After Rebirth, I Gave My Control-Freak Fiancé to My Stepsister Engsub [Full Movie]

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After Rebirth, I Gave My Control-Freak Fiancé to My Stepsister Engsub

Transcript

00:00:00My billionaire fiancé, Damien, did not love me. He loved control.

00:00:04In my last life, I tried to become his perfect wife, obedient, quiet, and easy to manage.

00:00:10I gave him everything, but he still chose my scheming stepsister every time.

00:00:15In the end, a car crash killed the woman he had spent years trying to cage,

00:00:18but death sent me back to the start, right before our wedding.

00:00:21This time, I will not beg for love.

00:00:23I am giving my controlling billionaire fiancé to my treacherous stepsister,

00:00:27packing my bags, and leaving New York forever.

00:00:30Their perfect world is going to burn, and I will walk away free.

00:00:35Manhattan's most exclusive VIP mic club was a blur of neon lights.

00:00:40I sat in the center of a private booth,

00:00:45and with perfect intention.

00:00:48Up by the second floor rallying, a paparazzi lens was pointed straight at us.

00:00:52Good. Those photos would be on Damien Blackhood's desk before morning.

00:00:57That was the whole point.

00:01:00Damien needed a wife who was spotless, graceful, and obedient.

00:01:03So I was going to rip his perfect wife fantasy apart with my own hands.

00:01:06If the scandal was ugly enough, he would call off the engagement himself.

00:01:09Then the air around me turned ice cold.

00:01:19In that split second, I could almost hear chains pulling tight from another life.

00:01:23In my past life, I loved him to the point of madness.

00:01:26I told myself his control was love.

00:01:28Then the Blackwood family code was placed in front of me.

00:01:31No nightclubs.

00:01:32No being alone with any man.

00:01:34No leaving New York without permission.

00:01:36He froze my passport and cut off every account I had.

00:01:39Then he clasped a diamond bracelet around my wrist and called it an engagement gift.

00:01:44It was not a gift.

00:01:45It was a GPS tracker.

00:01:46He sanded me down, piece by piece, until I became something quiet and hollow.

00:01:52The perfect Mrs. Blackwood.

00:01:54Then a car crash ended my suffocating life.

00:01:58I had been reborn on the night before our wedding.

00:02:01This time, I did not want Damien.

00:02:03I wanted to be Scarlet Vale again.

00:02:05So the first thing I did was find my father.

00:02:07I want to call off the engagement.

00:02:09What the hell is wrong with you?

00:02:11Marrying to the Blackwood family is the greatest opportunity of your life.

00:02:14If he is so perfect, let Clara marry him.

00:02:16She is the dignified, obedient one.

00:02:18The ideal Blackwood wife, right?

00:02:22You are really willing to give it up?

00:02:24I did not wait for the rest.

00:02:26I booked an international flight and moved my passport somewhere Damien could not reach

00:02:30and called my best friend Mia.

00:02:32Come drink with me, which brought me here, to this moment.

00:02:37Who gave you the nerve to come to a place like this?

00:02:40I go where I want.

00:02:41What does that have to do with you?

00:02:58My blood ran cold.

00:03:00That bracelet.

00:03:01The same one that had locked away my freedom in my last life.

00:03:04Don't touch me!

00:03:09GPS tracking, heart rate monitor, entry and exit logs, synced in real time.

00:03:14Every step you take, I will see it.

00:03:16I want a public apology statement by tomorrow morning.

00:03:19You put diamonds on a cage and think that makes it something else?

00:03:24I held his gaze and said it clearly, one word at a time.

00:03:28I am not marrying you, Damien.

00:03:30We are done.

00:03:34The car went silent.

00:03:35Damien's eyes snapped mine.

00:03:37Done?

00:03:38Done what?

00:03:39What the hell is that supposed to mean?

00:03:41For a second, I almost told him the truth.

00:03:44That the bride had already been changed.

00:03:46That Clara was the one his family would get.

00:03:48Then I stopped myself.

00:03:50I wanted him dreading every day until the wedding, convinced he was still stuck with me.

00:03:56Forget it.

00:03:56I was just mad.

00:04:02I'm taking you home.

00:04:03Sit properly.

00:04:05I kicked off my heels, pressed my bare feet into his expensive floor mat, and rolled the window down.

00:04:11When are you going to learn to behave like a Blackwood wife?

00:04:15Maybe in my next life.

00:04:16The rose stopped at the Vale Estate gates.

00:04:19I want that apology on my desk by nine tomorrow.

00:04:21And don't waste your time trying to take off the bracelet.

00:04:24I push the door open.

00:04:25I look down at the disgusting thing locked around my wrist.

00:04:28Then you'd better watch closely.

00:04:30I slammed the door and walked inside without looking back.

00:04:33Richard, Monica, and Clara were all waiting in the living room.

00:04:37My father, his ex-mistress turned trophy wife, and the bastard daughter they'd spent years polishing

00:04:42into exactly the kind of obedient, presentable girl Damien wanted.

00:04:46You reek of alcohol.

00:04:48And you wore a Blackwood engagement bracelet to a nightclub.

00:04:51Have you completely lost your mind?

00:04:54Don't be too hard on her, Richard.

00:04:56Though honestly, I'm not sure a family like the Blackwoods can afford that kind of reputation.

00:05:01Scarlet, Dad said he already spoke with the Blackwoods.

00:05:04Are you really sure you want me to take your place?

00:05:07A hundred percent sure.

00:05:08You've always loved picking up what I throw away.

00:05:11This time I'm handing it to you myself.

00:05:14No need to sneak around for it.

00:05:17Watch your mouth.

00:05:18Clara is steadier, smarter, and a far better fit for the Blackwood family than you ever were.

00:05:23Perfect.

00:05:24Just don't come crying to me when the whole thing blows up in your faces.

00:05:29I only hope you won't regret this.

00:05:31I would hate to see you lose everything because of one bad mood.

00:05:38Scarlet Veil never regrets a damn thing.

00:05:44A servant came hammering on my door first thing in the morning.

00:05:47Damien was downstairs.

00:05:48He stood in the living room like last night had never happened.

00:05:51First thing he checked was my wrist.

00:05:54The bracelet.

00:05:55Green light blinking.

00:05:57Then he looked up.

00:05:58The statement.

00:05:59I didn't write one.

00:06:00Blackwoods PR team buried those photos.

00:06:02I need that statement.

00:06:03Your rules do not apply to me anymore.

00:06:05I am not signing anything.

00:06:07When are you going to learn to do or told?

00:06:08Not in this lifetime.

00:06:10Right on Cuse, Clara appeared in a white dress, eyes faintly red, holding a printed statement.

00:06:15Damien, please don't be angry with Scarlet.

00:06:17She was upset last night.

00:06:18I wrote the statement for her.

00:06:19Will this work?

00:06:20Damien scanned it.

00:06:22When he looked back at me, the disgust was undisguised.

00:06:25Look at Clara.

00:06:26She knows when to be graceful, when to step back, when to put the family first.

00:06:30All you do is create problems.

00:06:35Scarlet just needs more time.

00:06:37The Blackwood charity gala is tonight.

00:06:39I can go with her and help her get through it.

00:06:42Help me with what?

00:06:43How to smile on cue?

00:06:46How to play the innocent girl in white while hiding the snake underneath?

00:06:50Enough.

00:06:51Add her name and release it.

00:06:52I did not sign it.

00:06:53You went to a nightclub as the future Mrs. Blackwood.

00:06:56It stopped being your personal guest the second you dragged my family name into it.

00:06:59If you refuse to do the right thing, I will do it for you.

00:07:02Then take Clara.

00:07:03She is always so good at doing the right thing.

00:07:04You are my fiancé.

00:07:06You will be at that gala tonight.

00:07:07Fine.

00:07:08This life, I was going to give him exactly what he wanted.

00:07:10Clara linked her arm through mine, going upstairs.

00:07:13Warm smiles.

00:07:14Nails digging into my skin.

00:07:15The second the door closed, I shook her off.

00:07:17Nobody is watching.

00:07:18Drop the act.

00:07:19Damien will be mine.

00:07:20On the wedding day, he will be grateful someone made the switch.

00:07:22A disaster like you has no business near the Blackwood name.

00:07:24Then why didn't you tell him just now?

00:07:25Scared that once he knows, he still won't want you?

00:07:27I won't just keep your mouth shut, Scarlet.

00:07:29I don't care about the you or your control freak fiancine.

00:07:31Happy wedding.

00:07:35The Blackwood Family Charity Gala was packed with Manhattan's most powerful people.

00:07:39Old money, new money, and the kind of influence that could buy both.

00:07:42I showed up deliberately in a floor-long thread backless gown, bold, unapologetic, and everything

00:07:48a Blackwood wife was not supposed to be.

00:07:50Clara wore white couture, pristine as a lily.

00:07:54When the waltz began and every eye in the room drifted toward Damis, Manhattan's most coveted

00:07:59air stepped forward and reached right past me, his actual fiancée, to offer his hand

00:08:05to Clara.

00:08:05The socialite crowd broke into sharp, delighted whispers.

00:08:09Did you see that?

00:08:10He chose the stepsister.

00:08:12Honestly, I get it.

00:08:13Scarlet is a walking scandal.

00:08:15Clara is everything a Blackwood wife should be.

00:08:17Damien led Clara onto the floor without looking back, then threw me a cold parting shot.

00:08:21You do not know how to dance at this level.

00:08:24Stay where you are and watch Clara.

00:08:26Maybe you will finally learn something.

00:08:30I watched them turn beneath the chandeliers and felt nothing but revulsion.

00:08:34I slipped upstairs to the terrace for air, desperate to breathe something that did not

00:08:39feel like a trap.

00:08:40Of course, Clara followed.

00:08:41Her heels clicked up the stairs like she had been attached to my shadow all night.

00:08:45She wore the face of someone who had already won, and when she spoke, her voice was low

00:08:49and vicious.

00:08:50Poor Scarlet.

00:08:51Your mother could not beat mine, and now you cannot beat me either.

00:08:56Losing must run in your blood.

00:08:57She should have said anything else, anything but that.

00:09:00She had insulted my dead mother.

00:09:02My eyes went cold.

00:09:04Without a word, I drew back and slapped her heart across the face.

00:09:07The crack cut through the night air.

00:09:08Clara's head snapped to the side, and her cheek flushed red almost instantly.

00:09:12She screamed.

00:09:14You crazy bitch!

00:09:15You actually hit me?!

00:09:17I closed the distance and grabbed her by the neck.

00:09:20Hit you?

00:09:21I can do a lot worse than hit you.

00:09:23I trained in MMA, Clara.

00:09:25Taking apart a fake, fragile little thing like you would barely count as exercise.

00:09:30I whipped one leg up in a clean sidekick.

00:09:36The courtyard below erupted into screaming chaos.

00:09:39I straightened my dress, picked up my wrap, and turned to leave.

00:09:42But I had not made it three steps before Damien's hand clamped around my wrist like a vice.

00:09:46His eyes were bloodshot with rage, and his voice was cold enough to freeze the air between us.

00:09:51Clara fell from the terrace.

00:09:52Was it you?

00:09:53I met his eyes without flinching.

00:09:55Yes.

00:09:56She had it coming.

00:09:59You are beyond saving.

00:10:00Since she refuses to apologize, she needs to learn a lesson.

00:10:03Throw her into the estate fountain.

00:10:05No one lets her out until I say so.

00:10:06The bodyguards grabbed me before I could fight them off.

00:10:09No matter how hard I struggled, they dragged me across the courtyard and threw me straight into the fountain.

00:10:14The water was freezing cold, but it was liquid water, not ice.

00:10:18The spring night air cut like a blade, and the cold sank straight into my bones.

00:10:22Every time I clawed for the marble rim of the fountain, the guard standing along the edge pushed me back

00:10:27under without a word.

00:10:28The struggle drained me fast.

00:10:30Then something worse hit me.

00:10:32A sharp, familiar cramp twisted low in my abdomen.

00:10:35My period had come early.

00:10:37Blood seeped into the cold water around me, spreading in slow, dark ribbons beneath the surface.

00:10:42I was trembling, barely conscious, when I heard one of the guards call Damien.

00:10:45Sir, Miss Val just got her period.

00:10:47There is blood in the water.

00:10:48Should we keep going?

00:10:49There was a brief silence on the other end.

00:10:50Keep going.

00:10:51She will never learn if she does not suffer the consequences.

00:10:53In that moment, my blood ran colder than the fountain ever could.

00:10:56The despair of two lifetimes crashed down over me, all at once, and the world went black.

00:11:05When I opened my eyes again, I was in a hospital room that smelled sharply of antiseptic.

00:11:09Damien was sitting at my bedside.

00:11:11When he saw me wake up, he released my hand with an expression of careful indifference.

00:11:15I spoke with your father.

00:11:16He will not give you any more trouble.

00:11:18But do not ever go after Clara.

00:11:21Clara is my father's precious little affair daughter.

00:11:24She is not my problem, and I am not promising you a damn thing.

00:11:32Mr. Blackwood, Clara is getting very upset in the next room.

00:11:35She has been crying and asking for you.

00:11:39I will go check on her.

00:11:40She was hurt because of you.

00:11:42As your fiancée, it is only proper that I go.

00:11:48Go on, then.

00:11:49Run to your real fiancée.

00:11:50On the day I was discharged, Damien forced me back into the car and drove me to the veil

00:11:55estate.

00:11:55But when I pushed open my bedroom door, my blood went cold.

00:11:59Clara was sitting at my vanity, dangling a sapphire necklace from her fingertips.

00:12:02My mother's sapphire necklace.

00:12:04The only thing she had left me.

00:12:06I crossed the room in three steps.

00:12:08My voice stripped down to nothing.

00:12:10Put it down and get out.

00:12:13Yours?

00:12:15Scarlet, everything in this house is going to be mine.

00:12:26Daddy, I only wanted to look at Scarlet's necklace and she shoved me into the floor.

00:12:39What the hell are you smiling at?

00:12:41I looked straight at Clara.

00:12:42You love putting on a show?

00:12:43Fine.

00:12:44I will give you the performance of your life.

00:12:46I grabbed a metal pen from the vanity and drove it straight at the Clara's palm.

00:12:50Clean through.

00:12:51Pinned to the hardwood.

00:12:52Ah!

00:12:52You fucking psycho!

00:12:53You're all turned!

00:12:54Get this animal out of my house!

00:12:56You are no longer welcome in the veil family!

00:12:58The servants dragged me to the door and threw my luggage into the mud.

00:13:02I bent down, pulled my mother's sapphire necklace out of the dirt and held it tight.

00:13:06It was raining.

00:13:07I stood sosed under an ornery until a black rose pulled up.

00:13:10Damien got out without a word, put me in the car and drove me to his house.

00:13:13He came back with a first aid kit and started treating the mark my father had left on my face.

00:13:18Then the doorbell rang.

00:13:19Clara, banded hand, fragile expression.

00:13:22She walked straight into Damien's arms like she belonged there.

00:13:24Damien, I had to come.

00:13:25I was worried what she did to me.

00:13:26She is still...

00:13:26Damien's face darkened.

00:13:28Apologize to her.

00:13:29Right now, Scarlet.

00:13:30Not a chance in hell.

00:13:31We started arguing by the entryway.

00:13:33Damien reached for my arm and I shoved him off.

00:13:35In the struggle, his elbow knocked into the glass kettle sitting on the side cabinet.

00:13:39The kettle reacted to the floor and shattered.

00:13:40Scalding water exploded across the marble.

00:13:42He threw himself around Clara and covered her completely.

00:13:44I was on the other side.

00:13:46The boiling water splashed across my legs and arms.

00:13:48My skin turned red almost at once, then started to blister and peel.

00:13:51Damien checked Clara first.

00:13:52She was fine.

00:13:53Then he glanced at me on the floor, bent down and picked Clara up.

00:13:55Leave her.

00:13:56A little pain might teach her to think before she goes after you again.

00:13:59He left me alone on the floor, with scalding water still spreading around me.

00:14:05I sat on that floor, holding myself together through the pain, and called 911 myself.

00:14:10I got out of the hospital just in time for Clara's birthday party.

00:14:13Richard used the occasion to make a grand announcement.

00:14:15The majority of the Vale family's trust assets and shares would be transferred to Clara,

00:14:19in front of every guest in the room, took out a velvet box, and clasped a diamond necklace

00:14:23worth a small fortune around Clara's neck.

00:14:26Clara's socialite friends swept over with their glasses, making sure to spill red wine across

00:14:30my dress.

00:14:31Look at the ex-fiance.

00:14:32You clean up like somebody's charity project.

00:14:39The bottle shattered.

00:14:40Blood and liquor ran together.

00:14:42The room erupted in screams.

00:14:45Damien was on me in seconds, crushing my wrist in his grip, his eyes loaded with contempt.

00:14:50Scarlet, what the hell is wrong with you?

00:14:52Apologize to them.

00:14:53Now.

00:14:54In your dreams!

00:14:55Damien laughed, but there was no humor in it.

00:14:58It was the laugh of a man who had run out of patience completely.

00:15:01He knew exactly what I feared most.

00:15:03Since you refuse to listen, you can sit in the dark and think about what you have done.

00:15:06Locker in the wine cellar.

00:15:08Nobody opens that door without my permission.

00:15:09They dragged me into the estates' basement wine cellar.

00:15:12Stone walls.

00:15:13No windows.

00:15:14No light.

00:15:15The heavy iron door slammed shut, and total darkness swallowed me whole.

00:15:19Three days and three nights.

00:15:21No water.

00:15:22No food.

00:15:23The fear nearly broke me.

00:15:24On the fourth day, the door finally opened, but it was not Damien.

00:15:28It was Clara, pushing in a piece of equipment I did not recognize.

00:15:32She was smiling like something out of hell.

00:15:34Damien said you needed to learn a real lesson, so I brought something to make sure it sticks.

00:15:39Two men in black dragged me to a metal chair and strapped me down.

00:15:42They pressed electrode pads to my temples.

00:15:45Clara hit the switch.

00:15:46The current ripped through me.

00:15:48The pain had no words.

00:15:49It only had sound, and the sound was mine.

00:15:53Then there was nothing at all.

00:15:57I woke up in the main house, in a proper bed.

00:16:00Damien was sitting beside me, frowning.

00:16:02I told you to stay in there and think.

00:16:04Three days.

00:16:04How are you this week?

00:16:06I opened my eyes and looked at him.

00:16:08Your precious Clara brought men into that cellar with an electric shock chair and used it on me.

00:16:12Do you believe me?

00:16:15Impossible.

00:16:16Clara's gentle.

00:16:16She would never do something like that.

00:16:18Scarlet, there is a limit to how far you can take a lie.

00:16:21He would never believe me.

00:16:22Fine.

00:16:23I would collect that debt on my own.

00:16:25That night, I hired a team and made the arrangements myself.

00:16:29That night, Clara had been bound, suspended in the open air through the entire night.

00:16:34Damien kicked my door in, the vein in his temple visible from across the room.

00:16:37You left Clara hanging off a rooftop all night.

00:16:39If it were not for the safety net at the base of the building, she would be dead.

00:16:42I sat by the window, trimming my nails without looking up.

00:16:45Damien slammed his hand on the table hard enough to rattle it.

00:16:47The wedding is in a few days.

00:16:49You are staying in this house until then.

00:16:51You are not going anywhere.

00:16:52Do you understand me?

00:16:53The night before the wedding, a still-shaking Clara was brought back to the Vale estate.

00:16:57Richard took one look at me and started screaming.

00:16:59Stay away from the wedding tomorrow.

00:17:00Don't you dare show your face and humiliate this family.

00:17:02I picked up the luggage I had already packed and smiled at him.

00:17:07Trust me.

00:17:09That suffocating circus is the last place I would ever want to be.

00:17:13You could not pay me to go.

00:17:42Don't be nervous, Scarlet.

00:17:43I'm right here.

00:17:44I will teach you everything you need to know to become the perfect Mrs. Blackwood.

00:17:49Go on, Damien.

00:17:51Marry your dream wife.

00:17:52Consider it my wedding gift to you both.

00:17:55Once the procession left for St. Hart Cathedral, the Vale estate went completely quiet

00:18:01and flagged a cab to JFK.

00:18:04Inside the car, I pulled a small remote from my coat pocket and looked back at the house

00:18:09one last time.

00:18:10My mother had designed it.

00:18:12Now it sheltered the woman who had replaced her and the daughter who had spent years making

00:18:16my life hell.

00:18:17I was done with it.

00:18:22Miss, was that your house?

00:18:26Yes.

00:18:27I blew it up.

00:18:33The vaulted ceiling soared overhead and the pipework and filled the nave and grand with

00:18:37something.

00:18:37Every name that mattered in Hatton had shown up.

00:18:39At the end of the aisle, Damien stood in a perfectly tailored suit, precise, untouchable,

00:18:43watching the bride walk toward him.

00:18:44Today's bride was the long usual lace veil fell all the way down, hiding her face completely.

00:18:48Damien assumed all those cold lessons had finally worked.

00:18:50He assumed I had finally been worn smooth and that the woman walking towards him had learned

00:18:54how to submit.

00:18:54The priest began the vows.

00:18:56Damien lowered his voice, speaking only to the bride in front of him.

00:18:58After today, I will personally teach you how to be a proper Mrs. Blackwood.

00:19:01He took the bride's hand and guided her toward the altar.

00:19:04As camera flashes stirred across the room, then came the moment everyone had been waiting

00:19:07for.

00:19:08The groom lifted the veil.

00:19:09Damien reached up with calm, certain fingers, caught the edge of the lace and swept it back.

00:19:13For one breath, the cathedral seemed to freeze.

00:19:15The face in front of him was not the one burned into his memory.

00:19:18It was not the proud, defiant face he had spent years trying to control.

00:19:22It was Clara, flushed with excitement, her eyes bright with smug satisfaction.

00:19:26The cathedral went silent for one stunned second, before the whole room broke into chaos.

00:19:30Why is the younger veil daughter wearing the wedding dress?

00:19:33The half-smile on Damien's face frozen, then vanished completely.

00:19:37His pupils tightened like someone had struck him.

00:19:39In one violent motion, he flung the veil away as if it had burned his hand.

00:19:43Clara had no warning.

00:19:45The force sent her stumbling back and crashing to the floor, her headpiece crooked, and her

00:19:50white gown tangled around her legs in front of the entire congregation.

00:19:54Damien's voice tore through the cathedral.

00:19:57Where is Scarlet?

00:19:58Tell me where she is!

00:20:01The most prestigious society wedding in New York had just turned into the city's biggest

00:20:06scandal.

00:20:07Damien, just finish the ceremony.

00:20:10Richard told us a few days ago that the bride was being changed to Clara.

00:20:14We thought Clara was more suitable, more composed.

00:20:18The arrangement benefits both families' trusts and shareholding, so we agreed to it privately.

00:20:22She had assumed he would be relieved.

00:20:23His reaction told her she had never understood her son at all.

00:20:26Damien's personal istint pushed past security and sprinted into the hall, his face drained

00:20:30of color.

00:20:31Sir, it is bad.

00:20:32The veil estate exploded half an hour ago.

00:20:34The entire mansion is gone.

00:20:35There is nothing left but rubble.

00:20:36That sentence snapped the last thread of Damien's composure.

00:20:40If I had not come to the wedding, I had to be at the estate.

00:20:43That reckless, insane woman.

00:20:44Did she burn herself alive in there?

00:20:46It was enormous and bottomless, the kind of fear that only came when loss had already

00:20:50reached for your throat.

00:20:51He shoved his mother aside, ignored every voice calling after him, and ran.

00:20:55The black rolls tore through red lights one after another before screeching to a stop in

00:20:59front of what remained of the veil estate.

00:21:01Damien stumbled out of the car and stood before the scorched ruins.

00:21:04Feeling as if something had been carved straight out of his chest, he screamed my name into

00:21:09the rubble until his voice broke.

00:21:11Then he shoved past the emergency crew and tore into the debris with his bare hands.

00:21:16The entire structure could have caved in at any second, but he did not stop.

00:21:20Get off me!

00:21:21She might still be in there!

00:21:23Let me through!

00:21:26His designer suit was shredded where the debris had caught it, but he did not notice.

00:21:30Rebarm sliced his palms open.

00:21:31Smoldering cinders burned blisters straight into his skin.

00:21:34Blood dripped into the sut, but he did not flinch once.

00:21:37There was only one thought left in him.

00:21:39He had to find her.

00:21:41His voice had gone raw.

00:21:43Scarlet, answer me!

00:21:44Come out here!

00:21:45I will never make you write another apology.

00:21:48I will never lock you down again.

00:21:51Whatever you want, I will give it to you.

00:21:53Just answer me.

00:21:55In the area where my bedroom had been, he finally dug out a small jewelry box, warped

00:21:59and half-melted, with the blackwood crest barely recognizable on the surface.

00:22:03His hands shook as he pried it open.

00:22:04Inside lay a diamond necklace fused into a molten shape.

00:22:07He closed his fist around it.

00:22:08The scorched, twisted metal cut into his palm, but he held on anyway.

00:22:12Guilt hit him like drowning, cold and total, with no way back to the surface.

00:22:16For the first time, he understood what his control had done to the woman he to love.

00:22:20I had always been bright, defiant, but he had spent years trying to grind that fire out of me.

00:22:24His certainty, his rules, and his need to own every part of my life had driven me to this.

00:22:28Then his assistant came sprinting across the debris field, holding a tablet and barely able to breathe.

00:22:33Sir, we found something.

00:22:35You need to see this.

00:22:36It was security footage from a discreet camera at a side exit near the estate.

00:22:39The timestamp was ten minutes before the explosion.

00:22:42A slender figure in a plain coat, pulling a small carry-on.

00:22:45Walked out of the Vale estate at an easy pace.

00:22:47She flacked a cab on the street.

00:22:49Just before getting in, she looked back at the house, raised her hand, and pressed something.

00:22:53Behind her, the fireball rose.

00:22:54The image was grainy, but Damien Profford knew that place had burned into him for years.

00:22:58It was me, alive and untouched, walking out of the house by my own choice.

00:23:05Belief and a deeper, darker panic hit him at the same time, nearly knocking him off his feet.

00:23:09She was alive.

00:23:11That was everything.

00:23:12But she had done this with clear eyes and steady hand.

00:23:14She had blown up the house she had grown up in.

00:23:15Set up a wedding day decoy and walked away without looking back.

00:23:18This was not a tantrum, and it was not a cry for attention.

00:23:21She truly did not want him.

00:23:23She hated him enough to erase her old life in one morning, and she had meant every word she said.

00:23:27Damien pulled himself up from the wreckage.

00:23:29His eyes shot through with red and his voice scraped raw.

00:23:32But there was something in it now beyond rage.

00:23:33Something dangerously close to desperation.

00:23:36Listen to me.

00:23:37Use every private aviation resource and every security network the Blackwood family has.

00:23:41I want every private terminal and border crossing in this country locked down.

00:23:44He locked eyes with his assistant.

00:23:45Track that cab.

00:23:46Pull passenger manifels and facial recognition data from every transatlantic departure.

00:23:50Search every route, every airport name she could have used.

00:23:52I want her found, and I want her found now!

00:23:55After giving the orders, he drove straight to the Four Seasons where Richard's family had taken it a suite.

00:23:59Inside, Richard, Monica, and a shaken, pale-faced Clara were still trying to recover from the morning's disasters.

00:24:05Damien kicked the door open and walked in like something feral.

00:24:08Hands raised to a scramble-

00:24:09Damien, please let me explain.

00:24:10Scarlet refused the marriage herself.

00:24:12She voluntarily handed the contract over to Clara.

00:24:13We had no choice.

00:24:14Clara is gracious.

00:24:15She is well-behaved.

00:24:16And she is far more appropriate for you than that wreckage girl.

00:24:18She handed it over.

00:24:19Damien laughed.

00:24:20Low and terrible was the look you gave something already dead.

00:24:24Do you have any idea what you have done?

00:24:25Do you think I am some piece of property your family can pass around whenever it suits you?

00:24:29He overturned the marble coffee table.

00:24:31Shards scattered across the carpet.

00:24:34There is one woman who carries the name Damien Blackheart's wife.

00:24:38That woman is Scarlet, and has always been Scarlet.

00:24:41Now tell me where she is.

00:24:46Clara had been terrified from the moment Damien walked in.

00:24:50But watching him fall apart like this over the woman who had run away made her envy curdle into something

00:24:56vicious.

00:24:56It became stronger than fear.

00:24:58She threw herself forward and grabbed the leg of his trousers.

00:25:02Looking up at him with tears streaming down her face.

00:25:06Damien, what does she have that I do not?

00:25:09I love you more than she ever did.

00:25:11I will follow every rule in that family code.

00:25:14I will be the perfect Mrs. Blackwood.

00:25:20Just look at me, please.

00:25:22Look at me for once.

00:25:23Damien looked down at her.

00:25:24There was nothing in his eyes.

00:25:26Not anger, not pity.

00:25:27Just naked, undisguised disgust.

00:25:29He stepped back, then kicked her away from him.

00:25:31Clara crashed into the corner of the sofa and gasped from the impact.

00:25:35Do not ever compare yourself to her.

00:25:38You do not even get to come close to a single hair on her head.

00:25:41The only reason you and your entire family ever mattered to me was because of Scarlet.

00:25:47Without her, you are nothing I would waste a second looking at.

00:25:49He did not stay to hear Richard and Monica beg.

00:25:52Clara!

00:25:53No, sir!

00:25:56He walked out.

00:25:57Back at Blackwood Tower.

00:25:59In the top floor office.

00:26:01He moved through the dark like something trapped in a cage.

00:26:05Pacing because he could not stop and could not think.

00:26:09Hours later, his assistant came in looking worse than before, holding a file with both hands.

00:26:15Sir, we found new records.

00:26:16Miss Vale filed an expedited single-entry-exit visa through a private channel one week before the nightclub incident.

00:26:24One week before the nightclub?

00:26:26His feet stopped moving.

00:26:28The realization hit him like ice water.

00:26:31The nightclub, the dancer, the paparazzi, and even the bracelet had all been part of the same plan.

00:26:38Every time she pushed him, provoked him, and refused him.

00:26:43It had never been recklessness.

00:26:45It had never been a tantrum or some desperate game for attention.

00:26:49She had planned everything carefully, putting every piece in place long before he had ever thought she was capable of

00:26:55it.

00:26:55She had not stumbled into freedom by accident.

00:26:59She had built her escape step by step, and she had never once intended to come back.

00:27:07Damien braced himself against his desk, his knuckles turning white from the pressure.

00:27:12He stared at the date on the file as if it were the last thing left in the world.

00:27:16His stomach twisted violently, and regret hit him so hard it felt almost physical.

00:27:22He suddenly remembered how different I had been during those days.

00:27:26I had screamed the same thing at him again and again.

00:27:29I told him I was not marrying him.

00:27:31I told him we were done.

00:27:32Back then, he had thought it was just a spoiled heiress throwing a tantrum.

00:27:36He thought all he had to do was snap a tracking bracelet around my wrist,

00:27:40lock me up for a few days,

00:27:42force me to sign a public statement,

00:27:44and I would stay trapped inside that beautiful cage.

00:27:48But the truth was that I had already decided I did not want him anymore.

00:27:53Was it the insane family code that had driven me away?

00:27:56Was it the way he kept taking Clara's side and blaming me every single time?

00:28:03Was it the night he threw me into that freezing fountain while I was bleeding?

00:28:08Or was it the simple fact that he had never once believed me?

00:28:12The question spread through Damien's mind like poison,

00:28:15but none of it changed the only thing he cared about now.

00:28:19No matter what it took,

00:28:21even if he had to use every dirty trick the Blackwood family had,

00:28:25he had to get me back.

00:28:27Even if I hated him,

00:28:29even if I resented him,

00:28:30even if I made him suffer for the rest of his life,

00:28:32he was going to keep me by his side forever.

00:28:37Keep searching.

00:28:39Don't stop until you find it.

00:28:40He told him to use every connection the Blackwood family had,

00:28:44from finance circles to private security networks.

00:28:47He did not care what it cost.

00:28:49He did not care who they had to pressure.

00:28:51They were going to find me.

00:28:55The entire month that followed turned into a manhunt.

00:28:59I had vanished without a trace.

00:29:01There was no record of me on any private jet manifest,

00:29:03no fairy log and no clean departure route anyone could find.

00:29:08Anxiety burned through Damien's nerves every second of every day.

00:29:11Since he could not take that rage out on me,

00:29:13he poured all of it onto the already broken Vale family.

00:29:19Blackwood Group launched a full-scale commercial attack on the Vale businesses.

00:29:23Their methods were merciless,

00:29:24and they left no room for survival.

00:29:27The Vale company had already been falling apart.

00:29:30Within two weeks,

00:29:31its assets were liquidated,

00:29:33its stock price collapsed,

00:29:34and bankruptcy was waiting at the door.

00:29:42Richard was completely losing his mind.

00:29:45He went to Blackwood Tower several times,

00:29:48begging for a meeting,

00:29:49but he could not even get past the elevator on the ground floor.

00:29:52After the bankruptcy,

00:29:54Clara became the easiest target for Damien's despair.

00:30:00She could not accept it.

00:30:03She kept trying to use the media to get Damien's attention.

00:30:06She even stood outside Blackwood Tower in the pouring rain,

00:30:10waiting there like someone with nowhere else to go.

00:30:11Finally, she threw herself in front of Damien's stretch limousine,

00:30:15and refused to move.

00:30:18Clara pressed her face against the rain streak window,

00:30:21crying so hard she could barely speak.

00:30:24She begged Damien to stop destroying the Vale family.

00:30:27She said she was sorry.

00:30:28I promised I would find that bitch Scarlet and bring her back.

00:30:33All I wanted was for him to look at me.

00:30:36The window rolled down only a crick,

00:30:37revealed Damien's cold, hollow face and the stubble along his jaw.

00:30:41He did not even give her a proper look.

00:30:46Get her out of my way.

00:30:51The guards got out and dragged Clara away like she was nothing,

00:30:55ignoring her screams.

00:30:58The limousine drove off,

00:31:00leaving Clara sitting in the mud,

00:31:02sobbing in the rain.

00:31:04Damien closed his eyes and let the alcohol and sleepless nights swallow him whole.

00:31:09He had started relying on heavy doses of sleeping pills

00:31:12just to get a few hours of rest.

00:31:14But every time he fell asleep,

00:31:16the same nightmares came back.

00:31:18He saw me in the fountain,

00:31:20bleeding and pale.

00:31:21He heard me screaming in the wine cellar while the current tore through me.

00:31:27He saw the explosion and the fire swallowing the Vale estate.

00:31:31Every time,

00:31:32he woke up drenched in cold sweat,

00:31:34his heart pounding with terror and regret.

00:31:37He became darker and more violent with each passing day.

00:31:41Everyone in Blackwood's upper management

00:31:43walked on eggshells around him.

00:31:45One week later,

00:31:46Damien's mother forced him to attend a top-teal private charity gala in Manhattan.

00:31:51No one had expected that after Scarlet Vale left,

00:31:53she would take the soul of Manhattan's most powerful air with her.

00:31:56Damien stood in a corner with a glass of whiskey,

00:31:58staring blankly at the dance floor.

00:32:00Then for one second,

00:32:00he thought he saw a familiar figure in a bright red dress,

00:32:03laughing with that proud, dazzling profile he could not forget.

00:32:07He called my name.

00:32:08His heart almost stopped.

00:32:10He lost every trace of composure,

00:32:12pushed through the crowd of politicians and billionaires,

00:32:15and grabbed the woman's wrist.

00:32:19What the hell are you doing?

00:32:20Let go of me!

00:32:21It was not me.

00:32:22The light in Damien's eyes went out instantly,

00:32:24replaced by despair and humiliation.

00:32:26He released her as if all the strength had left his body.

00:32:28The wealthy guests around him stared with confusion and thinly hidden mockery.

00:32:32Sir, please.

00:32:33You need to be careful.

00:32:34This is not appropriate.

00:32:35It does not meet Blackwood family standards.

00:32:37Damien repeated the word with a bitter laugh.

00:32:40Standards?

00:32:41To hell with the standards.

00:32:42I do not care about any of it anymore.

00:32:45I only want Scarlet.

00:32:47Then he pulled his fist back

00:32:48and slammed it into the decorative stone pillar beside him.

00:32:52His knuckles split open immediately,

00:32:54and blood ran down the column.

00:32:56But he did not feel the physical pain.

00:32:59All he felt was the hollow space in his chest

00:33:02where something vital used to be.

00:33:06Another week passed.

00:33:09The thick curtains were drawn shut.

00:33:11The ashtrays were overflowing with cigar beads.

00:33:15The air smelled of tobacco and bitter coffee.

00:33:18Inside the top floor office of Blackwood Tower,

00:33:20the atmosphere was so heavy it felt like the silence before a storm.

00:33:24Damien had been sitting there for five days without real sleep.

00:33:27Every hour felt like torture.

00:33:29His desk was covered with reports from private investigators,

00:33:32and they all said the same thing.

00:33:37They could not find me.

00:33:38Just as he was about to lose the last of his sanity,

00:33:41his assistant walked in carefully with a black coffee.

00:33:47He swallowed hard before speaking.

00:33:49Sir, we have new information.

00:33:52We cross-checked blurry facial matches

00:33:54from every non-standard exit channel over the past three months.

00:33:57We found someone who looks a lot like Miss Vale.

00:34:00Damien's head snapped up.

00:34:02His blood-shart eyes locked onto the assistant like a starving wolf.

00:34:06The assistant quickly continued.

00:34:07She appeared in the transit area of Heathrow Airport in London.

00:34:13The timing matches.

00:34:14It was three days after the mansion exploded.

00:34:20Damien grabbed the classified file from his assistant,

00:34:23his fingers shaking so badly from desperation and excitement

00:34:26that he could barely hold it steady.

00:34:28He stared at the enlarged surveillance photo.

00:34:30The image was blurry,

00:34:33but it showed someone in a coat,

00:34:34walking towards a quieter boarding gate,

00:34:36with a small suitcase.

00:34:38The figure was familiar enough to burn through his bones.

00:34:42He knew it was a new lead on me.

00:34:44Hope lit up the near-extinction madness in his eyes

00:34:47like the last lifeline thrown to a drowning man.

00:34:50Where was the connecting fight going?

00:34:52We are still working on it.

00:34:54Heathrow transit records are complicated,

00:34:56and she seems to have avoided the major national flights

00:34:58that required strector identity checks.

00:35:00She chose smaller, cheaper airlines

00:35:02that attracted less attention.

00:35:03It will take time.

00:35:04We do not have time.

00:35:08Get the jet ready.

00:35:09We are leaving for Heathrow right now.

00:35:11Yes, sir.

00:35:11Sir, the Federal Reserve Board meeting is this afternoon.

00:35:15Cancel it.

00:35:15Cancel everything.

00:35:17Nothing matters more than finding her.

00:35:18Three hours later,

00:35:20the Blackwood family's private jet

00:35:21tore through the clouds above Manhattan

00:35:23and landed at Heathrow Airport in London.

00:35:25The plane had not even fully stopped

00:35:27before Damien was already opening the door.

00:35:29He could not wait for the stairs to lower all the way

00:35:31and jump down.

00:35:32His tie was crooked.

00:35:34His shirt collar was torn open

00:35:35and deep circles shadowed his eyes.

00:35:37Messy stubble covered his jaw.

00:35:38He looked nothing like the perfectly dressed,

00:35:40untouchable CEO he used to be.

00:35:42Damien repeated the city name under his breath

00:35:44as he ran through the crowded airport,

00:35:45his sharp eyes scanning every woman he passed.

00:35:48Finally, he saw the boarding gate,

00:35:50just as it was about to close.

00:35:54Damien's eyes locked onto the end of the boarding line.

00:35:57The slender figure in a cream linen dress,

00:35:59wide-breamed hat and sunglasses

00:36:01was the woman he had been hunting for an entire month.

00:36:04Scarlet?

00:36:05He ran toward her,

00:36:07not caring that travelers around him were staring in shock.

00:36:10He grabbed my wrist and held on like his life depended on it.

00:36:13My body went stiff.

00:36:17Let go of me, Mr. Blackwood.

00:36:20Grabbing a woman in public like this is not very appropriate, is it?

00:36:23I thought your precious family code cared about appearances.

00:36:26The cold sarcasm in my voice hit Damien like ice water,

00:36:30but he did not care anymore.

00:36:32Scarlet, come back with me, please.

00:36:35I know I was wrong.

00:36:36I screwed up.

00:36:37I will fix it.

00:36:38Just come home with me.

00:36:40I laughed and pried his fingers off me,

00:36:43one by one.

00:36:46Come back to what?

00:36:47That cage with 3,000 stupid rules?

00:36:50Am I supposed to go back and play Mrs. Blackwood again?

00:36:52His face turned paler.

00:36:54I looked at him with open disgust.

00:36:57Did you forget your perfect bride is Clara now?

00:37:00Your sweet, sensible little bride is waiting for you.

00:37:03Chasing your ex-fiancé through an airport is a bad look, Damien.

00:37:06The man who had once been Manhattan's coldest and most untouchable heir

00:37:09fell to his knees in that foreign airport,

00:37:11surrounded by cameras and strangers,

00:37:13looking smaller than dirt.

00:37:15Damien looked up at me,

00:37:16and tears finally broke through.

00:37:18The wedding did not count.

00:37:19I never wanted her.

00:37:20I do not care about the family code anymore.

00:37:23If you come back with me,

00:37:24you can do whatever you want.

00:37:25I will agree to anything.

00:37:27Just do not leave me like this.

00:37:28I took a step back as if avoiding something filthy.

00:37:32Your apology came too late,

00:37:34and honestly I do not need it.

00:37:37Then I turned around,

00:37:38handed my boarding pass to the gate agent,

00:37:40and walked straight into the jet bridge with my back straight.

00:37:43Damien tried to follow,

00:37:45but airport security and his assistant held him back.

00:37:48Scarlett!

00:37:49He screamed my name toward the closing door,

00:37:52sounding like a man being torn apart.

00:37:58Three months later,

00:38:00in Monaco,

00:38:00inside the Monte Carlo Casino,

00:38:02money and desire blurred together under the glittering lights.

00:38:05The sound of poker chips never stopped.

00:38:07At a crowded Bacarmo table,

00:38:08every man nearby had his eyes fixed on the woman sitting across from the dealer.

00:38:14That woman was me.

00:38:16I wore a black silk slip dress with thin straps and a high clip

00:38:20that revealed my pale ankles and silver heels.

00:38:24The next round of cards came out.

00:38:26I barely glanced at my hand before tapping my fingers lightly on the table.

00:38:31Raise.

00:38:32Player wins.

00:38:34Then he pushed a mountain of chips toward me.

00:38:37The crowd around us broke into amazed whispers.

00:38:39They said the socialite from New York had won seven hands in a row.

00:38:43They said my psychological game was terrifying.

00:38:46I took a sip of champagne and almost laughed at the irony.

00:38:50This was not luck.

00:38:51It was probability, statistics, and psychology.

00:38:54All the things Damien had once forced me to learn

00:38:57so I could become the perfect high society wife.

00:38:59I never thought those lessons would become my best weapon

00:39:02for burning through money in a place like this.

00:39:04Just as I was about to place another bet,

00:39:06a drunk local heir named Charles shoved through the crowd.

00:39:09His face was red from losing too much money,

00:39:12and he reeked of alcohol.

00:39:13Come play with me tonight.

00:39:16I will split my winnings with you.

00:39:18Before his hand could touch me,

00:39:20I stepped back and lifted my right foot in its seven centimeter heel.

00:39:23Then I kicked him hard and precisely between the legs,

00:39:26using every bit of strength I had built through years of training.

00:39:30I was about to leave with my chip card when the crowd suddenly parted.

00:39:33A young mixtape man walked toward me with his hands in his pockets.

00:39:36He wore a black suit with the top three buttons undone,

00:39:39looking relaxed and arrogant in a way that came naturally to men who had never been told no.

00:39:42A limited edition watch gleamed on his wrist.

00:39:44It was Nathaniel.

00:39:48Nathaniel had an unlit cigar between his lips.

00:39:50He used the polished tip of his shoe to nudge Charles,

00:39:53who was still curled up on the floor groaning.

00:39:54His expression was pure contempt.

00:39:56You put your hands on someone I am interested in, in my casino.

00:39:59That is not flirting, Charles.

00:40:01That is a death wish.

00:40:05If I ever see you near her again,

00:40:07what she broke tonight will be the least of your problems.

00:40:10Charles scrambled away with the help of his friends,

00:40:12too scared to look back.

00:40:13Then Nathaniel turned to me.

00:40:15His deep, flourishous eyes landed on mine,

00:40:17and he did not bother hiding his interest.

00:40:19He stepped forward naturally,

00:40:21slid one arm around my waist and pulled me closer with a confidence that was almost insulting.

00:40:25His hold was intimate, possessive, and far too practiced.

00:40:28My body tensed, and I tried to pull away,

00:40:30but his arm stayed relaxed while still leaving no room to escape.

00:40:33He lowered his head close to my ear,

00:40:35his warm breath brushing my skin.

00:40:37I have been watching the little wildcat from New York for a while now.

00:40:41Those claws are impressive.

00:40:42Then he lifted his head and announced it to the whole casino with the kenless arrogance of a spoiled playboy.

00:40:48Damien Blackwood was blind enough not to want her.

00:40:50Lucky me, because I do.

00:40:53The Monaco socialists watching from nearby immediately started buzzing with gossip.

00:40:58Everyone knew Nathaniel had impossibly high standards,

00:41:01and now he was publicly chasing a runaway bride from New York.

00:41:04I looked up at him, met his burning gaze, and smiled.

00:41:10I appreciate the offer,

00:41:12but do I look like I need a man to get whatever I want?

00:41:16Nathaniel did not get angry.

00:41:18Instead, he pulled me a little closer,

00:41:19and the admiration in his eyes almost overflowed.

00:41:22That mouth of yours is dangerous.

00:41:25I like dangerous.

00:41:30I stayed in Monaco for a while,

00:41:32and Nathaniel kept his word.

00:41:33He pursued me loudly, aggressively,

00:41:35and with absolutely no shame.

00:41:37The next morning,

00:41:37a limited edition bright yellow Lamborghini

00:41:39was parked outside my apartment building.

00:41:41The keys were delivered with a card

00:41:42written in messy handwriting.

00:41:43It was just a way to get around.

00:41:45If you crash it,

00:41:45I will pay for it.

00:41:46A few days later,

00:41:47he rented a massive luxury yacht

00:41:49and threw an extravagant party on the water,

00:41:51insisting that I be the center of it.

00:41:58Have fun anywhere you want.

00:42:00Use my name if anyone gets in your way.

00:42:02He took me skydiving,

00:42:04deep-sea diving,

00:42:05and even snuck us onto an F1 track

00:42:07to race cars in the middle of the night.

00:42:08He did every crazy, dangerous, reckless thing with me,

00:42:11and none of it had anything to do with family codes,

00:42:13rules, or proper behavior.

00:42:15What got to me most was that

00:42:16he never asked me to be gentle,

00:42:17quiet, or obedient.

00:42:18He never wanted me to behave.

00:42:20Whenever I pushed a race car up to 200 miles per hour,

00:42:22showing every wild edge I had,

00:42:24he sat in the passenger seat,

00:42:25whistling and cheering

00:42:26like he had never seen anything better.

00:42:28After we landed on the soft sand

00:42:29from a 10,000-meter skydive,

00:42:31Nathaniel pulled off his goggles.

00:42:32His hair was a mess,

00:42:33and he was smoking a cigarette

00:42:34while looking at my flushed face

00:42:36with a chalky smile.

00:42:37This is how you are supposed to live, Scarlett.

00:42:38Wild, loud, and impossible to leash.

00:42:40It suits you a hell of a lot better

00:42:42than playing some polished fake heiress in New York.

00:42:44Looking at this loud, arrogant man,

00:42:45I felt something inside me start to loosen.

00:42:47A frozen part of my heart,

00:42:49locked away by Damien for two lifetimes,

00:42:51began to thaw just a little.

00:42:52When I was with Nathaniel,

00:42:53I did not have to pretend.

00:42:54I did not have to be careful.

00:42:55I could let every sharp edge show.

00:42:57One night, we were playing a huge game

00:42:58of Texas Hold Us at a private club,

00:43:00and I had lost several hands in a row.

00:43:02I was hesitating over whether to call the bet

00:43:03when Nathaniel lazily pushed

00:43:05more than half of his hips towards me.

00:43:06Call it.

00:43:07Do not get scared now.

00:43:08If you lose, it is on me.

00:43:10If you win, it's your fun life.

00:43:12On the way home that night,

00:43:13with the wind blowing through the car,

00:43:15he was quiet for once.

00:43:16Then, he said something I did not expect.

00:43:21You know, we met a long time ago.

00:43:27I turned my head in surprise

00:43:29and looked at his handsome profile.

00:43:34Nathaniel kept his eyes on the road

00:43:36and let out a bitter laugh.

00:43:37Years ago, at a horse track in New York.

00:43:42You were 18.

00:43:44Richard, Monica, and Clara there

00:43:46to embarrass you in front of half the social crowd.

00:43:49Do you remember what you did?

00:43:52You jumped your horse over the highest obstacle

00:43:54and beat the guy who had been looking down on you all day.

00:43:57You were sitting on that horse,

00:43:59laughing like you owned the whole world,

00:44:00loud, arrogant, impossible to ignore.

00:44:03I remember thinking,

00:44:04damn, that girl is something else.

00:44:08I was stunned.

00:44:10I had almost forgotten that miserable day

00:44:12when Richard had tried so hard to humiliate me.

00:44:16Too bad your eyes were only on that fake gentleman,

00:44:19Damien Blackwood.

00:44:21I was wild back then, too,

00:44:23but I knew one thing.

00:44:24You cannot force someone to want you.

00:44:27So I did not step in just to get rejected.

00:44:32His words landed like a stone

00:44:34dropped into the dead-still lake of my heart.

00:44:37So there had been someone watching the real Scarlet Vals all along,

00:44:41even when I had not known it.

00:44:43What truly changed the way I saw him

00:44:44happened during a dirt bike accident.

00:44:46We were racing on a mountain road in southern Europe.

00:44:48On the way down,

00:44:49the pavement was wet and I was going too fast.

00:44:51My tire lost traction on a sharp turn

00:44:53and both my bike and I flew toward a steep drop

00:44:55hundreds of feet below.

00:44:57In that split second,

00:44:59Nathaniel was right behind me.

00:45:00He did not hesitate.

00:45:01He hit the gas and shot toward me,

00:45:02using his heavier bike to slam into mine

00:45:04and change the direction of my fall.

00:45:05But because of the force and the rebound,

00:45:07he and his bike went tumbling down the steep slope instead.

00:45:09When I scrambled down the hill and found him among the rocks,

00:45:10his right leg was pinned under the heavy bike.

00:45:12Blood covered his forehead

00:45:13and his face was white from pain.

00:45:15Do not cry.

00:45:16I am too damn tough to die like this.

00:45:18Even then,

00:45:19he forced an ugly cocky smile,

00:45:20like he was still trying to make me feel better.

00:45:25In the private hospital in Monaco,

00:45:27Nathaniel had thick bandages wrapped around his head

00:45:29and a cased on his right arm,

00:45:30but he still acted like the same wild,

00:45:32carenless trouble mare.

00:45:33He lay in the hospital bed,

00:45:34looking at me as I sat beside him with slightly red eyes.

00:45:37For once,

00:45:38he put away all his cocky,

00:45:39unserious attitude.

00:45:41His deep,

00:45:42flurchous eyes locked onto mine

00:45:43with a seriousness I had never seen from him before.

00:45:46I know you've been hurt.

00:45:48I know Black Hill broke you

00:45:50with his rules and chains.

00:45:54I am not asking you to get over it for me.

00:45:57Take all the time you need.

00:45:58I can wait.

00:46:00I can wait.

00:46:02When you are ready to want someone again,

00:46:05I want you to think of me first.

00:46:07His honesty,

00:46:08the way he had risked his life to save me,

00:46:09and the way he accepted every wild part of me

00:46:11without trying to change it

00:46:12all hit me at once.

00:46:13It felt like hot sunlight

00:46:14breaking through the frozen walls around my heart.

00:46:16For those times,

00:46:17I did not answer with something sharp.

00:46:18I only lowered my eyes

00:46:19and felt some of those cold,

00:46:20hard chains inside me begin to crack.

00:46:22But the peace did not last long.

00:46:24A few days later,

00:46:25the nightmare found me again.

00:46:27Late one night,

00:46:28after I had been out dancing with Mia,

00:46:30I was walking back to my apartment

00:46:32when the air around me turned cold

00:46:33in a way I knew too well.

00:46:35A thin, worn-out figure

00:46:36stood under the shadow of a streetlight,

00:46:38his eyes red with endless obsession.

00:46:40Damien Blackwood.

00:46:40He looked terrifying.

00:46:42His suit was wrinkled,

00:46:42his eyes were bloodshot,

00:46:43and violent desperation

00:46:44seemed to radiate from his entire body,

00:46:46like he was one step away

00:46:47from losing his mind.

00:46:48He stepped forward

00:46:49and grabbed my arm,

00:46:50squeezing so hard

00:46:51it felt like he was trying to break it.

00:46:52His voice was rough,

00:46:54like sandpaper dragged over concrete.

00:46:56Scarlet,

00:46:57are you done playing games?

00:46:58Come back with me.

00:47:00Now.

00:47:03Let go of me,

00:47:04Mr. Blackwood.

00:47:05Do we even know each other?

00:47:16Just as Damien was about

00:47:18to force me into his car,

00:47:19a hand with long defined fingers

00:47:21and a limited edition watch

00:47:22cut through the air

00:47:23faster than anyone expected.

00:47:25It caught Damien's wrist

00:47:26with a sharp smack

00:47:27and held tight.

00:47:30A Blackwood CEO

00:47:32should know better

00:47:32than to put his hands

00:47:33on my woman in public.

00:47:36Even a three-year-old

00:47:37knows you cannot force

00:47:38someone to want you.

00:47:40He twisted Damien's wrist

00:47:41with sudden,

00:47:42explosive strength,

00:47:43forcing him to let go of me.

00:47:46At the same time,

00:47:47he slid his arm around my waist

00:47:49and pulled me behind him,

00:47:51natural and protective.

00:47:53Damien's eyes shot to Nathaniel's hand

00:47:55on my waist

00:47:55like poison daggers.

00:47:57The jealousy and rage

00:47:58burned through the last thread

00:47:59of sanity the New York air

00:48:01had left.

00:48:02Damien's veins stood out

00:48:03on his forehead

00:48:03and he spat Nathaniel's name

00:48:05through his teeth.

00:48:06Take your hands off her.

00:48:08You are a spoiled piece of trash

00:48:10who changes women

00:48:11more often than cars.

00:48:13Do not touch her

00:48:14with your filthy hands.

00:48:15If you do not let go,

00:48:17I will destroy

00:48:18your entire family

00:48:19in Europe.

00:48:24I am a mess, sure.

00:48:26I sleep around

00:48:28and I have never pretended

00:48:29to be a saint.

00:48:30Then his tones changed completely

00:48:32and every word

00:48:33came out cold and poisoned.

00:48:35But I have never been sick enough

00:48:37to make a woman write

00:48:37a 10,000 word

00:48:39tumblr apology.

00:48:40I've never locked her

00:48:41in a dark wine cellar

00:48:42for three days

00:48:43without food

00:48:43in wet water.

00:48:44I have never thrown her

00:48:45into a freezing fountain

00:48:47at a gala.

00:48:48Watched her bleed

00:48:49in the water

00:48:49and then told my guards

00:48:51to keep going

00:48:52because she needed

00:48:52to learn a lesson.

00:49:01So tell me Blackwood

00:49:03what the hell

00:49:04kind of man

00:49:05do you think you are?

00:49:09Every word out of

00:49:10Nathaniel's mouth

00:49:11cut open the guilt

00:49:12Damien had been

00:49:13trying not to face.

00:49:14Right there

00:49:14on a foreign street

00:49:15Nathaniel stripped away

00:49:17every pathetic excuse

00:49:18Damien had ever made

00:49:19about love,

00:49:20discipline and protection

00:49:21leaving him with

00:49:22nothing to hide behind.

00:49:22The color drained

00:49:24from Damien's face.

00:49:25His lips trembled

00:49:26and he tried to argue back

00:49:27but his throat

00:49:28was so dry

00:49:28that not a single word

00:49:29came out.

00:49:30Two months of guilt

00:49:31and regret

00:49:32crashed over him

00:49:33all at once.

00:49:34His vision went dark

00:49:35and he could barely stand.

00:49:36Then he snapped.

00:49:38Shut up.

00:49:40His voice was hazy

00:49:42and shaking.

00:49:46Shut your mouth!

00:49:47The last thread

00:49:48holding him to get broke.

00:49:50He pulled his fist back

00:49:51and charged forward.

00:49:52trying to tear me away

00:49:54from Nathaniel.

00:49:55Nathaniel had run out

00:49:56of patience.

00:49:57His eyes went cold

00:49:58and he lunged forward

00:50:00throwing a punch

00:50:01straight at Damien.

00:50:02Two powerful men

00:50:03who were used to

00:50:03commanding boardrooms

00:50:04and making entire markets move

00:50:06started brawling

00:50:07on the streets of Monaco

00:50:08like common street thugs.

00:50:09The heavy sound

00:50:10of fists hitting flesh

00:50:11and the raw grails of age

00:50:12made casino guests

00:50:13scream and scattered.

00:50:14In the chaos,

00:50:15Damien used that reckless

00:50:17almost suicidal force

00:50:18to break through the guards

00:50:19and reach me again.

00:50:21Come with me.

00:50:22I am not losing you again.

00:50:24He grabbed my shoulders

00:50:25with his bloody hands,

00:50:26his eyes obsessive

00:50:27and unhinged.

00:50:28Damien forced me

00:50:29into the black armored car

00:50:30waiting on the street

00:50:31and ordered his men

00:50:33to clear up hay.

00:50:34Clear the way.

00:50:34Now!

00:50:37Drive to the private airport.

00:50:38Now,

00:50:39we are leaving for New York.

00:50:43By the time Nathaniel

00:50:44ran back into the street

00:50:45with blood on his face,

00:50:47all he could see

00:50:47were the taillights

00:50:48disappearing toward the coast.

00:50:53Find Blackwood's

00:50:54private flight path

00:50:55across the Atlantic.

00:50:56Get my people ready.

00:50:57I am going to New York

00:50:59and I am tearing

00:51:00his tower down

00:51:01if I have to.

00:51:03Twelve hours later,

00:51:04the Gulf Ray

00:51:04landed a heavily guarded

00:51:05private estate

00:51:06outside New York City,

00:51:07completely isolated

00:51:08from the outside world.

00:51:09It was Damien's

00:51:10most hidden asset,

00:51:11a beautiful golden cage

00:51:12built with the best

00:51:13security systems

00:51:14money could buy.

00:51:15I was locked inside

00:51:16the luxurious living room,

00:51:17but I stayed

00:51:18completely silent.

00:51:19I did not cry.

00:51:20I did not scream.

00:51:22I did not make a scene.

00:51:23I only looked at Damien

00:51:25with a coldness

00:51:25that made it clear

00:51:26he was already dead to me.

00:51:29Damien's heart cracked

00:51:30piece by piece

00:51:31under that look.

00:51:32He desperately wanted

00:51:33to make things right.

00:51:35Then he suddenly remembered

00:51:37that I had once mentioned

00:51:38liking a certain

00:51:39French dessert.

00:51:40He had never been

00:51:41in a kitchen in his life,

00:51:42but he took off his jacket

00:51:43and walked into the kitchen anyway,

00:51:45clumsily cutting ingredients

00:51:46with his ruined hands.

00:51:47Hot oil splashed up

00:51:48and burned blisters

00:51:49across the backs of his hands,

00:51:50but he did not seem to notice.

00:51:52An hour later,

00:51:52he came out carrying

00:51:53a plate of dessert

00:51:54that looked terrible

00:51:54and slightly burnt.

00:51:56He walked up to me

00:51:57with a tired,

00:51:57worn-out face

00:51:58that carried

00:51:58a pathetic kind of hope.

00:51:59His whole body was shaking.

00:52:01His eyes were red,

00:52:02and he could barely stand

00:52:03as he held the plate out to me.

00:52:04You used to say

00:52:05you liked this.

00:52:06I made it myself.

00:52:07Please, Scarlet,

00:52:08just try one bite.

00:52:10I leaned against the couch,

00:52:11completely different,

00:52:12and did not even bother

00:52:13to look at him.

00:52:14I treated him

00:52:14like he was invisible.

00:52:15Damien's heart sank deeper

00:52:16into that frozen silence

00:52:18until there was nothing

00:52:18left but despair.

00:52:20All his pride fell away

00:52:21as he dropped to his knees

00:52:22in front of me

00:52:22and looked up like a beggar.

00:52:23I know that now.

00:52:24I do want the family code anymore.

00:52:25I will never lock you down again.

00:52:26Just do not look at me

00:52:27like I'm already dead.

00:52:28It's driving me insane.

00:52:29Why you can't forgive me?

00:52:34I finally turned my head

00:52:35and looked at his broken face.

00:52:38Beneath my calm surface

00:52:40was the frozen cold

00:52:41of two lifetimes.

00:52:42You really want to know why?

00:52:44Fine, Damien.

00:52:46I will tell you.

00:52:47I looked at him without blinking.

00:52:49Because at the charity gala,

00:52:51you let your guards

00:52:53throw me into a freezing fountain.

00:52:55You knew I was bleeding.

00:52:57And when they asked

00:52:58if they should stop,

00:52:59you told them to keep going.

00:53:01His face went white

00:53:02because in the pouring rain,

00:53:04you brought me back

00:53:05to your mansion.

00:53:06But the second Clara

00:53:07put on her innocent little act,

00:53:09you protected her

00:53:10from the boiling water

00:53:11and left me on the floor

00:53:13while my skin peeled off.

00:53:15His breathing turned unsteady

00:53:17because you locked me

00:53:18in that dark wine cellar

00:53:19and gave Clara

00:53:20the perfect chance

00:53:21to torture me

00:53:22with an electroshock chair.

00:53:23When I told you the truth

00:53:25with injuries all over my body,

00:53:27you called me a liar.

00:53:29His face went pale.

00:53:31Every time you had to choose

00:53:32between me and Clara,

00:53:33you chose her.

00:53:36You chose your family's reputation.

00:53:39You chose control.

00:53:40And now you are kneeling here

00:53:42asking me to believe you loved me?

00:53:45Every word struck Damien

00:53:46like a judgment.

00:53:47Damien's face

00:53:48was completely pale.

00:53:49His body shook so hard

00:53:50he could barely stay upright.

00:53:51He tried to argue,

00:53:52to say I had misunderstood.

00:53:54But in front of those brutal facts,

00:53:55he realized words meant nothing.

00:53:57Regret tore through him.

00:53:58He tried to stand

00:53:59but accidentally

00:54:00knocked over the bag

00:54:01tucked between the couch hips.

00:54:03Everything inside

00:54:04spilled onto the floor.

00:54:05As he scrambled to pick it up,

00:54:07his fingers touched

00:54:08a medical file

00:54:09hidden deep inside.

00:54:14Damien opened the medical report

00:54:16from the private hospital

00:54:17in Monaco

00:54:18before he could think better of it.

00:54:19Large area deep

00:54:20second degree burns

00:54:21with severe PSTD

00:54:23caused prolonged

00:54:23psychological

00:54:24ambusyrenative pressure.

00:54:25Burns.

00:54:26Boiling water.

00:54:29He stared at the date

00:54:31on the report.

00:54:32It was the same day

00:54:33he had knocked over

00:54:34the hot water

00:54:34and carried Clara

00:54:35away from the mansion.

00:54:36That was how badly

00:54:37I had been hurt.

00:54:39It had not only been my body,

00:54:40my mind had been damaged too.

00:54:43And what had he been doing then,

00:54:44the man who claimed to love me?

00:54:45He had been holding Clara,

00:54:47the person at the center

00:54:49of all of it,

00:54:49asking if she was okay.

00:54:51Meanwhile,

00:54:51he had left me

00:54:52in boiling water to suffer.

00:54:53Damien completely lost control.

00:54:55He punched the wall so hard

00:54:56that the crack of his knuckles

00:54:57breaking was audible.

00:54:58Blood splattered

00:54:59across the wall.

00:55:00But the physical pain

00:55:00was nothing compared

00:55:01to the feeling of his heart

00:55:02being crushed piece by piece.

00:55:04He crawled back to my feet

00:55:05like a dying dog

00:55:06and grabbed the hem

00:55:07of my dress

00:55:07with his broken,

00:55:08bleeding hand.

00:55:09His voice was wrecked

00:55:10as he apologized

00:55:11over and over again.

00:55:13I did not know

00:55:14it was that bad.

00:55:15Scarlet,

00:55:16I swear I did not know.

00:55:18Kill me if you want.

00:55:19Take a knife

00:55:20and do it right now.

00:55:21Just give me one chance.

00:55:23Please.

00:55:24Just one chance.

00:55:27I looked down at him,

00:55:29my long lashes

00:55:30casting cold shadows

00:55:31over my eyes.

00:55:32There was no emotion

00:55:34in them at all.

00:55:35I heard your apology, Damien.

00:55:37I just do not forgive you.

00:55:43At that moment,

00:55:44the roar of Moletter cycle engines

00:55:46screaming security alarms

00:55:47exploded outside the villa.

00:55:49Through the chaos

00:55:49of guards yelling

00:55:50and fighting,

00:55:51the thick bulletproof

00:55:52front door of the living room

00:55:53was slammed open

00:55:54from the outside.

00:55:55Nathaniel burst in

00:55:56covered in injuries,

00:55:57his eyes wild with rage,

00:55:58carrying the kind of fury

00:55:59that looked ready to kill.

00:56:03Nathaniel strode in

00:56:04over the shattered glass,

00:56:05his black leather jacket

00:56:07stained with the blood

00:56:08of Damien's guards.

00:56:09The usual lazy charm

00:56:11in his eyes was gone,

00:56:13replaced by something

00:56:14savage and deadly.

00:56:17He pulled me behind him

00:56:19in one swift motion.

00:56:22His right fist trembled

00:56:24from the force

00:56:24he was barely holding back.

00:56:29Damien Blackwood,

00:56:31you really had the nerve

00:56:32to take her

00:56:32right under my nose.

00:56:34You think because

00:56:35your family runs New York,

00:56:37I cannot touch you.

00:56:38Damien was still on the floor.

00:56:40His broken hand

00:56:41hung at his side,

00:56:42blood dripping

00:56:42from his fingertips

00:56:43onto the expensive

00:56:44wool carpet.

00:56:45Slowly he stood.

00:56:46His proud,

00:56:47untouchable spine

00:56:47looked bent now,

00:56:48but the moment

00:56:49he saw Nathaniel,

00:56:50jealousy and violence

00:56:51flared back to life

00:56:52in his hollow eyes.

00:56:53Let her go.

00:56:55Nathaniel,

00:56:55this is New York.

00:57:00This is my territory!

00:57:02When the council

00:57:03I'm assailed,

00:57:04you are not

00:57:05taking her anywhere!

00:57:07Nathaniel looked

00:57:08as if he had just heard

00:57:09the funniest thing

00:57:10in the world.

00:57:14He stepped forward

00:57:15and grabbed Damien

00:57:16by the collar,

00:57:17lifting him

00:57:18with brutal force.

00:57:19Your territory?

00:57:20Look outside.

00:57:22Beyond the windows,

00:57:24countless armored vehicles

00:57:25flashed with warning lights

00:57:26surrounding the private estate.

00:57:28Nathaniel's men

00:57:29had already formed

00:57:30a standoff

00:57:30with Blackwood's guards.

00:57:32I am not just

00:57:33taking her out of here today.

00:57:37I am going to go

00:57:38and collect.

00:57:39I collect the life

00:57:40you should have lost

00:57:41in Monaco

00:57:41right here in New York.

00:57:47Damien did not fight back.

00:57:49He let Nathaniel

00:57:50hold him by the collar,

00:57:51but his eyes stayed locked

00:57:52on my face

00:57:53over Nathaniel's shoulder.

00:57:54There was no trace

00:57:55of his old arrogance

00:57:56left in that look,

00:57:57only a plea so desperate

00:57:59it had sunk

00:57:59into his bones.

00:58:01Scarlet,

00:58:02do not go.

00:58:02I am begging you.

00:58:06Stay,

00:58:07even if all you want

00:58:08is to kill me.

00:58:09I looked at him

00:58:10without emotion,

00:58:11as if I were looking

00:58:12at something already dead.

00:58:14Damien,

00:58:15the moment you threw yourself

00:58:17in front of Clara,

00:58:18we became enemies

00:58:19in both lifetimes.

00:58:20Do not make me

00:58:21hate you more

00:58:22than I already do.

00:58:23Then I turned

00:58:24and took Nathaniel's

00:58:25blooded hand myself.

00:58:27Nathaniel,

00:58:28let's go.

00:58:29Nathaniel froze

00:58:30for half a second,

00:58:31then clasped my hand tightly,

00:58:33locking his fingers

00:58:34with mine.

00:58:34With a look of disgust,

00:58:36he shoved Damien away

00:58:37as if pushing aside trash.

00:58:38Damien staggered back

00:58:40and crashed into

00:58:40the luxury wine cabinet

00:58:42behind him.

00:58:43Countless bottles

00:58:44shattered across the floor,

00:58:45and dark red wine

00:58:46spread over the wreckage

00:58:47like blood.

00:58:50He sat collapsed

00:58:51in the ruin,

00:58:52able to do nothing

00:58:53but watch as Nathaniel

00:58:54shielded me

00:58:54and led me out

00:58:55of that beautiful

00:58:56golden cage

00:58:57without looking back.

00:58:59Nathaniel shielded me

00:59:00and led me out

00:59:01without looking back.

00:59:06The door slammed

00:59:08shut behind us.

00:59:09Behind it

00:59:10came Damien's

00:59:11broken,

00:59:12desperate growl.

00:59:21The suffocating gloom

00:59:23of New York

00:59:23was left behind

00:59:25on the other side

00:59:26of the Atlantic.

00:59:27Nathaniel did not

00:59:28take me back to Modico

00:59:29in its glittering,

00:59:30noisy world

00:59:30of money and pleasure.

00:59:32Instead,

00:59:33he put me on his private jet

00:59:34and flew me straight

00:59:35to an extremely private estate

00:59:36in the south of France.

00:59:37The estate sat deep

00:59:39in the quiet

00:59:40Provence countryside,

00:59:40far away from the world.

00:59:45When I opened the windows,

00:59:46I could see

00:59:47endless fields of lavender.

00:59:49The air smelled clean,

00:59:51full of grass,

00:59:52sunlight,

00:59:53and peace.

00:59:54There was no Richard Will

00:59:55calculating what I was worth.

00:59:57There was no Damien Blackfield

00:59:58haunting me

00:59:59with his obsession.

01:00:00There was only a silence

01:00:01gentle enough

01:00:02to make breathing

01:00:03feel easy again.

01:00:04Cancel all meetings.

01:00:06Nathaniel threw away

01:00:07every bit of his

01:00:08Southern European

01:00:09playboy image

01:00:10and became

01:00:10surprisingly patient.

01:00:12He canceled

01:00:13business mootings,

01:00:15turned down parties,

01:00:16and simply sat with me

01:00:17during breakfast

01:00:18in the flower-filled garden.

01:00:19At sunset,

01:00:20he would lie

01:00:21half on the grass

01:00:22beneath the grapefines

01:00:23with a book in his hand.

01:00:24Every now and then,

01:00:26he would look up

01:00:26and flash me

01:00:27that lazy,

01:00:28troublemaking smile.

01:00:29He never mentioned

01:00:30New York.

01:00:31He never mentioned

01:00:32Damien Blackwood.

01:00:33He never mentioned

01:00:34any part of the past

01:00:35that hurt me.

01:00:36With that strange,

01:00:37reckless tenderness

01:00:38only he had,

01:00:39he slowly chased

01:00:40the shadows

01:00:41of my last life

01:00:42from between my brows.

01:00:46The skin burned

01:00:48by deep second-degree scalds

01:00:49still arced at night,

01:00:51and the PTSD

01:00:52left by my past life

01:00:54often dragged me

01:00:54awake from nightmares.

01:00:56Every time I sat up

01:00:57covered in cold sweat,

01:00:58I saw a faint light

01:00:59glowing outside

01:00:59on the terrace.

01:01:00Nathaniel was always there,

01:01:02guarding my bedroom

01:01:02from the soap

01:01:03outside the glass doors.

01:01:04He held an old guitar

01:01:05in his arms,

01:01:06his long fingers

01:01:07moving over the strings.

01:01:08The melodies

01:01:08were never perfect,

01:01:09but somehow

01:01:10they were gentle enough

01:01:11to calm my heart.

01:01:14Nightmare again,

01:01:15wildcat?

01:01:16Do not be scared.

01:01:17I am right here.

01:01:19Not even God

01:01:19gets past me tonight.

01:01:24Paint whatever you want.

01:01:26Turn my face

01:01:27into a pig

01:01:28if it makes you happy.

01:01:32During the years,

01:01:33Damien controlled me.

01:01:35Painting had been dismissed

01:01:36as a useless distraction.

01:01:38But here,

01:01:38it was freedom.

01:01:40It belonged

01:01:40to Scarletta Vale.

01:01:44Under Nathaniel's

01:01:45shameless indulgements

01:01:46and steady companionship,

01:01:48I smiled more and more.

01:01:49It was the kind of joy

01:01:50that came from being

01:01:51accepted without conditions

01:01:52and encouraged

01:01:53to release every part

01:01:54of myself.

01:01:55One day,

01:01:56he secretly arranged

01:01:57a 10,000 meter skydive.

01:01:58The helipter climbed

01:01:59higher and higher

01:02:00with a violent roar.

01:02:01Beneath us were

01:02:01the jewel blue Mediterranean

01:02:03and the distant line

01:02:04of the Alps.

01:02:04Wind poured in

01:02:05through the open cabin door,

01:02:07whipping my hair

01:02:07into chaos.

01:02:08The instructor checked

01:02:09our gear one final time.

01:02:10I looked at the shrinking

01:02:11world outside the door,

01:02:13took a deep breath,

01:02:13and felt the brightest

01:02:14rush of anticipation

01:02:15I had known

01:02:16since my rebirth.

01:02:17Nathaniel Hulma

01:02:18hailed my tightly,

01:02:18his palm burning hot

01:02:20at against mine.

01:02:21He leaned close to my ear

01:02:22and shouted over the engine.

01:02:23He grinned,

01:02:24wild and dazzling.

01:02:25Just as the green light

01:02:26came on and the instructor

01:02:27signaled that we were

01:02:28ready to jump,

01:02:29he suddenly gestured

01:02:30for him to wait.

01:02:31He turned to me

01:02:31and stared straight

01:02:32into my eyes,

01:02:33deep and burning.

01:02:34Above the deafening engine,

01:02:35his voice somehow

01:02:36reached me clearly.

01:02:37Scarlet,

01:02:38before we jump,

01:02:39Scarlet Vale,

01:02:40I know you are hurt.

01:02:42I know that bastard

01:02:43in New York

01:02:43broke something in you.

01:02:44I am not gonna feed

01:02:45you pretty lies.

01:02:46I am asking you straight.

01:02:48Give me a chance.

01:02:53Let me take care of you.

01:02:56Everything Damien Blackwood

01:02:57did to you,

01:02:58I will spend the rest

01:02:58of my life

01:03:00helping you heal

01:03:01from it.

01:03:03If the sky falls,

01:03:05I will hold it up

01:03:05for you.

01:03:06If you wanna walk

01:03:07through the world

01:03:08like you own it,

01:03:09I will clear the road.

01:03:10If you want the stars,

01:03:11I will build you

01:03:12a damn ladder.

01:03:13I have never been

01:03:14this serious

01:03:15about anyone,

01:03:15Scarlet.

01:03:17I choose you.

01:03:18His confession

01:03:19was direct,

01:03:20arrogant,

01:03:20and rough around

01:03:21the edges

01:03:21just like him,

01:03:22but it burned

01:03:23through me like sunlight,

01:03:24melting the deepest ice

01:03:25inside my heart.

01:03:26There was no prophet

01:03:27binding us together.

01:03:28No rules.

01:03:29No cage.

01:03:30Only the purest

01:03:31kind of desire

01:03:32to love someone

01:03:33as they were.

01:03:33I looked into

01:03:34those flirtious eyes,

01:03:35now filled with

01:03:36love and nervousness,

01:03:38and the string

01:03:38that had been

01:03:39pulled in my heart

01:03:40for two lives

01:03:41finally snapped loose.

01:03:43The heavy chains

01:03:44were scattered

01:03:45by the wind

01:03:4510,000 meters

01:03:46above the earth.

01:03:48Yes!

01:03:49I will give you

01:03:50that chance!

01:03:51Alright, loveards,

01:03:52time to jump!

01:04:04The wind thundered

01:04:05past my ears

01:04:06as I opened

01:04:07my arms to freedom.

01:04:08This time,

01:04:09my guardian

01:04:09was falling beside me.

01:04:14The sun

01:04:15in southern France

01:04:16was warm and gentle,

01:04:18but the top floor

01:04:19of Blackwood Tower

01:04:20in New York,

01:04:21the heavy curtains

01:04:21were drawn tight,

01:04:22shutting out

01:04:23every trace of daylight.

01:04:24Damien Sack collapsed

01:04:25in his oversized leather chair,

01:04:26surrounded by empty

01:04:27vodka bottles.

01:04:28He had grown

01:04:29painfully thin,

01:04:30his face was hangered,

01:04:31his eyes sunken,

01:04:32and the hair

01:04:32he had once kept

01:04:33perfectly styled

01:04:34for the sake

01:04:34of the family code

01:04:35now hung in a mess.

01:04:36His phone screen

01:04:36was still lit.

01:04:37On it was a blurry

01:04:38Pemperazzi photo

01:04:39taken in southern France.

01:04:40Sunlight poured

01:04:40over an outdoor cafe.

01:04:42I was wearing

01:04:42a bright yellow dress,

01:04:43laughing with Nathaniel

01:04:44a spoonful of ice cream.

01:04:45Nathaniel was looking

01:04:46at me with open affection,

01:04:47gently tapping my nose

01:04:48with his finger.

01:04:49The photo was beautiful

01:04:50enough to hurt.

01:04:51Scarlett,

01:04:51I only found out recently

01:04:52that Clara used

01:04:53an electroshock chair

01:04:54on you in the wine feller.

01:04:55I have locked her away.

01:04:57I will make her pay back

01:04:59every bit of pain

01:05:00she caused you.

01:05:03Scarlett,

01:05:05Scarlett,

01:05:06Scarlett.

01:05:09Tears mixed with blood

01:05:10at the corner

01:05:11of his mouth,

01:05:12he whispered my name

01:05:13like a prayer

01:05:14and a punishment.

01:05:17I was smiling,

01:05:18bright and unrhynd,

01:05:20but that happiness

01:05:21no longer belonged to him.

01:05:23That place beside me

01:05:24should have been his.

01:05:26He was the one

01:05:27who had pushed me away

01:05:27with those damned rules.

01:05:39He wrote like a madman.

01:05:41Sometimes his handwriting

01:05:42was messy.

01:05:44Sometimes it was painfully neat.

01:05:46Before long,

01:05:47the white paper

01:05:48was covered in tear marks

01:05:49and bloody fingerprints

01:05:50from his broken hand.

01:05:52He wrote about

01:05:53how stupid he had been

01:05:54to believe

01:05:55the Vale family's act.

01:05:56He wrote about

01:05:57forcing me to write apologies,

01:05:59locking me in the wine cellar,

01:06:00I bled and boundly

01:06:01standing right

01:06:01and spilled about

01:06:02than hot water

01:06:03to protect Clara

01:06:04while leaving me

01:06:04with second degree burns

01:06:06and PTSD.

01:06:07Scarlett,

01:06:08I only found out recently

01:06:09that Clara used

01:06:10an electroshock chair

01:06:11on you in the wine feller.

01:06:12I have locked her away.

01:06:14I will make her pay back

01:06:16every bit of pain

01:06:17she caused you.

01:06:24The letter was sent

01:06:26by international courier

01:06:27to southern France

01:06:28and eventually reached my hands.

01:06:30I did not read

01:06:32a single line.

01:06:33I threw it straight

01:06:34into the roaring fireplace.

01:06:36The pages curled

01:06:37and flailed in the flames

01:06:38and turned to ash.

01:06:46No answer ever came.

01:06:50After the letter was sent,

01:06:52no reply came back.

01:06:54Damien's last bit of hope

01:06:55died completely.

01:06:57Ignoring the furious objections

01:06:58of his private doctor,

01:06:59he tore the IV from his hand

01:07:01and booked the nearest flight

01:07:02to the south of France.

01:07:04Through the Blackwood family's

01:07:05underground channels in Europe,

01:07:06he eventually located

01:07:08the quiet estate

01:07:08surrounded by

01:07:09lavender fields.

01:07:10But he did not dare

01:07:11go near it.

01:07:12He was afraid of

01:07:13disturbing me.

01:07:14Even more than that,

01:07:15he was afraid of

01:07:16seeing the disgust

01:07:17in my eyes.

01:07:18So he stayed outside

01:07:19the thorny fence

01:07:19like a ghost,

01:07:20watching from far away

01:07:21day and night.

01:07:22He saw Nathaniel's

01:07:23Lamborghini come and go.

01:07:24He saw us walking

01:07:25hand in hand

01:07:25along the country road

01:07:26at sunset.

01:07:27At night,

01:07:27he saw Nathaniel's

01:07:28shadow on the

01:07:29second floor balcony

01:07:29as he gently held

01:07:30me in his arms.

01:07:31Every scene was a dull knife,

01:07:33slowly cutting through

01:07:34his body and soul.

01:07:35One day,

01:07:35a violent storm

01:07:36broke over southern France.

01:07:38Lightning split

01:07:38the night sky.

01:07:39Damien stood outside

01:07:40the fence without moving,

01:07:41letting the cold rain

01:07:42soak him through.

01:07:43He was running a fever

01:07:44of 104 degrees,

01:07:45his body burning

01:07:46under the creasing rain,

01:07:47but he stood there

01:07:48like a statue

01:07:49and refused to leave.

01:07:52In his sick,

01:07:53desperate mind,

01:07:54he imagined that

01:07:55maybe the rain

01:07:56was heavy enough

01:07:57to soften my heart.

01:07:59Maybe I would come out

01:08:00with an umbrella

01:08:01and look at him

01:08:02just once.

01:08:03only when his body

01:08:04finally gave out

01:08:05did he collapse

01:08:06into the muddy water.

01:08:08Before he lost

01:08:09consciousness completely,

01:08:11he thought he saw

01:08:12the curtain move

01:08:13in a second floor window.

01:08:23scarlet,

01:08:24let me see her.

01:08:27Keep dreaming,

01:08:28Blackwood.

01:08:29She does not want

01:08:31to see you.

01:08:32She would feel dirty

01:08:33wasting even one second

01:08:34on you.

01:08:39She told me

01:08:40to give you four words.

01:08:42No forgiveness.

01:08:45No pity.

01:08:47No return.

01:08:52Keep whatever dignity

01:08:53the Blackwood family

01:08:54still has.

01:08:56Every word struck Damien

01:08:57like an ice hook

01:08:58through the heart,

01:08:59shattering the last bit

01:09:00of hope left in him.

01:09:01He understood.

01:09:03I was not even willing

01:09:04to waste hatred

01:09:05on him anymore.

01:09:06Between us,

01:09:06everything had ended

01:09:07in the second

01:09:07of the car crash

01:09:08in my last life

01:09:09and in the moment

01:09:10he ordered the guards

01:09:11to keep me in the fountain

01:09:11in this life.

01:09:13After his fever broke,

01:09:14he was put on a plane

01:09:15back to New York

01:09:16by Nathaniel's private guards.

01:09:19He left like a puppet

01:09:20with its soul pulled out.

01:09:28Damien's forced departure

01:09:29did not stop

01:09:30the next storm

01:09:31from arriving.

01:09:32After recovering

01:09:33in southern France,

01:09:34I was no longer

01:09:35the weak woman

01:09:36from my past life

01:09:37who could only endure pain.

01:09:38With Nathaniel's

01:09:39financial power

01:09:40and international

01:09:40underground network

01:09:41behind me,

01:09:42I personally planned

01:09:43the final reckoning

01:09:44against the Vail family.

01:09:45Using hackers,

01:09:46I gathered hard evidence

01:09:47of Richard's years

01:09:48of tax evasion,

01:09:49money laundering,

01:09:50embezzlement

01:09:50of my mother's

01:09:51trust assets,

01:09:52and massive

01:09:52commercial brubbering.

01:09:53Then I anonymously

01:09:54submit everything

01:09:55to the highest federal

01:09:56prosecutors in New York.

01:09:59The evidence

01:10:00was overwhelming.

01:10:02Richard was arrested

01:10:03by federal agents

01:10:04during a Vail group

01:10:05board meeting

01:10:05right in front of the cameras

01:10:07and the entire press.

01:10:08The Vail family trust

01:10:09and company

01:10:10collapsed overnight.

01:10:11Their assets

01:10:12were seized

01:10:13and liquidated,

01:10:14and bankruptcy

01:10:14followed almost immediately.

01:10:16In the visiting room

01:10:17of New York's

01:10:18first federal prison,

01:10:19I sat behind

01:10:20thick bulletproof glass

01:10:21and looked coldly

01:10:21at Richard.

01:10:22He had gone white-haired

01:10:23overnight.

01:10:23He looked old,

01:10:25broken,

01:10:25and frantic.

01:10:26Scarlet,

01:10:27I am your father!

01:10:28My blood runs

01:10:29in your veins!

01:10:30You sent your own father

01:10:31to hell with your own hands!

01:10:32You'll pay for this!

01:10:33Pay for it?

01:10:33Richard,

01:10:34did you think about

01:10:34payback when you brought

01:10:35Monica into my mother's house?

01:10:37Did you think about it

01:10:38when you let tried

01:10:38to sell me into

01:10:39the Blackwood family

01:10:40like a piece of property?

01:10:44This is your payback.

01:10:46Spend the rest of your life

01:10:47repenting in there.

01:10:54Monica could not survive

01:10:56the shock

01:10:56of the Vail family

01:10:57collapsing overnight.

01:10:59Her mind broke completely,

01:11:00and she was forced

01:11:02into the cheapest

01:11:02psychiatric hospital

01:11:04in New York.

01:11:05Every day,

01:11:06she wandered

01:11:06with tangled hair,

01:11:08muttering nonsense

01:11:09to herself.

01:11:15Damien,

01:11:15please save my mother!

01:11:17Please save the Vail family!

01:11:18I know I was wrong!

01:11:20I will bring Scarlet back

01:11:21if you want!

01:11:21I will beg that bitch

01:11:22to come back!

01:11:22Just look at me once!

01:11:25The iron gate

01:11:25slowly opened.

01:11:27Damien came out

01:11:28with a cane.

01:11:29He looked down

01:11:30at the woman

01:11:31kneeling at his feet

01:11:32like she was filth

01:11:33on the road.

01:11:34There was no emotion

01:11:35in his eyes,

01:11:36only disgust.

01:11:38Love?

01:11:39Clara,

01:11:40I know exactly

01:11:40how you and Monica

01:11:41schemed your way

01:11:42through Manhattan society

01:11:43and bullied Scarlet

01:11:44for years.

01:11:45I did not touch you

01:11:46before because

01:11:47you were not worth

01:11:48dirtying my hands.

01:11:50Also,

01:11:51I was saving you

01:11:52for Scarlet.

01:11:55Now that she has

01:11:56made her move,

01:11:57I am satisfied.

01:11:58Get this disgusting

01:11:59woman out of my sight.

01:12:04After that,

01:12:05a filthy,

01:12:06ragged woman

01:12:07appeared on the

01:12:07underground streets

01:12:08of Manhattan.

01:12:09She smelled rotten,

01:12:10laughed at strangers,

01:12:11and screamed at shadows.

01:12:13Damien had his men

01:12:13watch her from a distance.

01:12:15He did not allow her to die.

01:12:16He made sure she stayed alive

01:12:17long enough

01:12:18to suffer every humiliation

01:12:19the bottom of society

01:12:20had to offer.

01:12:21It was exactly

01:12:22what I had wanted for her.

01:12:23She would live like a rat

01:12:24in the gutter,

01:12:25slowly and painful.

01:12:28After hearing

01:12:29how everything ended,

01:12:30I stood before

01:12:31the floor-to-clear

01:12:31windows of the estate

01:12:32in southern France

01:12:33and watched the sun

01:12:34sink below the horizon.

01:12:35For the first time,

01:12:36my heart felt

01:12:37strangely calm.

01:12:38The nightmare

01:12:38and karma

01:12:39that had followed me

01:12:40through two lifetimes

01:12:40had finally come to an end.

01:12:42Bad people

01:12:43got what they deserved.

01:12:44From now on, baby,

01:12:45let me be the only one

01:12:46who gets to spoil you.

01:12:47Over the next half year,

01:12:49Nathaniel and I

01:12:49grew closer and closer.

01:12:51We traveled

01:12:51from country to country,

01:12:53enjoying our freedom

01:12:53and love

01:12:54anywhere in the world

01:12:55we wanted.

01:12:56We both thought

01:12:56the blood and storms

01:12:57were finally behind us.

01:13:15But no one expected Clara,

01:13:17who had long gone mad

01:13:18and been forgotten

01:13:19in the trash-filled corners

01:13:21of New York,

01:13:21to be planning

01:13:22one last act of revenge.

01:13:38Nathaniel reacted instantly.

01:13:40With a low growl,

01:13:40he shoved open the car door

01:13:41and threw himself

01:13:42into the fight,

01:13:43doing everything he could

01:13:43to protect me.

01:13:44But there were too many of them

01:13:45and they had come prepared.

01:13:46Nathaniel was soon

01:13:47cut across the arm

01:13:47while shielding me,

01:13:48then forced to the ground

01:13:49under several guns.

01:13:51His face was covered in blood

01:13:52and his eyes were wild with rage.

01:13:53Do not touch her!

01:13:55Let her go!

01:13:58Let her go!

01:14:03A burst of crazed applause

01:14:04rang out.

01:14:04Clara slowly stepped out

01:14:05from behind one of the vans.

01:14:06She wore a filthy,

01:14:07torn dress stained with grime.

01:14:09Her hair was a tangled mess

01:14:10and her eyes were cloudy and insane.

01:14:11In her hand,

01:14:12she gripped a loaded glock.

01:14:13Her ruined face twisted

01:14:14like something out of a nightmare

01:14:14as she laughed at me.

01:14:15Charlotte, you bitch.

01:14:17I have a request

01:14:17when I say I'm PayPal

01:14:18beyond drink it

01:14:19the hundred times

01:14:19the thousands over.

01:14:20You and the man you love

01:14:21are both going to hell today.

01:14:22At that deadly moment,

01:14:23just as one of the thugs

01:14:24was about to pull the trigger,

01:14:25the roar of an engine

01:14:26ripped through the sea wind.

01:14:27A black armored SUV

01:14:28came crashing in from behind,

01:14:30ramping the van,

01:14:31blocking the road

01:14:31and screeched to a stop

01:14:32in the middle of the chaos.

01:14:33A thin figure

01:14:34with a slight limp

01:14:35stepped out,

01:14:35carrying an automatic rifle

01:14:37and surrounded by cold,

01:14:38murderous and tate.

01:14:39Damien.

01:14:40He had been following

01:14:41my movements

01:14:41from a distance all along.

01:14:43When he found out

01:14:43Clara had disappeared

01:14:44under strange circumstances,

01:14:45he sensed something was wrong

01:14:47and tracked the Rive route

01:14:48here for the sun.

01:14:54Let her go, Clara.

01:14:56Get that filthy gun

01:14:57away from her head.

01:15:03Damien, you came too?

01:15:05Good.

01:15:06Perfect.

01:15:07The head of the Blackwood family

01:15:08and Nathaniel's family

01:15:09are both here.

01:15:10I can send all of you

01:15:11to hell together.

01:15:12What do you want?

01:15:14I will give you

01:15:15every Blackwood trust,

01:15:16every share,

01:15:17every asset I have.

01:15:19Take my life if you want.

01:15:21Just let Scarlet go.

01:15:24That's it.

01:15:25I do not want

01:15:26anything anymore.

01:15:27I want her to suffer.

01:15:29I want you,

01:15:30the high and mighty

01:15:31king of Manhattan,

01:15:32to watch with your own eyes

01:15:34while I tear her apart.

01:15:36Watching both men suffer

01:15:38because of me

01:15:38tore my heart open

01:15:39and tears blurred my vision.

01:15:41Stop!

01:15:42Nathaniel Damien,

01:15:43just go.

01:15:43Do not worry about me.

01:15:44You want her alive?

01:15:45Fine.

01:15:45Damien,

01:15:46king of Manhattan,

01:15:47get on your knees.

01:15:47Kneel and beg me.

01:15:49Damien looked at my

01:15:49deathly pale face

01:15:50and did not hesitate

01:15:51for even a second.

01:15:52He threw away the rifle

01:15:53in his hand

01:15:53and dropped to his knees

01:15:54on rough gravel-covered road.

01:15:55The heavy sound of his bones

01:15:56hitting the ground

01:15:57tore through the sea wind.

01:15:58This was a man

01:15:59who had been pathologically proud

01:16:00in both lifetimes,

01:16:01a man who had never

01:16:01lowered his head to anyone.

01:16:03For my life,

01:16:03he threw away

01:16:03every last bit of dignity.

01:16:11Look at you.

01:16:12You finally know

01:16:14what it feels like.

01:16:16Beat him.

01:16:17Beat him until

01:16:18he cannot move.

01:16:21The thugs rushed forward.

01:16:22Iron rods and fists

01:16:23fell on Damien like rain.

01:16:25He curled tightly

01:16:25around himself,

01:16:26blood pouring from his mouth,

01:16:28but he stubbornly

01:16:28kept his body angled

01:16:29toward me,

01:16:30blocking the sand and gravel

01:16:31that flew in my direction.

01:16:32Stop!

01:16:33Please stop!

01:16:48In that split second,

01:16:50no one saw where Damien

01:16:51found the strength.

01:16:51Like a black panther

01:16:52burning through its last breath,

01:16:54he threw himself up

01:16:54from the ground

01:16:55and slammed me

01:16:55with that ounce of life

01:16:56he had left.

01:16:57He knocked me hard

01:16:57onto the road

01:16:58and covered completely

01:16:59with his broad,

01:16:59bloodied back,

01:17:00leaving no gap

01:17:01between me and the bullet.

01:17:02The sound that followed

01:17:03tore into his back,

01:17:04exploding only a few

01:17:05millimeters from his heart.

01:17:06Blood sprayed across the air

01:17:08and instantly stained

01:17:09my white dress,

01:17:11a shocking red.

01:17:17For a moment,

01:17:18the whole world

01:17:18seemed to stop.

01:17:19Damien's heavy body

01:17:20pressed down over mine.

01:17:21With impossible effort,

01:17:22he slowly raised his head.

01:17:24His deathly,

01:17:25pale face

01:17:25was covered in blood.

01:17:26When he saw that I was safe,

01:17:27Claire Crenbuthum,

01:17:28without a cloud,

01:17:29his mouth lifted

01:17:30into a relieved smile.

01:17:31In that smile

01:17:31was a kind of longing

01:17:32and regret I had never seen

01:17:33from him in either lifetime.

01:17:34He struggled to raise

01:17:35his bleeding hand

01:17:36as if he wanted to touch

01:17:37my face one last time,

01:17:39but his fingers shook

01:17:40violently in the air,

01:17:41never quite reaching me,

01:17:42before falling wheatly

01:17:43into the mud.

01:17:44He looked at me

01:17:45as the light in his eyes

01:17:47began to scatter.

01:17:48Scarlet,

01:17:49I am sorry.

01:17:53This time,

01:17:54I finally protected you.

01:17:57Live well with Nathaniel.

01:18:00Goodbye.

01:18:20But I only held

01:18:21the blood-covered man-in-arms,

01:18:23tears streaming down my face.

01:18:24Did I hate him?

01:18:25Did I resent him?

01:18:26The moment that bullet

01:18:27tore through his body,

01:18:28the chains from my past life

01:18:29and the hatred from this life

01:18:30were shattered with it.

01:18:31With his own life,

01:18:32he completed a redemption

01:18:33that had come two life teams

01:18:34too late.

01:18:38Above the Southeast Asian island,

01:18:40the roar of a rescue helicopter

01:18:41tore through the humid air.

01:18:42A team of top international medics

01:18:44carefully lifted Damien,

01:18:45covered in blood

01:18:46and deep in shock,

01:18:47onto a stretcher.

01:18:48His face had turned asin,

01:18:49almost like a corpse.

01:18:50His breathing and heartbeat

01:18:51were so weak

01:18:51the machines could barely detect them.

01:18:53I stood beside the helicopter,

01:18:55his warm blood still

01:18:56on my face and clothes.

01:18:57My fate's control of snow,

01:18:58wrapped in bandages

01:18:59and looking grim.

01:19:00Poor self threw the pain

01:19:00of his fractures

01:19:01and pulled me hard

01:19:02into his arms,

01:19:02using his broad chest

01:19:03to hold me up.

01:19:04His eyes were complicated

01:19:05as he watched Damien

01:19:06always despise

01:19:06who had really been willing

01:19:07to trade his life

01:19:08for my freedom.

01:19:09The helicopter rushed

01:19:10toward the nearest

01:19:11international medical center.

01:19:13The doors of the operating room

01:19:14stayed shut

01:19:15and the red light above them

01:19:17burned for 12 full hours.

01:19:20Nathania and I waited

01:19:21in the hallway

01:19:22as time stretched

01:19:23until it felt like a century.

01:19:27The surgery succeeded.

01:19:29The bullet is out,

01:19:30but he's not out of danger.

01:19:32Recovering will be long.

01:19:33The damage,

01:19:34it's severe,

01:19:35irreversible.

01:19:47Damien remained unconscious

01:19:48in the sterile ICU

01:19:50for more than half a month.

01:19:52During that time,

01:19:53with no one in control

01:19:53of Blackwood Group,

01:19:54rival financial powers

01:19:55in New York

01:19:56began tearing into it.

01:19:57The stock price plunged

01:19:58and the company started

01:19:58from the inside.

01:19:59Through Nathaniel's

01:20:00underground channels,

01:20:01Iannoy passed Damien's

01:20:02confidential medical trial

01:20:03to a relatively loyal elder

01:20:04inside the Blackwood family.

01:20:05That elder stepped in

01:20:06and barely stabilized

01:20:07the chaos in New York.

01:20:09Half a month later,

01:20:10Damien finally opened his eyes

01:20:11to the beeping

01:20:12of medical machines.

01:20:13His vision slowly focused

01:20:14until he's standing

01:20:15outside the sterile glass.

01:20:16Our eyes met

01:20:17and the air in the room

01:20:18seemed to freeze.

01:20:19My gaze was complicated.

01:20:21There was concern in it.

01:20:22There was release.

01:20:23There was no love left.

01:20:24There was no hatred

01:20:24left either.

01:20:25Damien wore an oxygen mask.

01:20:27His dry lips parted

01:20:28as if he wanted

01:20:28to say my name,

01:20:29but only a weak,

01:20:30hoary breath came out.

01:20:31He saw the calm

01:20:32in my eyes.

01:20:33He also saw Nathaniel

01:20:34behind me,

01:20:34covered in casts

01:20:35and bandages

01:20:36still gripping my shoulder

01:20:37in a posture

01:20:37of absolute protection.

01:20:38Damien understood,

01:20:39but the last faint,

01:20:40impossible hope

01:20:41in his soul

01:20:42went out like a candle

01:20:43in the wind.

01:20:43Two silent lines of tears

01:20:45slid from the corners

01:20:45of his eyes

01:20:46into his hair.

01:20:47He had used his life

01:20:48to save me.

01:20:49Whatever remained between us

01:20:50had died with that redemption.

01:20:54Three months later,

01:20:55at Geneva International Airport

01:20:56in Switzerland,

01:20:57morning fog covered

01:20:58up the runway

01:20:59bound for one of Switzerland's

01:21:00top private rehabilitation

01:21:01plants waited in silence.

01:21:03Damien could barely sit

01:21:04in a wheelchair now.

01:21:04He looked older and thinner

01:21:05than any disability

01:21:06in his left leg.

01:21:07For the rest of his life,

01:21:08he would have to rely

01:21:08on a cane and a wheelchair

01:21:09to move.

01:21:10His body had been drained

01:21:11almost beyond repair.

01:21:12He never tried

01:21:13to contact me again.

01:21:14He even refused visits

01:21:16from the core members

01:21:17of the Blackwood family.

01:21:18Before boarding,

01:21:19he calmly signed

01:21:20every equity transfer document

01:21:21and full management

01:21:22authorization agreement,

01:21:24handing away

01:21:24the business empire

01:21:25he had once treated

01:21:26as his life.

01:21:27He sold all of his

01:21:28Manhattan properties,

01:21:29poured every dollar

01:21:30into a newly established

01:21:31Global Wildlife

01:21:32and Freedom Photography Trust.

01:21:34It was an anonymous gift

01:21:35that would benefit me forever

01:21:36without requiring

01:21:37my signature.

01:21:38The medical plane's

01:21:39engines roared.

01:21:40Damien leaned beside the window

01:21:41and looked out at the endless

01:21:42freezing white cloud sea

01:21:43above the Alps.

01:21:44His eyes held nothing

01:21:44but quiet acceptance

01:21:45and deathly stillness.

01:21:47He had finally removed himself

01:21:48from my world.

01:21:49Scarlet, I love you.

01:21:50Not because I want to lock you

01:21:51in a house like some pretty bird

01:21:52and not because

01:21:53what you're following

01:21:54Ong any damn family rules.

01:21:55I love you exactly like this.

01:21:57Wild, proud, bright

01:21:58and impossible to tame.

01:22:00Let me be the man

01:22:01who protects you

01:22:01for the rest of your life.

01:22:03Marry me.

01:22:09Yes.

01:22:10I will marry you.

01:22:12The last light of sunset

01:22:13wrapped around us in gold

01:22:14as he pulled me

01:22:15into his arms.

01:22:15The chains from my past life

01:22:17were finally broken.

01:22:19In this life,

01:22:19I finally had the wide open sky

01:22:21I deserved.

01:22:22I deserved.

01:22:22And...

01:22:22Bye-bye.

01:22:22sarif

01:22:23I need you.

01:22:23Bye-bye.

01:22:23You know this?

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