- 1 minute ago
- #aishortdrama
- #betrayal
- #dramaseries
- #romancedrama
💔 She waited five years for him to choose her… but he chose someone else.
Lena finally walks away and cancels the wedding. But when Adrian realizes what he lost, she’s already moved on and driving her own road. 🏎️❤️🔥
#AiShortDrama #Betrayal #Dramaseries #Romancedrama
Lena finally walks away and cancels the wedding. But when Adrian realizes what he lost, she’s already moved on and driving her own road. 🏎️❤️🔥
#AiShortDrama #Betrayal #Dramaseries #Romancedrama
Category
🎈
FunTranscript
00:00My friend was a big-shot rally driver.
00:02He'd won the championship three years on a run.
00:05Every year.
00:06The champion got to choose someone for a ride in his passenger seat.
00:10For the past three years, that spot had gone to his co-driver, Sienna.
00:14This year, with our wedding coming up, I finally asked Adrian to save it for me.
00:19He promised he would.
00:20But on race day, I found out he'd never planned to keep that promise.
00:24I went backstage to wish him luck and heard one of his teammates laughing.
00:28You're seriously going to throw the race?
00:30Rigging the draw for Sistiana three years in a row was one thing.
00:33But there's no draw this year.
00:35You can just pick Lena.
00:37You still won't give your own fiancé the seat?
00:39Your dream laughing.
00:41If I lose, I don't have to pick anyone.
00:43Everybody wins.
00:44You really don't want Lena in that car.
00:47Why would I?
00:48She doesn't know shit about racing.
00:49She doesn't belong in my passenger seat.
00:52Aren't you worried she'll find out and leave you?
00:54Lena?
00:55He actually laughed.
00:57She spent five years chasing me.
00:59The wedding's almost here.
01:00She's not going anywhere.
01:01And even if she did, who else would want her after me?
01:03So the last three years hadn't been bad luck.
01:06He'd made sure that seat was never mine.
01:08Fine.
01:09He could keep his damn passenger seat.
01:11I was done waiting for it.
01:13I walked away before anyone saw me.
01:16An hour later, Adrian tried to lose.
01:19I could tell.
01:19He braked too early twice.
01:22Lost time on a section he normally dominated.
01:24And made mistakes I'd never seen him make in competition.
01:27It still wasn't enough.
01:29And he's done it again.
01:31Adrian Cole takes his fourth rally championship title.
01:35Adrian climbed out of the car, looking almost irritated by his own victory.
01:39Then came the champion's ride.
01:40His gaze swept across the audience.
01:42For one second, it stopped on me.
01:44Even after everything I'd heard, and some humiliating part of me still hoped.
01:49Adrian looked away.
01:50Then he held out his hand to Sienna.
01:52Her eyes widened as if she hadn't expected it.
01:54My co-driver.
01:55My pleasure.
01:56My phone buzzed.
01:57Adrian.
01:58Let Sienna have this one.
02:00After the wedding, once we're public, you can ride with me whenever you want.
02:03I'd spent five years waiting for later.
02:05Adrian drove Sienna to the end of the exhibition course.
02:08A spot fans had jokingly nicknamed Lover's Turn because drivers often brought partners there after races.
02:15Reporters surrounded them.
02:16Adrian, did you know where you were stopping?
02:18Sienna, are you two together?
02:20Sienna smiled and saying nothing.
02:22Adrian didn't deny it.
02:23The crowd screamed.
02:25Phones lifted everywhere.
02:26Within minutes, clips of them were spreading online.
02:29Three years of shipping them and it's finally real!
02:31I stared at the screen, and whatever love I had left for Adrian finally disappeared.
02:36Then I opened the reservation for the wedding venue Adrian and I had booked nearly a year ago.
02:40A message appeared.
02:42System cancellation requests are processed in order.
02:45Submit request.
02:47Pressed cancel.
02:49I had almost reached the edge of the rally grounds when Adrian caught up with me.
02:53Lina!
02:57Where are you going?
02:58He touched the top of my head like nothing had happened.
03:01Everyone's waiting.
03:01The victory bin is starting.
03:03I'm not going.
03:04His expression tightened.
03:06You're upset because I didn't choose you?
03:08I looked at him.
03:10I already explained.
03:12Once we're married in public, you can sit beside me whenever you want.
03:15There it was again.
03:17Right now I've got the press, the team, sponsors, a hundred things to deal with.
03:21Everyone else understands that.
03:22Why can't you?
03:23Adrian took my wrist and led me back before I could argue.
03:26By the time we entered the private dining room, Sienna sat between several members of the team.
03:33Two seats were empty.
03:34Adrian walked straight to the one beside her.
03:37I took the other.
03:40Lina, where were you?
03:42Adrian was looking everywhere for you.
03:44Nowhere.
03:44Just walking.
03:45Lina!
03:46Are you angry with me?
03:50I'm sorry.
03:51I shouldn't have accepted the champion's ride.
03:54If it bothers you this much, I'll stay away from Adrian outside races.
03:58Adrian put a hand on her shoulder.
04:00Then he looked at me.
04:02Lina, be reasonable.
04:04He hadn't said a word.
04:07Sienna is my co-driver.
04:09We race together.
04:10Me inviting her isn't some betrayal.
04:12Don't turn this into something bigger than it is.
04:14A platter of lobster was placed in front of us.
04:16Adrian pulled one toward himself and began cracking the shell.
04:20He placed the meat neatly onto Sienna's plate.
04:22When he noticed me watching, he actually explained.
04:26She hates dealing with the shells.
04:27Years ago, the first time Adrian had dinner with my family,
04:31he'd insisted on doing the exact same thing for me.
04:33He'd cut his finger on the shell and laughed while my father handed him a bandage.
04:38I'll take care of her.
04:39I just haven't won enough yet to give her everything she deserves.
04:42He had won plenty since then.
04:43Apparently, someone else had become the person who deserved it.
04:47A bite went down wrong and I started coughing.
04:51Adrian frowned.
04:56Slow down.
04:56He patted my back, then automatically reached for a glass and placed it in front of me.
05:01Drink.
05:01I stared at the pale, yellow liquid.
05:04Lemonade.
05:04Sienna's favorite.
05:06I didn't touch it.
05:07Adrian frowned.
05:08What?
05:09I'm allergic to lemon.
05:13After dinner, someone suggested moving to the private game lounge next door.
05:17Normally, I would have gone home.
05:19Tonight, I stayed.
05:21I still hadn't told Adrian we were over.
05:23Within 20 minutes, it became obvious Adrian was throwing the game for her.
05:28He discarded exactly what she needed, ignored easy chances to win, and laughed every time
05:35she celebrated.
05:36You're terrible tonight, Cole.
05:39Maybe I just want her to win.
05:40My stomach started aching.
05:42I pressed a hand against my abdomen.
05:45Adrian noticed immediately.
05:50Stomach ache again?
05:51His palm covered mine automatically, rubbing slow circles through my dress.
05:55You know you shouldn't eat that much when your stomach's acting up.
05:57But that was the confusing thing about Adrian.
05:59He could remember I had stomach problems.
06:03He could notice when I was tired.
06:05He could search an entire rally ground because I disappeared.
06:08And somehow, none of that stopped him from hurting me.
06:11I shifted away.
06:13The game continued.
06:15By the end of the game, Adrian was the only one who hadn't won.
06:20One of the drivers laughed.
06:22Alright, champion.
06:23Take your punishment.
06:25Adrian pulled a dare card.
06:27Kiss the person on your right.
06:29If you refuse, the person on your right takes a shot.
06:32Yeah!
06:34Sienna was sitting on Adrian's right.
06:36Everyone looked at me.
06:37They were waiting for the jealous fiance.
06:40It's a game.
06:41Do whatever you want.
06:42Adrian's expression changed.
06:45No, forget it.
06:46Adrian's already under enough pressure.
06:48I don't want Lena getting upset with him later.
06:49I'll drink.
06:50It's fine if I get a rash.
06:52You're not drinking.
06:55But...
06:55It's one kiss.
06:57He stood.
06:57Then, in front of me and half his team,
07:00Adrian Cole cupped Sienna's chin and kissed her.
07:03Not a quick brush of the lips.
07:04Not something embarrassed or accidental.
07:06A real kiss.
07:13The cheering in the room drowned out my words.
07:16Adrian, we're done.
07:17When the kiss finally ended,
07:19he turned to me as if nothing had happened.
07:21What did you say?
07:22Looking at him,
07:23I suddenly found the whole thing exhausting.
07:26Nothing.
07:26I said I'm tired.
07:27I'm going home.
07:29Right.
07:29You always go to bed early.
07:30Go ahead.
07:31We'll stay a little longer.
07:32He didn't think much of it.
07:36When I got home,
07:37I started packing.
07:39Clothes.
07:40Shoes.
07:41Cosmetics.
07:43Everything that actually belonged to me
07:45went into my suitcase.
07:49The matching mugs.
07:51Slippers.
07:52Most of them had been mine alone
07:54for a long time anyway.
07:59Half an hour later,
08:00I was done.
08:03I picked up my phone
08:04and saw a new post from his co-driver.
08:07There were four photos of trophies.
08:09Every championship trophy he had ever won.
08:11Her caption read,
08:12Can't drive a rally car?
08:13Doesn't matter.
08:14He'll win the trophies for me.
08:17Comments were flooded with congratulations.
08:20Everyone seemed convinced
08:21they were finally together.
08:23I closed the post
08:24and opened the page for our wedding venue.
08:27I had booked it a year ago.
08:28I chose the place.
08:30But he had once stayed up night after night,
08:32helping me finalize every detail.
08:34He told me I was his princess.
08:36And a princess deserved a perfect wedding.
08:38I pressed confirm cancellation.
08:42A second later,
08:43the front door slammed open.
08:46Before I could say a word,
08:48he slapped me across the face.
08:50What the hell is wrong with you?
08:52Why would you report her
08:53for using a banned stimulant
08:54before the race?
08:55Do you have any idea
08:56what an accusation like that
08:57could do to a rally co-driver's career?
08:58Don't blame her.
08:59This is my fault.
09:00I'm sorry.
09:01I shouldn't have become your co-driver.
09:02I shouldn't have raced beside you.
09:04I shouldn't have accepted
09:05the passenger seat invitation.
09:08Please, just stop reporting me.
09:10I can survive a suspension.
09:11I can survive people attacking me.
09:13But if this affects him too,
09:15I'll never forgive myself.
09:17She started crying harder
09:18and stepped toward me.
09:19But Adrian immediately pulled her back,
09:21wrapping a protective arm
09:22around her shoulders.
09:23I didn't report her.
09:24Stop lying.
09:25It's already trending.
09:26I opened my phone.
09:27The rally championship organizers
09:29had released a statement
09:30saying she would undergo
09:31another drug test.
09:32Underneath it,
09:33strangers were already
09:34tearing me apart.
09:35They called me jealous.
09:37A woman trying to destroy
09:38the racing world's favorite couple.
09:39Post a video.
09:41Tell everyone you made the accusation
09:42because you were jealous,
09:43then apologize to her and the public.
09:45I stared at him.
09:46He wanted me to confess
09:47to something I hadn't done.
09:49If you don't,
09:51don't blame me for forgetting
09:52the five years we've been together.
09:54Then he shoved me aside.
09:55I stumbled backward.
09:56My elbow slamming
09:57to the edge of the table.
09:58Pain shot through my arm.
10:00Five years.
10:01Apparently,
10:01that was all they were worth.
10:03Before he could say anything else,
10:04her phone rang.
10:05It was the rally championship testing team.
10:07They wanted her to come in
10:08immediately for another sample.
10:11Instinctively moved closer to him.
10:13He reassured her
10:14that he would go with her.
10:16Then his phone buzzed.
10:17He glanced at the screen.
10:19His entire body went still.
10:21System,
10:22your wedding venue reservation
10:23has been successfully canceled.
10:25He stared at the message
10:26for several seconds.
10:27Is that some kind of prank?
10:29He finally looked up at me,
10:30and the shock in his eyes
10:32quickly turned into contempt.
10:34You think this is going to scare me?
10:38If the wedding were really canceled,
10:40you'd be the one begging me to marry you.
10:42I felt nothing.
10:44No anger.
10:45No disappointment.
10:46I just wanted to leave.
10:48I expect your apology video online tonight.
10:51Then the two of them left together.
10:54Half an hour later,
10:56I dragged my suitcase out of the apartment
10:58and headed for the airport.
11:01I bought the first available flight
11:03out of the city.
11:08As the plane accelerated down the runway
11:10and lifted into the night sky,
11:11I looked out the window.
11:12For five years,
11:13I had wanted one place beside him.
11:16Now I finally understood.
11:17I didn't need his passenger seat.
11:20I needed a life that was mine.
11:23Meanwhile,
11:24he accompanied his co-driver
11:26to the testing center.
11:27Before the sample was taken,
11:29she hesitated.
11:31Can't you make her clear everything up now?
11:33Then maybe I won't need another test.
11:36She lowered her voice.
11:37It's already been hours.
11:39What if that affects the result?
11:41He shook his head.
11:43Not yet.
11:44If she posts now,
11:45I can't protect her from the backlash.
11:46I'll make her do it when I get home.
11:49I'll announce our relationship at the same time.
11:52Once people know she's my fiancé,
11:54they should back off.
11:55Her expression changed.
11:57There you are.
11:59We've been waiting for you.
12:00She followed the staff member in for testing.
12:02When it was over,
12:03she looked pale and distracted.
12:05He assumed she was simply exhausted
12:07and drove her home.
12:08At nine that night,
12:09he returned to our apartment.
12:10Every light was off.
12:12The uneasiness he had been trying to ignore
12:14grew stronger.
12:14Stop pretending you're asleep.
12:17You still need to deal with what you did.
12:20He switched on the lights.
12:22The entire room was empty.
12:24He searched the entire apartment.
12:27Then he noticed the pile in the corner.
12:29The matching things we had once bought together
12:32were still there.
12:33But everything that belonged only to me
12:36was gone.
12:37He froze.
12:39His eyes slowly moved back
12:41to the cancellation message on his phone.
12:43For the first time,
12:44he realized I hadn't been trying to scare him.
12:47I had really left.
12:49After my flight landed,
12:50I sent him two words.
12:53We're over.
12:54Then I removed the SIM card from my phone
12:56and threw it away.
12:57I never saw the calls that followed.
13:00He called again and again
13:02until his phone died.
13:03That night,
13:04he sat alone in the apartment
13:06surrounded by everything we had once shared,
13:09refusing to believe I was actually gone.
13:11I bought a new number
13:13and started over.
13:14With the money I had saved over the years,
13:17I rented a small studio
13:19in a busy commercial district.
13:21I used what remained
13:22to hire a private investigator.
13:25I still didn't know
13:26who had reported his co-driver
13:27or why the blame
13:29had been pushed onto me.
13:31But I intended to find out.
13:35A month later,
13:37my studio was ready.
13:38I turned it into a fashion design business.
13:42Fashion design had been my major in college
13:44and before I started building my life
13:46around Adrian's career,
13:48I used to take private commissions.
13:50I had even designed a custom racing suit
13:53for him once.
13:54He never wore it.
13:55He told me privately designed suits
13:58couldn't be used in professional competition.
14:00So eventually,
14:01I stopped asking.
14:03Now,
14:03returning to design
14:05felt surprisingly natural.
14:07Within days of opening,
14:08orders began coming in
14:09faster than expected.
14:11For the first time in years,
14:13my days revolved around my own work
14:15instead of his races.
14:17One afternoon,
14:18my assistant approached me
14:20with an amused smile.
14:21One of our regular customers
14:23wants to discuss another suit order
14:24with you over dinner.
14:25He specifically asked for you.
14:28Stop gossiping
14:29and finish sorting today's orders.
14:31For the first time in a long time,
14:33I felt like myself again,
14:34back in the city I had left behind.
14:36He looked nothing like
14:38the rally championship star
14:39everyone knew.
14:40Making another call,
14:42Did you find her?
14:45Before the person
14:46on the other end could answer,
14:47the apartment door opened.
14:49His former co-driver
14:51walked in with red-rimmed eyes.
14:53A few days earlier,
14:54her test results
14:55had come back positive.
14:57Now,
14:58when he looked at her,
14:59there was no tenderness left.
15:02You actually came here?
15:04She swallowed.
15:06The organizers know about the drugs.
15:08They're going to punish me.
15:10You have to help me.
15:14You knew exactly
15:15what the rules were.
15:16His voice rose.
15:18Someone saw what you did
15:19and reported you.
15:21Fine.
15:22But then you let
15:23everyone believe
15:24she was responsible.
15:27If you hadn't framed her,
15:28she wouldn't have left me.
15:31She grabbed his sleeve.
15:33I was exhausted
15:34before the race.
15:36I only took the stimulant
15:37because I was scared
15:38I'd lose focus
15:38and cost you the championship.
15:40Tears filled her eyes.
15:41And I never said
15:42she reported me.
15:44People assumed it.
15:45I just didn't correct them.
15:47Please.
15:49If you speak to the organizers,
15:50maybe they won't make
15:51this public.
15:52He pulled his arm away.
15:57You think I'm going
15:57to protect you?
15:59But you kissed me.
16:02That was a stupid game.
16:05I never loved you.
16:07Before she could answer,
16:08the voice from his phone
16:09cut through the room.
16:10We found her.
16:10He went completely still.
16:12She opened a fashion studio.
16:14The moment he heard
16:15where I was,
16:16his expression changed.
16:18He immediately had
16:19his former co-driver
16:20escorted out
16:21and called the rally
16:22championship organizers.
16:24Whatever punishment
16:25she deserves,
16:26give it to her.
16:27I won't interfere.
16:29Then he looked at himself
16:30in the mirror.
16:31Weeks of drinking
16:32and sleepless nights
16:33had left him
16:34looking exhausted.
16:35He called a stylist.
16:37Fix my hair.
16:38Find me a suit.
16:39After a pause,
16:40he added quietly,
16:41something she'd like.
16:44Once he was cleaned up,
16:45he drove to the racing club
16:47and had his rally car detailed.
16:48Then he placed a huge bouquet
16:50of roses on the passenger seat.
16:52The seat I had once
16:54begged to sit in.
16:55He got behind the wheel.
16:57Wait for me.
16:59Across the city,
17:00I was having dinner
17:01with one of my studio's
17:02biggest clients.
17:03I set down my fork
17:04and confirmed the terms.
17:0630% up front.
17:07The remaining balance
17:08is due when the suit
17:09is finished.
17:09You know I'm not going
17:10to disappear without
17:11paying.
17:12He had become
17:13a regular client
17:14since my studio opened.
17:16By then,
17:16I had started to suspect
17:18he had another reason
17:19for placing so many orders.
17:24If you'd consider
17:25going out with me,
17:25I'd happily pay
17:26a much bigger deposit.
17:28Can we keep this meeting
17:29about the suit?
17:30He laughed.
17:31What made the situation
17:33even stranger
17:34was that we had
17:35known each other
17:35in high school.
17:36He had asked me out
17:37back then too.
17:38Apparently,
17:39some people were
17:40unusually persistent.
17:41When dinner ended,
17:43I was about to call a car
17:44when his sports car
17:45pulled up beside me.
17:48Get in.
17:48I'll drive you back.
17:50I accepted the ride.
17:55When we reached my studio,
17:56I turned toward him.
17:59Do you want to come upstairs for?
18:00Sure.
18:01I'll park first.
18:04The car disappeared
18:05into the nearby garage.
18:07Lena.
18:07I had just turned
18:08toward the studio entrance
18:09when someone called my name.
18:11When I turned around,
18:12I saw the man
18:12I had left behind.
18:13He stood beside his rally car
18:15holding a bouquet of roses.
18:17The passenger window
18:18was down.
18:19For years,
18:19I had wanted that seat
18:21more than I could explain.
18:22Now,
18:22I looked at it
18:23and felt nothing.
18:24What are you doing here?
18:25His eyes were bloodshot
18:26despite the effort
18:27he had clearly made
18:28to look presentable.
18:29I finally found you.
18:30His voice was hoarse.
18:32Come home with me.
18:33I said nothing.
18:34I know the truth now.
18:36Sienna tested positive.
18:38Someone else reported her
18:39and she let everyone blame you.
18:40I gave everything
18:41I found to the organizers.
18:44My investigator
18:45already found the evidence.
18:46He stared at me.
18:47So what exactly
18:48do you think this changes?
18:49A moment later,
18:50an arm settled casually
18:51across my shoulders.
18:53Who's this?
18:54His eyes locked
18:55on the arm
18:56around my shoulders.
18:58Who is he?
19:00Before I could answer,
19:01my client raised an eyebrow.
19:03Isn't it obvious?
19:04I shot him a warning look.
19:06He immediately
19:06lifted both hands.
19:07All right, all right.
19:09We're not together.
19:10I'm just trying
19:10to win her over.
19:11The man in front of us
19:12visibly relaxed.
19:14I know I was wrong.
19:15Give me one chance
19:16to make it up to you.
19:17I had the car cleaned
19:18and serviced.
19:18You always wanted
19:19to sit beside me,
19:19didn't you?
19:20From now on,
19:21that seat will only be yours.
19:23And every time I win,
19:24you'll be the person I invite.
19:25I looked at the roses.
19:27Once,
19:27those words would have
19:28made me happier
19:29than anything.
19:30Now,
19:30they only reminded me
19:31how long I had begged
19:32for something
19:32he could have given me
19:33at any time.
19:34I don't understand you.
19:36You spent years
19:36choosing her over me.
19:38You wouldn't even acknowledge
19:39our relationship publicly.
19:42I looked directly
19:43into his eyes.
19:44Then I finally left.
19:45You got exactly
19:46what you wanted.
19:47So why are you here?
19:48I didn't want you to leave.
19:49But you made sure
19:50I knew I came second.
19:51No!
19:51I never loved her.
19:54That doesn't matter.
19:56He went silent.
19:58I took the bouquet from him.
19:59For one brief second,
20:01hope appeared in his eyes.
20:02Then I dropped it
20:03into the trash can
20:04beside us.
20:04We were already over
20:06when you chose her
20:06for the passenger seat
20:07after promising me
20:08you wouldn't.
20:09When you remembered
20:10what she liked to eat
20:11but forgot I was
20:12allergic to lemon.
20:13When you kissed her
20:14in front of me.
20:16And when you slapped me
20:17because you believed her
20:18without even asking
20:18whether I was telling the truth.
20:20I don't want your
20:21passenger seat anymore.
20:22The words came easily.
20:25You reached toward me.
20:26I kept our relationship
20:27private because I wanted
20:28to protect you.
20:29I swear I never...
20:30It doesn't matter
20:30why you did it.
20:31I stepped back
20:32before he could touch me.
20:33You did it.
20:36For years,
20:37I had listened
20:38to his explanations.
20:39The races came first
20:40because his career mattered.
20:42Sienna needed him
20:43because she was
20:44his co-driver.
20:45Our relationship
20:46had to stay hidden
20:47because he wanted
20:49to protect me.
20:51And I had accepted
20:52every excuse
20:53because I loved him.
20:55But love didn't change
20:56what had happened.
20:58He had promised me
20:59the passenger seat.
21:00Then chosen her.
21:03He had kissed her
21:04in front of me.
21:06And when she accused me
21:07of trying to destroy
21:08her career,
21:09he hadn't even asked
21:10for my side of the story.
21:11He had slapped me first.
21:13Adrian opened his mouth again,
21:15but Ethan moved between us.
21:16She said it's over.
21:19For once,
21:21Adrian had nothing to say.
21:22I looked at him
21:23one last time.
21:24The roses were in the trash.
21:26His rally car
21:27was waiting beside the road.
21:28And the passenger seat
21:30I had wanted for five years
21:31was finally empty.
21:33I turned and walked
21:34into my studio
21:35without looking back.
21:36Adrian didn't give up.
21:37After training,
21:39he started driving
21:39to my studio
21:40and waiting outside
21:41in the same rally car.
21:42Sometimes he brought flowers.
21:44Sometimes he just sat
21:45behind the wheel.
21:46Rain or shine.
21:48Whenever I left work,
21:49he was there.
21:50I never stopped.
21:51The passenger seat
21:52remained empty.
21:53Weeks passed like that.
21:54Eventually,
21:55even my assistant
21:56stopped asking
21:56whether I wanted her
21:57to send him away.
21:58I simply walked past him
22:00as if the car weren't there.
22:01Then,
22:02the rally championship
22:02announced the official results
22:04of the investigation.
22:05Sienna had tested positive
22:06for a banned substance.
22:10Received a five-year suspension.
22:13No serious racing club
22:14wanted to hire a co-driver
22:16with that record.
22:17And the career
22:18she had tried so hard
22:19to protect
22:20collapsed
22:20because of her own choices.
22:22I released the evidence
22:23my investigator
22:24had collected too.
22:25The messages,
22:26the timeline,
22:27and the investigation
22:28made one thing clear.
22:29I had never reported her.
22:31She had known people
22:32were blaming me
22:32and had deliberately
22:33let them continue.
22:34The same people
22:35who had called me jealous
22:36began deleting their comments.
22:38My name was cleared.
22:39I could have watched
22:40the backlash turn against her.
22:42I didn't.
22:42Sienna had the consequences
22:44of her own choices.
22:45Adrian could keep
22:46waiting outside.
22:47Neither of them
22:48had anything to do
22:49with my life anymore.
22:50My studio grew faster
22:52than I had expected.
22:54Within a year,
22:55my small team
22:56could barely keep up
22:57with the orders.
22:58The studio I had rented
22:59after leaving Adrian
23:00was no longer enough.
23:02We hired more assistants.
23:05Two years later,
23:06I started opening
23:07additional studios
23:08across the country
23:09by the third year.
23:10My designs were being
23:11commissioned internationally.
23:12It was strange
23:13to think about
23:14how long I had ignored
23:15this part of myself.
23:19Adrian.
23:20I had loved designing.
23:22Then his training schedules
23:24became my schedules.
23:26His championships
23:27became the dates
23:28I remembered.
23:29His victories
23:30became the milestones
23:31around which I measured
23:32our life.
23:33Even the racing suit
23:34I had designed for him
23:35had ended up forgotten
23:36because he never wore it.
23:40Now people came to me
23:41because they wanted
23:42something I had created.
23:45My name stood on the door.
23:47My designs carried
23:48my reputation.
23:49Every success
23:50belonged to me.
23:52By the fourth year,
23:54I had become
23:55an internationally
23:56recognized designer.
23:57I even received offers
23:59to work exclusively
24:00for major
24:00entertainment companies.
24:03I turned them down.
24:05I liked being my own boss.
24:07For years,
24:08I had built my life
24:09around someone else's career.
24:11Now I had one of my own.
24:13I had spent five years
24:14asking Adrian
24:15to make room for me.
24:16Building my own life
24:17turned out to be much easier.
24:21Nathan stayed too.
24:24Unlike Adrian,
24:25he never asked me
24:26to build my life
24:27around his.
24:28When I was busy,
24:30he waited.
24:31When I traveled for work,
24:33he never complained
24:34that my career
24:35was taking me away
24:36from him.
24:37When my business
24:38expanded overseas,
24:40he expanded his own
24:41work there too.
24:43He never asked me
24:44to become smaller
24:45so he could feel bigger.
24:47And no matter
24:48how many times
24:49I told him
24:49he didn't have
24:50to follow me around,
24:51he stayed.
24:53He had pursued me
24:54since we met again.
24:56But the choice
24:57had always remained mine.
24:59That mattered
25:00more than I expected.
25:02Eventually,
25:03I chose him.
25:05Years later,
25:06I walked into
25:07our wedding venue
25:08without wondering
25:09whether the man
25:10waiting for me
25:10would someday
25:11choose someone else.
25:13There was no
25:13secret relationship.
25:15No other woman
25:16standing in the place
25:18that was supposed
25:18to be mine.
25:20No promise
25:21that I only needed
25:22to wait a little longer.
25:23I already knew
25:25where I stood.
25:26As I looked
25:27across the guests,
25:28I caught sight
25:30of a familiar figure
25:31standing quietly
25:32at the back
25:33of the venue.
25:34Adrian,
25:35for a moment,
25:36our eyes met.
25:37Once,
25:38seeing him
25:38would have made
25:39my entire world stop.
25:41Now,
25:41he was only someone
25:42from a life
25:43I had already
25:43left behind.
25:44I looked away.
25:47Ethan slipped
25:48the ring onto my finger.
25:49I smiled.
25:51I didn't look
25:52toward the back
25:52of the room again.
25:53I didn't need
25:54to know why
25:55Adrian had come.
25:56I didn't need
25:57another apology.
25:59And I didn't need
26:00to see whether
26:00he regretted losing me.
26:02Once,
26:02I had thought
26:03love meant waiting
26:04for someone
26:04to finally give me
26:06a place beside him.
26:07For five years,
26:09I had watched
26:10Adrian win.
26:11I had celebrated
26:13his championships,
26:14adjusted my life
26:15around his career,
26:16and convinced myself
26:18that being patient
26:20was the same thing
26:21as being loved.
26:22I had wanted
26:22his passenger seat
26:24because I thought
26:25it meant he had
26:25finally chosen me.
26:27But when he eventually
26:28came back
26:29and offered it to me,
26:30I no longer wanted it.
26:32By then,
26:34I had learned
26:35the difference
26:35between being given
26:36a place in someone
26:37else's life
26:38and building
26:39a life of my own.
26:40I knew better now.
26:42I didn't need
26:43anyone's passenger seat.
26:45I had my own road.
26:47Ethan took my hand.
26:48I turned toward him.
26:51Behind me
26:51were the years
26:52I had spent waiting.
26:53Ahead of me
26:54was a life
26:54I had chosen for myself.
26:56And this time,
26:57I was the one
26:58choosing where it led.