- 4 hours ago
Mom, I Swear I'm Not Lying New
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Short filmTranscript
00:00I was born a liar, at least.
00:03That's the label mom slapped on me.
00:05As a diehard believer in gator-driven parenting,
00:09she strapped truth bands on my twin sister Mia and me the day we were born.
00:14If we lied, the band flashed red, and mom would hit a remote to shock us.
00:20Mia's band was always green.
00:23She could shred mom's favorite dress to pieces, blame the cat,
00:27and her band would just glow a soft, gentle green.
00:34But for me, even if I just whispered,
00:38Mom, I'm hungry.
00:40My band would instantly explode into an angry red,
00:45followed by a piercing electric shock.
00:48I'm not a machine, Mom.
00:50I used to try to defend myself, but she'd always say,
00:55Machines don't lie. Pain is how you learn.
00:58I'm doing this for your own good.
01:00After thousands of shocks,
01:03I honestly started to believe I was just completely broken.
01:07New Year's Eve, everything changed.
01:10New Year's Eve, everything changed.
01:13On New Year's Eve, Mom was getting ready to take Mia to see the fireworks.
01:18A sudden, tearing agony hit my stomach.
01:23I curled up on the floor, begging,
01:26Mom, my stomach hurts so much.
01:29Please help me.
01:30But my band just frantically flashed red.
01:35She glared down at me, shivering in a cold sweat,
01:38cranked the shock dial to the absolute max, and spat.
01:41You're pretending to be sick just so you can come watch the fireworks with us?
01:45You never change!
01:47She turned, grabbed Mia, and slammed the door behind them.
01:51I couldn't help but think she was right.
01:54The band was red, so I must not actually be in pain.
01:58I was just making it up for attention again.
02:01I'm sorry, Mom.
02:03Next time around, I promise I'll be an honest kid.
02:06It hurts so much.
02:08I writhed in agony,
02:11my fingernails scratching pale marks into the floorboards.
02:19The doorknob turned.
02:22A glimmer of hope sparked in my eyes.
02:26Mom was bad.
02:28She was a doctor.
02:29She must have realized something was horribly wrong
02:32and came back to save me.
02:34Are you done yet?
02:36The fireworks are about to start.
02:37Mia's getting impatient.
02:39Mom.
02:40I called out weakly,
02:41reaching a trembling hand toward the door.
02:44It really hurts.
02:45It feels like my intestines are tearing apart.
02:49She just glanced at the frantic red light flashing on my wrists.
02:53Squatting down,
02:54she pinched my chin,
02:56her voice dripping with venom.
02:58Lily, how long are you going to keep up this act?
03:01You're a pathological liar.
03:02You can stay home and think about what you've done.
03:05Honey, hurry up.
03:06The fireworks are about to start.
03:09If Singha doesn't want to go, fine.
03:11Should we leave her some food?
03:13Mom stood up and dusted off her hands,
03:15like touching me had made her filthy.
03:18Leave her food for what?
03:20She has plenty of snacks in her room.
03:22She bought them with money she stole last time.
03:24She won't starve.
03:26Lock the door.
03:26Don't let her out until that bracelet turns green.
03:29But...
03:30But what?
03:31Spare the rob?
03:32Spoil the child?
03:33Look at Mia.
03:34She's perfectly honest.
03:36Her band is always green.
03:37Lily is rotten to the core.
03:39We have to correct her.
03:41But my closet was completely empty.
03:43Mia was the one who stole the cash,
03:47and she ate all the snacks.
03:50Mia had just stood there,
03:52her band glowing that soft green,
03:55and said,
03:56It wasn't me.
03:57And Mom believed her.
04:00When I tried to defend myself
04:02and said I didn't take it either,
04:04the red light flashed,
04:06and I got shocked.
04:08I watched Mom turn around to leave.
04:13Mia peeked through the crack in the door
04:16and stuck her tongue out at me.
04:18Bye, sis.
04:19We're going to see the pretty fireworks.
04:21Her band was glowing a vibrant green.
04:23It really was beautiful.
04:26The door slammed shut,
04:27followed by the heavy click of the deadbolt.
04:30The house went dead silent,
04:32leaving just me alone
04:35with the saw tearing through my stomach.
04:38It hurts so much.
04:41Mom was right.
04:42Machines don't lie.
04:44The band is red,
04:45so I must be making this up.
04:48I'm not in pain.
04:50I'm really not in pain.
04:52Tears streaming down my face.
04:55I tried to brainwash myself.
04:58I don't know how much time passed,
05:01but it actually started to hurt less.
05:04Using my last breath,
05:06I dragged myself to the desk.
05:09I had to write my punishment lines.
05:13Those were the rules.
05:14Whenever the red light flashed,
05:18I had to write,
05:19I am a liar a thousand times.
05:22Once I finished,
05:24Mom would forgive me, right?
05:25She'd take me to the hospital then.
05:28With trembling hands,
05:30I flipped open my crumpled diary.
05:33The pages were crammed
05:35with all my previous apologies.
05:38I used to always write,
05:42I'm sorry, I was wrong.
05:44I won't lie again.
05:46But this time,
05:47I wanted to write the truth.
05:50My vision blurred.
05:53Crying,
05:54I used every last ounce
05:56of my strength to write,
05:59Mom,
05:59I really do love you.
06:02It hurts so much.
06:04Why won't you just believe me?
06:06Mom,
06:07please,
06:08just believe me this one time.
06:10The moment I finished the last word,
06:13the excruciating pain in my stomach
06:15completely vanished.
06:17My body felt light,
06:19and I began to float.
06:20I looked down and saw myself
06:23slumped over the desk,
06:25arm dangling in the air,
06:27completely motionless.
06:29The band on my wrist
06:30was still frantically flashing red,
06:33so I was dead.
06:36But I still hadn't learned
06:38how to be an honest kid.
06:40I'm sorry, Mom.
06:42I was awakened
06:43by a burst of laughter.
06:45It was my dad,
06:46my mom,
06:46and my sister.
06:48The fireworks were so beautiful tonight,
06:50especially the smiley face one.
06:52It was as cute as our Mia.
06:54There was a tenderness
06:56in Mom's voice
06:57that I had never heard before.
06:59I floated in midair,
07:01watching the front door open.
07:03Now a soul,
07:04I instinctively drifted toward them,
07:06wanting to bring them their slippers
07:09like I used to.
07:10It was a people-pleasing instinct
07:11carved into my bones.
07:13Mom.
07:14I opened my arms,
07:15wanting to hug the woman
07:17still carrying the chill of the night.
07:19I don't hurt anymore.
07:20I'll be good from now on.
07:23Please don't be mad.
07:25But my hands passed
07:26straight through her body,
07:27like trying to catch the wind.
07:29Mom shivered and frowned.
07:31Why is it so cold in here?
07:32Is the heat off?
07:34I froze,
07:35staring at my transparent palm.
07:37That's right.
07:38I was already dead.
07:40The dead can't hug the living.
07:42Go check on Lily.
07:44That girl hasn't come out to eat either.
07:45Don't let her really starve.
07:46Dad mentioned it casually.
07:48Dad was still the better one.
07:49I looked at Mom expectantly.
07:52If she found out I was dead,
07:54would she be sad?
07:55Would she regret it?
07:57Mom snorted
07:58and slipped into her house shoes,
08:00walking toward my room.
08:01She'd deserve it if she starved,
08:03faking illness for attention
08:05is a bad habit
08:05that comes from being spoiled.
08:07She pushed my door open.
08:10She pushed my door open.
08:12She didn't turn on the light.
08:14By the light from the living room,
08:16she saw me slumped over the desk,
08:19motionless,
08:20as if asleep.
08:21Oh?
08:22Still lying there?
08:24You think lying on the desk
08:25pretending to be pitiful
08:26will make me carry you to bed?
08:28Lily, you're ten years old,
08:30not five.
08:32Mom!
08:32I'm not pretending to sleep.
08:34I'm dead!
08:36Look at me!
08:37Touch me!
08:38My body is cold!
08:39But Mom couldn't hear me.
08:41She only believed what she chose to see.
08:44My sister slipped in under her arm
08:47and raised her wrist proudly.
08:49Big Sat is a lazy pig.
08:52Look, my bracelet is green.
08:54Hers is still red.
08:55She's always lying.
08:57She even lies in her dreams.
08:59Mom patted her head.
09:01Dad peeked in from behind.
09:02Maybe carry her to bed?
09:03It's freezing.
09:04Carry her?
09:05For what?
09:06Kids these days are spoiled.
09:08This bracelet manufacturer
09:09say this is when you apply cold treatment.
09:11She has to realize her own mistakes.
09:13Look at that red light.
09:14It shows she's still in a state
09:15of extreme resistance.
09:17She hasn't reflected at all.
09:18That's enough.
09:19Go to bed.
09:19We're visiting Grandma tomorrow.
09:21Mom turned briskly
09:22and pulled the door closed again.
09:24I hovered beside my body,
09:26staring at the crimson light
09:27in the darkness,
09:28a sorrow deeper than death
09:30filling me.
09:31Mom,
09:32if you had just taken one step closer,
09:35just touched my hand,
09:36you would have known
09:37I was already cold.
09:38But you didn't.
09:40You trusted that cold machine
09:42more than the daughter
09:43you carried for 10 months.
09:45Late at night,
09:45a rat crawled out
09:46from the empty cabinet.
09:47I used to be terrified of rats.
09:50I would scream
09:51every time I saw one.
09:53But now,
09:54I could only float near the ceiling
09:56and watch it roam freely
09:57over my corpse.
09:59I tried to shoo it away weakly,
10:01but no sound came out.
10:02The rat bit into my toe,
10:04dark purplish blood seeping out.
10:06I couldn't feel any pain.
10:08That was good.
10:09It finally didn't hurt anymore.
10:11I spoke to the pitiful shell below me.
10:14Don't be afraid.
10:15You can't feel pain anymore.
10:17It will all be over soon.
10:19The next morning,
10:21sunlight washed over my corpse,
10:23but it brought no warmth at all.
10:25Clattering sounds drifted in
10:28from the kitchen.
10:29Mom was making breakfast.
10:32The rich smell of frying bacon and eggs
10:35crept through the crack under my door.
10:38Normally,
10:39that was the smell I craved the most,
10:41but I was only ever allowed plain oatmeal
10:45because Mom said liars didn't deserve good food.
10:49Today,
10:50she was deliberately banging the spatula against the pan.
10:54I knew exactly what she was doing.
10:56She was trying to tempt me.
10:58She wanted me to give in to the hunger
11:01and crawl out to beg for forgiveness.
11:04In the past,
11:05I might have actually confessed
11:07to things I never did
11:10just for a single bite of food.
11:12But now,
11:13I didn't need to eat anymore.
11:14Lily still hasn't come out?
11:16Dad asked,
11:17reading the newspaper at the dining table?
11:20No.
11:21Stubborn as a mule.
11:22She's just spoiled.
11:24If she doesn't want to eat,
11:26she can starve.
11:26Mia took a sip of her milk,
11:28her eyes darting around mischievously.
11:31She intentionally ran over to my door.
11:35Mom!
11:35It smells so gross in Lily's room!
11:38Did she use the floor as a toilet?
11:40Floating by the door,
11:42I looked at my sister with a bitter smile.
11:45I had already started to smell after just one night.
11:48Mom marched over,
11:50her forehead deeply wrinkled in disgust.
11:52You actually soiled your own room?
11:56She pounded on the door and roared.
12:01You are unbelievable!
12:03You throw away your own dignity
12:05just to throw a tantrum at me?
12:07It reminded me of when I was little.
12:10Once,
12:11I had severe stomach flu
12:13and couldn't make it to the bathroom in time,
12:16messing my pants.
12:17She pointed at me and told the neighbors,
12:19Look at this child,
12:21dirty as a pig.
12:23And now,
12:24she thought I was being filthy again.
12:28Just leave her!
12:29Mom waved her hand in disgust,
12:31like shooing away a fly.
12:33Let her sit in her own stench.
12:35See how she likes it.
12:37Dad put down his paper.
12:39The smell really is getting strong.
12:41Let me go check on her.
12:42Maybe a rat died in the walls.
12:44He stood up and walked toward my bedroom door.
12:49My ghost heart leaped into my throat.
12:52Dad,
12:53hurry!
12:54Open the door!
12:55Please,
12:56look at me.
12:57I'm right behind the door.
13:00If you just turn that knob,
13:02you'll see I'm not moving anymore.
13:05You'll see my face has already turned bruised and dark.
13:09Dad's hand grasped the doorknob.
13:12His phone suddenly blared.
13:14What?
13:14It was his boss calling.
13:16The servers crashed?
13:17Okay,
13:18okay,
13:18I'm on my way.
13:21Honey,
13:21there's a massive emergency at work.
13:23I have to go.
13:23I might not be back for a few days.
13:25Wait,
13:25what about Lily?
13:26I froze in midair.
13:29It was so incredibly close.
13:32Just one second away.
13:34If that call had come,
13:36just a moment later,
13:38they would have found me.
13:39Maybe then I wouldn't have to keep rotting in here.
13:44That afternoon,
13:45Mom took Mia out shopping,
13:47leaving my corpse alone in the house.
13:49They came back in the evening.
13:51As soon as they walked in,
13:53the stench hit them even harder.
13:55Are you trying to turn this house into a literal dumpster?
13:58Instead,
13:59she grabbed a roll of duct tape,
14:01crouched down,
14:02and viciously sealed the crack under my door tight.
14:05Since you love the stench so much,
14:06you can just sit in it!
14:07Mom dusted off her hands in satisfaction.
14:10Finally,
14:11some peace and quiet.
14:12Watching that duct tape door,
14:14the very last shred of hope in my heart suffocated,
14:18right along with the seal.
14:19So this was it.
14:21In Mom's mind,
14:22my life and death mattered,
14:24even less than a fancy dinner.
14:26She would rather seal me in like a tomb
14:28than check if I was actually dying inside.
14:31You win, Mom.
14:32I will never bother you again.
14:34By the morning of the third day,
14:36the warm winter sun spilled into the living room,
14:39but it couldn't dispel the dark gloom hanging over the house.
14:44The thermostat was cranked way up to almost 80 degrees.
14:48The duct tape could no longer hold back the smell.
14:52It was a nauseating, thick, greasy stench of decay.
14:59Mom was trimming fresh flowers she had just bought,
15:02but no matter how strong the floral scent was,
15:05it couldn't mask the smell of a rotting corpse.
15:08Mom angrily snapped a rose stem,
15:12letting a thorn prick her finger.
15:15She had finally reached her breaking point.
15:19In her twisted logic,
15:21me not showering,
15:23using the room as a toilet,
15:25or even hiding dead rats in there,
15:29it was all just an act of rebellion
15:31to disgust her and challenge her authority.
15:34Lily, you are completely out of control!
15:37Mom stormed into the kitchen,
15:40grabbed a heavy wooden spoon,
15:42and marched furiously toward my room.
15:45Since the shock collar isn't working anymore,
15:48maybe you need some old-fashioned discipline!
15:52Floating right in front of her,
15:54looking at her contorted, furious face,
15:57I waved my hands frantically to stop her.
16:01Don't go in!
16:02Mom, please don't!
16:04I look awful!
16:05I'm rotting!
16:06You'll be scared!
16:08Even though she didn't love me,
16:10I still didn't want her to see me
16:12in such a horrific state.
16:14But she walked right through my spirit
16:17and viciously ripped the duct tape off the door frame.
16:21The sound of the adhesive tearing was piercing.
16:25She jammed the spare key into the lock and twisted.
16:30The door was violently shoved open.
16:34A sickening wall of concentrated death hit her instantly,
16:39like opening Pandora's box.
16:41Mom stumbled backward, gagging,
16:44as the stench assaulted her.
16:46Lily!
16:48What the hell are you doing in here?
16:50She looked up and saw me still slumped over the desk
16:53in the exact same position from three days ago,
16:57my back to her completely motionless.
17:00To her, this was a silent provocation.
17:05Pure, sheer arrogance.
17:08Are you deaf?
17:09Are you still playing dead?
17:11Blinded by rage,
17:12she closed the distance in three steps,
17:14raising the heavy wooden spoon high in the air.
17:17But she didn't strike right away.
17:20She wanted to yank me up first
17:22to see the stubborn expression
17:24she was sure was on my face.
17:27Get up!
17:29She grabbed me roughly by the back of the collar,
17:35her fingers digging into my skin.
17:37The very next second, she froze.
17:40The moment she made contact,
17:42time seemed to stop completely.
17:45Through the thin fabric of my pajamas,
17:48her fingers didn't feel warm living skin
17:52or soft flesh.
17:55Instead, she felt a block of ice-cold,
17:58rock-hard dead meat.
18:00It was a bone-chilling, unnatural cold,
18:05entirely devoid of the warmth of life.
18:11Huh?
18:12Mom hesitated for a fraction of a second.
18:15But her momentum carried through,
18:18yanking backward with brute force.
18:21My stiff body was pulled backward,
18:24falling rigidly.
18:25Taking the heavy desk chair down with it,
18:29crash.
18:30The chair slammed loudly against the hardwood floor.
18:34My corpse fell perfectly stiff,
18:37like a toppled marble statue.
18:39And finally, my face was revealed.
18:44I was no longer the timid little girl she knew.
18:48My face was a bruise, sickly purple,
18:52my eyes bulging.
18:54My features completely contorted from the sheer agony of my final moments.
19:02Dried white foam and dark, crusted blood stained the corners of my mouth.
19:08And there on my blackened wrist was the truth band mom was always so damn proud of.
19:18It hung there, lifeless.
19:22The skin underneath was scorched pitch black from the electricity.
19:27The melted rubber fused directly into my charred flesh.
19:32No more red lights.
19:34No more green lights.
19:36Just dead, heavy silence.
19:39Smack.
19:40A soft thud.
19:42My diary, which had been pinned under my arm,
19:46slipped out as my body fell.
19:49It landed right at mom's feet.
19:52It fell open, facing her perfectly.
19:57Honestly, on that page,
20:01my messy, desperate handwriting
20:04stabbed into her eyes like daggers.
20:09Mom, my stomach really hurts.
20:11The band is broken.
20:12I swear I'm not lying.
20:14Please don't shock me anymore.
20:18It was a shriek that didn't even sound human.
20:22Piercing and guttural,
20:24like her throat was tearing apart.
20:26Mom stumbled backward,
20:29her lower back slamming hard against the bookshelf.
20:33A glass vase crashed to the floor,
20:36shattering into a million pieces.
20:38But she didn't even flinch.
20:41Her eyes were wide,
20:43with pure terror,
20:45locked onto my body,
20:47on the floor.
20:48No.
20:49No way.
20:50She shook her head frantically,
20:53her hair falling around her face like a mad woman.
20:57You're still faking it.
20:58This is makeup.
21:00It's a trick.
21:02Lily, get up right now.
21:07Mommy isn't mad anymore.
21:09Stop scaring me.
21:11Trembling violently,
21:13she reached out,
21:15trying to grab my stiff arm.
21:17But the split second,
21:20her fingertips brushed my freezing skin.
21:22She recoiled like she just touched a hot stove.
21:29That sensation,
21:31it was undeniably real.
21:34It was the temperature of death.
21:37Martha,
21:38her neighbor,
21:39called the cops.
21:41She had rushed over,
21:43after hearing Mom's screams,
21:46took one look at the scene,
21:47and collapsed right in the doorway.
21:50Sirens soon flooded the neighborhood.
21:53The police swarmed in.
21:56Forensics followed.
21:58Crime scene tape went up.
22:00I watched them hustle in and out,
22:03camera flashes exploding over my corpse.
22:06A female officer had to drag Mom out to the living room couch.
22:12She was still babbling incoherently,
22:16trying to defend herself.
22:20I swear she was faking it.
22:22She's been a liar since she was a kid.
22:24The band was red.
22:26The machine doesn't lie.
22:27I was just disciplining her.
22:29I was doing it for her own good.
22:32Nobody even looked at her.
22:34Everyone just stared at her like she was an absolute monster.
22:38When the coroner tried to move my body,
22:42they ran into a problem.
22:44The truth band.
22:45The truth band.
22:47The truth band.
22:47Because it had discharged high voltage electricity for so long,
22:53the intense heat had literally melted the rubber right into my skin.
22:58It was basically fused to my flesh.
23:01Jesus Christ.
23:03He had to grab a pair of medical shears to force it off.
23:09The sickening sound of skin tearing.
23:13Even though I was already dead, my phantom wrist throbbed.
23:18The band finally came off, taking a chunk of my charred flesh with it.
23:22A detective picked up my diary from the floor, flipping through it with gloved hands.
23:29His face growing darker by the second.
23:33Mom's eyes locked onto the notebook.
23:36Suddenly she lunged at the detective like a rabid dog trying to snatch it.
23:44Those are her punishment lines.
23:46She definitely wrote it in there.
23:48She admitted she was lying.
23:49Read it.
23:50She confessed.
23:51The detective shoved her back hard and dropped the diary into an evidence bag.
23:57He glared at her with eyes as cold as ice, looking at her like she was pure garbage.
24:05We'll decide who was lying.
24:06Right then, Dad finally rushed back.
24:11He saw the black body bag being carried out the door.
24:15That long zipper sealing away my entire miserable life.
24:22Dad's legs gave out.
24:24He collapsed onto the lawn, literally wetting his pants in shock.
24:30Mia was standing to the side, sobbing in fear.
24:34She didn't even fully grasp what was happening.
24:39She just pointed at the bloody band left on the table and asked,
24:45Mommy, why is Lily's band black?
24:48Mine is still green.
24:49She held up her wrist, the little green light still blinking cheerfully.
24:55It was a massive, sickening irony.
25:01The police began an impromptu interrogation in the living room.
25:06Mom acted like she just found her lifeline.
25:10She pointed sharply at my bloody band, her voice shrill and desperate.
25:16Check the band.
25:17You have to check the band.
25:19It proves she was lying.
25:21Red means lie.
25:22I only ever shocked her when it turned red.
25:24I'm not abusive.
25:26The machine told me to do it.
25:27I was just teaching her a lesson.
25:29The detective scowled at her, completely disgusted.
25:35Ma'am, your daughter's body is covered in old, repetitive electrical burn scars.
25:42That was discipline.
25:44It was education.
25:46Mom shrieked, cutting him off, desperate to prove she was right.
25:52Desperate to prove she wasn't a murderer.
25:56She suddenly made the most insane demand.
26:01You don't believe me?
26:03That machine is flawless.
26:05I'll put it on right now.
26:06I'm telling the truth, so it's going to be green.
26:09She lunged for the table, snatching up the band that was still coated in my burnt skin and blood.
26:17Completely ignoring the gore, her hands shook wildly as she forced the strap around her own wrist.
26:25I'll show you.
26:26I'm innocent.
26:27If it's green, it means everything I've said is true.
26:31Trembling, she snapped the blood-soaked device into place.
26:35Locked tight, the freezing rubber pressed against her skin, sticky and slick with my blood.
26:45Mom took a deep breath, trying to force herself to calm down.
26:51She was so desperate to prove I deserve to die, to prove her twisted parenting was flawless.
26:59She held her wrist up to the cops, a gleam of manic confidence in her eyes.
27:07Watch closely.
27:09My name is Evelyn.
27:10I am Lily's mother.
27:12It was a pure fact.
27:14The absolute truth.
27:17But then...
27:18A sharp, ear-piercing alarm instantly shrieked from the band.
27:23The long-dead red light violently exploded to life.
27:27Mom was stunned.
27:29Her cocky expression froze instantly.
27:32She smacked the band hard, like hitting a glitching TV remote.
27:37What the hell?
27:37Is it broken?
27:38I'm telling the truth.
27:40I am Evelyn.
27:41Panic started setting in, her words spilling out faster.
27:46It has to be broken!
27:47That coroner must have busted it!
27:51Let me try again.
27:53I'm going to say it again.
27:54She swallowed hard, her voice pitching up in hysteria.
27:59I did not abuse my child.
28:01I was doing it for her own good.
28:03I loved her!
28:05The red light flashed even more violently, blurring into a solid block of furious red.
28:10And because it detected an extreme spike in heart rate, the band automatically triggered a mild electric shock.
28:18Mom jolted, her entire arm spagging as she flinched hard.
28:23It hurt.
28:24Even just a low level shock was enough to cover her in goosebumps.
28:29It suddenly hit her.
28:31How I felt at 10 years old, being hit with the absolute maximum voltage, curling into a ball on the
28:39floor, biting through my own lip just to keep from crying out.
28:42So, this was how much it hurt.
28:45Mom completely lost her mind.
28:47Why is it red?
28:49Why?
28:50I'm telling the truth, stupid thing!
28:53I'm telling these silly things!
28:56Turn green, you stupid thing!
28:58You broken piece of trash!
29:00You're setting me up!
29:02No matter how loud she shrieked, the red light just kept frantically blinking.
29:08That's enough.
29:10You know what happens if that thing goes off.
29:13A forensics tech standing nearby finally spoke up, his voice ice cold.
29:18He honestly couldn't stomach it anymore.
29:21Stop trying.
29:23That thing isn't a lie detector, lady.
29:25He grabbed the instruction manual they'd found during the search and slammed it onto the coffee table.
29:31It's a cheap glavinic skin response and heart rate monitor.
29:34How it works is simple.
29:35When someone is nervous, anxious, terrified, or in extreme pain, their heart rate spikes.
29:41They sweat, their skin conductivity jumps, and the light turns red.
29:44Right now, you are panicking.
29:46You're terrified and your heart is racing.
29:48Of course it's flashing red.
29:50The tech took a slow step toward mom, who is now slumped on the floor.
29:55Every word he spoke dropped like a sledgehammer onto her skull.
29:59Think about it.
30:00Your daughter's appendix burst.
30:02She was wringling on the floor.
30:04Do you have any idea how agonizing a ruptured organ is?
30:08How fast do you think her heart was beating?
30:10How terrified do you think she was?
30:12But to you, the more pain she was in, the faster her heart beat and the brighter that red light
30:17got.
30:18You just assumed she was lying harder, so you cranked up the voltage.
30:22The shock caused more pain, which made her heart race faster, which made the light even brighter.
30:27She was begging you for help, and you turned it into a torture device.
30:31You tortured your own daughter to death while she was begging you to save her.
30:36Mom's entire reality shattered into a million pieces.
30:39She sat paralyzed on the floor, staring blankly at the red light flashing on her wrists.
30:45Finally, it clicked.
30:47For the last ten years, every single time, my band flashed red.
30:52It was just because I was scared.
30:55Terrified of her getting mad.
30:56Terrified of being misunderstood.
30:59Terrified of the food she forced down my throat.
31:01I was in pain.
31:03In so much pain, my heart was racing, and I was drenched in cold sweat.
31:07I was yearning, desperate for her to hug me, just once, the way she hugged Mia.
31:14Every single flutter of my heart had been twisted into proof of a lie.
31:22She started tearing frantically at the band on her wrist.
31:26Get off me!
31:30But the clasp, jammed from being forced on and damaged from melting, was completely stuck,
31:38locked around her wrist like a shackle.
31:41No matter how hard she clawed at it, it wouldn't budge.
31:44I'm sorry!
31:45I'm so sorry!
31:47Lily!
31:48Take it away!
31:49Mommy is sorry!
31:50You can't even handle this little bit of pain, Mom.
31:53I had to live with it for ten years.
31:56To establish the details of the abuse and build a solid case, the police opened the diary,
32:05now officially labeled as key evidence right in front of Mom and Dad.
32:11That notebook I had used for ten years, filled with blood, tears, and pure humiliation,
32:17the female officer's voice was soft, but every single word cut like a knife.
32:24February 14th.
32:25Sunny.
32:26Mom made me eat celery.
32:28I'm allergic.
32:29It makes my throat swell up and I can't breathe.
32:31I told her I didn't want it.
32:33I didn't want it that I felt sick.
32:37I don't care if you're sick!
32:38You will eat that celery!
32:40And the band turned red.
32:42Mom said I was just being a picky liar and forced me to eat the whole plate.
32:47That night I threw up blood.
32:49My throat felt like it was on fire.
32:51Mom saw it, said I sneaked tomato juice to fake being sick, and shocked me for another
32:57ten minutes.
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