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00:00:00The cold hospital lights glared down from the ceiling.
00:00:04I stared blankly ahead.
00:00:07Where's your husband?
00:00:10He doesn't know.
00:00:14I had just had an abortion.
00:00:17I wore an oversized coat, my face pale and my steps unsteady.
00:00:22Even so, people still stared at my body and whispered among themselves.
00:00:28Without looking back, I headed to the flight.
00:00:31Then my billionaire husband, Julian, sent me exactly $7 on Venmo.
00:00:36The message attached was a cold slap in the face.
00:00:38Buy yourself a cup of black coffee. No sugar, no cream.
00:00:42Looking all bloated like that, this is all the money you deserve.
00:00:48Sophie forgot to cover your sister's hospital posit.
00:00:50Consider this your reimbursement. That was your own failure to manage.
00:00:53Going forward, any personal expense over $30 needs prior approval through Sophie.
00:01:00I stared at the screen, my chest tightening.
00:01:03Why aren't you responding?
00:01:05Don't think carrying my kid gives you the right to do whatever you want.
00:01:08He didn't care.
00:01:10I need you to issue a statement tomorrow.
00:01:13Chloe's delayed surgery had nothing to do with Sophie.
00:01:15A few extra days waiting isn't a big deal.
00:01:19Not a big deal.
00:01:21Where are you? Why aren't you home?
00:01:23Pick up or I'll have your sister with 80 less discharged from that hospital tonight.
00:01:27He didn't find me for several hours.
00:01:29Then he drove to the hospital anyway.
00:01:31He knew I would never abandon Chloe when she was this sick.
00:01:34He barged into her room, expecting to find me cowering.
00:01:40Where's the patient in this room?
00:01:43You didn't know?
00:01:44Her family couldn't pull together the funds in time.
00:01:47She didn't make it.
00:01:49Five days ago, Chloe's condition worsened.
00:01:52I was desperately begging for $40,000 for a murder.
00:01:55Julian, I need $40,000.
00:01:58It's her last chance.
00:01:59Please.
00:02:00I told you, if you need money, go through Sophie.
00:02:03She'll handle it.
00:02:06Let last night go.
00:02:07You're always jealous.
00:02:09Get over it.
00:02:10I stopped Chloe's treatment.
00:02:12You needed to learn a lesson.
00:02:14And that's my call, not Sophie's.
00:02:16She did what I told her to do.
00:02:21Go see Sophie.
00:02:22I already told her to handle it.
00:02:24I'm busy.
00:02:25I don't have time for another meltdown.
00:02:30He walked out.
00:02:33He was so certain I would swallow my pride and come crawling.
00:02:37He didn't know it was already too late.
00:02:40But getting anything from Sophie was always like pulling teeth.
00:02:45$40,000 is a significant sum.
00:02:47I'll need an itemized breakdown before I can process a request like this.
00:02:52She deliberately signed Chloe's death warrant, and Julian let her.
00:02:57Hey, maybe you should eat a little less.
00:02:59Who knows?
00:02:59You might have saved enough for your sister's surgery.
00:03:03She looked down at me, tapping her finger against the paperwork with a patronizing smile.
00:03:08Instinctively, I pulled my jacket around me to cover myself up.
00:03:12The itemized receipts won't be available until she's discharged.
00:03:16I'm not saying I don't believe you.
00:03:18She turned away and casually straightened the framed photos on the shelf,
00:03:21her voice dripping with fake loyalty.
00:03:23I've seen plenty of people inflate their expenses.
00:03:26Julian's reputation is everything.
00:03:27It's my job to protect it.
00:03:29Besides, those are his rules.
00:03:32Any personal expense over $30 have to go through me for approval first.
00:03:36Get the hospital to provide a written confirmation of the amount,
00:03:39and I'll submit it for approval.
00:03:41By the way, Julian has always liked women who take care of themselves.
00:03:45I'm sure you know that.
00:03:46I don't care that she humiliates me again and again.
00:03:48I just want my older sister to get better.
00:03:50So I did exactly what she told me.
00:03:54I rushed back to the hospital and got the document.
00:03:59Then I sat in that cold hallway, surrounded by the sharp smell of disinfectant.
00:04:04I waited.
00:04:06And waited.
00:04:09When I finally broke down and called to ask about the status,
00:04:13she answered as if it was nothing.
00:04:17Oh, my bad.
00:04:18I completely forgot about it.
00:04:20You're not mad at me, are you?
00:04:22Because she forgot,
00:04:24Chloe missed the only compatible organ donor.
00:04:29All I could do was watch
00:04:30as the doctors desperately shocked her.
00:04:33Again and again,
00:04:35her body jerking on the hospital bed.
00:04:38But thank God,
00:04:40she survived again.
00:04:43The doctor stepped out of the room,
00:04:45looking at me with unbearable pity.
00:04:47This was her last chance at emergency care.
00:04:50It was her only hope.
00:04:52But the payment for the treatment,
00:04:54it didn't come through in time.
00:04:56He held tightly onto my shoulders,
00:04:58trying to keep me steady.
00:04:59Tears spilled down my face,
00:05:00blurring my vision.
00:05:01Her one chance to survive,
00:05:03gone.
00:05:03In that moment,
00:05:05something inside me died for good.
00:05:07And that was when I finally made my decision.
00:05:09The last time I stood outside Julian's office,
00:05:12he was leaning back in his leather chair,
00:05:14visibly annoyed by my uninvited interruption.
00:05:17What is it now?
00:05:20I want a divorce.
00:05:23Don't be dramatic.
00:05:24I'm serious.
00:05:25I want a divorce.
00:05:28Courthouse,
00:05:28tomorrow morning,
00:05:30ten o'clock.
00:05:32Julian slammed the paperwork onto his desk.
00:05:35His dark eyes fixed on me with a warning
00:05:37that sent a chill through me.
00:05:42Before you threaten me with divorce, Sloane,
00:05:45remember who's been paying for all of this.
00:05:49Your sister's treatment still depends on my money.
00:05:52You're carrying my child.
00:05:54Don't force me to make things worse.
00:05:58Have you put on a little too much weight lately?
00:06:04Being pregnant doesn't mean you get a free pass
00:06:06to let yourself go.
00:06:10I doubt you can even fit into most of your old clothes anymore.
00:06:14A sharp ringtone suddenly cut through the suffocating silence in the room.
00:06:23The man who had been cold as ice only seconds ago
00:06:25suddenly became someone else.
00:06:27He leaned back in his leather chair,
00:06:29a tender smile spreading across his face
00:06:31as if I wasn't even there.
00:06:32This isn't your fault, Sophie.
00:06:34I made the rules.
00:06:35If anyone's to blame, it's me.
00:06:38Chloe, don't cry.
00:06:40I'll take you shopping tomorrow.
00:06:42Whatever you want, I'll buy it for you.
00:06:45Sloane can barely fit into off-the-rack clothes anymore.
00:06:48Buying her designer pieces would just be a waste.
00:06:50As I listened to the tenderness in his voice,
00:06:53a dull crump suddenly twisted through my lower abdomen.
00:06:55I instinctively pressed a hand against my stomach.
00:06:57I'd spent so long fighting to save Chloe
00:06:59that I'd stopped paying attention to my own body.
00:07:01Between the pregnancy, the weight I kept putting on,
00:07:03and the constant stress,
00:07:04my body had changed completely.
00:07:06I looked down at my phone.
00:07:07The reminder from the clinic stared back at me,
00:07:10cold and unforgiving.
00:07:11I was seven weeks pregnant,
00:07:13and I'd already missed my first prenatal appointment.
00:07:15Yes, really.
00:07:16Across the room, he was still speaking in the gentlest voice,
00:07:18making promises to the woman on the other end of the phone.
00:07:21I'll see you tomorrow, okay?
00:07:23The next morning,
00:07:24the cold marble floor of the civil affairs office
00:07:27offered me no comfort.
00:07:29Julian never showed up.
00:07:31I sat alone on a hard chench,
00:07:33staring at the entrance.
00:07:34I waited through the entire morning until noon.
00:07:38People around me kept glancing my way,
00:07:40whispering behind their hands.
00:07:41Some looked at my growing belly,
00:07:43then at the empty seat beside me.
00:07:45Their curious, judgmental stares
00:07:47made me feel like everyone could see
00:07:49exactly how humiliating this was.
00:07:52My phone finally buzzed,
00:07:54but instead of an apology,
00:07:55I got a careless text.
00:07:59I could almost picture him.
00:08:00He was probably strolling through luxury boutiques with Sophie,
00:08:03perfectly relaxed,
00:08:03as if none of this mattered.
00:08:05The marriage I once thought would last a lifetime
00:08:06was turning to ash right in front of me.
00:08:08I didn't reply.
00:08:09I locked my phone and walked out.
00:08:13I didn't go home.
00:08:15I went straight to the hospital.
00:08:17I slowly pushed open the heavy hospital door.
00:08:20Chloe lay in a sterile white bed,
00:08:22so thin she looked almost skeletal.
00:08:24She weakly lifted a hand toward me,
00:08:26her slender fingers barely strong enough to hold mine.
00:08:29She had grown so thin,
00:08:31almost nothing but bone,
00:08:32while pregnancy and months of stress
00:08:34had left me swollen and heavier than ever.
00:08:38Looking at her,
00:08:39every extra pound on my body
00:08:40suddenly felt unbearable.
00:08:43She was fighting desperately to stay alive,
00:08:45while I had grown to hate my own body.
00:08:48I'm sorry.
00:08:51She was only five years older than me,
00:08:53but the endless, grinding illness
00:08:55had already taken her hair
00:08:56and most of her strength.
00:08:58And now, because of Julian and Sophie,
00:09:00even her last chance at survival
00:09:02had been taken from her.
00:09:06I rushed to her bedside
00:09:07and gripped her cold, fragile hand
00:09:09as the tears finally broke free.
00:09:14Sloane, I don't want to do this anymore.
00:09:17Her voice was barely more than a whisper,
00:09:20so faint it felt like
00:09:21it could disappear at any moment.
00:09:23Don't say that.
00:09:24I need you.
00:09:27Our parents died when we were young.
00:09:29She was the one who raised me.
00:09:31She was still just a kid herself.
00:09:33She worked two jobs, day and night,
00:09:35just to keep me in school.
00:09:37For all these years,
00:09:38she had been my one safe place in the world.
00:09:40The door suddenly opened
00:09:41and the doctor stepped inside,
00:09:43her expression grim.
00:09:44The situation isn't good.
00:09:46We can't wait any longer.
00:09:49You need to arrange payment
00:09:50for the next round of treatment
00:09:51as soon as possible.
00:09:54I had no choice.
00:09:56I rushed downstairs,
00:09:57took off my wedding ring,
00:09:58and walked into a jewelry store.
00:10:01But the jeweler didn't give me a price right away.
00:10:04He looked me up and down,
00:10:06his eyes lingering on my heavier figure
00:10:07and cheap clothes
00:10:08as if he could already tell
00:10:09how desperate I was.
00:10:11After examining the ring again and again,
00:10:13he finally named a price
00:10:14far lower than I'd expected.
00:10:16Two grand.
00:10:16What?
00:10:17This ring cost $20,000.
00:10:19It's worth $2,000 now.
00:10:20But it's a diamond, and it—
00:10:22Take it or leave.
00:10:23If you don't like the price, get out.
00:10:28I clutched the small amount of cash in my hand,
00:10:31knowing it wasn't nearly enough.
00:10:32Then my phone suddenly lit up.
00:10:34Sophie had just posted a new story.
00:10:36In the photo,
00:10:37she stood in front of a department store mirror,
00:10:39grinning as she held
00:10:40several designer shopping bags.
00:10:41Julian stood right behind her,
00:10:43looking perfectly at ease
00:10:44as he posed for the picture.
00:10:49I stared at the screen
00:10:51until it finally went dark.
00:10:56That afternoon,
00:10:57the nightmare followed me
00:10:58right back to the hospital.
00:11:03Sophie appeared in the doorway
00:11:04with a perfectly rehearsed smile.
00:11:07She walked in with a folder
00:11:09tucked under her arm,
00:11:10carrying herself
00:11:11like she already owned the place.
00:11:15Julian sent me to reassess
00:11:16whether your sister's ongoing treatment
00:11:18is really a justified expense.
00:11:21Money should be spent
00:11:22on people worth investing in.
00:11:25I need to run the numbers again.
00:11:30Before I could respond,
00:11:31heavy footsteps echoed down the hallway.
00:11:34Julian walked in,
00:11:35and his presence
00:11:36instantly made the room feel suffocating.
00:11:39Sophie is just doing
00:11:40what I told her to do.
00:11:42If you have a problem,
00:11:44take it up with me.
00:11:48The anger finally broke
00:11:50through my despair.
00:11:51I stared him down,
00:11:53my voice trembling with rage.
00:11:56She can buy whatever she wants
00:11:58without filling out
00:12:00a single form!
00:12:02But when it comes to Chloe's life,
00:12:04suddenly you need to approve
00:12:06every dollar?
00:12:08What I spend on Sophie
00:12:09is my choice.
00:12:10What you spend
00:12:10is household money.
00:12:11Hey, those are two
00:12:12completely different things.
00:12:15If you need money,
00:12:17fill out the request.
00:12:18Sophie will review.
00:12:20Can it?
00:12:22Once she approves it,
00:12:23I'll sign off.
00:12:25Suddenly,
00:12:26a violent, painful gasp
00:12:28shattered the cruel silence.
00:12:31Sloane.
00:12:32Chloe suddenly began choking,
00:12:34her chest heaving
00:12:35as the heart monitor
00:12:36erupted into a pincing alarm.
00:12:37I shoved past them
00:12:39and rushed to her bedside
00:12:40in a panic.
00:12:44You're pregnant.
00:12:45Stop putting your body
00:12:46through this.
00:12:47I couldn't even spare him
00:12:49a glance.
00:12:50I just held on to Chloe
00:12:51as her whole body convulsed.
00:12:56Seconds later,
00:12:57medical staff flooded
00:12:58into the room,
00:12:59forcing Julian and Sophie
00:13:00out of the way.
00:13:01We need to move now.
00:13:02Her condition is
00:13:02deteriorating rapidly.
00:13:04What?
00:13:05What?
00:13:06What?
00:13:08They unlocked the bed
00:13:09and rushed her down
00:13:10the hallway.
00:13:14I collapsed against the wall,
00:13:16clasping my hands together.
00:13:18The doctor's words
00:13:19felt like a death sentence.
00:13:21She missed her best chance
00:13:22last time.
00:13:24We managed to pull her
00:13:25through this time,
00:13:27but she cannot miss
00:13:28another dose of her medication.
00:13:31She can't withstand
00:13:32another crisis like this.
00:13:42I nodded through
00:13:43clenched teeth,
00:13:44feeling like the weight
00:13:45of everything
00:13:45was crushing me.
00:13:47I had just spent
00:13:48the last of my cash
00:13:49to cover her medication.
00:13:52Exhausted,
00:13:53I dragged myself
00:13:54downstairs
00:13:55to get her some lunch.
00:13:57But I had no idea
00:13:59I'd run into them again
00:14:00at the cafe downstairs.
00:14:07In the cafe,
00:14:08Julian and Sophie
00:14:09were sitting together.
00:14:12Expensive pastries
00:14:13were arranged neatly
00:14:14in front of them,
00:14:16almost like a still life.
00:14:19Sophie looked up
00:14:20with that same sickly sweet smile.
00:14:22Oh,
00:14:23what a coincidence.
00:14:25Julian said
00:14:26I've been working
00:14:26so hard lately,
00:14:27so he insisted
00:14:28on taking me to lunch.
00:14:31It's just a little
00:14:32work perk,
00:14:33of course.
00:14:34Don't get the wrong idea.
00:14:37You probably
00:14:38shouldn't order anything.
00:14:40You've put on
00:14:40quite a bit of weight lately.
00:14:42Maybe you should
00:14:43cut back.
00:14:44She's right.
00:14:45At your weight,
00:14:46you really should
00:14:46start watching
00:14:47what you eat.
00:14:48I tighten my grip
00:14:49around the paper bag
00:14:50holding Chloe's medication.
00:14:51Looking at all that
00:14:52expensive food
00:14:53on their table,
00:14:53I couldn't help
00:14:54but feel the bitter
00:14:55irony of it.
00:14:56I guess not every expense
00:14:58needs to be itemized.
00:15:00Julian shot to his feet,
00:15:02his voice turning sharp
00:15:04as he immediately
00:15:05came to her defense.
00:15:06Sloane,
00:15:07enough.
00:15:08She's been doing
00:15:09an excellent job.
00:15:10I take my employee
00:15:11out for a meal.
00:15:12How exactly
00:15:13is that any
00:15:13of your business?
00:15:17I forced a cold smile.
00:15:19The husband,
00:15:20who was once
00:15:20supposed to protect me,
00:15:22was now standing
00:15:23beside another woman,
00:15:24pushing me deeper
00:15:25into the very hell
00:15:26he had created.
00:15:28Why would it?
00:15:30She's done such
00:15:31a great job
00:15:32keeping me in line
00:15:33as your wife.
00:15:34I'd say she deserves
00:15:36the reward.
00:15:43When I went back upstairs,
00:15:44she was already asleep.
00:15:46I sat beside her bed,
00:15:48watching the faint rise
00:15:50and fall of her chest.
00:15:53She was barely
00:15:54hanging on
00:15:54with the help
00:15:55of cold machines.
00:15:56And I couldn't
00:15:57even let myself
00:15:58imagine how long
00:15:59she'd last without them.
00:16:02Suddenly,
00:16:03a blinding flash
00:16:04lit up the window.
00:16:05Fireworks.
00:16:06Waves of golden light
00:16:07exploded across
00:16:08the pitch black sky,
00:16:10bright enough
00:16:10to light up
00:16:11the entire hospital.
00:16:12People stopped
00:16:13in the hallways,
00:16:14staring out
00:16:14through the windows.
00:16:16Soon,
00:16:16I heard nurses
00:16:17whispering just
00:16:17outside the door.
00:16:18I heard that billionaire
00:16:19is actually
00:16:20that plus-size
00:16:21woman's husband.
00:16:22Seriously?
00:16:23She's gotten that big?
00:16:24No wonder
00:16:25he's cheating on her.
00:16:26Exactly.
00:16:27I wouldn't want
00:16:27to touch her either.
00:16:29That assistant
00:16:30is young and gorgeous.
00:16:31Who wouldn't go for her?
00:16:33Still,
00:16:33that's pretty messed up.
00:16:35His wife is here
00:16:36taking care of
00:16:36a sick relative
00:16:37and he's out there
00:16:38setting off fireworks
00:16:39for another woman.
00:16:40Outside,
00:16:40someone was being
00:16:41showered with attention.
00:16:42Inside,
00:16:43she was fighting
00:16:44to stay alive
00:16:44with the help
00:16:45of cold men.
00:16:45Under the same night sky,
00:16:47our lives couldn't
00:16:48have been further apart.
00:16:49My phone buzzed.
00:16:51It was a new post
00:16:52from Sophie.
00:16:53In the photo,
00:16:54she stood surrounded
00:16:55by the glow of the fireworks,
00:16:56looking radiant
00:16:57and triumphant.
00:16:58The caption read,
00:17:00Thank you to the most
00:17:00generous man in my life.
00:17:02Tonight,
00:17:03these fireworks
00:17:03are just for me.
00:17:04But the fireworks
00:17:05weren't the only thing
00:17:06that caught my eye.
00:17:08Around her neck
00:17:09was a massive,
00:17:10glittering diamond necklace.
00:17:12It was the exact one
00:17:13I'd once stopped
00:17:14to admire
00:17:14in a jewelry store.
00:17:16Back then,
00:17:16I hadn't even asked for it.
00:17:18Julian had already
00:17:19gotten impatient
00:17:19and pulled me away.
00:17:22Something like that
00:17:23has to go through
00:17:24an approval process.
00:17:25Too much hassle.
00:17:26It's not worth it.
00:17:29Turns out,
00:17:30approval was never
00:17:31the problem.
00:17:32I was.
00:17:34She could have diamonds
00:17:35and fireworks
00:17:36without asking twice,
00:17:37while I,
00:17:38his legal wife,
00:17:39had been made
00:17:39to feel guilty
00:17:40for even looking
00:17:41at something I liked.
00:17:43My phone rang.
00:17:44It was Julian.
00:17:45Stared at his name
00:17:46on the screen,
00:17:47my chest tightening.
00:17:49He had just spent
00:17:50fireworks and diamonds
00:17:52spoiling another woman.
00:17:54Yet somehow,
00:17:55he still expected
00:17:56to tell his wife
00:17:57exactly how to respond.
00:17:59You already liked
00:18:00the post.
00:18:01Don't unlike it now.
00:18:02People will notice.
00:18:03And leave a comment.
00:18:05Say something nice
00:18:06about how dedicated
00:18:06she is.
00:18:07Consider it a congratulations
00:18:08from both of us.
00:18:10My hand wouldn't
00:18:11stop shaking.
00:18:11She really was
00:18:13dedicated,
00:18:14wasn't she?
00:18:14She could wear
00:18:15the luxury pieces
00:18:16I had never even
00:18:17dared to ask for
00:18:18with an entire sky
00:18:19of fireworks
00:18:20thrown in for her.
00:18:21What an impressive
00:18:21work, Edithik.
00:18:22I stared at her
00:18:23smiling face
00:18:24and slowly typed
00:18:25out a single sentence.
00:18:27No accusations.
00:18:28No argument.
00:18:29Not even a complaint.
00:18:31I simply buried
00:18:32all my humiliation
00:18:33and bitterness
00:18:34inside a few
00:18:34carefully chosen words.
00:18:36Then I hit send.
00:18:37Almost immediately,
00:18:39Julian called again.
00:18:40I stared at his name
00:18:42lighting up my screen.
00:18:43The anger I'd felt
00:18:44moments ago was gone.
00:18:45All that remained
00:18:46was a cold,
00:18:47hollow numbness.
00:18:48I stood up,
00:18:50stepped into the hallway
00:18:51and answered the call.
00:18:54I stepped into the hallway
00:18:55and answered Julian's call.
00:18:57But before he could
00:18:58say a word,
00:18:59her fake,
00:19:00tearful voice
00:19:01came through the speaker.
00:19:03She sounded just
00:19:04upset enough
00:19:05to make herself
00:19:05look like the victim.
00:19:08I honestly had
00:19:09no idea
00:19:10you liked that
00:19:10necklace too.
00:19:12I just thought
00:19:13it would have been
00:19:13rude to turn down
00:19:14Julian's gift.
00:19:16Now everyone's
00:19:17going to think
00:19:17I'm some kind of-
00:19:18She deliberately
00:19:19left the sentence
00:19:20unconfinished
00:19:21and somehow
00:19:22that was enough
00:19:22to make Julian
00:19:23unleash all his
00:19:24anger on me.
00:19:25His voice cut in,
00:19:27cold and furious.
00:19:30Sloane,
00:19:30do you have any idea
00:19:31what this is doing
00:19:32to her reputation?
00:19:34People are already
00:19:34talking behind her back
00:19:35and now you're
00:19:36making it worse.
00:19:38Maybe they're not wrong.
00:19:40I felt completely numb.
00:19:43To him,
00:19:44Sophie's reputation
00:19:45mattered more
00:19:45than my dignity.
00:19:47Even the slightest
00:19:48inconvenience she suffered
00:19:49was enough to make him
00:19:50turn on me.
00:19:51Without a second thought.
00:19:53You've gained weight
00:19:54and somehow
00:19:55you've gotten meaner too.
00:19:56Look at you.
00:19:57What makes you think
00:19:58you can even compare
00:19:59yourself to her?
00:20:01Honestly, Sloane,
00:20:02I can barely stand
00:20:02looking at you like this.
00:20:04Who the hell are you
00:20:05to go after a woman
00:20:06who actually worked
00:20:07for everything she has?
00:20:09I opened my mouth
00:20:11but no words came out.
00:20:14Then a piercing alarm
00:20:15suddenly ripped
00:20:16through the hallway.
00:20:18The monitor in Chloe's room
00:20:20started screaming.
00:20:22I dropped my phone
00:20:23and rushed inside.
00:20:25Her face was
00:20:26completely white
00:20:27and medical staff
00:20:28had already swarmed
00:20:29her bed.
00:20:29That's when I saw it.
00:20:31The oxygen line
00:20:32had been pulled loose.
00:20:34The doctor looked up
00:20:35at me,
00:20:36his expression grim.
00:20:37She pulled it out herself.
00:20:39We're doing everything
00:20:40we can to stabilize her.
00:20:43My legs gave out
00:20:45beneath me
00:20:45and I dropped to my knees
00:20:47beside the bed,
00:20:48gripping the rail.
00:20:49Looking at her fragile,
00:20:51barely breathing body,
00:20:52I felt real fear
00:20:54for the first time.
00:20:55Why would you do this?
00:20:56Why?
00:20:57Don't cry, Sloane.
00:20:59I heard everything.
00:21:02A tear slipped down
00:21:03her pale cheek.
00:21:04Her voice was barely
00:21:05a whisper,
00:21:06but every word
00:21:07cut straight through me.
00:21:10I don't want to
00:21:12keep dragging you down.
00:21:14You don't get to give up!
00:21:17The money isn't a problem!
00:21:19I'll figure it out!
00:21:21I swear I'll figure it out!
00:21:25I clugged tightly
00:21:26to her hand,
00:21:27unable to stop crying.
00:21:29Then the phone
00:21:30in my other hand
00:21:31started vibrating
00:21:32virantly again.
00:21:34It was Julian again.
00:21:35I didn't even have
00:21:37the strength to hang up.
00:21:38The next second,
00:21:39Julian's cold,
00:21:41commanding voice
00:21:41came through the speaker.
00:21:43From the sound of it,
00:21:44I knew he was still
00:21:45with Sophie.
00:21:47He's done such a great
00:21:48job keeping me.
00:21:53Calling for money again?
00:21:54You just humiliated me
00:21:56in public.
00:21:57And now you want me
00:21:58to bail you out?
00:21:59Julian, it's okay.
00:22:01Don't fight with her
00:22:02because of me.
00:22:03You don't need
00:22:04to defend her.
00:22:06Sloane,
00:22:06get over here.
00:22:07Get on your knees
00:22:08and apologize to her.
00:22:10Maybe then I'll
00:22:11think about it.
00:22:13He never intended
00:22:14to hear me out.
00:22:16To him,
00:22:17Chloe's life
00:22:17wasn't even worth
00:22:18listening to one explanation.
00:22:19Sophie's right.
00:22:20You owe her this.
00:22:21I never got the chance
00:22:22to answer.
00:22:23The emergency room
00:22:24doors finally opened
00:22:25and the doctor
00:22:26slowly stepped out,
00:22:27pulling off his mask.
00:22:28His grim expression
00:22:29made my heart sink.
00:22:30I'm so sorry.
00:22:39My entire world
00:22:40went blank.
00:22:42The phone slipped
00:22:43from my fingers
00:22:45and hit the floor
00:22:46with a dull thud.
00:22:49Then a violent cramp
00:22:51tore through my lower abdomen.
00:22:53I clung to the wall,
00:22:55barely able to keep
00:22:56myself standing.
00:23:00When I looked down,
00:23:03dark red blood
00:23:04was slowly spreading
00:23:05across the stark
00:23:06white hospital floor.
00:23:10Are you pregnant?
00:23:13The nurse caught me
00:23:14before I could collapse.
00:23:17The ceiling lights
00:23:19blurred into one
00:23:20long streak above me.
00:23:22They rushed me
00:23:23down the hallway.
00:23:26I don't know
00:23:26how long I was unconscious.
00:23:28When I opened
00:23:29my eyes again,
00:23:30all I could hear
00:23:31was the cold,
00:23:32steady beep
00:23:33of the monitor.
00:23:34Tears slipped
00:23:35silently down my cheeks
00:23:36as I stared
00:23:37at the ceiling.
00:23:39I want to terminate
00:23:40the pregnancy.
00:23:41The nurse hesitated,
00:23:43her pen hovering
00:23:44over the clip.
00:23:44After a brief pause,
00:23:46she asked quietly,
00:23:47Would you like us
00:23:47to contact a family member?
00:23:50I stared blankly
00:23:51at the white wall
00:23:52in front of me.
00:23:53I used to think
00:23:54that no matter
00:23:55what happened,
00:23:56at least I would
00:23:57still have Chloe.
00:23:58But now,
00:23:59the only family
00:24:00I had left in the world
00:24:01was gone.
00:24:03I don't have
00:24:04any family left.
00:24:05After the procedure,
00:24:06I lay alone
00:24:07in the hospital bed.
00:24:09I gently rested
00:24:10a hand over my stomach.
00:24:12It was empty.
00:24:13No baby.
00:24:14No future.
00:24:15Nothing was coming back.
00:24:18I thought
00:24:18I'd be devastated.
00:24:20But when the moment
00:24:21finally came,
00:24:22all I felt
00:24:23was a dead,
00:24:24hollow silence.
00:24:26That baby
00:24:26had once been
00:24:27the last piece
00:24:28of hope
00:24:29I desperately
00:24:29wanted to hold on to.
00:24:31Now,
00:24:32I had ended it myself.
00:24:34Not long after,
00:24:35the nurse came back in
00:24:36with the phone
00:24:37she'd picked up for me.
00:24:40Your phone
00:24:41hasn't stopped ringing.
00:24:42Someone's been
00:24:42calling you for hours.
00:24:44Yes.
00:24:47I took the phone
00:24:47and looked at the screen.
00:24:49Fourteen missed calls.
00:24:51Then a text message
00:24:52appeared.
00:24:53I've been waiting
00:24:54five hours.
00:24:55If you don't get
00:24:56your ass over here,
00:24:57I'll have your sister's
00:24:58medical account
00:24:59shut down.
00:25:00I read the message
00:25:01twice.
00:25:03Strangely,
00:25:04I felt nothing.
00:25:06There was a time
00:25:07when one word
00:25:08from him
00:25:08could send me
00:25:09scrambling to please him,
00:25:10begging him to understand.
00:25:13But now,
00:25:14his threats
00:25:15meant absolutely
00:25:16nothing to me.
00:25:18I didn't reply.
00:25:19I got out of bed
00:25:21and arranged for my
00:25:22medical records
00:25:22to be sent to his office.
00:25:32Then I walked out
00:25:33of the hospital
00:25:34without looking back.
00:25:40This time,
00:25:41I didn't wait for him.
00:25:45I didn't beg him,
00:25:46either.
00:25:47I simply bought myself
00:25:49a one-way ticket
00:25:50out of the city.
00:25:51Meanwhile,
00:25:52night had already
00:25:53fallen across the city.
00:25:55In his office,
00:25:57Julian paced
00:25:58back and forth,
00:25:59growing increasingly
00:26:00restless.
00:26:02Five hours had passed.
00:26:04And finally,
00:26:06he began to realize
00:26:07that something was wrong.
00:26:09his assistant
00:26:10suddenly appeared
00:26:11in the doorway,
00:26:13holding a sealed envelope.
00:26:15Sir,
00:26:16this was sent
00:26:17by your wife.
00:26:19Julian took the envelope
00:26:21and tore it open.
00:26:22He pulled out
00:26:23the document inside,
00:26:24his eyes immediately
00:26:25landing on the title
00:26:26at the top.
00:26:26It was a pregnancy
00:26:27termination report
00:26:28from the hospital.
00:26:30My name was printed
00:26:31clearly across the report.
00:26:32Below it were rows
00:26:33of cold medical findings
00:26:35and procedure details.
00:26:36Julian's eyes
00:26:37locked onto the words,
00:26:38as if he'd suddenly
00:26:39been confronted
00:26:40with a reality
00:26:40he couldn't comprehend.
00:26:42Wait.
00:26:44Julian stared
00:26:45at the documents,
00:26:46refusing to believe
00:26:47what they said.
00:26:48In his mind,
00:26:49this was just
00:26:50another stunt.
00:26:51He thought I was
00:26:52trying to rattle him,
00:26:53to make him panic
00:26:54and come crawling back.
00:26:57If he came back to me,
00:26:59I could feel like
00:27:00I'd won.
00:27:05Is this your idea
00:27:06of a stunt?
00:27:08He crumpled the paper
00:27:09and tossed it aside,
00:27:10as if refusing to look at it
00:27:12could make the truth disappear.
00:27:13Sophie stood beside him
00:27:14and spoke in a soft,
00:27:16gentle voice.
00:27:17She sounded caring
00:27:18and innocent,
00:27:19but every word
00:27:20pulled Julian deeper,
00:27:21into the version of reality
00:27:23he wanted to believe.
00:27:24Is she pulling
00:27:25the same trick again?
00:27:27She just wants
00:27:28to make you feel guilty.
00:27:29How could she possibly
00:27:31have really gone through
00:27:32with it?
00:27:32Her sister's medical bills,
00:27:34the baby,
00:27:34she needs you.
00:27:36This is just her way
00:27:38of forcing you
00:27:38to give in.
00:27:40Those words
00:27:41gave Julian
00:27:41exactly the reassurance
00:27:42he needed.
00:27:43He started convincing himself
00:27:45that I could never
00:27:46really give up the baby.
00:27:48And if he believed that,
00:27:49then this had to be an act.
00:27:52She knows I'd never
00:27:53abandon my own child.
00:27:56That's why she thinks
00:27:57she can take this
00:27:59as far as she wants.
00:28:01Sophie leaned closer.
00:28:03She didn't attack me
00:28:04outright.
00:28:05Instead,
00:28:06she played the perfect
00:28:07victim,
00:28:08pretending to care
00:28:08about our marriage.
00:28:10She knew the more
00:28:11innocent she looked,
00:28:12the easier it would be
00:28:13for Julian to believe
00:28:14that she was the one
00:28:15being hurt.
00:28:18I just don't want
00:28:19things between you two
00:28:20to get worse
00:28:21because of me.
00:28:24Maybe I should go
00:28:25talk to her
00:28:26if she comes back
00:28:27and blames me again.
00:28:29No need.
00:28:32His voice was cold
00:28:33and dismissive,
00:28:35as if he were certain
00:28:36I was just throwing a fit
00:28:38and needed time alone.
00:28:40He said he would
00:28:41leave me be,
00:28:42but his eyes
00:28:43kept drifting back
00:28:44to the divorce papers
00:28:46I'd left behind.
00:28:48The threat he'd sent me
00:28:49hours ago
00:28:50still sat unanswered
00:28:52on his phone.
00:28:53If she wants to be alone,
00:28:54then let her be.
00:28:57He still believed
00:28:58I would never
00:28:58actually leave.
00:29:00In his mind,
00:29:01I cared too much
00:29:03about Chloe
00:29:03and was too afraid
00:29:05of losing him
00:29:05to walk away for good.
00:29:07He thought
00:29:08the divorce papers
00:29:09were nothing more
00:29:10than something
00:29:11I'd written
00:29:11in a moment of anger.
00:29:14If he didn't
00:29:14come after me,
00:29:15I would eventually
00:29:16come crawling back,
00:29:18just like I always had.
00:29:20That arrogant certainty
00:29:22was the only thing
00:29:23keeping the strange panic
00:29:24in his chest
00:29:25under control.
00:29:29But as the minutes
00:29:30dragged on,
00:29:31the silence in the office
00:29:32became harder
00:29:34and harder to ignore.
00:29:36He checked his phone.
00:29:38Nothing.
00:29:39A few more minutes passed.
00:29:41Still nothing.
00:29:43Finally,
00:29:44the calm on,
00:29:45his face began to crack.
00:29:46He suddenly looked up,
00:29:47his voice tight with tension.
00:29:49Find her.
00:29:50Now.
00:29:50Anywhere.
00:29:51I want everything checked.
00:29:52His assistant
00:29:54immediately turned
00:29:55to carry out the order.
00:29:58Sophie noticed
00:29:59the change in Julian, too.
00:30:01She tried to pull
00:30:02his attention back to her,
00:30:04slipping once again
00:30:05into her soft,
00:30:06innocent act
00:30:07as she spoke carefully.
00:30:09What if she comes back
00:30:11and hates me even more?
00:30:13This was never your fault.
00:30:15But she's still your wife.
00:30:19I really don't want
00:30:20to be the reason
00:30:21you two fall apart.
00:30:23Just then,
00:30:24his phone lit up.
00:30:27Julian snatched it up
00:30:28almost instinctively.
00:30:32But the flicker of hope
00:30:33in his eyes disappeared
00:30:34the moment he looked
00:30:35at the screen.
00:30:36It wasn't me.
00:30:38He had waited
00:30:39from late afternoon
00:30:40into the night,
00:30:41but there was no call,
00:30:42no text.
00:30:43I had vanished
00:30:44without a trace.
00:30:46Suddenly,
00:30:46the office door
00:30:47flew open.
00:30:48His assistant rushed in
00:30:49looking shaken.
00:30:50Julian shot to his feet.
00:30:51Sir,
00:30:51the hospital called.
00:30:53Slowing?
00:30:54Is she at the hospital?
00:30:57Not,
00:30:58this is slowing, sir.
00:30:59Then who?
00:31:00Her sister.
00:31:01She passed away.
00:31:04In that instant,
00:31:05all the color
00:31:06drained from Julian's face.
00:31:08He didn't say
00:31:09another word.
00:31:10He turned and ran
00:31:11for the hospital,
00:31:13racing through
00:31:13the endless corridors
00:31:14like a man
00:31:15losing his mind.
00:31:16But he didn't know
00:31:17that I was already gone.
00:31:20And the person
00:31:21he was desperately
00:31:22trying to find
00:31:22was no longer there.
00:31:26He pushed open
00:31:27the hospital room door.
00:31:29There was nothing
00:31:30but an empty bed.
00:31:31The sheets had been
00:31:32stripped clean
00:31:33and the machines
00:31:34beside it
00:31:34were already gone.
00:31:35The room was
00:31:35terrifyingly quiet.
00:31:37As if Chloe
00:31:38had never been here.
00:31:40As if I had never
00:31:41been here either.
00:31:44A nurse stopped
00:31:45in the hallway,
00:31:46taking in his
00:31:47frantic expression.
00:31:48Are you family?
00:31:49For the patient
00:31:50in this room?
00:31:52Her sister's husband.
00:31:53Her sister handled
00:31:54everything herself.
00:31:56The nurse's words
00:31:56were a clinical summary
00:31:58of my absolute despair.
00:31:59She arranged the paperwork,
00:32:01settled the final details,
00:32:02all of it alone.
00:32:04She left a few hours ago.
00:32:06We tried to get her to rest,
00:32:07but she wouldn't.
00:32:09Where did she go?
00:32:10She didn't say.
00:32:12He pulled out his phone,
00:32:13his fingers trembling.
00:32:14He called my number,
00:32:15voicemail.
00:32:16He called again,
00:32:17voicemail.
00:32:24He stood in the
00:32:26empty doorway,
00:32:27paralyzed by the silence.
00:32:32He tried to remember
00:32:33the last time
00:32:34he had actually
00:32:35looked at me.
00:32:37He remembered how
00:32:38he could say something
00:32:40cold and careless,
00:32:41and I would still
00:32:42soften the moment.
00:32:43He gave me the smallest
00:32:44scrap of kindness.
00:32:46Because of that,
00:32:47he always thought
00:32:48I wouldn't leave.
00:32:49But Chloe was gone.
00:32:50The last thing
00:32:51keeping me in this city
00:32:52had vanished.
00:32:53Something pressed hard
00:32:53against his chest.
00:32:55His phone slipped
00:32:55from his grip,
00:32:56clattering sharply
00:32:57against the hospital floor.
00:32:58His assistant rushed
00:32:59to pick it up,
00:33:00but he was already
00:33:01barking orders,
00:33:02his voice cracking
00:33:02with a panic
00:33:03I had never seen before.
00:33:05Even breathing
00:33:05seemed to hurt him now.
00:33:08Pull every record.
00:33:09His flights,
00:33:10trains,
00:33:10buses,
00:33:12credit cards,
00:33:12ID,
00:33:13everything!
00:33:14Already on it, sir.
00:33:15Move faster!
00:33:17He hurried down
00:33:18the stark white corridor,
00:33:19his mind spiraling.
00:33:23She's pregnant.
00:33:24She can't have gone far.
00:33:27Then,
00:33:27he thought about
00:33:28the box I had left behind.
00:33:30What if it was real?
00:33:32The crushing weight
00:33:33of that possibility
00:33:34hit him all at once.
00:33:36He pressed both hands
00:33:38against the cold wall,
00:33:40bowing his head
00:33:41as a ragged exhale
00:33:43tore from his throat.
00:33:44Rapid footsteps
00:33:45echoed behind him.
00:33:47Sophie rushed over,
00:33:48her face a mask
00:33:49of perfectly crafted sorrow.
00:33:51I just heard.
00:33:52I can't believe
00:33:53it happened like this.
00:33:55Why did she have
00:33:56to be so impulsive?
00:33:57If she just asked properly,
00:33:58just followed the process,
00:34:00none of this...
00:34:00But for the first time,
00:34:02her complaints
00:34:02fell on deaf ears.
00:34:04He didn't comfort her.
00:34:05He didn't even look at her.
00:34:07He was entirely consumed
00:34:09by the void
00:34:10I had finally left behind.
00:34:12He turned to look at her.
00:34:14It was a cold,
00:34:16piercing stare.
00:34:17She stopped walking,
00:34:19her perfectly crafted innocence
00:34:20wavering for just a second.
00:34:22I'm not blaming her.
00:34:24I just think
00:34:25she's being so childish.
00:34:26With her sister so sick,
00:34:28she still throws tantrums
00:34:29and leaves.
00:34:29What if something
00:34:30happens to the child?
00:34:34A doctor walked down the hall,
00:34:35his expression unreadable
00:34:37as he approached them.
00:34:39Which of you is family
00:34:40for Mrs. Sloan?
00:34:42I am.
00:34:45Then there's something
00:34:46you should know.
00:34:47The hallway seemed to plunge
00:34:49into an eerie silence.
00:34:51Before she left the hospital,
00:34:53your wife had a termination.
00:34:57After moving to this city,
00:34:59I gave myself a new routine.
00:35:02I wake up at 6 every morning
00:35:04and go for a run
00:35:05at 6 to 30.
00:35:08Not because I suddenly
00:35:09fell in love
00:35:09with working out,
00:35:11but because when I keep
00:35:13my days full,
00:35:14I have less time
00:35:15to think about the past.
00:35:17I know I run slowly now,
00:35:19and I get out of breath easily.
00:35:22People stare when they pass me.
00:35:24Some laugh.
00:35:26I've heard those
00:35:27careless comments, too.
00:35:29Run, pig!
00:35:31Run!
00:35:33Hey, pig!
00:35:34You gonna eat that, too?
00:35:42I didn't stop.
00:35:44I used to let
00:35:45one careless comment
00:35:46ruin my whole day,
00:35:48desperate to prove
00:35:49I wasn't as bad
00:35:50as they thought.
00:35:52But now,
00:35:53I realize it doesn't matter
00:35:55that much
00:35:55what they think of me.
00:35:57They only see a fat girl
00:35:58struggling to run
00:35:59down the street.
00:36:01I know why I'm still running.
00:36:04I'm not doing this
00:36:05to make them think
00:36:06I'm beautiful.
00:36:08And I'm not trying
00:36:09to become someone
00:36:10they think is worthy
00:36:10of being loved.
00:36:13I just want to be
00:36:14a little better
00:36:14than I was yesterday.
00:36:17That's enough for me.
00:36:18I started learning boxing.
00:36:21I used to think
00:36:21I needed someone
00:36:22to protect me.
00:36:23Now,
00:36:24I just want to be
00:36:24strong enough
00:36:25to protect myself.
00:36:26At least the next time
00:36:28life pushes me
00:36:28to the edge,
00:36:29I won't have to wait
00:36:30for anyone to save me.
00:36:33I started eating
00:36:34regular meals.
00:36:36I don't skip meals anymore
00:36:37just because I'm waiting
00:36:38for someone's message.
00:36:40And I don't settle
00:36:41for whatever I can find
00:36:42just because I'm having
00:36:43a bad day.
00:36:44I'm finally taking care
00:36:45of my body.
00:36:46After all,
00:36:46it carried me
00:36:47through the worst
00:36:47days of my life.
00:36:49Now I want to
00:36:49take care of it.
00:36:52No one here knows me.
00:36:53No one knows
00:36:54I'm Julian's wife.
00:36:55No one knows
00:36:56how much of myself
00:36:57I lost trying
00:36:58to hold our marriage
00:36:58together.
00:36:59And I like it that way.
00:37:01Here,
00:37:01I'm just Sloan.
00:37:03I work,
00:37:03I work out,
00:37:04I eat,
00:37:05I sleep.
00:37:06One day at a time,
00:37:07I'm putting my life
00:37:08back together
00:37:09because I know
00:37:10that from now on
00:37:11I'm not just living
00:37:12for myself.
00:37:13I'm going to live
00:37:14well for Chloe,
00:37:15whose life
00:37:16was cut short
00:37:17and for the baby
00:37:18who never got
00:37:19the chance
00:37:19to come into
00:37:20this world.
00:37:24Three months later,
00:37:26in my office,
00:37:28I closed my laptop
00:37:29and packed up
00:37:29my things.
00:37:35Have a good night,
00:37:36Sloan.
00:37:37You too.
00:37:38See you tomorrow.
00:37:40Don't work too late
00:37:41tonight.
00:37:41I won't.
00:37:42Promise.
00:37:44The moment I stepped
00:37:45out of the building,
00:37:46I heard someone
00:37:47call my name
00:37:48from behind me.
00:37:53Sloan?
00:37:57Mia?
00:37:58Oh my god,
00:37:59Sloan Parker!
00:38:00It really is you!
00:38:01I can't believe
00:38:01I just ran into you!
00:38:03What are you doing here?
00:38:03I live around here.
00:38:05I heard you were
00:38:06working here,
00:38:06but I never thought
00:38:07I'd actually run
00:38:07into you.
00:38:08Look at you!
00:38:09You look amazing!
00:38:11You're exaggerating.
00:38:12I'm not!
00:38:13Seriously,
00:38:14you look so good!
00:38:17It's been a long time.
00:38:19Way too long.
00:38:20You just disappeared.
00:38:23I needed a change.
00:38:26Well,
00:38:26whatever you changed,
00:38:27it's working.
00:38:28You really haven't changed.
00:38:30Neither have you.
00:38:31You're still terrible
00:38:32at telling people
00:38:33what's really going on.
00:38:38Mia left.
00:38:39For the first time
00:38:40in a long time.
00:38:42Seeing someone
00:38:43from my old life
00:38:44didn't make me
00:38:45want to run away.
00:38:47It just felt
00:38:48familiar.
00:38:50I didn't notice
00:38:51the car passing by.
00:38:53Not until I heard
00:38:54a voice behind me.
00:38:55A voice I never
00:38:57thought I'd hear again.
00:39:00Sloan?
00:39:06I turned around.
00:39:08Across the street,
00:39:10Julian froze.
00:39:11A whole year
00:39:13had passed.
00:39:14He'd imagined
00:39:15seeing me again
00:39:16countless times,
00:39:16but he never imagined
00:39:18that when it finally
00:39:19happened,
00:39:20he'd forget how to breathe.
00:39:25The Sloan in his memory
00:39:26had always been quiet.
00:39:28Following beside him
00:39:29in clothes he liked,
00:39:30constantly worrying
00:39:32about his feelings.
00:39:34But the woman
00:39:35standing in front
00:39:36of him now
00:39:36was different.
00:39:38She wore something
00:39:39simple and effortless,
00:39:41her hair falling
00:39:42loosely over her shoulders.
00:39:44There was none
00:39:45of the hesitation
00:39:45or exhaustion
00:39:46he'd remembered.
00:39:47She was simply
00:39:49standing there,
00:39:50yet somehow,
00:39:51she looked more beautiful
00:39:52than she'd ever
00:39:53looked before.
00:39:56He just stared at me,
00:39:58seemingly forgetting
00:39:59why he'd stopped
00:39:59the car in the first place.
00:40:01Mia called me
00:40:02by my full name.
00:40:03That was when
00:40:04he finally knew
00:40:05it really was me.
00:40:08Sloan Parker?
00:40:10He whispered my name,
00:40:12disbelief written
00:40:13all over his voice.
00:40:14There's no way.
00:40:17It can't be.
00:40:20But then his eyes
00:40:21fell on me again.
00:40:23For the past year,
00:40:25he'd thought
00:40:25he missed the wife
00:40:26who used to revolve
00:40:28her entire life
00:40:29around him.
00:40:32Only now
00:40:33did he realize
00:40:34that the woman
00:40:34he couldn't take
00:40:35his eyes off
00:40:35was the woman
00:40:37who no longer
00:40:37belonged to him.
00:40:39He barely hesitated
00:40:40before rushing
00:40:41towards me.
00:40:43He stopped
00:40:44in front of me,
00:40:45close enough
00:40:46to see just how much
00:40:47I'd changed
00:40:47over the past year.
00:40:49I was leaner,
00:40:51more composed.
00:40:52But what truly
00:40:53stunned him
00:40:54was the look
00:40:55in my eyes.
00:40:57Those eyes
00:40:58that once held
00:40:59nothing but love
00:40:59for him
00:41:00now held
00:41:01nothing but calm.
00:41:04Sloan.
00:41:06Julian.
00:41:09It really is you.
00:41:11What are you doing here?
00:41:16I...
00:41:17I didn't know
00:41:18you were here.
00:41:20Sloan,
00:41:20do you two
00:41:21know each other?
00:41:24We used to.
00:41:26My voice
00:41:27was so calm
00:41:27as if I were
00:41:28talking about
00:41:29someone I'd known
00:41:30a long time ago.
00:41:31But to Julian,
00:41:32those words
00:41:33seemed to hit
00:41:34harder than
00:41:34anything else.
00:41:40I'm sorry.
00:41:44He stood there
00:41:45like he'd rehearsed
00:41:45something and
00:41:47forgotten all of it.
00:41:48I've been looking
00:41:49for you
00:41:49for a year.
00:41:51I know I was wrong.
00:41:54Your sister,
00:41:55I didn't handle that.
00:41:56The baby...
00:41:59I failed you.
00:42:02A year ago,
00:42:03that might have
00:42:03reached me.
00:42:04Now,
00:42:05I just felt tired.
00:42:08Is that everything?
00:42:11His face went white.
00:42:14I'm not here
00:42:15to pressure you.
00:42:16I want to make it right.
00:42:19You'll never have to
00:42:19fight for money again.
00:42:21Whatever you want.
00:42:23A house.
00:42:24Shares.
00:42:25A business.
00:42:26I'll fund it.
00:42:29Your sister's treatment
00:42:30that never finished,
00:42:31I've already looked into it.
00:42:33I can set up a medical fund
00:42:34in her name.
00:42:35Help other people
00:42:36like her.
00:42:39Just come back.
00:42:41Listening to him,
00:42:42I felt something
00:42:43close to absurd.
00:42:46I remembered
00:42:47the cold hospital hallway,
00:42:50clutching my phone
00:42:51like a lifeline.
00:42:54Please,
00:42:55don't hang up.
00:42:58His voice came
00:43:00through the receiver,
00:43:01crisp and
00:43:02completely indifferent.
00:43:06I'll have my assistant
00:43:07review it.
00:43:09Even his assistant
00:43:10knew it was urgent.
00:43:13Chloe was still alive then.
00:43:15The baby was still there.
00:43:19All I needed
00:43:20was one thing from him.
00:43:22Instead,
00:43:23he told me
00:43:23to go through Sophie's,
00:43:25to fill out the forms,
00:43:28to wait for approval,
00:43:31and just hope
00:43:32she was in a good mood.
00:43:34And then,
00:43:35I had nothing.
00:43:37Now,
00:43:38a year later,
00:43:39he was standing here
00:43:40on the street,
00:43:41telling me he'd give me a house,
00:43:43shares,
00:43:44a foundation.
00:43:47Sloane,
00:43:48I know you're angry.
00:43:49You have every right.
00:43:51Say whatever you need to say.
00:43:53I'll take it.
00:43:55Whatever you need me to do.
00:44:02Sophie is off the core team.
00:44:04She's out of our business.
00:44:06The finances,
00:44:07you'd have full control.
00:44:08Everything.
00:44:10He meant it.
00:44:12I could tell by looking at him
00:44:14that he truly meant it.
00:44:16As if the problem
00:44:17had ever been the money.
00:44:20You still don't understand.
00:44:24It wasn't about the money.
00:44:28He looked at me,
00:44:29completely lost.
00:44:31Then what?
00:44:33You made me go to Sophie.
00:44:38The tears finally fell,
00:44:40hot and bitter
00:44:41against the cold air.
00:44:43Chloe was in that hospital.
00:44:45The doctor said
00:44:46we were out of time.
00:44:50I was pregnant.
00:44:51I had nothing left,
00:44:53so I called you.
00:44:55My chest tightened
00:44:56with a pain
00:44:57that would never fully heal.
00:45:00You were my husband,
00:45:02and you sent me
00:45:03to your assistant.
00:45:21I had to lay my desperation
00:45:22out in front of Sophie
00:45:23like an exhibit.
00:45:24I had to explain
00:45:26what the money was for,
00:45:27get the documentation,
00:45:29wait for her to remember
00:45:30to submit it,
00:45:32wait for her to remember.
00:45:35The memory of her
00:45:36sitting behind that desk,
00:45:37calmly sipping coffee
00:45:39while I agonized
00:45:40in the hospital hallway
00:45:44was burned into my mind.
00:45:46She had the power
00:45:47to decide
00:45:48whether Chloe's prescription
00:45:49got refilled,
00:45:50whether the funds
00:45:52ever reached the hospital.
00:45:55I looked at the man
00:45:56standing in front of me
00:45:57I once called my husband.
00:45:59And you?
00:46:00You knew all of it,
00:46:02and you called it policy.
00:46:04He stepped toward me,
00:46:06his face pale,
00:46:07frantically trying
00:46:07to find an excuse.
00:46:09I didn't know
00:46:09she would actually-
00:46:10You knew.
00:46:11I cut him off,
00:46:13my voice sharp
00:46:13and unwavering.
00:46:16You just decided
00:46:17it didn't matter
00:46:18enough to change.
00:46:20He lowered his head,
00:46:21unable to meet my eyes.
00:46:24You didn't care
00:46:25that I was humiliated.
00:46:26I clenched my fists,
00:46:28the years of suppressed
00:46:29agony pouring out.
00:46:30You didn't care
00:46:31that I was begging.
00:46:33You didn't care
00:46:34that Chloe might not
00:46:35survive the delay.
00:46:36You just expected me
00:46:37to comply.
00:46:38Because I was your wife,
00:46:40so I should.
00:46:41You handed my survival
00:46:42to another woman
00:46:43and called it procedure.
00:46:45The moment you did that,
00:46:47I stopped being your wife.
00:46:50He grabbed his hair,
00:46:51a silent groan
00:46:52of despair escaping him.
00:46:53I stepped back,
00:46:55putting distance
00:46:56between us.
00:46:59I became someone
00:47:01who needed to file
00:47:01paperwork
00:47:04to deserve a scrape
00:47:05of your attention.
00:47:08Fill out the request.
00:47:10The memory of his voice
00:47:11still echoed faintly.
00:47:13Sophie will review it.
00:47:15Once she approves,
00:47:16I'll sign off.
00:47:21I remembered Sophie
00:47:22standing there,
00:47:23handing me the paper
00:47:24like she owned my life.
00:47:33I had loved him so much.
00:47:35Enough to quit my job.
00:47:37Enough to spend years
00:47:38learning how to be
00:47:39the perfect wife he wanted.
00:47:41Enough to shrink
00:47:42my entire life
00:47:43down to the shape of his.
00:47:45And he had taught me,
00:47:46without meaning to,
00:47:48exactly what that
00:47:49compliance meant.
00:47:50I know.
00:47:51I understand now
00:47:52how bad it was.
00:47:53He stepped closer,
00:47:55pleading.
00:47:56Give me a chance
00:47:57to fix it.
00:47:58I won't let you
00:47:59go through that again.
00:48:03It's too late.
00:48:04It's not.
00:48:06There were so many moments.
00:48:08I had wanted him
00:48:10to say those words.
00:48:11Standing at the hospital
00:48:12payment window
00:48:13with nothing.
00:48:15Sitting in waiting rooms,
00:48:16alone,
00:48:17watching Chloe
00:48:17get smaller by the week.
00:48:19He was never there.
00:48:21Julian,
00:48:21I'm doing fine.
00:48:24I said it clearly.
00:48:28This isn't fine.
00:48:31The apartment is tiny.
00:48:33You're taking the bus.
00:48:34You're eating convenience store food
00:48:36and working late every night.
00:48:38I gently pulled my arm.
00:48:41I chose all of it.
00:48:44I looked up at him,
00:48:45savoring the reality
00:48:46of my words.
00:48:47The apartment,
00:48:48I can afford the rent.
00:48:50The bus,
00:48:51I don't mind waiting.
00:48:52What I eat
00:48:53and what I buy,
00:48:54no approval required.
00:48:56I took a deep breath
00:48:57of the crisp night air.
00:48:59I don't have to watch
00:49:00Sophie's face anymore.
00:49:02I don't have to wait for you
00:49:03to decide I'm worth something.
00:49:06You think this looks like nothing?
00:49:08To me,
00:49:09it's the first time in years
00:49:10I've felt free.
00:49:13His expression shattered,
00:49:15leaving behind a lost man.
00:49:17Then where does that leave me?
00:49:19You're the part of my life
00:49:20I had to let go of.
00:49:22Relationship to get there.
00:49:24I'm not giving up.
00:49:26I continued walking.
00:49:31The bus was pulling in.
00:49:35I stepped on,
00:49:36tapped my card,
00:49:37and found a window seat.
00:49:40I looked away.
00:49:41I could still see him
00:49:42standing on the sidewalk,
00:49:43frozen in place.
00:49:45I looked away.
00:49:47My phone buzzed,
00:49:48a co-worker asking about
00:49:49materials for tomorrow's meeting.
00:49:51on it.
00:49:52The part of me that used to ache
00:49:54at the sound of his name
00:49:55was finally quiet.
00:49:58My new apartment was small,
00:50:00but it was mine.
00:50:04I thought I'd carry hatred
00:50:05out of that marriage.
00:50:08But as I cooked dinner,
00:50:10simply and without a second thought,
00:50:13I realized
00:50:14even hatred had faded.
00:50:17There was just space
00:50:18where it used to be.
00:50:21Across town,
00:50:23Sophie sat in the sprawling apartment
00:50:24Julian had arranged for her.
00:50:26Her eyes were fixed
00:50:27on her phone screen,
00:50:28scrolling through photos
00:50:29someone had sent her.
00:50:30Photos of Julian
00:50:31standing outside my office building.
00:50:34She had expected
00:50:35that once I was gone,
00:50:36everything would fall
00:50:37to her naturally.
00:50:38A year had passed.
00:50:40He hadn't proposed.
00:50:42He hadn't gone back
00:50:43to the way he used
00:50:44to treat her.
00:50:45Instead,
00:50:46he had pulled back from her,
00:50:47steadily and without a word.
00:50:49I need an address.
00:50:51Find out where Sloane is living.
00:50:55Sophie showed up
00:50:56at my office
00:50:56the next afternoon.
00:50:58I'm here to see Sloane.
00:51:00I'm here to see Sloane.
00:51:04My desk phone rang
00:51:05shortly after.
00:51:07Mrs. Sloane?
00:51:09There's a Miss Sophie here
00:51:10asking to see you.
00:51:14Before I could even get up
00:51:16and walk out of the office,
00:51:18I heard a familiar voice
00:51:20coming from the doorway.
00:51:20Sloane!
00:51:22Sophie didn't wait
00:51:23for the front desk to reply.
00:51:24Miss Carter, please wait!
00:51:26Before she burged
00:51:26straight into the office area.
00:51:30A few of my colleagues
00:51:31had already glanced over.
00:51:33People were lingering
00:51:34in the lobby,
00:51:35pretending to read documents
00:51:37or sip coffee.
00:51:39Sloan?
00:51:40Where is she?
00:51:46I stood up from the crowd.
00:51:49Sophie's eyes landed on me,
00:51:50but only for a moment.
00:51:52She looked at me
00:51:53with no sign
00:51:54that she recognized me.
00:51:56Sloane?
00:51:57I didn't answer her.
00:51:59I simply stood there calmly.
00:52:02Sloane?
00:52:03Where are you,
00:52:04you fat pig?
00:52:06She called my name again.
00:52:08I looked at her
00:52:09and finally spoke.
00:52:11Sophie.
00:52:16I didn't answer her.
00:52:19Sophie stared at me,
00:52:20and the expression
00:52:21on her face
00:52:21slowly changed.
00:52:23It was as if she had
00:52:24suddenly thought of something,
00:52:25but refused to believe it.
00:52:27She looked me up
00:52:28and down again,
00:52:29suspicion slowly creeping
00:52:30into her eyes.
00:52:32Wait.
00:52:33But the next second,
00:52:35she let out a cold laugh,
00:52:36as if trying to dismiss
00:52:38the ridiculous thought.
00:52:39No way.
00:52:41I'm looking for a fat pig.
00:52:45She clearly refused
00:52:46to believe that the woman
00:52:47standing in front of her
00:52:48could be the Sloane
00:52:49she remembered,
00:52:49the woman she had
00:52:50always mocked.
00:52:52Who is she?
00:52:53She turned to the people
00:52:54around her for confirmation.
00:52:56My co-workers exchanged
00:52:57glasses before someone
00:52:58finally spoke.
00:53:00She's Sloane?
00:53:01Are you sure?
00:53:02Absolutely.
00:53:03She's Sloane.
00:53:03Sloane Parker.
00:53:04I looked at Sophie.
00:53:06I didn't want her
00:53:07to keep asking.
00:53:08No need to confirm it.
00:53:10I'm the person
00:53:10you've been looking for.
00:53:12She looked me up and down
00:53:13for a long time.
00:53:15I never thought
00:53:16that fat girl
00:53:16could actually
00:53:17turn herself around.
00:53:18This isn't the place
00:53:19for personal matters.
00:53:22She ignored me,
00:53:23her voice rising
00:53:24just enough
00:53:25to carry across
00:53:25the quiet room.
00:53:27I didn't realize
00:53:28you and Julian
00:53:28were still legally married.
00:53:30I never would have
00:53:31gotten involved
00:53:32if I'd known the situation.
00:53:34Right on cue,
00:53:35a co-worker dropped
00:53:36a stack of papers
00:53:36in shock.
00:53:37The co-workers
00:53:38were hooked.
00:53:39I looked at her,
00:53:40completely unaffected
00:53:41by the charade.
00:53:42You don't have to
00:53:42perform for me, Sophie.
00:53:43Her delicate facade
00:53:44slipped for a fraction
00:53:45of a second.
00:53:47Her hand curled
00:53:48into a tight fist
00:53:49against her skirt.
00:53:51She quickly masked it
00:53:52with a look of hurt.
00:53:53Why are you still
00:53:54doing this?
00:53:55I came here
00:53:56to make peace.
00:53:57She took a step closer,
00:53:59holding out the paper bag.
00:54:00I brought something.
00:54:02I know things
00:54:03have been hard for you.
00:54:04I know Julian's
00:54:05been trying to reach you.
00:54:07There it was.
00:54:08That was why she'd come.
00:54:10Not to apologize.
00:54:12To brand me.
00:54:14To paint me
00:54:14as the desperate
00:54:15ex-wife clinging
00:54:16to a man who had
00:54:17already moved on
00:54:18while she played
00:54:19the gracious victor
00:54:20offering pity.
00:54:21Take your gift
00:54:22and leave.
00:54:24She slowly lowered
00:54:26the bag.
00:54:27A cold,
00:54:29sharp smile
00:54:29replaced her innocent act.
00:54:31She leaned in close,
00:54:33shedding the helpless
00:54:33victim persona entirely.
00:54:36You think Julian
00:54:37came to find you
00:54:38because he still loves you?
00:54:40Her eyes were hard,
00:54:42filled with a venom
00:54:43she usually kept hidden.
00:54:45It's guilt.
00:54:46That's all it is.
00:54:47She whispered,
00:54:49her voice dripping
00:54:50with malice.
00:54:51When the guilt fades,
00:54:52you'll be exactly
00:54:53where you started.
00:54:55She stared right
00:54:56into my eyes,
00:54:57delivering her final blow.
00:54:59Alone.
00:55:04Then go tell him that.
00:55:07Not me.
00:55:09The next second,
00:55:11her hand was around
00:55:12my wrist.
00:55:13I pulled free.
00:55:14One clean motion,
00:55:16nothing dramatic.
00:55:17Sophie stumbled backward.
00:55:19She caught the edge
00:55:19of the coffee table
00:55:20and went down.
00:55:22The gift bag spilled.
00:55:23My co-workers gasped.
00:55:25Sophie sat on the floor,
00:55:27one hand pressed to her arm,
00:55:29tears running freely.
00:55:31Why did you push me?
00:55:33I only came to apologize.
00:55:35I stood where I was.
00:55:36I had nothing to explain
00:55:37and no desire to try.
00:55:44The elevator opened.
00:55:46Julian crossed the lobby
00:55:48in about four straps.
00:55:50He saw Sophie on the floor
00:55:51and moved to her automatically.
00:55:53Are you hurt?
00:55:54He steadied her by the arm.
00:55:57Sophie leaned against him,
00:55:58shaking.
00:55:59It's not Sloane's fault.
00:56:01I said the wrong thing.
00:56:04I watched it happen.
00:56:06Just a worn out recognition.
00:56:08Some reflexes don't change.
00:56:10Even after a year.
00:56:11Even after everything.
00:56:13She went down
00:56:13and he went to her.
00:56:14That fast.
00:56:15That automatic.
00:56:16Julian looked up at me.
00:56:18His eyes unreadable.
00:56:19I knew what he wanted to ask.
00:56:21I wasn't interested
00:56:22in explaining myself again.
00:56:24I had spent too many years
00:56:26doing that.
00:56:27Whatever is happening
00:56:28between you two.
00:56:29Keep me out of it.
00:56:33My manager walked over,
00:56:35her face tight with tension.
00:56:38Slowing.
00:56:39What happened here?
00:56:41I only wanted to apologize.
00:56:44Julian held her
00:56:45and slowly looked up.
00:56:47His eyes scanned the ceiling
00:56:49before settling on the security camera
00:56:50tucked away in the corner.
00:56:52His expression instantly changed.
00:56:55Pull the footage.
00:56:57Sophie's crying stopped,
00:56:59if only for a brief moment.
00:57:01Julian!
00:57:02Pull the footage.
00:57:04Ten minutes later,
00:57:05we were gathered in a conference room.
00:57:09The recording from moments ago
00:57:11was playing on the large screen.
00:57:13On the screen,
00:57:14Sophie walked toward me.
00:57:16Her hand closed tightly around my wrist.
00:57:19Then,
00:57:20she took a step backward herself.
00:57:22The movement was deliberate
00:57:24and carefully controlled.
00:57:26She simply used the momentum
00:57:27to send herself to the floor.
00:57:30Every single frame was clear.
00:57:33The conference room
00:57:34fell deathly silent.
00:57:36Sophie's face
00:57:37went white as a sheet.
00:57:41That's not how it...
00:57:44Julian, I just...
00:57:46Julian looked at her
00:57:47like he was seeing her
00:57:48for the very first time.
00:57:51Was it always like this?
00:57:54Sophie had no answer.
00:57:56Every time Sloane said
00:57:58you were making things difficult.
00:58:00Every time she said
00:58:01you were blocking the money.
00:58:03Every time she came to me
00:58:05and I didn't believe her.
00:58:07Was it always like this?
00:58:09Sophie was crying again,
00:58:10desperate tears
00:58:11streaming down her face.
00:58:13I just loved you.
00:58:15I only ever...
00:58:18Julian closed his eyes.
00:58:20When he opened them again,
00:58:21there was nothing warm
00:58:22left in his gaze.
00:58:24Clean out your desk.
00:58:27Don't come back.
00:58:33Finance will audit
00:58:34everything you pull
00:58:35through this role.
00:58:41Every last transaction.
00:58:44Get me a full accounting.
00:58:48Recover what can be recovered.
00:58:53And don't go easy on anyone.
00:58:59Sophie panicked completely
00:59:01and grabbed his sleeve.
00:59:03Julian.
00:59:05You can't do this.
00:59:09After everything.
00:59:10After all the years.
00:59:14He removed her hand
00:59:15from his arm.
00:59:17Then he turned to me.
00:59:19His face was careful.
00:59:21Almost tentative.
00:59:23Like he thought
00:59:24finally doing the right thing
00:59:25might buy him something back.
00:59:29I'll make sure
00:59:30she's dealt with properly.
00:59:33You have my word.
00:59:35That's between you and her.
00:59:38The divorce hearing
00:59:39was on a clear morning.
00:59:41Julian was already outside
00:59:42when I arrived.
00:59:45He was thinner
00:59:46than the last time
00:59:46I'd seen him.
00:59:48His suit was immaculate.
00:59:51But his hands
00:59:52were gripping a folder
00:59:53hard enough
00:59:54to whiten his knuckles.
00:59:55He came straight to me.
00:59:59Sloan.
01:00:00I stopped.
01:00:02He held out the folder.
01:00:04New terms.
01:00:05The house.
01:00:06Stock.
01:00:07Savings.
01:00:07It's all there.
01:00:08All of it.
01:00:10Just consider waiting.
01:00:12I didn't take it.
01:00:18I'm here to finish this.
01:00:27He didn't posture.
01:00:28He didn't use
01:00:29his family's name.
01:00:30When the financial breakdown
01:00:32was read out
01:00:32he tried several times
01:00:34to transfer more
01:00:35to my column.
01:00:36I took what was mine.
01:00:38Nothing more.
01:00:39Nothing more.
01:00:42Does it have to be
01:00:42this clean?
01:00:45It always should have been.
01:00:48He absorbed that
01:00:49without responding.
01:00:51When it was his turn
01:00:52to speak
01:00:53he stood up slowly
01:00:55and kept his voice low.
01:00:57Low enough
01:00:58that I had to pay
01:00:59attention to hear.
01:01:01He said he had
01:01:02mistaken my patience
01:01:03for bottomlessness.
01:01:06He said every time
01:01:07I asked him
01:01:08for something
01:01:08he thought I was
01:01:10pushing.
01:01:11Testing.
01:01:12Trying to back him
01:01:13into a corner.
01:01:15He said he handed
01:01:15my suffering
01:01:16to Sophie to manage
01:01:17and called it a system
01:01:18and never once
01:01:19thought about
01:01:20what it felt like
01:01:21to be on the other
01:01:21side of it.
01:01:22He said he treated
01:01:23the cost of keeping
01:01:24Chloe alive
01:01:25like a line item
01:01:26that needed justification.
01:01:27By the end
01:01:28his eyes were red.
01:01:30I know it's too late
01:01:31to say any of this.
01:01:31I looked down
01:01:33at the table.
01:01:34It was.
01:01:36Chloe wasn't coming back.
01:01:38Neither was the baby.
01:01:39Neither was the version
01:01:40of me that had stood
01:01:41in that hospital corridor
01:01:43begging him
01:01:43to stay on the line.
01:01:45When he needed
01:01:46to admit fault
01:01:47he finally could.
01:01:49But the people
01:01:50his fault had cost me
01:01:51weren't returnable.
01:01:55When my turn
01:01:56came to sign
01:01:56my hand was steady.
01:01:59The pen moved.
01:02:01With the final stroke
01:02:03it was settled.
01:02:08Something in my chest
01:02:09went loose.
01:02:10Not happy exactly.
01:02:12Just lighter.
01:02:13The way a room feels
01:02:14when you open the windows
01:02:15after a long winter.
01:02:17Outside the courthouse
01:02:18the sun was bright
01:02:18on the steps.
01:02:19Julian came out
01:02:20behind you.
01:02:20Slola.
01:02:23If you ever need anything.
01:02:25Anything at all.
01:02:27I won't.
01:02:28He didn't follow.
01:02:30I knew without turning
01:02:31that he was still
01:02:32standing there
01:02:32watching me go.
01:02:35Maybe at that moment
01:02:36he finally understood it.
01:02:39That some people
01:02:40don't leave
01:02:41because they stop
01:02:41loving you.
01:02:43They leave
01:02:44because you showed them
01:02:45over and over
01:02:46that your love
01:02:47had conditions
01:02:48they could never meet.
01:02:49That afternoon
01:02:51I went to the cemetery.
01:02:52Chloe's plot
01:02:53was clean and quiet.
01:02:55I set down
01:02:56the flowers
01:02:56I'd brought
01:02:57and wiped her photo
01:02:58with a folded tissue.
01:03:00In the picture
01:03:01she was young
01:03:02smiling with her
01:03:03whole face
01:03:04eyes curved
01:03:05into crescent
01:03:05the same expression
01:03:07she used to have
01:03:08when she walked me
01:03:09home from school
01:03:09with my hand in hers.
01:03:11I crouched in front
01:03:12of the headstone.
01:03:14I'm divorced.
01:03:15The wind moved
01:03:16through the trees
01:03:17leaves rustled.
01:03:18I put my hand
01:03:19on the stone.
01:03:20My eyes went warm.
01:03:23I didn't let
01:03:24the tears fall.
01:03:26Nobody gets
01:03:27to make me beg anymore.
01:03:29Nobody gets
01:03:29to use you against me.
01:03:31I'm free.
01:03:33I stayed for a long time.
01:03:36I told her
01:03:37about the apartment
01:03:37with the morning light.
01:03:39I told her
01:03:40I'd learned to cook.
01:03:42I told her
01:03:42I was managing.
01:03:44Before I left
01:03:45I touched her photograph
01:03:47one more time.
01:03:48I'll be okay.
01:03:50Next time around
01:03:51let me be the older one.