- hace 21 horas
After Losing a Dare I Told My Ex I Was Pregnant (COMPLETE ENGL)
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00:00You lost. Call your ex and tell him you're pregnant. The father took off.
00:03My ex? Funny. He blocked me months ago.
00:08Fine. I'll call.
00:12Hello?
00:13Why is he picking up?
00:15Everyone's staring at me. I have no choice but to keep going.
00:19Um, I'm pregnant. The father took off.
00:23Eleanor, you really have a gift.
00:25My stomach drops because I actually do have a child.
00:30And she's his. I...
00:31Where are you?
00:35What?
00:36Your address. I need your address.
00:39Are you at a hospital?
00:41Send it to me!
00:43I'm not at a hospital. I have somewhere to be. I'm hanging up.
00:46I forced myself to sound calm and turn to the people enjoying the show.
00:50Let's call that tonight's entertainment.
00:53Back to drinking.
00:58After the party, I pulled out my phone to get a ride.
01:02A car pulled up in front of me.
01:05Get in.
01:08Damien?
01:13Damien threw open the passenger door, yanked me inside, and hit the gas.
01:17You're insane.
01:20I sank into the seat as my mind was dragged back years.
01:24My mom was a single mother.
01:26She controlled every part of my life.
01:28No friends, no makeup, no dresses.
01:31So I was the frumpiest girl in school, and the easiest target.
01:35Look, the nerd's here.
01:38Throw her books away. Let's see what she does.
01:40Nobody spoke up for me.
01:42Nobody except Damien.
01:46Back off.
01:47If I catch you messing with her again, you'll regret it.
01:51Don't listen to them.
01:52You're beautiful.
01:54After that, he walked me to class every day,
01:56held my hand under the desk, and confessed.
01:59I said yes.
02:01Then we moved in together.
02:02He worked days at a car dealership,
02:04and spent all night reworking his startup pitch,
02:07saving money so I could go to London for grad school,
02:10and finally get out from under my mother's thumb.
02:12He said he would do anything for me.
02:15Not long after, his father showed up with a check.
02:18You're not good enough for the Ashford heir.
02:21Take the money, and leave my son.
02:23He refused to let Damien turn his back on an arranged marriage,
02:27or the family, for me.
02:29When my mother found out I was dating someone,
02:32she stormed his workplace and caused a scene.
02:35He lost the job that had just started going somewhere.
02:38I sent him one last message.
02:41I was done being poor.
02:43Then I walked out and dropped the check in the trash.
02:46By the time I got to London, I was pregnant.
02:50My best friend Gigi was with me when I had my daughter.
02:53I named her Poppy.
02:55I begged Gigi never to tell Damien.
02:58And now, the man I had sacrificed everything to protect
03:02was gripping the steering wheel,
03:04barely containing his anger.
03:07Eleanor, all these years,
03:09and your first words to me aren't even hello,
03:12they're an insult?
03:13What's there to catch up on?
03:15We were clear when we broke up.
03:17We were never supposed to see each other again.
03:21I agreed to the breakup.
03:23I never agreed to never seeing you again.
03:27You're insane!
03:28The car descended into an enormous private garage.
03:32I knew exactly how to make him hate me more.
03:35I knew you had money.
03:36I didn't know you had this much.
03:39What?
03:40Regret breaking up with me?
03:42It's not too late to come back?
03:44No.
03:45I regret not holding out for a bigger check.
03:48Damien's expression went ice cold.
03:50He slammed on the brakes,
03:52hooked a hand around my neck,
03:53and kissed me.
03:55I couldn't push him off,
03:56so I bit his lip.
03:57He let out a small yelp of pain.
04:00I slapped him.
04:05All right, I get it.
04:06You're tough.
04:07He raised both hands in mock surrender,
04:10still looking completely unbothered.
04:14A few years apart,
04:16and you've gotten meaner.
04:18I pulled the door open to leave.
04:19Panic flashed across his face,
04:21and he grabbed my arm.
04:22Eleanor, don't go.
04:26I didn't turn back,
04:27so he called again.
04:29Eleanor.
04:30He always found a way to soften me.
04:32I stayed where I was.
04:34When his lips met mine,
04:35his hands began to wander.
04:37The last rational thought I had
04:38was that I couldn't let myself
04:40get tangled up with this maniac again.
04:42I pressed both hands against Damien's chest,
04:45gasping for air.
04:46He stopped immediately,
04:48visibly delighted.
04:50What's wrong?
04:51Forget how to kiss after we broke up?
04:54I ignored him and checked my watch.
04:57Almost 11.
04:58The nanny had gone home hours ago,
05:00and my daughter was alone.
05:02Damien, let me go.
05:03I need to get home.
05:05Okay.
05:06I'll drive you.
05:08He actually didn't push it.
05:09Since when are you so generous?
05:12You know me.
05:13I always respect your wishes.
05:17On the way back,
05:18I stole a glance at Damien.
05:19His phone kept buzzing.
05:21Clearly, work was busy.
05:23But he didn't even look.
05:24He declined every call.
05:26Taking over the family business
05:27had apparently made him
05:28even more impossible,
05:29which was exactly why
05:31he could never know
05:32we had a child.
05:35You look nervous.
05:37Afraid I'll ask who her father is?
05:42What?
05:43What?
05:43I'm not.
05:45You repeat yourself when you lie.
05:48You pick at your cuticles
05:50when you're thinking.
05:51My hands flew apart.
05:53Damien smiled again.
05:55Bastard.
05:56He was playing with me.
05:58How did you find me?
05:59A friend saw you
06:00and sent me a video.
06:03Great.
06:04He pointed to the destination
06:06on the navigation screen.
06:08Your new place?
06:10Rented.
06:11Was that your new boyfriend
06:13you were drinking with?
06:14I pictured Brant,
06:15that sweaty, doughy sleaze,
06:17and shook my head.
06:19As if.
06:21Damien's mouth curved.
06:23Then why did you call me tonight?
06:24Lost a game.
06:25Had to call my ex.
06:27I mean,
06:28they made me call
06:29a random contact.
06:30He nodded.
06:31I see.
06:33Thanks for the ride.
06:34I'm deleting your number
06:35when I get inside.
06:36I promise I won't bother you again.
06:38Damien didn't answer.
06:39He parked in front
06:40of the apartment building.
06:41I opened the door
06:42and walked away
06:43without looking back.
06:44The whole way
06:45I kept checking behind me,
06:47terrified that lunatic
06:48would follow.
06:49When I reached my door,
06:50there was still no one there.
06:52I let out a long breath
06:53and pressed my thumb
06:54to the smart lock.
06:55Door unlocked.
06:56A second later,
06:57the door was pulled open
06:58behind me.
06:59An arm wrapped around me
07:00and pushed me inside.
07:04In the dark,
07:05Damien braced one hand
07:06against the cabinet
07:07and pinned both my wrists
07:08with the other.
07:09He kept kissing me
07:10until his face
07:11was buried
07:12in the curve of my neck.
07:13I felt warm tears
07:15falling against my skin.
07:16We stayed like that
07:17for a long time
07:18until he spoke.
07:20Eleanor,
07:20I hate you so much right now.
07:23God knows I could kill you.
07:26You called me tonight,
07:27told me you were carrying
07:28another man's child
07:29and I almost accepted...
07:30The lights came on
07:32before he could finish.
07:33Poppy stood there
07:34rubbing her eyes,
07:35woken by the noise.
07:37Mommy,
07:37why are you home so late?
07:39Is this my dad?
07:41Has he finally come back?
07:45Instinctively,
07:46I tried to push Damien away,
07:47but he locked his arm
07:48around my waist.
07:49His eyes went wide.
07:51He sounded like he couldn't
07:52believe what he was hearing.
07:53What did you just call her?
07:54Furious.
07:55I stomped on his foot.
07:57Keep your voice down,
07:58and you're scaring her.
07:59Poppy,
08:00go put your shoes on.
08:02Mommy,
08:03who is that man?
08:04Mommy,
08:05why won't he let you go?
08:07Every mommy
08:08was another crack
08:09in Damien's composure.
08:11Eleanor,
08:11you told me you loved me.
08:14How could you have a child
08:15with someone else?
08:16You're lying, mister.
08:17Mommy loves me most.
08:19Damien's face darkened.
08:20I shoved him aside,
08:21looked at Poppy.
08:22Poppy,
08:23stay right there.
08:24Mommy's going to get your shoes.
08:26Okay, Mommy.
08:26Poppy gave me a sweet smile.
08:29The moment I stepped
08:30into the bedroom,
08:31Poppy ran over to Damien,
08:33whose eyes were red,
08:34and reached up
08:35to pat his head.
08:36Big doggie,
08:37don't cry.
08:38I came out with her shoes,
08:39heard what she called him,
08:41and laughed
08:41before I could stop myself.
08:43Then,
08:44Poppy leaned in
08:45close to Damien.
08:46Their identical eyes met.
08:49Huh,
08:50you look really familiar, mister.
08:52I think Poppy's
08:53seen you before.
08:54Damien looked up at me,
08:55suspicion all over his face.
08:57My smile.
08:59I scrambled to cover.
09:02Poppy, it's late.
09:03All the little princesses
09:04in the castle are asleep.
09:06But you're not asleep, Mommy.
09:07What?
09:08You're a princess in the castle, too,
09:10and you're not sleeping.
09:11My heart melted.
09:14Sweetheart,
09:15Mommy's going to put you
09:16to bed first.
09:18Hold on.
09:19Damien stepped
09:19between Poppy and me.
09:21He took off his jacket,
09:22then gently picked her up.
09:24Okay, sweetheart,
09:25tell Big Doggy,
09:26where have you seen me before?
09:27On Mommy's phone?
09:28The pictures Mommy hid?
09:30Something Mommy said
09:30in her sleep?
09:31Or the diary Mommy
09:32writes in secret?
09:33I rolled my eyes.
09:34Really?
09:35Is this multiple choice?
09:36And she's three.
09:37She can't even read.
09:39Poppy's big eyes shifted.
09:41Then,
09:41as if remembering something,
09:43she pointed to the window.
09:44My heart dropped.
09:46There was a photo strip
09:47sitting on the window sill.
09:48I'd found it inside a suitcase
09:50while unpacking
09:51a few days earlier.
09:52I hadn't had anywhere
09:52to put it,
09:53so I'd tossed it
09:54onto the sill.
09:55If Damien saw it,
09:56there'd be no explaining
09:57my way out.
09:58Damien carried Poppy
09:59straight over.
10:00He was about to pull
10:01the curtain apart,
10:02and my heart was pounding
10:03out of my chest.
10:04Damien!
10:05I forced my voice
10:06to stay calm.
10:07There's nothing behind
10:08the curtain.
10:10Elor,
10:11stop lying to me.
10:12Is it really this hard
10:13to admit you still
10:14have feelings for me?
10:14With that,
10:15he grabbed the curtain
10:16and yanked it open.
10:17Poppy clapped,
10:18then pointed
10:18at the huge screen
10:19outside the window.
10:21Big Doggy,
10:22look,
10:22is that you?
10:23Across the street,
10:24a giant screen
10:25was looping a cover interview
10:26from a business magazine.
10:28Business Leader of the Year,
10:30Damien Ashford,
10:31CEO of Kestrel Group.
10:33His voice shook,
10:34but he wasn't giving up.
10:35So this is where
10:36you've seen me?
10:37Big Doggy?
10:38Nowhere else?
10:39No,
10:40I saw Big Doggy
10:41on the big TV.
10:43No pictures anywhere?
10:45Or has Mommy ever said
10:46someone's name
10:47in her sleep?
10:47Enough!
10:48I cut him off.
10:49Enough, Damien.
10:50Poppy needs to sleep.
10:51Damien's arms
10:52tightened around Poppy.
10:54No.
10:55Eleanor,
10:56you can't have
10:56just forgotten me.
10:58Just tell me,
10:59is there any chance
11:00I'm her father?
11:01Poppy squirmed
11:02in his arms.
11:02He was holding
11:03her too tightly.
11:05No, Big Doggy.
11:06Poppy has a daddy.
11:07I stepped forward,
11:09took my daughter,
11:09and slapped him.
11:11Did you hear her?
11:12Poppy has a father.
11:14Stop losing
11:15your mind
11:15in my home.
11:18After the slap,
11:19Damien went
11:20completely still.
11:21He crouched down
11:22and looked at Poppy
11:23hiding behind me.
11:24His eyes were bloodshot.
11:25Eleanor,
11:26she doesn't look
11:26anything like you.
11:27Your husband must be
11:28so proud of himself.
11:29I hate you.
11:30The door opened
11:31and closed.
11:32Poppy tugged
11:33at my sleeve.
11:34Mommy,
11:34Big Doggy left.
11:36I know, baby.
11:37You did so well.
11:38I crouched down
11:39and hugged her.
11:39It was Gigi
11:40who taught Poppy
11:41to say she had a father.
11:42That girl always
11:43had a hundred tricks
11:44up her sleeve.
11:45The day I got back
11:46to New York,
11:46she wanted us
11:47to stay with her,
11:48but I'd already
11:49rented an apartment.
11:50Eleanor,
11:51you're such a buzz killer.
11:52I'm your best friend
11:53and Poppy's godmother.
11:56Auntie Gigi,
11:57your hair got short.
12:00Do I look cool, Poppy?
12:01Cool and pretty.
12:03Auntie Gigi
12:04is the prettiest.
12:06Then,
12:07can Auntie Gigi
12:07ask you a favor?
12:09From now on,
12:10when it's just us,
12:12you call me Auntie Gigi.
12:14If anyone else is around,
12:16you call me Daddy.
12:17Deal?
12:18Poppy tilted her head,
12:19confused.
12:21Because Mommy's
12:22too pretty, Poppy,
12:23we have to protect her.
12:24Poppy caught on fast.
12:26When a delivery man
12:26showed up,
12:27she grabbed the package.
12:28Thank you, mister.
12:29My daddy bought this.
12:30When a delivery driver
12:31brought the little cake
12:32she'd been begging for.
12:34Thank you, mister.
12:35Daddy gets the first bite.
12:37Gigi scooped her up
12:38and covered her in kisses.
12:39Mwah.
12:41Exactly.
12:41That's my girl.
12:42I shook my head.
12:44Is this really necessary, Gigi?
12:47Eleanor, gorgeous.
12:48Do you have any idea
12:49how beautiful you are?
12:51You were stunning before, Poppy.
12:53Now you've got that cool,
12:54untouchable thing,
12:55plus the whole maternal glow.
12:57God, if I were a man
12:58with half a brain,
12:59I'd be begging to be your dog.
13:02Too bad Poppy takes after Damien.
13:03Kids are like puppies sometimes.
13:05They don't understand the words,
13:07but they understand the tone.
13:08Is Poppy not pretty?
13:10Pretty.
13:12Poppy's the prettiest.
13:15I thought Gigi
13:16was just being overprotective.
13:17Who knew it would
13:18actually come in handy?
13:20Poppy,
13:21we might stay at
13:22Auntie Gigi's
13:22for a few days.
13:23We might move too.
13:24Mommy wanted to give you
13:26a heads up.
13:26Is that okay?
13:27Poppy's okay with anything.
13:29Wherever Mommy is,
13:30Poppy is.
13:33Once Poppy was asleep,
13:34I went out onto the balcony
13:36and opened the window
13:37to get some air.
13:38The photo strip
13:39I tossed onto the sill
13:40fluttered across the floor.
13:41When it landed by my feet,
13:43it was face up.
13:45Damien at 19
13:46was looking back at me,
13:47grinning like an idiot.
13:49The year I met Damien,
13:50I'd just started college
13:51and was still a good girl.
13:53My mother had controlled
13:54my life for 18 years.
13:56She was a teacher
13:57and she raised me alone.
13:58Only one thing
13:59mattered to her.
14:00My grades.
14:01Everything else
14:02was a distraction.
14:04She wouldn't let me
14:05dress up.
14:05No long hair,
14:07just the plainest
14:07low ponytail.
14:09No skirts,
14:10no skin care,
14:11and definitely
14:12no makeup.
14:13She picked my clothes.
14:14Oversized,
14:15frumpy sweatsuits
14:16I wore for years.
14:17She picked my glasses, too.
14:19The lenses were as thick
14:21as the bottom of a bottle.
14:22She said if a girl
14:23prettied herself up,
14:24her mind was already
14:25elsewhere.
14:27So, I became the girl
14:28everyone at school
14:29could walk all the way.
14:30Kids called me
14:31tick and bookworm.
14:33My textbooks
14:34got thrown in the toilet.
14:35My backpack
14:36was dumped out.
14:37People mocked
14:38the way I walked
14:39right to my face.
14:40No one helped.
14:41The day my exam results
14:42came out,
14:43my mother called
14:44my father immediately.
14:45You bastard.
14:46I just wanted you
14:47to hear how well
14:48the daughter you abandoned
14:49turned out.
14:49One day,
14:51Eleanor will make it
14:52in the city
14:53and she'll take me
14:54with her,
14:54cough,
14:54and you'll regret
14:55ever walking out on us.
14:58She got so worked up
15:00that she couldn't stop coughing.
15:01I thought that after
15:02all those years
15:03of being repressed,
15:04she deserved
15:05to let it out.
15:06Once my acceptance
15:07letters arrived,
15:08I'd finally be able
15:09to breathe.
15:10But fate
15:11had other plans.
15:12I applied to 16 schools.
15:14Every intended major
15:15was business
15:16or economics.
15:17But my mother
15:18had set the password
15:19on my application account.
15:20She logged in
15:21late at night
15:22and changed
15:23every intended major
15:24to education.
15:25The high-powered woman
15:27I dreamed of becoming.
15:28The career
15:29I had planned for myself.
15:30She changed all of it.
15:33Financial aid
15:34required my parents'
15:35tax information.
15:36She refused to sign
15:37and gave me one sentence.
15:39If you want my signature,
15:41go to this school's
15:42teaching program
15:43and take the
15:43teaching service scholarship.
15:44Get your license,
15:46become a teacher,
15:47marry some local man
15:48with a steady job
15:49and I can finally
15:49enjoy my life.
15:51Mom,
15:51I don't want
15:52to study education.
15:54If you still call me
15:55your mother,
15:56you'll study education!
15:58On move-in day,
15:59my mother drove me
16:00to campus.
16:00That was the first time
16:02I saw Damien.
16:03Broad shoulders,
16:04narrow waist,
16:05tall as hell.
16:06There were too many
16:07people around him.
16:08With that handsome,
16:10unfriendly face,
16:11he stood out
16:11like he owned the place.
16:13After my mother
16:14finished all the paperwork,
16:16she gave me a show
16:17from behind.
16:18Don't think college
16:19means you can slack off.
16:21Stay away from guys
16:22like that.
16:22You can tell he's trouble.
16:24She said it way too loud.
16:26Everyone at the booths
16:27across from us
16:28turned to look,
16:29including Damien.
16:31What are you looking at?
16:33My daughter graduated
16:34top of her class.
16:35A couple of people
16:35looked ready to argue
16:36with her.
16:37Then they heard that
16:38and burst out laughing.
16:40At a school like this,
16:41every state's top student
16:42was here.
16:43I heard a few muffled
16:44snickers behind me.
16:45Hick.
16:46That freak who does
16:47nothing but study?
16:48I'd heard it all before.
16:49Bullying a freshman?
16:50Does that make you feel big?
16:52The snickering stopped.
16:54Damien was leaning
16:54against a booth,
16:55too lazy to even look up.
16:57The others slunk away.
16:58I kept my head down
16:59and dragged my mother forward.
17:01I never noticed
17:02that Damien's eyes
17:03followed me the whole way.
17:04I thought my first meeting
17:06with him had been
17:06humiliating enough.
17:08Then our second meeting
17:09was worse.
17:09I'd just joined
17:11student council.
17:12Since the start
17:12of the semester,
17:13I'd transformed.
17:15Brendan, a senior
17:16on the student council,
17:17and Trevor, our class rep,
17:19asked me out
17:19at the same time.
17:20Brendan told me
17:21it was a student council dinner
17:22and everyone had to go.
17:24Trevor said
17:24it was a private invitation.
17:26I had no reason
17:26to doubt Brendan,
17:27so I turned Trevor down.
17:29The moment I got downstairs,
17:30I saw the two of them
17:31beating the hell
17:32out of each other
17:33outside my dorm.
17:34The crowd grew.
17:36So did the laughter.
17:37They said I'd led
17:37them both on,
17:38that I was playing
17:39two guys and got caught.
17:41I couldn't defend myself.
17:42Damien was the one
17:43who ended it.
17:44He walked over
17:44and put a hand
17:45on each of their shoulders.
17:47I don't think so, gentlemen.
17:48If you're going to lie,
17:49at least make it believable.
17:51Do you really think
17:52a princess like my girlfriend
17:53would look twice
17:53at either of you?
17:55Trevor got pissed.
17:56No way!
17:57Eleanor can't be your girlfriend.
17:58She's single!
18:00Damien looked at him.
18:01Then did she have dinner
18:03with you tonight?
18:04Trevor's voice shrank.
18:06No.
18:07Because he lied to Eleanor
18:08and told her
18:08it was a student council dinner.
18:10He just wanted
18:11to ask her out himself.
18:12Brendan lost it.
18:13He tried to jump up
18:14and cover Trevor's mouth,
18:15but Damien's hand
18:16kept him planted.
18:17You idiot.
18:18The rumor fell apart.
18:19From that day on,
18:20Damien came to class with me.
18:22He never paid attention.
18:24He just buried
18:25half his face
18:25in his collar
18:26and slept through class
18:27without a care.
18:28I told him to go home
18:30and sleep.
18:30He clicked his tongue,
18:32annoyed.
18:33Eleanor,
18:33if we're putting on a show,
18:34we do it right.
18:35I told the whole campus
18:36you're my girlfriend.
18:37If you don't sell it,
18:38people think they can
18:39mess with you again.
18:40I nodded,
18:41deflated.
18:41So it really was
18:42just an act?
18:43He opened his eyes
18:44and looked at me,
18:45then let out a soft sigh.
18:47You believe everything I say,
18:49don't you, Eleanor?
18:49I froze.
18:51I let him take my hand
18:52under the desk.
18:53If you're really disobedient,
18:54can you get every man
18:55around you to back off?
18:57Then I won't have
18:57to watch you all day.
18:58I'm losing my mind.
19:00How can you still not see it?
19:01I like you, Eleanor.
19:05Meeting Damien
19:06was a blessing.
19:07Meeting Gigi
19:08was one too.
19:09One taught me
19:10how to roll
19:10with life's punches
19:11and grow up
19:12on the inside.
19:13The other taught me
19:14how to transform myself
19:15and grow up
19:16on the outside.
19:17I even made peace
19:18with all the things
19:19I'd been through before
19:20just to drown out
19:21that quiet,
19:22splintering fear
19:23in my chest
19:23until the year
19:24Damien and I
19:25broke apart.
19:25I was a senior.
19:27He was a year ahead
19:27and had already graduated.
19:29After Gigi left
19:30for London,
19:31I moved out of the dorm
19:32and into an old apartment
19:33across from campus
19:34with Damien.
19:35I studied.
19:36He worked.
19:37He was saving money
19:38for my graduate program
19:39in London.
19:40It wasn't that I never
19:41thought about giving up.
19:42Damien was the one
19:43pushing me forward.
19:44What are you afraid of?
19:45I'll make the money.
19:46He'd stay up all night
19:48rewriting his startup proposal.
19:50Then he'd still pull
19:51a boxed dinner
19:52out of his pocket
19:52and make me eat something
19:54before bed.
19:55Every time,
19:56guilt swallowed me whole.
19:57Someone like Damien
19:58should have had
19:59his own empire by then.
20:00Don't cry.
20:01I like supporting you,
20:02Eleanor.
20:03You're meant to stand
20:04on my shoulders
20:04and see the world.
20:06Then come to London
20:07with me.
20:08You can't make me
20:09go alone.
20:11Relax.
20:13I'm going to be stuck
20:14to you for the rest
20:14of my life.
20:15That day,
20:16the last bit of fear
20:17in my heart disappeared.
20:19I naively thought
20:20our hard days
20:20would eventually end.
20:22Then,
20:23one day,
20:23I came home with groceries
20:24and found a man
20:26in a suit on the stairs.
20:27Damien and I lived
20:28on the top floor.
20:29We had no neighbors.
20:30He looked a lot like Damien,
20:32but there was a coldness
20:33to him.
20:34When he looked at me,
20:35it was with contempt
20:36and something like pity.
20:38My heart lurched.
20:40The groceries
20:40stepped out of my hands.
20:42Hello?
20:43Who are you looking for?
20:44Miss Winters,
20:45hello.
20:48The man in the suit
20:49was Damien's father,
20:50Arthur Ashford,
20:51chairman of Ashford Group.
20:53Miss Winters,
20:55you and Damien
20:55don't belong together.
20:56I had you investigated.
20:58Small town Ohio,
21:00single mother.
21:01Getting into this school
21:02already puts you ahead
21:03of 99% of people
21:04your age.
21:05You're exceptional.
21:07I'm glad my son
21:08has someone like you
21:09in his life.
21:10But Miss Winters,
21:12you're smart.
21:14That last 1%
21:15isn't something
21:16hard work can buy.
21:17He never said it outright,
21:18but I understood
21:19exactly what he meant.
21:21Damien and I
21:21had never belonged
21:22to the same world.
21:24Arthur held out a check.
21:25Thank you for taking
21:26care of him for so long.
21:27This check is a personal
21:29token of my appreciation.
21:30I kept my head down
21:31and didn't take it.
21:32Arthur sighed
21:33and set the check
21:34on the table.
21:35Damien is the Ashford heir.
21:37His attention belongs
21:39on the company.
21:39I won't watch him
21:40throw himself away
21:41on a woman
21:42with no money
21:43and no connections.
21:44And I will never
21:45let him marry a woman
21:46who brings him nothing.
21:47Miss Winters,
21:48you know he's talented.
21:50His company
21:50has been struggling.
21:51Have you never wondered why?
21:52I looked up in shock
21:53and he saw the question
21:54in my eyes
21:55before I could ask it.
21:56Disobedient children
21:57have to learn the hard way.
21:59Not a single investor
22:00in this city
22:01will take his call.
22:02All it takes
22:02is one word from me.
22:04As long as he stays away
22:05from the Ashwords,
22:06he'll be a nobody
22:07for the rest of his life.
22:09Arthur glanced
22:09around our apartment.
22:10His eyes were full of pity.
22:13Think it over,
22:14Miss Winters.
22:16Damien is still a boy
22:17with a family.
22:18Living like this,
22:19it's beneath him.
22:20He pushed the check
22:21toward me again.
22:22You both deserve
22:23better than this.
22:25When Damien came home
22:26with the strawberry cake,
22:27the apartment was pitch black.
22:28I was still sitting
22:29exactly where I'd been
22:30when his father left.
22:31On my own couch,
22:32in my own home,
22:33and I felt like
22:33I couldn't move.
22:34Damien understood
22:35in an instant.
22:36My dad has been here?
22:37The tears on my face
22:38had dried long ago.
22:39Damien, you lied to me.
22:40Damien held me tight.
22:41Don't trust him.
22:42Don't believe
22:42whatever he says.
22:43I don't want to get
22:44in the way
22:44of what you're building.
22:45You're not a burden.
22:46They're not that powerful.
22:47Trust me, please.
22:48Trust me.
22:49My tears came all at once.
22:51In the dark,
22:52I fumbled for him,
22:53desperate to feel safe.
22:54When I had no strength left,
22:56Damien was crying too.
22:58Eleanor, I'm begging you.
23:00Just believe me, please.
23:02I kissed his tear-soaked eyes.
23:04I believe you.
23:05We're not breaking up.
23:07The check stayed
23:08on the living room table.
23:10On New Year's Eve,
23:11Damien was working late,
23:12so I went to his office
23:13to have dinner with him.
23:14When the countdown hit zero,
23:16I clasped my hands together.
23:17I hope Damien and I
23:19both get what we want.
23:20A second later,
23:21a familiar, piercing voice
23:23cut through the room.
23:24You bastard.
23:25Damien and I,
23:26you tricked my daughter!
23:27I'd hidden from her
23:28for so long,
23:29and she still found me.
23:31I was tired.
23:32I was so tired.
23:34Damien's career
23:35had finally started
23:36to take off,
23:36and I ruined it.
23:38Damien acted like
23:39none of it mattered,
23:40but the investor
23:40he'd already scheduled
23:41a meeting with
23:42called and cancelled.
23:43For the first time,
23:44I wanted to stop fighting.
23:46Arthur came to see me again.
23:48His offer was tempting.
23:49Leave Damien,
23:50and he would handle the press.
23:52He would also pave the way
23:53for Damien's future.
23:54The day I flew to London,
23:56I took the check
23:57from the living room table.
23:58Then,
23:58I sent Damien
23:59one last message.
24:00Let's break up.
24:01I'm done living
24:02in that miserable apartment.
24:04We shouldn't ever
24:04see each other again.
24:06Outside,
24:07I threw the check
24:08in the trash,
24:08and I never looked back.
24:12Gigi picked me up
24:13at the airport
24:14and didn't say a word.
24:15We laughed and cried
24:16at the same time.
24:18When I first got to London,
24:19I worked at coffee shops
24:20and supermarkets.
24:21Whenever I had a free moment,
24:23I couldn't stop searching
24:24for news about Damien.
24:26Arthur moved fast.
24:27The videos of my mother's
24:28meltdown vanished.
24:29In their place
24:30were reports of Damien
24:31reaching new heights.
24:34On the way to a prenatal
24:35appointment with Gigi,
24:36I came across an interview
24:37with Damien.
24:38The host asked him,
24:39How are things
24:40with your girlfriend?
24:41There isn't one.
24:42I'm single.
24:44Then why is your first product
24:45called Snowfall?
24:46Is it about an ex?
24:47No.
24:48I stopped loving her
24:49a long time ago.
24:50Gigi couldn't stand it.
24:52She snatched my phone away.
24:53I looked outside.
24:54It was raining again.
24:56I pulled the photo strip
24:57from my pocket.
24:58The one we'd taken
24:58the year we got together.
24:59An 18-year-old Eleanor
25:01and a 19-year-old Damien.
25:03Damien,
25:04London's weather
25:04is unbearable.
25:06Good thing I didn't bring you.
25:07The photo in my memory
25:08overlapped with the one
25:09in my hand.
25:10He looked nothing like
25:10the elegant man
25:11on the screen outside.
25:12I crouched down
25:13and threw the photo
25:14in the trash,
25:14worlds apart.
25:15Damien,
25:16you were never meant
25:16to belong to the same world.
25:18The next day,
25:19Gigi came to pick me up,
25:20practically vibrating
25:21with gossip.
25:22So you and Damien made up?
25:24I rolled my eyes
25:25and muttered,
25:25Would I be moving
25:26if we had?
25:27Before that maniac
25:28thinks about getting
25:28a paternity test,
25:29I'm running.
25:30Have you really thought
25:31about getting back together
25:32with Damien?
25:33A kid and no husband?
25:35Doesn't that sound
25:35like the dream?
25:36Gigi lived more freely
25:37than I did.
25:38In all the years
25:39since I'd known her
25:40in college,
25:40there had never been
25:41a shortage of handsome men
25:42and everyone was
25:44more devoted
25:44than the last.
25:46When they broke up,
25:47they sobbed
25:47like their hearts
25:48had been ripped out.
25:49Even the huge mansion
25:49she lived in
25:50was a gift from an ex.
25:51I once asked her
25:52which ex.
25:52She dodged the question.
25:54Poppy and I stayed
25:54in the guest room.
25:55Poppy pushed her little
25:56suitcase in
25:57and barreled straight inside.
25:58When she was born,
25:59she was this tiny
26:00little meatball.
26:01I stood beside her
26:02with my arms crossed,
26:03just as nostalgic,
26:04and now look at her.
26:05Honestly,
26:06aside from being
26:07a total lunatic,
26:08Damien's face
26:08and IQ are top tier.
26:10A male voice
26:11came from behind us.
26:12Holy shit!
26:13You're telling me
26:13that's Damien's kid?
26:14We whipped around.
26:16A man wearing
26:16nothing but an apron
26:17stood in a kitchen
26:18holding a spatula.
26:19It was Damien's
26:20best friend,
26:20Jasper,
26:21the one who
26:21tipped him off
26:22the night before.
26:25You two?
26:26My eyes bounced
26:26between Gingy and Jasper.
26:28If I remembered correctly,
26:29Gigi's first love
26:30was Jasper's older brother.
26:32Why are you still
26:32in my house?
26:33Jasper immediately
26:34looked hooded.
26:35I thought you were joking.
26:36Was I not good enough
26:37last night,
26:37you heartless woman?
26:39I pressed my lips together
26:40so I wouldn't laugh.
26:41Jasper,
26:42put your clothes on
26:42and get out.
26:43Jasper grabbed a towel
26:45and frastically
26:45covered herself.
26:46I'm asking you,
26:48how much of what
26:49we just said
26:49did you hear?
26:50Gigi gave him
26:51a cold look.
26:52All of it.
26:53Nothing.
26:53I didn't hear anything.
26:54I didn't see Eleanor
26:55here today either.
26:55Sweet Gigi,
26:56don't give me
26:56the silent treatment.
26:57That's better.
26:58Now get out.
26:59Jasper scrambled
26:59into his clothes
27:00and left.
27:01Can he keep his mouth shut?
27:02He can.
27:03Trust me.
27:03He's a total lovesick puppy.
27:04Gigi was right.
27:06Ran into him
27:07at a dinner,
27:08bored on his phone
27:09until he saw me.
27:10His fingers
27:10flew across the screen.
27:12Dirty old men
27:12tried to push drinks.
27:14Jasper blocked them all.
27:15One whispered
27:16in his ear.
27:16Jasper's expression
27:17turned to stone.
27:18Don't put me
27:19in that position.
27:20Mrs. Winches
27:20is someone I respect.
27:21Say that again
27:22and the Quinn family
27:23won't do business with you.
27:24With that,
27:25nobody complained
27:25when I only took a sip.
27:27Leaving,
27:28we talked at the door.
27:29Looked like
27:30a major deal discussion.
27:32Gigi won't talk to me.
27:33Put in a good word.
27:34He was out of moves.
27:35Come to the hospital.
27:36Poppy has a slight fever.
27:37Drive safely.
27:38Don't worry,
27:39Gigi.
27:39I'll bring her.
27:42By the time
27:43Jasper and I
27:44got to the hospital,
27:45Damien was already
27:46in Poppy's room.
27:47He was wearing
27:47a fuzzy puppy hat
27:48and Poppy was laughing
27:49non-stop.
27:50You called him?
27:51Gigi punched Jasper
27:53in the arm.
27:53Jasper kept his mouth shut.
27:55I came to his defense.
27:57Damien called him
27:58on the way.
27:59When Jasper mentioned
27:59the children's hospital,
28:00Damien figured it out.
28:01See?
28:02You know how smart
28:02Damien is.
28:03Don't blame me,
28:04Gigi.
28:04I really didn't
28:04say anything.
28:06When Poppy saw me,
28:07she stopped clinging
28:08on Damien
28:08and reached for me.
28:10Mommy, up!
28:11Damien stepped aside
28:12to give me room
28:13and moved next to Jasper.
28:14Jasper gave him
28:15a thumbs up.
28:16Bro, you're next level.
28:17I've seen men
28:18be dogs for women.
28:19Never seen one
28:20be a dog for a kid.
28:21You're just jealous.
28:22I've got her
28:23on my side now.
28:24If she decides
28:25she wants to call me daddy,
28:26tell me that's not a win.
28:28Jasper looked like
28:29his whole worldview
28:30had just shifted.
28:31Auntie Gigi,
28:32I finished all the water
28:33you gave me
28:33and was Poppy good?
28:34So good.
28:35Poppy's the best.
28:36Auntie Gigi,
28:37Damien,
28:38if I win the kid over
28:39and she calls me godfather,
28:40does that mean I'm official?
28:42Damien looked him
28:43up and down.
28:45You're delusional.
28:47Gigi's just playing
28:47with you like a dog.
28:48You're the dog!
28:49You're the one being played
28:50by a mother and daughter
28:51when it's your own kid!
28:53Jasper turned red
28:54with anger
28:54and started running his mouth.
28:56Gigi hurried over
28:57and pinched his mouth shut.
28:58The whole room
28:59descended into chaos.
29:01I rubbed my temples,
29:02exhausted,
29:03and started clearing
29:04everyone out.
29:05Poppy needs to rest
29:06after her medicine.
29:07Everybody out.
29:09Poppy had rarely
29:10gotten sick.
29:11She was always running around
29:12and bouncing off the walls,
29:13but now she lay there
29:15listless.
29:15My eyes went red.
29:17Mommy,
29:18I'm sorry.
29:19Why is Poppy apologizing
29:20to Mommy?
29:21Because Poppy got sick
29:23and made Mommy cry.
29:25Her little hand
29:26touched my face.
29:27Mommy,
29:28don't cry.
29:33Once Poppy was asleep,
29:35I stepped out of the room.
29:37At the far end of the corridor
29:38was the fire exit.
29:40Damien leaned against one wall,
29:42Jiggy stood against the other.
29:44Jasper was crowd between them,
29:45looking like he'd given up on life.
29:47God only knew how long
29:48they'd been locked in that standoff.
29:50I pushed through the fire door.
29:52This was between Damien and me.
29:55Jasper didn't need to be trapped
29:56in the middle,
29:57and I wasn't going to wreck
29:58another couple.
29:59I'd tell Damien the truth myself.
30:02Damien,
30:03leave Jasper alone.
30:05Let's talk.
30:07Jasper looked ready
30:08to drop to his knees
30:09in gratitude.
30:10Jiggy came over
30:11and took my arm.
30:13Eleanor.
30:14I patted her hand.
30:16I'm okay.
30:17Don't worry.
30:18I have to face this
30:20sooner or later.
30:23Jiggy took Jasper
30:24back to the room.
30:25The heavy fire door shut,
30:27plunging the narrow stairwell
30:28into darkness.
30:30I've been meaning to tell you.
30:32Congratulations.
30:32You made it.
30:33In the dark,
30:34Damien's eyes stayed fixed
30:35on my face.
30:36He tried to speak several times,
30:38then swallowed every word.
30:39All he could do
30:40was stand there,
30:41breathing hard.
30:42I wasn't doing much better.
30:44I forced down the ache
30:45in my throat
30:45and put on a casual expression.
30:47Damien,
30:48we did the right thing
30:49back then.
30:51Once we separated,
30:53we both got a future.
30:54Trade.
30:55That's a pretty good trade.
31:00Neither of us
31:01had to sacrifice
31:01our future
31:02so the other one
31:03could climb.
31:06Damien backed me
31:07into the corner,
31:08shaking with rage.
31:10A good trade?
31:12Eleanor,
31:13do you even have a heart?
31:14All those years together,
31:16and you call it a good trade?
31:19Yes.
31:20A good trade.
31:21No one's sabotaging you anymore,
31:23and I got the money
31:24to go to London.
31:26Every way you look at it,
31:27it was a good trade!
31:28I shoved him away.
31:29My elbow hit the light switch
31:31on the wall.
31:32The stairwell light
31:33snapped on.
31:35In that tiny space,
31:37we looked like
31:37two wild animals.
31:39Eyes red,
31:41chests heaving.
31:42Damien was the first to break.
31:44He managed a bleak smile.
31:46Eleanor,
31:47you really know how
31:48to break a person's heart.
31:49In the end,
31:50you believed everything.
31:52My father told you,
31:54and
31:55you never believed me.
31:57Did you?
31:59I'll send you
31:59child support for Poppy.
32:01I'll find you
32:02a place in Manhattan.
32:04Once I've picked one,
32:06I'll let you know.
32:08For now,
32:10let's leave it at that.
32:12That night,
32:13a transfer hit my bank account.
32:15There were so many zeros.
32:17I thought I was seeing things.
32:19I counted them several times
32:21before I believed it.
32:23Exactly 81,247,002.53.
32:29It didn't look like child support.
32:31It looked like he'd given me
32:32every cent he had.
32:35On discharge day,
32:36Gigi brought Jasper along too.
32:38I thought about it,
32:40then asked,
32:42what's the relationship like
32:43between Damien and the Ashfords now?
32:46Jasper didn't expect that question.
32:48He sighed.
32:50Bad.
32:53Because of me?
32:55Yeah.
32:56You were brutal,
32:58Eleanor.
32:58Someone posted the video of your mother
33:00causing a scene at the bar.
33:02His career had just started to take off
33:05and the internet drove him straight
33:06to the edge.
33:08Then you walked away.
33:09Did you want him to survive?
33:11I had no answer.
33:13His father swore he'd fix everything.
33:15Otherwise,
33:15I never would have left like that.
33:17Right.
33:18His father thought a few years away,
33:20fight would knock the fight out of him.
33:22Once you were out of the picture,
33:24Damien could come home.
33:25But once Damien makes up his mind,
33:27nobody can talk him out of it.
33:30Later,
33:30he went to see his father.
33:32Huge fight.
33:33They had a huge fight.
33:35I don't know what they said.
33:36I only know he cut the family off
33:38completely after that.
33:41Then he locked himself
33:42in that old apartment of yours.
33:44Like a maniac.
33:47One product prototype a day.
33:49He said he wasn't good enough.
33:51That's why you left.
33:52Damien's company valuation
33:54skyrocketed under his leadership.
33:56But I had disappeared.
33:57And it broke him.
33:58What he said that night was right.
34:01If I had truly believed in him
34:03from the start...
34:04Don't listen to any of that garbage.
34:08Jasper held Poppy.
34:09Teeth grunted.
34:10Those are all my old tricks.
34:12He wants you to pity him.
34:14Think about it.
34:15He waited all these years for you.
34:17A few words aren't going to make him walk away.
34:20And he just got the most perfect
34:22little girl for free.
34:23The man's probably smiling in his sleep.
34:25That mad dog only answers to you.
34:29Everything Jasper said was true.
34:31Including the part about Damien being a mad dog.
34:35After Poppy was discharged,
34:37photos appeared online
34:38of Damien holding a child in the hospital.
34:40The faces were heavily pixelated.
34:42The angle, the pose...
34:44It didn't look like a candid.
34:45It looked staged.
34:47And every comment underneath
34:48was from a bot
34:49steering the narrative.
34:51Not a single negative one.
34:53Hashtags exploded
34:54one after another.
34:56Gigi clicked her tongue.
34:58He waited until Poppy was discharged
35:00so people couldn't trace her.
35:02This man is too calculating.
35:04He has to go.
35:07When the trend hit number one,
35:09an unknown number called me.
35:11Hello.
35:12I'm Damien.
35:12I'm this one.
35:13I hung up immediately.
35:15A minute later, Damien called.
35:17Listen,
35:18there's been a lot of chatter online.
35:20Keep you and Poppy home.
35:22I'll handle it.
35:23And those apartments I mentioned,
35:25I've picked one.
35:26I didn't know which one you'd like,
35:28so I'm giving you all of them.
35:30Let me know when works for you,
35:31and we can go sign the title transfer.
35:33Damien.
35:34I cut him off.
35:38That unknown number earlier,
35:39that was you.
35:40Wasn't it?
35:42Damien says I repeat words when I lie.
35:44Actually, he has a tell when he lies too.
35:47He hasn't done it much,
35:48so he instinctively freezes for half a beat.
35:51Like that day in the car.
35:53I happen to live nearby.
35:55He froze then too.
35:57If you're gonna make up a lie,
35:59don't bother coming to do the paperwork today.
36:02He understood immediately.
36:04You're free today?
36:05I'm on my way.
36:07When the Lincoln pulled into the courtyard,
36:09Poppy got excited first.
36:13Is Big Doggy here?
36:17Gigi picked her up.
36:19Baby,
36:20you can't call him Big Doggy anymore.
36:23Huh?
36:24Why?
36:26You'll understand when you're older.
36:28Auntie Gigi's taking you to make a cake first, okay?
36:33Yay, cake!
36:35But Poppy wants to see Big Doggy.
36:39Don't worry.
36:40Let Mommy talk to Big Doggy first.
36:43We'll come over when the cake's done.
36:44Damien came in holding a huge bouquet of Juliet roses in one arm
36:48and a thick stack of title duchants in the other.
36:51I didn't take either.
36:52I just looked up at him.
36:56Who was it that said,
36:57we should just leave things as they are.
37:01Damien dropped to one knee.
37:04Things don't have to stay the way they are.
37:07Tell me what you want,
37:08and I'll be that man.
37:10I laughed softly.
37:12You have no shame.
37:13You're risking your company's future online
37:15just to make us official?
37:16You built that company yourself.
37:18What if the backlash comes for you?
37:21I don't care.
37:22But I care, Damien.
37:23I held his gaze.
37:24I don't want to live with regret,
37:26but I also don't want us
37:28to spend our lives making concessions
37:30and forcing ourselves to fit.
37:33The reason I didn't want you to sacrifice yourself
37:36to lift me up
37:37was that I couldn't carry it.
37:40Your love was too much.
37:42I couldn't bear the weight of it.
37:45It's the same now.
37:46I want us to lift each other up,
37:50not one person giving everything for the other
37:52with no limits.
37:54If you can understand that,
37:56then we can keep talking.
38:01So long that Poppy fell asleep.
38:04The cake Gigi had made with her
38:06was still in the fridge.
38:07Five cartoon faces,
38:09four adults,
38:09gathered around a little girl
38:11with two pidgeots.
38:12The engagement wriggle
38:13was sitting beside the cake.
38:15Bringing her into the world
38:16really took everything I had.
38:18Halfway through,
38:19they had to switch
38:20from a vaginal delivery
38:21to an emergency C-section.
38:23If Gigi hadn't been with me,
38:26I wouldn't have made it.
38:28Damien's hard launch was a photo
38:29of the three of us holding hands.
38:31The caption?
38:31I earned the title.
38:33The internet lost its mind.
38:35Wait,
38:35so he looked like the type
38:36to fight tooth and nail
38:37for what you want.
38:38This time,
38:39he didn't pay for the hype.
38:40The comments were gold
38:41all on their own.
38:42That day,
38:43Damien and I talked
38:44for a long time.
38:46Damien wrapped his arms
38:47around me from behind
38:48and out of nowhere asked,
38:50Did it hurt back then?
38:52I knew he meant
38:53when I had Poppy.
38:54It had rained
38:54constantly in London
38:56and I'd been on bed rest.
38:57Poppy was a big
38:58eight-pound girl too.
39:01Damien listened
39:01while I rambled
39:02on about London
39:03for a long time.
39:04At first,
39:05he answered me,
39:07Quiet.
39:08Then he went
39:08completely quiet.
39:10I turned to look at him.
39:11His face was a wreck
39:12from crying.
39:13It's over now.
39:14However bad it was,
39:16it was over.
39:17The most unhinged take
39:18was that Damien
39:19might have been
39:19the other man.
39:20They even listed
39:21seven or eight pieces
39:22of evidence.
39:23Before that buzz
39:24had died down,
39:25Damien posted something
39:26even wilder.
39:28He'd gotten a vasectomy
39:29on my 27th birthday.
39:32Gigi was stunned.
39:34A modern-day saint.
39:36Jasper screamed.
39:37You psycho.
39:38Even your love life
39:39has to be competitive.
39:40Only I wasn't happy.
39:44Damien came over,
39:45wearing the necklace
39:46I'd just bought him.
39:48He put the choice
39:49back in my hands.
39:53Stop looking so serious.
39:56Whatever you need,
39:58I'll take care of you.
40:00I didn't answer.
40:01I just held him.
40:03I've always loved you.