- 18 minutes ago
Contract With The Devil " Love In Shackles" | Deal With the Devil | New Movie 2026
Category
🎥
Short filmTranscript
00:00I watched my husband sign the papers that would end our marriage while he was busy texting the woman he
00:05actually loved.
00:07His signature signed death warrants for half of New York.
00:10Done.
00:11That was Dante Moritti, the underboss, the Reaper.
00:14He could sniff out lies from a mile away, but didn't realize that the documents were the invalid marriage judgment
00:20hidden in the logistics report.
00:25He signed them? Just like that?
00:28He was distracted at the time, and Sophia was throwing a tantrum again.
00:34He is just a devil.
00:36You help him wash blood-stained shirts and protect the family alliance, but he treats you like worthless grass.
00:42I'm merely a placeholder.
00:45He is here.
00:46The pedestrians recognized the convoy and knew who was inside.
00:51Dante didn't just walk into a room. He conquered it.
00:54He was the most lethal predator in the city.
00:57He had killed men for looking at me the wrong way, yet he couldn't look at me himself.
01:01Elena, we're leaving. My mother expects us for dinner.
01:04He didn't look at Mia. He turned and walked out, expecting me to follow.
01:09I always followed.
01:11There are expensive cologne, gun oil, and Sophia's vanilla perfume in the car.
01:16That file I signed weeks ago. The vendor contract for the shipping lines. Did you file it?
01:22Yes. It is being processed.
01:26Sophia, slow down. Where are you?
01:28I don't care who his father is. If he touched you, he loses the hand.
01:33Stay there, and don't move. I'll be right there.
01:37Change plans. Go to Meatpacking District.
01:41Dante, your mother is still waiting for us.
01:44Sophia is in trouble. I have to go save her. You take the second car back.
01:49You signed the papers.
01:50I know. You've already said it.
01:52I just want to confirm that you haven't forgotten.
01:57I opened the door. The rain was coming down harder now.
02:01I stood still, watching the taillights disappear.
02:04I suddenly realized that for the first time in three years, I hadn't shed any tears and just felt cold
02:09all over.
02:11Fine. It is time to say goodbye.
02:13Silent penthouse. A glass cage above the city like gold and dark circuit board.
02:19My phone buzzed on the marble counter. A text from Dante.
02:24I didn't reply. I deleted his chat. A number not blocked.
02:28He was nothing but a string of digits.
02:31Closet full of luxury clothes, like a mausoleum.
02:35I opened the safe, took out a burner phone and flash drive.
02:39This was the real me. The rest was just a costume.
02:42I sat on the floor, starting digital erasure.
02:46I erased myself from the Mariti life. Bit by bit, my finger hovered over Instagram.
02:52I knew I shouldn't. I opened it.
02:56Sophia's story was on top.
02:58Yacht. Champagne. A hand I knew very well.
03:01I knew the scar. The Mariti ring.
03:05Safe and sound. My hero.
03:07He wasn't working. He was on a yacht.
03:10It was my birthday.
03:11I closed the app. Walked to the kitchen.
03:15The staff had left for the night.
03:17I had dismissed them early.
03:19Fridge was empty.
03:20He usually ordered dinner.
03:22I cooked pasta.
03:23The steam hit my face.
03:25Hot and damp.
03:27Mimicking the tears I refused to shed.
03:33I froze.
03:34He wasn't supposed to be back.
03:36Dante walked in.
03:37Smelling of sea salt and vanilla.
03:43You're cooking?
03:44I was hungry.
03:46He put a small cake on the counter.
03:48Said he picked it up.
03:51Happy birthday.
03:53He remembered, but only out of obligation.
03:56It looked like something an assistant would buy at a grocery store five minutes before closing.
04:01This for birthday? Pathetic.
04:03Get dressed. We'll go out.
04:07I saw the photo.
04:09The yacht.
04:10Sophia story.
04:11She was shaken.
04:13It was protocol.
04:14Don't start.
04:16His phone rang.
04:17It was about Sophia's security.
04:20I have to take this.
04:22I'll make it up to you.
04:23He left me alone and quiet.
04:25I stuck the match into the center of the cake like a candle.
04:29I wish.
04:31I wish to stop loving you.
04:34I blew it out.
04:35Smoke curled into the air.
04:38Gray and vanishing.
04:39Just like us.
04:40Moritis rented the top floor.
04:42Neutral ground.
04:43It was a territorial display.
04:45This is mine.
04:46Do not touch.
04:47Celebration of a lion.
04:48Anniversary.
04:49Smoke.
04:50And clinks.
04:51All right.
04:52Bring it out.
04:53Time capsule.
04:54A tradition by Sophia.
04:56Five years ago,
04:56I felt a prickle of cold sweat break out on my neck.
05:00I had forgotten about this.
05:01Let's see who predicted future.
05:06Sophia wants to be a movie star.
05:08Sophia wasn't here yet.
05:10She was always late.
05:12Marco reached in and pulled out another one.
05:14He unfolded it and then he froze.
05:17It's...
05:18It's...
05:19Read it.
05:20It is...
05:22From Elena.
05:24My nails dug into my palms.
05:26Read it.
05:26I loved Auntie Moretti.
05:28Even if he never loves me back.
05:30The room was in absolute silence.
05:33Those words were like...
05:35A confession.
05:39Elena.
05:41His phone rang,
05:42shattering the silence.
05:44He didn't answer it immediately.
05:45He looked at me again,
05:47searching my face,
05:48looking for the girl who wrote that letter.
05:50Boss.
05:51It might be urgent.
05:55Dante.
05:56Help.
05:57They have gone.
05:59I'm at the warehouse.
06:00Shock faded.
06:01Replaced by Reaper's mask.
06:03Marco.
06:03Get the team.
06:04Now.
06:05Dante.
06:06He didn't hear.
06:07Checking his handgun fast.
06:10Stay here.
06:11Don't move.
06:12Dante left.
06:13I went to Balcony
06:14to watch him go.
06:16He heard my confession,
06:17but left.
06:18For another woman.
06:22Goodbye, Dante.
06:23I was stuffing a silk shirt
06:25into a small travel bag.
06:27Suddenly,
06:28I heard the front door downstairs
06:29slam shut,
06:30and panic hit me.
06:32I quickly pretended
06:33to have been reading all along.
06:35The next second,
06:36Dante kicked open
06:37the bedroom door,
06:39covered in blood
06:39like a demon
06:40that had just crawled out of hell.
06:42His knuckles were split,
06:44his white dress shirt
06:45hung in tatters.
06:46He stopped at the foot of the bed,
06:49his chest heaving.
06:50He stared at me,
06:51his eyes' wild pupils
06:52blown wide from adrenaline.
06:55You're awake.
06:56Is this hard to sleep
06:57when the house feels like a bunker?
07:00It was a trap.
07:02It was a trap.
07:02Rival gang.
07:03They used her as bait.
07:05Is she safe?
07:06She is at the hospital.
07:07Minor injury.
07:08It's shock.
07:09He turned around.
07:11There was a long,
07:12ugly slash across his back.
07:14It was shallow,
07:14but bleeding sluggishly.
07:16A red grin across his olive skin.
07:18I sighed,
07:20closing the book
07:20on a chapter I hadn't read.
07:22I got up,
07:23walked to the bathroom,
07:25and retrieved
07:26the first aid kit.
07:27Sid!
07:28He obediently sat down,
07:30and I cleaned the wound
07:32with disinfectant.
07:33The smell of alcohol
07:35mixed with the smell of blood,
07:36but his face remained unchanged.
07:39Suddenly,
07:39my phone lit up
07:41with a flight confirmation notification
07:42San Francisco International Airport.
07:45One way,
07:46I held my breath.
07:47It was my own carelessness.
07:49Dante's hand shot out,
07:51grabbing the phone.
07:52San Francisco,
07:54one way?
07:54Going shopping,
07:56approved by your mother,
07:57searching for artworks,
07:58for the new gallery,
07:59and booking a separate
08:00return flight.
08:02Okay.
08:02He actually believed me.
08:04In his eyes,
08:05I couldn't possibly leave him.
08:07I was just a piece of furniture.
08:08The adrenaline
08:09gradually receded,
08:10and he stared at me
08:12with a strange
08:12and fiery gaze.
08:14You loved me
08:15before the marriage.
08:17I was a child.
08:19Children have foolish dreams.
08:22Do you still dream?
08:24I don't dream anymore.
08:26I just sleep.
08:30No.
08:31No?
08:32I'm tired, Dante,
08:34and you smell like her perfume.
08:36I'm bleeding.
08:38I need comfort.
08:39I stitched you up.
08:40That is maintenance,
08:42not comfort.
08:44One day, Dante,
08:45you're going to come home bleeding,
08:46and there won't be anyone here
08:48to patch you up.
08:49You should learn to do it yourself.
08:54You aren't going anywhere.
08:56He lay down next to me,
08:57the heat on his body
08:58like a furnace,
08:59his arms trapping me,
09:00and I lay stiff in bed.
09:03This was the last time
09:04he held me,
09:05and the tragedy was,
09:06he didn't even know
09:08he was holding a ghost.
09:09The next morning,
09:10my home was invaded.
09:11I was drinking coffee
09:13when Sophia came in
09:14with men and roses.
09:15Good morning.
09:16What are you doing here?
09:18Dante invited me.
09:19It is unsafe
09:21for me to stay alone.
09:25Sophia,
09:26I told you to wait
09:26in the guest suite.
09:27It is gloomy in there.
09:29Besides,
09:30I brought flowers
09:31for Elena
09:32to say thank you
09:33for letting me borrow
09:34your husband last night.
09:36I'm allergic to roses.
09:37Dante loves roses.
09:39You filled my room with them.
09:41That was long ago.
09:42He didn't apologize to me.
09:44He didn't even look
09:45at the flowers.
09:46We're going to
09:46Catskills Resort.
09:48Pack a bag.
09:49We?
09:50You, me,
09:51Sophia, and security.
09:53I won't go
09:53with your mistress.
09:54She is a target.
09:55You are my wife.
09:57You are coming
09:58because it is safer
09:59than leaving you here alone.
10:02Three hours later,
10:03we arrived at the luxurious
10:05isolated resort,
10:07trapped by snow.
10:09Dante,
10:10remember we snuck here
10:11at 18?
10:12I felt like an outsider.
10:16Here.
10:17It was whiskey I hate.
10:18Dante remembered
10:19Sophia's preference,
10:20not mine.
10:22Drink less wine.
10:24You're on painkillers.
10:25He cared for her.
10:26Forgot me.
10:27My hope was gone.
10:28Where are you going?
10:29To the spa.
10:30Don't wander off.
10:32Enjoy your whiskey.
10:33Your and her favorite.
10:35I went to the back exit,
10:37texted Isabella.
10:39I saw Dante treat Sophia gently.
10:41That kind of tenderness
10:42he hadn't given me in years.
10:44Tonight,
10:44get me out.
10:45I woke up to cedar
10:47and gunpowder scent.
10:49This warmth
10:50gave me a sense of security.
10:52Dante was carrying me.
10:54He saw me sleeping
10:55on the lounge chair.
10:56He carried me
10:57without waking me.
10:58Maybe he saw me.
10:59Maybe in this quiet,
11:01snowy retreat,
11:02he remembered
11:03I was his wife.
11:05A scream broke the silence.
11:07It was Sophia.
11:08She was standing
11:09at the end of the hallway.
11:11Her face twisted
11:12in a mask of ugly.
11:13Dante stopped moving
11:14so abruptly.
11:15My head lulled
11:17against his shoulder.
11:18Put her down.
11:19You promised to watch
11:20a movie with me.
11:21Calm down, Sophia.
11:23Elena fell asleep.
11:24I'm taking her to the room.
11:25You choose her.
11:26I hate you.
11:28I'm leaving.
11:29She spun around
11:30and sprinted out
11:31the front door
11:31into the blizzard.
11:32I saw his hesitation
11:34in his eyes.
11:35He lowered me,
11:36but he didn't
11:37set me down gently.
11:38He released me
11:39before I even
11:40had my balance.
11:41Stay here.
11:42Dante,
11:43he ran without
11:44looking back,
11:45leaving me behind.
11:46I stood shivering
11:47in the corridor.
11:48Then silence
11:49fell after
11:50the engine sound.
11:53Mrs. Moretti,
11:55there has been
11:55an accident.
11:56The car slid
11:57off the road.
11:58I felt nothing.
11:59No fear.
12:00No panic.
12:01Just a cold,
12:03hollow acceptance.
12:04I rode in the back
12:05of the security vehicle
12:06to the local hospital.
12:08Dante looked flustered
12:09and never glanced
12:10at me from beginning
12:11to end.
12:12The boss is losing it.
12:14Yeah.
12:15He never got over her.
12:17Even after she ran off
12:18with that accountant.
12:20He loves her.
12:22The wife is just
12:23politeness.
12:24I wasn't a wife.
12:26I was a placeholder.
12:27I was the polite thing
12:29he kept around
12:30to keep his mother
12:31happy and his bed warm.
12:34The spark in my chest
12:36was gone.
12:37It had been extinguished
12:38the moment my feet
12:39hit the floor
12:40in that hallway.
12:41Dante slept in the
12:42uncomfortable hospital chair
12:43next to Sophia's bed.
12:44I slept in the hallway.
12:46When I walked into the room,
12:48he was already awake,
12:49his eyes bloodshot
12:50and dark circled.
12:52How is she?
12:53Stable.
12:53The doctor said
12:55it was a mild concussion
12:56and a sprained wrist.
12:57She is fine, Dante.
13:00Thank God.
13:01He winced
13:02when stretching
13:03pulled his stitches.
13:04The ones
13:05I sewed
13:06with my own hands.
13:07Elena,
13:08go downstairs
13:08to the gift show.
13:09Get her a basket.
13:10Something nice.
13:12Chocolates.
13:12Flowers.
13:13She likes the expensive stuff.
13:15Buy a gift basket
13:16for your mistress.
13:17She is not my mistress.
13:18She is my childhood friend
13:20injured because of me.
13:21Just do it, Elena.
13:22Be useful.
13:23Be useful.
13:25The words hung in the air.
13:26Heavy and suffocating.
13:28I turned on my heel
13:29and walked out.
13:30But I didn't go
13:30to the gift shop.
13:32Instead,
13:32I walked to the cafeteria
13:33and bought a black coffee.
13:35I sat there for an hour,
13:36contemplating the flight schedule
13:37to San Francisco.
13:39The door was ajar.
13:40I heard bright,
13:41mocking,
13:41lively laughter.
13:43Not a trauma victim's
13:44weak laugh.
13:45Sophia looked
13:45perfectly healthy.
13:47A Genovese family soldier.
13:48Our rival kissed her neck.
13:50You have him
13:50wrapped around your finger,
13:52baby.
13:52Too easy.
13:53I scream.
13:54He runs.
13:55I cry.
13:56He panics.
13:57He's pathetic.
13:58But you are going
13:59to marry him eventually.
14:01Come on.
14:02No way.
14:04I just want to use him.
14:06Dante is my ATM.
14:08It is so interesting
14:10to see his little wife
14:11spinning around
14:12like a frightened mouse.
14:14She is just a servant.
14:16The coffee in my stomach
14:18turned to acid.
14:19I pushed the door open.
14:24get up,
14:25Enzo.
14:27You don't love him.
14:29Love, please.
14:30Power and money are love.
14:32Dante is a useful idiot.
14:34You're just his pastime.
14:36He pushed you at the lodge,
14:37didn't he?
14:38You are poison.
14:40And he drinks me up.
14:41My three years of anger erupted.
14:43I slapped her without thinking.
14:45Heavy footsteps thundered down the hall.
14:48Hit his Dante.
14:50Oh, Dante.
14:51She is hurting me.
14:53What did you do?
14:55He didn't ask for an explanation.
14:56He crossed the room
14:57in two massive strides
14:58and shoved me.
14:59It was a hard reactionary shove.
15:01I stumbled back.
15:02My balance lost
15:03and hit the wall.
15:05My head cracked against the plaster
15:06with a sickening thud.
15:08Get out, Elena.
15:09Out of my sight.
15:10My fingers
15:11touched warm blood
15:12on the back of my head
15:13watching him cradle the woman
15:15who called him
15:16an idiot.
15:17I will.
15:18Then I walked out of the room,
15:19the hospital
15:20and his life forever.
15:21The estate was silent.
15:23A heavy suffocating stillness
15:25that felt less like peace
15:27and more like a tomb.
15:28I sat on the floor
15:29of the master bedroom
15:30marooned in a sea
15:32of black plastic trash bags.
15:33Visa approved.
15:35The identity package
15:35is in the safe deposit box
15:37at the bank.
15:37Flight is tomorrow morning,
15:396 a.m.
15:40Confirmed.
15:42Another buzz.
15:43Not Isabella.
15:44I knew who it was.
15:46I waited for the rage.
15:48I waited for the familiar
15:49sting of tears.
15:51But I didn't feel anger.
15:53I felt efficiency.
15:54Cold, clinical efficiency.
15:57The wedding portrait loomed.
15:59The frame was a gilded cage.
16:03I swung it hard,
16:05smashing the corner
16:06against the marble fireplace hearth.
16:08I ripped the canvas
16:10out of the ruined frame.
16:12I threw it into the fireplace.
16:14I stuffed his favorite clothes
16:16and underwear into the bag
16:18as if clearing an infectious disease.
16:21My phone buzzed again.
16:22A photo of a diamond ring.
16:24A massive yellow diamond
16:26that caught the light
16:27with aggressive brilliance.
16:29I took off the ring
16:30like removing a shackle.
16:31I went to the hidden drawer
16:33in the vanity.
16:35My journals,
16:3610 years of unrequited love.
16:3910 years of pathetic,
16:40ink-stained longing.
16:42I watched my wedding photos
16:43and diary burn.
16:45Memories drifting away
16:47with the ashes.
16:48Mrs. Moretti,
16:49what are you doing?
16:51Are you,
16:52are you leaving?
16:55Throw these out.
16:57Donate them.
16:58Burn them.
16:59I don't care.
17:00Just get them out of this house.
17:02But Mr. Moretti.
17:03Mr. Moretti
17:04doesn't live here anymore.
17:06Only his ghost does.
17:07My phone buzzed
17:09one last time.
17:10I didn't reply.
17:11I opened my contacts.
17:13I selected Dante.
17:15My thumb hovered
17:16for a split second.
17:17Then I hit delete.
17:18I walked out of the bedroom,
17:20leaving behind my ring
17:22and the embers in the fireplace,
17:24and walked down the stairs
17:25for the last time
17:26without looking back.
17:28Antiseptic stench
17:29chokes me.
17:30I stride to Sophia's room,
17:31head throbbing,
17:32regretting,
17:33pushing Elena.
17:34Apologize to Elena
17:35when I get home
17:35and give her a diamond bracelet.
17:37She has always been reasonable
17:38and will understand me.
17:40A leather-jacketed man
17:41hurries past,
17:43avoiding my gaze
17:43with a strange scent.
17:45I see a snake tattoo,
17:46the Genovese clan's signature.
17:48What is a Genovese soldier doing here?
17:50This is our territory.
17:52I reached Sophia's door,
17:53my suspicions bristling.
17:55Dante!
17:55You came back!
17:58Who was that guy?
17:59Who?
18:00Oh, just a delivery driver.
18:02He had the wrong room.
18:04Her smile, once sweet,
18:05now feels sharp and predatory.
18:07The door swung open behind me.
18:09My parents and her father Grimm,
18:11mother looking like
18:11she is at an execution.
18:14Sophia!
18:16We heard about the accident.
18:19Si!
18:19Everyone cares about me!
18:21Her nails are perfect,
18:22while Elena's hands were red
18:24and trembling because of me.
18:27I flinch away from Sophia's touch,
18:29as if burned.
18:30Dante!
18:31We brought you some reading material,
18:33Sophia!
18:34It is a collection of photos
18:35from the last three years,
18:37the charity galas,
18:38the family dinners,
18:40the moments that built this family
18:41while you were playing house
18:42with your accountant in Miami.
18:44That is not fair!
18:45Go home, Dante!
18:47I am handling this!
18:48You're being played!
18:49While you are here,
18:51wiping her fake tears!
18:53Your wife is at home,
18:55likely packing her bags
18:56to leave you for good.
18:57She is lying!
18:59I love Dante!
19:00The Genovese man stayed two hours!
19:02Nurses heard moan,
19:04not of pain!
19:05I am not your driver,
19:07nor your bank account.
19:08Go to your wife,
19:09before it is too late!
19:11I leave.
19:12Sophia is screaming.
19:13I must apologize to Elena.
19:15She was right.
19:16I sped down the highway,
19:17speedometer pinned at triple digits.
19:21The fog in my mind shattered.
19:23I chased a ghost Sophia in memory.
19:25A lie.
19:26For three years,
19:27the only truth was Elena,
19:29who healed me.
19:32Her words burned.
19:33I pray to wash blood from his hands.
19:36She loved me.
19:43Elena!
19:44Only silence answered me,
19:46heavy as a grave.
19:47I rushed upstairs,
19:49heart pounding,
19:50kicked the bedroom door.
19:51The room was empty,
19:52no trace of her left.
19:57In the fireplace lay ash,
19:59a burnt frame and book.
20:01I pulled out my wedding ring.
20:03She's gone.
20:06Dante!
20:07You broke her, Dante.
20:08You chipped away at her,
20:10piece by piece,
20:11until there was nothing left but dust.
20:13I wanted you to give this to her tonight.
20:15The Emerald Bracelet,
20:17the one your father gave me when he became Dawn.
20:21It signifies the queen of the family.
20:24It's too late.
20:26It is never too late to grapple,
20:29but you are not chasing a wife anymore, my son.
20:32You are chasing a woman who has realized she doesn't need you.
20:35That is a much harder punt.
20:38Find her.
20:39I held my future in failure,
20:41dialed her number.
20:43The number is no longer in service.
20:45The dial may not be connected at the moment.
20:47Please try again later.
20:48Cold panic pierced my chest like a knife.
20:53Boss!
20:54We closed the deal with the port authority.
20:56The shipment is secure.
20:58We are celebrating.
20:59Get out.
21:00I need to find Elena.
21:01They said there is a situation
21:03with Sophia and the Genovese crew.
21:06I don't care about Sophia.
21:08They say the underboss is a coke hold.
21:10Rage hit me then.
21:12Not jealousy.
21:13Pride.
21:14Cold, hard pride.
21:16Drive!
21:18The floorboards of the red velvet
21:20vibrated under the assault of the base.
21:22It was supposedly neutral territory.
21:24A place where soldiers from different families
21:26could drink without shooting each other.
21:28Usually,
21:28Luca and I walked into the club,
21:30escorted by six men.
21:31The crowd parted like the Red Sea.
21:33The music didn't stop,
21:34but the conversations did.
21:36Eyes followed me.
21:37I saw fear.
21:38I saw curiosity.
21:39And I saw mockery.
21:40I followed Luca's gaze to the VIP section.
21:42The lights were dim,
21:43flashing in strobes of red and purple.
21:45But I could see clearly enough.
21:47Sophia,
21:48she was dancing.
21:49She was wearing a dress
21:50that was more skin than fabric,
21:51clinging to her sweat-sheened body.
21:53And she wasn't alone.
21:54And so Gene of Ease,
21:55the snake from the hospital.
21:57He was sitting on a velvet couch,
21:59a drink in one hand.
22:00His other hand was clamped possessively
22:01on Sophia's waist.
22:03She was grinding against him,
22:04laughing,
22:05her head thrown back.
22:06Around her neck,
22:07glittered the diamond necklace
22:08I bought her last Christmas.
22:10The whispers around me grew louder,
22:12cutting through the thumping beat.
22:14Look at her.
22:15Isn't that Moridi's girl?
22:16Guess.
22:17The Reaper lost his touch.
22:18My men were vibrating with anger at my back.
22:21In our world,
22:22this wasn't just a breakup.
22:23It was an act of war.
22:24It was a public declaration that I was weak.
22:27Cut the music.
22:32The base died instantly.
22:34The sudden silence was deafening,
22:36leaving only the ringing in everyone's ears.
22:38Turn on the house lights.
22:40The bright white cleaning lights flooded the club.
22:42The atmosphere evaporated.
22:44The shadows vanished.
22:45Sophia froze.
22:46She blinked, blinded by the sudden glare.
22:49She looked around,
22:50disoriented like a cockroach caught in a kitchen light.
22:52Then she saw me.
22:53Enzo Genovese stood up slowly, smirking.
22:56He kept a possessive hand on her arm.
22:58Dante, you're ruining my party.
23:01I didn't speak.
23:02I just looked at her.
23:03She looked cheap,
23:04under the harsh lights,
23:05without the mystery of the shadows.
23:06She just looked like a spoiled child playing dress-up.
23:09Come down here, Sophia.
23:11She laughed.
23:12It was a nervous, brittle sound.
23:14No, I don't take orders from you anymore.
23:17I have a new protector.
23:19You think he protects you?
23:21He is using you to get a rise out of me.
23:24And you are letting him.
23:25At least he pays attention to me.
23:27You were always so boring, Dante.
23:30Duty, honor, family.
23:32You and your little mute wife.
23:35I never wanted to marry you three years ago.
23:38I ran away because you were suffocating.
23:39I am glad I left.
23:41You are pathetic.
23:42I stood there,
23:43letting her words wash over me.
23:45Pathetic.
23:45She was right.
23:46I was pathetic,
23:47but not for the reasons she thought.
23:49I was pathetic because I had let this woman dictate my life,
23:51chasing a ghost of a relationship,
23:53while the only person who ever truly loved me sat at home,
23:56waiting for a husband who never came.
23:59I looked at Sophia and felt absolutely nothing.
24:03The obsession that had consumed me for years,
24:05the guilt,
24:06the need to save her,
24:07it all vanished.
24:08I looked at a stranger.
24:09She wasn't the love of my life.
24:11She was a mistake I had nurtured for far too long.
24:14What?
24:16What did you say?
24:18Thank you for telling me the truth.
24:21Do you remember three years ago?
24:23I remember, boss.
24:24Do you remember who stepped up when she ran?
24:27Do you remember who saved the Alliance?
24:29Who walked down that aisle with her head high so we wouldn't go to war?
24:32Mrs. Maurici did.
24:34Elena did.
24:34Elena, she had saved me then.
24:36She had been saving me every day since,
24:38and I had repaid her with silence and betrayal.
24:41I turned my back on the stage.
24:43Enzo looked disappointed.
24:44He wanted a fight.
24:45He wanted me to draw my gun so he could claim self-defense
24:48and take what was mine.
24:50Enjoy her, Enzo.
24:51She is your problem now.
24:53Sophia started screaming insults behind me,
24:55realizing I wasn't going to fight for her,
24:58realizing she had lost her value as a pawn.
25:00I pulled out my phone as I pushed through the doors
25:02into the biting cold night air.
25:04My fingers trembled slightly as I opened the text I had drafted.
25:08I watched the screen, my breath clouding in front of me.
25:10The progress bar stalled.
25:12Then, a small red exclamation point appeared.
25:14I frowned.
25:15I tapped it again.
25:18I tried to call.
25:19One ring, a click, then nothing.
25:22She had blocked me.
25:23Elena, the woman who had waited for three years.
25:26The woman who had never raised her voice.
25:28The woman who had written in a letter
25:29that she wanted to wash the blood from my hands.
25:31She had blocked me.
25:32Panic, cold and sharp, pierced my chest.
25:34It was worse than a bullet.
25:38Move!
25:39Get me home now!
25:46I stared at the phone in my hand,
25:47willing it to ring.
25:48She was gone.
25:49I knew it in my gut.
25:50The silence waiting for me in the house
25:51wasn't just emptiness.
25:52It was absence.
25:53I had to find her.
25:55I had to tell her I was done with games.
25:56But as the city lights blurred past the window,
25:59I had a terrifying thought.
26:00Maybe she was finally done with me.
26:02I didn't just tear the house apart.
26:03I eviscerated it.
26:05I wasn't searching.
26:06I was destroying.
26:06Empty.
26:07I swept the crystal jars and perfume bottles
26:09off the bathroom counter.
26:11They crashed onto the tiles
26:12in a spray of glass and sent.
26:13Her toothbrush was gone.
26:15Her comb had vanished.
26:16I checked the safe in the closet.
26:18Her passport was gone.
26:19I stood in the middle of the wreckage.
26:21My chest heaving.
26:21The silence of the room mocking me.
26:23Sir, please.
26:24Why did she leave?
26:25Why today?
26:26Because you signed the papers, sir.
26:28She said you signed them weeks ago.
26:30I froze.
26:31My mind raced back.
26:32Weeks ago.
26:33The car.
26:33The rain.
26:34Sophia hysterically calling about a flat tire.
26:37Just a file for records, Dante.
26:39I had signed it against the dashboard
26:40while listening to Sophia cry.
26:42I hadn't read a single word.
26:46I stormed past him.
26:47I sprinted down the stairs out the front door
26:49and straight to the SUV.
26:50I opened the car door
26:51and lunged for the glove compartment.
26:53Under it was the envelope.
26:55I tore it open.
26:56The paper was heavy.
26:57Bonded.
26:58Official.
26:58Decree of annulment.
26:59I scanned the text.
27:01My eyes blurred with red heat.
27:03Irreconcilable differences.
27:04Failure to consummate.
27:05I had granted her freedom.
27:06I had opened the cage door myself.
27:12Track Elena.
27:14Check the flight manifest.
27:15Check the trains.
27:16Check everything.
27:18You think a piece of paper makes you free, Elena.
27:20You are my wife.
27:21You will always be my wife.
27:23And I was coming to get you back.
27:25The air in California smelled different.
27:27It smelled of salt and eucalyptus.
27:29It didn't smell of wet garbage and dirty, slushy snow.
27:33And, most importantly, it didn't smell of blood.
27:36I stood on the balcony of the apartment Isabella had arranged for me.
27:39It was perched high on the 20th floor, overlooking the bay.
27:42It was beautiful and quiet.
27:44I took a deep breath.
27:46My lungs expanded fully,
27:48finally free of the tight band of anxiety that had constricted them for three years.
27:53Welcome to freedom.
27:56I turned.
27:57Isabella Vance stood in the sliding glass doorway,
28:00holding two glasses of white wine.
28:02She looked like she always did sharp,
28:04modern, and dangerous in a distinctly corporate way.
28:06She was wearing a crisp black silk suit
28:08that would be ruined in five minutes back in New York.
28:11Here, we don't worry about stains.
28:13I took it.
28:14My hand was steady.
28:16Thank you, Isabella, for everything.
28:18I like a good investment.
28:22And betting on you against Dante Moretti.
28:25That is a high-risk, high-reward play.
28:28He will come.
28:29Let him come.
28:30This is neutral ground.
28:32He has no jurisdiction here.
28:34If he touches you,
28:35he starts a war with the tech syndicates.
28:38He is arrogant,
28:39but he isn't stupid.
28:41I wasn't so sure.
28:42Dante wasn't driven by logic.
28:44He was driven by possession.
28:45For now,
28:46I was just Elena.
28:47Not Mrs. Moretti.
28:48Not the underboss's wife.
28:49Not the caged canary.
28:50Just a woman drinking wine on a balcony.
28:52I walked back inside.
28:53The apartment was modern,
28:55minimalist,
28:55white leather couches,
28:56abstract art.
28:57It was the polar opposite of the heavy dark wood
29:00and suffocating velvet of the Merritti estate.
29:02I sat on the couch,
29:03took off my shoes,
29:04and closed my eyes.
29:06I expected to see Dante's face behind my eyelids.
29:09I expected to feel the phantom weight of his arm
29:11draped heavily around me,
29:12but I didn't.
29:13I saw nothing but blackness.
29:15Peaceful,
29:15empty blackness.
29:16I fell asleep right there on the couch.
29:18I dreamed.
29:19In the dream,
29:20I was standing in a church.
29:21Dante was at the altar.
29:23He looked handsome in his tuxedo,
29:25devastatingly so.
29:26Sophia was walking down the aisle.
29:28She was wearing my wedding dress.
29:30She reached the altar.
29:31She took his hand.
29:32I waited for the pain.
29:33I waited for the jealousy to tear me apart,
29:35to burn through my chest.
29:36But I was sitting in the back pew,
29:38and I was just checking my watch.
29:40I stood up in the dream.
29:41I walked out of the church doors
29:42into the blinding bright sunlight.
29:44I didn't look back.
29:45I woke up the next morning
29:46to the sound of seagulls.
29:47I stretched.
29:48My back was stiff from the couch,
29:50but my heart felt impossibly light.
29:52I was going to find a job.
29:53I was going to learn to drive a car
29:54that wasn't armored.
29:55I was going to buy clothes
29:56that were bright and loud.
29:58I was going to live.
29:59I didn't know that 3,000 miles away,
30:01a private jet was currently tearing through the sky,
30:04carrying a storm wrapped in a black suit.
30:06But in that moment,
30:07with the sun on my face
30:08and a hot cup of coffee in my hands,
30:10I didn't care.
30:11I was free.
30:12Isabella called me down for lunch
30:13at noon sharp.
30:14Her voice was casual,
30:16practiced.
30:17Too casual.
30:18I should have known better.
30:19In our world,
30:19casual is just a wrapper for catastrophe.
30:22Something's wrong.
30:23I hope I'm overthinking.
30:24The elevator opened to a concrete garage.
30:27Quiet and oppressive.
30:29Smelling of old oil and dust.
30:31This smell is terrible.
30:33I saw Isabella's silver sedan in the corner.
30:36I walked toward it,
30:37my heels clicking a staccato rhythm
30:39that echoed too loudly against the damp walls.
30:42I'm sorry, Elena.
30:43I had no choice.
30:44I reached for the back door handle,
30:46intending to toss my blazer onto the seat
30:47before climbing up front.
30:48I pulled it open.
30:49The air inside the car shifted instantly.
30:51It wasn't empty.
30:52A figure sat in the shadows of the back seat.
30:54Dark suit.
30:55Broad shoulders that took up too much space.
30:57A scent that hit me like a physical blow sandalwood.
31:00Gunpowder.
31:01And expensive scotch.
31:02Dante!
31:03I froze.
31:04My hand was still on the door handle.
31:05My body half in, half out.
31:07He looked.
31:08Wrecked.
31:08The Dante Moritti I knew was hewn from marble and ice.
31:11He was pristine.
31:12Untouchable.
31:13This man had shadows under his eyes that looked like bruises.
31:16His tie was loosened.
31:17The top button of his shirt undone.
31:19His jaw was covered in a shadow of stubble.
31:21But his eyes were the same.
31:22Dark.
31:23Tense.
31:23Burning straight through me.
31:25Hello, Elena.
31:26Panic flared in my chest.
31:28Hot and sharp.
31:29Isabella!
31:30What have you done?
31:31He is an investor.
31:33Elena.
31:33A major one.
31:35He bought 40% of the new tech venture this morning.
31:39We didn't have a choice.
31:41I looked back at Dante.
31:43He hadn't moved.
31:43He was just watching me.
31:45Like a predator.
31:46Watching a bird that had forgotten how to fly.
31:48I'm sick.
31:49I need to go back.
31:51Run.
31:51Get away from him.
31:53Dante's hand shot out.
31:54He didn't grab me.
31:55He just slammed his hand against the open door frame.
31:58Preventing me from closing it.
31:59We need to talk.
32:00I stared at his hand.
32:02Large.
32:03Scarred.
32:03The hand of a man who killed for a living.
32:05There is nothing to talk about.
32:07I sent the papers.
32:09I know.
32:10He leaned forward.
32:11Out of the shadows.
32:12The harsh garage lights hit his face.
32:14He looked dangerous.
32:15Not because he was angry.
32:16But because he was desperate.
32:17And a desperate reaper is the most dangerous thing in the world.
32:21Get in the car, Elena.
32:22We are going to negotiate your freedom.
32:24The restaurant wasn't just expensive.
32:25It was suffocating.
32:27It was one of those sanctuaries of wealth.
32:29Where the menu didn't deign to list prices.
32:31And the water tasted like minerals.
32:33And pretension.
32:34Isabella had vanished the moment the hostess seated us.
32:37A sudden, urgent call.
32:39She had claimed.
32:40Clutching her phone like a lifeline.
32:41Coward.
32:42I sat across from him.
32:43The silence between us louder than the clinking of crystal around us.
32:47I refused to look at him.
32:48I refused to give him that satisfaction.
32:50Instead, I studied the damask tablecloth.
32:52I looked at the heavy silver silverware.
32:54I looked at the view of the golden gate bridge looming in the distance.
32:57Wishing I was on it.
32:58Driving away until the fuel ran dry.
33:00Dante picked up his napkin.
33:02He hesitated.
33:02Then offered it to me.
33:03As if he noticed the moisture gathering in my lashes before I did.
33:06I ignored it.
33:07I wouldn't let him care for me.
33:09Not now.
33:09Why are you here?
33:10I didn't recognize my own voice.
33:12It was cold.
33:13Detached.
33:13It sounded like him.
33:15Dante lowered his hand.
33:16The linen napkin falling uselessly to the table.
33:19I came to take you home.
33:20I laughed.
33:21It was a dry, brittle sound.
33:23Like dead leaves scraping against pavement.
33:25I don't have a home, Dante.
33:27I have a gilded cage that you simply forgot to lock.
33:29He flinched.
33:30I saw it a tiny tightening of his eyes.
33:32Crack in the marble mask.
33:34Good.
33:34I am sorry.
33:35I looked up then.
33:36I stared right into his eyes.
33:38Daring him to look away.
33:40You're sorry.
33:40I am sorry.
33:41I didn't read the file.
33:42I am sorry I wasn't present.
33:44Present?
33:45You weren't absent, Dante.
33:48You were physically there.
33:49You were just with her.
33:51He opened his mouth to defend himself.
33:53But I cut him off.
33:55An apology doesn't fix a broken vow.
33:57You stood at the altar and promised to cherish me.
33:59But you cherished her ghost instead.
34:02I picked up my purse.
34:04My knuckles.
34:05White against the leather.
34:06File the papers.
34:07Dante.
34:08Let me go.
34:08Why?
34:09His voice cracked.
34:10Just a fraction.
34:11But I heard it.
34:12Why?
34:13Elena.
34:14We can fix this.
34:16I can fix it.
34:17Because I don't love you anymore.
34:19The words hung in the air between us.
34:21Heavy final.
34:22Irrevocable.
34:23I watched the light die in his eyes.
34:24It extinguished instantly.
34:26Leaving behind a hollow darkness.
34:28It was the first time I had ever hurt him.
34:30Truly hurt him.
34:31It didn't feel good.
34:32It felt like cutting off my own limb with a dull knife.
34:35But it was necessary.
34:36I stood up.
34:37Ignoring the trembling in my legs.
34:39And walked out of the restaurant.
34:40Leaving the most powerful man in New York.
34:42Daring at an empty chair.
34:43I didn't stop running until I reached Isabella's office.
34:46I slammed the door shut and twisted the lock.
34:48I collapsed into the leather chair.
34:50Shaking.
34:50Isabella walked in a minute later.
34:52She didn't ask how it went.
34:53She knew.
34:54He is gone.
34:55I nodded.
34:56I lied.
34:56My phone buzzed against the mahogany desk.
34:59The sound distinct and jarring.
35:00It wasn't Tia text.
35:02It was a notification from the secure banking app Isabella had set up for me.
35:05Transfer received.
35:07Fifty million dollars.
35:08I stared at the screen.
35:10The zeros blurred together.
35:11A string of meaningless loops that amounted to a kingdom.
35:14Then, another notification.
35:16A secure message request.
35:17I accepted it.
35:19My fingers were numb.
35:20Clumsy with adrenaline.
35:23I don't want your money.
35:26He would do it.
35:27I knew he would.
35:28He wasn't speaking metaphorically.
35:30He would literally pile fifty million dollars in a courtyard and light a match just to prove he could.
35:35Why?
35:37I looked at the screen.
35:39My chest tightening.
35:40He was trying to buy my safety.
35:41He was trying to be the provider.
35:43Even from three thousand miles away.
35:45It was manipulative.
35:46It was controlling.
35:47I sent a revised agreement back.
35:49I kept the money.
35:50But I added a clause of shield.
35:51Full separation of assets.
35:53No contact.
35:54He signed it digitally within seconds.
35:56He didn't care about the money.
35:57He just wanted the connection.
35:58He wanted to see my name on a document next to his.
36:01Even if it was a divorce decree.
36:02Isabella looked over my shoulder at the phone.
36:05He is persistent.
36:06It is blood money.
36:08It is leverage.
36:09Now you have it.
36:10Two weeks bled by.
36:11The money sat in the account.
36:12Untouched.
36:13I threw myself into work to drown out the noise.
36:16Isabella gave me a position as a consultant for her new tech merger.
36:19It was busy work.
36:21Spreadsheets.
36:22Logistics.
36:23Numbing.
36:24Distractions.
36:26Come to my office.
36:27Important meeting.
36:28Then came the meeting that shattered the peace.
36:31Sit down.
36:32We have something to talk about.
36:33We have a problem with the New York expansion.
36:35My stomach dropped to the floor.
36:37New York.
36:38The local partners are stonewalling us.
36:40They want a face-to-face liaison.
36:42Someone who knows the territory.
36:45Someone they trust.
36:46She slid a file across the mahogany table.
36:48I opened it.
36:50I looked up at her.
36:52My heart hammering against my ribs.
36:54Dante.
36:55I asked.
36:56The name tasting like ash.
36:58It was a condition of the investment.
37:00Elena.
37:01He didn't ask for you explicitly.
37:05He just said he needed someone who understands family protocols.
37:10He is pulling me back in.
37:12He is giving you a job.
37:13A legitimate job.
37:15You're the only one who speaks their language.
37:18Elena.
37:18You know the code?
37:19I stood up and walked to the window.
37:21Daring out at a skyline that wasn't his.
37:23I remembered the last time I was in New York.
37:25The rain.
37:26The humiliation.
37:27Sophia's laughter.
37:28Echoing in the hallway.
37:29He thinks I'll break.
37:30He thinks if he gets me back in his orbit,
37:32I'll fall right back into being his silent little wife.
37:35Will you?
37:36No.
37:37I thought about the girl who used to wait up for him.
37:39The girl who wrote love letters in a locked journal.
37:41Desperate for a scrap of affection.
37:43She was dead.
37:44I was his furniture.
37:45I was a placeholder.
37:48I'll go, but strictly as a consultant.
37:51I stay in a hotel.
37:53I have my own security.
37:55And if he crosses the line, the deal is off.
37:58Good.
37:59Pack your bags, Elena.
38:01You're going to the lion's den.
38:03Let's wait and see.
38:04JFK was a grey, sprawling beast.
38:07It was raining.
38:07Of course it was raining.
38:09New York was crying for me.
38:10Or maybe it was just spitting on me.
38:11I walked out of the terminal, pulling my collar tight.
38:14I was wearing a white trench coat and sunglasses.
38:17It wasn't just an outfit.
38:18It was armor.
38:19Isabella had offered a car, but I had declined.
38:21I wanted to take a cab.
38:22I wanted to feel normal.
38:24I stepped onto the curb, scanning the line of yellow taxis.
38:27The rain was coming down in sheets, bouncing off the pavement in a relentless rhythm.
38:31Suddenly, the rain stopped.
38:32Or rather, it was blocked.
38:34A large black umbrella appeared over my head.
38:36I smelled him before I saw him.
38:38That damn sandalwood.
38:39I turned slowly.
38:40Dante stood there.
38:41He was holding the umbrella over me, letting the rain soak his own left shoulder without a care.
38:45He looked tired, but he also looked sharp.
38:48Dangerous.
38:48Welcome home.
38:49I didn't step back this time.
38:51I stood my ground.
38:52I'm here for work, Dante.
38:54This isn't home.
38:55It is a business trip.
38:57He looked down at me.
38:58His eyes were hungry.
38:59Not for food.
39:00For me.
39:00My driver is here.
39:01Let me take you to the hotel.
39:03No.
39:04I turned away, lifting my hand to hail a cab.
39:06Elena.
39:07I ignored him.
39:08A taxi pulled up, splashing water onto his polished shoes.
39:11He didn't even blink.
39:12I opened the taxi door.
39:14Dante reached out.
39:15He grabbed the top of the door frame, preventing me from getting in.
39:18You can run to California.
39:19You can sign all the papers you want.
39:21You can pretend you hate me, but you will always be part of my world.
39:24I shivered.
39:25I couldn't help it.
39:26Watch me leave it.
39:27I yanked the door out of his grip.
39:30Slammed it shut.
39:31Drive.
39:31I didn't look back, but I knew he was standing there in the rain, watching the taillights fade,
39:36planning his next move.
39:37The game had changed, and this time, I wasn't playing by his rules.
39:41Mia screamed.
39:43Fifty million!
39:44You are sitting on fifty million dollars, and we are drinking house wine!
39:49It is not for spending, Mia.
39:50It is a severance package.
39:52Severance is for when you get fired from a marketing gig, Elena.
39:56This is an empire.
39:58You took half his liquidity.
40:00You realize you basically castrated the underboss of New York.
40:03I didn't smile.
40:04I didn't feel like smiling.
40:06The weight of the check in my bag felt heavier than lead.
40:09I didn't take it.
40:11He forced it on me.
40:13Mia waved a manicured hand, dismissing my moral dilemma entirely.
40:17Details!
40:18The point is, you have the power now.
40:19You are not the poor little orphan girl anymore.
40:22You are a powerhouse.
40:23Bring us the bottle.
40:24The expensive one.
40:26I tried to protest, opening my mouth to argue fiscal responsibility.
40:30But Mia kicked me sharply under the table.
40:32Let me enjoy this.
40:34My best friend just divorced the devil and won the lottery.
40:37The wine came.
40:38We drank.
40:39For the first time in weeks, the knot of anxiety in my chest loosened just a fraction.
40:44Then, the air in the restaurant changed.
40:45I felt it before I saw her.
40:47I felt the silence that rippled through the room like a cold wave.
40:50I turned my head toward the door.
40:52Sofia Rossi stood at the entrance.
40:54She looked different.
40:55Now she looked sharp, brittle.
40:56She scanned the room, her gaze predatory.
40:58Then, her eyes landed on me.
41:00Her lips curled into a sneer.
41:03Look who decided to crawl back to the city.
41:05Mia groaned, rolling her eyes toward the ceiling.
41:08Don't engage.
41:09Too late.
41:10Sofia was already stalking toward us.
41:12I heard you were in California, Elena.
41:14Washing dishes for that tech woman.
41:17Consulting, actually.
41:18Is that what they call it?
41:20When you run away with your tail between your legs because you couldn't keep a man.
41:24At least she didn't have to fake a pregnancy to keep him.
41:26The restaurant went dead silent.
41:28You could hear a pin drop.
41:30Excuse me.
41:31We all heard.
41:32You are not the queen, Sofia.
41:33You are just the ex who wouldn't leave.
41:35You shut your mouth.
41:36You civilian trash.
41:37Or what?
41:38You'll call your daddy.
41:39I hear even he is tired of your drama.
41:41Sofia looked at me.
41:42And Mia was too sharp, too quick.
41:44She needed a target she could break.
41:46You think you won, Elena.
41:48You are just a gold digger who cashed out.
41:50The money was a gift, Sofia.
41:52I didn't ask for it.
41:54Just like I didn't ask for him.
41:55Her face twisted.
41:56Her hand closing around the handle of the silver tureen.
41:59The waiter had just placed on the serving tray next to us.
42:02With a guttural cry, she swung the heavy vessel toward me.
42:05I tried to duck, but panic had welded me to the chair, trapping me against the table.
42:09The shadow moved.
42:10The impact never hit me.
42:11Dante stood in front of me.
42:13His broad backer fortress between us.
42:15Sofia gasped in shock.
42:16She finally realized she had caused trouble.
42:18Get out.
42:19I didn't mean she was provoking me.
42:21Get out before I kill you, Sofia.
42:24She scrambled back.
42:25She fled the restaurant without daring to look back.
42:28Are you hurt?
42:29Your arm.
42:30I'm fine.
42:31He reached out with his good hand to check for splashes.
42:34I flinched away, the adrenaline still spiking in my blood.
42:38We need to go to the hospital.
42:40I'm fine.
42:41Get in the car for the first time in our lives.
42:43The don obeyed me without question.
42:45The ride was silent.
42:46Dante hissed in pain while peeling his jacket.
42:49I gripped the steering wheel until my fingers ached.
42:52Why did you do that?
42:53He didn't answer for a long time.
42:55Because it was meant for you.
42:57I pulled up to the emergency entrance.
42:59I turned to look at him.
43:00You are not my shield anymore.
43:02I will always be your shield, Elena.
43:05Whether you want me to be or not.
43:06The doctor confirmed second degree burns.
43:09He wrapped Dante's arm in thick layers of sterile white gauze.
43:13And scribbled a prescription for painkillers strong enough to knock out a horse.
43:16I need clear head.
43:18I didn't argue.
43:19I just drove him back to the estate.
43:20I hadn't been here in months.
43:22The iron gates groaned as they swung open.
43:24The house loomed ahead.
43:25I pulled up to the front steps, killing the engine.
43:28The front door flew open before the car had even settled into silence.
43:32Giovanni, the head butler, rushed down the stone steps.
43:35Mr. Dante, what happened?
43:37An accident.
43:38Make sure he takes these and change the dressing every four hours.
43:42Infection is the biggest risk right now.
43:44Giovanni looked at me.
43:45Then, recognition dawned.
43:47Mrs. Moretti, you are home.
43:49I am just dropping him off.
43:51Dante had stopped halfway up the stairs.
43:53He didn't turn around.
43:55It has been like a tomb.
43:56Since you left, he doesn't eat.
43:59He sleeps in your study.
44:00He walks the halls at night, looking for you.
44:03I felt a pang of pity.
44:04But it was dull, distant.
44:06He doesn't miss me.
44:07He misses the silence.
44:09He misses the wife who waited.
44:11Take care of him, Giovanni.
44:13That is your job now, not mine.
44:16I turned and got back into the car.
44:17Dante turned around then.
44:19He stood on the top step, looking down at me.
44:20His bandaged arm hung uselessly by his side.
44:23He looked like a king, standing in the ruins of his own making.
44:26I put the car in reverse.
44:27I didn't wave.
44:28I just drove away, leaving him alone in his castle of echoes.
44:32The project in New York dragged on, stretching from weeks into two agonizing months.
44:36The leaves on the trees in Central Park turned brown and fell, leaving behind skeletal branches
44:42that seemed to claw at the gray sky.
44:45I worked.
44:46I slept.
44:46I rigorously avoided the places where the outfit operated.
44:50I thought I was safe.
44:51Then, I came home one evening to find movers cluttering the hallway of my high-security apartment building.
45:00They were carrying a black leather sofa.
45:03A very specific black leather sofa that I knew intimately.
45:07I stopped dead in my tracks.
45:10The door to the penthouse opposite mine was open.
45:14Dante walked out, stripped of his armor.
45:17He looked younger, less like the Reaper, more like a man.
45:20Hi, neighbor.
45:22I dropped my keys.
45:24You bought the apartment.
45:26I bought the floor.
45:28I stared at him, my heart hammering against my ribs.
45:32This is stalking, Dante.
45:34It is security.
45:35Already the neighborhood has been unstable.
45:38I want to make sure my investment is safe.
45:40You are the unstable element in this neighborhood.
45:44I ignored him.
45:45I brushed past the movers, went into my apartment, and locked the door.
45:49I engaged the deadbolt.
45:51I wedged a chair under the handle.
45:53He didn't try to come in.
45:54He didn't knock.
45:55But every morning, there was coffee waiting outside my door.
45:59My specific order.
46:00Oat milk.
46:01Two pumps of vanilla.
46:02Every evening, I could smell his cigar smoke drifting from his balcony to mine.
46:07He was haunting me, not with fear, but with a suffocating presence.
46:12Then came my birthday.
46:13I had forgotten about it.
46:16Buried under a mountain of spreadsheets until 10 p.m., there was a knock on the door.
46:21I looked through the peephole.
46:23Dante.
46:23He was holding a small cake.
46:25I opened the door, but I kept my hand on the frame.
46:28I didn't invite him in.
46:30Happy birthday, Elena.
46:32Make a wish.
46:33I wish for you to let me go.
46:34I can't grant that one, Elena.
46:37Asked for anything else.
46:39I stepped back and closed the door in his face.
46:41I heard him stand there for a long time.
46:44I heard the silence of a man who realizes that no amount of sugar can fix the bitterness he himself
46:49had brewed.
46:53The snow began at dawn.
46:55By the time I finished packing, the city was buried under a white shroud.
46:59The project was over.
47:01My flight back to California was booked.
47:03I went downstairs, my grip tight on the handle of my suitcase.
47:08Dante's black SUV was idling at the curb.
47:11The windows were tinted obsidian, impenetrable.
47:14He got out, as soon as he saw me.
47:18He took the luggage from my hand, before I could even form a protest.
47:22I'm driving you to the airport.
47:24I opened my mouth to argue.
47:27Please, just the drive.
47:29Then I walk away.
47:30I got in.
47:31The car was warm.
47:33It smelled of him.
47:34Leather, sandalwood, and the sharp crispness of winter air.
47:38He drove slowly, much slower than usual.
47:40He took the long way to the private airstrip, winding through the snow-covered park, as if trying to stretch
47:46the minutes into hours.
47:47Do you remember?
47:48The first winter after we married, you slipped on the ice on the front steps.
47:54I caught you.
47:55I looked out the window, at the blurring, white world.
47:58I remember you yelling at me for being clumsy.
48:02I was scared you were hurt.
48:03I didn't know how to say it.
48:05You didn't know how to say a lot of things, Dante.
48:08We arrived at the tarmac.
48:10The private jet was waiting, its engines whining against the wind.
48:14He parked the car, but didn't unlock the doors.
48:16He turned to me.
48:17He reached into his pocket and pulled out a velvet box.
48:21Inside lay the Moretti Emerald, a bracelet of green fire and diamonds.
48:26It was an heirloom, the crown jewels of the outfit.
48:29It belonged to the Don's wife, the Queen.
48:32Beat my Queen.
48:33Helena, come back.
48:35We can start over.
48:36I will burn the world for you.
48:38I will give you everything.
48:39I looked at the bracelet.
48:40It was beautiful.
48:42It was heavy.
48:43It was a shackle made of precious stones.
48:45I looked at him.
48:46I saw the desperation swimming in his eyes.
48:49I saw the love that had arrived too late to save the patient.
48:52I don't want a crown, Dante.
48:54I want a life.
48:55I opened the door and stepped out into the snow.
48:57The cold air bit my cheeks.
48:59It felt like freedom.
49:00Helena!
49:01I left the bracelet in the car.
49:03I left the title.
49:04I left the man who thought he could buy a heart with a stone.
49:07As we taxied down the runway, I looked out the window.
49:10A lone figure stood next to the black SUV.
49:12A dark silhouette against the blinding white snow.
49:15He was watching me leave.
49:17For the first time, the Reaper was the one who was haunted.
49:20He was haunted.
49:21He was haunted.
49:21He was haunted.
Comments