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00:00I'm Sarah Moretti, three years married, and I thought I was just a stand-in for the Godfather's long-lost
00:05love.
00:06On this day, she came back.
00:07Boss! Miss Bella is back!
00:09So I conveniently died.
00:19Mrs. Romano is still inside!
00:23One fire, one ticket, one new identity.
00:27I even left her my favorite diamond tiara.
00:29I thought that was more than decent.
00:31Until the third day on the run, a group of men in black suddenly locked down the entire freighter.
00:39The sound of dress shoes closed in from the deck.
00:45We've searched the whole ship. Nothing.
00:48Search again.
00:49Salvatore's orders. We bring her back alive.
00:51Every drop of blood in my body went cold, and then the cargo ship slammed open.
00:57I backed away with that concern.
00:59He stopped right in front of me.
01:01His voice was terrifying.
01:03Pardon me, ma'am.
01:04Have you seen my runaway bride?
01:07Two maids were practically wrestling me into the wedding dress.
01:10I still had half a sandwich in my hand.
01:12Two hours ago, I was in the kitchen, just watching the whole mess unfold.
01:16Because the woman who was actually supposed to get married today, my half-sister Bella, had run off with some
01:21broke artist.
01:22And the Romano wedding convoy was only two hours away.
01:26Mrs. Moretti stood behind me and personally pinned Bella's veil onto my head.
01:35Sarah, my daughter.
01:36I've always been good to you, haven't I?
01:39Just so-so.
01:42Your sister's been good to you, hasn't she?
01:44Barely average.
01:51Now it's time you paid this family back.
01:54Everyone in the city knew what kind of man Salvatore Romano was.
01:58A month ago, he'd taken shotgun down to the docks and wiped out half-arrival blue.
02:02No, no, okay, no, no.
02:05Once you found out, I'd be the first to take a bullet.
02:08What if I don't go?
02:12From today on, we'll officially recognize you as a Moretti.
02:17Your mother's name can also be entered in the family's church records.
02:23When my mother was alive, they never treated her like a human being.
02:27And even after she died, they still used her to bargain with me.
02:31But I knew the truth.
02:32Even if I said no today, they'd drag me into that wedding car anyway.
02:41Let's go.
02:45This wasn't really a wedding.
02:47The Morettis controlled the dock warehouses.
02:49The Romanos controlled the ships and the freight routes.
02:52And me?
02:53I was just the bride they shoved into the deal to fill the hole at the last minute.
03:01When the wedding car rolled through the iron gates of the Romano estate, a line of men and black students
03:06stood beneath the portico.
03:08That tall, gaunt man opened the car door for me.
03:15Mrs. Romano, Salvatore is waiting for you in the park.
03:25I was still making up a lie on the way over.
03:27Then I saw the two guns on the mountain.
03:29Yeah, lying was out.
03:32Salvador, there's something I have to tell you.
03:36Bella ran off with a painter.
03:39Mrs. Moretti forced me to take her place.
03:43I'm not Bella.
03:44We only look a little alike.
03:46I closed my eyes and waited for a bullet to the skull.
03:50I will send men to find your sister.
03:53Until then, you will stand in as Mrs. Romano.
03:56I'll wait on you hand and foot.
03:58I promise.
04:00That won't be necessary.
04:02Don't worry, Salvatore.
04:04I'll just be another maid for you.
04:06I won't get in your labor.
04:16You want the staff laughing at the Romano name?
04:21When we find your sister, I'll give you a generous sum to see you settle.
04:30Don't covet what isn't yours.
04:34Yes, sir.
04:35Absolutely, sir.
04:38I scrubbed myself down in record time.
04:40In the bedroom, Salvatore's lips tugged into a faint smirk.
04:45Then he glanced back.
04:46Rose petals, candy wrappers, almond shells, and a crushed cherry.
04:50He turned and saw me.
04:51Chocolate on my mouth.
04:52Almonds swept up my sleeves.
04:55I gave a nervous little laugh.
04:59Gotta hand it to the Romano's.
05:01Even the wedding candy is top tier.
05:04Those platters of candied almonds and chocolate cherries from the reception, I'd stuffed my pockets and smuggled them all the
05:11way to the bridal suite.
05:13They just smelled too good.
05:16I knew it.
05:17Knowing full well I was in the wrong, I made sure I was extra attentive and giving in bed that
05:21night.
05:21Before he turned in for the night, he'd have someone bring me a handful of little pills, and I washed
05:27every last one down with plain water.
05:29I didn't know what his was, but I assumed they were birth control pills.
05:33By his side, I knew I wasn't meant to have his child.
05:36He'd scoop me up off the bed, carry me down the hallway to the marble bathroom, run me a warm
05:42bath, wash me clean, then wrap me in a thick towel and carry me back to bed.
05:54By the time he'd tucked the covers around me and kissed my forehead, the sky outside was already paling at
06:00dawn.
06:05He'd nuzzle my hair.
06:06After that night, my life at the Romano estate truly began.
06:09For three years, the lights in the master bedroom never went out before midnight.
06:15Every night after we were intimate, Salvatore would make me swallow a handful of little birth control pills.
06:21For three years, I never missed a dose, handful after handful.
06:25I didn't feel wronged in the slightest.
06:27If anything, I saw it as my duty to hold up my end of the deal.
06:31At the Moretti house, the only way I got fed was by staying on Bella's good side.
06:35One meal a day, and when she lost her temper, she'd whip me with a riding crop.
06:40Luckily, she was weak, so I never scarred.
06:43Pocket money? Not a cent.
06:46For all the grandeur of that mansion, everything I wore was Bella's hand-me-downs.
06:51After I married in, Salvatore didn't bother himself with what I ate.
06:55Three square meals a day, and I actually blew a few inches.
06:58He ran a tight ship, so none of the staff dared play favorites or look down on anyone.
07:02Aside from being tossed around and thoroughly worn out in bed every night, life was pretty comfortable.
07:07That comfort came at a price.
07:09I burrowed into his chest.
07:10You're amazing, Salvatore.
07:11I never forgot.
07:12I was on the payroll.
07:13I had to make him feel every penny was worth it.
07:15Diamond tiara I had commissioned.
07:17It should be arriving any day now.
07:19My eyes look.
07:20You're the best, Salvatore!
07:24I knew how to play my cards, and Salvatore was so wealthy.
07:28When he was in a good mood, he'd toss me a heavy gold bar on a whim,
07:32and I'd scurry to tuck him away in my little leather case, delighted.
07:36If I got a gold coin every day, I'm telling you, I'd be your stand-in till I was 90.
07:43Little miner.
07:45Your treasure chest.
07:48He's almost full, isn't it?
07:49How did he know about my treasure box?
07:57Lie still and be good.
07:58I did as told, curling up on the inner side of the bed.
08:01Back then, I thought that was the whole deal between us.
08:04He was the benefactor.
08:05I was the stand-in.
08:06He chased the one that got away.
08:08I saved my nest egg.
08:09Money.
08:09Beside the jewelry and money Salvatore gave me, I had a secret side gig.
08:13Anyone who'd known hunger at the Moretti house had an almost animal instinct when it came to money.
08:19Every cent, every gemmed piece he gave me, I never spent carelessly.
08:23I sorted them all and locked them away in a little leather case by my bed.
08:26But I wasn't satisfied living off his handouts.
08:29I needed money I could hold in my own fist.
08:31So I started writing serialized romance novels for a gossip website
08:34about a rich girl who runs off with a penniless painter and survives on bread in a garret for three
08:40years.
08:41Bella was a loyal reader of exactly this kind of trash.
08:44The series went viral the second it launched.
08:46When the royalties hit my account, my hands shaking with excitement.
08:50Turns out I could make money with my own pen, not just as a substitute.
08:54That was the first time in this mansion I didn't feel like a caged canary.
08:58Then I launched a second series, The Godfather's Runaway Bride, based on Salvatore and Bella.
09:04Loyalties poured in, and my little leather case grew heavier by the day.
09:08I'd already mapped it all out.
09:10A small country estate with a garden in the next province, a couple of maids,
09:15and Nora and I could live comfortably for the rest of our lives.
09:21Last night I brought him a late snack to the study.
09:23He wasn't there, just a few papers spread across the desk.
09:26As I set down the tray, I caught a glimpse of a photo tucked under the picture frame.
09:31Its edges worn soft, like it had been picked up and handled countless times.
09:35On some impulse I pulled it out and took a look.
09:38A woman in a white dress sat on a bench, smiling in profile.
09:42It was Bella.
09:43The memory flooded back all at once.
09:46That day, after reading that magazine trope about a painter falling for an heiress at first sight by the lake,
09:51Bella insisted on going to Central Park to be seen.
09:55She sat on the terrace bench in her new dress, making me stand behind her holding the parasol, her gloves,
10:01and her magazines.
10:03I was already underfed, and after two hours on my feet, my legs were shaking.
10:09When she finally stood up, satisfied to catch her breath, I saw her eyes softening, staring at another young man
10:16sketching on the lawn.
10:17A few yards away stood five or six rich boys in suits, whistling in our direction.
10:22Only one man sketching spoke up to stop them.
10:26That's enough.
10:27His face flushed.
10:29He tipped his hat to Bella from afar.
10:31That was the painter who later ran off with her.
10:33Behind those boys sat a black luxury car.
10:36The window was half rolled down, and the man smoking in the back seat was Salvatore.
10:41Back then I'd thought to myself, this godfather has good taste.
10:45He picked my sister at first glance.
10:48I tucked the photo back under the frame quietly, and slipped out of the study.
10:52After that, I went on swallowing those pills every night just the same, locking the gold bars he tossed me
10:58into my little leather case by the bed, murmuring all the things he liked to hear while curled in his
11:03arms.
11:04I never breathed a word about what was tucked under that frame.
11:07I played my part perfectly.
11:09He played his too.
11:11And that was how things went for three years.
11:14I have a business trip.
11:16Back in three days.
11:18Half asleep, but still ever the professional, I mumbled.
11:21Take care, Salvatore.
11:23I'll miss you.
11:26He stroked my hair absently, not saying a word.
11:29I drifted off minutes later.
11:33Three days later, Salvatore returned to the estate.
11:36How is Bella?
11:37Early that morning, I carried the coffee Nora had just brewed to his study, hoping to sweet-talk him into
11:42two more gold bars.
11:44Bella was back.
11:45I felt like I'd fallen into a pit of ice,
11:47thrown back in an instant to all those years scraping by under her thumb.
11:51Mr. Moretti doted on her and couldn't have cared less about me.
11:57After Mom died, Bella locked me in the pantry for three days just for stealing one bite of food.
12:06When I refused to wait on Mrs. Moretti, she ground Mom's photo under her heel to humiliate me.
12:12And the man I'd shared a bed with for three years had been searching for her all along.
12:16Bella Moretti has returned to the Moretti residence.
12:19What about the painter?
12:21Not sighted.
12:23Keep watching.
12:24I didn't go in.
12:25I turned and walked back to my wing.
12:27So he'd left town because he'd gotten word of Bella.
12:30Gone to fetch her.
12:31Of course.
12:32Good thing my new cereal, the Godfather's runaway rug, had just wrapped and raked in fortune.
12:39I was tallying up my savings when a wave of nausea rolled over me.
12:46I froze.
12:47At first, I just had no appetite.
12:49And lately, I'd been so sleepy.
12:51I'd written it off as constant tiredness.
12:58But I'd always been careful about this.
13:01After Salvatore left, find a reputable female doctor outside the city.
13:06Bring her here quietly.
13:08I'd had Nora secretly send for a well-regarded female doctor out in the suburbs.
13:14While I waited, I dozed off again in the window seat.
13:17In my dream.
13:19How dare you?
13:20How dare you get pregnant behind my back?
13:23A Romano child can only be born to Bella.
13:29Bella stepped out from behind him, holding onto his shoulder, her eyes full of scorn and triumph.
13:35You've taken Bella's place for two years.
13:38You owe her that much.
13:41Consider this repayment for your service.
13:43Take the abortion pills and get out.
13:46I stared at the bottle of pills, thought of my treasure box, took it and bowed.
13:51I'll go at once.
13:54Leave the box.
13:55That's Salvador's gift to me.
13:58Favorite diamond tiara on her head.
14:00Guards, force the pills down her throat, then drag her out.
14:06Two burly men dragged me outside into the heavy falling snow.
14:17Moments later, they dragged Nora out too.
14:19This thieving maid has been executed on Mrs. Romano's orders.
14:24Sarah.
14:26Sarah.
14:27I jolted awake.
14:29Sarah, I'm right here.
14:31I reached out and touched her cheek.
14:33Still warm.
14:34The doctor examined me, asked about my last period.
14:37Congratulations.
14:37You're pregnant.
14:39It hit me like a blow to the head.
14:42I'd already prepared.
14:43I'd painted on a weak, sickly look and pushed him back gently.
14:48I'm not feeling well today.
14:50He frowned.
14:52Have you sent for the family doctor?
14:53I hurried to answer.
14:55No need.
14:56It's my time of the month.
14:59That night, lying beside me, he asked out of nowhere.
15:03I heard you had some woman from the suburbs come see you?
15:06Of course he knew everything.
15:08My heart skipped a beat.
15:09I forced the lie out.
15:15Nora wanted to learn to make handmade scented candles.
15:18So I hired someone to teach her.
15:22She didn't get the hang of it.
15:23So I sent her away and under looked an hour.
15:26I felt the tiny life inside me and ventured carefully.
15:29I heard Congressman Kennedy's mistress is pregnant and he wants to bring her home.
15:33His wife's throwing an absolute fit.
15:36No reaction.
15:37I pushed further.
15:38What would you do, Salvatore?
15:40If you had a child?
15:41Outside?
15:43Marriage?
15:54I wouldn't.
15:56Wouldn't what?
15:58I won't have a bastard child.
16:02Why not?
16:04Get rid of the mother and there's no child.
16:06Those words cut deep.
16:08Those words cut deep.
16:08Get rid of the mother.
16:09In his world, was that the fate of any woman carrying an unwanted child?
16:15I lay awake till dawn.
16:17I lay awake till dawn.
16:17I thought long and hard all night.
16:18If Salvatore had any conscience left, he'd pay me off and let me go.
16:23But Bella, knowing I'd taken her place and her status for two whole years, would she want me dead?
16:30And Salvatore, who'd been searching for her all this time, clearly cared far more about his first love.
16:37I cooked a whole meal myself, planning to beg for leave and slip out into the night.
16:42That night, Salvatore never came home.
16:46Salvadorio has been invited by Mr. Moretti.
16:48He says Mrs. Romana needn't wait and should rest early.
16:53Of course, Bella was back.
16:55Naturally, Salvatore would be with her.
17:00He won't be home tonight.
17:01He's staying at the Moretti residence.
17:04Three years ago, I'd sat just like this in the Moretti's kitchen, waiting for Bella's leftovers.
17:09Round and round it went, right back where I started.
17:14That bottle of French wine he'd given me last year sat on the table, still unopened.
17:19He stayed at the Moretti house for three days.
17:21Day one, the staff gossiped among themselves that they'd seen him and Bella taking tea in the garden.
17:28Day three, Bella sent a threatening letter.
17:37It was Bella's. I'd know it anywhere.
17:41I clutched the page, my heart sinking straight through the floor.
17:45All those years scraping by under Mrs. Moretti and Bella's control,
17:49I knew exactly what they were capable of.
17:51My own mother had fallen out of favor and been tormented to death by Mrs. Moretti.
17:56She'd even picked the way I'd die, exactly the same way I'd planned.
18:02Good. If you want a fire, you'll get a fire.
18:05But this fire will be bigger than you imagined.
18:11Early the next morning, I pulled on the plainest old gray hoodie I owned, tugged a baseball cap low over
18:17my eyes,
18:18and slipped out through the back gate of the estate.
18:25I kept my head down, tugging the brim of my cap even lower to hide my face.
18:29I pawned every piece of jewelry and converted the gold bars into cash.
18:37Did you hear? The Morettis are having a wedding.
18:40The only unmarried Moretti was the newly returned Bella.
18:43The thought of Salvatore staying night after night at the Morettis.
18:46The Dons marrying Bella Morelli, the Grand Cathedral, all the city's elite.
18:50For the next two days, I hold up in the estate.
18:53Mrs. Romano's taken ill, won't leave her room.
18:57Caught a chill, resting, barely eating.
18:59So they'd already started planting the story.
19:02Let me stay sick, resting up.
19:04Then one night, a room catches fire, a bedridden woman can't escape,
19:08and the whole thing gets written off as an accident.
19:11Salvatore wouldn't even have to get his hands dirty.
19:15On the afternoon of the third day, Bella arrived.
19:18She swept into the drawing room in a pale blue suit and high heels,
19:22like she'd owned the place her whole life.
19:25I watched her from the second floor hallway.
19:28The heel of her left shoe was crooked.
19:30Her fingers were trembling, not out of anger,
19:33but from having gone so long without anything fine to touch.
19:38Sister, three years on, and this house is still so downy.
19:50You know, every time he mentions you, he only ever calls you the stand-in bride.
20:00I wondered what kind of person she'd be.
20:03Turns out it's just you.
20:07It was a photo of my mother, the same one she had once stepped on to humiliate me.
20:12Your mother was nothing but a lowly maid from the country.
20:21You're just like her, please.
20:24Three years ago, if she had insulted my mother like this,
20:27I probably would have knelt and begged her to stop.
20:30But now, looking at her bare hands, the humiliation I felt slowly faded.
20:37The more she played the grand lady, the more those hands gave her away.
20:41Her heels clicked on the marble floor, one sharp tap after another,
20:46each one like a knock against my bones.
20:48I looked down at my own hands, plumper, paler, with neatly trimmed nails.
20:53Back at the Moretti's, they'd been raw with cracks every winter.
20:57Now Salvatore had cared for them into hands that looked like they belonged to a real Mrs. Romano.
21:07The woman in the mirror had rosy cheeks, but her eyes were cold as ice.
21:12The prouder she'd acted in front of me, the clearer I was.
21:15I knew better than anyone what kind of life she'd lived these past two years with that painter.
21:20Because that life, I'd written it for her, word by word.
21:28Once I learned Bella loved those cheap magazines, I decided to weave a dream for her.
21:42Three years ago, my novel The Heiress and Her Starving Painter took the city by storm.
21:49In that story, the painter never let the heiress lift a finger.
21:56He worked all day, came home to cook, and pushed himself to the limit.
22:02In the end, he became famous overnight, and the heiress proved everyone who looked down on her wrong.
22:12Then came the Don's runaway bride. Its heroine was a wild, breathtaking beauty,
22:17who loved nothing more than planting roses in the Don's private greenhouse.
22:21And it was that very innocence that won him over.
22:31When I wrote that story, my pen hovered over the words planting roses for a long, long time.
22:38Because I knew exactly what life had been like for Bella with that painter these past two years.
22:45Just endless dishes and a tiny, drafty apartment that let the winter wind cut right through.
22:59Every page she turned was another twist of the knife, courtesy of me.
23:05I knew Bella too well.
23:09But when she reached out, Salvatore wouldn't see the flowers.
23:13He would see the hands that had spent two years washing dishes.
23:16Don, this bloom is so lovely.
23:22The more she played the wide-eyed, innocent heroine from the book,
23:26the more Salvatore would remember the days she spent crammed into that drafty little apartment with another man.
23:44It's almost a shame I won't be there to see it.
23:52I stumbled on Mrs. Moretti and the chauffeur by accident.
23:55That year, I'd brought tea to her chambers and walked in on him stepping out of her bedroom.
23:59I had no proof.
24:00But gossip never needs proof.
24:02Of course, I'd saved a special gift for Mrs. Moretti too.
24:05Once everyone believed it, my suspicious Mr. Moretti would believe it.
24:09Even without evidence, it would still ruin Mrs. Moretti's reputation.
24:12Just like what she did to my mother.
24:14Back then, she'd framed my mother for carrying on with a dock worker.
24:18Terrified a scandal would sully the household's name.
24:22She locked the gates and had my mother tortured to death in the courtyard.
24:28My mother shook her head at me right before she died, afraid to drag me down with her.
24:32Now it was Mrs. Moretti's turn to taste that very same fate.
24:35The night before I was to leave, I pulled Nora into my bedroom and turned the lock.
24:40Sarah, what's all this?
24:42The pregnancy, the boat ticket from the southern port city.
24:45I drew a deep breath and told her everything.
24:47Nora, this one needs a secret.
24:49Nora froze for a beat, then burst into tears.
24:52Sarah, how could you carry all this alone for so long?
24:55After crying for a while, she wiped her face.
24:57Actually, there's something I've never dared tell you.
25:02Sir.
25:03Sir, every night after you're fast asleep, he comes to your window.
25:08I saw him myself, just standing there watching you.
25:11Half an hour, sometimes longer, even in winter.
25:14He told me not to tell you.
25:16I thought you knew.
25:19A man who watched me take birth control every day.
25:21What did standing by my window at night even prove?
25:23It proved he was a control-crazed lunatic.
25:25I got it. Let's finish packing.
25:27She cried as she packed for me, then snuck two boxes of cookies from the kitchen into my bag.
25:32She pulled a cloth pouch from under her pillow.
25:33I pushed the pouch back into her hands.
25:35Take it, Sarah, for the road.
25:39Keep it.
25:40I have enough money for both of us.
25:42Sarah, aren't you afraid?
25:44Scared?
25:45Honestly, yes.
25:46But better scared and running than dead in this estate.
25:49Wherever you go, Sarah, I'll go.
25:53I'd borrowed that gun from Salvatore's study drawer.
25:57Nora and I pulled on our plain gray hoodies and tugged our baseball caps low.
26:02Under cover of dark, I lit a flame with a lighter and set fire to the velvet curtains in the
26:06master bedroom on the second floor of the main villa.
26:08Mrs. Romano perishes in a fire.
26:10I'd even come up with the perfect story for them.
26:13James billowed out the second floor windows.
26:15Save Mrs. Romano!
26:18They yelled as they hurled water inside.
26:21Someone shouting to save Mrs. Romano.
26:23But no one knew I'd already slipped out the back gate.
26:29Three years ago, I'd arrived in a wedding dress, thin as a rail.
26:33Three years later, I walked away.
26:34Nora and I climbed into the car we'd had waiting.
26:36This fire wouldn't fool Salvatore, but it would be enough.
26:39All I took was my treasure box.
26:41I didn't even take the diamond tiara.
26:42Salvatore knew how much I loved it.
26:44I'd left Bella such a grand welcome gift.
26:46He'd have to let me go.
26:48Cargo ship bound for the southern port city.
26:52I stood in the hold, watching the glittering city fade away.
26:55The landmark statue at the harbor shrank to a gray silhouette in the morning mist.
26:59Barring anything unexpected, I'd never set foot here again.
27:02The coastal town slipped by, quiet and peaceful.
27:09I was crippled by seasickness on top of morning sickness.
27:13Utterly miserable.
27:14Every hour, I'd hang over the ship's rail, heaving, dry retching until my bile burned.
27:18The sailors were rough men who spoke loudly, and they didn't look kindly at the two of us.
27:22We barely showed our faces, holed up in the hold most of the time.
27:25Nora pressed a damp towel to my forehead and kept whispering,
27:28Sarah, we're almost there. Almost there.
27:32We met a kind young man on board who looked after us.
27:35He went by David.
27:37He was a man of few words, but every time I was too weak to stand from retching,
27:40he'd silently pass me a cup of warm water, and even persuaded the galley to send up ginger tea to
27:46settle my stomach.
27:46The next day, he brought an extra piece of black bread, left it at our door, and walked away.
27:52On the third day...
27:53Would you two like some air on deck?
27:55That was how we got acquainted.
27:57David told me about the cigar, about the women there in floral dresses, dancing the rumba in the streets.
28:05You and your sister, you're traveling to the southern port? To stay with relatives?
28:10Yes. We're going to stay with our uncle.
28:12He didn't ask anything else. I didn't know it then.
28:14But there was a small crest embroidered on his cuff, the Velarde family emblem.
28:18When the ship stopped at a port, a group of men in suits boarded.
28:26After taking positions around the vessel, another group in black coats came aboard.
28:32Communication devices tucked behind their ears.
28:35I recognized them immediately as Romano men.
28:37Leading them was a cold-faced man in black, Salvatore's personal bodyguard.
28:43I dragged Nora into a narrow crevice in the cargo hold and slowed my breathing to a whisper.
28:48My stomach dropped.
28:49Had Salvatore come after me himself, or had Bella sent them using his name?
28:55Cargo hold fell dead silent.
28:57Nora and I clamped our hands over our mouths, huddled into tight balls.
29:00Outside came the thud of leather boots on deck, checking cabin after cabin.
29:04We've searched the whole ship.
29:06Nothing.
29:07Search again.
29:08Salvatore's orders.
29:09We bring her back alive.
29:11My blood ran ice.
29:12With a creak, the cargo hold door swung open.
29:16Light, cautious footsteps stepped inside, sweeping the space.
29:20Nora trembled with fear, and I pressed a light hand to her shoulder to steady her.
29:24Just when I thought we'd be found, the shadow suddenly retreated.
29:28The footsteps faded away.
29:30I was about to stand when a pair of hands grabbed my shoulders from behind.
29:38They might still be close.
29:39Wait before you go out.
29:41The footsteps drew closer.
29:43Captain says the hold's stacked with coffee sacks.
29:46No one could hide in there.
29:47Search the passenger cabins again.
29:52Only after the footsteps faded did David remove his hand from my mouth.
29:56He knew who I was all along.
29:57It wasn't a question.
29:58He was silent for a moment, then flipped back his cuff to reveal the silver lion crest.
30:03I saw you, once, at the races.
30:07You were in a pale blue dress, standing behind your father.
30:12I remember thinking, that little girl's got nerve.
30:15Pushing right up to the stables all by herself to watch the horses.
30:23The Romano men are hunting you.
30:26The whole ship's lousy with their lookouts.
30:28You and your little maid, you'll never slip past them.
30:32Then why are you helping us?
30:36My father owed the Morettis a debt.
30:38And your father, worthless as he was,
30:42you don't deserve to die on this ship.
30:45Stand down!
30:49When the call to stand down rang out from the deck,
30:51we all breathed a sigh of relief in unison.
30:54David led us out to the crew passage, avoiding the main deck.
30:58He said,
31:00When we reach the next port, I'll arrange for you to go ashore on a small launch.
31:03The Romano men will assume you're still on board.
31:05When he pushed his cuff back without thinking, I caught another glimpse of the crest.
31:09Before I was married off in Bella's place, I'd picked the Belardis for myself.
31:13I never wanted much, just a quiet life.
31:15Their youngest son had already left the family business.
31:18We were supposed to meet at the races, but never did.
31:21Otherwise, I might be a Belardi now, not a runaway bride faking her own death.
31:24I'd been crouched too long.
31:26When I stood, black spots swam before my eyes and I stumbled.
31:30But David caught me steady.
31:32Are you alright?
31:37The cargo hold door was slammed open again.
31:40Salvatore's icy gaze locked straight onto me.
31:43He said nothing.
31:44The next second, he drew his gun, crossed the distance in three long strides,
31:48and pressed the muzzle straight to David's forehead.
31:52Hands.
31:53David's face went pale, but he didn't back down.
31:56She's your wife, not your prisoner.
31:58Salvatore's finger tensed on the trigger.
32:00I was terrified.
32:01Don't!
32:02He helped us!
32:03Salvatore's gaze drifted from the gun pressed to David's forehead,
32:06to my hand gripping his wrist.
32:09Then he lowered the gun.
32:10Not because of David's foreheads.
32:12Because I was shaking.
32:13Several men hauled David off.
32:15A hand clamped over his mouth.
32:18The old Belardi butler babbled frantic apologies,
32:21cold sweat beating down his face.
32:23Nora was dragged away too.
32:25Salvatore walked toward me slowly.
32:27Each step weighing heavy on my heart.
32:29Excuse me, ma'am.
32:30Have you seen my runaway bride?
32:33Salvatore had me taken onto his yacht,
32:35and we turned straight back the way we'd come.
32:37I was locked in a cabin, and he didn't return until nightfall.
32:41My voice shook.
32:43Where's Nora?
32:45You'd better worry about yourself first.
32:48The world spun.
32:49He hauled me up roughly and threw me onto the bed.
32:52Salvatore's lips crashed down on mine,
32:55biting hard and brutal.
32:56Sarah.
32:58Why did you run?
32:59Where's Nora?
33:01For that fool Beletti boy?
33:02You thought you'd elope?
33:04You're a married woman!
33:10Don't be angry.
33:11Nora.
33:15Right as he tried to undo my belt, I snapped awake and caught his hand.
33:19Salvatore huffed a laugh when he saw me wrap myself into a tight burrito with the covers.
33:23He reached aside and held up my treasure box.
33:25My eyes flashed and I lunged to grab it back.
33:29Nice stuff.
33:31Mine now.
33:32All the money I'd made from my cereals was in there too.
33:34My hard-earned money.
33:35Seasickness left me retching non-stop.
33:38Salvatore actually tended to me himself.
33:40When Bella wasn't around, he was genuinely good to me.
33:43I feigned embarrassment and shooed Salvatore out of the clinic.
33:46The doctor examined me, then lifted my eyelids.
33:49Your health was neglected in your youth.
33:52Pregnancy is hard on you, which is why you're reacting so strongly.
33:57If you force a termination, it could damage you permanently.
34:00You might never carry another child.
34:02I tucked the medicine away and headed back.
34:05On the way back, I heard my little expose was making waves.
34:08Heard Mrs. Moretti was messing around with a chauffeur even before she got married.
34:14Brought him with her to the Romanos when she wed.
34:17Heard the oldest Moretti girl was premature?
34:19No, is that true?
34:20Heard the tabloids ran it.
34:21How could it not be?
34:23I listened to the gossip and the corner of my mouth curled into a...
34:26That night Salvatore was away on business.
34:28I lay alone listening to the waves until I found a tailor's receipt in his jacket.
34:37Dated three years ago, one week before our wedding.
34:40Then I saw the measurements.
34:41They weren't Bella's.
34:43They were mine.
34:45I sat in the dark, clutching the paper, my hands trembling.
34:49The door opened.
34:50Salvatore stepped in, and when he saw the receipt in my hand, he froze mid-step.
34:55That day in Central Park.
34:56You stood behind her for two whole hours, holding her paliselle.
35:01Then you squatted down by the steps, bay glicked a nanken, and ate a dry piece of bread.
35:08She sat on the bench, smiling at that painter, and all those rich boys couldn't take their eyes off her.
35:16He walked over and knelt down in front of me.
35:19Everyone was looking at her.
35:21I was only looking at you.
35:23I opened my mouth, but not a single word came out.
35:26Your father came to me.
35:27Said the eldest daughter, Bella, would be the bride.
35:30I knew it was wrong the day the tailor came to confirm measurements.
35:36You were skin and bones back then.
35:38A waist so small.
35:40I could circle it with one hand.
35:44What was Bella's build?
35:46Your father tried to switch you out.
35:49Possing Bella off on me instead.
35:53He paused, his voice dropping lower.
35:56He looked into my eyes, a note of helplessness in his tone.
36:00You wanted to take my child with you.
36:02Why did you run?
36:03Why didn't you want our baby?
36:08You didn't want it.
36:10You only ever wanted Bella.
36:12You were gone three days on business.
36:15Where did you go?
36:17And you had men watching Bella.
36:20I went to find out the truth about how your mother died.
36:28To keep her from coming back and making trouble for you.
36:31I tipped off that painter to come get her.
36:33If she left, she wasn't coming back.
36:41You stayed at the Moretto's.
36:43For three days after Bella came back.
36:46The servant said you went to the cathedral to look at wedding venues.
36:51Cathedral?
36:53I never set foot inside the place.
36:57Then, that photo in the settery.
36:59Why have you kept Bella's photo all so time?
37:02Did you ever turn it over and look?
37:07I picked it up, glanced at the front, and put it back.
37:10I never even flipped the frame over.
37:11The date's written on the back.
37:13And your name.
37:14Central Park.
37:15I took it that day.
37:18You were squatting on the steps, eating bread.
37:21Cheeks stuffed full.
37:23No idea someone was watching you.
37:25No idea someone was watching you.
37:29Sarah.
37:31Are you jealous?
37:35Those pills.
37:36And what you said about getting rid of the mother.
37:39I thought you were talking about me.
37:43I was carrying your baby.
37:45I was carrying your baby.
37:46And you said you'd never have a bastard child.
37:49I thought you'd come for me and the baby.
37:53I was talking about those other women out there.
37:58You're my lawfully wedded Mrs. Romano.
38:02My child can only be yours.
38:05How could it ever be a bastard?
38:09I'll never have a bastard child.
38:12Because I only have you.
38:15Those pills were to build up your health.
38:21You were skin and bones back then.
38:24If we'd had a baby then, you'd never have carried it to term.
38:33I wanted to fatten you up for another two years first.
38:37Wait till you were strong enough.
38:39Pregnancy would be hard.
38:40He'd known all along.
38:42Known better than I did myself.
38:45I burned down your state.
38:47I was furious and ready to cry all at once.
38:50We'll rebuild it.
38:53And that Belote boy?
38:54I had him put on a cargo ship.
38:57He had no right to touch you.
39:00My case-
39:01Your money's still yours.
39:02I just confiscated it.
39:04Didn't spend a penny.
39:07I punched him hard in the chest.
39:09He didn't flinch.
39:13Syrah, the best thing I ever did in my life
39:18was not look at Bella that day in Central Park.
39:21Beating just as fast as mine.
39:24Suddenly, Nora's wailing echoed from outside the door.
39:27The door slammed open.
39:29Mr. Romano!
39:30Please!
39:31Spare the baby in Mrs. Romano's belly!
39:33It's your own flesh and blood!
39:35If you need to take your anger out on someone, kill Nora!
39:38Sarah!
39:39Nora stayed loyal to you!
39:41Nora burst in.
39:42One look and she saw us sitting fine on the bed.
39:45The bodyguard behind her died.
39:47Salvatore gave me a dry look.
39:49You and this girl are like sisters.
39:53You even brought her along when you faked your death.
39:57If I'd so much as laid a finger on her, you'd have torn me apart.
40:03Sarah, you're the only woman I'll ever have in my life.
40:06Before we went back, I made Salvatore take me to the old Moretti mansion first.
40:18You!
40:19How dare you come back!
40:22You little bastard.
40:23You think marrying into the Romano family makes you...
40:30Your mother was nothing but a cheap maid from the country.
40:33She threw herself at the family chauffeur, and I caught her red-handed.
40:37Locked her in the yard and beat her for three days.
40:40I pulled a magazine from my handbag and slammed it down in front of her.
40:44All the blood drained from her face.
40:46I looked her dead in the eye.
40:46You say my mother threw herself at the chauffeur?
40:48Her lips trembled.
40:49Mrs. Moretti?
40:50This magazine's flying off new stacks today.
40:54Guess what the whole city is saying about you now.
40:58She reached for the magazine.
40:59I pinned her hand down.
41:01I said, my voice flat.
41:03She couldn't speak.
41:04Three years ago?
41:06When you stuffed me into that wedding carriage.
41:08What did you say to me?
41:10I took one step forward.
41:12She flinched back.
41:13You said, thank God you'd finally gotten rid of me.
41:16Your bad luck charm.
41:20What about now?
41:21I pulled a key from my handbag and set it on the coffee table.
41:24The key to that tiny storage closet she'd made me live in.
41:27I'm vacating that room.
41:29The place you made me live in?
41:31It's yours now.
41:37Stop me!
41:38The estate was rebuilt.
41:39The Morettis fell.
41:40Salvatore guarded my treasure box.
41:42We had twins.
41:43One like him.
41:44One like me.
41:45And Salvatore kept his promise for life.
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42:16They've taken it to the room.
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42:17These are the two 5-year-olds that necesario.
42:18I gave you, it was a clinician after the lecture.