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Court Métrage
Enjoy addictive short dramas packed with romance, betrayal, revenge, emotional moments, and shocking plot twists.
From billionaire love stories to hidden identities and dramatic relationships, Drama Royale delivers nonstop entertainment with fast-paced storytelling and unforgettable characters.
🔥 Viral Shorts Drama
💔 Romance & Heartbreak
⚡ Unexpected Plot Twists
🎭 Emotional Drama Series
New episodes uploaded regularly. Subscribe and enjoy the world of short drama entertainment with Drama Royale
#ShortDrama #DramaSeries
Catégorie
🎥
Court Métrage
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TVTranscription
00:02The year I turned 18, I was drugged at a family event, and stumbled into my stepbrother Dante
00:07Marchetti's room. He'd been set up too. He lost control. All I remember is the pain.
00:12After that night, I was carrying his child. That was after the Marchettis learned the
00:17truth. Ten years. It took them ten years to realize that the day they adopted me, the
00:21biological daughter they'd been searching for was right there too. Ten years ago, five-year-old
00:26me smiled at Dante. So he chose me, not his own sister. The wrong choice. Without question.
00:31So he hated me. Couldn't stand me. Couldn't stand the child growing inside me. That day,
00:36I took his hand and placed it on my belly. Thought he'd want to feel it. He yanked it back,
00:41like he'd touched something filthy. You know what? You made me sick. You stole my sister's
00:46life. Why didn't you die instead? After that, he never looked at me again. One night, they
00:52came. They dragged me off the bed. A gun pressed to my temple. A boot stomped down on my belly.
00:57Tell Dante Marcheia this is for what his father did to our family.
01:02I couldn't stop the bleeding. Just as Dante wished. My baby died, and so did I, before my
01:07eyes closed. I looked back on this life. From five to fifteen, I was truly happy. The Marchettis
01:12treated me like their own daughter. We were like a normal, happy family. If you didn't think
01:16about why the study door was always locked, didn't count the strangers slipping in and out the
01:20back door late at night. And Dante, he had always been my knight. We weren't even in
01:23the same grade. He still took me to school and picked me up every day. In school, no
01:27one dared say a single bad word to me, because Dante Marchetti walked beside me. He had blood
01:32on his hands. Everyone said so, but he never made me feel afraid. Once, I had a fever. I
01:37woke up in the middle of the night and found him asleep on the floor beside my bed, still
01:41clutching a damp towel. I fell for him so easily. Then one day, everything changed. Dante wasn't
01:46the Dante I loved anymore. After that night, he hated me even more. Before I died, I wasn't
01:50afraid. Not even a little, I even thought. It wasn't so bad. Somehow, I opened my eyes
01:55again. I was back, to the day they came to the group home.
02:03Nola, what are you doing back here? Miss Linda scooped me off the fire escape.
02:08Mrs. Linda, I don't want to go. She smoothed my hair down, tucked a strand behind my ear.
02:14Silly girl, it's the Marchettis. If they pick you, you'll finally have a real home,
02:18sweetheart. Just smile, okay? That's all you have to do. Just one smile.
02:24One smile. I thought of Dante's eyes in my past life. Cold. Hateful. The moment that black
02:31escalade pulled up. I hid in the storage room. I don't know how long I was in there. At some
02:36point, I fell asleep. By the time they found me, the Marchettis had already left. They didn't
02:42end up choosing anyone. I didn't know why. Didn't care either. That night, I lay in bed.
02:47Three other kids shared the room with me, just like me. No family. I didn't know who the Marchettis'
02:52biological daughter was. But in my past life, I'd overheard it from one of Miss Linda's
02:55phone calls. The Marchettis believed she was here. Kidnapped at two years old. Passed through
02:59the system for years. They've been searching ever since. I didn't want anything to do with
03:02the Marchetti family. But in my past life, the first ten years with them, the Marchettis and
03:07Dante were all so good to me. If in this life, their real daughter could find her way back
03:11to them, we'd be even. But before I could do anything about it, the Marchettis came
03:15back a second time. All the girls around five or six were lined up for a DNA test. A cotton
03:20swab along the inside of the cheek dropped into a vial labeled 10 seconds. That's all
03:25it took. This never happened in my past life. When I walked out after the test, I saw Dante
03:29coming toward me. Expression cold. Something stirred in my chest. Word was, this DNA test was
03:35requested by the young heir of the Marchetti family. Could it be, had Dante been reborn
03:38too? I lowered my head and stepped aside. Dante paused in front of me. Even at eight years
03:45old, there was something about him. A pressure that made you not want to get too close. The
03:50next day, the girl sleeping across from me, Sarah, was gone. Sarah barely talked. She
03:55cried all the time. A total crybaby. Turns out, she was the Marchettis' biological daughter.
04:01Two days later, the Marchettis came back again. This time, they said they wanted to
04:05adopt a girl to keep their daughter company. And this time, I didn't hide. All of us,
04:09myself included, lined up in a row, waiting for the Marchettis to come pick. The first
04:13one out of the car was the Marchettis' little girl. The crybaby who used to cry over everything,
04:18now treated like a princess by everyone around her. Dante carried her the whole way, only set
04:23her down when they reached us. Sarah had this scent around her I couldn't quite name. Not
04:27perfume. More like a warmth. The Marchetti warmth. The smell of money. Dry cleaning.
04:32Leather seats. A bunch of kids rushed up to her. Eyes bright with excitement. We were
04:38all young. But group home kids learn early. You learn to read adults. You learn to read
04:42a room. Everyone knew. If you got to leave with Sarah today, you'd get to wear pretty
04:46dresses like hers. Live in a big house. Have your own room. All eyes were on Sarah. But
04:51for some reason, she stopped right in front of me. My stomach dropped. Before I even realized
04:55what I was doing, I shoved Sarah away. Sarah! Nola!
05:01That day, Ms. Linda made me stay in my room for three hours. As punishment, I thought there
05:06was no way the Marchettis would still want me after what I did. But three days later, I
05:11was sitting in that black escalade. Ms. Linda said the Marchetti family had filed for my foster
05:16placement. The paperwork was already done. I froze. But it was settled. All I could do was
05:22accept it. At least Sarah was easy to get along with. And the Marchettis, just like the first
05:28ten years of my past life, were kind to me. The coldest one in the house was Dante. He
05:34barely spoke to me. But sometimes, I'd catch him watching me in silence. Something complicated
05:38in his eyes. I didn't want to get into it. A few days later, after dinner, I heard Dante
05:43bring something up.
05:45Dad, the furnace at the group home is ancient. It breaks down every winter. Why don't we get
05:49them a new one? I stiffened. The truth was, I'd been thinking about the same thing for days.
05:54How to keep the group home from the disaster. In my last life. The group home caught fire. An old
05:59space heater short-circuited in the middle of the night. Those heaters were all second-hand
06:03donations. Used for God knows how many years. And those kids were so young. Five, six years old.
06:09They couldn't smell the smoke. Couldn't wake themselves up. Couldn't get out.
06:14Right. That's on me. They looked after Sarah for years. We owe them.
06:20I knew what owe meant in the Marchetti world. From now on, that group home was under Marchetti
06:27protection. The Marchettis replaced the group home's entire furnace and donated a large sum
06:32on top of it. I didn't expect Dante to do something like that. I still kept my distance from him.
06:37But honestly, I was grateful. Setting aside everything between us from the past, Dante's
06:42rebirth had genuinely saved a lot of people from a terrible fate. In the blink of an eye,
06:48Sarah and I were both old enough for high school. Dante was still in college, but he'd already
06:53started handling family business. He and I barely crossed paths. I kept my distance on purpose,
06:57and Dante was just as cold toward me as ever. The contrast with how he treated Sarah couldn't
07:03have been more obvious. I knew the deal. The Marchettis adopted me to keep Sarah company.
07:07That was always the point. So for all those years, school and Sarah, that was my life. When everyone
07:12found out I wanted to transfer from St. Ignatius to a public high school, the Marchettis, even Dante,
07:17looked at me like I'd lost my mind. Nora, why would you want to transfer to public school?
07:21No one from the family will be there to look out for you. Outside Marchetti territory, no one would know
07:26who I was. No one would care. But I didn't want to stay. In this life, I wanted to live
07:31my own life.
07:31The Marchettis tried to talk me out of it. I didn't budge. Dante, who hadn't said a word the entire
07:35time,
07:36spoke up. Let her go. The living room went silent for two seconds. No one argued after that. One night
07:41during finals, I stayed at the library studying until almost 11. When I came out, the school gate
07:46was deserted. November night, wind cutting hard. I hunched my shoulders and walked along the sidewalk,
07:50passing in and out of pools of streetlight. The neighborhood around a public school was nothing
07:54like Long Island. No Marchetti people. No iron gates. No surveillance cameras. No Dante. My phone rang.
08:00It was Dante. I hesitated. Picked up anyway. Where are you? His voice was low. I didn't answer.
08:07You're just now heading home? Yeah. Where exactly? I looked up. Outside the bodega near school.
08:17Don't move. I'm coming to get you. You don't have to. I can- He hung up. Ten minutes later,
08:22a black escalade turned the corner. He didn't kill the engine. Just rolled down the window and looked
08:26at me. I got in the passenger seat. The smell of tobacco and woody cologne filled the air. Dante's
08:31scent. I was trying to clear my mind. Dante suddenly moved closer to me. I was startled
08:36and instinctively flinched backward. He didn't say anything. He just glanced at me, buckled
08:40my seatbelt. Silence. Then he suddenly spoke up. You afraid of me?
08:47In my past life, this was when the truth came out. That Sarah had been at the group home
08:53all along. I was at St. Ignatius back then. Those family kids knew exactly which side to
08:58be on. My locker got wide open. My things tossed in the trash. Some girl threw milk on
09:04me. There was even an anonymous account making up stories about me. After that night with Dante,
09:09Dante. Even the Marchettis started looking at me differently. Streetlights flickered past
09:14the passenger window. I pulled myself out of those memories. The car had already turned
09:18into the Long Island neighborhood. Dante's profile shifted between light and shadow under the
09:23passing street lamps. There was a faint scent in the car. Tobacco and woody cologne. I shouldn't
09:28have cared. But there it was. The car pulled into the garage. He killed the engine. Neither
09:34of us got out first. I stared at the time on the dashboard. 11.47. A few seconds later,
09:39he pulled the key, pushed open his door, and got out. I followed behind two, three steps
09:45back through the Marchetti front door. After that, I buried myself in schoolwork. Sarah's
09:51college was already set. The Marchettis had arranged a school in England for her. All
09:55she had to do was graduate before summer break. Sarah made plans to go to Europe with friends.
10:02Noah, I thought you'd finally hang out with me. Why are you doing a summer program? I smiled.
10:07It's just how it is. But I haven't spent time with you in forever. Sarah looked hurt. Before
10:13high school, we were practically inseparable. It's fine. Just send me pictures of everything,
10:18the fun stuff, the good food. It'll be like I'm there too. I meant it. I wanted to go,
10:23but I couldn't. I wasn't smart enough. I was giving everything I had just to keep my GPA looking good.
10:28And even then, compared to kids with private tutors, legacy admissions, and resumes packed with
10:34extracurriculars, I was still miles behind. If I was going to make it on my own, I wasn't doing
10:39enough. Not even close. After Sarah left, I started spending every day after school in the library
10:47until the staff kicked me out. Library's closed. Then I'd walk to the McDonald's on the corner,
10:52order a coffee, and sit there until late. Gianna wasn't happy at first about me coming home so late,
10:58but eventually she didn't say anything. Senior year, spring break, a whole week off.
11:02Sarah came to pick me up from school. I thought it'd just be her, but when I walked out, I
11:07saw the
11:07black Escalade parked by the curb, Dante in the driver's seat. I noticed a bunch of girls on the
11:11steps glancing that way. I thought of how Gianna always said, after all these years, Dante still
11:16hadn't brought a single girl home. Maybe he's gay. Every time she said that, Sarah would laugh and
11:21volunteer to find Dante a boyfriend. I raised the book in my hands a little higher, about to slip past,
11:26but Sarah had already spotted me. Nola! She shoved the car door open and grabbed my arm.
11:32Didn't you recognize Dante's car?
11:35We're right here. She pushed me into the back seat. Dante, I want to go to that new steakhouse.
11:41When we got there, Dante gave a name. The hostess led us straight to a window table.
11:46Nola, what do you want to eat?
11:48Anything's fine. I shifted in my seat. A little uneasy, Sarah was about to order the
11:52Cajun ribeye and the spicy shrimp appetizer, but Dante changed it, switched it to mushroom soup
11:57and herb-crusted filet. I quietly exhaled. My stomach had been bad lately, even though I tried
12:03to eat on time every day. When the pain hit, it was brutal. After dinner, we drove back to Long
12:11Island.
12:11My stomach was getting worse. I dug out the Pepto and took two. It kicked in pretty fast.
12:16Soon, I could read again. I pushed through the rest of spring break, trying to finish a paper due
12:21right after. Used every last bit of energy I had. When I got home, I crashed. Slept straight through
12:26to the next day. Probably went too long without eating. The stomach pain woke me up. I was about
12:31to go find something to eat. The second I opened the door, I saw Dante leaning against the hallway
12:35wall. We both froze. He looked away. Mom says come down and eat. His voice was flat. I nodded.
12:40Okay. We walked downstairs. Nora, you're seriously amazing. Sarah pushed a sandwich she'd made
12:46herself right in front of me. We all see how hard you've been working. You will get everything
12:50you want. I know it. April. College offers started rolling in. Sarah ordered the entire family to be
12:56there when my results came out, including Dante. I sat on the living room couch, opened my laptop,
13:01and logged into the application portal. The page loaded for two seconds. Congratulations.
13:06Oh my god! No! Sarah screamed and threw herself at me, wrapping me in a hug. My hands were shaking
13:12as I reached up and hugged her back. But my decision took them all by surprise.
13:17I got offers from several schools. East coast. West coast. I chose San Francisco. Five hour
13:23flight from New York. Not that far. But far enough. Far enough that I wouldn't be breathing
13:26Marchetti air every single day. If he was in New York, then I'd go west. Gianna wasn't happy
13:31about it. Almost backed out of the graduation trip we'd already planned. In the end, Sarah talked
13:34her mom into it again. Sarah, she's so nice. She didn't always understand me, but she always
13:39respected my choices. More than once, I felt grateful to Dante. Grateful that in this life,
13:44he'd brought Sarah back to us as soon as he could. April. Prom season. The hallways were
13:47full of promposals. Balloons. Spray paint in the parking lot. Handmade posters blocking
13:52classroom doors. Within one week, three different guys asked me to be their prom date. One did
13:56it at lunch, in front of the entire cafeteria. One slipped a note into my locker. One sent a
14:00friend to ask on his behalf. I turned them all down. After that, Sarah and I went to Europe
14:04together. A trip that belonged to just the two of us. When we got back, I made one more stop.
14:08The group home, where I grew up. Ms. Linda still remembered me. When she heard I'd gotten
14:13into college, her eyes welled up. Good. Good sweetheart. Once she pulled herself together,
14:20she asked if the Marchetti family had been good to me. Yeah. Really good. This time around,
14:25I wasn't going to let myself fall into tragedy again. The night Sarah flew to England, I packed
14:30my bags too. Gianna couldn't understand why I wanted to go to school so early. That evening,
14:34I passed by Gianna's room. She's never going to see us as her real family. No matter what
14:39we do, she's always going to... I heard her voice through the door. I went back
14:43to my room. Didn't turn on the light. Sat there in the dark the whole night. The next
14:49day, the Marchettis were driving me to JFK. Dante was behind the wheel. Enzo and Gianna were
14:54in the back. The whole ride, Gianna kept talking. Call us if you need anything. Don't forget
14:58to eat. We're always here. I responded to every single one at the airport. I said goodbye
15:03to each of them. I reached for the suitcase in Dante's hand. He pulled it back. Let's
15:09go. I blinked. Watched him walk with me through security, then onto the plane. He sat down
15:13next to me. I still hadn't processed what was happening. What? He slid a gray neck pillow
15:17behind my head. Quick. No warning. When his fingers brushed the back of my neck, my whole
15:21body went rigid. He didn't say anything else. Leaned back in his seat and closed his eyes.
15:24I put my earbuds in. Body stiff the entire flight. Didn't sleep a single second. After
15:30we landed, Dante carried my luggage all the way from the parking lot to the dorm. He walked
15:34half a step ahead of me. Not side by side. Not holding hands. Just him in front. Everything
15:38had to go through him first. It had been like that my whole life. My roommates assumed he
15:42was my boyfriend. After he left, they found out he was my brother. Every single one of them
15:46came at me for his Instagram. That is not a brother face. The truth is, in this life, Dante
15:53and I barely interacted. I knew he probably hated me. So I always kept my distance. I
15:58never smiled at him. Not once. And it wasn't just him. I kept my distance from everyone.
16:02In my past life, he hated that smile I gave him when I was five. That day at the group
16:06home,
16:07he looked at every single girl. Then walked up to me. All because I smiled at him. He chose
16:12me. And Sarah was left behind. The reborn Dante. He probably hated my smile too. So in the
16:18Marchetti house, I was always guarded. Just like Gianna said, I never let myself belong. Only
16:22around Sarah could I relax a little. Now that I was in San Francisco, I didn't have to face
16:27any of them. I didn't finally breathe. College was busy. Full. That was good. The only hard
16:32part? Every Christmas, I had to come up with a different excuse each year not to go back.
16:37The first year, Sarah FaceTimed me. She looked a little hurt. Behind her was the Marchetti
16:41living room. Christmas tree. Fireplace. Gianna setting the table. The second year, I still
16:46didn't go back. Nora? What's going on with you? Sarah's tone changed. I feel like you
16:51didn't just go to college. You left us. For good. I gripped my phone. Didn't know what
16:56to say. Sarah waited a long time, then hung up. That night, I made myself a cup of hot
17:03cocoa. Steam fogged up the window. That gray neck pillow was still at the bottom of my closet.
17:09Some nights, a trace of tobacco and woody cologne would drift through. I wasn't sure if I actually
17:13smelled it or if it was just a memory. The dorm was almost empty. Not a single person
17:19in the hallway. The door to the room next door hung open. Beds stripped bare. Nothing
17:23left but fairy lights still blinking on the wall. I forced my eyes shut. Then my phone
17:27rang. Sarah. Sarah? Nora, come downstairs. Now. Nora, come down. I'm right outside your
17:34building. I froze for a second, grabbed my jacket and ran. From a distance, I could see
17:39a few figures standing below. I slowed. Sarah had already spotted me. Nora!
17:43I ran toward them. It wasn't just Sarah. Dante was there too. Behind them was a bodyguard.
17:48Sarah was holding a bag of Whole Foods groceries. Dante had a small tabletop Christmas tree cradled
17:53in his arms. My eyes burned. I suddenly felt like I'd been so selfish. When Sarah saw me
17:57cry, she looked happy about it. She pulled me into a tight hug. I knew it. I knew you missed
18:02us.
18:03That night, Sarah made Christmas dinner in the communal kitchen. A pot of pasta, garlic, olive oil,
18:08parmesan. The smell filled the entire floor. Dante set the little Christmas tree on the
18:13windowsill and plugged it in. He didn't say a word, but he was there the whole time. We
18:17were halfway through eating. Then, hurried footsteps at the end of the hallway. A voice,
18:21low and urgent. Dante's bodyguard burst in, face white.
18:25We need to move. Now.
18:27Before I could process it, the window shattered. Sarah screamed. Dante shoved her to the ground.
18:31Glass still hanging in the air. I saw a shadow flash at the doorway. The gun was aimed at Sarah.
18:36I don't know where the strength came from. I threw myself in front of her. Then a bang.
18:39My abdomen, torn through. Dante's face appeared above me. He was shouting something. I couldn't
18:44hear it. Everything went black.
18:48When I woke up again, I was in the ICU. The doctor said the bullet hit my left kidney.
18:52During emergency surgery, they removed it. The surgery was a success, they said. I was lucky.
18:57But on the third day post-op, my attending came in with a report. He said, my remaining right kidney
19:03had some congenital issues. Something I might have gone my whole life without knowing. If the left one
19:08were still there. But now, the pressure on a single kidney was too much.
19:12We need to monitor your kidney function closely going forward. In the worst case scenario,
19:16you may need a transplant down the line.
19:18I stared at the ceiling. I didn't understand. I tried so hard, so hard, to break free from the
19:25Marchettis. To live my own life. I'd gotten into a great school, two more years, and I could have
19:30been working, independent. But now, everything felt like it was sinking into the dark. I was transferred
19:35to a private hospital in San Francisco. Enzo arranged it. One phone call. One black SUV.
19:41And just like that, I was moved from a public hospital bed into a private room with an ocean
19:46view. Sarah's eyes were swollen from crying. Her school was about to start. She didn't go.
19:51Took a leave of absence. Refused to leave my side.
19:54That bullet was meant for me.
19:56She held my hand. Voice trembling.
19:59Nora, that bullet was meant for me.
20:02Don't be stupid.
20:04Don't say that.
20:05I touched her face. After surgery, things got worse than the doctors expected.
20:09He confirmed it. I needed a kidney transplant. And worse. My blood type was rare. Finding a match
20:15would be extremely difficult. What I didn't expect was Sarah going behind everyone's back to get
20:19tested for compatibility. And she was a match.
20:24I lay in the hospital bed, listening to Gianna's voice out in the hallway.
20:27Sarah, have you thought about this?
20:29If you give up a kidney, what happens to you for the rest of your life?
20:33Stop telling me you'll be fine with one kidney. You don't know that.
20:40I won't allow it.
20:41Do you hear me?
20:43I won't allow it.
20:44My tears fell. Sarah, I won't allow it either.
20:48When none of the Marchettis were around, I packed my things and left the hospital.
20:52I had nowhere to go, and I didn't want the Marchettis to find me. I couldn't even book
20:55a flight, rent a car, or check into a hotel under my own name. Enzo had people in every
21:00system. The second my name showed up, the Marchettis would know. I called a car outside
21:04the hospital, paid cash, told the driver to keep heading east. Sacramento, a city I'd never
21:09been to before. I'd always planned to pay back every dollar the Marchettis ever spent on me.
21:13But now, clearly, that wasn't going to happen. I'd owe the Marchetti family for the rest of
21:18my life. I found a tiny studio on a quiet side street, off Craigslist, cheap rent, everything
21:23old. To make myself feel somewhat normal, I got a job at a flower shop wrapping bouquets.
21:28The owner was a Mexican lady in her 60s. She didn't ask many questions. She just looked
21:32at me once and told me to come in at 9 the next morning. The hours weren't long, six hours
21:36a day, not hard work. But every time I came back to that little studio, I felt so alone.
21:44Valentine's Day. The flower shop was slammed until late. By the time I clocked out, it was
21:48almost midnight. Sacramento at night was dead quiet. The last bus was long gone. All I could
21:53do was walk. But on the way, I kept feeling like someone was behind me. Up ahead was a
21:58narrow stretch with no streetlights. No one around. I walked faster. And faster. Eventually,
22:03I broke into a jog. But the footsteps behind me, they sped up too. I panicked, tripped, hit
22:08the ground. I could feel someone coming toward me. I screamed, scrambling backward. Headlines
22:12started flooding my brain. Rape. Murder. Body found three days later in a ditch. A hand
22:17crazed around my wrist.
22:20No! Please let me go! Please! I'm sick! I really am! I don't have money! Please! Leave
22:28me alone!
22:30Help!
22:31I kicked and hit at whoever was in front of me. Then someone pulled me in, held me tight.
22:35No. No. No. It's me.
22:39That scent came back. Tobacco and woody cologne. In the darkness, it surrounded me completely.
22:43I froze for one second. Then I broke down crying.
22:48Dante held me while I fell apart and couldn't get a single word out. After a long time, I
22:53pulled myself free and went back to the little studio. I didn't know how Dante found me here.
22:57I didn't want to know why he came. In our past life, he hated me. So why? Over the next
23:01few
23:02days, Dante was just there, following me. He didn't talk. Didn't explain. Didn't get
23:07too close. He was just there.
23:09When I went to work at the flower shop, he sat in the cafe across the street, pretending
23:14to look at his phone. When I walked home after my shift, he trailed half a block behind.
23:18I didn't want to deal with it. Didn't want to ask. But the shop owner noticed. She glanced
23:23out the window at Dante, sitting in the cafe. Then looked back at me.
23:30Boyfriend trouble?
23:31I didn't answer. Just walked out in silence. I just didn't want anything to do with the
23:34Marchettis anymore. One time, Dante showed up outside my building again. I couldn't help
23:40it. I walked up to him.
23:42Let me go. Clean. Is that too much to ask?
23:45Something shifted in his eye. Not anger. Something heavier than anger.
23:50Nola. I'm sorry.
23:52My condition was deteriorating fast. The next time I ended up in the ICU, I was transferred
23:57back to New York. Sarah was at my bedside again. She held my hand, forehead pressed against
24:02the back of it. Her shoulders were shaking.
24:05Nora, please. Let me do this. Let me save you. Please.
24:10She looked up at me, eyes so swollen from crying. She could barely keep them open.
24:14You're my sister. Do you hear me? You're my sister.
24:20That was the first time Sarah ever said that. I held her hand weakly. Shook my head. I was
24:24happy she said it. But no matter how many times she did, I couldn't let Sarah give me her
24:27kidney. Before, the reason I refused was because I couldn't bear it. What if? What if something
24:31happened to Sarah because of me? I couldn't imagine how the Marchettis would treat me then.
24:35But now, my reason was different. I just couldn't ruin the rest of Sarah's life. She was still
24:39young. She'd only been back in this family for a few years. Losing a kidney. No one knew
24:43what that would mean for her future.
24:47Gianna had aged so much during this time. The elegant matriarch of the family. Now,
24:51the lines around her eyes had deepened overnight. I knew she had regrets. Because after that fight,
24:55Sarah still refused to speak to her. She probably thought she'd failed as a mother. An adoptive
24:59one, at least. That her selfishness was the reason my condition got this bad. But I never blamed
25:03Gianna. Not really. Because I knew it wasn't just Sarah who got tested. Gianna did too. She
25:33Nola's? You've never once remembered. She's your sister too. But you're the only one in this
25:38family who's always treated her like an outsider. The truth was, I just didn't know how to face
25:42Nola. Every time I looked at her, I thought of our past life. Thought about what I did to her.
25:46Of course I knew. Sarah's death in our past life had nothing to do with Nola. Not one bit. But
25:50back
25:50then, we were all drowning in grief. Too blind to think straight. So I watched Nola get bullied.
25:54Humiliated. Over and over. And I clenched my jaw and pretended I didn't see. Like that would somehow
25:59make her hurt the way I hurt. Sarah was dead. Nola should have been in pain too. I even said
26:03cruel things to her face. More than once. Until the night of that family dinner. When someone
26:07slipped something into Nola's drink. I noticed her glass had been tampered with. I went after
26:12her immediately. But what I didn't expect? The moment Nola saw me, she held onto me and wouldn't let go.
26:17I lost control. That was the first time I ever completely lost it. I knew what I felt for her
26:21was
26:21more than what a brother should feel. I'd been suppressing it. For over a decade, I kept it buried.
26:25That night, it all came crashing down. After that night, the regret hit. When I found out Nola was
26:30pregnant, I pushed her away. Truly. I knew the Vicaris had been watching us. Looking for a weak
26:34point. But I still turned my back and walked away. It wasn't until she was dead that I realized what
26:38I really was. A complete and utter piece of shit. In this life, I brought Sarah back. And I brought
26:45Nola back too. I thought I was making things right. But slowly, I started to realize Nola didn't seem
26:49happy. It's not like I didn't notice. Back at the group home, she was already hiding from us. But I
26:54told
26:54myself that the Marchetti family could give her a better life. Besides, in our past life, we owe
26:58her. So in this life, when Nola wanted to go to public school, I convinced the family to let her.
27:02When she wanted to go somewhere five and a half hours away by plane, I convinced them again.
27:06What Nola didn't know, during her two years in San Francisco, I flew out to see her more than once.
27:10The lecture halls, the library, even outside her dorm. Every time, I parked a block away, baseball cap on,
27:16a jacket that didn't look like mine. I never let myself get close. When people around me asked where I
27:20was going, I said business. No one dared push it. Until that Christmas, when Sarah insisted on going
27:25to see Nola, I went with her. Then the Vicari showed up. That bullet was meant for Sarah. Nola threw
27:30herself in front of it. I watched her life all off a cliff, right in front of me. I saw
27:33how mom fought
27:34against Sarah donating a kidney. I also saw how mom quietly got tested herself, and dragged dad into
27:39it too. Neither matched. I went and got tested on my own. My kidney was a match for Nola.
27:45I went into the operating room first. Before they wheeled me in, I saw the door to another OR down
27:49the
27:49hall. The light above it was on. She was behind that door. I knew. Before surgery, I stopped the
27:54doctor. Take care of her. Whatever it takes. The surgery was a success. I was transferred to a
27:58different hospital to recover. My family was thrilled. Messages came in one after another.
28:01The surgery went well. Nola's numbers were improving. No one knew whose kidney it was.
28:06Later, Nola went back to San Francisco to finish school. And me. I actually found that missing a
28:10kidney didn't really change my life. If it weren't for the scar, I'd sometimes forget there was
28:13something missing inside me. Once I healed up, I fell back into old habits. Flying out to San Francisco to
28:18see
28:18Nola. I knew her grades were good. Knew she got into a prestigious research lab her senior year.
28:23One time, I saw Nola walk out of the school gates. There was a man beside her. The two of
28:27them.
28:27Walking close. Nola's eyes. That look she had. Shy. Uncontainable. A smile she couldn't hold back.
28:32I'd never seen her smile like that. Not once. Not at me. Not at anyone in our family. Never. And
28:37it
28:37hurt so bad I couldn't breathe. I thought, maybe during that surgery, the doctors made a mistake.
28:41Gave Nola half my heart along with the kidney. Why else would it hurt this much?
28:45I met someone at school. Luca Caldwell. The first time I noticed him was in the research lab. He was
28:51sitting at the bench across from mine. A book spread open in front of him. One I happened to
28:55be reading too. He didn't look like the other guys. Not the deliberately messy, I don't care type.
29:01Not the trying too hard polish type either. Just clean, white t-shirt. A worn leather watch strap
29:06on his wrist. The first time we spoke was because he borrowed my highlighter.
29:13Thanks.
29:13He smiled a little when he handed it back. A light smile. No edge to it. After that, we kept
29:19running
29:19into each other in the lab. He didn't talk much, but every time he spoke to me, he'd really look
29:24at me.
29:24Not the way Dante looked at me. The kind that made you want to run. This was the kind that
29:29made you feel
29:30like every word you said was actually heard. One night, I stayed late in the lab finishing something
29:36due. Everyone else had left. Just the two of us. He stood up. I thought he was leaving. Instead,
29:42he pulled a sandwich out of his bag and set it on my desk.
29:46You didn't eat lunch today.
29:48I blinked.
29:50How would you know?
29:51Because you were in here the whole time.
29:53He didn't explain further. Grabbed his bag and left. That night, walking back to the dorm alone,
29:59I realized I was smiling. It had been a long, long time since that happened.
30:06Luca never asked about my past. He didn't ask why I always ate alone. Didn't ask why I'd slip to
30:11the
30:11end of the hallway whenever certain calls came in. One time, we were reading on the campus lawn. I was
30:15wearing a slightly shorter top. When I sat down, it might have ridden up a little. His gaze brushed
30:20past it. Just one second. Then he said nothing. Just handed me his jacket.
30:26Getting windy.
30:27That was all. Luca pursued me slowly. Not the overwhelming roses and proposal kind of loud.
30:32It was a coffee that appeared on my bench every time he came to our lab to drop off data.
30:37It was me
30:37staying late in the lab, pushing the door open, and finding him leaned against the hallway wall.
30:41I was passing by. It was one time it rained, and I didn't have an umbrella. He ran over from
30:46God
30:46knows where, completely soaked, holding an umbrella in his hand. He was out of breath.
30:51You didn't pick up.
30:52I looked at him, rain dripping down his forehead, white shirt drenched, clinging to his body. He
30:57wasn't angry. Just looked at me and smiled.
30:59Pick up next time.
31:01I said okay. That night, I said yes.
31:08After Luca and I got together, I suddenly understood something. Being liked by someone.
31:12It could be this easy. He didn't make me guess. Didn't make me wonder if I'd done something
31:16wrong. Didn't make me replay a single word or look of his over and over in the middle
31:20of the night. He never once made me feel like I was something to be hated.
31:23That December, Sarah called.
31:25Nola, you're coming home for Christmas this year. Non-negotiable.
31:28Sarah.
31:28Don't even start. I don't care. Three years in a row you haven't come back.
31:32If you skip again this year, I'm flying to San Francisco and tragging you home myself.
31:35I was quiet for a second.
31:37Okay.
31:39Really?
31:40You said yes? You actually said yes!
31:43Yeah.
31:44I hung up and looked at Luca beside me.
31:46I'm going back to New York for Christmas. Home.
31:49He smiled.
31:50That's great.
31:51I hesitated. Do you want to come with me?
31:54He looked at me. That look so gentle.
31:57You sure?
31:59Yeah. I want them to meet you.
32:01Three days before Christmas, we landed at JFK.
32:04Sarah was holding a handmade sign with a crooked little heart drawn on it.
32:07The second she saw me, she screamed and ran over.
32:10Then she noticed Luca beside me.
32:11Oh my god! Nola?!
32:12Before I could even introduce him, I heard a sound behind me.
32:15An engine cutting off.
32:16A black escalade parked at the curb.
32:18The door opened.
32:19Dante stepped out.
32:20His gaze passed over Sarah.
32:21Passed over me.
32:22Landed on Luca.
32:22The air froze.
32:25Dante looked at Luca for a full three seconds.
32:27Didn't speak.
32:28No expression.
32:29Just looked.
32:29Then he pulled his gaze away and walked towards Sarah.
32:32Get in the car.
32:33Dante, didn't you see Noah brought-
32:35I saw.
32:36He opened the back door.
32:37Waited.
32:38On the drive back to Long Island, Luca and I sat in the third row of the escalade.
32:41Sarah was in the second row, twisting around to stare at us the whole time.
32:45Eyes full of gossip.
32:47Dante didn't say a single word, but I could feel his gaze in the rearview mirror.
32:50Not angled at the road.
32:51When we pulled up to the estate, Gianna was already waiting at the door.
32:54She paused when she saw Luca, but smiled quickly.
32:57Noah didn't tell me she was bringing a friend home.
32:59Sarah beat me to it.
33:00Boyfriend.
33:01Gianna's smile deepened.
33:02Even better.
33:03Come inside.
33:03It's cold out.
33:04Dinner was Gianna's Christmas Eve Italian feast.
33:07Luca sat to my left.
33:08Dante sat across from me.
33:09The entire meal, Luca was polite, composed.
33:13He answered every one of Gianna's questions.
33:16Jeanette.
33:16Complimented the food.
33:17Poured wine for Sarah.
33:19Dante said nothing.
33:20Just ate.
33:21Glanced up every now and then.
33:23Every time he did.
33:24It was the exact moment Luca was smiling at me.
33:28Near the end of dinner.
33:30Let's open a bottle of wine.
33:31Sarah suggested opening a bottle of wine.
33:33Dante spoke suddenly.
33:35Nona doesn't drink.
33:36Everyone looked at him.
33:38Luca looked too.
33:39I know.
33:40Luca's tone was even.
33:41I already got her water.
33:42He had.
33:43The wine glass in front of me had been swapped for a water glass.
33:46I didn't even notice when he did it.
33:48Dante's gaze landed on that glass of water.
33:50Lingered for one second.
33:51Then he stood up and left the table.
33:54After dinner, Luca went to the guest room to drop off his bags.
33:58Sarah pulled Gianna into conversation.
34:00I stood alone in the hallway, heading back to my room.
34:03Nola.
34:04Behind me, I turned around.
34:06Dante was standing at the other end of the hallway.
34:08Backlit, I couldn't make out his expression.
34:10He walked toward me, every step slow.
34:13I stepped back instinctively.
34:15My back hit the wall.
34:17He leaned in closer.
34:20Does he know where that scar on your body came from?
34:23My breath caught.
34:26Does he know why you can't drink?
34:28I didn't answer.
34:28That last one, his voice was so low.
34:31Almost just a breath.
34:32Does he know whose kidney you're carrying?
34:34I clenched my fists.
34:36That's none of your business.
34:37He looked at me.
34:38That look, dark, heavy.
34:40Like it could swallow me whole.
34:42None of my business.
34:44His hand came up.
34:45Fingertips touched the side of my face.
34:47Just a touch.
34:48So light it might not have happened at all.
34:50Then he turned and walked away.
34:51I stood there.
34:52Heart pounding so hard it scared me.
34:56That night, I couldn't sleep.
34:59Luca was right next door in the guest room.
35:01But all I could think about was that moment in the hallway.
35:04Dante's fingertips.
35:05The warmth on the side of my face.
35:07That look.
35:08I forced my eyes shut.
35:09But at some point, I fell asleep.
35:12In the dream.
35:13I was back on that night when I was 18.
35:15The family dinner.
35:17Crystal chandeliers.
35:19A room full of noise.
35:24I pushed open a door.
35:26Dante was inside.
35:28Shirt collar undone.
35:30Eyes red.
35:31He looked at me.
35:32Then he stood up.
35:35And walked toward me.
35:37In the dream, he didn't say,
35:38You make me sick.
35:41He pressed me against the door.
35:44Forehead against mine.
35:46His breath scalding.
35:48Do you know how long I've waited?
35:51The moment his lips touched mine,
35:53I jolted awake.
35:543 a.m.
35:56Heart slamming.
35:58Drenched in sweat.
36:04I stared at the ceiling.
36:06A wave of self-hatred washed over me.
36:11The next morning, I ran into Dante in the kitchen.
36:14He was leaning against the espresso machine, black coffee in hand.
36:17His eyes flicked over me when I walked in.
36:19Luca was already up, sitting at the table with a plate of Gianna's cannoli in front of him.
36:23Morning.
36:25He smiled at me, pulling out the chair beside him like it was the most natural thing in the world.
36:29I sat down.
36:30Dante carried his coffee over and sat across from me.
36:33No one spoke.
36:34Sarah came bounding down the stairs and broke the silence.
36:39Luca, what's your major?
36:41She was leaning over the table, chin propped on both hands, eyes bright and locked on him.
36:46CS.
36:47Luca said.
36:48Doing some computational modeling stuff.
36:50And after graduation?
36:51Might do my own thing.
36:52Start a company?
36:54Sarah perked up.
36:55What kind?
36:56Luca smiled.
36:58Still figuring it out.
36:59He said it so lightly, like he really was just another college kid without a plan yet.
37:04But that afternoon, I happened to walk past Enzo's study.
37:07The door wasn't fully shut.
37:09I heard Enzo's voice.
37:10Low.
37:10Caldwell.
37:11Have you looked into that name?
37:13Then Dante's voice.
37:14Yeah.
37:15And?
37:15Two seconds of silence.
37:17Clean.
37:18Strangely clean.
37:19I didn't stay to listen.
37:21Walked away fast.
37:23Christmas Day.
37:24A dinner at the Marchetti estate was never just a meal.
37:27The long table stretched from the dining room into the living room.
37:30Over 20 people.
37:31Some faces I recognized.
37:32Uncles.
37:33Cousins from the family.
37:34Others I'd never seen before.
37:36Men in dark suits.
37:37Women in gowns.
37:38The fireplace burning high.
37:40Luca wore a simple black turtleneck with a gray blazer over it.
37:43He stood among the crowd.
37:44Not conspicuous, but impossible to overlook.
37:46A few family members glanced his way.
37:49Eyes lingering for a second or two.
37:50At a praising look of who are you.
37:52Luca didn't look uncomfortable.
37:53Not once.
37:54He chatted with Gianna easily.
37:56Passed wine.
37:57Picked up conversations.
37:58Smiled at just the right moments.
38:00Neither too humble nor too eager.
38:02Like he'd done this a hundred times before.
38:03Halfway through dinner, Enzo stood and raised his glass.
38:06To family.
38:07Everyone raised theirs.
38:08And in that exact moment, the deafening bang from the direction of the front hall.
38:13Then a second, a third, glass shattering.
38:15Someone screaming.
38:16Counter reacted faster than anyone.
38:18Get down!
38:19He grabbed Sarah beside him and shoved her under the table.
38:22The room exploded.
38:23Screams.
38:24Chairs crashing to the floor.
38:26My body froze in place.
38:27This scene.
38:28The hell.
38:28Again.
38:28My hand seized my wrist and pulled me down hard.
38:31Not Dante.
38:32Luca.
38:32He pressed me beneath him.
38:33One hand cradling the back of my head.
38:35His heartbeat against my back.
38:36Steady.
38:37So steady.
38:38Not the heartbeat of someone afraid.
38:40Don't move.
38:41His voice right against my ear.
38:43Low and deep.
38:44Much farther than usual.
38:46That tone.
38:47It didn't sound like an ordinary college student.
38:51The chaos lasted less than two minutes.
38:53Enzo's people had it under control.
38:55A few men in black coats rushed in and pinned the intruders to the ground.
38:59Vicari.
38:59Again.
39:00After it was over, I got up from beneath Luca.
39:02As he stood, I caught his phone screen lighting up.
39:05The caller ID.
39:06No name.
39:07Just a string of numbers.
39:08He glanced at it.
39:09Didn't pick up.
39:09Flipped the phone face down.
39:11Then he looked at me, and he was the gentle Luca again.
39:13You okay?
39:14I nodded, but I saw it.
39:15In those few seconds of chaos, the look in Luca's eyes wasn't fear.
39:18It was assessment.
39:20Population.
39:20Control.
39:21That look.
39:22I'd seen it on one other person before.
39:24Dante.
39:24After the dinner, the estate was in disarray all night.
39:26Enzo locked himself in the study.
39:28Family men coming and going.
39:29No one slept.
39:30Sarah was taken upstairs by Gianna.
39:32Her face was white.
39:33I knew what she was thinking.
39:34The last bullet had been Vicari's too.
39:36Luca stayed with me the whole time.
39:38We sat at the end of the second floor hallway.
39:40Him leaning against the wall.
39:41Me leaning against his shoulder.
39:43His hand resting on the back of mine.
39:45Thumb brushing back and forth.
39:47It was all quiet.
39:49Were you scared?
39:50He asked.
39:51No.
39:51I said.
39:51And I meant it.
39:52When you've already died once, gunshots don't scare you that easily.
39:55Luca.
39:56Hmm?
39:57Just now you...
39:58I wanted to ask.
39:59But I didn't know how to start.
40:00Why were you so calm?
40:01Why weren't your hands shaking?
40:02Who was that call from?
40:03He waited a moment.
40:05I've seen this kind of thing before.
40:06He said.
40:07I looked up at him.
40:08He didn't explain.
40:09Just leaned down and pressed his lips to my forehead.
40:12Barely a touch.
40:13You don't have to be scared.
40:15I'm here.
40:15The next morning, when I came downstairs, I heard Enzo and Dante talking outside the
40:20study door.
40:20Enzo's voice was heavy.
40:21Last night, someone intercepted the Vicardi's second wave.
40:25It wasn't our people.
40:26Dante was quiet for a second.
40:27It was Caldwell.
40:28You're sure?
40:29His men showed up on the perimeter of the estate.
40:31At least four of them.
40:32Enzo's voice dropped even lower.
40:34So low I could barely hear.
40:36Who the hell is this kid?
40:37I stood at the turn of the staircase.
40:39Palms drenched.
40:40Luca Caldwell.
40:41Who are you?
40:43The day after Christmas, Long Island got buried.
40:45In snow, the entire estate was covered in white.
40:48A layer of frost clung to the M on the Iron Gate.
40:51Luca was standing by the window on the phone.
40:52His back was to me.
40:53Voice low.
40:54I only caught one word.
40:55Handled.
40:56He hung up, turned around, and saw me standing in the doorway.
40:58Not a trace of panic on his face.
41:00Morning.
41:01Luca.
41:02Hmm?
41:04Last night, those men.
41:05Were they yours?
41:06He looked at me for two seconds.
41:08You heard.
41:09Not a question.
41:09I didn't say anything.
41:10He walked over and stood in front of me.
41:12My family's in investing.
41:13Fairly large scale.
41:15We keep a low profile.
41:16So you have armed personnel?
41:18Security team.
41:19He corrected me gently.
41:20In our line of work, you make enemies.
41:22Having a few people around is normal.
41:23It all sounded perfectly reasonable, but my gut told me he wasn't telling me everything
41:27before I could push further.
41:29Nola.
41:29End of the hallway.
41:30Dante, leaning against the wall, hands in his pockets.
41:32He was looking at Luca.
41:33Mind if we have a word, Mr. Caldwell?
41:35Not the tone of a request.
41:36Luca smiled.
41:37Of course.
41:37They walked into the study.
41:39The door closed.
41:39I stood in the hallway, heart racing.
41:41Through that door, I couldn't hear a thing.
41:42But three minutes later, it opened.
41:44Luca came out first.
41:45Expression unchanged.
41:46Dante followed.
41:47Face dark.
41:48When he passed me, he stopped.
41:50His lips moved, like he wanted to say something.
41:52In the end, he said nothing.
41:53Went straight upstairs.
41:54I looked at Luca.
41:55What did he say?
41:56Luca looked at me.
41:57One second of silence.
42:00He asked if I was worthy of standing beside you.
42:03What did you say?
42:04The corner of Luca's mouth lifted just slightly.
42:06I said, maybe he should ask himself that first.
42:11The day before New Year's, Luca flew back to San Francisco early, at the airport.
42:15He held me for a long time before he left.
42:17Be safe going back.
42:18Call me if anything comes up.
42:19I nodded.
42:20When he let go, his thumb grazed my cheekbone.
42:22I'll be waiting for you.
42:23He walked into the security line.
42:24Didn't look back.
42:25But he left that feeling of safety hanging in the air.
42:28Still there even after he was gone.
42:29So different from Dante.
42:31Dante's presence was overwhelming.
42:33When he was there, you couldn't ignore him.
42:35When he wasn't, you still couldn't.
42:36Luca's presence was easy.
42:38Like sunlight coming through a window.
42:40Not burning.
42:41Just warm.
42:41The day after Luca left, I was helping Gianna clean up the kitchen.
42:44Sarah was curled up on the couch, scrolling her phone when she suddenly sat up.
42:48Noya, come look at this!
42:50She held her phone out to me.
42:51On the screen was a Forbes article.
42:53Long headline.
42:54But I only caught two things.
42:55Caldwell.
42:56And a number.
42:57A lot of zeros.
42:57Isn't that your boyfriend's last name?
42:59Sarah's eyes were wide.
43:00I stared at the article.
43:01Caldwell family office.
43:03Spanning tech.
43:04Energy.
43:04Real estate.
43:05Family assets.
43:06I didn't finish reading.
43:07I handed the phone back to Sarah.
43:08Probably just the same last name.
43:10But my hands were shaking.
43:13After New Year's, I went back to San Francisco.
43:16Life seemed to go back to normal.
43:17Lab.
43:18Classes.
43:19Luca.
43:20But something had shifted.
43:21I started noticing things I'd overlooked before.
43:23Luca never talked about his family.
43:25His apartment looked ordinary, but it was in Pacific Heights.
43:28One of the most expensive neighborhoods in San Francisco.
43:31That worn leather watch strap of his.
43:33I leaned in close once.
43:35The logo on the dial, Patek Philippe.
43:37The old Volvo he drove.
43:38I happened to catch a document on the back seat.
43:40The letterhead read, Caldwell family office.
43:43I didn't ask.
43:44Just like he never asked about my past.
43:46I didn't poke at his.
43:47Maybe we were both people hiding scars.
43:49His were just covered with money.
43:51February.
43:51Late one night.
43:52Sarah called.
43:53She was crying.
43:55Nola, something happened to Dante.
43:57My blood went cold.
43:58What?
43:59He was in a car accident.
44:01North shore of Long Island.
44:02He's at the hospital now.
44:03I gripped my phone.
44:04Knuckles white.
44:05How bad is it?
44:06Sarah was crying too hard to speak.
44:08Gianna took over the phone.
44:09Her voice was steady.
44:10But I could tell it was the kind of steady you force.
44:12Nola, you don't need to come back.
44:14He's not in danger.
44:16I...
44:16Surgery's already done.
44:17He's in the ICU for observation.
44:20Surgery?
44:21Gianna was quiet for a second.
44:22The impact to his abdomen was too severe.
44:25The doctor said...
44:26She stopped.
44:26Said what?
44:27He only has one kidney, Nola.
44:30The injury was too close to it.
44:32I heard the words, but my brain refused to process them.
44:34He only has one kidney.
44:36Why?
44:37Why does Dante only have one kidney?
44:40I booked the next red eye back to New York.
44:43Five and a half hours.
44:44I didn't sleep a single second.
44:45After landing, I took a cab straight to the hospital.
44:48Four AM hallway lights, pale and harsh.
44:51Sarah was curled up on a bench outside the room.
44:53He's stable.
44:54Just got moved from ICU to a regular room.
44:57Can I go in and see him?
44:59But she didn't cry.
45:00He's still asleep.
45:01I just want to look.
45:03That's all.
45:04She didn't stop me.
45:05I pushed the door open.
45:06Dante was lying in the hospital bed, face white, lips drained of color, tubes in his
45:11arm, the heart monitor beeping in steady rhythm.
45:13His hospital gown was loose at the collar, an old scar above his collarbone.
45:17My eyes moved lower.
45:18The gown had been left partly open.
45:20I saw it.
45:20His left abdomen.
45:21A long, healed, surgical scar.
45:23My knees gave out.
45:24I grabbed the edge of the bed.
45:25That kidney.
45:26The one I thought came from an anonymous donor.
45:28The one that kept me alive.
45:29It was his.
45:30I crouched beside his bed.
45:31Hand pressed over my mouth.
45:33Tears hit the hospital floor.
45:34He was asleep.
45:35He didn't know a thing.
45:36And I was right there beside him.
45:40I don't know how long I crouched there beside his bed.
45:43My tears dried up.
45:45Knees gone numb.
45:46The heart monitor beeped on.
45:48Then he woke up.
45:49Not the slow, drifting open kind.
45:52It was instant.
45:54Like he sensed something.
45:56He turned his head.
45:57Saw me.
45:58I was still on the ground.
46:00Eyes swollen.
46:01A mess.
46:02He didn't ask how I got here.
46:05Didn't ask why I was crying.
46:06He just looked at me.
46:08Then reached out.
46:10Fingertips touched my face.
46:12Light as that time in the hallway.
46:13You came.
46:15Your kidney.
46:16My voice was shaking.
46:18It was yours, wasn't it?
46:20His hand stayed on my face.
46:22Why didn't you tell me?
46:23He didn't pull it back.
46:24What difference would it make?
46:25He didn't deny it either.
46:28Would you have accepted it?
46:29I couldn't speak.
46:30He looked at me.
46:31Eyes heavy.
46:32You wouldn't have.
46:33You would have said no.
46:36You would have run.
46:37Just like you always do.
46:40I clenched my fists.
46:43So you just kept it from me?
46:46Yeah.
46:47He said it softly.
46:49Without a second of hesitation.
46:51I kept it from you.
46:54I don't regret it.
46:55My chest felt like someone had it in a fist.
46:58Squeezing until it hurt.
46:59He stood up.
47:00Tried to step back.
47:01But he caught my wrist.
47:03He shouldn't have had any strength.
47:05Just out of surgery.
47:06Abdomen still wrapped in gauze.
47:08No.
47:08But his grip was tight.
47:09He pulled me forward.
47:11I lost my balance.
47:12One hand landing on the pillow beside his head.
47:16Our faces were so close.
47:18Close enough to see the shadows on his lashes.
47:20And to feel his breath land on my lips.
47:23His gaze dropped from my eyes to my mouth.
47:25Do you know how long I've waited?
47:27The exact same words from the dream.
47:29My mind went blank.
47:30His lips grazed the corner of my mouth.
47:33Not a kiss.
47:33Something worse than a kiss.
47:35A test.
47:36A crack breaking through after holding back for too long.
47:39My heart was pounding so hard I thought it would burst.
47:41His hand slid from my wrist to the back of my neck.
47:44Fingers threading into my hair.
47:46I closed my eyes.
47:47And I snapped them open.
47:48No.
47:49This isn't right.
47:50We were free from his hand.
47:52I stepped back.
47:53His hand hung in the air.
47:54We stared at each other.
47:56There was so much in his eyes.
47:58Pain.
47:59Want.
47:59And something I'd never once seen on Dante Marchetti's face before.
48:03Vulnerability.
48:04But I still turned around.
48:05Pushed the door open.
48:06Walked out.
48:07The hallway was quiet.
48:08Lights pale and harsh.
48:10I leaned against the wall.
48:11My legs barely holding.
48:12The warmth of his breath still lingering at the corner of my mouth.
48:15Closed my eyes.
48:16Hated myself.
48:17More than after that wet dream.
48:20After I came back from the hospital.
48:22I stayed on Long Island for three more days.
48:25Not because I wanted to.
48:26Sarah wouldn't let me leave.
48:28You just got into trouble.
48:29And you're flying back right away?
48:31Do you really not want to stay with us?
48:33I didn't explain.
48:34Dante was discharged.
48:35Back at the estate.
48:36He didn't come find me.
48:37I didn't go find him either.
48:39But that night.
48:40The scar.
48:41Those words.
48:42The warmth of his lips brushing the corner of my mouth.
48:45I hadn't forgotten a single second of it.
48:47On the third day, Luca flew here.
48:49He didn't tell me ahead of time.
48:50I opened the front door of the estate.
48:52And he was just standing there.
48:53Gray coat.
48:54Scarf draped loosely.
48:55I looked at him.
48:57He smiled.
48:57Gentle.
48:58Same as always.
48:59I'll come pick you up and take you back.
49:01I couldn't speak.
49:02You didn't answer my calls.
49:04And I was worried sick.
49:05I just walked over and buried my face in his coat.
49:07His hand came up to the back of my head.
49:09He didn't ask questions.
49:10That evening, Luca was in the living room chatting with Sarah.
49:14I went to the kitchen for water.
49:16Passing the study.
49:17The door was open.
49:19Dante was inside.
49:20Standing by the window, he saw me walk by.
49:23Nola.
49:24I stopped.
49:26I don't know why.
49:27I walked in.
49:30So you're just gonna act like nothing happened?
49:34Dante.
49:34He took a step toward me.
49:36You know now.
49:37You know everything.
49:39So what?
49:39You go back and live your nice little life with that guy?
49:42He has a name.
49:43I don't care what his name is.
49:45His voice dropped low.
49:46Nola, do you have any idea?
49:48That child.
49:50The one you were carrying.
49:52My blood went cold.
49:53I think about it every day.
49:54If I hadn't walked away.
49:55If I hadn't pulled everyone off you.
49:57Stop!
49:57It would have been born.
49:59Grown up.
50:00Could have been calling me dad by now.
50:02Could have-
50:02I said stop, stop!
50:04My voice came out louder than I expected.
50:06He went still.
50:07We stared at each other.
50:08Then, a soft sound at the study door.
50:10Leather shoes on hardwood.
50:11I turned my head.
50:12Luca stood in the doorway.
50:13His expression hadn't changed.
50:14But his eyes.
50:15And I'd never seen that look before.
50:17Not anger.
50:17Not hurt.
50:18It was the kind of calm that comes when something suddenly clicks into place.
50:21He looked at me.
50:22Then at Dante.
50:23Then he spoke quietly.
50:24Sorry.
50:24Didn't mean to interrupt.
50:25He turned and walked away.
50:27His footsteps were steady.
50:28Didn't speed up.
50:28But I knew.
50:29Something had just broken.
50:32Luca didn't ask me.
50:33That night.
50:33He said nothing.
50:34We sat together in the living room.
50:36Sarah was watching a movie beside us.
50:38Gianna was in the kitchen.
50:39Everything looked normal.
50:41But he didn't rest his hand on the back of mine like he always did.
50:44Didn't lean in with a smile and whisper something random in my ear like he always did.
50:48He just sat beside me.
50:49Quiet.
50:50Not the Luca kind of quiet.
50:51The easy kind.
50:52This was a glass wall.
50:54After the movie ended, Sarah yawned and went upstairs.
50:57The living room was left with nothing but the flicker of the fireplace.
51:00We sat side by side.
51:02Ten centimeters between us.
51:04There had never been those ten centimeters before.
51:06Luca?
51:10You...
51:10Not tonight.
51:11He cut me off.
51:12Voice soft.
51:13Tomorrow.
51:13His gaze was on the fire.
51:15Firelight shifting across his profile.
51:17Quiet.
51:17But I saw his hand.
51:19The one resting on his knee.
51:21Knuckles tightening.
51:22That was the first time I'd ever seen restraint on Luca.
51:24He was always relaxed.
51:26Always warm.
51:27Always the person who made me feel like nothing could go wrong.
51:29But right now, he was holding back.
51:31I knew what he was holding back from.
51:33That child.
51:34Those three words, Dante said.
51:36To Luca, those three words meant...
51:38Between Dante and me.
51:40There was a past he would never be able to understand.
51:43Not a fling.
51:44Not old feelings.
51:45A child.
51:48That night, I went and knocked on his guest room door.
51:51He opened it.
51:56Saw me.
51:57Expression unchanged.
51:58Come in.
52:03Luca, what you heard today...
52:04That child.
52:05He spoke.
52:05Voice flat.
52:06The child he was talking about.
52:08What did he mean?
52:08My breath caught.
52:09I walked in.
52:10Did something happen between you two?
52:12I opened my mouth.
52:13I couldn't tell him about the past life.
52:14No one would believe it.
52:16Saying it out loud would only make me sound insane.
52:18That was a long time ago.
52:19How long?
52:21A long time.
52:22He looked at me.
52:23Those eyes.
52:24So clear.
52:25Clear enough to make you feel guilty.
52:29I'm not gonna force you to explain.
52:30He said.
52:31But I need to know one thing.
52:34He stepped closer.
52:37Do you still love him?
52:38I could hear my own heartbeat.
52:39I don't know.
52:40I meant it.
52:41Maybe it was the cruelest answer I could have given.
52:43I don't know.
52:44Is more hopeless than yes.
52:46Because yes is at least an answer.
52:48I don't know.
52:49Thank you for not lying to me.
52:50Means I'm still caught in it.
52:52Luca looked at me for a long time.
52:54I won't pressure you to choose.
52:55The next morning Luca booked a flight back to San Francisco.
52:58Before he left he stood at the front door of the estate looking at me.
53:02Figure it out.
53:03Then come find me.
53:06Whatever the answer is I'll take it.
53:08Coat collar turned up.
53:09Breath turning to white fog in the cold air.
53:12His thumb grazed my cheekbone one last time.
53:14The same motion as the very first time.
53:16Gentle.
53:17Steady.
53:17Then he got in the car.
53:18Didn't look back.
53:19This time after he left there was nothing in the air.
53:22Not like Dante.
53:23After Dante left his traces lingered.
53:25Tobacco.
53:25Cologne.
53:26That gaze in the rear view mirror.
53:28That brush across the corner of my mouth.
53:29I stood in the doorway.
53:30Palms cold.
53:31And suddenly realized.
53:32Why do I always compare him to Dante?
53:36I stood at the door crying like a lunatic.
53:39For a long time.
53:40Then I turned around and saw Dante.
53:42Long Island had cleared up for once.
53:44The snow was half melted.
53:45He looked so much thinner.
53:47I was about to go back inside.
53:48Nola.
53:49I stopped.
53:50I have something for you.
53:51He pulled an envelope from his pocket.
53:53Took two steps toward me.
53:54And held it out.
53:55I didn't take it.
53:56What is it?
53:57Open it.
53:57I hesitated.
53:58Then took it.
53:59Inside was a document.
54:00A property transfer agreement.
54:02Address in San Francisco.
54:03Mission District.
54:04A one bedroom apartment.
54:05The name on it.
54:07What is this supposed to mean?
54:08It's not Marchetti's.
54:10It's under my personal name.
54:12Nothing to do with the family.
54:13His voice was flat.
54:15You don't have to live in places you find on Craigslist anymore.
54:18I gripped the document hard.
54:20I don't want it.
54:21I'm not asking you to want it.
54:23It's yours.
54:23Throw it away if you want.
54:25I looked at him.
54:25Those eyes.
54:26Calm.
54:27Nola.
54:27This was the kind of calm that comes after a decision has already been made.
54:31I'm not going to hold you back anymore.
54:32Go live your life.
54:34With whoever you want.
54:36Dante!
54:37I owe you two lives.
54:39One from our past life.
54:41One for this life.
54:42He pressed a hand to his left abdomen.
54:44I won't cage you anymore.
54:45He finished.
54:46That day at the group home.
54:48You smiled at me.
54:50That was the most right decision I've ever made in my life.
54:53And the most selfish.
54:54Then he walked away.
54:55I stood in the backyard.
54:56The envelope trembled slightly in the wind.
54:59My whole life.
55:00I was always the one running.
55:01He was always the one chasing.
55:03Pinning me in place with his silence and his presence.
55:05This was the first time.
55:07He left first.
55:08I thought I'd feel relieved.
55:09But I stood there.
55:10For a long, long time.
55:12Unable to move a single step.
55:15A week later, I went back to San Francisco.
55:18Life seemed to return to normal.
55:19Lab.
55:20Classes.
55:20Alone.
55:21Luca didn't reach out.
55:22I didn't reach out either.
55:23But things were happening quietly.
55:25Those people I used to notice.
55:26Standing on the corner.
55:27Trailing half a block behind in a car.
55:29They were gone.
55:29The Marchetti people assigned to watch over me.
55:31All of them.
55:32Gone.
55:32I assumed Dante had pulled them.
55:33Until one day.
55:34Nola, have you seen the news?
55:36What?
55:37The Vakiris.
55:37FBI raided them.
55:38Several members arrested.
55:39Rico charges.
55:41Dante did that?
55:42No.
55:42Dad says it wasn't our people.
55:44Someone fed evidence to the FBI.
55:46But no one knows who.
55:47I hung up.
55:48A vague answer already forming in my mind.
55:50That afternoon, I got a text from Luca.
55:52Short.
55:52Free.
55:53Want to see you.
55:53Come to my place.
55:54He'd never invited me to his home before.
55:56Pacific Heights.
55:57A white apartment building.
55:58Top floor.
55:59When the elevator doors opened.
56:00I saw the Golden Gate Bridge through the floor to ceiling windows.
56:03Sunset had turned the entire bay orange.
56:05Luca stood in the living room.
56:06Wearing a simple white linen shirt.
56:08But the space was anything but simple.
56:10A painting on the wall.
56:11I didn't know art.
56:12But I could tell.
56:12This didn't belong to a college student.
56:14Want something to drink?
56:16Luca.
56:17Hmm?
56:18The Vakari thing.
56:19That was you.
56:20Not a question.