:52:24The Garni was fast.

00:52:25Wind blew past my ears, cold.

00:52:27I looked back.

00:52:28He stood at the end of the corridor behind the automatic door closing slowly.

00:52:32His figure got smaller and smaller.

00:52:34Blurred.

00:52:34Finally blocked by the door.

00:52:36I was in labor for 10 hours.

00:52:37Maybe 12.

00:52:38Contractions came in waves, like ocean tides.

00:52:40Each contraction felt like someone twisting a towel in my stomach.

00:52:43Twist, release.

00:52:44Twist again.

00:52:45I bit my lip.

00:52:46It broke.

00:52:46Blood in my mouth.

00:52:47The nurse told me to breathe deeply.

00:52:48Inhale, exhale.

00:52:49Inhale, exhale.

00:52:50I followed but every breath felt like swallowing a blade.

00:52:52He stood outside the whole time.

00:52:54Never left.

00:52:55Later the nurse told me he moved a chair to the delivery room door and sat there.

00:52:59Motionless.

00:53:00Nurses asked if he needed water.

00:53:02He shook his head.

00:53:03Asked if he needed to call someone.

00:53:04He shook his head.

00:53:05He just sat there, like a statue.

00:53:07One nurse said his lips were always white, face always gray.

00:53:11He stared at the delivery room door, not blinking, like waiting for news that would never come.

00:53:16The babies cried loud when they were born.

00:53:18Two.

00:53:19One after another.

00:53:20Isabella cried first, like a kitten, thin, sharp.

00:53:24Sophia followed, louder, more forceful, like protesting being woken up.

00:53:28Nurses brought them out.

00:53:29His hands shook as he took the first one.

00:53:32His whole hand shook, from fingertips to wrist, like a branch in cold wind.

00:53:36The other was held by another nurse.

00:53:39Twin baby girls.

00:53:40Mom and babies are safe.

00:53:43His eyes turned red.

00:53:44I was wheeled out.

00:53:45He stood in the corridor.

00:53:47Red eyes.

00:53:48Red nose.

00:53:49Holding one daughter, the other in the stroller.

00:53:52Isabella was wrapped in light blue.

00:53:53Eyes closed.

00:53:55Mouth opening and closing.

00:53:56Sophia had her eyes open.

00:53:58Black eyes moving around.

00:54:00Looking at a strange world.

00:54:01Ella, you did so good.

00:54:04He called my name.

00:54:05Not Isabelle.

00:54:07Ella.

00:54:07I froze, realizing it was my real name.

00:54:10The name I picked for myself.

00:54:12Isabelle was fake.

00:54:14Ella was real.

00:54:15But no one ever cared.

00:54:17How did he know?

00:54:19How did you know?

00:54:21Your assistant told me.

00:54:22Who do they look like?

00:54:24They look like you.

00:54:26Why are you crying?

00:54:27I'm not crying.

00:54:29He looked into my eyes.

00:54:30dark gray.

00:54:31No longer cold.

00:54:32There was light.

00:54:33His hand was still cold,

00:54:35but it didn't matter when I held it.

00:54:37Yeah.

00:54:37Sebastian.

00:54:38I love you.

00:54:45They'll get used to it.

00:54:46Yes.

00:54:48It was the first time he'd said yes

00:54:50instead of maybe or perhaps.

00:54:52He said it with such certainty,

00:54:54like making a promise.

00:54:55We drove over the Manhattan Bridge.

00:54:57Seagulls flew over the river below.

00:54:59Their white wings shone in the sun,

00:55:01circling above the water,

00:55:03then diving down to catch a fish.

00:55:05Isabella smiled in her sleep,

00:55:07probably dreaming of something nice.

00:55:09Ma was waiting for us at home.

00:55:10She stood up from her wayshare,

00:55:12tell the minis man,

00:55:13and leaned on tuptoes to look into the car.

00:55:15Her hair was all white fluttering in the wind.

00:55:18Gensing's narrow,

00:55:19twitron slightly oakened,

00:55:20like she'd been waiting for something for a long time.

00:55:23Sebastian parked the car,

00:55:24opened the back door,

00:55:25and carefully unbuckled the safety seat belt.

00:55:28He picked up Isabella,

00:55:29so gently,

00:55:30like holding a piece of porcelain dot.

00:55:32The baby was so tiny in his arms,

00:55:35like a little bird.

00:55:36Mom held out her hands.

00:55:37He hesitated for a moment,

00:55:39then handed her the baby.

00:55:40Mom held Isabella,

00:55:41looked at her wrinkled little face,

00:55:43and smiled.

00:55:45She looks like you.

00:55:46Like who?

00:55:47Like Isabelle when she was little.

00:55:49Sebastian turned to look at me.

00:55:51Sunshine fell on the three of them.

00:55:53Didn't say a word.

00:55:54Suddenly,

00:55:55I realized this was what I'd always wanted.

00:55:57Not money.

00:55:58Not a contract.

00:56:00Not five million dollars.

00:56:01This.

00:56:02He wrote me a letter from prison.

00:56:04Handwritten.

00:56:05Messy handwriting.

00:56:07Some ink smudged like tears had fallen on it.

00:56:10The paper was prison issue.

00:56:12Gray,

00:56:12rough,

00:56:13worn at the edges.

00:56:14The envelope was stamped with the prison postmark,

00:56:16dated last week.

00:56:17I read the letter twice.

00:56:19First time fast,

00:56:20like finishing a task.

00:56:21Second time slow,

00:56:22word by word.

00:56:23Then I put it in the drawer.

00:56:24No reply needed.

00:56:25He owed me more than an apology.

00:56:27He owed me five years of nightmares.

00:56:29But he was right.

00:56:30I wasn't a tool.

00:56:31He walked into the bedroom and saw me sitting by the bed,

00:56:33lost in thought.

00:56:34Nick's letter.

00:56:36Do you want to reply?

00:56:37No.

00:56:38Why?

00:56:40Because he already knows he was wrong.

00:56:42That's enough.

00:56:45Do you still have nightmares?

00:56:46Less.

00:56:47If you do,

00:56:49wake me up.

00:56:49You sleep so deeply,

00:56:51I can't wake you.

00:56:52If you call,

00:56:54I'll wake up.

00:56:55I looked into his eyes,

00:56:57dark gray,

00:56:58no longer cold.

00:57:00There was light.

00:57:02Okay.

00:57:03Isabella and Sophia were three months old.

00:57:06They could smile.

00:57:07Isabella smiled with her mouth wide open,

00:57:10showing her pink gums.

00:57:12Sophia smiled with her eyes curved,

00:57:14exactly like Sebastian when he smiled.

00:57:16They could grab things.

00:57:17Isabella liked to pull my hair and wouldn't let go,

00:57:20making me wince.

00:57:21Sophia liked to grab Sebastian's tie,

00:57:23put it in her mouth,

00:57:24covering it with drool.

00:57:25They fought over the same rat-it,

00:57:27not really fighting.

00:57:28One grabbed it,

00:57:29the other took it back,

00:57:30then cried,

00:57:30then laughed again.

00:57:31Sebastian got up at five every morning,

00:57:34fed them,

00:57:35changed diapers,

00:57:36put them to sleep,

00:57:37then went to work,

00:57:38often with milk stains and drool prints on his suit.

00:57:42No one dared to remind him.

00:57:44No one needed to.

00:57:46When he brought the girls to the office,

00:57:48everyone whispered,

00:57:49the boss has changed.

00:57:51Had he changed?

00:57:52I didn't know.

00:57:53But the way he looked at me had changed.

00:57:56Before,

00:57:56he looked at me through the cracks of the contract.

00:57:59Now,

00:58:00he'd put the contract away.

00:58:05Isabella,

00:58:06no.

00:58:07Yeah?

00:58:07Ella,

00:58:08the contract still has one year and ten months left.

00:58:11I know.

00:58:12I want to change it.

00:58:14Change what?

00:58:15To forever.

00:58:17For a second,

00:58:18I thought I'd misheard,

00:58:19but he looked me in the eye,

00:58:21didn't repeat,

00:58:22didn't explain.

00:58:23He just waited for my answer.

00:58:24The study light was dim,

00:58:26only the desk lamp on,

00:58:27wrapping him in glow,

00:58:28half his face bright,

00:58:29half in shadow,

00:58:30serious as signing a billion dollar contract.

00:58:33Why?

00:58:33Because I want to see you every morning when I walk downstairs.

00:58:35I want to watch Isabella and Sophia grow up.

00:58:38I want to sit in the front row with you at their weddings.

00:58:41Did the contract say any of that?

00:58:43No.

00:58:44Then how can you promise you'll do it?

00:58:46He stood up,

00:58:47walked around the desk to me.

00:58:50With this?

00:58:51He took my hand and pressed it to his heart.

00:58:53Through his shirt's skin,

00:58:54I felt his heartbeat.

00:58:56Hotter than I imagined,

00:58:57stronger than I imagined.

00:58:59Thump,

00:59:00thump,

00:59:00like a drum.

00:59:01Sebastian,

00:59:01are you proposing to me?

00:59:02Yes.

00:59:03No ring,

00:59:04no flowers,

00:59:05no kneeling,

00:59:05what kind of proposal is this?

00:59:07The kind where I'm bad at this.

00:59:08No scene laughed,

00:59:09in Switzerland,

00:59:09the snow by the fireplace.

00:59:10But he still froze every time I laughed,

00:59:12like a child seeing flowers bloom for the first time.

00:59:14Okay then.

00:59:16Okay what?

00:59:17Okay.

00:59:18I accept.

00:59:20Forever.

00:59:20He just took a calendar the next day,

00:59:22crossed out the contract expiration date,

00:59:24and wrote forever.

00:59:26A small dot at the end of the last stroke-like hesitation.

00:59:29Like confirmation.

00:59:31I asked him why he didn't buy a ring.

00:59:33I was afraid you'd say no.

00:59:35Rings can be returned.

00:59:37Contracts can't.

00:59:38Aren't you afraid now?

00:59:39Not anymore.

00:59:41Because you already said yes.

00:59:44Sophia stood up holding the railing,

00:59:46smiled at us,

00:59:46two tiny white teeth showing,

00:59:48white tiny,

00:59:48like two grains of rice.

00:59:50He picked up one daughter,

00:59:51the other reached for him too.

00:59:52He held one in each arm,

00:59:53both girls giggling.

00:59:54Isabella pulled his ear,

00:59:55Sophia grabbed his nose.

00:59:56He wenzed,

00:59:57but didn't let go.

01:00:02Say it again.

01:00:04He buried his face in her shoulder.

01:00:07I saw his shoulders shake slightly.

01:00:09I walked over,

01:00:11put my arms around all three of them.

01:00:13His body tensed,

01:00:14then slowly relaxed.

01:00:16He leaned his head on my shoulder,

01:00:18didn't say a word.

01:00:19We stood there,

01:00:21in the nursery,

01:00:22between the two cribs.

01:00:23Today is our second wedding anniversary.

01:00:26Not the correctional one,

01:00:28but the first day of forever.

01:00:30He brought me sunflowers instead of roses,

01:00:32golden petals and brown centers,

01:00:34like little suns.

01:00:36He said sunflowers were like me,

01:00:38always facing the light.

01:00:40But he was the one who brought light into my life.

01:00:42He tied my shoes in the snow,

01:00:44waited outside the delivery room all night,

01:00:46left notes for breakfast,

01:00:48researched pregnancy recipes late at night,

01:00:50carved names on the crib,

01:00:52and blocked the wind for me by the lake.

01:00:54These little lights pulled me out of the dark,

01:00:56little by little.

01:00:57We sat on the living room carpet.

01:01:00Isabella and Sophia played with colorful building blocks beside us.

01:01:04Isabella handed blocks to Sophia again and and again.

01:01:07Sebastian?

01:01:07Yeah?

01:01:08Do you remember the first time I went to see your mother?

01:01:09You lied.

01:01:10You said she passed away,

01:01:11but you just hit her.

01:01:14How'd you find out?

01:01:15Your assistant told me.

01:01:16When did you start checking on me?

01:01:17The first time you made me ginger tea,

01:01:18because a man who is kind to a contract wife

01:01:20will never treat his own mother badly.

01:01:22He held out his hand and laced our fingers together tightly,

01:01:25just like that day on the way to the hospital.

01:01:27His hands used to be cold,

01:01:28but now they were warm.

01:01:30The girls knocked over the block tower.

01:01:32Sophia froze while Isabella laughed.

01:01:34The two little girls clapped and laughed happily.

01:01:37Outside, Manhattan's skyline lit up at dusk

01:01:39with thousands of lights.

01:01:40Our light was among them.

01:01:41It was not the brightest,

01:01:42but steady,

01:01:43and it would never go out.

01:01:44My name is Ella Black.

01:01:45I'm a dancer,

01:01:46a wife,

01:01:46and a mother.

01:01:47I once thought I was sold,

01:01:48but later I realized I earned all of this.

01:01:50It took a long time,

01:01:51but it was worth it.

01:01:52My name is Ella Black.

01:01:53Three years ago,

01:01:54I entered into an arrangement with a billionaire.

01:01:56The contract's gone up in flames.

01:01:58Its ashes still lie in the kitchen sink.

01:02:00Today's my birthday,

01:02:01March 21st,

01:02:02the very first day of spring.

01:02:04Bathed in morning light,

01:02:05Manhattan's skyline glows like a golden streak

01:02:07outside the window.

01:02:07My girls are still asleep.

01:02:09I stand in the kitchen,

01:02:10brushing my fingers over the ashes in the sink

01:02:12with a soft smile.

01:02:13Sebastian told me last night

01:02:14he'd take us to Central Park

01:02:15to see the cherry blossoms today.

01:02:17It's six in the morning

01:02:18when the doorbell rings.

01:02:19It's not a delivery,

01:02:20nor a neighbor.

01:02:21It's the police.

01:02:22Through the peephole,

01:02:23I spot three officers in bulletproof vests,

01:02:25their metal badges glinting under the hallway lights.

01:02:28My heart skips a beat.

01:02:29I pull open the door,

01:02:30and a cold gust of wind sweeps inside.

01:02:32We have a search warrant.

01:02:33Your husband, Sebastian Black,

01:02:34is suspected of multiple financial irregularities,

01:02:37duty violations,

01:02:38and a serious criminal case.

01:02:39What criminal case is it?

01:02:40Nick Black,

01:02:41your brother-in-law.

01:02:42He passed away expectantly

01:02:43in his Brooklyn apartment early this morning,

01:02:45and the police have launched an investigation.

01:02:47At the end of the hallway,

01:02:48Sebastian walks down the stairs

01:02:49in his bathrobe.

01:02:50His hair is messy,

01:02:51yet his deep gray eyes

01:02:52are as calm as a frozen winter lake,

01:02:54showing no emotion.

01:02:55He glances over at me.

01:02:56I didn't kill him.

01:03:03The officers pull out handcuffs.

01:03:05The clink of metal cuts sharply

01:03:07through the quiet morning living room.

01:03:08Cries ring out upstairs.

01:03:10Three-year-old Isabella has woken up.

01:03:11She doesn't understand what murder means,

01:03:13but she can hear the fear in my voice.

01:03:15Sophia starts crying too.

01:03:16Their combined wells

01:03:17splites through my heart like a dull blade.

01:03:19Mrs. Black,

01:03:20you can't go up there for now.

01:03:21Handcuffed,

01:03:22Sebastian heads for the door,

01:03:23his slippers tapping softly on the floor.

01:03:24Right before stepping outside,

01:03:26he stands with his back to me

01:03:27and makes our secret signal,

01:03:28two fingers tapping twice on the handrail.

01:03:30It meant one thing,

01:03:31as we'd agreed.

01:03:32Don't be afraid.

01:03:33But I'm terrified.

01:03:34Not because he's being taken away,

01:03:35but because Nick is dead.

01:03:36And Sebastian didn't do it.

01:03:38Who's the real killer?

01:03:39Why frame him?

01:03:40The sound of the police car

01:03:42fades down the street.

01:03:43I stand in the doorway,

01:03:44my pajamas fluttering

01:03:45in the morning breeze

01:03:45while my daughter's cries

01:03:46still echo upstairs.

01:03:51I stand in the doorway,

01:03:53my pajamas fluttering

01:03:54in the morning breeze

01:03:55while my daughter's cries

01:03:56still echo upstairs.

01:03:59The police interrogation room

01:04:00has plain white walls

01:04:02and no windows.

01:04:03The fluorescent lights

01:04:04buzz nonstop,

01:04:05like flies trapped under glass.

01:04:07The air reeks of disinfectant

01:04:08mixed with the musty

01:04:09cinch of old carpet.

01:04:10Sebastian sits in a

01:04:11bolted metal chair.

01:04:12His handcuffs are removed,

01:04:14leaving red marks

01:04:15around his wrists.

01:04:16Two detectives sit across from him,

01:04:18the older Morales,

01:04:19gray-haired,

01:04:20with heavy-lidded eyes,

01:04:21looking half asleep,

01:04:22and the younger Chun

01:04:24in his early thirties,

01:04:25sitting rigidly straight,

01:04:27with his shirt collar tight,

01:04:29tense as a coiled spring.

01:04:31Mr. Black,

01:04:31what was your relationship like

01:04:33with your brother Nick Black?

01:04:34Terrible.

01:04:35He got your wife pregnant,

01:04:36didn't he?

01:04:36Sebastian taps his left ring finger

01:04:38lightly on the table,

01:04:39a nervous habit

01:04:40he might not even realize he has.

01:04:43That was a misunderstanding.

01:04:45The girls are mine.

01:04:46Chen slides a report

01:04:47across the table to him,

01:04:48stamped with official red ink.

01:04:49DNA test results prove

01:04:51Nick Black is the biological father

01:04:53of the twins.

01:04:54On the other side

01:04:54of the one-way mirror,

01:04:55I clenched my fists

01:04:56until my nails dig into my palms.

01:04:59A DNA test?

01:05:00When was this done?

01:05:01Why was I never told?

01:05:03For three years,

01:05:04I believed these girls were his,

01:05:06and they are.

01:05:07No matter what the DNA says,

01:05:08he is their father.

01:05:10Where were you between

01:05:1111 p.m. last night

01:05:12and 2 a.m. this morning?

01:05:13At home.

01:05:14Can anyone confirm that?

01:05:15My wife.

01:05:16Mr. Black,

01:05:17under New York state law,

01:05:18a spouse's testimony

01:05:20requires additional

01:05:20supporting evidence.

01:05:22Sebastian falls silent.

01:05:23He looks past the two detectives,

01:05:24straight at the one-way mirror.

01:05:26He knows I'm here.

01:05:27His lips move soundlessly,

01:05:28and I read them clearly.

01:05:29Don't be afraid.

01:05:30I didn't kill him,

01:05:31but I know who did.

01:05:31Who?

01:05:32Get me a phone,

01:05:33and I'll prove it.

01:05:35The door swings open,

01:05:36followed by the click

01:05:37of high heels.

01:05:38It's neither a police officer

01:05:39nor a lawyer.

01:05:40A stranger walks in.

01:05:42She's in her 40s,

01:05:43with short hair

01:05:43and a black business dress,

01:05:45her gaze sharp as a blade.

01:05:46She doesn't smile

01:05:47or introduce herself.

01:05:48Just sits across from me

01:05:49and crosses her legs.

01:05:51Mrs. Black,

01:05:52I'm Vera Strong.

01:05:53I work for your husband's rivals.

01:05:55What rivals?

01:05:56Someone is willing to help you.

01:05:58The terms are simple.

01:05:59Make a public statement

01:06:00saying Sebastian Black

01:06:01is violent and controlling,

01:06:03that you've suffered abuse

01:06:04at his hands.

01:06:05Claim he had every reason

01:06:06to kill his brother.

01:06:11You want me to lie under oath.

01:06:13It's not a lie,

01:06:13just framing the truth differently.

01:06:16Has he ever thrown things?

01:06:18Raised his voice to you?

01:06:20Neglected you

01:06:20while you were pregnant?

01:06:21No.

01:06:28Your mother lives alone

01:06:30in Queens, doesn't she?

01:06:31She's all by herself.

01:06:33If something were to happen to her,

01:06:35who would look after her?

01:06:37You have 24 hours

01:06:39to think it over.

01:06:44The click of her heels

01:06:45echoes down the hallway,

01:06:46each step like a nail

01:06:48driven into my heart.

01:06:49I sit there,

01:06:51crumpling the business card

01:06:52in my hand.

01:06:53Night has fallen outside,

01:06:54and the orange glow

01:06:55of street laps

01:06:56spills across the floor

01:06:57like half-melted candle wax.

01:06:59I've been sitting

01:06:59in the witness waiting room

01:07:00for six hours.

01:07:01The hard plastic chair

01:07:02makes my tailbone ache.

01:07:04They took my phone

01:07:05so I can't call or text

01:07:06to check if the babysitter

01:07:07is looking after my girls.

01:07:08A faded painting

01:07:09of sailboats at sea

01:07:10hangs on the wall.

01:07:11As I stare at it,

01:07:12all I can hear

01:07:12are my daughter's cries

01:07:13from that morning,

01:07:14each one tightening

01:07:15around my throat.

01:07:16I'm released at 1 a.m.

01:07:17I don't get to see Sebastian.

01:07:19My lawyer Arthur

01:07:20waits for me

01:07:21outside the precinct,

01:07:22his dark windblown hair

01:07:23matching his ashen face.

01:07:26Mrs. Black,

01:07:27the prosecution

01:07:28has denied bail.

01:07:30Why?

01:07:31Mr. Black's fingerprints

01:07:32were found in three spots

01:07:33in Nick's apartment,

01:07:34the nightstand,

01:07:35coffee table,

01:07:36and kitchen sink.

01:07:36His cell phone signal

01:07:38was tracked near the apartment

01:07:39during the time of death.

01:07:40Security footage

01:07:41shows a figure

01:07:42with a 90% body match.

01:07:43The DA believes

01:07:44he's a flight risk.

01:07:46The fingerprints

01:07:46can be explained.

01:07:47He'd visited the place.

01:07:49Cell phone signals

01:07:50can be faked.

01:07:51That figure on camera

01:07:53isn't him.

01:07:53But I know words

01:07:54aren't enough.

01:07:55Courts need hard proof.

01:07:57Arthur drove me home.

01:07:59The streets of Manhattan

01:08:01flowed past the car window,

01:08:02neon lights

01:08:03trailing colorful stricks.

01:08:05My daughters

01:08:06were already asleep.

01:08:07The nanny

01:08:08was sitting

01:08:09on the living room sofa

01:08:10reading.

01:08:10Seeing me enter,

01:08:11she stood up

01:08:12and opened her mouth

01:08:12to speak

01:08:13but said nothing.

01:08:15I settled her pay

01:08:16and let her go.

01:08:19I head to my daughter's bedroom.

01:08:22Isabella sleeps soundly

01:08:23with her mouth

01:08:23sleeping open,

01:08:24breathing softly.

01:08:26Sophia curls up

01:08:27like a shrimp,

01:08:28having kicked her blanket

01:08:29onto the floor.

01:08:30I tuck her in,

01:08:32then sit on the floor

01:08:33between their two beds.

01:08:37My phone rings at 3am.

01:08:39It's an unknown number.

01:08:40I answer.

01:08:41And distorted voice

01:08:42comes through the line,

01:08:43robotic and hollow,

01:08:45as if speaking

01:08:45from the bottom

01:08:46of a deep hell.

01:08:47Do you want to know

01:08:47who killed Nick?

01:08:48Who is this?

01:08:50Someone here to help you.

01:08:51Be a happy laundromat

01:08:52in Queens tomorrow

01:08:52at 3pm.

01:08:53Come alone

01:08:54and tell no one.

01:08:55Why help me?

01:08:56I owe you a favor.

01:08:58The call cuts off.

01:08:59I sit in the dark,

01:09:01the phone's pale blue screen

01:09:02illuminating my face

01:09:03like a forensic lamp.

01:09:05Manhattan glows brightly outside,

01:09:07as if nothing is wrong.

01:09:08But I know everything

01:09:09has changed

01:09:10from this moment on.

01:09:11Happy laundromat

01:09:12sits on a run-down

01:09:13commercial street

01:09:14in South Queens.

01:09:14Its faded sign

01:09:15is missing two letters.

01:09:16A dusty 24-hour self-service

01:09:18peels at the edges

01:09:19on the window.

01:09:19It's 3pm

01:09:20and the place is empty.

01:09:21Rows of washing machines

01:09:22and dryers hum away,

01:09:23their rotating drums

01:09:24blending into a low bum.

01:09:25The door of the last dryer

01:09:27in the back

01:09:27is broken and taped shut.

01:09:29I pull it open.

01:09:30There are no clothes inside,

01:09:32just a plain beige envelope

01:09:33with no return address.

01:09:34I tear it open.

01:09:35My inside is a photo.

01:09:37My mother pushing a chapping cart

01:09:38outside a grocery store,

01:09:39wrapped in her old cotton coat

01:09:40with her hair blowing in the wind.

01:09:42A man stands beside her,

01:09:43his baseball cap

01:09:44pulled low to his face.

01:09:45A printed line on the back read,

01:09:46Your mom's all alone.

01:09:47I'm sure you don't want

01:09:47anything bad to happen to her.

01:09:49My blood runs cold

01:09:50in an instant.

01:09:51Sebastian didn't kill Nick.

01:09:52A man known as the Shepard did.

01:09:53The Shepard?

01:09:54Harold Swanson?

01:09:55He's in prison.

01:09:55He's out on parole.

01:09:56He hates you.

01:09:57He framed your husband

01:09:58for Nick's murder

01:09:58to lock him away.

01:09:59Next, he'll come for you.

01:10:00My mouth goes dry.

01:10:02Who exactly are you?

01:10:03Why tell me all this?

01:10:04I spin around,

01:10:05but there's no one there.

01:10:06The laundromat is empty

01:10:07except for the running machines.

01:10:08Sunlight streams

01:10:09through the grimy windows,

01:10:10casting beams

01:10:10through floating dust.

01:10:11I clutch the photo

01:10:12and envelope

01:10:13and walk outside.

01:10:14Victor's car is parked

01:10:14across the street.

01:10:15He sees how pale I am,

01:10:16says nothing,

01:10:17and starts the engine.

01:10:19When I get home,

01:10:20Arthur is waiting

01:10:20in the living room.

01:10:21He sits on the sofa

01:10:22with an untouched glass

01:10:23of water in front of him.

01:10:24In his 60s,

01:10:26bolding with thick-rimmed glasses,

01:10:27he speaks slowly

01:10:28like reading

01:10:29a last-will entelement.

01:10:30I've trusted him

01:10:31for three years.

01:10:31He's handled

01:10:32all the Black family's

01:10:33legal work.

01:10:33Mrs. Black,

01:10:34the prosecution's case

01:10:36is rock solid.

01:10:37How solid.

01:10:39Mr. Black's fingerprints

01:10:41were found in three locations

01:10:42in Nick's apartment,

01:10:43the bedroom nightstand,

01:10:45living room coffee table,

01:10:46and kitchen sink.

01:10:47He visited the place

01:10:48a long time ago.

01:10:48Cell Tower Records

01:10:49place his phone

01:10:50near the apartment

01:10:51for roughly 40 minutes

01:10:52during the time

01:10:52Nick was killed.

01:10:53His phone could have been stolen

01:10:54or the signals tampered with.

01:10:56Security footage

01:10:56captures a figure

01:10:57matching Mr. Black's height,

01:10:59build, and walk at 90%.

01:11:00The person wears a dark coat

01:11:01and hat hiding their face.

01:11:03That's not him.

01:11:04Arthur takes off his glasses

01:11:05and polishes the lenses

01:11:05with his shirt head,

01:11:06a habit he's had for years.

01:11:08But this time,

01:11:09his hands tremble slightly.

01:11:10I can't tell if it's

01:11:10from the cold

01:11:11or something else.

01:11:12I believe you,

01:11:13Mrs. Black,

01:11:14but juries don't go

01:11:15by gut feelings.

01:11:16They go by evidence.

01:11:17Then we need proof

01:11:18that he's being framed.

01:11:19Who would frame him?

01:11:20Harold Swanson.

01:11:21The shepherd?

01:11:22I thought he was still in prison.

01:11:24He's out on parole.

01:11:25I hand him the photo

01:11:26and play the audio

01:11:27from the laundronaut.

01:11:28He listens in long silence.

01:11:30The grandfather clock

01:11:31in the room ticks steadily,

01:11:32sounding like a countdown.

01:11:33This person who owes you a favor.

01:11:36Who are they?

01:11:38I have no idea.

01:11:40We need to find them.

01:11:42I study his face,

01:11:43a face I've known

01:11:44for three years.

01:11:46Something feels off,

01:11:47but I can't put my finger on it.

01:11:49I head to Connecticut instead.

01:11:51Dot, it's a two-hour drive

01:11:52out of New York

01:11:53on the highway.

01:11:54City skyscrapers

01:11:55give way to forests,

01:11:56then small towns.

01:11:57Rebecca Swanson

01:11:58lives in a tiny town

01:11:59with just one main street,

01:12:01a bakery,

01:12:02a post office,

01:12:03and an elementary school.

01:12:04Red brick buildings

01:12:05line the road,

01:12:06and American flags

01:12:07flutter outside,

01:12:08their ropes slapping

01:12:09against the flagpoles

01:12:10in the wind.

01:12:11I wait for her

01:12:11at the school gate

01:12:12when classes let out.

01:12:13Kids pour out with backpacks,

01:12:15laughing and chattering

01:12:15like a flock of free birds.

01:12:17Rebecca is the last to leave.

01:12:18She holds a young boy's hand

01:12:19and bends down

01:12:20to tie his scarf,

01:12:21moving slowly and gently

01:12:22like a teacher

01:12:22who truly loves children.

01:12:26Mrs. Swanson?

01:12:28She looks up.

01:12:29She has brown hair and eyes,

01:12:30a thin face

01:12:31with high cheekbones.

01:12:32Her smile vanishes

01:12:32the second she sees me,

01:12:34snoffed out instantly

01:12:34like a light

01:12:35unplugged from the socket.

01:12:36Do I know you?

01:12:38My name is Ella Black.

01:12:39I need to talk to you

01:12:40about your father.

01:12:41She lets go of the boy's hand

01:12:42and tells him softly

01:12:43to go find the principal.

01:12:45He runs off,

01:12:46leaving the playground empty.

01:12:47Only the creak of swing chairs

01:12:49swaying in the wind

01:12:50breaks the silence.

01:12:51I don't talk about my father.

01:12:53How did your mother die?

01:12:55She found out

01:12:56what your father was doing

01:12:57then took her own life.

01:12:58She left a suicide note.

01:13:00and you have it.

01:13:01Who are you, really?

01:13:03Someone whose life

01:13:04your father ruined

01:13:04just like he ruined

01:13:05your mother's.

01:13:07We head to a cafe

01:13:08across from the school

01:13:09and sit in a corner booth

01:13:11by the window,

01:13:12watching cars pass by

01:13:13on the street.

01:13:14We're the only two customers.

01:13:16An old song plays

01:13:17on the counter radio.

01:13:18It's soft guitar notes

01:13:20drifting in from afar.

01:13:21Rebecca orders a hot chocolate

01:13:23and cups both hands

01:13:24around the mug

01:13:25as if warming herself up.

01:13:26I don't rush her.

01:13:28I wait until her hands

01:13:29stop shaking

01:13:29before I speak.

01:13:31Has your father

01:13:31contacted you

01:13:32since he got parodied?

01:13:33He calls once a week.

01:13:34Did he ever say

01:13:35where he's staying?

01:13:36No.

01:13:37He never tells me.

01:13:45This isn't real evidence.

01:13:47It's just an anonymous call.

01:13:48I know,

01:13:49but I need your help.

01:13:50Next time he calls,

01:13:51casually ask where he is.

01:13:53Don't make him suspicious.

01:13:57What are you planning to do?

01:13:59Find him

01:14:00and make him turn himself

01:14:01come to him.

01:14:02There's no naivety

01:14:03in her eyes,

01:14:04only despair.

01:14:05She already knows the answer,

01:14:07but she needs

01:14:07to hear me say it.

01:14:09I promise.

01:14:10I lied,

01:14:10and she knows it.

01:14:11Still,

01:14:12she nods her head.

01:14:14Three days later,

01:14:15Rebecca called.

01:14:16I was playing building blocks

01:14:17with my daughters

01:14:18in the living room,

01:14:19and my hands froze

01:14:20the second my phone vibrated.

01:14:26He's staying on Long Island

01:14:27in a small house

01:14:28by the sea.

01:14:28It's registered

01:14:29under a friend's name.

01:14:30Her voice was rangy,

01:14:32like she'd been crying.

01:14:33How did you get him

01:14:34to tell you?

01:14:34I told him I wanted to visit.

01:14:36Then he,

01:14:37he said no,

01:14:38that it was too dangerous

01:14:39because people were after him.

01:14:41And then he cried.

01:14:42Rebecca,

01:14:43are you all right?

01:14:44He's my dad,

01:14:45but he killed someone.

01:14:47He's done far worse things.

01:14:48You know that.

01:14:49I know.

01:14:50She hung up.

01:14:51I sat on the sofa

01:14:52holding my phone,

01:14:54watching the girls

01:14:54build a lopseg tower

01:14:55with blocks.

01:14:56Isabella put a little

01:14:57rabbit figurinoir on top,

01:14:59but Sophia took it away.

01:15:00Instead of crying,

01:15:01Isabella grabbed another one

01:15:02and set it down.

01:15:03They worked together perfectly,

01:15:05like old friends.

01:15:06I didn't go after Swampson

01:15:08right away.

01:15:09Instead,

01:15:10I headed to Brooklyn.

01:15:13The shelter was on a dark street

01:15:14with no streetlights.

01:15:16Graffiti covered the house number,

01:15:18and you had to lean in

01:15:20to read it.

01:15:24Mrs. Black?

01:15:26What did Nick tell you

01:15:27before he died?

01:15:28He stared down

01:15:29at his dusty sandwich

01:15:30on the ground.

01:15:30He said someone wanted him

01:15:31to kill Sebastian.

01:15:32He refused.

01:15:33The man said

01:15:34he would kill him instead.

01:15:37Who was it?

01:15:39I don't know his real name.

01:15:41Everyone called him

01:15:42the Shepherd.

01:15:43I had three witnesses,

01:15:45the anonymous voice

01:15:46from the laundromap dryer,

01:15:47Rebecca, and Raymond,

01:15:48but none of their statements

01:15:49were solid enough.

01:15:50We couldn't trace

01:15:50the anonymous caller.

01:15:51The jury would doubt

01:15:52Rebecca's words

01:15:53because she's Swanson's daughter,

01:15:54and Raymond,

01:15:55with his criminal record,

01:15:56would never be trusted in court.

01:15:57I needed physical evidence.

01:16:00Private detective Victor called,

01:16:02his voice low and grave.

01:16:03Mrs. Black got something.

01:16:05Swanson bought a burner phone

01:16:06after his parole.

01:16:06The store's security camera

01:16:07caught him on tape.

01:16:08Can we get the footage?

01:16:09We don't have time

01:16:09to go through legal formality.

01:16:11There was a short pause on the line,

01:16:12followed by the steady clack

01:16:13of Victor typing on his keyboard.

01:16:15There's another way

01:16:15we can pay the shop owner.

01:16:18How much?

01:16:20$5,000.

01:16:23I'll pay it.

01:16:25Victor came to my house

01:16:26with a USB drive.

01:16:27I plugged it into the computer

01:16:28and opened the file.

01:16:30It was a 30-second video.

01:16:31The quality was poor,

01:16:32but his face was clearly visible.

01:16:34It was Swanson.

01:16:35He wore a gray coat

01:16:36and a baseball cap

01:16:37pulled low over his forehead.

01:16:38He stood at the counter

01:16:39for less than a minute,

01:16:40paid in cash,

01:16:40grabbed the phone and left.

01:16:42His face was on screen

01:16:43for barely two seconds,

01:16:44yet that was more than enough.

01:16:45I recognized those murky eyes,

01:16:47like mud left behind

01:16:48by the receding tide.

01:16:49Buying a disposable phone

01:16:50isn't a crime,

01:16:51but he was spotted

01:16:52at a gas station

01:16:52near Nick's apartment

01:16:53the day before.

01:16:54Another camera caught his vehicle.

01:16:55His own car?

01:16:56No, it was Rebecca's car.

01:16:57My heart sank

01:16:58so he used his own daughter's car.

01:16:59Did Rebecca know about it,

01:17:00or was she kept in the dark too?

01:17:02Pull up the gas station footage as well.

01:17:04Already done.

01:17:05Victor opened a second video.

01:17:07A gray Honda pulled up to a pump.

01:17:08Swanson got out,

01:17:10filled the tank,

01:17:10paid cash,

01:17:11then drove away.

01:17:12The whole thing took less than three minutes,

01:17:13and the license plate was plain to see.

01:17:15It belonged to Rebecca.

01:17:17I didn't call ahead.

01:17:18I drove straight to Rebecca's house.

01:17:20The small town was quiet at night,

01:17:21with no one walking the streets.

01:17:23Street lamps cast warm orange circles of light

01:17:25on the sidewalk.

01:17:26She lived in a cozy wooden cottage.

01:17:28Hydraintra bushes stood by the door,

01:17:30their flowers long gone,

01:17:31leaving only bare branches.

01:17:32I rang the doorbell

01:17:33and waited for a long while.

01:17:35When she finally answered,

01:17:36she was in her pajamas,

01:17:38with her hair loose

01:17:38and eyes swollen from crying.

01:17:40She kept the security chain on at first,

01:17:42then removed it when she saw it was me.

01:17:45You've been crying?

01:17:46She stepped aside and let me in.

01:17:48The living room was tiny,

01:17:49with blankets piled on the sofa

01:17:51and an empty wine glass on the cotch table,

01:17:52a faint red ring left at the bottom.

01:17:54He called me.

01:17:55He said he's running away,

01:17:56leaving the country for good.

01:17:58He told me he'd never come back,

01:18:00and he said he was sorry.

01:18:02I sat across from her

01:18:04and pulled up the gas station footage on my phone.

01:18:07He used your car?

01:18:10What car?

01:18:11I turned the screen toward her.

01:18:12She rushed to the garage,

01:18:13and I followed.

01:18:14The car was still there,

01:18:15but the automatter read 200 more miles

01:18:17than it had the week before.

01:18:19She sank to the floor,

01:18:20knees pulled to her chest,

01:18:21and broke down completely.

01:18:22Her shoulders shook violently

01:18:23as deep, ragged sobs tore through her.

01:18:25I stole my keys while I was asleep.

01:18:27You don't lock your doors?

01:18:28This is a small town.

01:18:30No one locks their doors here.

01:18:31He used me.

01:18:32He's been using me all along.

01:18:34I knelt down and held her.

01:18:35She was so thin,

01:18:37her bones pressing against my arms.

01:18:39Cold lamplight streamed through the windows

01:18:41and fell across the floor.

01:18:42I handed all the new evidence over to Detective Morales.

01:18:45It wasn't proof of murder,

01:18:46but evidence of a fake cell tower.

01:18:48Samir,

01:18:49a young telecommunications engineer of Indian descent

01:18:51with thick-rimmed glasses,

01:18:52spoke quickly,

01:18:53as if reciting formulas.

01:18:55His report stated clearly,

01:18:56during the time of Nick's death,

01:18:58Sebastian's cell phone signal

01:18:59was picked up by a fake base station,

01:19:01not the official mobile network.

01:19:03Someone used a fake cell tower device

01:19:04to mimic Mr. Black's phone number

01:19:06and broadcast signals near Nick's apartment.

01:19:08That's how the network logged his presence there.

01:19:10Who could do something like this?

01:19:12You can buy these devices online

01:19:13for a few hundred dollars.

01:19:15It takes basic nickel know-how to operate,

01:19:17nothing too complicated.

01:19:18Will you testify in court?

01:19:19Yes.

01:19:20Morales read through the report twice.

01:19:22His eyes remained half-lished,

01:19:24but I noticed his fingers tapped the table twice.

01:19:27Mrs. Black,

01:19:28I'll file for a full case review,

01:19:29but it will take time.

01:19:31How long?

01:19:32At least a week.

01:19:33Can I see my husband?

01:19:35This afternoon.

01:19:36I'll arrange the visit.

01:19:40The visiting room was separated

01:19:42by a thick sheet of glass,

01:19:43covered with countless scratches

01:19:44left to people pressing their hands

01:19:45against it over the years.

01:19:47He wore an orange inmate uniform.

01:19:49He hadn't shaved,

01:19:49his hair had grown longer,

01:19:51and dark bags hung under his eyes.

01:19:52Yet his deep gray eyes

01:19:53held no anger or fear

01:19:54when he looked at me,

01:19:55only a quiet, unshakable calm.

01:19:57I picked up the receiver,

01:19:59but he beat me to it on his side.

01:20:02Are you okay?

01:20:04No, I'm not.

01:20:06How are the girls?

01:20:07They're home with the babysitter.

01:20:10Don't come to places like this alone.

01:20:11It's not safe.

01:20:12I don't have a choice.

01:20:14He locked eyes with me through the glass

01:20:15and tapped his fingers twice on the counter,

01:20:17our old secret signal once again.

01:20:19Don't be afraid.

01:20:19Ella, listen to me.

01:20:20Stop fighting for me.

01:20:21Just take care of our daughters.

01:20:22What are you talking about?

01:20:23Swanson wants me, not you.

01:20:25If I plead guilty,

01:20:26he'll leave you and the girls alone.

01:20:27You're not guilty,

01:20:28so you won't plead guilty.

01:20:29I will,

01:20:30if it's the only way to keep you safe.

01:20:31You can't do that.

01:20:32What?

01:20:33Don't you dare plead guilty.

01:20:35I'm going to get you out of here.

01:20:36I hung up without saying goodbye.

01:20:38I saw his lips moving behind the glass,

01:20:40but I didn't stay to listen.

01:20:41I stood up and walked away.

01:20:42The hallway stretched long ahead,

01:20:44the lights flickering overhead.

01:20:45I kept my steps steady,

01:20:46yet silent tears fell onto the tiled floor.

01:20:48I made up my mind to find Swanson myself.

01:20:51Not through lawyers or police.

01:20:52I was going alone.

01:20:53Victor sat in my living room with his arms crossed,

01:20:55his brows drawn tight into a frown.

01:20:57It's far too dangerous.

01:20:58He won't kill me.

01:20:59If he does, he loses all his leverage.

01:21:01How can you be so sure?

01:21:03I thought through his question.

01:21:04What was Swanson's real goal?

01:21:05It wasn't to kill me.

01:21:07It was to destroy Sebastian,

01:21:08lock him up and leave him with nothing,

01:21:09to make him suffer.

01:21:10If I died,

01:21:11Sebastian would have nothing left to hold onto.

01:21:13He'd stop at nothing to get revenge.

01:21:15Swanson wasn't stupid enough to risk that.

01:21:17He only wants to ruin Sebastian.

01:21:18If I die,

01:21:19Sebastian has no more ties to hold him back.

01:21:21He'll fight back with everything he has.

01:21:22Swanson knows that.

01:21:23Victor fell silent for a long time.

01:21:26I'll go with you.

01:21:28I'll wait outside.

01:21:30All right.

01:21:31We drove to Long Island's coastline.

01:21:33Strong winds whipped my hair across my face.

01:21:36Swanson's hideout was a small wooden house

01:21:38with windows facing the ocean.

01:21:40An old Ford sat out front,

01:21:42its windshield covered in dust.

01:21:44I rang the doorbell,

01:21:45but there was no sound.

01:21:46It must have been broken.

01:21:47I knocked on the solid wooden door,

01:21:49the thud dull and heavy.

01:21:51No one answered.

01:21:53I pushed the door.

01:21:54It was unlocked.

01:21:55The living room was pitch dark

01:21:56with all the curtains drawn.

01:21:58Only a thin stream of light filtered in,

01:22:00illuminating floating dust models.

01:22:01The air reeked of cigarette smoke,

01:22:03mildew,

01:22:03and spoiled over food.

01:22:04Lussofo cushions were indented,

01:22:06proof someone had been sitting there moments before.

01:22:07An ashtray on the coffee table

01:22:09was piled high with cigarette butts,

01:22:10many with bite marks on the filters.

01:22:12I walked across the room

01:22:13and pushed open the bedroom door.

01:22:15The bed was messy,

01:22:16covers thrown back,

01:22:17and a few strands of gray hair

01:22:19lay on the pillow.

01:22:20The closet door hung open,

01:22:21hangers lops way

01:22:22and several empty,

01:22:23like missing teeth.

01:22:24He'd taken clothes and fled.

01:22:28He's gone.

01:22:29The bed's still warm.

01:22:31Victor.

01:22:32I'll go after him.

01:22:34Stay in the car.

01:22:35I waited in the car for 20 minutes.

01:22:37Cold, salty sea wind

01:22:38slipped through the window cracks.

01:22:40My grip on the steering wheel

01:22:41was so tight

01:22:41my knuckles turned white.

01:22:43Victor finally returned,

01:22:45looking grimmier

01:22:46than the overcast sky

01:22:46above Long Island.

01:22:47I lost him.

01:22:49He took a narrow trail

01:22:50where cars can't go.

01:22:52Did he know we were coming?

01:22:53Someone must have tipped him off.

01:22:55Who?

01:22:57Victor didn't say a word,

01:22:58but his gaze spoke volumes.

01:23:00One name hung in the air,

01:23:02Arthur.

01:23:02My own lawyer,

01:23:03Arthur Goldstein,

01:23:04a traitor in our midst.

01:23:06I didn't confront Arthur right away.

01:23:08Instead,

01:23:09I had Victor launch an investigation.

01:23:11Victor had connections,

01:23:12a network of former military comrades,

01:23:14old colleagues,

01:23:15and confidential informants.

01:23:16In three days,

01:23:17he uncovered the darkest secret

01:23:18hidden behind Arthur Goldstein's

01:23:19spotless 30-year legal career.

01:23:23A wire transfer of $50,000

01:23:25hit his bank account.

01:23:27It came from a shell company.

01:23:28The same company

01:23:29that paid Monica years ago?

01:23:30The very same one.

01:23:32I was in a daze.

01:23:33Monica,

01:23:34the investigator

01:23:35from the Bureau of Child

01:23:36and Family Services,

01:23:37the one who repeatedly

01:23:39came to my house

01:23:39and drove my mother

01:23:40to fall down the stairs.

01:23:43He was bribed.

01:23:45How long has this been going on?

01:23:46At least a year ago,

01:23:47he was providing Swimson

01:23:48with information

01:23:48about your boyfriend.

01:23:49His schedule,

01:23:50his finances,

01:23:51is everything.

01:23:52For three long years,

01:23:53the man I trusted

01:23:54had been working against us.

01:23:56What do we do now?

01:23:57We keep him in the dark

01:23:58and let him carry on as usual.

01:23:59But we need a new lawyer.

01:24:01Someone we can trust completely,

01:24:02working behind the scenes.

01:24:04Who?

01:24:05Aaron Wolf.

01:24:05A top criminal defense attorney.

01:24:07She has a personal grudge

01:24:08against Swanson.

01:24:09Why?

01:24:09Swanson framed one of her clients,

01:24:11an innocent man and father

01:24:12who took his own life

01:24:13behind bars.

01:24:14She's been waiting for a chance

01:24:15to take Swanson down

01:24:16ever since.

01:24:17Aaron Wolf was in her 50s,

01:24:18with short dark brown hair

01:24:20streaked with gray at the roots.

01:24:21She wore thin gold-rimmed glasses

01:24:23and spoke rapid fire,

01:24:24barely pausing between sentences.

01:24:26Her office occupied the top floor

01:24:28of an old Manhattan office building,

01:24:29with windows overlooking the East River

01:24:31and passing boats.

01:24:32She reviewed every piece of evidence.

01:24:34The fake cell tower report,

01:24:35gas station surveillance scam shots,

01:24:37transcripts of the laundromat audio,

01:24:39and Raymond's recorded statement.

01:24:40She read page after page in total silence,

01:24:43not even blinking.

01:24:45That's enough.

01:24:46Enough for what?

01:24:47Enough to get the charges

01:24:48against Sebastian dropped.

01:24:49But not enough to arrest Swanson.

01:24:51Then let's focus on getting

01:24:52my husband free first.

01:24:54There's one thing you'll need to do.

01:24:55What is it?

01:24:56You have to go public

01:24:57about the original marriage contract.

01:24:59Let the media know the truth.

01:25:01It will establish Swanson's motive

01:25:02for revenge.

01:25:03He'll be seen as someone out

01:25:04to destroy your husband

01:25:05because of your past conflict with him.

01:25:07The jury will follow that reasoning.

01:25:09This will ruin the black group's reputation.

01:25:11She took off her glasses

01:25:12and polished the lenses with her sleeve,

01:25:13a gesture identical to Arthur's.

01:25:15But their eyes were nothing alike.

01:25:16Arthur's were dull and clouded.

01:25:18Hers were sharp and clear.

01:25:19Is that worse than Sebastian

01:25:20spending years in prison?

01:25:21I looked out the window

01:25:22at the slate blue river,

01:25:24watching a barge drift past,

01:25:26leaving a long wake behind it.

01:25:30I'll do it.

01:25:31New York Times journalist

01:25:32Helen McClendon sat across from me.

01:25:34Her small sober recorder

01:25:35sat on the table,

01:25:36sleek and pointed like a bullet.

01:25:38She jotted notes in a notebook

01:25:39with messy handwriting.

01:25:40Yet every question she asked

01:25:41struck straight to the core.

01:25:43Mrs. Black,

01:25:43are you absolutely sure

01:25:45you want to share this publicly?

01:25:46I'm sure.

01:25:47Let's begin.

01:25:49I took a deep breath.

01:25:50Sunlight streamed through the window

01:25:52onto my hands,

01:25:53which rest calmly on my knees,

01:25:55steady and unshaken.

01:25:56My marriage to Sebastian Black

01:25:58began with a formal contract.

01:26:00He paid me five million dollars

01:26:01to be his wife for three years.

01:26:04Helen's pen froze midair,

01:26:06her gaze locked on my face.

01:26:07Is the contract still in your possession?

01:26:09It was burned to ashes on my birthday.

01:26:11He burned it himself.

01:26:13Why are you choosing to tell everyone now?

01:26:15Because someone used this secret

01:26:17to frame him for murder.

01:26:18The man's name is Harold Swanson.

01:26:20He ran an extortion ring,

01:26:22and I was the one who put him behind bars.

01:26:25Now he's out on parole,

01:26:26and he's out for revenge.

01:26:28What evidence do you have

01:26:29to back these claims?

01:26:30Everything.

01:26:31Recordings, photos, witness statements.

01:26:34I'll release all of it.

01:26:35The article ran the next day

01:26:37with a bold headline,

01:26:39Billionaires' Secret Marriage

01:26:40and a DeVivius Conspiracy.

01:26:41It hit over 10 million views

01:26:43within 24 hours.

01:26:44The internet erupted.

01:26:45The comment section was chaotic.

01:26:47Some called me a liar.

01:26:49Others hailed me as a hero.

01:26:50Many questioned my motives

01:26:51or wondered why I'd stayed silent

01:26:53for so long.

01:26:54But none of it mattered to me.

01:26:55For the first time,

01:26:57the general public learned

01:26:58Harold Swanson's name.

01:26:59Swanson lost his cool.

01:27:01He called me directly this time.

01:27:02No voice changer.

01:27:03No unknown number.

01:27:05I heard his real voice.

01:27:06Old, shorty, wheezy

01:27:07like a broken bellows.

01:27:09You think this will force me

01:27:10out of hiding?

01:27:11There was no threat in his tone.

01:27:13Only raw anger.

01:27:14The bitter resentment

01:27:15of an old man cornered

01:27:16by someone he'd always underestimated.

01:27:19You're already out in the lopen.

01:27:21You'll regret this.

01:27:22You've made me regret

01:27:24many things for years.

01:27:25Starting with that 15-year-old girl

01:27:27abused by her stepfather.

01:27:30Silence fell on the line.

01:27:31He held his breath completely.

01:27:34How do you know about her?

01:27:35Your daughter told me.

01:27:36It was all written

01:27:37in your wife's suicide note.

01:27:39Another long pause followed.

01:27:41Eventually,

01:27:42his ragged breathing returned,

01:27:43heavy and heartled

01:27:44as if he'd just ran a marathon.

01:27:46Bella Black,

01:27:47you won't win this.

01:27:48I've already won.

01:27:50You're on the run,

01:27:51hiding away,

01:27:52too afraid to show your face.

01:27:54What else is that but defeat?

01:27:56He hung up the phone.

01:27:58I rose from the sofa

01:28:00and walked to the window,

01:28:01outside.

01:28:02The Manhattan daylight

01:28:03spread across a bustling scene

01:28:05of towering buildings

01:28:06and a ceaseless stream of traffic.

01:28:08Yet I knew full well

01:28:09that in the shadows

01:28:10of this bustling metropolises,

01:28:12Swanson was lurking

01:28:14in some dark corner,

01:28:15like a wild beast

01:28:17driven to the brink.

01:28:18And he would strike back.

01:28:20Sebastian was released

01:28:22from custody.

01:28:23The prosecution dropped

01:28:24all charges against him.

01:28:25Detective Morales came

01:28:27to escort him out personally.

01:28:28The heavy gunmetal gray doors

01:28:30of the detention center

01:28:31creaked open

01:28:31with a low rumber.

01:28:33He stepped outside

01:28:33into the sunlight,

01:28:34which he hadn't seen

01:28:35in over 30 days.

01:28:36He squinted and raised

01:28:37the back of his hand

01:28:38to shield his eyes.

01:28:39He'd lost weight

01:28:39and looked older,

01:28:41with deeper lines

01:28:41around his eyes.

01:28:42Yet his gaze

01:28:43still shone bright.

01:28:44Those deep gray eyes

01:28:45were like a frozen winter lake,

01:28:46with life and movement

01:28:48hidden beneath the ice.

01:28:49I waited for him

01:28:50at the entrance,

01:28:51along with our daughters,

01:28:52who might ask

01:28:52the babysitter to bring along.

01:28:54The second Isabella

01:28:55spotted her father,

01:28:56she pulled free from my grasp

01:28:58and ran to throw her arms

01:28:59around his leg.

01:29:00Sophia was a little slower

01:29:01and clung to his other leg.

01:29:03Daddy's home!

01:29:04Daddy's home!

01:29:05He noted down

01:29:05and pulled both girls

01:29:06into his arms.

01:29:07His hands trembled,

01:29:09not from fear,

01:29:09but from holding back

01:29:10his emotions.

01:29:12His shoulders shook,

01:29:13yet no tears fell.

01:29:14He lifted his head

01:29:15and looked straight at me

01:29:16over the tops

01:29:17of our daughters' heads.

01:29:18How did you manage all this?

01:29:20I never gave up.

01:29:21He stood up,

01:29:22still holding Isabella

01:29:23in one arm

01:29:23and reached out for me

01:29:24with his free hand.

01:29:25I took three steps forward

01:29:27and he wrapped his arms

01:29:28around me,

01:29:29holding both me

01:29:29and our daughter close.

01:29:31Isabella giggled,

01:29:32squished between us.

01:29:33Thank you.

01:29:34There's no need.

01:29:35I owed you.

01:29:36You don't owe me anything.

01:29:38You love me.

01:29:41I said nothing in reply,

01:29:43because he was right.

01:29:44you little bit,

01:29:44That's a man.

01:29:45Gariff –

01:29:45You know,

01:29:45he is not doing it.

01:29:45Grazie a tutti.

Spring Waltz - Full EP

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