- 5 hours ago
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Short filmTranscript
00:00My husband Julian didn't know I'd decided to transfer 15% of the company shares to him a gift for
00:06our 10th anniversary, until the day of my son's health checkup.
00:10The doctor smiled as he handed me the results.
00:13My husband and I, both type O. Our son? Type A.
00:19I looked at the boy sitting beside me, a miniature version of Julian. I didn't make a sound.
00:25I simply, calmly, did two things.
00:28First, I pulled a strand of hair from my son's head when he wasn't looking.
00:32Second, I tore up the share transfer agreement I'd prepared.
00:35I watched my son walk through the school gates before turning the car around.
00:39The DNA testing center was across town.
00:42I need express results. How fast can you do it?
00:45The technician glanced up from her paperwork.
00:48Standard processing is five business days. Rushes today by 4 p.m. Triple the cost. Rush it.
00:54My hands trembled slightly as I handed over the sample.
00:57After they swabbed my cheek cells, I sat in the waiting area, staring at the clock on the wall.
01:02Every second felt like an hour.
01:04I pulled out my phone and made another call.
01:06I need you to investigate my husband, Julian Robinson.
01:10I want to know everywhere he's been, especially in the last few months.
01:13The private detective's voice was professional, detached.
01:18Understood.
01:19At 3.40 p.m., my phone buzzed.
01:22I opened the electronic report.
01:24Skipped straight to the end.
01:25DNA analysis indicates a 0.0001% probability of biological relationship between Vivian Hart and Alex Robinson.
01:38Based on genetic marker analysis, evidence does not support Vivian Hart as the biological mother of Alex Robinson.
01:44Even though I'd prepared myself, seeing those words made my vision blur for a moment.
01:50I leaned against the wall and slid down to the floor.
01:54Not my child.
01:55I'd raised a child who wasn't mine for nine years.
01:59So where was my child?
02:00I drove straight to St. Mary's Private Hospital, the same place where I'd given birth nine years ago.
02:07Dr. Soucy was still there.
02:09She'd been promoted to department head.
02:12Dr. Soucy, I need to access my delivery records and hospitalization files from nine years ago.
02:17Her smile froze for a moment.
02:19That was so long ago.
02:21The files might already be archived.
02:23It took some effort.
02:24But eventually, someone from the records room brought over a folder.
02:28I flipped it open.
02:29The documentation was shockingly sparse.
02:33Only basic informations.
02:35Admission time.
02:36Discharge time.
02:37Delivery method.
02:38Newborn wait.
02:39No detailed labor notes.
02:41No nurse handoff records.
02:43No pediatric examination reports.
02:46Is this everything?
02:47She looked apologetic.
02:49That's all we have in the system.
02:51Paper records are usually kept for ten years.
02:54You're right at the edge of that window.
02:56What about the newborn footprints?
02:58The blood samples?
02:59She shook her head.
03:01Those should be in the newborn records.
03:03But we couldn't locate them.
03:07It was obvious there was something wrong.
03:09An abnormally simple medical file.
03:11Missing newborn records.
03:13A child who wasn't mine, but looked exactly like my husband.
03:17The pieces were starting to form a picture I didn't want to see.
03:22My phone rang.
03:23It was Julian.
03:24Where are you?
03:25I already picked up Alex.
03:27I'd completely forgotten about school pickup time.
03:30At least I'd warned the teacher ahead of time.
03:33I'm out running business.
03:34I'll be home soon.
03:35I hung up.
03:37After dinner, I claimed a headache and retreated to the bedroom early.
03:41Through the closed door, I could hear Julian helping Alex with homework in the living room.
03:46Their voices drifting through the house.
03:51Dad, is mom upset?
03:54Mom's just tired.
03:55Finish your homework and get to bed early.
03:57I waited until they were both asleep.
03:59Then I started searching.
04:01The master bedroom.
04:03The living room.
04:04Alex's room.
04:06I went through everything.
04:07Looking for...
04:08I didn't even know what.
04:11I found nothing.
04:13Finally, I turned to the computer and the study.
04:15The truth had to be in there.
04:18Footsteps in the hallway.
04:20I quickly closed out of the files I'd been opening.
04:23When Julian pushed the door open,
04:26I was straightening papers on the desk.
04:28He glanced at the computer screen.
04:31It had returned to the desktop.
04:32A photo of the three of us at the beach from three years ago.
04:37Still up?
04:40Just organizing some old documents.
04:42I reached over and turned off the monitor.
04:44He stood there for a moment like he wanted to say something.
04:48In the end, he just nodded.
04:50Get some rest.
04:52I sat in the darkness,
04:53listening to his footsteps fade down the hall.
04:57That night,
04:58I didn't touch the computer again.
05:00I lay in bed,
05:02thoughts racing,
05:03unable to find sleep.
05:05The next morning,
05:07I still let Julian take Alex to school.
05:09He looked at me,
05:11picked up the car keys.
05:13All right.
05:13The moment they left,
05:15I went straight to the study.
05:16I turned on the computer
05:18and tried the password.
05:20Our wedding anniversary.
05:21Wrong.
05:22His birthday.
05:24Wrong.
05:25Alex's birthday.
05:26Still wrong.
05:27I tried the date we first met.
05:29His mother's birthday.
05:30The day the company was founded.
05:32All wrong.
05:33The system locked me out.
05:35Please try again in 15 minutes.
05:37I sat there,
05:38staring at the login screen.
05:40This computer we'd bought together,
05:42now locked against me.
05:44That evening,
05:46Julian came home from work.
05:47He was barely through the door when he said,
05:50I'm going to Italy tomorrow.
05:52Business trip.
05:53Not sure how long I'll be gone.
05:55I came out of the kitchen carrying a dish.
05:58That's sudden.
05:58Who are you going with?
06:00He set his briefcase on the table
06:02and turned to look at me.
06:02Just someone.
06:03It was a last minute arrangement.
06:05Vivian, can you not do this?
06:08I stared at him, confused.
06:10It was just a casual question.
06:12Why was he reacting like this?
06:14You question everything.
06:16You suspect everyone.
06:18I'm just going to work.
06:19I turned back to serve the rice.
06:21My hands were shaking slightly.
06:24I was just asking.
06:26He said nothing more.
06:28Walked straight to the bedroom.
06:29Dinner was silent.
06:31Alex must have sensed something was off.
06:34For once,
06:35he didn't complain about the food.
06:37After his shower,
06:38Julian grabbed his coat from the sofa to hang it up.
06:41A receipt slipped from the pocket and fell near my feet.
06:44After he left the room,
06:45I picked it up.
06:46A perfume purchase.
06:48Expensive.
06:48Bought yesterday afternoon.
06:51A brand name I didn't recognize.
06:53But I knew it wasn't for me.
06:55I thought about our marriage.
06:57Ten years.
06:58Julian hadn't bought me a gift in all that time.
07:01Not since our first anniversary.
07:03A scarf.
07:04I still had it somewhere.
07:06After that, nothing.
07:08No birthday gifts.
07:09No anniversary gifts.
07:11No just because gifts.
07:12I told myself he wasn't romantic.
07:15He showed love in other ways.
07:17He was practical and focused on providing.
07:20On his career.
07:20I'd made excuses for him.
07:22I'd made excuses for him.
07:23But now, holding this receipt, I understood.
07:26He wasn't unromantic.
07:28He wasn't too busy.
07:29He wasn't too practical.
07:31His romance just wasn't for me.
07:33It was for someone else.
07:35Someone who wore expensive French perfume.
07:38I wrote down the information from the receipt.
07:40The next morning, after Julian left for the airport, I called the boutique.
07:47I need to verify a purchase.
07:49A receipt from yesterday afternoon.
07:51One moment.
07:51Yes, I have it here.
07:53The buyer was Chloe Williams.
07:54Chloe Williams.
07:56I knew that name.
07:58Julian's secretary.
07:59Hired six months ago.
08:00Early thirties.
08:02Divorced.
08:02I drove to the airport.
08:04I didn't know what I was hoping to confirm.
08:07Maybe the perfume was for a client.
08:09Maybe I was overthinking this.
08:11I waited outside the international departures hall for half an hour.
08:14Then I saw them.
08:16Julian and her.
08:18Chloe wore a beige trench coat, pulling a small suitcase behind her.
08:23She walked beside Julian, laughing at something he'd said.
08:27Julian's face carried an expression I hadn't seen in years.
08:31Relaxed.
08:32Genuinely happy.
08:33At the security checkpoint, Chloe stopped.
08:36She reached up, casual and familiar, to straighten Julian's collar.
08:41He didn't pull away.
08:42He leaned down and whispered something in her ear.
08:45She smiled.
08:47Then she stood on her toes and kissed him on the lips.
08:51Julian's hand rested on her waist.
08:54They stayed like that for a moment before separating.
08:57Like they'd done it a thousand times before.
09:01The last shred of self-deception evaporated.
09:04All those late nights.
09:06Working.
09:07All those times he'd been irritable with me.
09:09All of it finally made sense.
09:12I watched their intimate silhouette disappear through security.
09:17A new thought crystallized in my mind.
09:20That child who wasn't mine.
09:23And this woman.
09:25Could they be connected?
09:26On the drive back, I called the private detective I'd hired.
09:30I need you to look into someone else.
09:33Chloe Williams.
09:35I want to know everything about her.
09:37Especially whether she has any children.
09:39The detective worked fast.
09:41By the next afternoon, I had the report.
09:44Chloe Williams.
09:4532 years old.
09:47Divorced 5 years ago.
09:49One son.
09:509 years old.
09:51Name.
09:52Alan.
09:53Attending a public school in the West End.
09:55The date jumped out at me.
09:58Chloe's son is only one week older than Alex.
10:00For the first time in 10 years, I felt my blood run hot.
10:04I sat on the sofa, holding the detective's report.
10:07Then, a thought struck me.
10:09I ran to study.
10:11My fingers hovered over the keyboard.
10:12Then, slowly, I typed in Chloe's birth date.
10:16The desktop opened.
10:18There was only one folder.
10:20Named, Work Backup.
10:22I clicked it open.
10:24Inside were subfolders organized by year.
10:26Starting 11 years ago.
10:28The earliest folder contained scanned photographs.
10:31Julian and Chloe in high school uniforms, standing under a locust tree.
10:3519-year-old Julian smiling, his arm around Chloe's shoulders.
10:39She had her hair in a ponytail, looking up at him.
10:42The next photo was from college.
10:44The two of them in the library.
10:46Then, their graduation photo.
10:48The next photo, both in cap and gown, holding hands.
11:18Gray tie.
11:19Gray tie.
11:19Boutonniere.
11:20Both of us smiling at the camera.
11:22The photographer had made us laugh.
11:24Said something stupid.
11:26We'd both cracked up.
11:27And the photo captured that moment.
11:29Pure.
11:30Happy.
11:31I stared at it.
11:32At my face.
11:34So happy.
11:35So naive.
11:36So trusting.
11:37I didn't know who that woman was anymore.
11:39That woman who'd believed her husband.
11:41Who'd made excuses for him.
11:43Who'd convinced herself everything was fine.
11:46That woman was gone.
11:48Had to close my eyes.
11:50Put my hand over my mouth.
11:52The perfect couple.
11:54The perfect lie.
11:56Sick at the photos I'd just seen.
11:58Sick at the years of deception.
12:00Sick at myself for not seeing it sooner.
12:03For believing him.
12:05For trusting him.
12:06For raising a child who wasn't even mine while my real son was somewhere else.
12:11At 3 p.m.
12:12I drove to the West End.
12:14The elementary school looked even more run down than the detective had described.
12:19The dismissal bell rang.
12:22Children poured out through the gates.
12:24I sat in my car.
12:26Hands gripping the steering wheel.
12:28He walked out alone.
12:30No one there to pick him up.
12:31He looked left.
12:33Then right.
12:34Then started walking slowly along the sidewalk.
12:37I held my breath.
12:39That child.
12:40Alan.
12:41No.
12:42My child.
12:43The way he walked reminded me of myself.
12:45A slight pigeon toe.
12:47When he raised his hand to push hair out of his face.
12:50I saw it.
12:51A birthmark on his wrist.
12:53The same place I had mine.
12:56I could see dust on his eyelashes.
12:59His lips were chapped.
13:00His sneakers were coming apart at the seams.
13:03His eyes looked empty.
13:05Not like a nine-year-old's eyes at all.
13:08I covered my mouth to stop myself from making a sound.
13:12He walked away.
13:13Disappearing around the corner.
13:14I collapsed over the steering wheel and broke down completely.
13:18For that child.
13:20For that child.
13:21Walking home alone.
13:22For ten years of living in the wrong life.
13:25For being such a fool.
13:27Dancing in a play someone else had written.
13:29Then I wiped my tears and started the car.
13:32At the law office.
13:34I placed a USB drive on attorney Morrison's desk.
13:37Inside.
13:38Backup copies of all the photos.
13:41The DNA test results.
13:43Scanned hospital records.
13:45The perfume receipt.
13:47Files on Chloe and Alan.
13:49I want a divorce.
13:50I want Julian to leave with nothing.
13:52I want custody of my child.
13:55I want him to pay for what he's done.
13:58Walking out of the attorney's office.
14:00I remembered what Julian had said when he proposed ten years ago.
14:05Vivian.
14:05I will give you a lifetime of stability.
14:08Turns out.
14:09His lifetime was only ten years.
14:11No.
14:13Probably less than that.
14:14I pulled out my phone.
14:16And called the company's second largest shareholder.
14:19My father's old colleague.
14:21Mr. Aaron.
14:22About next week's board meeting.
14:24I'd like to discuss a few things with you first.
14:26Julian seemed to have forgotten something important.
14:29This company's name is Hart.
14:31He became general manager because I convinced my father to give him a chance.
14:35I put him in that position.
14:37I could take him down just as easily.
14:39Two weeks after Julian left.
14:41I liquidated every asset I could convert to cash.
14:45Every afternoon.
14:46I went to that elementary school in the West End.
14:49One day, it rained.
14:51Alan didn't have an umbrella.
14:53He waited under the awning of the corner store for half an hour.
14:56Then finally ran home through the downpour.
14:59I sat in my car, rain blurring the windshield.
15:03Friday afternoon, I arrived at the school early.
15:06When I saw Alan coming out, I got out of the car and walked past like a stranger.
15:11I accidentally dropped my folder in front of him.
15:14He froze for a moment, then bent down to pick it up for me.
15:18Thank you, sweetheart.
15:20Is your mom not here yet?
15:22He shook his head.
15:24Mom's working late.
15:26How are you getting home?
15:28I'll take the bus.
15:30I pulled an unopened bottle of water from my bag.
15:34Have some water.
15:35He hesitated, then took it, and said,
15:39I noticed he had a habit of pressing his lips together when he spoke.
15:44Just like me.
15:46His eyes were shaped like mine, too.
15:48Inner double eyelids.
15:50The outer corners slightly downturned.
15:53Does your mom work late often?
15:55He nodded, then shook his head.
15:58Sometimes.
15:59What about your dad?
16:01He didn't answer.
16:02Just looked down at his shoes.
16:04Those sneakers, the soles were separating.
16:07The left shoelace was broken.
16:09I didn't ask anything more.
16:11I pulled $200 from my wallet and tucked it into his hand.
16:16Buy yourself some new shoes.
16:18He stepped back.
16:20No, I can't take this.
16:22Just consider it a thank you for helping me with my folder.
16:26I slipped the money into the side pocket of his backpack and walked away.
16:30After a few steps, I glanced back.
16:33He stood there looking lost.
16:35That evening, I stood in the doorway of Alex's room.
16:39He was playing with a new Lego set Julian had bought him.
16:42A limited edition space shuttle.
16:45Expensive.
16:46Mom?
16:47What's wrong?
16:48I walked in and touched his hair.
16:50Did you finish your homework?
16:53Finished ages ago.
16:54He held up his model.
16:56Dad said if I get A on my midterms, he'll take me to Disneyland.
17:01I smiled.
17:02That's wonderful.
17:04The moment I turned away, the smile vanished.
17:08Julian's different treatment of the two children stabbed at my heart like a thorn.
17:12My biological son wore torn shoes and rode the bus alone, while this child enjoyed everything.
17:18After two weeks away, Julian finally came home.
17:21He set down his suitcase.
17:24Where's Alex?
17:26Why is it so quiet?
17:28I enrolled him in piano lessons, two hours every evening.
17:31Since when?
17:32He's only in fourth grade.
17:35I didn't answer.
17:37I could smell that perfume on him.
17:39He moved closer, trying to put his arms around me.
17:42I stepped aside.
17:43Why do you smell like perfume?
17:46Who were you having dinner with?
17:48His expression flickered with irritation.
17:51Vivian, here you go again with the suspicion.
17:53I had a business dinner with a client.
17:56Can you not be like this?
17:57It was almost funny.
17:59Only now could I see how terrible his acting had always been.
18:04I walked to the coffee table, opened the drawer, and pulled out an envelope.
18:09Slowly, I laid the photographs across the table.
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