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Each movie brings exciting characters, surprising plot twists, touching relationships, and powerful stories that keep you watching until the final scene. From billionaire romances to inspiring life journeys, every film offers a unique experience.
Enjoy HD movies with English subtitles and stay tuned for regular uploads of the latest popular drama films.
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AmusantTranscription
05:11Des jours plus tard, j'étais en un éclair de l'escalade.
05:13Mme Linda disait que la Marchetti famille avait faillé pour mon diplôme.
05:17Le papier était déjà fait.
05:19Je me suis allé.
05:20Mais c'était s'arrêté.
05:22Tout que j'ai pu faire c'est d'accepter.
05:24Au moins, Sarah était facile à m'amuser avec.
05:26Et les Marchettis, comme les 10 dernières années de ma vie,
05:30étaient très gentils à moi.
05:32Le plus chaud dans la maison était Dante.
05:34Il n'a pas parlé à moi, mais parfois j'ai vu qu'il me regarde en silence,
05:38quelque chose de compliqué dans ses yeux.
05:40Je n'ai pas envie d'aller dans ses yeux.
05:42Un jour après le matin, j'ai entendu que Dante bringe quelque chose d'un.
05:45Dad, le furnace à la groupe est ancienne.
05:48Il brûle chaque winter.
05:49Pourquoi ne nous nous donnerons un nouveau ?
05:50Je me suis allé.
05:51Le truth est, j'ai pensé de la même chose pour des jours.
05:55Comment garder la groupe de la vie de l'escalade.
05:57En ma dernière vie, la groupe a fait de l'escalier.
05:59L'alte de l'escalier short-circuite dans le milieu de la nuit.
06:02Les heaters étaient tous second-hand donations,
06:04utilisés pour God knows how many years.
06:06Those kids were so young.
06:08Five, six years old.
06:10They couldn't smell the smoke.
06:11Couldn't wake themselves up.
06:13Couldn't get out.
06:14Right.
06:15That's on me.
06:16They looked after Sarah for years.
06:19We owe them.
06:21I knew what owe meant in the Marchetti world.
06:24From now on, that group home was under Marchetti protection.
06:28The Marchettis replaced the group home's entire furnace and donated a large sum on top of it.
06:33I didn't expect Dante to do something like that.
06:36I still kept my distance from him.
06:38But honestly, I was grateful, setting aside everything between us from the past.
06:42Dante's rebirth had genuinely saved a lot of people from a terrible fate.
06:48In the blink of an eye, Sarah and I were both old enough for high school.
06:51Dante was still in college, but he'd already started handling family business.
06:55He and I barely crossed paths.
06:56I kept my distance on purpose, and Dante was just as cold toward me as ever.
07:00The contrast with how he treated Sarah couldn't have been more obvious.
07:04I knew the deal.
07:05The Marchettis adopted me to keep Sarah company.
07:08That was always the point.
07:09So for all those years, school and Sarah, that was my life.
07:12When everyone found out I wanted to transfer from St. Ignatius to a public high school,
07:16the Marchettis, even Dante, looked at me like I'd lost my mind.
07:19Nora, why would you want to transfer to public school?
07:21No one from the family will be there to look out for you.
07:24Outside Marchetti territory, no one would know who I was.
07:27No one would care.
07:28But I didn't want to stay.
07:30In this life, I wanted to live my own life.
07:32Marchettis tried to talk me out of it.
07:33I didn't budge.
07:34Dante, who hadn't said a word the entire time, spoke up.
07:37Let her go.
07:38The living room went silent for two seconds.
07:40No one argued after that.
07:42One night during finals, I stayed at the library studying until almost 11.
07:45When I came out, the school gate was deserted.
07:47November night, wind cutting hard.
07:49I hunched my shoulders and walked along the sidewalk, passing in and out of pools of streetlight.
07:53The neighborhood around a public school was nothing like Long Island.
07:56No Marchetti people.
07:57No iron gates.
07:58No surveillance cameras.
07:59No Dante.
08:00My phone rang.
08:01It was Dante.
08:02I hesitated.
08:04Picked up anyway.
08:05Where are you?
08:06His voice was low.
08:07I didn't answer.
08:08You're just now heading home?
08:10Yeah.
08:11Where exactly?
08:13I looked up.
08:16Outside the bodega near school.
08:17Don't move.
08:18I'm coming to get you.
08:19You don't have to.
08:20I can...
08:21He hung up.
08:21Ten minutes later, a black escalade turned the corner.
08:24He didn't kill the engine.
08:25Just rolled down the window and looked at me.
08:27I got in the passenger seat.
08:29The smell of tobacco and woody cologne filled the air.
08:32Dante's scent.
08:32I was trying to clear my mind.
08:34Dante suddenly moved closer to me.
08:36I was startled and instinctively flinched backward.
08:38He didn't say anything.
08:39He just glanced at me.
08:40Buckled my seatbelt.
08:42Silence.
08:43Then he suddenly spoke up.
08:45You afraid of me?
08:48In my past life, this was when the truth came out.
08:52That Sarah had been at the group home all along.
08:55I was at St. Ignatius back then.
08:57Those family kids knew exactly which side to be on.
08:59My locker got wide open.
09:01My things tossed in the trash.
09:03Some girl threw milk on me.
09:05There was even an anonymous account making up stories about me.
09:09After that night with Dante,
09:10even the Marchettis started looking at me differently.
09:13Street lights flickered past the passenger window.
09:16I pulled myself out of those memories.
09:18The car had already turned into the Long Island neighborhood.
09:20Dante's profile shifted between light and shadow under the passing street lamps.
09:24There was a faint scent in the car.
09:26Tobacco and woody cologne.
09:28I shouldn't have cared.
09:30But there it was.
09:31The car pulled into the garage.
09:33He killed the engine.
09:34Neither of us got out first.
09:36I stared at the time on the dashboard.
09:3811.47.
09:39A few seconds later,
09:40he pulled the key,
09:41pushed open his door,
09:42and got out.
09:43I followed behind.
09:44Two.
09:45Three steps back.
09:46Through the Marchetti front door.
09:48After that,
09:49I buried myself in schoolwork.
09:51Sarah's college was already set.
09:53The Marchettis had arranged a school in England for her.
09:56All she had to do was graduate.
09:57Before summer break,
09:59Sarah made plans to go to Europe with friends.
10:02Noah,
10:03I thought you'd finally hang out with me.
10:05Why are you doing a summer program?
10:07I smiled.
10:08It's just how it is.
10:10But I haven't spent time with you in forever.
10:12Sarah looked hurt.
10:13Before high school,
10:14we were practically inseparable.
10:16It's fine.
10:16Just send me pictures of everything.
10:18The fun stuff.
10:19The good food.
10:20It'll be like I'm there too.
10:21I meant it.
10:22I wanted to go.
10:23But I couldn't.
10:24I wasn't smart enough.
10:26I was giving everything I had
10:27just to keep my GPA looking good.
10:29And even then,
10:30compared to kids with private tutors,
10:33legacy admissions,
10:34and resumes packed with extracurriculars,
10:36I was still miles behind.
10:37If I was going to make it on my own,
10:39I wasn't doing enough.
10:40Not even close.
10:44After Sarah left,
10:45I started spending every day after school in the library
10:48until the staff kicked me out.
10:50Library's closed.
10:51Then I'd walk to the McDonald's on the corner,
10:53order a coffee,
10:54and sit there until late.
10:55Gianna wasn't happy at first
10:57about me coming home so late,
10:58but eventually,
10:59she didn't say anything.
11:00Senior year.
11:01Spring break.
11:02A whole week off.
11:03Sarah came to pick me up from school.
11:05I thought it'd just be her.
11:06But when I walked out,
11:07I saw the black Escalade parked by the curb,
11:09Dante in the driver's seat.
11:11I noticed a bunch of girls on the steps,
11:12glancing that way.
11:13I thought of how Gianna always said,
11:15After all these years,
11:16Dante still hadn't brought a single girl home.
11:18Maybe he's gay.
11:19Every time she said that,
11:20Sarah would laugh and volunteer
11:22to find Dante a boyfriend.
11:23I raised the book in my hands a little higher,
11:25about to slip past.
11:27But Sarah had already spotted me.
11:29Nola!
11:29She shoved the car door open
11:31and grabbed my arm.
11:32Didn't you recognize Dante's car?
11:36We're right here.
11:37She pushed me into the back seat.
11:38Dante, I want to go to that new steakhouse.
11:41When we got there,
11:43Dante gave a name.
11:44The hostess led us straight to a window table.
11:47Nola, what do you want to eat?
11:49Anything's fine.
11:50I shifted in my seat.
11:51A little uneasy.
11:52Sarah was about to order the Cajun ribeye
11:54and the spicy shrimp appetizer.
11:55But Dante changed it.
11:57Switched it to mushroom soup
11:58and herb-crusted filet.
11:59I quietly exhaled.
12:01My stomach had been bad lately.
12:03Even though I tried to eat on time every day.
12:05When the pain hit,
12:06it was brutal.
12:09After dinner,
12:10we drove back to Long Island.
12:12My stomach was getting worse.
12:13I dug out the Pepto and took two.
12:15It kicked in pretty fast.
12:17Soon, I could read again.
12:18I pushed through the rest of spring break,
12:20trying to finish a paper due right after.
12:22Used every last bit of energy I had.
12:24When I got home,
12:25I crashed.
12:26Slept straight through to the next day.
12:27Probably went too long without eating.
12:29The stomach pain woke me up.
12:30I was about to go find something to eat.
12:32The second I opened the door,
12:34I saw Dante leaning against the hallway wall.
12:36We both froze.
12:37He looked away.
12:38Mom says come down and eat.
12:39His voice was flat.
12:40I nodded.
12:41Okay.
12:42We walked downstairs.
12:43Nora, you're seriously amazing.
12:45Sarah pushed a sandwich
12:46she'd made herself right in front of me.
12:47We all see how hard you've been working.
12:49You will get everything you want.
12:51I know it.
12:52April.
12:52College offers started rolling in.
12:54Sarah ordered the entire family to be there
12:56when my results came out,
12:58including Dante.
12:58I sat on the living room couch,
13:00opened my laptop,
13:01and logged into the application portal.
13:03The page loaded for two seconds.
13:05Congratulations.
13:06Oh my god!
13:07No!
13:08Sarah screamed and threw herself at me,
13:10wrapping me in a hug.
13:11My hands were shaking
13:12as I reached up and hugged her back,
13:14but my decision took them all by surprise.
13:18I got offers from several schools.
13:20East Coast.
13:21West Coast.
13:22I chose San Francisco.
13:23Five-hour flight from New York.
13:24Not that far, but far enough.
13:25Far enough that I wouldn't be breathing Marchetti air every single day.
13:29If he was in New York, then I'd go west.
13:31Gianna wasn't happy about it.
13:32Almost backed out of the graduation trip we'd already planned.
13:34In the end, Sarah talked her mom into it again.
13:36Sarah.
13:37She's so nice.
13:38She didn't always understand me,
13:39but she always respected my choices.
13:41More than once, I felt grateful to Dante.
13:43Grateful that in this life,
13:44he'd brought Sarah back to us as soon as he could.
13:46April.
13:47Prom season.
13:47The hallways were full of promposals.
13:49Balloons.
13:50Spray paint in the parking lot.
13:51Handmade posters blocking classroom doors.
13:53Within one week,
13:54three different guys asked me to be their prom date.
13:56One did it at lunch,
13:57in front of the entire cafeteria.
13:59One slipped a note into my locker.
14:00One sent a friend to ask on his behalf.
14:02I turned them all down.
14:03After that,
14:04Sarah and I went to Europe together.
14:05A trip that belonged to just the two of us.
14:07When we got back,
14:08I made one more stop.
14:09The group home where I grew up.
14:10Ms. Linda still remembered me.
14:13When she heard I'd gotten into college,
14:14her eyes welled up.
14:16Good.
14:17Good sweetheart.
14:18Once she pulled herself together,
14:20she asked if the Marchetti family had been good to me.
14:23Yeah.
14:24Really good.
14:25This time around,
14:26I wasn't going to let myself fall into tragedy again.
14:29The night Sarah flew to England,
14:31I packed my bags too.
14:32Gianna couldn't understand why I wanted to go to school so early.
14:35That evening,
14:35I passed by Gianna's room.
14:36She's never going to see us as her real family.
14:39No matter what we do,
14:40she's always going to...
14:41I heard her voice through the door.
14:43I went back to my room.
14:46Didn't turn on the light.
14:47Sat there in the dark the whole night.
14:49The next day,
14:51the Marchettis were driving me to JFK.
14:53Dante was behind the wheel.
14:54Enzo and Gianna were in the back.
14:55The whole ride,
14:56Gianna kept talking.
14:57Call us if you need anything.
14:59Don't forget to eat.
15:00We're always here.
15:01I responded to every single one.
15:02At the airport,
15:03I said goodbye to each of them.
15:06I reached for the suitcase in Dante's hand.
15:08He pulled it back.
15:09Let's go.
15:10I blinked.
15:10Watched him walk with me through security.
15:12Then onto the plane.
15:13He sat down next to me.
15:14I still hadn't processed what was happening.
15:16What?
15:17He slid a gray neck pillow behind my head.
15:18Quick.
15:19No warning.
15:19When his fingers brushed the back of my neck,
15:21my whole body went rigid.
15:22He didn't say anything else.
15:23Leaned back in his seat and closed his eyes.
15:25I put my earbuds in.
15:26Body stiff the entire flight.
15:28Didn't sleep a single second.
15:30After we landed,
15:31Dante carried my luggage all the way from the parking lot to the dorm.
15:34He walked half a step ahead of me.
15:35Not side by side.
15:36Not holding hands.
15:37Just him in front.
15:39Everything had to go through him first.
15:40It had been like that my whole life.
15:42My roommates assumed he was my boyfriend.
15:44After he left,
15:44they found out he was my brother.
15:46Every single one of them came at me for his Instagram.
15:48That is not a brother face.
15:52The truth is,
15:53in this life,
15:53Dante and I barely interacted.
15:55I knew he probably hated me.
15:56So I always kept my distance.
15:58I never smiled at him.
15:59Not once.
16:00And it wasn't just him.
16:01I kept my distance from everyone.
16:03In my past life,
16:04he hated that smile I gave him when I was five.
16:06That day at the group home,
16:07he looked at every single girl.
16:09Then walked up to me.
16:11All because I smiled at him.
16:13He chose me.
16:13And Sarah was left behind.
16:15The reborn Dante.
16:16He probably hated my smile too.
16:18So in the Marchetti house,
16:19I was always guarded.
16:20Just like Gianna said,
16:21I never let myself belong.
16:22Only around Sarah could I relax a little.
16:25Now that I was in San Francisco,
16:27I didn't have to face any of them.
16:28I couldn't finally breathe.
16:29College was busy.
16:30Full.
16:31That was good.
16:32The only hard part,
16:34every Christmas,
16:35I had to come up with a different excuse each year
16:37not to go back.
16:38The first year,
16:38Sarah FaceTimed me.
16:39She looked a little hurt.
16:41Behind her was the Marchetti living room.
16:42Christmas tree.
16:43Fireplace.
16:44Gianna setting the table.
16:45The second year,
16:46I still didn't go back.
16:47Nora?
16:49What's going on with you?
16:50Sarah's tone changed.
16:51I feel like you didn't just go to college.
16:53You left us.
16:55For good.
16:55I gripped my phone.
16:56Didn't know what to say.
16:57Sarah waited a long time.
16:59Then hung up.
17:02That night,
17:02I made myself a cup of hot cocoa.
17:05Steam fogged up the window.
17:06That gray neck pillow
17:07was still at the bottom of my closet.
17:09Some nights,
17:10a trace of tobacco
17:11and woody cologne
17:12would drift through.
17:13I wasn't sure if I actually smelled it
17:14or if it was just a memory.
17:17The dorm was almost empty.
17:18Not a single person in the hallway.
17:20The door to the room next door hung open.
17:22Beds stripped bare.
17:23Nothing left but fairy lights
17:24still blinking on the wall.
17:26I forced my eyes shut.
17:27Then my phone rang.
17:28Sarah.
17:29Sarah?
17:29Nora,
17:30come downstairs.
17:31Now.
17:33Nora,
17:33come down.
17:34I'm right outside your building.
17:36I froze for a second,
17:37grabbed my jacket,
17:38and ran.
17:38From a distance,
17:39I could see a few figures standing below.
17:41I slowed.
17:42Sarah had already spotted me.
17:43Nora!
17:44I ran toward them.
17:45It wasn't just Sarah.
17:46Dante was there too.
17:47Behind them was a bodyguard.
17:48Sarah was holding a bag of Whole Foods groceries.
17:51Dante had a small,
17:52tabletop Christmas tree
17:53cradled in his arms.
17:54My eyes burned.
17:55I suddenly felt like
17:56I'd been so selfish.
17:57When Sarah saw me cry,
17:58she looked happy about it.
17:59She pulled me into a tight hug.
18:01I knew it.
18:02I knew you missed us.
18:04That night,
18:04Sarah made Christmas dinner
18:05in the communal kitchen.
18:07A pot of pasta,
18:08garlic,
18:08olive oil,
18:09parmesan.
18:10The smell filled the entire floor.
18:12Dante set the little Christmas tree
18:13on the windowsill
18:14and plugged it in.
18:15He didn't say a word,
18:16but he was there the whole time.
18:17We were halfway through eating.
18:18Then,
18:19hurried footsteps
18:20at the end of the hallway.
18:21A voice,
18:22low and urgent.
18:23Dante's bodyguard burst in.
18:24It's white.
18:25We need to move.
18:27Now.
18:27Before I process it,
18:29the window shattered.
18:30Sarah screamed.
18:30Dante shoved her to the ground.
18:32Glass still hanging in the air.
18:34I saw a shadow flash at the doorway.
18:35The gun was aimed at Sarah.
18:37I don't know where the strength came from.
18:38I threw myself in front of her.
18:40Then a bang.
18:40My abdomen,
18:41torn through.
18:42Dante's face appeared above me.
18:43He was shouting something.
18:44I couldn't hear it.
18:45Everything went black.
18:48When I woke up again,
18:50I was in the ICU.
18:51The doctor said the bullet
18:52hit my left kidney.
18:53During emergency surgery,
18:54they removed it.
18:55The surgery was a success,
18:57they said.
18:57I was lucky.
18:58But on the third day post-op,
19:00my attending came in with a report.
19:02He said my remaining right kidney
19:04had some congenital issues,
19:05something I might have gone my whole life
19:07without knowing,
19:08if the left one were still there.
19:09But now,
19:10the pressure on a single kidney
19:11was too much.
19:12We need to monitor your kidney function
19:14closely going forward.
19:15In the worst case scenario,
19:17you may need a transplant down the line.
19:19I stared at the ceiling.
19:20I didn't understand.
19:21I tried so hard,
19:23so hard,
19:25to break free from the Marchettis,
19:27to live my own life.
19:28I'd gotten into a great school,
19:29two more years,
19:30and I could have been working,
19:32independent.
19:32But now,
19:33everything felt like it was sinking
19:34into the dark.
19:35I was transferred to a private hospital
19:37in San Francisco.
19:38Enzo arranged it.
19:39One phone call,
19:40one black SUV.
19:42And just like that,
19:43I was moved from a public hospital bed
19:45into a private room
19:46with an ocean view.
19:47Sarah's eyes were swollen from crying.
19:49Her school was about to start.
19:51She didn't go.
19:52Took a leave of absence.
19:53Refused to leave my side.
19:55That bullet was meant for me.
19:57She held my hand,
19:58voice trembling.
19:59Nora,
20:00that bullet was meant for me.
20:02Don't be stupid.
20:04Don't say that.
20:05I touched her face.
20:07After surgery,
20:08things got worse
20:09than the doctors expected.
20:10He confirmed it.
20:11I needed a kidney transplant.
20:12And worse.
20:13My blood type was rare.
20:14Finding a match
20:15would be extremely difficult.
20:17What I didn't expect
20:18was Sarah going behind
20:19everyone's back
20:20to get tested for compatibility.
20:21And she was a match.
20:24I lay in the hospital bed,
20:26listening to Gianna's voice
20:27out in the hallway.
20:28Sarah,
20:28have you thought about this?
20:30If you give up a kidney,
20:31what happens to you
20:32for the rest of your life?
20:33Stop telling me
20:34you'll be fine with one kidney.
20:36You don't know that.
20:40I won't allow it.
20:42Do you hear me?
20:43I won't allow it.
20:45My tears fell.
20:46Sarah,
20:47I won't allow it either.
20:48When none of the Marchettis
20:49were around,
20:50I packed my things
20:51and left the hospital.
20:52I had nowhere to go
20:53and I didn't want
20:54the Marchettis to find me.
20:55I couldn't even book a flight,
20:57rent a car,
20:58or check into a hotel
20:59under my own name.
20:59Enzo had people
21:00in every system.
21:01The second my name showed up,
21:03the Marchettis would know.
21:04I called a car
21:04outside the hospital,
21:05paid cash,
21:06told the driver
21:07to keep heading east.
21:08Sacramento,
21:09a city I'd never
21:10been to before.
21:11I'd always planned
21:11to pay back every dollar
21:12the Marchettis ever spent on me.
21:14But now,
21:15clearly,
21:15that wasn't going to happen.
21:17I'd owe the Marchetti family
21:18for the rest of my life.
21:19I found a tiny studio
21:20on a quiet side street,
21:21off Craigslist,
21:22cheap rent,
21:23everything old.
21:24To make myself feel
21:25somewhat normal,
21:26I got a job
21:26at a flower shop
21:27wrapping bouquets.
21:28The owner was a Mexican lady
21:30in her 60s.
21:30She didn't ask many questions.
21:32She just looked at me once
21:33and told me to come in
21:34at 9 the next morning.
21:35The hours weren't long.
21:36Six hours a day.
21:37Not hard work.
21:38But every time I came back
21:39to that little studio,
21:40I felt so alone.
21:44Valentine's Day.
21:45The flower shop
21:46was slammed until late.
21:47By the time I clocked out,
21:49it was almost midnight.
21:50Sacramento at night
21:51was dead quiet.
21:52The last bus was long gone.
21:53All I could do was walk,
21:55but on the way,
21:55I kept feeling like
21:56someone was behind me.
21:58Up ahead was a narrow stretch
21:59with no streetlights.
22:00No one around.
22:01I walked faster
22:02and faster.
22:03Eventually,
22:04I broke into a jog,
22:05but the footsteps behind me
22:06they sped up too.
22:07I panicked,
22:08tripped,
22:08hit the ground.
22:09I could feel someone
22:10coming toward me.
22:11I screamed,
22:12scrambling backward.
22:13Headlines started flooding
22:14my brain.
22:14Rape.
22:15Murder.
22:15Body found three days later
22:17in the beach.
22:17A hand raised around my wrist.
22:20No!
22:21Please let me go!
22:22Please!
22:24I'm sick!
22:24I really am!
22:26I don't have money!
22:27Please!
22:28Leave me alone!
22:31Help!
22:32I kicked and hit
22:33at whoever was in front of me.
22:34Then someone pulled me in,
22:35held me tight.
22:36No.
22:37No.
22:38It's me.
22:39That scent came back.
22:41Tobacco and woody cologne.
22:42In the darkness,
22:42it surrounded me completely.
22:44I froze for one second.
22:45Then I broke down crying.
22:48Dante held me
22:49while I fell apart
22:50and couldn't get a single word out.
22:52After a long time,
22:53I pulled myself free
22:54and went back
22:55to the little studio.
22:56I didn't know
22:56how Dante found me here.
22:57I didn't want to know
22:59why he came.
22:59In our past life,
23:00he hated me.
23:01So why?
23:02Over the next few days,
23:03Dante was just there,
23:04following me.
23:05He didn't talk,
23:06didn't explain,
23:07didn't get too close.
23:09He was just there.
23:10When I went to work
23:11at the flower shop,
23:12he sat in the cafe
23:13across the street,
23:14pretending to look
23:15at his phone.
23:16When I walked home
23:16after my shift,
23:17he trailed half a block behind.
23:19I didn't want to deal with it,
23:20didn't want to ask,
23:21but the shop owner noticed.
23:22She glanced out the window
23:24at Dante sitting in the cafe,
23:26then looked back at me.
23:30Boyfriend trouble?
23:31I didn't answer,
23:32just walked out in silence.
23:33I just didn't want anything
23:34to do with the Marchettis anymore.
23:36One time,
23:37Dante showed up
23:37outside my building again.
23:39I couldn't help it.
23:41I walked up to him.
23:42Let me go.
23:43Clean.
23:44Is that too much to ask?
23:45Something shifted in his eyes,
23:46not anger.
23:47Something heavier than anger.
23:49Nola,
23:51I'm sorry.
23:53My condition was
23:54deteriorating fast.
23:55The next time I ended up
23:56in the ICU,
23:57I was transferred back
23:58to New York.
23:59Sarah was at my bedside again.
24:00She held my hand,
24:01forehead pressed
24:02against the back of it.
24:03Her shoulders were shaking.
24:05Nola, please.
24:08Let me do this.
24:09Let me save you.
24:11Please.
24:11She looked up at me,
24:12eyes so swollen from crying.
24:14She could barely keep them open.
24:15You're my sister.
24:17Do you hear me?
24:19You're my sister.
24:20That was the first time
24:21Sarah ever said that.
24:22I held her hand weakly.
24:23Shook my head.
24:24I was happy she said it.
24:25But no matter how many times she did,
24:26I couldn't let Sarah give me her kidney.
24:28Before,
24:29the reason I refused
24:30was because I couldn't bear it.
24:31What if?
24:31What if something happened to Sarah
24:33because of me?
24:33I couldn't imagine
24:34how the Marchettis would treat me then.
24:36But now,
24:36my reason was different.
24:37I just couldn't ruin
24:38the rest of Sarah's life.
24:39She was still young.
24:40She'd only been back
24:41in this family for a few years.
24:42Losing a kidney.
24:43No one knew what that would mean
24:44for her future.
24:47Gianna had aged so much
24:49during this time.
24:50The elegant matriarch of the family.
24:51Now,
24:52the lines around her eyes
24:53had deepened overnight.
24:54I knew she had regrets
24:55because after that fight,
24:56Sarah still refused
24:57to speak to her.
24:58She probably thought
24:58she'd failed as a mother.
24:59An adoptive one, at least.
25:01That her selfishness
25:01was the reason
25:02my condition got this bad.
25:03But I never blamed Gianna.
25:04Not really.
25:05Because I knew
25:05it wasn't just Sarah
25:06who got tested.
25:07Gianna did too.
25:08She just wasn't a match
25:09and she never told anyone
25:10she tried.
25:12Just when everyone
25:13was about to lose hope,
25:14we got a call
25:15from the hospital.
25:18I made an excuse.
25:19Said there was a shipment issue
25:20on the West Coast.
25:21Had to fly out
25:22and handle it.
25:23Mom gave me hell for it.
25:24Said Nola had finally
25:24found a kidney donor.
25:26Surgery was right around
25:26the corner and I,
25:27her brother,
25:28couldn't even be bothered
25:29to care.
25:29You remember Sarah's birthday
25:30every single year.
25:32Every single year.
25:33But Nola's?
25:35You've never once remembered.
25:36She's your sister too.
25:38But you're the only one
25:39in this family
25:39who's always treated her
25:40like an outsider.
25:41The truth was,
25:42I just didn't know
25:42how to face Nola.
25:43Every time I looked at her,
25:44I thought of our past life.
25:46Thought about what I did to her.
25:47Of course I knew.
25:47Sarah's death in our past life
25:48had nothing to do with Nola.
25:50Not one bit.
25:50But back then,
25:51we were all drowning in grief.
25:52Too blind to think straight.
25:53So I watched Nola get bullied.
25:55Humiliated.
25:55Over and over.
25:56And I clenched my jaw
25:57and pretended I didn't see.
25:59Like that would somehow
25:59make her hurt the way I hurt.
26:01Sarah was dead.
26:01Nola should have been in pain too.
26:03I even said cruel things
26:04to her face
26:04more than once
26:05until the night
26:06of that family dinner
26:07when someone slipped
26:08something into Nola's drink.
26:10I noticed her glass
26:11had been tampered with.
26:12I went after her immediately.
26:14But what I didn't expect,
26:15the moment Nola saw me,
26:16she held onto me
26:17and wouldn't let go.
26:18I lost control.
26:19That was the first time
26:19I ever completely lost it.
26:21I knew what I felt for her
26:22was more than
26:22what a brother should feel.
26:23I'd been suppressing it.
26:24For over a decade,
26:25I kept it buried.
26:26That night,
26:26it all came crashing down.
26:28After that night,
26:29the regret hit.
26:29When I found out
26:30Nola was pregnant,
26:31I pushed her away,
26:32truly.
26:32I knew the Vicaris
26:33had been watching us,
26:34looking for a weak point.
26:35But I still turned my back
26:36and walked away.
26:37It wasn't until she was dead
26:38that I realized
26:39what I really was,
26:40a complete and utter
26:41piece of shit.
26:43In this life,
26:44I brought Sarah back
26:45and I brought Nola back too.
26:46I thought I was
26:47making things right,
26:48but slowly I started to realize
26:49Nola didn't seem happy.
26:50It's not like I didn't notice.
26:52Back at the group home,
26:53she was already hiding from us,
26:54but I told myself
26:55that the Marchetti family
26:56could give her a better life.
26:57Besides,
26:57in our past life,
26:58we owe her.
26:59So in this life,
27:00when Nola wanted to go
27:00to public school,
27:01I convinced the family
27:02to let her.
27:03When she wanted to go
27:03somewhere five and a half
27:04hours away by plane,
27:06I convinced them again.
27:07What Nola didn't know,
27:08during her two years
27:08in San Francisco,
27:09I flew out to see her
27:10more than once.
27:11The lecture halls,
27:12the library,
27:13even outside her dorm.
27:14Every time,
27:14I parked a block away,
27:15baseball cap on,
27:16a jacket that didn't
27:17look like mine.
27:18I never let myself get close.
27:19When people around me
27:20asked where I was going,
27:21I said business.
27:22No one dared push it.
27:23Until that Christmas,
27:25when Sarah insisted
27:25on going to see Nola,
27:27I went with her
27:27and the Vicaris showed up.
27:28That bullet was meant
27:29for Sarah.
27:30Nola threw herself
27:31in front of it.
27:31I watched her life
27:32all off a cliff,
27:33right in front of me.
27:34I saw how mom fought
27:35against Sarah donating
27:36a kidney.
27:36I also saw how mom
27:37quietly got tested herself
27:38and dragged dad into it too.
27:40Neither matched.
27:41I went and got tested
27:41on my own.
27:42My kidney was a match
27:43for Nola.
27:45I went into the
27:46operating room first.
27:47Before they wheeled me in,
27:48I saw the door
27:49to another OR down the hall.
27:50The light above it was on.
27:51She was behind that door,
27:53I knew.
27:53Before surgery,
27:54I stopped the doctor.
27:55Take care of her.
27:55Whatever it takes.
27:56The surgery was a success.
27:57I was transferred
27:58to a different hospital
27:59to recover.
27:59My family was thrilled.
28:00Messages came in
28:01one after another.
28:02The surgery went well.
28:03Nola's numbers were improving.
28:05No one knew
28:05whose kidney it was.
28:06Later,
28:07Nola went back
28:07to San Francisco
28:08to finish school.
28:09And me.
28:09I actually found
28:10that missing a kidney
28:11didn't really change my life.
28:12If it weren't for the scar,
28:13I'd sometimes forget
28:14there was something
28:14missing inside me.
28:15Once I healed up,
28:16I fell back into old habits,
28:18flying out to San Francisco
28:19to see Nola.
28:19I knew her grades were good,
28:21knew she got into
28:21a prestigious research lab
28:23her senior year.
28:23One time,
28:24I saw Nola walk out
28:25of the school gates.
28:26There was a man beside her,
28:27the two of them,
28:28walking close.
28:29Nola's eyes,
28:29that look she had,
28:30shy,
28:31uncontainable,
28:32a smile she couldn't hold back.
28:33I'd never seen her smile like that,
28:34not once,
28:35not at me,
28:36not at anyone in our family,
28:37never,
28:37and it hurt so bad
28:38I couldn't breathe.
28:39I thought,
28:39maybe during that surgery
28:40the doctors made a mistake,
28:41gave Nola half my heart
28:42along with the kidney.
28:43Why else would it hurt this much?
28:45I met someone at school,
28:48Luca Caldwell.
28:49The first time I noticed him
28:50was in the research lab.
28:51He was sitting at the bench
28:52across from mine,
28:53a book spread open
28:54in front of him,
28:55one I happened to be reading too.
28:56He didn't look like the other guys,
28:58not the deliberately messy,
29:00I don't care type,
29:01not the trying too hard
29:02polished type either,
29:04just clean,
29:04white t-shirt,
29:05a worn leather watch strap
29:07on his wrist.
29:08The first time we spoke
29:09was because he borrowed
29:10my highlighter.
29:13Thanks.
29:14He smiled a little
29:15when he handed it back,
29:16a light smile,
29:17no edge to it.
29:19After that,
29:19we kept running
29:20into each other in the lab.
29:21He didn't talk much,
29:22but every time he spoke to me,
29:24he'd really look at me,
29:25not the way Dante looked at me,
29:27the kind that made you
29:28want to run.
29:28This was the kind
29:29that made you feel like
29:30every word you said
29:32was actually heard.
29:33One night,
29:34I stayed late in the lab
29:36finishing something due.
29:37Everyone else had left,
29:38just the two of us.
29:40He stood up.
29:41I thought he was leaving.
29:42Instead,
29:43he pulled a sandwich
29:44out of his bag
29:45and set it on my desk.
29:46You didn't eat lunch today.
29:48I blinked.
29:50How would you know?
29:52Because you were in here
29:53the whole time.
29:54He didn't explain further,
29:56grabbed his bag and left.
29:58That night,
29:58walking back to the dorm alone,
30:00I realized I was smiling.
30:02It had been a long,
30:03long time since that happened.
30:06Luca never asked about my past.
30:08He didn't ask why
30:09I always ate alone.
30:10Didn't ask why I'd slip
30:11to the end of the hallway
30:12whenever certain calls came in.
30:14One time,
30:14we were reading
30:15on the campus lawn.
30:16I was wearing
30:16a slightly shorter top.
30:18When I sat down,
30:19it might have ridden up a little.
30:20His gaze brushed past it.
30:22Just one second.
30:23Then he said nothing.
30:25Just handed me his jacket.
30:26Getting windy.
30:27That was all.
30:28Luca pursued me slowly,
30:30not the overwhelming roses
30:31and proposal kind of loud.
30:33It was a coffee
30:34that appeared on my bench
30:35every time he came to our lab
30:36to drop off data.
30:37It was me staying late in the lab,
30:39pushing the door open,
30:40and finding him leaned
30:41against the hallway wall.
30:42I was passing by.
30:43It was one time it rained,
30:45and I didn't have an umbrella.
30:46He ran over from God knows where,
30:48completely soaked,
30:49holding an umbrella in his hand.
30:50He was out of breath.
30:51You didn't pick up.
30:52I looked at him,
30:53rain dripping down his forehead,
30:55white shirt drenched,
30:56clinging to his body.
30:57He wasn't angry.
30:58Just looked at me and smiled.
31:00Pick up next time.
31:02I said okay.
31:03That night,
31:04I said yes.
31:08After Luca and I got together,
31:10I suddenly understood something.
31:11Being liked by someone,
31:13it could be this easy.
31:14He didn't make me guess.
31:15Didn't make me wonder
31:15if I'd done something wrong.
31:17Didn't make me replay a single word
31:18or look of his over and over
31:20in the middle of the night.
31:21He never once made me feel
31:22like I was something to be hated.
31:24That December, Sarah called.
31:25Nola,
31:26you're coming home for Christmas this year.
31:27Non-negotiable.
31:28Sarah.
31:29Don't even start.
31:30I don't care.
31:31Three years in a row,
31:32you haven't come back.
31:32If you skip again this year,
31:34I'm flying to San Francisco
31:35and tragging you home myself.
31:36I was quiet for a second.
31:38Okay.
31:40Really?
31:41You said yes?
31:42You 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.
31:48Home.
31:49He smiled.
31:50That's great.
31:51I hesitated.
31:52Do you want to come with me?
31:54He looked at me.
31:56That look so gentle.
31:57You sure?
31:59Yeah.
32:00I want them to meet you.
32:01Three days before Christmas,
32:03we landed at JFK.
32:04Sarah was holding a handmade sign
32:06with a crooked little heart drawn on it.
32:08The second she saw me,
32:09she screamed and ran over.
32:10Then she noticed Luca beside me.
32:12Oh my god!
32:13Nola?!
32:13Before I could even introduce him,
32:14I heard a sound behind me.
32:16An engine cutting off.
32:17A black escalade parked at the curb.
32:19The door opened.
32:19Dante stepped out.
32:20His gaze passed over Sarah.
32:22Passed over me.
32:22Landed on Luca.
32:23The air froze.
32:26Dante looked at Luca for a full three seconds.
32:28Didn't speak.
32:29No expression.
32:29Just looked.
32:30Then he pulled his gaze away
32:31and walked towards Sarah.
32:32Get in the car.
32:34Dante, didn't you see Noah brought-
32:35I saw.
32:36He opened the back door.
32:38Waited.
32:38On the drive back to Long Island,
32:40Luca and I sat in the third row of the escalade.
32:42Sarah was in the second row,
32:43twisting around to stare at us the whole time.
32:45Eyes full of gossip.
32:47Dante didn't say a single word,
32:49but I could feel his gaze in the rearview mirror,
32:51not angled at the road.
32:52When we pulled up to the estate,
32:53Gianna was already waiting at the door.
32:55She paused when she saw Luca,
32:56but smiled quickly.
32:57Noah didn't tell me she was bringing a friend home.
32:59Sarah beat me to it.
33:01Boyfriend.
33:01Gianna's smile deepened.
33:02Even better.
33:03Come inside, it's cold out.
33:05Dinner was Gianna's Christmas Eve Italian feast.
33:08Luca sat to my left.
33:09Dante sat across from me.
33:10The entire meal, Luca was polite, composed.
33:13He answered every one of Gianna's questions.
33:17complimented the food, poured wine for Sarah.
33:20Dante said nothing, just ate.
33:22Glanced 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.
33:32Sarah suggested opening a bottle of wine.
33:34Dante spoke suddenly.
33:36Nuna doesn't drink.
33:37Everyone looked at him.
33:38Luca looked too.
33:40I know.
33:40Luca's tone was even.
33:42I already got her water.
33:43He had.
33:44The wine glass in front of me had been swapped for a water glass.
33:47I didn't even notice when he did it.
33:48Dante's gaze landed on that glass of water, lingered for one second.
33:52Then he stood up and left the table.
33:55After dinner, Luca went to the guest room to drop off his bags.
33:58Sarah pulled Gianna into conversation.
34:01I stood alone in the hallway, heading back to my room.
34:04Nola.
34:05Behind me, I turned around.
34:06Dante was standing at the other end of the hallway.
34:08Backlit, I couldn't make out his expression.
34:11He walked toward me, every step slow.
34:14I stepped back instinctively.
34:16My back hit the wall.
34:18He leaned in closer.
34:20Does he know where that scar on your body came from?
34:24My breath caught.
34:26Does he know why you can't drink?
34:28I didn't answer.
34:29That last one, his voice was so low.
34:31Almost just a breath.
34:33Does he know whose kidney you're carrying?
34:35I clenched my fists.
34:37That's none of your business.
34:38He looked at me.
34:39That look.
34:40Dark.
34:40Heavy.
34:41Like it could swallow me whole.
34:42None of my business.
34:44His hand came up.
34:46Fingertips 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.
34:52I stood there.
34:53Heart pounding so hard it scared me.
34:57That 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.
35:06The warmth on the side of my face.
35:07That look.
35:08I forced my eyes shut.
35:10At some point, I fell asleep.
35:12In the dream.
35:13I was back on that night when I was 18.
35:16The family dinner.
35:17Crystal chandeliers.
35:20A room full of noise.
35:25I pushed open a door.
35:27Dante was inside.
35:28Shirt collar undone.
35:30Eyes red.
35:32He looked at me.
35:33Then he stood up.
35:36And walked toward me.
35:37In the dream, he didn't say...
35:39You made me sick.
35:41He pressed me against the door.
35:45Forehead against mine.
35:46His breath scalding.
35:49Do you know how long I've waited?
35:51The moment his lips touched mine, I jolted awake.
35:553 a.m.
35:57Heart slamming.
35:59Drenched 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.
36:16Black coffee in hand.
36:18His eyes flicked over me when I walked in.
36:20Luca was already up.
36:21Sitting at the table with a plate of Gianna's cannoli in front of him.
36:24Morning.
36:25He smiled at me.
36:27Pulling out the chair beside him like it was the most natural thing in the world.
36:30I sat down.
36:31Dante carried his coffee over and sat across from me.
36:33No one spoke.
36:34Sarah came bounding down the stairs.
36:36And broke the silence.
36:39Luca, what's your major?
36:41She was leaning over the table.
36:43Chin propped on both hands.
36:45Eyes bright and locked on him.
36:46CS?
36:47Luca said.
36:48Doing some computational modeling stuff.
36:50And after graduation?
36:52Might do my own thing.
36:53Start a company?
36:54Sarah perked up.
36:55What kind?
36:57Luca smiled.
36:58Still figuring it out.
37:00He said it so lightly.
37:01Like 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.
37:11Caldwell.
37:12Have you looked into that name?
37:13Then Dante's voice.
37:14Yeah.
37:15And?
37:16Two seconds of silence.
37:17Clean.
37:19Strangely clean.
37:20I didn't stay to listen.
37:21Walked away fast.
37:24Christmas Day.
37:25A 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.
37:33Uncles.
37:34Cousins from the family.
37:35Others I'd never seen before.
37:37Men in dark suits.
37:38Women in gowns.
37:39The fireplace burning high.
37:40Luca wore a simple black turtleneck with a gray blazer over it.
37:44He stood among the crowd.
37:45Not conspicuous, but impossible to overlook.
37:47A few family members glanced his way.
37:49Eyes lingering for a second or two.
37:51That appraising look of who are you?
37:53Luca didn't look uncomfortable.
37:54Not once.
37:55He chatted with Gianna easily.
37:56Passed wine.
37:57Picked up conversations.
37:59Smiled at just the right moments.
38:00Neither too humble nor too eager.
38:02Like he'd done this a hundred times before.
38:04Halfway through dinner, Enzo stood and raised his glass.
38:07To family.
38:08Everyone raised theirs.
38:09And in that exact moment,
38:10a deafening bang from the direction of the front hall.
38:13Then a second.
38:14A third.
38:14Glass shattering.
38:16Someone screaming.
38:17Counter reacted faster than anyone.
38:19Get down!
38:19He grabbed Sarah beside him and shoved her under the table.
38:23The room exploded.
38:24Screams.
38:25Chairs crashing to the floor.
38:26My body froze in place.
38:28The sea.
38:28The hell.
38:29Again.
38:29My hand seized my wrist and pulled me down hard.
38:31Not Dante.
38:32Luca.
38:32He pressed me beneath him.
38:34One hand cradling the back of my head.
38:35His heartbeat against my back.
38:37Steady.
38:38So steady.
38:38Not the heartbeat of someone afraid.
38:40Don't move.
38:42His voice right against my ear.
38:44Low.
38:44Deep.
38:44Much fat of the measure.
38:47That tone.
38:48It didn't sound like an ordinary college student.
38:52The chaos lasted less than two minutes.
38:54Enzo's people had it under control.
38:55A few men in black coats rushed in and pinned the intruders to the ground.
38:59Vikari.
39:00Again.
39:01After it was over, I got up from beneath Luca.
39:03As he stood, I caught his phone screen lighting up.
39:06The caller ID.
39:06No name.
39:07Just a string of numbers.
39:08He glanced at it.
39:09Didn't pick up.
39:10Flipped the phone face down.
39:11Then he looked at me, and he was the gentle Luca again.
39:14You okay?
39:14I nodded, but I saw it.
39:15In those few seconds of chaos, the look in Luca's eyes wasn't fear.
39:19It was assessment.
39:20Population.
39:21Control.
39:21That look.
39:22I'd seen it on one other person before.
39:24Dante.
39:25After the dinner, the estate was in disarray all night.
39:27Enzo locked himself in the study.
39:28Family men coming and going.
39:30No one slept.
39:31Sarah 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.
39:37Luca stayed with me the whole time.
39:38We sat at the end of the second floor hallway.
39:41Him leaning against the wall.
39:42Me leaning against his shoulder.
39:44His hand resting on the back of mine.
39:45Thumb brushing back and forth.
39:47It was all quiet.
39:50Were you scared?
39:51He asked.
39:51No.
39:51I said.
39:52And I meant it.
39:53When you've already died once, gunshots don't scare you that easily.
39:56Luca.
39:57Hmm?
39:57Just now you...
39:58I wanted to ask.
39:59But I didn't know how to start.
40:00Why were you so calm?
40:02Why weren't your hands shaking?
40:03Who was that call from?
40:04He waited a moment.
40:05I've seen this kind of thing before.
40:07He 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.
40:14You don't have to be scared.
40:15I'm here.
40:16The next morning, when I came downstairs,
40:18I heard Enzo and Dante talking outside the study door.
40:21Enzo's voice was heavy.
40:22Last night, someone intercepted the Vecardi's second wave.
40:25It wasn't our people.
40:26Dante was quiet for a second.
40:28It was Caldwell.
40:29You're sure?
40:30His men showed up on the perimeter of the estate.
40:32At least four of them.
40:33Enzo's voice dropped even lower.
40:35So low I could barely hear.
40:36Who the hell is this kid?
40:38I stood at the turn of the staircase.
40:40Palms drenched.
40:41Luca Caldwell.
40:42Who are you?
40:43The day after Christmas, Long Island got buried in snow.
40:46The 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.
40:53His back was to me.
40:54Voice low.
40:55I only caught one word.
40:56Handled.
40:56He hung up, turned around, and saw me standing in the doorway.
40:59Not a trace of panic on his face.
41:01Morning.
41:01Luca.
41:02Hmm?
41:04Last night, those men, were they yours?
41:07He looked at me for two seconds.
41:08You heard.
41:09Not a question.
41:10I didn't say anything.
41:11He walked over and stood in front of me.
41:12My family's in investing.
41:14Fairly large scale.
41:15We keep a low profile.
41:17So you have armed personnel?
41:19Security team.
41:20He corrected me gently.
41:21In our line of work, you make enemies.
41:22Having a few people around is normal.
41:24It all sounded perfectly reasonable, but my gut told me he wasn't telling me everything
41:28before I could push further.
41:29Nola.
41:30End of the hallway.
41:30Dante.
41:31Leaning against the wall.
41:32Hands in his pockets.
41:33He was looking at Luca.
41:34Mind if we have a word, Mr. Caldwell?
41:36Not the tone of a request.
41:37Luca smiled.
41:38Of course.
41:38They walked into the study.
41:39The door closed.
41:40I stood in the hallway, heart racing.
41:42Through that door, I couldn't hear a thing.
41:43But three minutes later, it opened.
41:45Luca came out first.
41:46Expression unchanged.
41:47Dante followed.
41:48Face dark.
41:49When he passed me, he stopped.
41:50His lips moved like he wanted to say something.
41:53In the end, he said nothing.
41:54Went straight upstairs.
41:55I looked at Luca.
41:56What did he say?
41:57Luca looked at me.
41:58One second of silence.
42:00He asked if I was worthy of standing beside you.
42:03What did you say?
42:05The corner of Luca's mouth lifted just slightly.
42:07I 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.
42:16He held me for a long time before he left.
42:18Be safe going back.
42:19Call me if anything comes up.
42:20I 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, didn't look back.
42:25But he left that feeling of safety hanging in the air, still there even after he was gone.
42:30So 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.
42:37Luca's presence was easy, like sunlight coming through a window, not burning, just warm.
42:42The day after Luca left, I was helping Gianna clean up the kitchen.
42:45Sarah was curled up on the couch, scrolling her phone when she suddenly sat up.
42:49Noya, come look at this!
42:50She held her phone out to me.
42:52On the screen was a Forbes article.
42:54Long headline.
42:55But I only caught two things.
42:56Caldwell.
42:57And a number.
42:57A lot of zeros.
42:58Isn't that your boyfriend's last name?
43:00Sarah's eyes were wide.
43:01I stared at the article.
43:02Caldwell family office.
43:03Spanning tech.
43:04Energy.
43:05Real estate.
43:05Family assets.
43:06I didn't finish reading.
43:07I handed the phone back to Sarah.
43:09Probably 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.
43:18Lab.
43:19Classes.
43:19Luca.
43:20But something had shifted.
43:21I started noticing things I'd overlooked before.
43:24Luca never talked about his family.
43:26His apartment looked ordinary, but it was in Pacific Heights, one of the most expensive neighborhoods
43:30in 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.
43:41The 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.
43:50His were just covered with money.
43:51February.
43:52Late one night.
43:53Sarah called.
43:54She was crying.
43:55Nola, something happened to Dante.
43:57My blood went cold.
43:59What?
43:59He was in a car accident, north shore of Long Island.
44:02He's at the hospital now.
44:04I gripped my phone, knuckles white.
44:05How bad is it?
44:06Sarah was crying, too hard to speak.
44:08Gianna took over the phone.
44:10Her voice was steady, but I could tell it was the kind of steady new force.
44:13Nola, you don't need to come back.
44:15He's not in danger.
44:16I...
44:16Surgery's already done.
44:18He's in the ICU for observation.
44:20Surgery?
44:21Gianna was quiet for a second.
44:23The impact to his abdomen was too severe.
44:25The doctor said...
44:26She stopped.
44:27Said what?
44:28He 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.
44:35He only has one kidney.
44:37Why?
44:37Why does Dante only have one kidney?
44:41I booked the next red eye back to New York.
44:43Five and a half hours.
44:44I didn't sleep a single second.
44:46After 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.
44:54He's stable.
44:55Just got moved from ICU to a regular room.
44:58Can I go in and see him?
44:59But she didn't cry.
45:00He's still asleep.
45:01I just want to look.
45:04That's all.
45:05She didn't stop me.
45:06I pushed the door open.
45:07Dante was lying in the hospital bed, face white, lips drained of color, tubes in his arm,
45:12the heart monitor beeping in steady rhythm.
45:14His hospital gown was loose at the collar.
45:16An old scar above his collarbone.
45:17My eyes moved lower.
45:19The gown had been left partly open.
45:20I saw it.
45:21His left abdomen.
45:22A long, healed, surgical scar.
45:24My knees gave out.
45:25I grabbed the edge of the bed.
45:26That kidney.
45:27The one I thought came from an anonymous donor.
45:28The one that kept me alive.
45:30It was his.
45:31I crouched beside his bed.
45:32Hand pressed over my mouth.
45:33Tears hit the hospital floor.
45:35He was asleep.
45:36He didn't know a thing.
45:37And 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.
45:47The heart monitor beeped on.
45:49Then he woke up.
45:50Not the slow, drifting open kind.
45:53It was instant.
45:54Like he sensed something.
45:56He turned his head.
45:58Saw me.
45:59I was still on the ground.
46:01Eyes swollen.
46:02A mess.
46:03He didn't ask how I got here.
46:05Didn't ask why I was crying.
46:07He just looked at me.
46:09Then reached out.
46:10Fingertips touched my face.
46:12Light as that time in the hallway.
46:14You 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?
46:26He didn't deny it either.
46:28Would you have accepted it?
46:30I couldn't speak.
46:31He looked at me.
46:31Eyes heavy.
46:32You wouldn't have.
46:34You would have said no.
46:36You would have run.
46:38Just like you always do.
46:40I clenched my fists.
46:44So you just kept it from me?
46:46Yeah.
46:48He said it softly.
46:49Without a second of hesitation.
46:52I kept it from you.
46:54I don't regret it.
46:56My chest felt like someone had it in a fist.
46:58Squeezing until it hurt.
47:00I stood up.
47:01Tried to step back.
47:02But he caught my wrist.
47:03He shouldn't have had any strength.
47:05Just out of surgery.
47:07Abdomen still wrapped in gauze.
47:08No.
47:09But his grip was tight.
47:10He pulled me forward.
47:11I lost my balance.
47:13One hand landing on the pillow beside his head.
47:16Our faces were so close.
47:19Close enough to see the shadows on his lashes and to feel his breath land on my lips.
47:23His gaze dropped from my eyes to my mouth.
47:26Do you know how long I've waited?
47:56The exact same words from the dream.
47:57His eyes.
47:58Pain.
47:59Pain.
48:11My legs barely holding.
48:13The warmth of his breath still lingering at the corner of my mouth.
48:16Closed my eyes.
48:17Hated myself.
48:18More than after that wet dream.
48:21After I came back from the hospital.
48:23I stayed on Long Island for three more days.
48:25Not because I wanted to.
48:27Sarah wouldn't let me leave.
48:28I 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.
48:36Back at the estate.
48:37He didn't come find me.
48:38I didn't go find him either.
48:39But that night.
48:41The scar.
48:42Those 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.
48:54Grey coat.
48:55Scarf draped loosely.
48:56I looked at him.
48:57He smiled.
48:58Gentle.
48:59Same as always.
49:00I'll come pick you up and take you back.
49:01I couldn't speak.
49:03You didn't answer my calls.
49:04And I was worried sick.
49:05I just walked over and buried my face in his coat.
49:08His hand came up to the back of my head.
49:10He didn't ask questions.
49:11That evening, Luca was in the living room chatting with Sarah.
49:14I went to the kitchen for water.
49:16Passing the study.
49:18The door was open.
49:19Dante was inside.
49:21Standing by the window, he saw me walk by.
49:23Nola.
49:24I stopped.
49:27I don't know why.
49:27I walked in.
49:31So you're just going to act like nothing happened?
49:34Dante.
49:35He took a step toward me.
49:36You know now.
49:37You know everything.
49:39So what?
49:40You go back and live your nice little life with that guy?
49:43He has a name.
49:44I don't care what his name is.
49:45His voice dropped low.
49:47Nola, do you have any idea?
49:49That child.
49:51The one you were carrying?
49:52My blood went cold.
49:53I think about it every day.
49:55If I hadn't walked away.
49:56If I hadn't pulled everyone off you.
49:57Stop!
49:58It would have been born.
50:00Grown up.
50:01Could have been calling me dad by now.
50:03Could have...
50:03I said stop!
50:04Stop!
50:05My voice came out louder than I expected.
50:07He 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.
50:14His expression hadn't changed.
50:15But his eyes...
50:16And I'd never seen that look before.
50:17Not anger.
50:18Not hurt.
50:18It was the kind of calm that comes when something suddenly clicks into place.
50:22He looked at me.
50:22Then at Dante.
50:23Then he spoke quietly.
50:24Sorry.
50:25Didn't mean to interrupt.
50:26He turned and walked away.
50:27His footsteps were steady.
50:28Didn't speed up.
50:29But I knew.
50:29Something had just broken.
50:32Luca didn't ask me.
50:33That night.
50:34He said nothing.
50:35We sat together in the living room.
50:36Sarah was watching a movie beside us.
50:38Gianna was in the kitchen.
50:40Everything 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.
50:50Quiet.
50:50Not the Luca kind of quiet.
50:52The easy kind.
50:53This was a glass wall.
50:55After the movie ended, Sarah yawned and went upstairs.
50:57The living room was left with nothing but the flicker of the fireplace.
51:01We sat side by side.
51:02Ten centimeters between us.
51:04There had never been those ten centimeters before.
51:07Luca?
51:09Hmm?
51:10You...
51:11Not tonight.
51:12He cut me off.
51:12Voice soft.
51:13Tomorrow.
51:14His gaze was on the fire.
51:15Firelight shifting across his profile.
51:17Quiet.
51:18But 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.
51:25He was always relaxed.
51:26Always warm.
51:27Always the person who made me feel like nothing could go wrong.
51:30But right now, he was holding back.
51:32I knew what he was holding back from.
51:34That child.
51:35Those three words, Dante said.
51:37To Luca, those three words meant...
51:39Between Dante and me.
51:40There was a past he would never be able to understand.
51:43Not a fling.
51:44Not old feelings.
51:46A child.
51:48That night, I went and knocked on his guest room door.
51:52He opened it.
51:57Saw me.
51:58Expression unchanged.
51:59Come in.
52:04Luca, what you heard today...
52:05That child!
52:05He spoke.
52:06Voice flat.
52:07The child he was talking about.
52:08What did he mean?
52:09My breath caught.
52:10I walked in.
52:10Did something happen between you two?
52:12I opened my mouth.
52:13I couldn't tell him about the past life.
52:15No one would believe it.
52:16Saying it out loud would only make me sound insane.
52:18That was a long time ago.
52:20How long?
52:22A long time.
52:23He looked at me.
52:24Those eyes, so clear.
52:26Clear enough to make you feel guilty.
52:29I'm not going to force you to explain.
52:31He said.
52:32But I need to know one thing.
52:34He stepped closer.
52:37Do you still love him?
52:38I could hear my own heartbeat.
52:40I don't know.
52:41I meant it.
52:42Maybe it was the cruelest answer I could have given.
52:44I don't know.
52:45Is more hopeless than yes.
52:47Because yes is at least an answer.
52:49I don't know.
52:50Thank you for not lying to me.
52:51Means I'm still caught in it.
52:53Luca looked at me for a long time.
52:54I won't pressure you to choose.
52:56The next morning, Luca booked a flight back to San Francisco.
52:59Before he left, he stood at the front door of the estate looking at me.
53:02Figure it out.
53:03Then come find me.
53:07Whatever the answer is, I'll take it.
53:08Coat collar turned up.
53:10Breath turning to white fog in the cold air.
53:12His thumb grazed my cheekbone one last time.
53:15The same motion as the very first time.
53:17Gentle.
53:18Steady.
53:18Then he got in the car.
53:19Didn't look back.
53:20This time, after he left, there was nothing in the air.
53:22Not like Dante.
53:23After Dante left, his traces lingered.
53:25Tobacco.
53:26Cologne.
53:26That gaze in the rearview mirror.
53:28That brush across the corner of my mouth.
53:30I stood in the doorway, palms cold, and suddenly realized, why do I always compare him to Dante?
53:37I stood at the door crying like a lunatic for a long time.
53:41Then I turned around and saw Dante.
53:42Long Island had cleared up for once.
53:44The snow was half melted.
53:46He looked so much thinner.
53:47I was about to go back inside.
53:48Nola.
53:49I stopped.
53:50I have something for you.
53:52He pulled an envelope from his pocket, took two steps toward me, and held it out.
53:56I didn't take it.
53:56What is it?
53:57Open it.
53:58I hesitated, then took it.
53:59Inside was a document.
54:01A property transfer agreement.
54:02Address in San Francisco.
54:04Mission District.
54:04A one-bedroom apartment.
54:06The name on it.
54:07What is this supposed to mean?
54:09It's not Marchetti's.
54:11It's under my personal name.
54:12Nothing to do with the family.
54:14His voice was flat.
54:16You don't have to live in places you find on Craigslist anymore.
54:19I gripped the document hard.
54:20I don't want it.
54:22I'm not asking you to want it.
54:23It's yours.
54:24Throw it away if you want.
54:25I looked at him.
54:26Those eyes.
54:27Calm.
54:28Nola.
54:28This was the kind of calm that comes after a decision has already been made.
54:32I'm not going to hold you back anymore.
54:33Go live your life with whoever you want.
54:37Dante!
54:37I owe you two lives.
54:39One from our past life.
54:41One for this life.
54:43He pressed a hand to his left abdomen.
54:45I won't cage you anymore.
54:46He finished.
54:47That day at the group home, you smiled at me.
54:50That was the most right decision I've ever made in my life.
54:53And the most selfish.
54:55Then he walked away.
54:56He stood in the backyard.
54:57The envelope trembled slightly in the wind.
54:59My whole life.
55:00I was always the one running.
55:02He was always the one chasing.
55:03Pinning me in place with his silence and his presence.
55:06This was the first time.
55:07He left first.
55:08I thought I'd feel relieved.
55:09But I stood there for a long, long time.
55:12Unable to move a single step.
55:16A week later, I went back to San Francisco.
55:18Life seemed to return to normal.
55:20Lab.
55:20Classes.
55:21Alone.
55:22Luca didn't reach out.
55:23I didn't reach out either.
55:24But things were happening quietly.
55:25Those people I used to notice.
55:27Standing on the corner.
55:28Trailing half a block behind in a car.
55:29They were gone.
55:30The Marchetti people assigned to watch over me.
55:32All of them.
55:32Gone.
55:33I assumed Dante had pulled them.
55:34Until one day.
55:35Nola, have you seen the news?
55:37What?
55:37The Vakiris.
55:38FBI raided them.
55:39Several members arrested.
55:40Rico charges.
55:41Dante did that?
55:42No.
55:43Dad says it wasn't our people.
55:45Someone fed evidence to the FBI.
55:47But no one knows who.
55:48I hung up.
55:49A vague answer already forming in my mind.
55:51That afternoon, I got a text from Luca.
55:52Short.
55:53Free.
55:53Wanna see you.
55:54Come to my place.
55:55He'd never invited me to his home before.
55:56Pacific Heights.
55:57A white apartment building.
55:59Top floor.
55:59When the elevator doors opened.
56:00I saw the Golden Gate Bridge through the floor.
56:02to ceiling windows.
56:03Sunset had turned the entire bay orange.
56:06Luca stood in the living room.
56:07Wearing 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.
56:13This didn't belong to a college student.
56:15Want something to drink?
56:16Luca.
56:17Hmm?
56:19The Vakari thing.
56:20That was you.
56:21Not a question.