She used a fake photo to date Casper Vencelbi online. She never knew he was her best friend Sasha's uncle, and the most feared Don in the Vencelbi crime family.
Online, he worshipped her. In real life, he was cold, untouchable and impossible to read. So she ghosted him without warning and blocked every account, and told herself it meant nothing. Then the man she walked away from turned out to be the one she'd end up living under.
Would you have told him the truth, or kept hiding? Leave a comment below.
#MafiaRomance #DarkRomance #Catfished #RomanceDrama #FullEpisode #ForbiddenRomance #DramaSeries
Online, he worshipped her. In real life, he was cold, untouchable and impossible to read. So she ghosted him without warning and blocked every account, and told herself it meant nothing. Then the man she walked away from turned out to be the one she'd end up living under.
Would you have told him the truth, or kept hiding? Leave a comment below.
#MafiaRomance #DarkRomance #Catfished #RomanceDrama #FullEpisode #ForbiddenRomance #DramaSeries
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FunTranscript
00:00I dated a guy online with a fake snapshot, who was 10 years older than me.
00:05Fuck. Look at you, baby. Now it's only fair I send something back.
00:09Come here and let me kiss that mouth. You'd look even prettier blushing for me.
00:13He was basically two completely different people in real life and online.
00:17He was untouchable in real life, but online he could say the filthiest things easily.
00:22You drive me crazy, baby.
00:24When he got emotional, he told me he wanted to be on my leash and wanted to meet me immediately.
00:28Let me come see you tonight.
00:31I couldn't handle how clingy he got.
00:33Baby, where are you? Call me. I miss you. Can I see you? Why are you ignoring me?
00:38So I dumped him and blocked him on every plesterm.
00:42A few months later, I lost lots of weight and was crashing at my bestie Sasha's place.
00:46When I accidentally ran straight into her uncle, we were chatting by the pool when he finished his laps and
00:52stood up out of the water.
00:53The longer I stared at that dead-to-the-wound face, the more familiar it looked.
00:58Don't even go there. My uncle cannot stand girls who make the first move.
01:01Ever since some girl ghosted him online, anything would set him off.
01:06So your uncle's name wouldn't happen to be Casper Vinselby, would you?
01:12Oh my god, how do you know that?
01:14Not only did I fall into an online relationship with Sasha's own uncle, I actually re-ran back into him
01:20more than six months after the breakup.
01:22The odds were lower than winning the lottery.
01:24Before I could even say a word, Sasha already waved it off like it was nothing.
01:29I mean, it makes sense. We basically share a brain, you and me.
01:33It's not that weird that I mentioned my uncle's name at some point.
01:37Sasha kept right on talking, already building me a perfectly logical out.
01:40I just sat there frozen for a long moment.
01:43The moment my brain landed on the fact that Casper Vinselby was somewhere in this big house,
01:47my heart started slamming against my ribs for no good reason.
01:51I couldn't stop my mind from drifting back to an hour ago.
01:54When Sasha brought me home, Casper was just coming out of the pool.
01:58He carried this sharp, untouchable coldness with a lazy kind of heat underneath.
02:02Looking at him, I felt like I knew him from somewhere.
02:05By the time I snapped out of it, Casper just gave a slow, flat nod.
02:08Those dark, distant eyes swept across me without a single flicker.
02:12He saw me as nothing but one of his niece's ordinary college friends.
02:15There was no way I would ever connect someone that composed and closed off to the guy I used to
02:20talk to online.
02:21Baby, you there?
02:23He was relentless while online.
02:25Dirty talk on tap every single day.
02:27Baby.
02:28He called me baby and wife constantly, and his possessative was suffocating.
02:32Come on, say you missed me.
02:32I was young and honestly had no idea what I was doing when it came to feelings.
02:37Miss me already, baby?
02:39Casper got me so flustered so often, it was embarrassing.
02:44I dragged myself out of bed in the middle of the night just to splash cold water on my face.
02:49So how many people has your uncle actually been with?
02:54Girl, just one online thing, and he was really into her.
02:56No, like, really into her.
02:58Didn't see it coming at all when she dropped him cold.
03:00Just like that.
03:01Poof.
03:03His temper has been getting worse and worse these past six months.
03:08Oh, babe.
03:09If he acts out, just let it go.
03:11It's not personal.
03:12He's like that with everyone.
03:15Sasha's mother, Donna Vanceleby, called us down for breakfast in the morning.
03:19Kasper sat right across from me at the table.
03:24My eyes kept drifting to him, no matter how hard I tried to stop.
03:27Then the next second, Kasper seemed to sense it.
03:30He looked up and caught me dead on.
03:31My heart jumped.
03:32Even after I looked away, I could still feel Kasper's eyes sitting on me.
03:36He didn't pull them back for a long time.
03:38Maren, you have to try this.
03:39I make the best lasagna, hands down.
03:42I snapped back, and Donna's warm smile came into focus.
03:46Flattery has always been my strong suit.
03:48A few lines in, and she was already laughing.
03:50Stay as long as you need, honey.
03:51Make yourself at home.
03:52Thank you, Mrs. Vincelby.
03:53And I thought to myself, even living under the same roof as Kasper Vincelby,
03:56there was no real way he would ever figure out I was the one who ghosted him.
04:00My nerves were probably wasted on nothing.
04:02I just needed to stay calm and act normal.
04:04The table talk slowly drifted toward Kasper.
04:06I caught enough of it after a while.
04:07Donna seemed to have set him up with some girl not too long ago.
04:11But every time she brought up how things were going, Kasper's whole tone stayed flat.
04:15Donna, I already told you.
04:17I'm not into her.
04:18We met twice.
04:19I barely remember what she looks like.
04:21What exactly do you want from me here?
04:24I don't know what kind of woman you're actually waiting for.
04:27Lord knows when that thick skull of yours is going to figure it out.
04:30Kasper, you're in your 30s and not dating anyone.
04:32Sometimes I honestly wonder if you're gay.
04:35A quiet snort of laughter hit my ear out of nowhere.
04:39Mom, trust me.
04:41There is absolutely nothing wrong with my uncle in that department.
04:46He just had a rough run.
04:47The girl he was waiting on played too many games.
04:50Sitting there listening to all of it, I nearly shoved my whole face into my plate.
04:54There was no way I was saying a single word.
04:56But of course, the thing you dread most always finds you first.
04:59Maren Thone?
05:01My brain went completely blank for a second.
05:04My face drained and I had absolutely nothing to say.
05:08Then Donna stepped in right on time and pulled me out.
05:10Hey, Maren is a guest in this house.
05:13You leave her alone.
05:15Uncle Kasper, she said her name once and you already memorized it.
05:18The table stayed loud and I kept my head down and said nothing.
05:22What I completely missed was Kasper quietly narrowing those dark eyes.
05:26Sasha had been running a fever for the past couple days.
05:29After breakfast, she took her meds and went straight back to bed.
05:33I went downstairs to get her some water and caught Donna on her way out the door.
05:38I tried to be polite and asked what was going on.
05:42It's Kasper.
05:44He rushed out this morning and left his documents behind.
05:46I was just about to run them over.
05:49I have no idea what got into him today.
05:51He's never this scatterbrainy.
05:53My hands moved faster than my head did.
05:56I'll deliver that to him for you, Mrs. Vincelby.
05:59Oh, I couldn't ask you to do that.
06:01Mrs. Vincelby, I'm not doing anything anyway.
06:03It's fine.
06:04I have always had one thing going for me.
06:07Since I was little, I knew how to read a room and make myself useful.
06:12I was out of state, so home was far away.
06:15Donna was kind enough to take me in and I was not about to just sit there and eat her
06:19food for free.
06:21This was the least I could do.
06:23Donna couldn't argue me out of it.
06:24She texted me the address.
06:26Once I got in the cab, I pulled out my phone and searched Kasper Vincelby.
06:30Every result said basically the same thing.
06:33Ruthless.
06:34Decisive.
06:35No mercy.
06:36It was hard to picture someone like that ever getting into an online relationship.
06:40Back then I was deep in my Ivy League application grind and my parents had just split.
06:45Real life was a mess, so I lived on social media just to feel something else.
06:49That was how I met Kasper.
06:52I figured an online relationship was still a relationship.
06:55The dopamine hit was real and it kept me going, but I kept my guard up.
06:58I used the fake photo and told him I had just graduated college.
07:02I never gave him my real name either.
07:05Unlike most people who did this kind of thing, I kept things locked down.
07:09Every time Kasper tried to video call, I declined.
07:13The only thing I agreed to was 30 minutes of voice call every night, and that was it.
07:18Kasper, on the other hand, gave me everything without me asking.
07:22He shared every detail of his day, like I was the only person who mattered.
07:27He sent me money constantly.
07:29The numbers he transferred were genuinely terrifying, and I sent every cent back.
07:33All I wanted was something to feel, not his money.
07:36There was no future in this, so taking it would have made me the worst kind of person.
07:41Then Kasper started getting more and more attached.
07:44One day he brought up meeting in person out of nowhere.
07:48Meeting in person, was he serious?
07:51I thought about it for a long time and finally typed it out.
07:54There's no point in meeting up.
07:56I'm kind of over this.
07:57Let's end it.
07:59The second I sent that, I removed him and blocked him on everything.
08:03I figured after all this time, Kasper had long moved on from whatever we had.
08:09But the way Sasha talked about it, it kind of sounded like he hadn't.
08:13This was my first time setting foot on Vincelby territory.
08:17The receptionist walked me down to the basement, and I saw the most luxury casino ever.
08:23No wonder he used to throw money at me like it was nothing.
08:26I ran into him as I was a little scared by the view of the casino.
08:31The second my eyes met Kasper's, I froze.
08:35Backlit the way he was, every sharp line of his face looked dangerous.
08:39So this was who he actually was.
08:42He looked like he had just wrapped up a meeting.
08:44A group of older men, serious family figures, trailed behind him.
08:49Not one of them could touch his energy.
08:52The whole casino went quiet for a second.
08:55One of the men looked me over with a little too much interest.
08:59Don Vincelby, and who is this?
09:01Every set of eyes in that hallway was on me.
09:04Kasper's gaze landed on me and stayed there for just a beat.
09:08Then he stepped in front of me without making a thing of it.
09:11A friend.
09:13I stood there caught off guard for a second.
09:15I could not explain.
09:17Shouldn't he have said his neat's classmate?
09:18Don Vincelby, she says she's here to drop off your documents.
09:22Got it. Take her to my office.
09:27Everything's delivered. I'll get out of your way.
09:30The second I turned around, something stopped me cold.
09:33Did I say you could leave?
09:35He was close. Way too close.
09:38I caught his scent. Something clean and faint.
09:40For a second, my brain went completely offline.
09:43All I could register was where his hand touched my arm.
09:46It felt like a current moving under my skin.
09:49My whole chest pulled tight.
09:50I have something to say to you.
09:53I had no idea what Kasper wanted to say to me.
09:55As far as he was concerned, we only had one thing in common.
09:59That was Sasha.
10:01His whole vibe being off made me anxious.
10:06By the time his assistant came in to swap out the coffee for the third time,
10:10I was already losing my patience.
10:12Then the next second, Kasper walked through the door.
10:20Mr. Vin...
10:21Mr. Vinselby.
10:23I stood up on instinct, and I felt completely awkward doing it.
10:34Sit down.
10:36You don't work for me.
10:37You don't have to call me that.
10:39Being alone with him made me suffocating.
10:41With that sitting in my head, I felt my way into it.
10:45So, why did you keep me here?
10:48You got your phone on you?
10:49Kasper ignored my question and flipped it back at me,
10:52his voice carrying that leave-no-room tone.
10:55Give me your social media account and your number.
10:57I'll add you and send over the car reimbursement.
11:01What?
11:02I almost thought I heard him wrong.
11:04Kasper Vinselby personally handling a cab fare?
11:07No, no.
11:09It's really not that much.
11:10Don't worry about it.
11:11Besides, I've been staying at your place for free.
11:14Those are two different things.
11:21I don't like owing people.
11:23I was about to push back,
11:25but the words stopped right at the edge.
11:27Something flashed in my head.
11:29If Kasper was pushing this hard,
11:31maybe he already figured something out?
11:33As Sasha's friend,
11:35there was no real reason he had to add me on anything.
11:38One explanation.
11:39He already had his suspicions about me.
11:41The second that landed,
11:43I pressed down hard on the panic trying to crawl up my chest.
11:46This man was something else.
11:48He had nothing concrete on me,
11:50and he still managed to point his suspicion right at me.
11:56When I typed my handle into his phone,
11:58I kept my face neutral
11:59and watched his hands shake.
12:02Just barely.
12:04He was waiting on something.
12:06I could feel it.
12:07But then Kasper's expression went stiff
12:09at the corners of his mouth.
12:11He even scrolled through my profile
12:13like he was not ready to give up yet.
12:16After a while,
12:17he finally let it go.
12:19The reason I could hand over my account so calmly
12:21was simple.
12:22The old one I used with him,
12:23I deleted it the same day I cut him off.
12:26My whole online presence now
12:28was nothing like it used to be.
12:30Kasper had no way to prove anything.
12:32But I noticed he still had the couple photo up
12:34as his profile picture.
12:37Something in my chest got complicated.
12:40We had been done for months,
12:42and he never changed it.
12:44The silence in the room got heavy.
12:47Kasper lifted his head slowly,
12:49his voice unreadable.
12:50You don't have anything to say to me?
12:53Nope.
12:54I kept a smile on my face.
12:56I got up and played it easy.
12:59It's getting late.
13:00I should head back.
13:01If I stayed any longer,
13:03I was going to crack.
13:04Hold on.
13:06A chill ran all the way up my spine.
13:09I'll have my driver take you.
13:14The reimbursement Kasper sent over
13:16was enough to cover a month of rides.
13:18I thought about it and took it anyway.
13:21Going back and forth about it
13:22would have just been annoying,
13:24and Kasper was not going to feel that in his wallet.
13:27But I still could not explain it.
13:30Every single time I was around him,
13:32my nerves were shot.
13:34The moment I stepped out of his office,
13:37every eye in the casino floor landed on me.
13:40I caught people whispering.
13:42They were all trying to figure out
13:43what I had to do with the great Don Vincelbi.
13:47I came back to reality fast.
13:49This was Kasper Vincelbi.
13:51People had worshipped the ground
13:53he walked on his whole life.
13:55A man like that was never going to sit still
13:58knowing someone had played him.
14:00Since I could not afford the consequence to find out,
14:04keeping it buried was the only move I had.
14:07By the time my brain caught up,
14:10the car was already pulling into the estate.
14:12Kasper did not come back for two straight days.
14:15Donna mentioned he had other properties around the city.
14:18Apparently that was nothing unusual.
14:21Not having to face him in the house,
14:22I felt myself exhaling for real.
14:26Sasha finally shook her fever.
14:27And with all that energy back,
14:29she was not staying cooped up inside.
14:32Maren, it's Justin's birthday today.
14:34Everyone's getting together tonight.
14:35Come with me.
14:36I pressed my lips together.
14:40Justin was a friend Sasha and I shared
14:42from back when we were all running
14:43in the same circle at school.
14:44Once we all ended up at the same college,
14:46we stayed close.
14:47I figured getting out of the house would do me good.
14:51So I said yes.
14:53The spot was a place that just opened up at this new mall.
14:57Justin and the rest of the group were already out front,
14:59loud and laughing.
15:00Yeah, that's a good idea.
15:02The second Justin saw me,
15:04his whole face lit up,
15:06and he was not subtle about it.
15:08Maren, I literally said no gifts.
15:10I smiled.
15:12Not a chance.
15:13You got me something serious for my birthday.
15:16I would feel terrible showing up empty-handed.
15:18I held out the watch I picked out for him.
15:21Justin took it with this awkward little smile,
15:22and his expression stiffened for just a second.
15:25You always have to keep score with me, don't you?
15:27I smiled and played dumb.
15:29Then Sasha threw her arm around my shoulder out of nowhere.
15:33She looked back and forth between me and Justin,
15:35like she was collecting evidence.
15:37Justin, which gift do you like more?
15:39Mine or Maren's?
15:41The group lost it.
15:43Justin's ears went full red.
15:45Before he could even get a word out,
15:47Sasha was already grinning like she had something on everyone.
15:50I already know.
15:51Maren just does it for you every time.
15:55You know, I don't feel that way about Justin.
15:58You keep stirring it up in front of everyone.
16:01What if he actually gets the wrong idea?
16:04Okay, but honestly,
16:06Justin is good-looking and he's loyal.
16:07Why don't you like him?
16:10Out of nowhere, Casper's face just appeared in my head.
16:15I shook it off hard.
16:17Feelings don't work like that.
16:19There's no reason.
16:22If it's not there, it's not there.
16:23You can't force it.
16:27Sasha saw how closed off I was about the whole thing
16:29and hooked her arm through mine.
16:31Okay, okay.
16:33I'll leave you two alone for good.
16:36At the shooting range,
16:37Casper had his tactical glasses on
16:39and was going head-to-head with one of his guards.
16:42Every single shot hit dead center.
16:45The guard got so rattled by his energy
16:47that he just quit on the spot.
16:50Keep shooting.
16:56What's going on with the boss today?
16:57He's not right.
16:58Last time he got this unhinged
17:00was when that girl dumped him.
17:06So this is actually about a woman again?
17:08Didn't he spend six months
17:10trying to track her down
17:10and came up empty?
17:12He was absolutely gone for her back then.
17:16Now, Hainan's are summer.
17:17So what, he's on to someone new now?
17:20The guy next to him shook his head slow,
17:22like he knew something.
17:25What if it's not someone new, though?
17:27What if the one who's getting to him twice
17:30is the same person?
17:32Casper was breathing hard.
17:34He pulled off his glasses
17:36and walked straight to the lounge area.
17:39When he tapped the screen,
17:41he stopped for just a second.
17:43The message was from a friend of his
17:44who ran a bar downtown.
17:48Casper stared at the girl in the photo
17:50for a long time without saying anything.
17:54Put that table on my tab.
17:56I'm on my way.
17:57Dinner ran almost two full hours.
17:59After that, everyone pushed
18:00for round two somewhere else.
18:01I got dragged along
18:02whether I wanted to go or not.
18:03Justin got us a big VIP booth at the bar.
18:05This was my first time at this place.
18:07Halfway through the drink,
18:08someone threw out the idea
18:08of playing Truth or Dare.
18:11A few rounds in,
18:12and it landed on me.
18:13I held for a few seconds
18:15and picked Truth.
18:17Justin was the one asking this round.
18:19He had been totally checked out
18:20the whole time up until now.
18:23But this time,
18:24he sat there
18:24and actually thought about it.
18:26When was the last time
18:27you actually felt something for someone?
18:30I already knew the answer
18:32and it felt like forever ago.
18:34But if I was being honest,
18:37six months ago.
18:40One night,
18:40I called Casper like usual.
18:43He picked up a few seconds late
18:45and I made a whole thing out of it.
18:47I was being dramatic
18:48and I knew it.
18:51Casper stayed patient the entire time
18:53and just talked me down.
18:56Then I heard whistling come through
18:57from his side of the line.
18:59Boss,
19:00why are you always letting her walk
19:01all over you like this?
19:02She's just some girl you met online.
19:04You're actually serious about this?
19:07Get out.
19:08My leash is in her hand
19:10and I put it there.
19:12What the hell does that have to do with you?
19:16Something jumped in my chest right then.
19:18This warm feeling
19:19spread through me slowly
19:20from somewhere deep.
19:22I was not sure
19:23if it was because he stood up for me.
19:26By the time I came back to the reality,
19:28I caught something dim out in Justin's eyes.
19:31He looked like he had more to say.
19:34The drinks kept flowing
19:35and the energy in the booth
19:36was at its peak.
19:38Justin drew dare this round.
19:41Someone in the group got loud
19:42and dared him
19:43to pick me up
19:44and do 10 squats.
19:45I was not okay with that.
19:47Sasha clocked it instantly
19:49and jumped up without hesitation.
19:51No, stop it.
19:52Everyone cut it out.
19:54But the group was not letting it go.
19:57Come on,
19:58a dare's a dare?
20:00Fine,
20:00if not that,
20:02she can at least take a shot, right?
20:06Are you serious right now?
20:07Maren is allergic to alcohol.
20:09None of you knew that?
20:10Pick something else.
20:11Come on.
20:13The whole vibe shifted
20:15into something strange.
20:16I figured everyone was just annoyed
20:17the game got killed.
20:18But then a voice came
20:19from right behind me,
20:21cool and low.
20:22I'll drink for her.
20:23Before I even processed it,
20:25Sasha was already on her feet,
20:26completely stunned.
20:27Uncle Casper?
20:28What are you doing here?
20:31Casper showing up here
20:32caught me completely off guard.
20:34I just stood there,
20:35staring at him.
20:36The light hit the sharp lines
20:37of his face
20:38and made him look almost unreal.
20:40Everyone around us
20:41held their breath
20:42without even thinking about it.
20:44By the time my brain caught up,
20:46he was already sitting
20:47right next to me
20:47like it was nothing.
20:52So how many was
20:53the original punishment?
20:55Eight shots.
20:56Some girl across the booth
20:57answered with her whole face
20:58on higher.
21:03He kept going
21:04until all eight shots
21:06were down.
21:13Sorry, I need to borrow her
21:15for a minute.
21:15Keep going without us.
21:18I was still in a daze
21:19by the time I got
21:20into his car.
21:22Mr. V,
21:23my friends are still
21:24back there.
21:27It was clear
21:27my little title for him
21:28set him off.
21:31Maren.
21:32Every word came out
21:33like ice.
21:34My ex was allergic
21:35to alcohol too.
21:36You think that's a coincidence?
21:38My mind went
21:39completely blank.
21:41I looked at his face
21:42right in front of mine
21:43and had absolutely
21:44nothing to say.
21:45I could not even
21:46hold his gaze.
21:48Honestly,
21:49a lot of people
21:49are allergic to alcohol.
21:51At my school alone,
21:52there are...
21:53Casper closed the gap
21:54and pinned me
21:55between himself
21:56and the seat.
21:57His breath and mine
21:58tangled together
21:58in the space between us.
22:00My face went hot.
22:01He held that position
22:02and looked at me
22:03for a long time.
22:04In March,
22:07you just got out
22:08of college.
22:10He said it slow,
22:11one piece at a time.
22:12He watched my face
22:14the whole way through.
22:15Every word hit like a fist
22:16straight to the chest.
22:17Even after you ghost me,
22:19I believed every single thing
22:20you ever told me.
22:21I believed.
22:22No wonder I could never find you
22:23no matter how many people
22:24I sent.
22:25Everything my girlfriend
22:26ever told me was fake.
22:28Was it fun?
22:29Playing me like that?
22:33Casper let it all out
22:34in one shot.
22:35His chest heaved
22:36and his shoulders shook
22:37with it.
22:38His face was dark
22:39in a way that made
22:40the air feel dangerous.
22:41I closed my eyes
22:42and accepted it.
22:43So there was no
22:44escaping this after all.
22:46There was nothing
22:46left to argue.
22:48How did you figure out
22:49I was her?
22:53Take a guess.
22:54Casper scoffed
22:54and the laugh
22:55that came out of him
22:55was all edge.
22:57Those dark eyes
22:57were full of something
22:58that looked a lot
22:59like accusation.
23:00We were together
23:00long enough
23:01that I may not know
23:02your face
23:04but your voice
23:07I know every note of it.
23:09I had my suspicions
23:10from the day you
23:10walked into my house.
23:11Nothing lined up
23:12but I trusted my gut.
23:14By the time I registered
23:15what was happening
23:16Casper already had
23:17my chin in his hand.
23:18He forced my eyes
23:20up to his.
23:21The way he looked at me
23:21was something
23:22that looks like hurt.
23:25Maren
23:26you really underestimated
23:27how much I loved you.
23:29Loved?
23:30Me?
23:31That word hit so hard
23:32I lost the ability
23:33to speak.
23:34For a second
23:34I had no idea
23:35what to do with any of it.
23:36Everything I could have said
23:37piled up right at the edge.
23:41I'm sorry.
23:43Back then I wasn't
23:44thinking that deep
23:44I just needed someone around.
23:46You happened to be there.
23:49I wasn't trying to play you
23:50I swear.
23:53I just wasn't going
23:54to hand my real life
23:55over to someone
23:55I met online.
23:57If I hurt you
23:58I mean it when I say
23:59I'm sorry.
24:00The car went quiet
24:01for a second.
24:02My eyes opened
24:03halfway on their own.
24:04For just a moment
24:05I caught something dark
24:06moving behind Casper's eyes.
24:08Then it was gone.
24:09You think I need
24:09an apology from you?
24:11I pressed my lips together
24:12lost.
24:14One question
24:16after you left
24:18did you ever regret it?
24:19His breath hit my face
24:21fast and warm.
24:22I had no idea
24:22why he was asking me
24:23this right now.
24:24He saw me hesitate
24:25and something shifted
24:27like he was scared
24:28of what I might say.
24:29You don't have to answer
24:30right now.
24:30I caught the tremor
24:31underneath his voice.
24:32Guilt hit me in the chest
24:33all at once.
24:34I already lied to him once.
24:35Was I really going
24:36to keep going?
24:37I could not do it.
24:39Casper, I-
24:40Don't!
24:40If it's something
24:41I don't want to hear
24:43please just don't say it.
24:44The vein along his neck
24:45was standing out
24:46from how hard
24:46he was holding it together.
24:47Those words just hung
24:48in the air
24:49and made it hard to breathe.
24:50After a long moment
24:51the redness crept
24:52into the corners of my eyes.
24:53I said it anyway.
24:54Back then it was
24:55just something to kill time
24:56and I figured
24:57you were in it
24:57the same way I was.
24:59So no,
25:00after we ended it
25:01I never regretted it
25:01because I never really
25:03thought about you that much.
25:04The air after that
25:05was the kind of quiet
25:06that does not feel right.
25:08Casper smiled at himself
25:09and the whole thing
25:10looked hollow.
25:11To me it felt
25:12like a hundred years.
25:14And now?
25:17What do you mean now?
25:19Right now.
25:21Do you want to
25:22start over with me?
25:25You said you were bored
25:26when you ended things.
25:28I'm different now.
25:30Every single thing
25:31you didn't like
25:31I'll change it.
25:33Maren,
25:34if you just come back
25:35I won't hold
25:37any of it against you
25:38Casper
25:39are you serious right now?
25:41You know that I
25:41I know.
25:44I'm betting on it
25:45that one day
25:46you'll actually
25:47fall for me.
25:51Something went off
25:52in my head.
25:53Every thought I had
25:54cleared out.
25:54All I could feel
25:55was my heart slamming
25:56like it was trying
25:57to break out.
25:58It would not settle down
26:00for a long time.
26:01That night
26:01Casper had someone
26:02drive me and Sasha home.
26:04Before we left
26:05I spotted him
26:06and Justin
26:07on the sidewalk
26:07talking about something.
26:09On the ride back
26:10Sasha was all over me
26:11with questions.
26:12She kept asking
26:13why her uncle
26:14and I had snuck off alone.
26:16It's a long story
26:17Sasha.
26:18Then give me
26:19the short version.
26:22At this point
26:23there was no reason
26:23to hide it from her.
26:25You remember that girl
26:25your uncle was talking
26:26to online a while back?
26:27She blinked at me.
26:29Then she nodded
26:30still trying to put it together.
26:31That was me.
26:35No way.
26:37Her whole face
26:37just dropped.
26:38She needed a solid minute
26:39before that actually landed.
26:40Then she leaned in
26:41with this look on her face
26:42like she could not decide
26:43whether to scream.
26:43So the one who had
26:44my uncle on a leash
26:45that was actually you?
26:47Okay.
26:47Respect.
26:48You are genuinely
26:49that girl.
26:50I am so going to
26:51hold this over him
26:51next time he tries
26:52to boss me around.
26:54She was grinning
26:55like she just won something.
26:56After I got back
26:57I never reached out
26:58to Casper.
26:59I never gave him
27:00a real answer that night.
27:01He did not push.
27:04Instead he just gave me space.
27:06Friday night
27:07there was a club dinner.
27:08Justin sat right next to me
27:10the whole time.
27:11Same as always.
27:12But the second I stood up
27:13to step outside for air
27:14my vision went blurry.
27:16A wave of heat
27:17exploded through my body
27:18and spread fast.
27:19I had only had one drink
27:20and I immediately knew
27:20something got into my glass.
27:22You okay Marin?
27:23You need some air?
27:24Justin grabbed my arm
27:25while everything
27:26was still spinning.
27:27I'm fine.
27:28You don't have to-
27:28I'm not leaving you.
27:29Likes you look awful.
27:29He walked me toward the door
27:30with his hand on my waist.
27:32Every part of me recoiled.
27:34I wanted out of his grip
27:35immediately.
27:36Justin kept his arm around me
27:37his voice careful
27:38and probing.
27:39There's a hotel
27:40right down the street.
27:40I can get us a room
27:41so you can rest.
27:42Something felt wrong.
27:43The heat inside me
27:44kept building
27:45and my legs
27:45stopped working right.
27:46I had nothing left
27:47to push him away with.
27:48Right when I was about
27:49to give up-
27:49Marin!
27:50I heard Casper's voice
27:51cut through.
27:52He was calling my name?
27:53Everything was blurred
27:54but I felt it.
27:55That familiar pull around me.
27:56Every bit of panic
27:57in my chest went quiet.
27:58Backseat of the car.
28:00My face was burning
28:02and my whole body
28:03felt like it was
28:04running a fever.
28:06Being close to Casper
28:07was the only thing
28:08that made any of it better.
28:14I kissed him first.
28:16Casper lost his breath
28:17almost immediately.
28:20Marin,
28:20we can't.
28:22He pulled back,
28:23chest heaving.
28:25Back at his place,
28:27Casper was already
28:28on the phone.
28:30Right now,
28:31get a doctor to my house.
28:33He hung up
28:33and pulled me
28:34straight to the bathroom.
28:35I thought he was
28:36finally done holding back.
28:38Instead,
28:39he put me in the tub
28:40and ran cold water.
28:41He pulled off his tie
28:43and wrapped it
28:43around my wrists,
28:44one loop at a time.
28:46Stay still.
28:47The doctor is almost here.
28:51I reached up
28:52and bit down
28:53on his lower lip.
28:54His whole body
28:55went stigic
28:56and his voice
28:56came out completely wrecked.
28:59Can you just hold on
29:00a little longer?
29:01I don't know
29:02what they put in that drink.
29:03I am not risking
29:04your body like that.
29:07Everything went black
29:08and I passed out.
29:17Casper finally exhaled
29:18when he saw
29:18my breathing steady
29:19on the bed.
29:20Before the doctor arrived,
29:21he wrapped me
29:22in a towel first.
29:23He made sure
29:24I was not exposed
29:25before he let anyone
29:26into the room.
29:26She got lucky.
29:27The dosage in her system
29:28was low.
29:29Once she sleeps it off,
29:30she should be
29:30completely fine.
29:32He walked the doctor out
29:33and came straight back.
29:34The second his mind
29:36went to Justin,
29:37his whole face darkened.
29:39Before he brought me home,
29:40he had his guys
29:41beat Justin half to death.
29:50That's on me.
29:52A friend gave it to me.
29:54He said after tonight,
29:55Maren would never
29:55look at anyone else.
29:57But I swear,
29:58I never meant to hurt her.
29:59I...
30:01He never finished
30:02the sentence.
30:03Another hit came
30:04before he could.
30:05You put your hands on her.
30:07You already knew
30:08what came next.
30:09Casper's mind drifted back
30:10to the night
30:11he walked me out of the bar.
30:12Justin had stopped him
30:13on the way out.
30:14Casper, be real.
30:15You and Maren
30:16are not from the same world.
30:18Back off.
30:19You're not right for her.
30:21You hesitated
30:22to take a shot for her.
30:24What exactly
30:24are you protecting her with?
30:25Money, power,
30:26everything she could ever want?
30:27I've got all of it.
30:28She's mine.
30:29That's already decided.
30:34I woke up in a bed
30:35I did not recognize.
30:36But the second I saw Casper
30:38stumped over the edge
30:39of the mattress,
30:40asleep,
30:40I felt myself settled.
30:43I moved
30:43and he was awake immediately.
30:45You're up.
30:46Anything hurt?
30:47Last night.
30:48Nothing happened last night.
30:50I need you to know that.
30:51The doctor already came.
30:52But if anything feels off,
30:53I'm taking you to the hospital
30:54right now.
30:55He was already handing me
30:56a glass of water.
30:58I looked up at him
30:59and caught the worry
31:00sitting open in his eyes
31:01and my throat went tight.
31:04I threw myself
31:05into his chest
31:05and just cried.
31:12He pulled me in
31:13and held on.
31:14You're okay.
31:15I'm right here.
31:18I'll make sure
31:18you get justice for this.
31:20Nobody touches you.
31:21I don't care who it is.
31:22After a long moment,
31:23I finally smiled.
31:25Casper,
31:26I think I'm starting
31:27to fall for you.
31:36Half a year went by
31:37and somehow
31:38me and Casper
31:39were still going strong.
31:41He was relentless.
31:43Any opening he got,
31:44he was all over me.
31:46He used everything
31:47he had to pull me in
31:49and he was not subtle
31:50about it.
31:52Late one night,
31:54Casper held her close
31:55and asked,
31:57Tell me,
31:59who am I to you?
32:03Her face went red
32:05and I refused
32:06to say a word.
32:10We've been together
32:10this long
32:11and you're still this shy?
32:15Say it, baby.
32:17Am I your dog
32:18or what?
32:21You're my dog.
32:25Good girl.
32:27I love you so much.
32:33The phone on the night stain
32:34went off
32:35at the worst possible moment.
32:36Sasha's messages
32:37started rolling in
32:38one after another.
32:39Marne,
32:40since you're basically
32:40about to be my aunt,
32:41I'll let you in on something.
32:43Donna completely lost it
32:44when she found out
32:45about you two.
32:46She will not stop
32:46asking Casper
32:47to bring you home.
32:49Honestly,
32:49you might be the only girl alive
32:51who never has to worry
32:52about the in-law situation.
32:53We all love you.
32:54That's just how it is.
32:55You might be the only girl
32:57You might be the only girl
32:57who never has to worry
32:57You might be the only girl
32:57about the in-law situation.
32:58You might be the only girl
32:58who never has to worry
32:58about the in-law situation.
32:58You might be the only girl
32:59You might be the only girl
