All language subtitles for Cellar Door 2024 hoetinkhof79

hoetinkhof79

The one on the left is Endless Sun.

- Mm-hmm. - It contains grains of sand from the beaches of Mauritius.

That's what gives it that, like, nice texture.

- Okay. - Then the one on the right,

that one's Parisian Gold.

The pigment comes from a gilding house in France

that supplied the Palace of Versailles

with cornicing for the Hall of Mirrors.

- Really? - I know. I know, yes.

- Okay. - Yeah.

Hmm.

Is that a hard "no" on Tahitian Vanilla?

- Yes, because that's an ice cream flavor. - Okay.

- No. Baby, this is our baby's room. - Okay.

I want it to be perfect.

I know you do.

I'm just gonna say it'd be easier

if we knew if it was gonna be a boy or a girl.

And we'll know in a few months.

- Besides, I'm not refusing to find out. - Yeah?

- Just that I can live with not knowing. - Hmm.

The fact that you can't is...

- Ah, it's so much fun.

- Yeah, I'm getting that whole vibe over here. - Mm-hmm.

What do you think?

Um...

Parisian Gold.

- Oh, I think I like the Parisian Gold. - Oh, good.

- Me too. - Settled.

Oh.

You're next.

You've been pretty incredible through this whole thing.

With all the doctors and all the injections

and all that craziness, you've been amazing.

Well, I didn't do it alone.

No, I did it alone. A couple.

- Yep, all by myself.

You ready?

Yeah, I am. I'm ready.

I mean, I'm terrified, but I'm ready.

You love me.

You love me too.

Logic and statistical reasoning appear to live

somewhere between exact science and the infinite unknown.

But nothing could be further from the truth.

It's really no different from any other mathematical field of study.

- And in this way... - Yep.

There's only one answer.

- Okay. - Guys, check it out.

You know, she and John used to be a thing.

- Dude. - Seriously?

- It was a long time ago. I'm happily married now. - Mm.

Everybody believes you.

- Would you shut up, man? - There's no gray area.

You can't agree to disagree.

It's as binary as one and zero.

Hey.

Hey.

You're showing the Scarsdale house today, right?

Yeah.

You mind if I tag along?

Come on. It's the last project we worked on together.

Oh.

I-I don't think that's a good idea.

Oh, fuck. John, John, please pick up, please.

All right, guys. Appreciate it. Nice to see you.

Hi, you've reached John Winter.

Please leave me a message.

Oh!

Hi, you've reached John Winter.

Oh, fuck, please. Come on, John.

- Hey. - Mm.

Come here.

You love me.

You love me too.

I can't stay here.

I know.

Listen, the right thing's gonna come along,

and when it does, we'll know it.

It's been over a month.

A-and everything's either completely out of our price range

or it's a teardown.

I promise we're gonna find the perfect house,

- and we're gonna live the life of our dreams. - Yeah?

Perhaps you'd be willing to expand your search area?

Or I could pull a few listings from the next town over.

No, no. This-this feels right. This-this feels like home.

Guys, to be honest, I've sort of run out of options.

But you seem like you really, really need to live here,

so I'm gonna recommend you speak to a friend of mine.

Been in this town for a long time.

He knows everybody,

and he knows every single piece of property.

If there's anybody who can help you find

the home you're looking for, it's him.

Look at this. It's like the beginning

- of a horror movie. - Tsk.

Hey, honey, I got a great idea.

Let's go visit the dude we don't know

with the big, scary house out in the middle of nowhere.

What could possibly go wrong?

You know what? At this point, we're so desperate,

I'll take all the help we can get.

- Yeah, I guess so. - Mm-hmm.

- Holy shit.

Wow.

Welcome.

I'm so glad you decided to come.

I'm Emmett. Emmett Claymore.

- Yeah, John. - John.

This is my wife, Sera.

- Sera, lovely to meet you. - Nice to meet you.

- Thank you for having us. - Oh, of course.

Please, let's get you inside.

All right, here we are.

You don't really see Jacobethan Revival like this

too much anymore.

Well, well, well.

A man who knows his architecture.

Yeah.

So when was it built? Early '20s?

1918.

When I first took possession, she was in sore need of repair.

I spent the better part of a decade renovating her,

but finally managed to get her restored.

Oh, it's perfect.

- It is kind of cool, isn't it? - It is.

So, Jeannie tells me you guys

are looking to buy in our neck of the woods?

Uh, yes. "Looking-looking" being the operative word there, yes.

We really, really love it here, but we keep striking out.

Doesn't surprise me.

Real estate around here is tricky business.

Most of the homes, they get passed down generationally.

So, you're-you're what? You're sort of an inside man? Is that it?

- Something like that. - Got it.

- Okay. - No, I have a talent

for pairing the right property with the right people.

And to do that, I try to get to know the people that I'm helping.

Right.

I just recently got my hands on a '98 Margaux,

and I'd hate to drink it alone.

Okay, might I convince you to stay for an early dinner?

I thought maybe we could mix a little business with pleasure.

Yes, yes, we'd love to.

- Terrific. - Yes.

The dining room's right in here.

So, an architect and a mathematician.

- A seeker... - Yes.

- ...and a solver. - Mm-hmm.

Infinite possibilities on one hand.

A single solution on the other.

What I'd like to know is how you two work that out.

- Well, I'll put it to you this way.

- Mm-hmm. - I'm an impossible know-it-all...

- Ah. - ...and this one here is always right.

- You know, between the two of us,

- we work it out. - Got it.

So, why move all the way out here?

I mean, you're young.

I would assume the city would have more appeal for you.

Well, we're leaving one story behind.

We're here to write a new one.

Hmm.

Well, then...

...here's to this next chapter in all our lives.

- Cheers. Cheers. - Cheers.

Cheers.

What's, uh, what's all this?

When they originally laid the foundation for the house,

- the workers unearthed numerous old artifacts. - Huh.

Mining tools, old military weapons, what have you.

It was all stored in a shed behind the house until I moved in.

Once the renovations began,

I myself discovered

numerous other remnants that had been hidden away

in the chimneys and the walls.

What are we talking about here? A suitcase full of money?

- Nothing that exciting. - No? That's too bad.

But I just couldn't bring myself to throw any of it away,

so I turned it into this showcase.

I like to think of it as a living record of the house

and its rich history.

- It's really cool. - Yeah.

That's what we're looking for, you know, a house with character.

Ah, you know what they say about old houses.

They're like people.

They all have their deep, dark secrets.

Mm.

So can I please have a standing playdate with this house?

- Well, I don't know. It depends. I mean...

Well, what if the house were yours?

Should we make an offer?

Yeah, I got, like, 27 bucks on me.

Well, he'd be crazy not to take it.

- He would be crazy-- - I would, but let's forget

the financial facts for a moment and just for the sake of argument...

Yeah?

...what if this house were yours?

I-I'm sorry, I don't follow.

You just said you were looking to start a new chapter.

- Yeah. - Okay.

So, my question is,

can a house make you happy?

Can this house make you happy?

No, no.

It's not the house that makes you happy. It's the-- it's the home.

Hmm.

How about you? Has this house made you happy?

It did. Once.

"It did once"? What-what happened? What changed?

I guess my home has become just a house.

Just a house.

Maybe it'll be different for the two of you.

You've been incredibly generous, but we should really get going.

- Yeah. - What kind of a host would I be

if I didn't let my guests stay here

after a night of revelry, hm?

- Well-- - Oh, please, listen.

You must stay. The guest rooms are already made upstairs. I insist.

You really shouldn't drive.

- I mean, I probably shouldn't drive at this point. - No, you shouldn't.

It's settled.

I'm gonna close up down here.

You two have a restful sleep,

and we continue talking in the morning

because I think I may know the perfect house for you guys.

Think about it. Think about it, okay? Like...

- Oh, having breakfast in the gazebo. - Mm-hmm.

- Throwing amazing parties. - Mm-hmm.

Watching our kids play in the yard.

- Eh, I mean, maybe a little. - Shut up.

Do you think he can really help?

Yeah, maybe he can.

What?

I missed you.

Do you hear that?

Yeah, I don't know. I think he might have left.

I don't know.

Emmett?

Emmett, we're taking off. We just want to say goodbye.

- Where is he? - I don't know.

"Dear John and Sera..."

It has been a pleasure meeting you both,

and in the short time we spent together,

we've shared a meaningful connection.

You're a lovely couple with long, happy lives ahead of you.

In getting to know you, it's clear you seek change,

a new beginning, and I'd like to help.

This house represents a past I wish to leave behind.

My wife used to sit on that patio every evening,

just to watch the sun go down.

Since I no longer want it,

I'd like to give the house and everything in it to you.

I do, however, have one simple condition.

You must never open the cellar door.

If you observe that condition, the house is yours to keep.

If you break the contract, however,

the house returns to me immediately.

I'm sure this is but a small price to pay

for the chapter you wish to write.

The decision is yours.

"Sincerely, Emmett."

I just, I-I don't understand.

What could be so unimportant, you just would leave it behind,

but so important, you wouldn't want us to see it?

Who cares?

- Who cares? - Yeah, who cares?

This-- Look at this place. This-this could be ours for nothing.

Sera, it's not nothing.

- I don't see the big deal. - Yoo-hoo!

Morning, neighbors.

Oh, you guys hit the jackpot or what?

Jeannie, wha-wha-- what is this? Is this a joke? What's going on?

No, no, no, it's not a joke at all.

I handle all of Mr. Claymore's real estate affairs.

I'm here to collect the paperwork.

- Did you sign? - No, not yet.

We're discussing it.

- We're discussing this, actually. - Oh, well...

- We can handle that. - Good, because that is a nonstarter.

- Got it. Can I talk to you for a second, please? - Yes.

Oh, come on, you-you were the one that said

that when the perfect thing came along, that we would know.

Oh, this is not what I was talking about.

Sera, come on.

Aren't you just even a little bit creeped out?

I mean, ask yourself, why? Why would he give it away?

Let's think about this logically for a-a second, okay?

If we buy a cheap house just so we can get out of our apartment,

we're gonna have to renovate that house.

That's gonna take, what, like a year, 18 months?

And then there's the-the-- the permits and the construction.

And then where are we?

And then there's this.

We're just in. We're done. There's-there's no stress.

Baby, we-we sank all of our savings into IVF.

If we have any hope of trying again.

I slept for the first time in weeks. So did you.

Yeah, I did, but...

it is just-- It doesn't make any sense.

It's always gonna be you and me, whatever we decide. Together.

But, baby, we can heal here.

- All right, thank you so much. - You are gonna be so very happy here.

- You are gonna be happy here. Yes.

And if there's anything at all you need, call me.

Yes, I have your number.

Thank you.

- Emailed, yes. - All right.

- Thank you. Oh, good luck with everything. - Oh, okay, Jeannie, bye.

- Oh, golly. Good luck. Bye. - Thank you. Bye.

- This place is ours.

This is ours!

- Oh, boy... - Oh, my God.

Oh, my God.

Hmm...

Hey.

Oh, those don't go in here.

- These don't go in here? - Uh-uh.

They go in the office.

Oh, is that why they say "office" on them?

- Yeah. - Okay.

- So happy you guys are here. - The house is great.

- Oh, thank you. Yeah. - Thank you.

Well, if you need a refill, um, booze is over there.

- Oh, perfect. Awesome. - Yes.

- All right, see you in a bit. - See ya.

- Yeah, yeah. - Are you kidding me?

This place is incredible.

Oh, thank you. Yeah, it's pretty great.

- Uh, you remember my wife, Sera? - Hi.

- Yeah, of course. - Hi. Good to see you.

Hey, I'm sorry we're late. Uh...

- Hi. - Hi.

Hi, I'm Alyssa. I work with John.

Yes. Sera. Yes, I think we met at a company party.

I got you a housewarming gift.

It's jasmine. It's my favorite.

Oh, that's very sweet of you. Thank you.

You guys, please go grab some drinks.

- After you. - Mm.

Here, hold it.

- Hey. - Hi.

What are you doing here?

Well, Zac invited me.

What was I supposed to do, turn him down?

Uh, yeah, well...

Well, you told me I should move on, so...

- Besides, I wanted to see you.

I heard about what happened and I was worried.

I'm okay. I'm okay.

Okay.

Well, you know I'm here for you.

For whatever you might need.

You just have to understand, the last time, it was the last time.

And what I need is for you to leave me alone, okay?

John?

- John? - Yeah?

You need to come outside right now.

What's going on?

Who is this?

I-I think we should call the police.

No, no, no, I got it.

Can I help you, man?

Hey, buddy. What's going on? You lost?

What's going on?

I'm sorry.

It's okay, it's okay.

You gotta burn it down before it's too late.

What?

You gotta burn it down before it's too late.

It's not worth the price.

It will destroy you.

All right, show's over, folks.

Did anyone call the police?

Oh, hey.

- Hi. - Hi.

Good morning.

You must be the new neighbor.

- Yes. - Kathryn Conrad.

- Hi, Sera Winter. - Nice to meet you.

We're right over there.

- Oh, great. - Yeah.

I've been meaning to come by and say hi in person,

but my husband said I should let you guys settle in first.

- You both have to come over for drinks.

- Yeah, yeah, we'd love to. - Yeah? Okay, great.

- I'm gonna reach out with some times. - Okay.

Oh, God, you seem so nice.

I hope you guys stick around.

Yeah.

Hey. Morning.

Hey, John.

Yeah?

HR's waiting for you in the other conference room.

Great, thank you.

Sexual harassment? Are you serious?

Goddamn it.

I cannot believe I'm gonna lose my job over this.

Look, hey, it's just a temporary suspension, okay?

Just until they complete their little investigation.

Are you kidding me?

We both know how this goes.

- It's her word against mine. - I know, I know. I--

I mean, if I'm such a threat, why is she coming to my house?

- Why?

That's all well and true, but you got a bigger problem.

What are you gonna tell Sera?

- Hey. - Hey.

- How you doing? - Good.

What's all this?

I'm going back to work.

You're going back to work?

Wow, that's amazing.

Yeah, it is, and it's a good thing too,

because if I had to spend another day whiling away the hours

in this empty house, I might kill one of us.

Most likely you.

What about you? How was your day?

Yeah, it was-it was good. You know, it was good.

Good.

There's no way I could do it.

Are you kidding me? For all this?

I wouldn't even question it.

Old man give you a clue what might be down there?

No, no clue, but it's probably nothing.

- So why can't you look? It's gotta be something.

- If it's nothing, why can't you open it? - Exactly.

'Cause we've just-- We've put it out of our minds.

Look, I've got a great, new house, I have an amazing wife.

Life is good. Life is good.

- I don't need to look. - I don't believe you.

I think you wanna look.

I think you can't help yourself.

Oh, God, I have to go.

- I'm super late. - Oh.

- Love you. Have a good day at work. - Love you.

- Bye. - Bye.

You still haven't told her?

- It's been two weeks, man. Oh, you don't understand.

She's just so happy for the first time in so long. I...

I can't do it. I just can't do it.

The longer you wait, the worse it's gonna get.

I just know, if I could talk to her,

I know I could work this whole thing out. I know it.

Who, Alyssa?

Are you out of your fucking mind? You can't talk to her.

Hell, I shouldn't even be talking to you.

Dude,

we all know the truth, okay?

Yeah, the truth is, is I'm fucked. That's the truth.

All right, I'll talk to you later.

- Ah!

Fuck!

Goddammit.

I was thinking we could start painting

the upstairs rooms this weekend.

What do you think?

Maybe paint the nursery.

It's a way to manifest getting pregnant.

Yeah, sure. Sounds good.

Sure.

What?

- John, I know you. What is it? - What?

You've been trying to tell me something since you got home, so spill.

How would he know?

How would who know?

Emmett, how would he know?

That's what this is about?

There's got to be something down there, Sera. Think about it.

How would he even know if we looked?

You only want to look because you're being asked not to.

No, I wanna know why we're being asked not to.

Because it's the one condition on which we get to keep this house.

- And we agreed to it. - Pfft.

- We can't not discuss it, Sera. - You don't wanna discuss it, my love.

You just want me to agree with you, and I don't.

So we just ignore it? Is that it?

A butterfly emerges from its cocoon,

flaps its wings,

and the wind shear inadvertently sets off a tornado

a thousand miles away.

It's called the "butterfly effect."

It's a small, seemingly insignificant initial condition

which drastically affects the trajectory of a system.

Hi, it's Alyssa. Leave a message.

Hey, it's me.

Call me back. We need to talk.

It's also one of the foundations of our next subject, chaos theory.

Which attempts to explain how complex

and seemingly unpredictable systems

have behaviors that can, in principle, be predicted.

Because there's always, always a constant beneath the chaos.

Here you go.

- 2424 Cookson Road.

Wow. I really-- I can't believe you had a set on hand.

Thank you so much.

Well, the prior owner, um...

Paul MacManus, requested a copy last year.

Called him a bunch of times, but...

...he never picked it up.

I'm-I'm sorry, Paul MacManus?

I thought Emmett Claymore lived there.

I haven't heard that name in a long time. Not since...

- What? - Must be 25 years ago now.

Had a happy marriage as far as anyone could tell.

But then his wife...

up and left him. Took their five-year-old daughter with her too.

Do you know what happened?

No idea. Ran off in the middle of the night.

Never saw them again.

Strange business for sure.

Hmm.

Okay. Thank you so much for your help. I appreciate it.

I know that this seems theoretical.

Maybe even impenetrable.

I mean, it's definitely overwhelming.

Knew it.

So let me-let me break it down

into something a little more relatable, digestible.

Finite means a set of numbers

where only the start or the ending is given.

Sort of like life, right?

- It's up to you to decide how you start...

- ...or how you finish something.

And then your choices take you towards that finite value.

And finding that value in life...

...well, that's entirely up to you.

Happiness, fulfillment, contentment.

All you have to do is make the right choice.

But we're gonna have to wait for that for next week.

So, please, in the meantime, read chapter two

and email me with any questions, as always.

John?

John?

Yeah, in here.

- Hey. - You're home early.

Yeah. Uh, I had an inspection finish early,

so I got out of there.

- Nice surprise. - Yeah.

Hi.

Hey, can you help me with the rest of the stuff that's in the car?

Yeah, of course. Yeah.

Hey.

What do you want?

We need to talk.

So, talk.

No, no, no, not like this. In person.

I don't think that's a good idea.

You're a threat to me, remember?

Alyssa, give me a chance here, okay?

Please? Let me talk to you.

Fine.

Tomorrow, two o'clock.

Where?

You know where.

Our favorite place to park.

What are we doing here?

You tell me. You wanted to meet.

No, no, no, you know what I mean.

I mean, what are we doing here? Wha-what?

Well, I-- I just-- I don't understand. Why?

- Why? - Yeah, why are you doing this to me?

Because you're a fucking liar, John.

I know that I hurt you. I know that I did. I know it.

And I'm sorry. I'm truly sorry.

But you can't go around making up stuff about me

that we both know isn't true.

You just can't do that.

We wanted the same thing.

A life together.

- The house, the kids. - Yeah.

Like we talked about.

Why can't you just admit that you're unhappy,

and that is why you make your way back to me every single time?

Alyssa.

No one makes me feel the way you do. No one.

What we have is undeniable. There's no question.

But I love my wife.

I love her. And that's never gonna change.

You gotta understand that.

You love me too.

You told me you did.

And we fit together, John. You know we do.

We know each other's secrets.

You're gonna regret it for the rest of your life if you don't chance.

I need you to hear me. I need you to hear me right now, okay?

I'm never gonna leave Sera for you. Ever.

It's not gonna happen.

Get it through your head. It ain't gonna happen.

Was I supposed to get it through my head

when you were fucking me behind her back over and over?

Goddamn it. Will you shut the fuck up? This is my life here.

This is my fucking life too.

And it's Sera's life.

And I'm gonna make sure she knows who you really are.

If you go anywhere near my wife, I will fucking kill you.

Do you understand me? I will fucking kill you.

Get your hands off me.

Hey, I'm gonna go hit the trails over in Millbrook.

Why don't you tell me the real reason you're going?

What's that?

You're trying to skip out on taping duty.

- You caught me.

- I'll see you later. - Okay.

That motherfucker.

Oh, shoot.

Hello?

Sera?

Oh, what the hell, John?

What the hell is wrong with you? All you had to do was just stay away.

Yeah, I know I messed up.

I messed up. I thought I could fix it.

Just ever since we moved into the house, everything has gone to shit.

Listen to me. You only have one option.

Let it play out.

John? You still there?

She just left my house.

- Who? - Alyssa. She just left my fucking house.

- Don't do something stupid.

Hello? John?

John?

Come on, come on, come on.

Where were you?

I was running. I told you.

For four hours?

What's wrong?

I'm pregnant.

Are you serious?

- Oh, my God.

There's something else.

- I didn't go in the cellar. - No, but you tried.

Yeah, I did. I did. That-that was stupid. I'm sorry.

We made a promise to each other, John. Right?

Look, I need to know that we're in this together.

That I can trust you.

It's not just us anymore.

Okay. So, on the left,

there's more of like a deeper, sagey green.

And then on the right, it's-it's like minty. It's lighter.

Which one do you prefer?

Oh. Uh...

Uh, no, I like them both. Um...

- Okay. - Probably the one on the right.

Yes! Okay, good.

- Um, so, crib over here. - Yeah.

- Yeah. - And then changing table,

rocking chair right there.

- Mm-hmm. - What?

What?

Uh, I don't know.

This-this feels a bit early.

- Is it too early for all this? - No.

- You sure? - Yes, I'm sure.

I love you for worrying, but it's all good.

I'm stronger than I look.

We're gonna be good.

Okay.

Work.

Yeah? This is John.

Yes, it's Mrs. Taylor from HR.

- Yeah? - I wanted to inform you,

- you've been cleared in the investigation.

- Are you serious? - Yes.

- Are you able to start on Monday? - Okay.

- Yes, absolutely, yes. - Okay.

Of course. Thank you. Um...

I'll see you Monday.

Okay.

Sorry about that.

- All okay? - Yeah, all good.

Just some drama at work, but all good now.

Oh, okay.

- Um, will you hold this on that side? - Sure.

Thank you.

- Hey, hey. Welcome back, my man. - Thank you.

There he is.

- Good to see you. - Yeah.

Listen, what'd I tell you? Trust the process.

I don't know. I still don't really believe it.

Yeah, well, apparently,

Alyssa's infatuation with you was an open secret.

- No one bought her sob story.

Have you-have you seen her yet?

- No. - No?

- No, she was out all last week. - Right.

- "Self-care," they say. - Right.

I know HR tried to reach her over the weekend,

but she's-she's ducking their calls.

I'm guessing she caught wind of their decision.

But you know who is back?

- You, rock star. - Me.

- Lunch is on me. - Okay.

Okay? And we can pretend all this bullshit never happened.

- Please. - All right. Until then, get back to work.

- Okay. - All right.

You think Emmett's gonna care if we toss his painting?

Uh, remove the painting, please.

Okay.

What?

What the hell is that?

Mmm.

What is it?

Jesus.

- You're overreacting. - I'm overreacting?

- Yes. - We just found a bullet hole in our wall.

Why would we not call the police?

Because there's probably a rational explanation

that doesn't require you going nuclear, John.

Seriously.

Hear me out, okay? Just hear me out.

I have heard that Emmett's wife and daughter,

they left him 25 years ago.

No one has seen them since. No one.

That doesn't strike you as odd?

So you think that he murdered them

and they're buried in our basement?

Yes, I think it's possible.

Well, don't you think the police would have investigated?

- I don't know. - You-you've gotta drop this.

You know, I'm not doing this.

I'm not going down the rabbit hole with you.

This is what you do.

- This is what I do? What do I do? - Yes.

Instead of seeking rational explanations,

you-you leap to conclusions.

And-and most of the time, it's fine because I love you.

But I can't do this.

The next eight months are gonna be stressful enough, so please...

Please just drop it.

Okay. It's dropped.

It's dropped.

Two steps forward, one step back. You know how it is.

Yeah, that's how that goes.

- Uh, hey, Kiah. - Yeah.

What's going on?

- You haven't heard? - No.

They found Alyssa's car abandoned somewhere upstate.

They think she may have committed suicide.

I fell asleep on the ferry ride home.

- No. - I did.

If it wasn't for some guy who woke me up, I'd probably end up in Canada.

Okay, I've-I've been meaning to ask you something.

Um, when we first met, you-you said something.

Oh, boy. Me and my big mouth.

I hope I didn't say anything too offensive.

No, no, no. It's the opposite.

You-you actually said, "I-I hope you guys stick around."

- Oh. - What'd you mean by that?

Just that we didn't wanna lose you guys, you know, like the others. I...

What do you mean? What-what others?

The other families.

You know, there's been a handful of 'em over the years.

The MacManuses were the last ones.

Super nice couple.

Oh, fun, fun, fun.

And then one day, they were just gone.

No goodbye. No nothing.

- Although, I suspected marital trouble. - Oh.

- I did. But you two seem happy as clams.

And I get such a kick running into John on my daily runs.

Oh, my God, he must love working from home. Oh!

- Mm. - I'm sorry?

We cross paths running around lunch,

but I haven't seen him in the last few weeks.

Huh.

Is everything all right?

Is something going on with John?

Uh, no.

No, no. I, uh... I'm sorry.

I-I-- I didn't realize how much John was running.

Oh.

- It's my yoga instructor. - Okay.

- And he is so fucking hot.

- I'll be right back. - Okay.

I'm gonna go namaste him.

So good to see you here.

I heard about that girl you work with.

The news said she was missing.

Yeah.

Yeah, we just found out about it today.

It's terrible.

Do the police know what happened?

No, I don't think so. I mean...

they talked to some people today, and no one seems to know much.

Yeah, we're hoping she's okay.

Yeah. I bet.

It's the same bullet, Sera. It's an exact match.

That doesn't worry you?

Uh, okay, so it's-it's the same brand.

That doesn't mean that Emmett murdered his family

or that they're buried in the basement.

Yeah, but it's pretty damn compelling, don't you think?

Why would he just leave it in plain sight? That makes no sense.

I don't know. I don't know.

- Let's look. - Fine. You wanna look?

- Yeah, why not? Let's look. - Why?

Because we'd lose the house, John.

We would lose everything. Do you really want that?

Mrs. Winter?

I'm Detective Stark. This is Detective Weiland.

We'd like to speak with your husband. Is he home?

Yeah. Uh, hi, I-I'm John Winter. How can I help you?

We'd like to ask you a few questions, if you don't mind.

Yeah, of course. Come on in.

Please.

Uh...

Please.

In here.

Can I get you anything? A coffee? Water? Tea?

No, ma'am, we're fine. Thank you.

If you don't mind, we'd prefer to speak with your husband alone.

Oh. Uh, yeah, of course.

What's this about?

Looking into a missing persons report.

Do you know Alyssa Hayes?

Of course. We work at the same company.

A friend reported her missing last week.

- We found her car, but we're still trying to locate her.

We understand Miss Hayes recently filed

a sexual harassment claim against you.

Yeah.

We dated a-a while back, and, uh, when I broke it off,

she had trouble moving on, especially after I met Sera.

Last fall, she made a pass at me,

and I turned her down.

And, uh, after that, she made up all this stuff about me.

The company did an investigation, and I was-I was cleared.

Did you have any contact with Miss Hayes during the investigation?

I did. I-I-- I did.

I, uh, called her, like, a week or two ago, and I left a voicemail.

What about the call on March 18th?

I don't know. I'm sorry. I-I don't know.

According to Miss Hayes's cell phone records,

you spoke with her during the morning hours of March 18th.

Is that correct?

Sure, yeah. I wanted to straighten things out.

It was a 30-second call.

I can't imagine how much was straightened out.

Yeah, that's true. We, uh, agreed to meet in person.

And did you? Meet in person?

I mean, you haven't been in the office for five weeks, correct?

- So you had plenty of time.

Yeah.

Alyssa drove up, and we-we met

in a nearby underground parking garage.

And this is Saturday, March 18th?

That's what it says, yes.

What time?

2:00 p.m.

Walk us through your conversation.

No, like I said, I just wanted to talk to her.

I wanted to let her know how this was impacting my life, my career. Uh...

At one point, she agreed to drop the allegations

if I went back with her.

I-I refused, and she got very upset, and she drove off.

Was that the last time you saw her?

Yes.

According to phone records, her cell pinged a tower

in this neighborhood the following day.

Like I said, the last time I saw her was when she drove off.

What about you?

Where were you on March 19th?

I'm sorry. Am I-am I a suspect here?

- It's a simple question, Mr. Winter. - Okay.

Where were you during the afternoon hours of March 19th?

Here. I was here.

Can anyone corroborate this?

Yep. Yes.

I was with him.

We recently found out we're pregnant, so, um, he was home.

We're just finishing up some house projects.

Congratulations.

We'll be in touch.

- Sera-- - Don't.

I didn't tell you about the allegations because they weren't true.

So you continued to lie

by pretending to go to work for a month.

Oh, God, yeah. That was stupid. I'm sorry.

Why don't you tell me the real reason you kept it a secret?

What do you mean?

Remember the company party right after we got engaged?

I had to leave early.

When you came home, you smelled like sex and jasmine.

It's jasmine.

It's my favorite.

I chose to look the other way because I-I really wanted to believe

that you were the man you said you were, but...

you're full of shit, John.

Nice to see you.

Alyssa was telling the truth.

But it wasn't sexual harassment.

It was very consensual.

You were fucking her all this time, weren't you?

And worst of all...

you were fucking her on the day we lost our baby.

That's why you didn't pick up the phone, isn't it?

Isn't it?

Sera, please.

I just lied to a fucking cop for you, John.

- I didn't ask you to do that. - No?

Well, what did you want me to say? "Oh, I'm-I'm so sorry, officer.

I have no idea where my husband was that afternoon."

Well, you know where I was. I was running.

- I told you that. - You were running?

- Yeah, I was. - You were running. No, of course.

Yes, you were running. You think they'd buy that?

I'm trying to protect you.

I don't wanna have to spend the next 20 years

explaining to this baby why their father's in jail for murder.

Wait, you don't think I had anything to do with it, do you?

Doesn't matter what I think, John.

They think you did.

Ask me.

- I don't wanna ask you, John. - Ask me.

I don't want to ask you.

One simple condition.

You must never open the cellar door.

I think you wanna look.

I think you can't help yourself.

- How would Emmett know? - We would lose everything.

Do you really want that?

There's got to be something down there, Sera.

We're gonna find the perfect house,

and we're gonna live the life of our dreams.

- Yeah? - You know what they say about old houses.

They're like people.

They all have their deep, dark secrets.

You gotta burn it down before it's too late.

It's not worth the price. It will destroy you.

- I'm telling you, that house is cursed. - You only want to look

because you're being asked not to.

Prior owner, uh, Paul MacManus.

- Paul MacManus? - Paul MacManus.

Called him a bunch of times, but he never picked it up.

It is you.

Can I come in?

- I'm sorry.

- I'm going through a divorce. - It's...

It's hard to concentrate on anything else.

I'm not gonna take up too much of your time anyway.

Oh, it doesn't matter.

What do you mean?

I can't tell you what you wanna know anyways.

Why?

You think you're ready to listen?

Oh, I-I don't think I have too much of a choice anymore.

At first...

all you see is perfection.

Life you always dreamed of.

Sera.

And like you, we took our Faustian bargain.

Yeah.

Perfect life.

All for the low, low cost of your soul.

For me, living in the house flattered my sense of invincibility.

It enabled me.

Taunted me.

"Oh, you live in this beautiful place.

Surely you can handle a drink now."

But I was only deceiving myself, hiding behind the alcohol.

Until I found myself

on the slippery slope of lies and shame.

Ending in a shattered marriage.

You came to the house to warn us, didn't you?

I came there

to burn the fucker down.

So there is something in that house.

It's not the house.

It's us.

The things we hide.

Our secrets.

We cover it up, we pretend it doesn't exist,

but it's always there.

But he killed them, didn't he? Emmett.

His wife and his daughter. That's what's down there.

No, it's not about Emmett.

It was never about Emmett.

It's the worst of us.

Then what's down there? What's inside? What did you see?

That's my biggest regret.

What, opening the cellar door?

No! Not opening it.

You have one choice.

You break the contract.

You open the door to see the truth inside yourself.

It's the only way out.

Sera!

- Sera! - Up here.

What are you doing?

I'm painting the nursery, like we planned.

We can't do this anymore.

Sera.

We can't. We can't stay here. We gotta get out.

Sera, listen to me.

- I've been a liar. - John.

No, no, no. Hear me out.

I have been a liar

and a shitty fucking husband,

and I hope to God one day, you can forgive me.

Please.

I don't care.

I don't care, John.

I'm trying to protect our life.

The one we deserve.

The one we agreed to.

The one we always dreamed of.

Look at you. Look at you.

You're just covering it all up.

I mean, don't you see?

It doesn't matter what shade of green you paint the nursery.

This house will always be what it is. A fucking cage.

- It ends right now. - No.

John.

- No. No, John, stop!

John, please stop. You'll ruin everything.

John, just stop. Just listen to me.

Stop!

Enough! Enough! It's done!

- Enough. I'm opening this fucking door. - No.

- No. Stop it, John!

What?

I couldn't let you open it, John.

Sera.

You know that.

When you open a door, you have to be prepared for what you might find.

Alyssa.

What did you do?

She came to the house that day.

Get out of my house.

No.

All of this was supposed to be mine.

Get out.

You don't deserve this.

You're fucking crazy.

You don't deserve this.

Ah!

Help me.

I was defending myself and our unborn child.

I started to call the police, but there was too much at risk.

And no one I could trust.

Help me.

- Please. - Our perfect life was at stake.

Help me. Please.

I knew what I had to do.

I needed to clear my head.

To find a path forward.

I weighed my options,

considered the causes and effects.

And from the chaos, clarity.

Alyssa. She just left my fucking house.

You were driving her car.

I couldn't just leave it here.

I managed to lose you at the turn.

Come on, come on, come on.

I abandoned it where no one would find the body.

And then I took her phone,

and I uploaded a few last pictures.

And I emailed the firm asking for some time off.

"Self-care," they say.

I got rid of my clothes.

It was all going perfectly.

Until somehow, I missed.

One bullet.

- What the hell is that? - Right through the painting.

It was easy to predict your reaction.

There is a bullet in our wall.

Because there's probably a rational explanation.

Please, drop it.

Or so I thought.

No!

You just couldn't leave it alone.

So, now, you know the truth.

We're gonna get you a really good lawyer.

Hey, John.

Don't be stupid.

You don't get it, do you?

If you make that call, you'll be going to jail for murder, not me.

Sit.

Sit!

Okay, okay, okay, okay.

You're not seeing the full picture.

You lured her to our house,

you murdered her,

and then you hid her body under the stairs.

You even nailed it shut so that no one would find her.

I had no idea until the police started snooping around.

And then I found that phone of hers you kept.

And I put the pieces together.

I realized you killed that poor girl.

When I confronted you, you attacked me,

and I was forced to do the unthinkable.

I shot my husband in self-defense.

When the police arrive, they find me hysterical.

I tell them everything I know.

I lead them to Alyssa's body. "It's...

a terrible tragedy," they all say.

And then I raise our baby

in the house we always dreamed of by myself.

Or you say nothing.

Nobody's the wiser.

We stay in this home, our baby on the way, our promise kept.

What about Alyssa?

A tragic disappearance.

Most likely suicide.

Whatever the case, we'll weather the storm.

We'll survive this together.

Or I'll survive it alone.

There's only one answer, John.

But the choice is yours.

What's it gonna be?

Oh, my God, look at this. It's so cute.

St-- A little baby. Are we dying? I'm...

You know, old friend, I'm proud of you.

You had a hell of a year.

But you-you came through to the other side.

- Oh, pictures. We haven't done pictures. - Oh, yes!

Everybody up, everybody up.

By the way, you ever, uh,

you ever find out what was in the cellar?

Oh, yeah, that's where all the bodies are buried.

Hey, everybody, let's get pictures.

Everybody in. Come on.

- Sera, I almost forgot. - Yeah?

Some guy dropped off a gift for you.

- It's on the piano. Mm. - Oh, thank you.

Why are you being such a sourpuss?

I'm sorry. No, no, I'm good, I'm good.

Smile, okay?

- Yeah, I'm happy. - Cheer up.

Baby, there's something here for us.

And if we could have all the attractive people up front, please,

that would be great.

Here we go, lining up.

Oh, my God, look at this group.

"Dear John and Sera..."

Congratulations to you both.

I hope this wonderful news helps to realize

the ideal life you were seeking.

By starting a family,

you have transformed this house

back into a home again.

For this, I am eternally grateful.

I understand you both faced many challenges to make this happen.

I trust it's all been worth it.

My gift to you is the key to the cellar door.

Whether you choose to use it is entirely up to you.

But I believe you already know what's inside.

Wishing you both the best

as you continue to write new chapters in your life.

Sincerely, Emmett.

Oh, you two, get in here for photos.

Oh, my God. I know what they were doing.

- Okay, get in the photo.

Perfect.

That looks great.

Okay, here we go.

And...

happy, happy.

Big smiles. Cheese!

I'm dying. I'm dying. Okay.

Yes, yes, yes, okay.

Everybody in, everybody in.