- 5 days ago
Too Late To Beg Dante.
Category
📺
TVTranscript
00:00My husband's 35th birthday. I spent six hours in the kitchen.
00:05Ossoboko braised until tender. Handmade pasta. Tiramisu from scratch.
00:10I set the table with our wedding crystal, lit eight candles, one for each year of marriage,
00:17and waited. Dante never showed. At 11.30, I found him on Sienna Vale's Instagram story.
00:25My husband, the Don of the Marodi family, the most feared man on the West Coast,
00:30was laughing in some downtown jazz club, surrounded by faces I didn't recognize.
00:35The next shot showed them cheek to cheek, her red lips brushing his ear.
00:39Celebrating the boss's big day. Private party vibes.
00:45I double-tapped the screen, liked it, then left a comment.
00:50Great party. Would be perfect if someone remembered his wife's been waiting all night.
00:56Three seconds later, the story vanished. Then my phone exploded. Dante's face filled the screen.
01:03Jaw tight. Eyes hard.
01:06It was a joke, Elena.
01:08Behind him, I could hear her clinking glasses and Sienna's silvery laugh.
01:13Yes. The guys threw me a surprise thing. I couldn't just walk out. You know how it works. Family business.
01:20Of course.
01:22Don't start. I'll make it up to you.
01:24I'm not starting anything. He hung up without saying goodbye.
01:28Fifteen minutes later, Sienna reposted the same photo on her main feed.
01:33This time, she was smiling directly at the camera, her palm flat against his chest like she owned him.
01:40The old Elena would have driven downtown and burned the place to the ground.
01:44But this Elena?
01:45This Elena scraped the ospoco into the trash, blew out the last candle, and went to bed.
01:51I didn't cry. I didn't feel anything at all.
01:56He came home after two in the morning, trailing whiskey and her perfume.
02:00That clue's saboteurs that clung to everything he touched.
02:03I kept my eyes shut. My breathing even.
02:06The mattress dipped.
02:08His hand found my hip.
02:11Possessive. Automatic.
02:13The way he touched everything he owned.
02:15His thumb traced a slow circle against my silk nightgown, warm through the fabric.
02:21Once, that touch made me arch into him.
02:25Now I felt nothing.
02:27The next morning, I was ladling the bisque into a bowl when his phone lit up on the counter.
02:33Sienna's name.
02:34Last night was perfect, dear.
02:36Can't stop thinking about it.
02:39Who told you to touch my phone?
02:41He stood right in front of me, jaw tight, radiating that cold authority he used on soldiers who'd failed him.
02:48I didn't.
02:49He shoved past me to grab the phone, his shoulder catching my arm.
02:52The ladle slipped.
02:54Scolding bisque splashed across my left hand.
02:56My scream came before the pain.
02:59Then the pain arrived.
03:00White hot and absolute.
03:02The skin blistered instantly.
03:04Angry welts blooming from my fingers to my wrist.
03:07Dante stared at me like I'd done something inconvenient.
03:12Jesus, Elena.
03:13Fine.
03:15I'll take you to urgent care.
03:17I cradled my hand against my chest and followed him to the car.
03:20His Tesla smelled like two berets.
03:22I buckled in, biting down on my lip until I tasted copper.
03:26That's when I saw it.
03:27A pink sticky note tucked into the sun visor, looping scripture, reserved for the Don's little Navi-Navigator.
03:34Dante caught me looking.
03:36Sienna put that there as a joke.
03:37You know how she is.
03:39Creative.
03:39He watched me through the rearview mirror, waiting for the explosion.
03:44The tears.
03:45The begging.
03:46I gave him nothing.
03:47You're not gonna rip it down?
03:49Why would I?
03:50Something shifted behind his eyes.
03:52Confusion, maybe.
03:54He wasn't used to this version of me.
03:56The version that didn't fight.
03:57Didn't beg.
03:58Didn't care.
03:59Let's just go.
04:01I have work this afternoon.
04:02He drove fast after that.
04:04We were three blocks from the clinic when the speakers lit up with a custom ring tune.
04:08Some breathy love song.
04:09Sienna's voice flooded the car, high and trembling.
04:13Dante, I need you.
04:14What's wrong?
04:15I had too much last night, and my head is splitting.
04:18It's one of my migraines.
04:20The light, the noise, I think I'm going to pass out.
04:23Without a word.
04:25Without a glance.
04:26Dante made a U-turn and flowed it toward downtown.
04:30Dante!
04:31I held up my blusted hand.
04:34The clinic!
04:35She gets these attacks.
04:36I'll check on her real quick.
04:38Twenty minutes later, we pulled up outside a luxury high-rise.
04:41Dante reached into the glove closet, ad-ox and an electrolyte drink.
04:45Things I had packed for him.
04:46Weeks ago.
04:47Just wait here.
04:48Ten minutes.
04:48He locked the car.
04:50Jog inside.
04:52Ten minutes became thirty.
04:53Thirty became an hour.
04:55The California sun beat through the windshield,
04:58turning the Tesla into an oven.
05:00Sweat dripped down my spine.
05:02My vision blurred.
05:04My burned hand throbbed in time with my heartbeat.
05:08I tried the door.
05:09Child locked.
05:10I tried calling.
05:11Voicemail.
05:12At fifty minutes,
05:14I found the emergency hammer in the contol
05:16and smashed the passenger window.
05:19A woman on the sidewalk stopped
05:21when she saw me climbing out through the shattered window.
05:24Oh my god!
05:25Are you okay?
05:27I'm unharmed.
05:28With that, I grinned my teeth through the pain
05:30and headed for the clinic alone.
05:32The clinic banded my hand.
05:34Second degree burns.
05:36Needed monitoring.
05:37And gave me a lecture about heat exhaustion I didn't hear.
05:40I Ubered home.
05:41Ordered Thai.
05:42Aided alone at the counter.
05:44Dante walked in at seven thirty.
05:46Looking surprised to see me there.
05:49Elena!
05:49He scanned the empty containers.
05:52You didn't order anything for me.
05:54I looked at him.
05:55This man I'd loved for eight years.
05:57This man who'd locked me in a car like a dog
05:59while he ran to comfort another woman.
06:02He knew my hand was injured.
06:04He knew I couldn't cook.
06:06And his first question was about his dinner.
06:09My phone was on silent.
06:11Didn't see your text.
06:12I turned back to the TV.
06:14I didn't look at him for the rest of the night.
06:23The next evening, Dante came home early.
06:27I was curled up on the sofa watching a documentary
06:30about Venetian glassblowing when I heard his key in the lock.
06:34He walked in carrying a glossy black shopping bag.
06:37Prada.
06:38He set it on the coffee table in front of me
06:40like a peace offering laid at the feet of a queen he'd wronged.
06:44For you.
06:45His voice was softer than usual.
06:48Almost careful.
06:49I didn't reach for it.
06:51He sat down beside me.
06:53Closer than he'd been in weeks
06:54and I caught the scent clinging to his shirt.
06:56Not tuberoise this time.
06:58But something deeper.
07:00Richer.
07:01Back of Ocrouge 540.
07:03I recognized it because Sienna had posted
07:05an unboxing video last week
07:06running the bottle across her collarbone
07:09laughing about how it cost nearly $500.
07:13And here was my husband,
07:15the Don of the Moreci family,
07:17drenched in his mistress perfume,
07:19handing me a gift like that would erase the...
07:22Drenched in his mistress perfume,
07:24handing me a gift like that would erase the blisters on my skin.
07:27I opened the bag.
07:29Inside was a candle.
07:31Joe Marsless.
07:33The kind they give you free when you buy the real thing.
07:35He was wearing her scent
07:37and he'd brought me the leftover sample.
07:40You don't like it?
07:41It's lovely.
07:42And set it aside without looking at him.
07:45Dante's jaw tightened.
07:46He caught my chin,
07:48turning my face toward him.
07:49A gentle touch that once made me melt.
07:52Elena.
07:53I know yesterday was...
07:55complicated.
07:57But I'm trying here.
07:59Can you at least meet me halfway?
08:00Talk to me.
08:01You're acting like I'm not even in the room.
08:03Once.
08:04That low voice in my ear
08:05would have made my pulse stutter.
08:07I would have turned in to him,
08:08let him kiss the apology onto my lips,
08:11let his hands wander
08:12until I forgot why I was angry.
08:14But my hand still throbbed beneath its bandages.
08:17I could still feel the ghost
08:19of that locked door handle under my palm.
08:22The heat of the car.
08:23The way he hadn't even looked back.
08:26I'm pulling free from his grip.
08:28I'm not acting like anything.
08:30I'm watching TV.
08:31You've been cold ever since I walked in the door.
08:34I'm tired.
08:35I stood, letting his hand fall away.
08:37Think I'll turn in early.
08:39Elena.
08:40His voice dropped to that dangerous register.
08:42The one that made Capo's twice his age lower their eyes.
08:46Don't walk away from me.
08:48I paused in the doorway.
08:50Looked at him over my shoulder.
08:53The old Elena would have trembled.
08:55Would have come back to the couch.
08:57Curled into his side.
08:58Whispered, sorry, sorry, sorry.
09:00Until he did-dimed to forgive her.
09:03Good night, Dante.
09:04I didn't wait for his response.
09:06The moment I slipped under the covers.
09:09He followed me in.
09:10His body pressed against my back.
09:12One arm, sliding around my waist, pulling me flush against him.
09:17His lips found the curve of my neck.
09:19That spot below my ear that used to make me gasp.
09:22Elena, don't shut me out.
09:25His hand slid beneath my nightgown.
09:27Palm flat against my stomach.
09:30Fingers sprayed possessively across my skin.
09:34Warm.
09:35Familiar.
09:36The way he'd touched me a thousand times before.
09:38His kiss lasted barely, barely three seconds before I shoved him off.
09:43Hard enough that he stumbled back.
09:45He snapped on the bedside lamp, chest heaving.
09:49What the hell?
09:50Don't tell me you forgot what day it is.
09:52Dante and I had been trying for a baby.
09:54Around this time each month, he always made a point to do his duty.
09:58I rolled onto my side, facing away from him.
10:01I'm too tired.
10:03Good night.
10:04Hearing his own excuse.
10:06The same words he'd used on me countless times.
10:09Thrown back at him, left him speechless.
10:12Then he grabbed his pillow and stormed out, slamming the door hard enough to rattle the
10:16frame.
10:17I knew he'd sleep in the guest wing for the next few days.
10:21Once, that would have sent me spiraling.
10:23I would have lay awake all night-king, wondering what I'd done wrong.
10:27But that night, I slept better than I had in months.
10:31The next morning, I stopped my boss Catherine in the hallway.
10:35That divorce attorney you mentioned last year.
10:38The one who handled the Romano situation.
10:40Do you still have her number?
10:42Catherine's eyebrows rosed.
10:44But she was old Sicilian.
10:46Three generations deep in families like ours.
10:49She knew better than to ask questions.
10:52I'll text it to you before lunch.
10:55By day nine of separate bedrooms, Dante made his move.
10:58I woke to the smell of bacon.
11:00Found him in the kitchen.
11:03This man who had soldiers to taste his food.
11:06Who hadn't touched a stove in eight years of marriage.
11:09Standing over a pan of scrambled eggs.
11:11He didn't say anything when I walked in.
11:13Just slid a plate across the counter, poured me coffee.
11:15Black.
11:16The way I liked it.
11:17His eyes tracked my every movement, searching for something.
11:20I didn't give it to him.
11:22The eggs were overcooked.
11:24Rubberly.
11:25I ate them anyway.
11:26Alone at the counter.
11:28Then grabbed my keys and left without a word.
11:31That afternoon, my phone buzzed.
11:33Marco Delacci.
11:34Dante's underhass.
11:36Had posted photos from his engagement party.
11:38I scrolled through them in my office.
11:41Champagne towers.
11:42A seven-tier cake.
11:44The happy couple beaming for the camera.
11:46And there, in the background of nearly every shot.
11:50Dante, with Sienna raped on his arm.
11:52Laughing up at him like she had every right to be there.
11:55Like she was the donna of the family instead of me.
11:58She was wearing a coat I recognized.
12:00Chake cashmere.
12:02Custom cut.
12:03With hand-stitched buttons I'd chosen myself.
12:06I'd given it to Dante for our fifth anniversary.
12:09Last month, I'd asked him to wear it to my father's birthday dinner.
12:12He'd snapped that he'd lost it on a business trip to New York.
12:16Called me obsessive for bringing it up twice.
12:19And here it was.
12:20Draped over Sienna Veils' shoulders like a trophy.
12:24I stared at that photo for a long time.
12:26At her smile.
12:28At his hand on her lower back.
12:30Then I screenshot the image.
12:32Opened Instagram.
12:33Posted it to my story with a simple caption.
12:36Picked out every stitch of that coat from my husband.
12:39Funny how it ended up on the back-up.
12:42Three seconds later, my phone exploded.
12:46Dante's name calling.
12:56The call came through while I was still staring at my laptop screen.
13:00Pretending to work.
13:01Dante's voice was tight.
13:03Controlled.
13:04The voice he used in sit-downs when a deal was about to go sideways.
13:08The coat I can explain.
13:09Can you?
13:12It was cold that night.
13:14Sienna didn't bring a jacket.
13:15I was being polite.
13:17Polite?
13:18I let the words sit there.
13:20You told me you lost it in New York.
13:23A pause.
13:24I could hear him breathing.
13:26Recalibrating.
13:27Dante Moretti didn't get caught off guard.
13:29He was the one who laid traps.
13:31Not the one who stumbled into them.
13:33It turned up.
13:34Slipped my mind.
13:34He said finally.
13:36Clearly.
13:37Elena.
13:38His voice softened.
13:39Sliding into that low regger he used when he wanted something.
13:43Don't make this bigger than it is.
13:45It's a coat.
13:46I'll buy you ten more if that's what this is about.
13:49Once, that voice would have melted me.
13:53It's not about the coat, Dante.
13:57Then what?
13:58Was there something else?
14:00Silence.
14:01I could almost hear his jaw tightening.
14:03Marco's engagement party, I needed a plus one.
14:06It was family business.
14:08Don't make this into something it isn't.
14:10I'm not making it into anything.
14:12Another pause.
14:14He wasn't used to this.
14:16No tears.
14:17No accusations.
14:18No desperate questions.
14:20Just flat.
14:21Empty nothing.
14:23I'm picking you up at seven.
14:25Marco's throwing a proper dinner tonight.
14:27Be ready.
14:29The line went dead before I could respond.
14:32At 7.15, his black Maserati pulled up outside my office.
14:37I opened the back door and froze.
14:40Sienna was already in the passenger seat.
14:42My seat.
14:44She turned, burgundy silk catching the streetlight, lips curving into that smile I'd come to recognize.
14:50The smile of a woman who believed she'd already won.
14:54Elena.
14:55She leaned between the seats, close enough that her perfume, that clauish tuberoid, wrapped around me.
15:02What a fun surprise.
15:05Dante didn't mention you were joining us.
15:07I looked at Dante.
15:10His knuckles whitened on the steering wheel, but he didn't turn.
15:14Last minute, and slid into the back.
15:20The drive was 20 minutes of Sienna filling every silence, about the venue, about Marco's fiancé's dress, about some new
15:30rooftop bar the family had just acquired.
15:33Every few sentences, she'd touched Dante's arm, his shoulder, laughing at things that weren't funny.
15:41Dante kept glancing at me in the rearview mirror, trying to catch my eye.
15:45I watched the city lights blur past and gave him nothing.
15:49The private room at Carbone was already full when we arrived.
15:53Marco met us at the door.
15:56Boss.
15:57Mrs. Morelli.
15:58Honored you could make it.
15:59At least someone remembered who I was.
16:02Dante's palms settled on my lower back as we entered.
16:04Warm, possessive.
16:06His fingers pressing just hard enough to remind me I was his.
16:10A gesture that used to make me lean into him.
16:13I kept my spine straight.
16:15Let him guide me to our seats without a word.
16:17The dinner blurted past.
16:20Toasts.
16:20Laughter.
16:21I smiled when expected.
16:23Raised my glass when prompted.
16:25The old Elena would have softened under his touches.
16:27This Elena counted the minutes until she could leave.
16:31Halfway through the main kill, the restaurant manager appeared at Dante's elbow.
16:36Mr. Moretti, sir.
16:38Those bottles you and Miss Val put aside last month.
16:42The 89 Burgundy.
16:44Shall I open them for the table?
16:45The conversation around us stuttered.
16:48Forks paused mid-air.
16:51Dante's hand froze on my thigh.
16:53That was for the Calabrani deal.
16:54Business.
16:55Of course, sir.
16:56Miss Val mentioned she'd been looking forward to it.
16:59The manager smiled, oblivious.
17:02Open them.
17:03No sense letting good wine go to waste.
17:06I let the silence satisfying for a moment.
17:09Then I stood.
17:10Excuse me.
17:12Dante caught up with me in the hallway, his hand closing around my elbow.
17:17Elena.
17:19Those bottles.
17:21We closed.
17:22We closed.
17:22A big deal.
17:23That's all it was.
17:25I didn't pull away.
17:26Didn't look at him.
17:27I just lifted his hand off my arm, finger by finger, and walked into the restroom without a word.
17:35When I came back, Dante was leaning towards Sienna, his arms stretched in front of her, blocking the wine glass.
17:42Someone was trying to pass her way.
17:44Shielding her.
17:45Protecting her.
17:47The memory slammed into me so hard I had to grip the back of an empty chair.
17:56Two years ago.
17:57A dinner just like this one.
17:59They'd pressured me to drink, insisting it was tradition.
18:03I told them I was allergic.
18:05Dante didn't shield me.
18:07He pressed his hand down on my shoulder, leaned close to my ear, and murmured.
18:12One drink, sweetheart.
18:14Don't embarrass me.
18:16Worst case, we'll get your stomach pumped.
18:18I drank it.
18:20To keep the peace.
18:21To be the wife he wanted.
18:26That night, I burned with fever.
18:29Two days later, I woke up in the ER, my body seizing with cramps.
18:34The doctor told me I'd been one month pregnant.
18:37The baby was gone.
18:40Dante burst into my hospital room.
18:42He didn't ask how I felt.
18:44Didn't hold my hand.
18:45I told you not to go.
18:47But you just had to force your way into a man's business.
18:51This is what you get for not listening.
18:54The memory burned behind my eyes.
18:56I walked back to the table, picked up my purse, and left without a single word.
19:02The front door slammed open an hour later.
19:05Dante stormed in, his face dark with fury.
19:08He found me on the couch, watching TV, utterly calm.
19:14What the hell was that?
19:16Walking out in the middle of dinner?
19:18In front of my men?
19:20In front of Marco.
19:21You wanted to humiliate me, is that it?
19:25I didn't look away from the screen.
19:28Elena, answer me!
19:29He stepped in front of the TV, blocking my view.
19:33I said nothing.
19:35His breathing grew racked.
19:36He loosened his tie with a violent jerk.
19:41Fine.
19:43You want to play it this way?
19:45Maybe we should just end this.
19:48Get a divorce.
19:49This was the second time he'd said it.
19:52The first was a year ago.
19:54A misunderstanding.
19:55He'd thought I'd gone through his phone.
19:57I dropped to my knees, beside him.
20:00Tears streaming.
20:02Swearing I'd never make him angry again.
20:04But now, I looked up at him.
20:07Met his eyes.
20:08Okay.
20:09Dante went still.
20:10The anger drained from his face.
20:12Replaced by something I'd never seen before.
20:15Confusion.
20:16Then disbelief.
20:18What did you say?
20:19I said okay.
20:21Let's get divorced.
20:22He stared at me.
20:23His chest rose and fell, but no words came.
20:26For the first time in eight years, Dante Morali had nothing to say.
20:37Dante stood frozen, staring at me like I'd just pulled a gun on him.
20:42You're serious?
20:43You actually want to end this?
20:46You're the one who brought up divorce.
20:48I was making a point, Elena.
20:51I didn't think you'd actually...
20:53He stepped toward me.
20:55Ran a hand through his hair.
20:58Then laughed.
21:00A short, disbelievable sound.
21:02I see what this is.
21:03You've learned to play hard to get.
21:05Cute.
21:06But I don't play those games, sweetheart.
21:09The front door slammed behind him hard enough to rattle the windows.
21:13He didn't come back.
21:15Two weeks.
21:16No calls.
21:17No texts.
21:19No black Maserati idling outside my office.
21:22Word filtered back through the wives, through whispers after Sunday mass.
21:26Dante had moved into the penthouse suite at the Moretti-owned hotel downtown.
21:30Taking meetings.
21:32Closing deals.
21:34Living like a man who'd forgotten he had a wife at home.
21:40On day five, my phone buzzed at 2am.
21:43Marco's name.
21:45Mrs. Moretti.
21:46The boss.
21:48He's had a rough night.
21:49Too much whiskey.
21:50He's asking for someone to bring him home.
21:53Then call Sienna.
21:54I'm sure she keeps a spare key.
21:56Mrs. Moretti.
21:58Good night, Marco.
21:59I hung up, rolled over, closed my eyes.
22:04Two hours later, the front door opened.
22:06Heavy footsteps.
22:08The clatter of keys missing the bowl.
22:10Then Dante appeared in my doorway, swaying slightly.
22:13Shirt half untucked.
22:15Collar smeared with something pink.
22:17Lipstick.
22:18Her shade.
22:19Elena.
22:21Couldn't sleep.
22:22Kept thinking about you.
22:24He moved toward the bed.
22:26His hand found my shoulder.
22:27Temptative.
22:29Almost gentle.
22:30His thumb brushed my collarbone, tracing the strap of my nightgown.
22:34The touch that once made me arch into him now felt like a stranger's hand on my skin.
22:39His breath was warm against my hair, carrying whiskey and her perfume.
22:44Come on, sweetheart.
22:46Let's just talk like we used to.
22:50I looked at him.
22:51At the performance of vulnerability.
22:53At the calculated softness in his eyes.
22:55At the lipstick on his collar he hadn't bothered to wipe.
22:59You smell like her and you're in the wrong room.
23:02I turned my back to him and pulled the covers higher.
23:05He stood there for a long moment.
23:07Then he left.
23:09I didn't sleep.
23:10But I smiled in the dark.
23:12After that night, everything changed.
23:15Dante started coming home.
23:17Every night.
23:18On time.
23:19The roses began arriving at my office.
23:22Three dozen red ones.
23:23Every single day in crystal vases that cost more than my assistant's monthly salary.
23:29The cards all said the same thing.
23:31You're still mine.
23:33D.
23:33I sent them to the children's hospital downtown.
23:36Every last one.
23:37Day four brought a Cartier box.
23:40I left it unopened on my desk.
23:42Day five.
23:43White orcids.
23:44Day six.
23:45Pink peonies.
23:47Day seven.
23:48A pair of diamond earrings I recognized from a magazine spread Sienna had liked last month.
23:53My phone buzzed constantly.
23:55His name flashing over and over.
23:57I watched him refresh my Instagram like clockwork.
24:00Every hour on the hour.
24:02My fleed stayed empty.
24:03I met with my lawyer that afternoon.
24:06Rebecca Chan.
24:07The woman who'd buried three cozenembia marriages and walked away with the wives holding everything.
24:12He's getting desperate.
24:13That's good.
24:14Desperate men make mistakes.
24:16How long do I wait?
24:17Until he shows you exactly who he is.
24:20Then we take everything.
24:23That Saturday, I met Vivian at a private club downtown.
24:27Some new place the old families had bought into.
24:30Elena!
24:30Over here!
24:32I started toward her booth and froze.
24:35Dante was there.
24:36In a corner booth, half hidden by shadows.
24:38But I could see enough.
24:40His hand was tangled in Sienna's hair.
24:43Her body pressed against his chest.
24:46Their lips locked together.
24:47Not a stolen peck.
24:49But the kind of kiss that didn't care who was watching.
24:52The kind of kiss he used to give me.
25:00As if sensing my presence, Dante pulled back.
25:04His eyes found mine across the room.
25:06Panic flashed across his face.
25:08Naked.
25:09Unguarded.
25:10For the first time, Dante Moretti looked like a man who didn't know what to do next.
25:15He crossed the room in four strides.
25:17Wiping his mouth with the back of his hand.
25:21Elena.
25:23It's not what it looks like.
25:25We were playing truth or dare.
25:26Marco dared her to...
25:28Truth or dare, how very high school of you.
25:30Elena, I swear...
25:31Elena, please.
25:33Behind him, Sienna approached.
25:35Eyes glistening.
25:37Lips still swaying from his kiss.
25:39Her voice trembled.
25:41Perfectly pitched.
25:42Perfectly wounded.
25:44It was just a silly game.
25:47You have to believe me.
25:49There's nothing between us.
25:51I would never...
25:52She pressed a hand to her chest, then lifted her arm to dab at her tears.
25:57That's when I saw it.
25:59A tattoo on the inside of her wrist.
26:01A North Star.
26:03Delicate, precise, inked in fine black lines.
26:06My heart slammed against my ribs.
26:10Two months ago.
26:12Dante stepping out of the shower, water still beading on his skin.
26:16I traced my fingers across his chest and found it.
26:19A new tattoo.
26:20Just below his colosone.
26:22A North Star.
26:24What's this?
26:29Lost a bet with Marco.
26:30Don't make it weird.
26:32Now I understood.
26:34The same star.
26:35The same size.
26:37Inked where a lover's lips might linger.
26:40I looked at her wrist.
26:42Then at his face.
26:43He'd gone pale.
26:45His mouth opened.
26:46But nothing came out.
26:48Sienna's dried instantly.
26:51Her hand flew to cover the mark.
26:53Too late.
26:55I stepped forward.
26:56Took his hand in my left.
26:58Hers in my right.
26:59Their skin was warm against my cold palms.
27:02And pressed them together.
27:04True love deserves a witness.
27:07The one who isn't loved shouldn't stand in the way.
27:11I released them both.
27:14Pick a date.
27:16I'll send champagne.
27:17I turned toward the door.
27:19Elena!
27:20Wait!
27:21I kept walking.
27:28He caught up to me in the hallway, his hand closing around my elbow hard enough to bruise.
27:34His face had gone white, chest heaving.
27:38The tattoo.
27:39It's not what you think.
27:41I lost a bet with Marco.
27:43The whole crew got them.
27:45It doesn't mean anything.
27:46I swear to God.
27:47Dante.
27:48My voice was ice.
27:51Take a breath.
27:52You're being emotional.
27:54He flinched like I'd slapped him.
27:57Those were his words.
27:59The exact phrase he'd thrown at me a hundred times.
28:02When I cried over missed anniversaries.
28:05When I begged him to come home.
28:07When I asked why he smelled like another woman's perfume.
28:10Now, I watched those same words land on him like bullets.
28:15Whatever you need to say, it can wait until I'm done with my friends.
28:20Elena!
28:21We'll talk later.
28:23I walked into Vivian's booth without looking back.
28:26The next three hours were the most peaceful I'd had in months.
28:30Vivian didn't ask questions.
28:32She just ordered another bottle of Barolo and let me breathe.
28:35My phone, however, wouldn't stop.
28:39First came the practical ones.
28:41What time are you finishing?
28:42Then the softer play.
28:44Don't drink too much.
28:45Your stomach can't handle it.
28:47An hour later, another ping.
28:50I have your medication in the car.
28:53The one for your acid refresh.
28:55Then the patients cracked.
28:58Elena!
28:58Answer me!
29:00And finally, close to midnight.
29:02I am still here.
29:03I'll wait.
29:04I watched the messages pile up, read every single one, replied to none.
29:10The old Elena would have melted at this.
29:14Would have seen it as proof that he cared, that underneath the coldness and the other women,
29:19he still loved her.
29:21But I knew better now.
29:22This wasn't love.
29:24This was control.
29:25He couldn't stand that I'd walked away.
29:28Couldn't stand that for once, I hadn't begged.
29:31Vivian pulled out her phone and texted someone.
29:35Remember Julian, our buddy from law school?
29:37He heard we're being watched.
29:39Says he's nearby and can pick us up.
29:42Let's go.
29:43He's at the back door.
29:45We got to the back door.
29:46Julian saw me and gave me a hug.
29:48Hey Elena, long time no see.
29:50How've you been?
29:51Julian held the car door open for us.
29:53Just as I got in, my phone rang.
29:56His name filled the screen.
29:58Vivian raised an eyebrow.
29:59You going to get that?
30:01I let it ring four times, then answered.
30:04Bella, are you done?
30:05I'm outside.
30:06Let me take you home.
30:07I already left.
30:09What?
30:09A friend gave me a ride.
30:11I'm almost home.
30:12What friend?
30:13Vivian's still at the club.
30:14I saw her car in the lot.
30:16Of course he knew exactly where Vivian's car was parked.
30:20Probably had one of his soldiers watching the entrance all night.
30:23Not Vivian.
30:25Right on cue, Julian's voice drifted from the driver's seat.
30:29Elena, you want me to stop for coffee?
30:31There's a place on...
30:32He stopped when he saw me holding up the phone.
30:35I switched to speaker.
30:36Julian, say hi to my husband.
30:38A beat of silence.
30:40Then Julian, who'd known me since law school, who had absolutely no idea what he'd just walked
30:46into, laughed awkwardly.
30:48Uh, hey man.
30:50Nice to meet you.
30:51I mean, not meet you, but you know what I mean.
30:55The line went so quiet I thought that Dante had hung up.
30:58Then I heard it.
31:00His breathing, slow at first, then heavier, faster.
31:05The sound of a man trying very hard not to lose control.
31:10Elena!
31:11Who the fuck is that?
31:12An old friend from school.
31:14He offered to drive me home.
31:16At midnight.
31:18It's not that late.
31:19Elena!
31:21I'm tired, Dante.
31:22We'll talk tomorrow.
31:23I hung up before he could respond.
31:26Julian glanced at me sideways as he pulled onto the freeway.
31:30So, that was intense.
31:32Everything okay?
31:34Perfect.
31:34My phone lit up again.
31:36And again.
31:37And again.
31:38I turned it face down on my lap and watched the city lights blur past the window.
31:43For eight years, I jumped every Twem Dante called.
31:46Rearranged my entire life around his schedule, his moods, his needs.
31:51Tonight, I let him wait.
31:53Let him wonder.
31:54My phone buzz again.
31:56I didn't look.
31:58But I could feel it.
31:59Even through the silence, even across the miles, his fury rising.
32:04His hands white-knuckle around his phone, his mind spinning with every terrible possibility.
32:11Good.
32:11Let him feel it.
32:12Let him burn.
32:20I spent the night at Vivian's.
32:23Her guest room smelled like lavender and clean linen.
32:26Nothing like the suffocating tuberose that had seeped into every corner of my own home.
32:31I slept deeper than I had in months.
32:35The next morning, I woke to 17 missed calls and a text from Dante.
32:40I know you're at Vivian's.
32:42I'm outside.
32:43Come down.
32:44I stared at the screen, still half asleep.
32:47Then I typed back.
32:48How long have you been sitting there?
32:51Three dots appeared.
32:53Disappeared.
32:54Appeared again.
32:55Since 6 a.m.
32:57We need to talk.
32:59I'm taking you home.
33:01Vivian poked her head into the room, holding two cups of coffee.
33:07He's really out there.
33:09Black Maserati?
33:10Hasn't moved in an hour.
33:12You want me to call someone?
33:13Have him towed?
33:15No.
33:16I'll handle it.
33:20The morning air was crisp when I stepped outside.
33:24Dante was leaning against his car, arms crossed, jaw tight.
33:28He looked like he hadn't slept.
33:31Shirt wrinkled, struggle darkening his jaw.
33:34Shadows carved deep beneath his eyes.
33:42Elena.
33:44He pushed off the car, reaching for me.
33:47His fingers grazed my elbow.
33:49That old, possessive grip.
33:51Softer now.
33:53Almost careful.
33:55Get in.
33:57We need to talk.
33:59I didn't argue.
34:00I slipped into the passenger seat.
34:02And stopped.
34:04Something was on the floor.
34:05A flash of red against the black leather.
34:08Lingere.
34:09A red lace bra, delicate and expensive, half shoved under the seat.
34:15The kind of thing a woman only forgot when she wanted it to be found.
34:19Sienna's size.
34:21Sienna's taste.
34:23Dante's eyes followed mine.
34:25His face drained of color.
34:28She was drunk last night, after you left.
34:31She got sick in the car.
34:33I had to drive her home.
34:35She must have...
34:37I don't know how that got there.
34:38It doesn't mean anything.
34:40Dante.
34:41He stopped.
34:41I fastened my seatbelt.
34:44My hands were steady.
34:45My voice was flat.
34:47I told you.
34:49I don't care.
34:51Elena.
34:52I swear to God, nothing happened.
34:55Drive.
34:56He stared at me for a long moment.
34:59Then he put the car in gear and pulled onto the street.
35:04The red lace stayed where it was.
35:06Neither of us touched it.
35:14The silence lasted three blocks.
35:18I made dinner.
35:20Last night.
35:21After you...
35:23After the club.
35:24I went home and cooked.
35:27It's still there.
35:29In the fridge.
35:30I thought maybe...
35:32When...
35:33When we get back,
35:34you could try it.
35:36His voice was almost tentative.
35:39Hopeful.
35:40I'd never heard him sound like that before.
35:43We pulled into the driveway.
35:46The moment we stepped inside, Dante disappeared into the kitchen.
35:51We pulled into the driveway.
35:54The moment we stepped inside, Dante disappeared into the kitchen.
35:58I heard him giving orders to the housekeeper in a low voice.
36:01A minute later, he emerged carrying a plate like it was a peace offering.
36:07Sit.
36:08I made this for you.
36:10Last night.
36:11He said it on the dining table.
36:13The pasta was a disaster.
36:15Dante pulled out a chair for me, then stood there.
36:19Waiting.
36:20Watching.
36:21His eyes tracked my every movement.
36:24I called your mother.
36:26Asked her for the recipe.
36:27She talked me through it step by step.
36:29I know it's not perfect, but...
36:32The memory slammed into me without warning.
36:36Two years ago.
36:38A late night at our place.
36:40Dante had brought his crew over for an emergency sit-down.
36:43Some deal gone sideways.
36:46Soldiers needing orders.
36:47I'd stayed up and made them food.
36:50Nothing fancy.
36:52Sandwiches, coffee, and heart-shaped fried eggs because I'd thought it was cute.
36:57Because I'd thought he might smile.
36:58He didn't smile.
37:00He'd stared at the plate, lip curling.
37:03The fuck is this?
37:04Did you make these for a child?
37:05I'm not eating this shit in front of my men!
37:09Sienna, who'd arrived unvidered, as always, covered her laugh with a fake cough.
37:15Dante picked up the plate and whistled for her dog.
37:20Here, boy.
37:21At least someone will eat it.
37:23He'd scrape my eggs into the dog's bowl without looking at me.
37:26Later, after everyone left, he'd found me crying in the kitchen.
37:32Jesus, Elena.
37:34It was a joke.
37:35Stop being so dramatic.
37:36He'd sighed, annoyed, like my tears were an inconvenience.
37:41I looked at the pasta now, at his hopeful, waiting face.
37:47Then I picked up the plate.
37:51Elena, what do you think?
37:53I know it's...
37:54I turned the bowl over and dumped the entire thing onto his lap.
37:57The sauce was still warm.
37:59He shot up with a yell.
38:01Cream and noodles slid on his thighs, downing splattering onto the floor.
38:06What the fuck?
38:10You know, if you hadn't told me what it was, I would have thought you scooped it out of a
38:15dog bowl.
38:16He stared at me, sauce dripping down his pants, pasta clinging to his shirt.
38:21His mouth opened, closed, opened again, but nothing came out.
38:27I grabbed a dish towel and tossed it at his chest.
38:31Clean yourself up.
38:32You look pathetic.
38:33I was halfway to the bedroom when his phone buzzed on the counter.
38:38We both froze.
38:39The screen lit up.
38:41A name flashed across it.
38:43Bright and unmistakable.
38:45Sienna.
38:45Dante didn't move.
38:47Didn't breathe.
38:48I looked at the phone, then at him.
38:51Better answer that.
38:52Sounds urgent.
38:58Sienna's voice messages came in rapid fire,
39:01each one more hysterical than the last.
39:03Dante, please.
39:05The elevator stopped.
39:06I can't breathe.
39:07The walls are closing in.
39:09I'm going to pass out.
39:10You're the only one with the master access card.
39:12Please.
39:13Dante listened with his jaw tight, phone pressed to his ear.
39:17When the last message ended, he turned to me.
39:20I have to go.
39:22She's trapped in the freight elevator at headquarters.
39:24I'm the only one who can override the system.
39:26I said nothing.
39:27He stepped closer.
39:28And for the first time in weeks, his hand found my shoulder.
39:32Gentle.
39:32Almost tender.
39:33His thumb brushed against my collarbone.
39:36Come with me.
39:37Elena, please.
39:39We'll handle this together.
39:40And then I'll take you to that Kaiseki place you've been wanting to try.
39:43The one with the three-month wait lists.
39:45Whatever you want.
39:46Just come with me.
39:48Sweetheart, please.
39:50Don't be angry anymore.
39:51Don't misunderstand me.
39:52I swallowed my irritation and stood before he could touch me again.
39:56I forced a smile and nodded.
39:59Okay.
40:00You go first.
40:01Put on some makeup.
40:03Give me 20 minutes.
40:04He let out a long breath.
40:06The tension draining from his shoulders.
40:08A grin spread across his face.
40:11So open.
40:11So relieved.
40:13I'll be back the second I'm done.
40:15We'll have the whole night.
40:16Then he rushed out to save Sienna.
40:18Practically sprinting toward the emergency stairwell.
40:22The moment he was gone, I picked up my phone and called Rebecca.
40:25The asset division documents.
40:27Are they ready?
40:28Signed, sealed, and waiting for your word.
40:31Send them to his work email.
40:33Tonight.
40:34Elena, once this goes out, I know.
40:37I hung up.
40:38The next hour moved like clockwork.
40:41I packed his clothes into two suitcases.
40:44Suits, shoes, watches, everything that smelled like him.
40:49I deleted his fingerprint from the smart lock.
40:52Changed the entry code.
40:54Removed his name from the security system.
40:56I left the suitcases by the door.
40:59Then I sat down at my laptop and attached the divorce papers to an email.
41:03No message.
41:04No message.
41:06Just the documents that would end eight years of marriage.
41:09I hit send.
41:11Dante came back at 11.
41:13I was already in bed, lights off, noise cancelling earbeds in.
41:17I heard the distant sound of him, him trying the door.
41:20Once.
41:21Twice.
41:21Then harder.
41:23Then the pounding started.
41:27Elena, open the door!
41:29What the hell is going on?
41:31I pulled the covers higher and closed my eyes.
41:34The pounding continued.
41:36At some point, I heard him on the phone.
41:39Shouting at someone, probably Marco.
41:41Demanding they bring a locksmith, a battering rod, whatever it took.
41:45I called the building security.
41:47Reported a disturbance.
41:49Requested they handle it.
41:51Then I put my earbuds back in and slept better than I had in years.
41:56The next month passed like a fever breaking.
42:00Dante's Instagram came alive.
42:02Photos of private jets, champagne towers.
42:05Parties I wasn't invited to.
42:07Him surrounded by beautiful people in beautiful places.
42:11Smiling like a man without a care in the world.
42:14I knew what it was.
42:15Performance.
42:16Provocation.
42:17A desperate attempt to make me jealous, make me react, make me feel something.
42:22I didn't.
42:22I poured everything into my work instead.
42:25Stayed late.
42:26Came in early.
42:27Took on projects no one else wanted.
42:29My boss noticed.
42:31The executives noticed.
42:32By the end of the month, I was promoted to department head.
42:36The afternoon the announcement went out, Vivian insisted on celebrating.
42:41There's this new French patisserie downtown.
42:43The chef trained under some famous guy in Paris.
42:46We're going.
42:47The place was small and elegant.
42:49White marble counters.
42:51Gold accents.
42:52The smell of butter and sugar hanging in the air.
42:55We pushed through the glass door, laughing about something stupid.
42:58And then I stopped.
43:00Dante was there.
43:01Standing at the counter.
43:03Wallet in hand.
43:04Mid-transaction.
43:06Sienna beside him.
43:07Her arm looped through his, like she belonged there.
43:11Four sets of eyes met.
43:13The laughter died in my throat.
43:15Dante's face shifted.
43:17Surprise.
43:18Then something darker.
43:20Hungrier.
43:21He took a step toward me.
43:24Elena.
43:32Dante moved before I could react.
43:34His hand closed around my wrist.
43:37Not gentle.
43:38Not asking and pulled me toward him with the kind of force he usually reserved for men who owed him
43:43money.
43:43We need to talk.
43:45Now.
43:46Let go of me.
43:47Not until you listen.
43:48She said let go.
43:50Julian's voice cut through the tension like a blade.
43:53He stepped out from behind a display case.
43:56Vivian right beside him.
43:57Both of them moving to flank me.
43:59Dante's grip tightened.
44:00His eyes locked onto Julian.
44:03Taking in his height.
44:04His build.
44:05The protective way he'd positioned himself.
44:07Who the fuck are you?
44:09A friend.
44:10And you're hurting her.
44:12The patisserie had gone silent.
44:14Customers frozen mid-bite.
44:16The woman behind the counter pressing herself against the back wall.
44:20Then Sienna's voice shattered the stillness.
44:23Oh my god!
44:26Dante!
44:28Look at this!
44:29I knew it!
44:30I knew she was a whore!
44:32You're not even divorced yet and you're already parading around with another man?
44:35She stepped closer, burgundy nails flashing as she gestured.
44:38How pathetic can you get, Elena?
44:41At least have some dignity!
44:43The crack of Dante's fist against Julian's jaw echoed through the shop.
44:48Julian staggered back, catching himself on a display table.
44:52Blood bloomed at the corner of his mouth.
44:54Don't you ever touch what's mine!
44:58Julian straightened, slowly.
45:00He didn't raise his fists.
45:02Didn't back away.
45:04He just moved one calm step to the side and placed himself directly between Don Dante and me.
45:10Something inside me snapped.
45:11I walked around Julian, stepped up to my husband, this man I'd loved for eight years.
45:17This man who'd locked me in a car, who'd worn another woman's perfume to my bed, who'd fed my cooking
45:24to a dog, and I slapped him so hard my palm went numb.
45:30Dante's head snapped to the side.
45:32When he turned back, his eyes were wet, red-rimmed.
45:36His voice cracked like something breaking.
45:39I'm your husband.
45:41You hit me for a stranger?
45:44Sienna wasn't wrong.
45:45I do admire Julian.
45:47That's why I won't let you touch him.
45:50I reached back without looking.
45:52Found Julian's hand.
45:54Laced my fingers through his.
45:56The gesture was deliberate.
45:58Public.
45:59Final.
45:59Dante made a sound I'd never heard before.
46:02Something between a gasp or a groan.
46:04And then he turned and shoved Sienna so hard she hit the ground.
46:09Her designer bag scattered across the marble floor.
46:12Her shocked cry echoed off the walls.
46:15He didn't even glance at her.
46:17Elena.
46:18I get it.
46:19I finally understand what you felt.
46:22All those times I...
46:23I'll spend the rest of my life making it up to you.
46:26Please.
46:28Come home with me.
46:29I almost laughed.
46:31If I don't see signed divorce papers in my ampox by noon tomorrow, my lawyer files with the court.
46:37I turned and walked toward the door.
46:39Julian and Vivian falling into step beside me.
46:42Behind us, I heard Sienna sobbing.
46:45Heard Dante calling my name.
46:46Once, twice, three times.
46:50Each one more ragged than the last.
46:52I didn't look back.
46:53The cafe across the street became our refuge.
46:57Julian pressed a napkin filled with ice to his split lip while Vivian ordered three glasses of wine.
47:02I owe you an apology for dragging you into this.
47:06Julian shrugged, wincing slightly.
47:09I've had worse first impressions.
47:11He could have killed you.
47:12He's killed people for less.
47:14I know who he is.
47:16I knew who he was when I offered to drive you home last night.
47:19Something shifted in the air between us.
47:21There's an art exhibition next weekend.
47:24Contemporary photography.
47:26I have an extra ticket, if you're interested.
47:29Vivian's eyebrows shot up.
47:30I felt the weight of the question underneath the invitation.
47:35Across the street, Dante's Maserati peeled away from the REM.
47:39Sienna wasn't in it.
47:42I watched the taillights disappear.
47:44Then I looked at Julian.
47:46At his kind eyes, his steady presence.
47:49The blood still drying on his lip.
47:51And I nodded.
47:52I'd like that.
47:55The next day, noon came and went.
47:58My inbox stayed empty.
48:00I called Rebecca 1203.
48:02File it.
48:04Everything.
48:05The petition, the asset claims, all of it.
48:08Are you sure?
48:09Once we submit.
48:11I'm sure.
48:13Consider it done.
48:14I hung up and looked out my office window at the city below.
48:18Somewhere out there, Dante Morecci was learning that some doors once closed, don't open again.
48:24No matter how hard you pound.
48:34Two weeks later, I went home.
48:37Not to the penthouse I'd shared with Dante.
48:39Home.
48:40The Castorone estate in wine country.
48:43Rolling hills, ancient oaks.
48:45The house where my grandmother had taught me to make pasta before Arthrita stole her hands.
48:49My father had called a family gathering.
48:51Something about estate planning, he'd said.
48:54But I knew the truth.
48:56The news had spread.
48:57The divorce filing.
48:59The scene at the patisserie.
49:01The moretti don brought low by his own wife.
49:04Papa wanted to see for himself that I was okay.
49:07I arrived on a Thursday evening, just as the sun was setting over the vineyards.
49:11My mother met me at the door with tears in her eyes and a glass of Barono in each hand.
49:16My brave girl.
49:17My brave, brave girl.
49:18She whispered, pulling me close.
49:20The next morning, Dante's black Maserati appeared on the dirt road at the edge of our property.
49:26I saw it from my bedroom window.
49:29Saw him step out.
49:30Still wearing yesterday's suit.
49:33Shadows carved deep beneath his eyes.
49:35He stood there at the gate, waiting.
49:37I found my father in his studier, cleaning the hunting rifle he kept above the fireplace.
49:41There's something I need to say.
49:42To everyone.
49:4320 minutes later, I stood in the main hall, facing my parents, my uncles, my cousins, every Castellani who mattered.
49:50If anyone lets that man through our gates under the title of my husband, I will consider it a betrayal.
49:55And I will cut ties.
49:57Immediately.
49:58Permanently.
50:00My father's jaw tightened.
50:02My mother reached for his hand.
50:04No one argued.
50:05Dante stayed.
50:06He stood outside our gates for three days.
50:09In the rain that started on the second night and didn't stop.
50:13In the mud that rose to his ankles.
50:16In the cold that turned his lips blue and his hands to claws.
50:19He slept in his car when exhaustion took him.
50:22Pounded on the gate when it didn't.
50:24Called my name until his voice gave out.
50:27No one answered.
50:28No one acknowledged.
50:30As far as the Castellano family was concerned, Dante Morella did not exist.
50:34On the third night, our neighbor found him collapsed on the road to town.
50:38Fever of 104.
50:40Barely conscious.
50:41They brought him to our guest house because there was nowhere else.
50:44Because even enemies deserve a bed when they're dying.
50:48I went to see him that night.
50:49He was awake when I entered.
50:52Barely.
50:53His eyes, when they found mine, were glassy with fever.
50:57Elena.
50:58I fired Sienna.
51:00Blocked her on everything.
51:01I swear.
51:02Your fever broke an hour ago.
51:05If you're still too weak to drive tomorrow, call your driver.
51:09I turned to leave.
51:10His hand shrat out, weak, trembling, and caught my wrist.
51:14Sienna doesn't matter.
51:15Tell me what to do.
51:17Anything.
51:18I'll do anything.
51:20I looked at him.
51:21At this man who'd humiliated me at our own wedding rehearsal.
51:25Who'd seated my parents at a separate venue and pretended not to know.
51:29Who'd called me an idiot when I lost our baby and told me I'd brought it on myself.
51:35Sienna was never the problem, Dante.
51:39Then what?
51:40You are.
51:41You disgust me.
51:43Every cell of you.
51:44Every memory.
51:45Something shattered behind his eyes.
51:47Struggling to sit up.
51:48He said suddenly.
51:49The tattoo.
51:50His hand fumbled toward the nightstand.
51:53Toward the fruit knife my mother had left beside a peeled apple.
51:57I'll prove it.
51:58I'll prove I'm serious.
51:59The North Star inked below and started cutting.
52:02Blood welled up.
52:03Poured down.
52:04He didn't stop.
52:06Didn't flinch.
52:07Just kept carving until the tattoo was nothing but raw, ruined flesh.
52:11Then he slid off the bed and crawled to my feet.
52:14Knelt there in his own blood.
52:15Shaking.
52:16Broken.
52:17Please don't leave me.
52:18I looked down at him and felt nothing.
52:20If you want to bleed out, call 911 yourself.
52:23Just don't die in my house.
52:25It's bad luck.
52:26I walked out without looking back.
52:28He left before dawn.
52:30At 10.29am, my phone rang.
52:33Unknown number.
52:35Mrs. Maradi, this is County General.
52:37Your husband was in a serious accident on the interstate.
52:40He's in critical condition.
52:41We need you here immediately.
52:42I stood at the window, watching the rain pound against the glass.
52:46The night I lost our baby, I'd called 911 through blinding pain.
52:51Then I'd called him.
52:53He was at a party.
52:55See enough in the background.
52:57And when I told him I'd never felt anything like this, he'd slurred.
53:00Jesus, Alana, it's a stomach ache.
53:03Stop being so dramatic.
53:04I'm busy.
53:06He hung up.
53:07I woke up in the hospital alone.
53:10Found out I'd been pregnant.
53:12Found out I wasn't anymore.
53:14Two babies I'd lost for him.
53:16And after that, no matter how many times we tried, my body never quickened again.
53:22Maybe fate had made its choice long before I made mine.
53:26Mrs. Moretti, are you there?
53:28He's asking for you.
53:30I'm sorry.
53:31You have the wrong number.
53:33I hung up.
53:35One year later, I stood outside the courthouse with Rebecca,
53:39watching the divorce-a-raked finalize on our phones.
53:42Dante was there.
53:44Across the plaza.
53:45In a wheelchair now.
53:47The accident had taken his legs, or most of their function.
53:51His face was gone.
53:53Gray.
53:54He looked like a ghost of the man he'd been.
53:57He stared at me.
53:59I felt it like a physical weight.
54:01I didn't look back.
54:03So, where should we go to celebrate?
54:05That new Italian place on 5th?
54:07I was thinking sushi, actually.
54:10We were debating the merits of Omokasa when something brushed against my ankle.
54:15A cat.
54:16Snow white, skinny, with eyes like sea glass.
54:20It meawed up at me.
54:22Clear, bright, unafraid.
54:24They say white cats bring luck.
54:26I bent down.
54:28The cat let me pick her up, settling into my arms like she'd always belonged there.
54:33From today on.
54:34Your name is Hope.
54:36Hope looked up at me.
54:37Then she meowed.
54:39Loud, clear, full of life.
54:41I carried her to the car without once glancing at the broken man in the wheelchair behind me.
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