- 7 hours ago
Don's Regret Came Too Late
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Short filmTranscript
00:00My husband's late brother's widow posted a photo of a pregnancy report on Instagram.
00:04The caption read,
00:05Thank you for your sperm. For giving me the most precious gift.
00:08Under the father column on the report.
00:10Printed in black and white.
00:11Dominic Valenti.
00:12My husband.
00:13I left a single question mark in the comments.
00:15Less than 40 seconds later, Dominic's call came through.
00:18Serena, what do you think you're doing?
00:20What exactly are you being snide about?
00:22Vivian has been a widow for three years.
00:23She wants a child for company. What's wrong with that?
00:26Lucian died for me. He took that bullet in my place.
00:29Taking care of the woman he left behind is the least I can do.
00:32It's a blood debt I owe and you have no right to question it.
00:35The line went dead. I didn't even get a single word in.
00:38Twenty minutes later, Vivian's account updated again.
00:41This time, it was a series of photos of an apartment.
00:43Floor to ceiling windows overlooking the city skyline.
00:46And in the open plan kitchen, the back of a man busy at the counter.
00:49I recognized the property. It was registered under the Valenti name.
00:52I recognized the man too.
00:53I pressed the phone screen dark and sat in blackness for a long time.
00:57On the desk in front of me, lay a pregnancy test report.
01:00Two days ago, I found out I was two months pregnant.
01:03I'd planned to tell him on our wedding anniversary.
01:05A surprise. Five years of marriage, and we'd never been able to conceive.
01:08I thought this child would be a new hope for us.
01:10Now, it seemed he no longer needed that kind of surprise.
01:13When dawn broke, I dialed the hospital.
01:16Hello. I'd like to schedule an abortion for today.
01:19That was when Dominic walked through the door.
01:21Serena, who are you on the phone with?
01:25He came in carrying a paper bag.
01:28Brought you clam chowder from that place you like. Drink it while it's hot.
01:31I opened the container inside the bag. The soup had already congealed.
01:34Lumpy grains and broth that looked like something regurgitated.
01:38He reached out to put his arm around my shoulder. I shifted away.
01:41Not hungry.
01:42Dominic frowned, but poured the soup into a bowl.
01:44Then set it in front of me anyway.
01:46The smell of it hit me, briny and sharp, and my stomach lurched.
01:50I bolted to the bathroom and hunched over the toilet, dry heaving.
01:54He followed and tried to rub my back and knocked his hand away.
01:58Don't touch me!
01:59Dominic's expression darkened.
02:01A flash of impatience crossed those deep brown eyes.
02:04What do you want from me?
02:06I'm already trying my best to manage your feelings, Serena.
02:09What more do you want? For me to get on my knees and apologize?
02:13Then what do you think I should do?
02:14Send her my congratulations?
02:16Tell her how happy I am she's carrying my husband's child?
02:19Lucian died for me. Taking care of Vivian is my responsibility, my obligation.
02:24Nothing happened between us. It was just a sperm donation.
02:27Can you stop making everything so soldered?
02:29Honestly, Serena, right now you look like nothing but a jealous, irrational shrew.
02:33I went still. In those early days after Lucian died, I was the one who took the initiative,
02:38bringing Dominic along to visit her. Whenever something broke in her apartment,
02:42the two of us went together to fix it. It was only later that things began to shift.
02:45At some point, I couldn't pinpoint exactly when, Dominic started going alone to buy her groceries.
02:50Alone to assemble her new furniture. He'd get a call from her in the middle of the night,
02:54throw on his coat, and walk out the door. Every time I confronted him, he'd say the same thing.
02:58She's Lucian's widow.
02:59Then he'd shake me off and leave. But I never imagined he'd go so far as to give her a
03:03child.
03:04Take a good look at yourself.
03:05He flung the words at me and slammed the door behind him. Again.
03:11Soon enough, Vivian's social media updated once more. In the photo, Dominic's hand rested on her
03:15gently swelling belly, the light warm and intimate. The caption,
03:19Baby's daddy came to be with us. He said,
03:21This is where home really feels warm. I laughed, laughed until the tears came.
03:28At three in the afternoon, I arrived at the hospital. After paying for the procedure,
03:32I sat in the general waiting area for my number to be called. At the far end of the corridor,
03:36the VIP wing had been entirely cleared out. Several bodyguards in black suits stood at attention on
03:42either side. I recognized the Valenti crest on their tie pins. The door to the VIP consultation
03:47room opened, and Dominic walked out with one hand firmly on Vivian's waist. She wore a cream-colored
03:52loose dress and leaned into his arms, her face a portrait of bliss and devotion. They sat down in the
03:57lounge area, heads close together as they talked. I turned, intending to slip away in the other
04:01direction, but Dominic had already looked up and spotted me. Serena? His brow furrowed,
04:05his gaze cold and heavy. Are you following me? I kept my voice as flat as I could. I'm just
04:10here
04:10to see a doctor. For what? Dominic, don't give Serena a hard time. Maybe it's just a routine
04:16checkup? Let me go talk to her. I don't want you two fighting because of me. You're pregnant,
04:20sit still. The doctor said you need to rest during the first trimester. Don't move around. I'll handle
04:25this. I turned to leave again. Dominic stepped forward and grabbed my wrist. The yank sent me
04:29stumbling backward and nearly fell. I'm still talking to you, Serena. What are you doing at
04:34the hospital? And I already answered. I'm here to see a doctor. I'm not so idle that I'd waste my
04:40time stalking the two of you. Dominic frowned, seeming about to snatch the receipt from my hand
04:44to check for himself. Serena, I know you're angry, but after Lucy was gone, I was all alone in that
04:50house so lonely. I just had a little life of my own to keep me company. I never meant to
04:55hurt you
04:55and Dom. I calmly withdrew my hand. The next second, Vivian let out a cry, her body pitching sharply
05:00backward. Dominic shoved me aside and caught her in his arms. Are you okay? Does anything hurt?
05:07I'm fine. My legs just went weak. Dom, don't blame Serena. She didn't mean to.
05:12Are you really that vicious, Serena? I didn't touch her. I saw it with my own eyes. If anything
05:19happens to her or the baby, I will never forgive you. Dominic, he paused mid-motion as he was
05:25soothing Vivian. What if I told you I'm pregnant and I came here today for an abortion? At that
05:31moment, Vivian tilted her face up close to his, her lips grazing the shell of his ear. Serena,
05:37don't try to manipulate me with tricks like that. No matter what, I'm not leaving Vivianna.
05:44Serena Valente, are you here? Are you still going through with the procedure?
05:48I don't know how long I stood there, not until the nurse called my name from the doorway.
05:52Yes, I want this pregnancy terminated. Before long, I was wheeled into the operating room,
05:57the blinding surgical light directly overhead, then darkness. That evening, when I returned to the
06:03townhouse, the place was pitch black, no calls, no texts, nothing. But when I opened my
06:07phone, there he was again on Vivianne's feed. A set of maternity photos. Dominic in a white dress
06:12shirt, wearing a pink cartoon headband for the shoot, their hands layered together on her gently
06:16rounded belly, gazing tenderly at each other. I liked the post. For an entire week after that,
06:21Dominic didn't come home. I took the antibiotics alone, pressed a hot water bottle to my abdomen
06:25alone, and reviewed the terms of the divorce agreement alone. The day the faxed divorce papers
06:30arrived, Dominic called. Dinner at the family estate tonight. Fine. When I pushed open the dining
06:37room doors, I saw that the chair beside the head of the table, the one that had always been mine,
06:41was occupied by someone else. Vivianne, Dominic's mother, Helena, was smiling warmly and holding her
06:46hand. Oh, Serena, you're here. Serena, after Helena found out I was pregnant, she insisted I move
06:51into the estate for my prenatal care. She said it would be easier to look after me here. Please don't
06:55overthink. That's enough, Viviana. Serena, you and Dominic have been married five years without
06:59producing a child. The baby in Vivianne's stomach is the sole velalty heir. It's only natural she lives here.
07:03As for you, starting tomorrow, you'll move in and learn from the housekeeper
07:06how to take proper care of a pregnant woman. If Vivianne is satisfied with you in any way,
07:10I'll have Dominic divorce you. Instantly, every servant in the dining room wore a smirk. They
07:14were all waiting for me to become the jealous shrew, waiting for me to lose my mind, to scream,
07:18to beg. Instead, I laughed. Well, that works out perfectly. Helena's brow furrowed. What's that
07:24supposed to mean? Helena, I came here tonight for one reason. To divorce Dominic. The dining room
07:31went silent for a few seconds. You, Serena, don't forget where you came from. The fact that you're
07:37even sitting at this table is a privilege the Velocci family granted you. Then it's settled.
07:42I don't want your privilege anymore and was about to pull the divorce agreement from my bag. And
07:46Vivianne dropped to her knees without warning. Serena, I'm begging you, don't do this to my baby.
07:52The child is innocent. This is all my fault. You can't just live a life.
07:57Stop. Serena, you're actually trying to force her to abort the baby? I'm not.
08:05The next instant, before I could finish, he charged across the room and drove his shoe into my lower
08:10abdomen. The force was savage. No restraint. You vicious bitch! Haven't I taught you enough of a
08:16lesson already? My vision was blurring, but I braced myself and dragged my body upright inch by inch.
08:21Then, with the last of my strength, I pulled the divorce agreement from my bag and hurled it in
08:25his face. My voice sounded far away and hollow. Dominic Valenstie, we're done. The rage on his face
08:31froze. Then I turned and walked toward the door. One step, two steps. My vision collapsed into blackness.
08:37My knees buckled and I went down. Something warm surged from inside me, soaking through my skirt.
08:42God! Her legs! There's blood everywhere! Don kicked her in the stomach! Is she- is she
08:47mismarrying? Call an ambulance! Hurry! She's passed out! Serena! Serena! Serena, look at me! Don't
08:55close your eyes! Look at me! I tried to open my mouth and say something, but nothing came out. The
08:59blood pooled beneath me, spreading, and the darkness swallowed me whole. When I opened my eyes again,
09:06I saw a white ceiling, an IV line, and a tear-streaked face at my bedside. Mom was sitting there,
09:12gripping my hand tightly, tears falling harder, but forced to smile. Sweetheart,
09:18you're awake. How do you feel? Tell mama where it hurts. Mom. Mom's here. Mommy's right here.
09:28Cry it out, baby. Just let it all out.
09:31I cried for a long time, until my throat gave out, until my eyes were swollen and raw. Dad came
09:37in
09:37after I'd mostly calmed down. He looked at my pale face, and for just a flicker his eyes went red.
09:43You've suffered, sweetheart. I should never have let you marry into that family.
09:51Back then, Dominic had dimples when he smiled. He liked eating hot dogs with way too much mustard at
09:56late night street stalls. He'd get misty-eyed over the ending of an old movie.
10:02The first time Dad met him, he said, I don't trust anyone in the mob.
10:08Dominic stood on our front porch, in the rain, for three days, on the morning of the third day.
10:14Dominic collapsed on the steps, and Dad finally opened the door, that evening in the living room,
10:19still running a fever. I will spend the rest of my life being good to her.
10:23Dad was silent for a long time.
10:30But three years later, Dominic knelt in a pool of blood, clutching his brother's body,
10:35and never smiled like that again.
10:39Mom touched my face, and frowned slightly.
10:41Dominic is outside.
10:43Let me see her.
10:46Let me see her. Please. Just let me see her.
10:51I closed my eyes briefly.
10:53Let him in.
10:56Serena.
10:57Let him in, Mom.
10:58You two wait outside. I need to talk to him alone.
11:01My parents exchanged a look, then reluctantly rose and left the room.
11:08The door opened. Dominic stood there. His complexion was gray, his jaw locked,
11:12his eyes threaded with red. He walked to the bedside.
11:15Serena, I didn't know you were pregnant. I didn't know you'd miscarried it.
11:19That day, I just thought you were trying to force Vivian to-
11:21I've already signed the divorce papers. Sign them.
11:26No!
11:29Serena, I won't sign. I love you.
11:34You say you just didn't know I was pregnant. Fine.
11:37Then let me ask you something.
11:40You'd get a call from her in the dead of night and walk out the door,
11:43sometimes at two or three in the morning, and you called that taking care of her, right?
11:47You bought her an apartment, a Velati property titled in her name,
11:51and you called that making arrangements, right?
11:56You gave her a child, and you called that helping her fulfill a wish, right?
12:01Then let me tell you, if a man has no feelings for a woman, he doesn't leave his house at
12:073am
12:08because she called. He doesn't buy her a home and put her name on the deed.
12:13And she certainly doesn't let her carry his child. Dominic, you can lie to me.
12:18You can lie to yourself, but you can't lie to the facts.
12:22Everything you did for Vivian tells me and tells everyone that you love her.
12:28You're the dawn, you control everything, but you don't get to control whether I stay or go.
12:33That's not Serena. I was just, I only...
12:40Sign the papers, Dominic. There's nothing left to say.
12:44His head snapped up, and in his eyes, I saw a kind of panic I'd never seen before.
12:51Serena?
12:52Dad. Mom.
12:55You've said what you came to say. Now get out!
12:58No. Serena, give me one more chance.
13:01Get out!
13:03You're not welcome here.
13:05Dominic didn't move. He stared at me, unblinking. Dominic was finally pushed out of the room.
13:13I looked away, blocked him on every platform and phone number, and sent Helena a single message.
13:19Please, have your son sign the papers. It'll free up a spot for the woman he actually wants to protect.
13:27A few days later, when I went downstairs for a walk, I found Dominic outside the building entrance.
13:31He was leaning against a black sedan. No bodyguards. No driver.
13:35The moment he saw me come out, he straightened and took a few steps in my direction.
13:45Serena.
13:48His voice was wrecked.
13:50How are you feeling? Any better?
13:53I was carrying a bag of fruit. My tone was distant. Much better. If there's nothing else, I'm heading back
13:59up.
14:00He reached out to stop me. Carefully. Tentatively. Same design Dominic and I had created together for our wedding band.
14:07No matter what happens, I'll never take it off.
14:08But I also hadn't forgotten what he'd said to me later.
14:11Viv gets upset when she sees my wedding ring. It reminds her of Lucien. Why can't you be more considerate
14:17of other people's feelings?
14:18I glanced instinctively at my own left ring finger. Pushed the box back toward him.
14:23The rings are new. But what's broken can't be fixed.
14:29After a few seconds of silence, he erupted.
14:32Serena, why can't you cut me off some slack just once?
14:35You're the one who didn't tell me about the pregnancy. If you had just said something, I never would have
14:38walked away at the hospital that day.
14:40I've explained the situation with Vivian. I don't love her.
14:42I was only looking after her for Lucien, helping her fulfill a wish. Why can't you understand that?
14:48At the hospital that day, your exact words were, no matter what, you would not leave her.
14:55And the anger froze on his face. If you won't sign the papers, then stop coming to find me.
15:01No.
15:02I don't want to see you again.
15:04I turned and walked straight back through the building entrance.
15:06Serena?
15:10But that night, I received a text from Vivian. Tomorrow, a cafe. I have something to say.
15:19There you are.
15:22Serena, since things have come this far, I'm not going to beat around the brush.
15:27Dominic loves me. Just sign the divorce papers and stop holding us up.
15:31I think you have it backwards. The one who won't agree to the divorce is Dominic. Not me.
15:37That's impossible. I'm carrying his child. Why would he not want me?
15:41You must be the one clinging to him, refusing to let go. I didn't respond. The silence seemed to
15:46infuriate her. I bet you don't know yet. This baby wasn't conceived the way Dominic told you.
15:52No providing a sample. No artificial insermination.
15:57Dominic and I slept together. More than once. The air went still for a beat.
16:02Is that so?
16:21I stood. I picked up the still, half-full Americana and threw it squarely in her face.
16:31I grabbed my bag and walked out. After leaving the cafe, I went straight to the law office and
16:44handed the voice recorder I'd been carrying to my attorney.
16:50Three days later, at the hearing, the old men poured over the evidence.
16:54Finally, one of them struck the gavel. Some frightened. Some gave thin, knowing smiles.
17:00By ruling of the family joint council, the infidelity is substantiated. The marriage of
17:04Dominic Veloto and Serena Veloto shall be automatically dissolved in one month.
17:08Dominic's shoulders collapsed.
17:11And walking out through the council hall doors, Dominic was standing at the bottom of the steps.
17:16Serena,
17:19do you hate me that much? You really won't leave any room at all.
17:23I took out my phone, pulled up the recording, and pressed play. Vivian's voice poured for
17:27time. Dominic and I slept together, more than once.
17:31I can explain. That day, I helped her move some things back to her place, and she said she wanted
17:34to cook dinner to thank me. We had some wine, and then, and I don't know how it just...
17:37Dominic, Lucien took a bullet for you, and you turned around and took care of his wife all the way
17:43into her bed. If he could crawl out of that grave, the first person he'd put down is you.
17:51Serena, but I only love you. It was only that one time with her.
17:55I don't need love that cheap. Perhaps out of guilt, Dominic transferred a substantial sum
18:02into my account during the divorce proceedings. I accepted every cent. It was enough to live
18:08comfortably for a long time, so I bought a one-way ticket to Barcelona and set off traveling alone.
18:20From Las Ramblas to the Charles Bridge in Prague.
18:27From the black sand beaches of Iceland to a stargazing camp in New Zealand.
18:32At every stop, I mailed my parents a postcard and logged my experiences on a blog.
18:38When I came home after a long stretch of travel,
18:41Mom eagerly filled me in over dinner on the aftermath of Dominic and Vivian.
18:49After our divorce, Vivian, belly and all, staged a coup. Dominic refused to marry her. He said he'd
18:54only ever looked after her out of guilt toward Lucien, that there had never been any real feeling.
18:58Vivian dropped every pretense and weaponized the baby. Marry her, or she'd get an abortion. Helena,
19:04desperate for an heir, couldn't stomach that kind of threat. She strong-armed Dominic into a wedding,
19:08but married life was nothing like what Vivian had envisioned. Dominic was glacially cold to her.
19:13He never came back to the estate, never ate dinner with her, wouldn't even sit at the same table.
19:17He shut himself in his downtown apartment to work, the way he used to shut me out. No,
19:21worse than he'd ever been with me. Vivian had no sense of security. She probably understood better
19:26than anyone how she'd clawed her way to the top. That made her all the more paranoid. When Dominic
19:30didn't come home, she'd hunt him down at the office, making scenes in the lobby, demanding he
19:35come back with her. She started crashing business functions. There was one occasion when Dominic was
19:41at a critical juncture in a joint deal with several other families, and Vivian somehow got hold of the
19:46restaurant address. She burst into the private dining room, and demanded to know why he hadn't
19:52answered his phone. Every person at that table was a power player from one of the branch families.
20:00For the Don's wife to throw a tantrum in that setting, loss of face doesn't begin to cover it.
20:05The deal nearly fell apart. Afterward, the straw that finally broke everything came a month later.
20:10Dominic was out at an evening function and hadn't come home. Vivian tracked him to the venue.
20:15She spotted a young woman seated beside Dominic, pouring his wine. Nothing more than a liaison from
20:20the other party's PR team. She stormed over and slapped the woman across the face.
20:24The kind of people who circulate in those rooms are not the kind you provoke. The woman hit back
20:28immediately. In the scuffle, Vivian's belly struck the edge of a table. The child was rushed to the
20:33ICU, put on a ventilator, a tiny life bristling with tubes, fighting inside an incubator for nearly three
20:39weeks. In the end, the baby didn't make it. With the child gone, Dominic initiated the joint council's
20:46arbitration that very same day. On the grounds that Vivian had gravely damaged the family's
20:51reputation and commercial interests, the marriage was forcibly dissolved. Vivian must have known it
20:57was over. She took a severance payout and vanished from the city. Helena was now back to working every
21:02connection she had, scouting for a new daughter-in-law. But the Valenti circus of the past two years had
21:08already made the rounds through every drawing room in their circle. Serves him right. If he treated you
21:16the way he should have, would any of this have happened? I smiled but offered no comment. They
21:20had nothing to do with me anymore. I went back to packing my bags. The ticket for my next trip
21:24was
21:25already booked. Go on then. Send me lots of pretty photos. I zipped my backpack shut, stood up,
21:35and flashed her an okay sign. Don't worry. I thought my life was finally about to settle into real peace
21:42and quiet. What I didn't expect was to run into Dominic one more time before I left. When he appeared,
21:48I flinched. His face was ashen, his hair a mess. Nothing like the commanding dawn he'd once been.
21:55Serena, Vivian and I are divorced. The baby's gone too.
21:58And? It was the baby that bothered you, wasn't it? The baby's gone now. We can start over.
22:05Dominic, there is no starting over. We're done.
22:12No. Serena, you loved me so much once. I know it was all because of Viviana and the baby that
22:17you
22:17left me. There's nothing standing between us anymore. Give me one more chance. I'll love you
22:22right this time. Better than before. He grabbed my hand, practically begging. But Dominic, I don't
22:28love you anymore. It's over. Move forward. He shook his head, unable to believe what he was hearing.
22:37In the end, he walked away with red-rimmed eyes. Serena doesn't love me anymore. Doesn't love me.
22:43So utterly wrecked, he almost looked pitiable. I watched his unsteady figure retreat into the
22:47distance. The once untouchable godfather, reduced to this. When I boarded the flight to Copenhagen,
22:54I slid open the window shade. Outside, the morning sky was on fire with dawn. Blazing,
23:01breathtaking. I was moving forward, and I wouldn't look back.
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