Skip to playerSkip to main content
β­πŸ‰πŸ’š
FULL MOVIES ENGLISH SUB (2026) - FULL | Reelshort
#drama #cdrama #romantic #love #movie #shortdrama #showhot2026
Transcript
00:10I used to be a professional salvage diver, one of the best on the East Coast, then I was
00:16convicted of murder. They said I cut my partner's air hose, said I killed for money. I did eight
00:22years for a murder I didn't commit. Now I gut fish for a seafood wholesaler in a run-down
00:27warehouse by the docks. That day, my family came tearing down the pier like the world was ending.
00:33My mom and dad collapsed onto the filthy ground, right into the blood, meltwater, and fish slime
00:38underfoot. My ex-wife Vanessa rushed up next. She pulled out the wedding ring from years ago,
00:54then she forced it onto my finger. I swear to you, if you go down there and bring Jason back,
01:00I'll marry you again. I said nothing. I just reached up and touched the hearing aid on my ear.
01:06Had they really forgotten? Eight years ago, Jason, the son they chose, over and over again,
01:12instead of me. He fought with his dive partner underwater, over gold bars, hidden in a sunken
01:17ship. After it happened, Vanessa wanted to protect him, so she forced me to sign a confession.
01:22My dad went even further. He slapped me so hard. He ruptured my eardrum. That one hit left me half
01:28deaf. And now, with the condition I'm in now, if I go back underwater, the pressure could trigger a
01:34brain bleed. I could die down there. Ethan! Shut your damn mouth and do what they say!
01:40That was David, the doc manager. Just now, he was all smiles, sucking up to them. The second he turned
01:46to me, his face filled with disgust. The Lane and Cole families practically own this town. I always
01:52thought you knew your place. Didn't expect you to get so full of yourself. Just say yes already!
01:57You save a life, you get money. It's your shot at redemption. So why are you still rotting here,
02:04slinging guts on this pier? People nearby had no idea what was going on, but that didn't stop them.
02:09Yeah, what's wrong with this guy? That's his brother!
02:12How can he be this cold? Probably thinks the money's too low. He's trying to jack up the price.
02:17Looks normal enough. Turns out he's rotten inside.
02:21Every word landed hard. The one they dragged out to take the fall for Jason. Was me. The one whose
02:26life got destroyed. Was me. So why? Why was I still the one standing here, getting cursed at like I
02:32was
02:32garbage? I pulled the ring off, set it back in Vanessa's hand. Then I pointed at my hearing aid,
02:37and shook my head. It's not that I won't save him. My ear is shot. If I go underwater, I'll
02:42die.
02:43My mom, Susan, froze for a second. Then she threw herself into the filthy water on the ground.
02:48Fish scales stuck to her clothes. She slapped the puddles with both hands. Crying so hard her
02:54voice cracked. Ethan! It's been eight years! How are you still this cold, this cruel, this heartless
03:00to get out of this? That you'd actually fake an injury? That's Jason. That's your brother.
03:06My dad, Victor, stared at me in pure disappointment. His whole hand was shaking.
03:10How did we end up with a monster like you? Standing there while your own brother dies?
03:15And now you're making up lies? You're a goddamn disgrace.
03:20Vanessa's eyes were bright red. She dug through her purse with trembling hands.
03:24Then she yanked out a bank card and shoved it into my palm.
03:27Ethan, I'm begging you. There's five million on this card. That's enough for you to live on forever.
03:32Just go down there now. Bring Jason back. You want money? Fine, take it! You want something else?
03:37Just save it! A hot tear fell from her face. It landed on the back of my hand. And burned.
03:44Burned so badly it felt like it went straight through me. Eight years in prison. She never
03:49visited me once. Not one time. And now this was our reunion. She was humbling herself for the same
03:54man she once protected by forcing me to confess. And even now, she was still using money to grind
03:59what was left of my dignity into the dirt. I didn't want to keep arguing with them. Not anymore.
04:04So I swallowed the pain. My hand shook as I pulled a medical report from my pocket.
04:09A diagnosis. Severe eardrum perforation. I tried to show it to her. Vanessa didn't even look.
04:14She slapped my hand away. The paper flew out.
04:17Are you done yet? You're still waving around some stupid piece of paper?
04:20Isn't money what you want? Iron doesn't have time for this!
04:23Jason doesn't have time for this.
04:25Then David charged over. He grabbed my fish table and flipped the whole thing.
04:29Fish crashed to the ground. Ice scattered everywhere.
04:31Ethan! You murderer! Get the hell out! Don't bring your bad luck onto these docks!
04:36If you won't save him today, then don't ever think about coming back here!
04:41The crowd joined in at once. People passing by. Everybody. Some even spat at me.
04:46Get out, murderer!
04:48A piece of trash like you deserves to rot in hell.
04:52I looked down. The medical report Vanessa slapped away was lying on the floor.
04:56Soaked. Stepped on. And in that moment, the whole thing felt absurd.
05:00All I wanted was to live like a normal person. Quietly. Alone. In some forgotten corner.
05:07That was it.
05:08I was even that too much to ask. Did they really have to push me all the way to death?
05:12That feeling. Like the whole world was pointing at me. It crushed the last of my defenses.
05:17I didn't want to stay there one more second. I turned and ran.
05:20I don't even know how I made it back to my rental.
05:23I just remember the voices. People on the street yelling after me. Cursing me.
05:27I barely got inside. I hadn't even caught my breath yet.
05:30Then my phone started going insane.
05:32Alert after alert.
05:34Hashtag the murderer who let his brother drown.
05:36Hashtag rich family drama. The adopted son versus the real one.
05:39Desperate heiress. Begs her prisoner. Ex to help.
05:43I tapped one of the alerts. It opened straight into Vanessa's livestream.
05:45On camera, my mom, Susan, sat there trembling. She was trying to hold back tears.
05:51I'm so sorry, everyone. We know we're taking up public attention. But as a mother, I have nowhere else to
05:56turn.
05:57She covered her mouth and sobbed.
05:59It's our fault. We failed to raise him right. Back then, he killed for gold bars. He robbed people. He
06:04took a life. He served eight years for it.
06:07I thought prison would change him.
06:08But I was wrong. He's rotten to the core.
06:11Her tears streamed down harder. Now his brother's trapped underwater. His life is hanging by a thread.
06:17Ethan could save him. He could. But he just ran away.
06:20Victor held her up like she might collapse. Then he turned to the camera.
06:24I'm begging everyone to help us. If anyone can bring Ethan back, I'll pay seven figures.
06:29The comments exploded. They flooded so fast I could barely read them. Trash like that deserves exposure.
06:35I know where he lives. West Side Apartments. This kind of garbage should die.
06:39Anyone in Harbor City? Go block him in. Come on, guys. Go teach that freak a lesson.
06:45I stared at the screen. My whole body went numb.
06:48Then it happened. A violent pounding hit my door. Over and over. Like they were trying to break it down.
06:54I barely had time to react. My landlord stormed in first. Behind him was a crowd of people.
06:59Phones up, flashlights on, cameras shoved in my face.
07:02Oh, look at you. You hit it pretty well. A damn killer living in my building?
07:07They rushed inside like looters. One man smashed my bowls. Another kicked over my pots. Plates
07:13shattered across the floor. Everything I had got torn apart in seconds. I tried to stop them.
07:18Two huge men grabbed me instantly. One slammed my head down. The other locked my arms.
07:22Hold still. Apologize to the camera. Say it now. Tell them you're trash. You don't deserve to breathe.
07:29Humiliation drowned me. It hit like a wave. Someone yanked my hair back. A phone was jammed right in my
07:35face.
07:35The live comments kept flying by. I couldn't move. Then the crowd suddenly split apart, making a path.
07:41My parents walked in. For one stupid second, I thought they were here to stop this. I was wrong.
07:46Victor's face was dark, cold. He handed someone a thick coil of rope. It was so heavy it sagged.
07:51He pointed at me through clenched teeth. Please, help me tie him up. If he won't go,
07:56then drag him there. I snapped my head up. I stared at him like I didn't know him.
08:01Dad? Do you even hear yourself? I told you! I can't dive! I'll die!
08:05Then I looked at my mother. Mom, do I even matter to you? I'm your son!
08:11For Jason, are you really gonna force me to death?
08:15Susan's eyes were red. For one second, she looked away, like something inside her shook.
08:19But it vanished almost instantly. What came back was ice.
08:23Shut up! Jason may not be blood, but he's a thousand times better than you know.
08:27Ten thousand! You spent eight years in prison! Who took care of us during those years? Jason did!
08:32Who stayed by our side? Jason did! And now he's in trouble. You're his brother.
08:37You should be saving him. You're just gonna let him die? Can your conscience live with that?
08:42My chest felt ripped open. I was already in pieces, but that still hurt so bad I could barely breathe.
08:48So that was it. Blood never mattered to them. Not once. To them, I was a stain. Something disposable.
08:54Something they could throw away whenever they needed.
08:56I'm not going! I didn't kill anyone! The case back then wasn't what you think!
09:01Why won't any of you believe me?
09:03I fought like hell. Twisting. Kicking. Trying to break free from the rope.
09:08But nobody cared what a convicted killer had to say. Not one person. Just when I was about to break.
09:13Vanessa walked in. One of her bodyguards handed her something. A stun baton. She took it without blinking.
09:19Then she stepped into my room. Her face was cold and hard.
09:22Ethan, don't make me do this. For Jason. There is nothing I won't do.
09:28She didn't hesitate. She jammed the stun baton straight into my back.
09:32A brutal crack of electricity tore through me.
09:34My whole body convulsed. Then everything went black.
09:38When I opened my eyes again, I was sprawled across the deck.
09:41Like something the tide had spit back out.
09:44All around me was open ocean. Nothing but water.
09:47Waves slammed against the boat. The sound made my heart seize up.
09:51Ethan, stop playing dead! Get in the water! Bring Jason back!
09:55When I still didn't move.
09:57I promise you. If you bring Jason back up.
10:00Clenched her teeth and said.
10:01I'll think about marrying you again.
10:03And you'll never have to do that filthy job again.
10:06Filthy? That word hit me like a knife.
10:09Half a year ago, right after I got out, I went back to the Cole Mansion once.
10:13I was stupid enough to think maybe, maybe there was still a little love left for me there.
10:17But that night, through the mansion's floor to ceiling windows,
10:20all I saw was a house blazing with light.
10:23My mom and dad were inside. Vanessa was too.
10:26They were all gathered around Jason.
10:28The son they always chose over me.
10:30They were eating a big holiday dinner.
10:32Roast turkey on the table, steak, lobster, wine.
10:35Everything rich and perfect.
10:37Glasses raised, laughter everywhere.
10:39They looked like the perfect family.
10:41And me?
10:42I was standing outside in the freezing wind.
10:44A convict who had done eight years for someone else.
10:47Half deaf. Broken. Shaking from the cold.
10:49That was the moment I finally woke up.
10:52My hell had never been prison.
10:54My hell was them.
10:55They built it with their own hands.
10:57In that house, I was never family.
10:59I was just an outsider.
11:01My thoughts snapped back to the boat.
11:03Then my eyes locked on something in Vanessa's hand.
11:06A photograph.
11:07She was gripping it tight.
11:09It was a candid shot from a beach volleyball game.
11:12Jason was shirtless, standing out among a group of dive team members.
11:15And the thing that hit me hardest was the scar on his right shoulder.
11:19The second I saw that scar, my whole body went cold.
11:22Like I'd been struck by lightning.
11:24My mind got dragged back ten years.
11:26Back then, I was captain of the dive team.
11:29Vanessa was on the team.
11:31Jason was too.
11:33That day, the sea turned bad fast.
11:36The current got vicious.
11:37I saw the danger right away.
11:39So I pointed up.
11:40Signaling everyone to head back.
11:42But before we could surface, everything went sideways.
11:46In the chaos, I used almost every ounce of strength I had to shove Vanessa and Jason towards safer water.
11:51And I got caught instead.
11:53The current took me.
11:54I should have died.
11:55By some miracle, I didn't.
11:56I washed up on a deserted island.
11:58Passed out there for three full days.
12:01Then I was rescued.
12:02When I finally got home, Jason ran straight at me.
12:04He grabbed me hard.
12:05Held on like he'd never let go.
12:07And he started crying.
12:09Ethan, you're back.
12:10This is all my fault.
12:11I was useless.
12:12If I'd stopped you from making us go down, if I'd just been stronger,
12:16then I wouldn't have only saved Vanessa and watched you get swept away.
12:19So that was it.
12:20I finally understood.
12:22No wonder my wife had been willing to force me to take the fall,
12:25to send me to prison, and to let me die for another man.
12:27For ten whole years, she had believed Jason was the one who saved her.
12:31In the three days I disappeared, he became her hero.
12:34The man who risked everything for her.
12:36And me?
12:37I became the reckless one.
12:38The glory-hungry idiot who almost got everybody killed.
12:42What a sick joke.
12:43My throat was dry and raw, but I still forced the words out,
12:46shouting with everything I had left.
12:48I told you!
12:49I can't go underwater!
12:50My ear can't handle the pressure!
12:52If I go down there, my brain could hemorrhage!
12:54Do you people want me dead?
12:56Vanessa's eyes flickered, just for a second, a flash of panic.
13:00Gone almost instantly.
13:01Then Victor charged at me in a rage.
13:03He rushed over and kicked me hard.
13:05I hit the deck and rolled.
13:07Keep lying!
13:07Go ahead!
13:08Keep pretending!
13:09Ethan, you're rotten to the core!
13:11At a time like this, you're still faking a disability just to get out of it?
13:15Off to the side, my mom collapsed to the deck, wiping her tears,
13:19sobbing like her heart was ripping apart.
13:21Oh, God!
13:22Jason was an angel!
13:24He's always been so sweet!
13:26He did everything for us!
13:28If we lose him, I can't go on!
13:32Then the boat captain, Adam, walked over.
13:34He tapped his watch.
13:36Ms. Lane, this is where Jason went under.
13:39Based on the time, his tank has maybe 30 minutes left.
13:42That one sentence shattered whatever reason Vanessa still had.
13:46Her pretty face twisted from panic.
13:48She spun toward me and screamed,
13:49You heard him!
13:50Move!
13:51Now!
13:51Gear him up!
13:53I stared at her, and something in me finally went cold.
13:56Fine.
13:57I'll go.
13:58But I have one condition.
14:00I want the best deep water gear you've got.
14:02If they were really going to shove me into hell,
14:05then I was grabbing whatever slim chance I had.
14:07No matter how small.
14:08If the gear was strong enough, maybe I could survive the pressure.
14:12The second I gave in, Vanessa's shoulders dropped,
14:14like she could finally breathe again.
14:15She rushed over and grabbed my hand tight.
14:18Ethan, I knew it.
14:19I knew you still cared.
14:21I knew you wouldn't just let him die.
14:24Then the next second, guilt flashed across her face.
14:27She pointed to a pile of junk in the corner.
14:29But there's no other option.
14:31This is the only diving gear on the boat.
14:33You used to be the best diver in the business.
14:36A little problem like this, you can handle it, right?
14:39She said it so casually, like it was nothing.
14:43I followed her finger, and my blood went cold.
14:46It was an old dive suit.
14:48The rubber was cracked in places.
14:50The air valve was rusted.
14:52That kind of gear should have been scrapped years ago.
14:54There was no way it was safe.
14:56A chill shot straight up my spine.
14:58I yanked my hand away, then backed up in panic.
15:01Vanessa, are you out of your mind?
15:03You know diving!
15:04If I go down in that thing, that's the same as killing me!
15:07Adam looked at the suit, too.
15:08His face tightened.
15:10Mrs. Lane, this gear really is too old.
15:13The risk on a forced deep dive is way too high.
15:16If something goes wrong…
15:17Before he could finish, Vanessa's face went cold.
15:20She cut him off without hesitation.
15:22At a time like this, who the hell cares about that?
15:24Get over here!
15:25Put it on him!
15:27A few bodyguards rushed me at once.
15:29They slammed me onto the deck, pinned me down hard.
15:32In the struggle, someone stomped down.
15:34My hearing aid flew off.
15:35It cracked apart, then got crushed under a shoe.
15:38Shattered.
15:38The one thing that had stayed with me for years.
15:41Gone.
15:42In the end, they forced the suit onto my body anyway.
15:44And Vanessa strapped a heavy industrial weight belt around my waist.
15:48Sixty pounds of lead, enough to make sure I sank.
15:51Then they shoved me toward the edge of the boat.
15:53In that last, desperate moment, I turned and looked back at this family.
15:56Victor stood there with his arms crossed.
15:58Coldly.
15:59Like none of it had anything to do with him.
16:01There wasn't one shred of pity in his eyes.
16:04Not for his own son.
16:05And my mother, Susan?
16:07She had her hands clasped tight, eyes shut, praying into empty air.
16:11Her lips trembled as she whispered,
16:13Please.
16:14Please, please let him be safe.
16:16Please, God, let Jason come back, okay?
16:19At a moment like this, with my life hanging by a thread,
16:22she was praying for him.
16:24For Jason.
16:25Not her own flesh and blood.
16:27It was grotesque.
16:28It was pathetic.
16:29It was almost funny.
16:30Then suddenly, a huge force slammed into my chest.
16:33Someone shoved me.
16:34Hard.
16:35The second the deck vanished under my feet.
16:37Ethan!
16:37If you bring Jason back, we'll get married right away.
16:40I'll be right here waiting for you.
16:42Then the ocean swallowed me whole.
16:44The freezing water wrapped around my body instantly.
16:47The weight belt dragged me down.
16:48Fast.
16:49Way too fast.
16:50Straight into the deep.
16:51The pressure hit my ears like a sledgehammer.
16:54My right eardrum was already hanging by a thread.
16:56Now it tore.
16:57A dull, ripping burst exploded inside my head, like a balloon popping in my skull.
17:02Pain.
17:03Blinding pain.
17:04So much pain, my whole body seized up.
17:07I opened my mouth to scream.
17:08A mouthful of seawater rushed in instead.
17:10My lungs felt like giant hands were crushing them.
17:12My vision turned red.
17:13Then darker.
17:14Then worse.
17:15My mind started slipping away.
17:16And just when I was drowning, just when the dark was closing over me, just when I gave
17:21up trying to live, a pair of soft hands reached for me, fast, strong, and grabbed me.
17:26Susan pressed a hand to her chest.
17:27Her face was pale.
17:29She leaned against the railing.
17:30Her eyes stayed locked on the water.
17:32Victor had his hands behind his back.
17:34He kept pacing, back and forth.
17:44She kept saying it over and over, like if she said it enough, it would come true, like
17:49it could calm the fear inside her.
17:51But her fingers were shaking, and that gave her away.
17:54Then suddenly, a sharp alarm shattered the dead silence.
17:57A Coast Guard boat was speeding toward them.
17:59Fast.
18:00A few officers jumped onto the deck.
18:02The man in front scanned everyone with hard, sharp eyes.
18:05I'm Owen with the Harbor City Coast Guard.
18:08Who's in charge here?
18:09Victor hurried over at once.
18:11He pulled out a business card and handed it over.
18:13We're with Cole Group.
18:15My son went missing while diving.
18:17We came out here to look for him ourselves.
18:20Owen took the card.
18:22Rescue?
18:23Then he looked them over coldly.
18:25We pulled them out three hours ago.
18:30The whole deck went dead silent.
18:32Then Owen pulled up footage from his body cam.
18:34He opened a video and held it up.
18:35Three hours ago, during patrol, we recovered a man from the water.
18:39It was Jason Cole.
18:41We tried contacting his family.
18:43No answer.
18:45Never thought you came all the way out here.
18:48There's no signal.
18:49The doctor on board examined him.
18:51He'd been exposed to a marine toxin.
18:52A sea barrier.
18:53A kind of sea slug.
18:54That toxin can trigger severe hallucinations.
18:57In serious cases, it can be fatal.
18:58He might have touched one while diving.
19:00He's already been taken to the hospital.
19:02He's been stabilized for now.
19:03The second they heard Jason was alive, my parents and Vanessa lit up with joy.
19:07Like they had all just been handed their lives back.
19:09And not one of them cared about the word hallucinations.
19:12Not one.
19:13Victor nearly started crying on the spot.
19:15He was so excited he could barely stand still.
19:17I knew it.
19:18I knew Jason was blessed.
19:20He's always had luck on his side.
19:23Vanessa, did you hear that?
19:25Jason's okay.
19:27We have money.
19:28As long as he's still breathing, we can save him.
19:31We'll spend whatever it takes.
19:32Vanessa finally let out a long breath.
19:34A smile of pure relief broke across her face.
19:36Like she had just survived a nightmare.
19:39Then the smile froze.
19:40Right there on her face.
19:41Because suddenly she remembered.
19:42Half an hour ago, she had shoved her ex-husband into the ocean.
19:45With her own hands, forced him down there to save Jason.
19:48He was lying in a hospital.
19:49Alive.
19:50So where was Ethan?
19:51I had already been underwater for over 30 minutes.
19:54And there was still no sign of me.
19:55Not even a trace.
19:56A terrible thought started rising in her mind.
19:58But before she could think it through, Owen took a file from one of his officers.
20:02His expression turned strange.
20:03Cold.
20:04Sharp.
20:05Almost mocking.
20:06Then he looked straight at them and spoke again.
20:10Well, if you're his family, that actually makes this easier.
20:14He opened the document.
20:15Then announced it on the spot.
20:17As of this moment, Jason Cole is in custody.
20:19He is suspected of stealing protected underwater artifacts.
20:24And suspected of murder.
20:27That landed like a thunderclap.
20:29The next, they were dragged straight into the dirt.
20:31The smile on my dad's face froze.
20:33Then his whole face turned dark.
20:35Pointed right at Owen.
20:37What the hell are you talking about?
20:39Stealing artifacts?
20:40Murder?
20:41Our company practically built this town.
20:43My son, Jason, is one of the most well-known philanthropists.
20:46He's still lying in a hospital bed.
20:48And you people dare dump this kind of filth on him?
20:51My mom rushed up, too.
20:52She tried to shove Owen.
20:54That's right.
20:55Do you even know how many schools Jason has donated to?
20:58He won't even hurt a fly.
21:01How could he possibly steal anything?
21:04How could he kill anyone?
21:06Vanessa stepped up, too.
21:07Putting on that cold, untouchable CEO act.
21:09Officer, watch what you say.
21:11You can't just throw accusations around.
21:13I'm the chair of Lane Group.
21:15Jason is my husband.
21:17If you try to set him up with fake charges, one phone call and your career is over.
21:23They were shouting, threatening.
21:25But Owen only got colder.
21:26He didn't argue.
21:28He just tapped open another video.
21:30Jason scrambled backward from empty air, like something horrifying was standing right in front of him.
21:34His whole body was shaking violently.
21:37His face was twisted with pure terror.
21:40He had been down dozens of feet underwater when the toxin hit.
21:43The hallucinations were strong.
21:45Don't come over here!
21:47Don't come near me!
21:48Zach, I know I messed up!
21:50Don't kill me!
21:51My parents went white.
21:52Their lips trembled.
21:53Their eyes stayed glued to the screen.
21:55I got greedy!
21:58I never should have cut your arrows!
21:59I'm so sorry!
22:01I'll do whatever it takes to make it right!
22:03No, no, don't take me with you!
22:05He started smashing his forehead against the deck, over and over.
22:11Then all at once, the fear vanished.
22:14His face changed, turned vicious.
22:15A grin spread across it, twisted, like a demon laughing.
22:19He gestured into the empty air and cackled.
22:22Ethan, you idiot!
22:23You never saw this coming, did you?
22:25That idiot, Vanessa.
22:27She actually thought I was the one who saved her.
22:29All I did was show her a little scar.
22:30And she fell for me completely!
22:32She played those two old fans like a fettel.
22:34She got me into that house?
22:36My dad forced his neck straight, still trying to fight it.
22:39I just played the victim.
22:40And they treated me like a king!
22:42While they threw you away!
22:44Sent your pathetic ass to rot!
22:45Ha ha ha ha!
22:46God, that felt damn good!
22:48You can rot in prison forever!
22:49Everything from the coals and everything from the lanes will be mine!
22:54Dead silence.
22:55Only Jason's crazed laughter kept echoing from the video.
22:58Across the deck, Vanessa stumbled back two steps.
23:00She almost fell right there on the deck.
23:02That was their precious son.
23:04Her precious husband.
23:05The man they defended like he was gold.
23:07And now he was on video.
23:09Grinning like a devil.
23:10Mocking them for being fools.
23:12No.
23:13That's impossible.
23:14You said he was poisoned.
23:19He was hallucinating.
23:21He was talking nonsense.
23:24Exactly.
23:24That's all this is.
23:26He was hallucinating.
23:28He didn't know what he was saying.
23:30Yes!
23:33It was the toxin!
23:35That sea salt toxin made him ramble!
23:37Owen's voice turned firm.
23:39I figured that's what you'd say.
23:40Which is exactly why we move fast.
23:43This involves a major attempted murder case.
23:47So we already formed an investigation team.
23:50And verified everything he said.
23:53Then Owen pulled out another stack of documents.
23:56We found that the statements Ethan gave after his arrest eight years ago
24:00did not match the physical evidence from the scene.
24:04And there's more.
24:06Ethan's defense attorney turned on him at trial.
24:09The day before the trial.
24:11A large payment hit his account.
24:13We traced the source.
24:15It came from one of your offshore accounts, Vanessa.
24:17Vanessa's face went white.
24:19And Jason's private account received multiple large wire transfers
24:23after the incident that year.
24:24The source was hidden.
24:25But we now have strong reason to believe that money came from selling stolen artifacts.
24:29We believe the case was not what it seemed.
24:31Please cooperate with the investigation.
24:33You're coming with us.
24:34The Coast Guard officers were just about to move in.
24:37Then Adam finally broke.
24:39He swallowed hard.
24:40Then stammered out.
24:42Officer.
24:44Wait.
24:45This still isn't over.
24:48Ethan.
24:49Ethan Cole.
24:51He's still down there.
24:52He never came back up.
24:56What did you just say?
24:57Owen whipped around.
24:58His eyes widened instantly.
25:02There's still someone underwater?
25:04Adam's legs nearly gave out.
25:06He started spilling everything.
25:07About half an hour ago, Ms. Lane pushed Ethan into the water.
25:12He said his ear was injured.
25:14He said he couldn't handle the pressure.
25:16But Ms. Lane insisted.
25:17She forced him to go down.
25:19And now, he still hasn't surfaced.
25:23Three days later.
25:24Harbor City Hospital.
25:26Jason finally woke up.
25:27His body was still weak.
25:29He twitched his fingers.
25:30Then realized the bed was surrounded.
25:33Mom.
25:33Dad.
25:34Vanessa.
25:35And several police officers in uniform.
25:37A flash of joy hit him.
25:38With all these people here, they had to be worried sick about him.
25:41He quickly changed his expression.
25:43Forced tears into his eyes.
25:44Then weakly reached for Susan's hand.
25:46Dad.
25:48Mom.
25:49Vanessa.
25:50I was so scared.
25:52I had the worst nightmare.
25:54I dreamed I was trapped underwater.
25:58I thought I'd never see you again.
26:00Before, that would have worked.
26:01Susan would have rushed over already.
26:03She would have held him.
26:05Cried over him.
26:05But today, the room was terrifyingly quiet.
26:08No one spoke.
26:09Only the monitor kept beeping.
26:11Steady.
26:11Cold.
26:12Jason's hand hung there in midair.
26:14Awkward.
26:14Stiff.
26:15That was when he realized something was wrong.
26:17Victor wasn't fussing over him.
26:19The man who had always spoiled him was standing at the foot of the bed.
26:22His face was...
26:23Black with rage.
26:24And the way he looked at Jason now.
26:26There was no warmth left.
26:27No love.
26:28Dad?
26:30What's wrong?
26:31Dad?
26:32What's wrong?
26:33He pulled out a tablet.
26:34Tapped the screen.
26:35Then threw it onto Jason's chest.
26:37Jason grabbed it.
26:38Looked down.
26:39And instantly went pale.
26:40On the screen was him.
26:42Laughing like a maniac.
26:43Spilling everything.
26:44Confessing.
26:45Mocking the people who raised him.
26:47Calling them idiots.
26:48Every ugly word.
26:48Every filthy truth.
26:49All of it was there.
26:50His face went ghost white.
26:52Cold sweat poured down his forehead.
26:54This...
26:54Jason panicked.
26:55This isn't real.
26:56He struggled to sit up.
26:57Dad!
26:57Mom!
26:58Vanessa!
26:59Listen to me.
27:00That was the sea hair toxin.
27:02It made me hallucinate.
27:03It made me say crazy things.
27:05How could I ever hurt Ethan?
27:06That wasn't me.
27:07It was the poison talking.
27:09Vanessa, believe me.
27:10Reached for her.
27:11I love you.
27:13Everything I did.
27:14I did it so we could be together.
27:16Vanessa's expression turned complicated.
27:18Owen cut in from the side.
27:20Jason Cole.
27:20Drop the act.
27:22We've already confirmed the evidence.
27:25You framed Ethan for the theft.
27:27And you murdered Zach.
27:30The jig is up, I guess.
27:32But don't act so high and mighty, Dad.
27:35You're the one who threw your son to the wolves.
27:37I just watched.
27:39Then he turned to Vanessa.
27:40His eyes dragged over her in that disgusting, sticky way.
27:43And you...
27:46Stop acting innocent.
27:48For the last eight years...
27:51Wasn't I good enough for you in bed?
27:54What?
27:56Suddenly found your conscience?
27:59A little late, don't you think?
28:00He laughed again.
28:02Ugly.
28:02Slow.
28:03Mocking.
28:04Ethan's not coming back anyway.
28:07So...
28:07Why not let it go?
28:09I can still take care of you two.
28:13We can all stay one happy family.
28:16Still living the dream.
28:18Isn't that what you want?
28:26The second those words came out, the whole room turned freezing cold, the shamelessness of it, the evil of it.
28:32It was beyond human.
28:33My parents were shaking so hard they could barely stand.
28:36They stared at the boy they had raised for eight years.
28:39This was the son they had treated?
28:41Like their own flesh and blood?
28:42What?
28:43Susan finally broke.
28:44What?
28:44She remembered my face.
28:46The look in my eyes when they shoved me into the sea.
28:49That dead, hollow, hopeless look.
28:51She remembered pointing at me, cursing me, calling me heartless in filth.
28:55The pain hit her so hard she almost stopped breathing.
28:57She collapsed to the floor, both hands clawing at her hair.
29:00Then she let out a raw, broken scream.
29:03What did I do?
29:06I'm a monster!
29:08I don't deserve to breathe!
29:11The second my mom said that, Victor seemed to wake up.
29:14Like he had just been struck across the face.
29:17He lowered his head, stared at his own trembling hands.
29:20Those hands.
29:21I slapped my eardrum open eight years ago.
29:24Had handed over the rope to tie up his own son.
29:30He let out a howl like a wounded beast.
29:32Then he raised his hand and started slapping himself across the face.
29:36Hard.
29:37Again.
29:38And again.
29:39Smack.
29:40The sound of those hits echoed through the hospital room.
29:42His face swelled almost instantly.
29:44His cheeks turned red and purple.
29:46Blood ran from the corner of his mouth, but he acted like he couldn't feel any of it.
29:49He just kept hitting himself.
29:51Over and over.
29:52Like a madman.
29:53This is karma.
29:55This is all karma.
29:57I thought I could see through anyone.
30:00But I killed my own blood.
30:02And Vanessa.
30:03By now, the mental wall she had spent three days holding up finally collapsed.
30:07Completely.
30:08She didn't want to think about that dive.
30:10The underwater current.
30:11The day I disappeared.
30:12Those three days after I went missing, Jason had stayed by her side.
30:16Again and again he described what happened underwater.
30:19Every detail.
30:20Every danger.
30:20Every second.
30:21He painted the whole thing for her.
30:23However, she still remembered it.
30:24Jason standing in front of her.
30:26Taking off his shirt.
30:27Pointing at the scar on his shoulder.
30:28Telling her he got it saving her.
30:30And she believed him.
30:31She actually believed him.
30:33Later, after the underwater murder case, she had bribed my lawyer.
30:35Paid him off to switch sides at the last second.
30:37Helped send me to prison for eight years.
30:39Then she married the man who had really killed someone.
30:41And three days ago, she used money to humiliate me.
30:44And then, she pushed me into the abyss.
30:47The same man who nearly died saving her.
30:49No!
30:52It wasn't supposed to be like this!
30:55Vanessa dropped to her knees.
30:56Her hands shook as she pulled something from her pocket.
30:59The broken pieces of my hearing aid.
31:01She had picked them up from the deck of the boat.
31:03The cracked plastic shell still carried the salt and stink of the sea.
31:06Her vision blurred with tears.
31:08Still, she tried to fit the pieces back together.
31:10One by one.
31:11Even though it was already smashed beyond repair.
31:14Ethan!
31:16I'm sorry!
31:19I'm so sorry!
31:21She kept trying to piece it together.
31:23Crying harder and harder.
31:25The sharp plastic cut into her fingers.
31:27Her nails split.
31:28Blood smeared across the broken hearing aid pieces.
31:31Please!
31:32Come back!
31:34Come back!
31:35I'll give you anything!
31:37We'll remarry!
31:38No more lies!
31:39Ethan, please!
31:41Oh, please come back to me!
31:44The ice queen who looked down on us all, the cold, untouchable CEO, was now on the floor
31:49like a stray dog, crying, begging.
31:51In a hospital overseas, I opened my eyes slowly and met Claire's gentle eyes.
31:58Ethan.
32:01Ethan, you finally made it back.
32:04She sat by my bed, with a bowl of chicken soup, feeding me one spoonful at a time.
32:11The warmth slid down my throat and settled in my chest.
32:14I hadn't felt that in eight years.
32:17The feeling of being cared for.
32:18Like I actually mattered.
32:20Like someone was protecting me.
32:22Claire was Zach's younger sister.
32:24Zach had been on my dive team.
32:25The three of us grew up together.
32:27Best friends.
32:28Like family.
32:29Back then, me, Zach, and Jason went diving together.
32:32That was when we found the gold.
32:33Hidden in a sunken wreck.
32:35Jason got greedy.
32:36He cut Zach's air hose, then pinned it on me.
32:39Vanessa didn't believe me.
32:41My parents didn't either.
32:42Not for one second.
32:43They even destroyed my eardrum.
32:45Forced me to take the fall.
32:46Only Claire believed I was innocent.
32:48But she had no proof.
32:49She couldn't clear my name.
32:50And she couldn't avenge her brother.
32:52For eight years, she came to see me every month in prison.
32:54Never missed.
32:55After I got out, I stood outside the coal mansion.
32:58And saw them all inside.
32:59Laughing.
33:00Eating.
33:00Living like a perfect family.
33:02That was the night I made my choice.
33:03I was going to get revenge.
33:05So, I went to Claire.
33:06And asked for her help.
33:07Jason killed for gold.
33:09And sold me out for greed.
33:10All for the money.
33:11Fine.
33:12Then, I decided to give him exactly what he wanted.
33:15Two months earlier, I started feeding Jason exactly the kind of story a greedy man couldn't ignore.
33:19Rumors.
33:20Planted articles.
33:20Fake salvage chatter.
33:21Over and over.
33:22All of it pointing to one patch of ocean.
33:25A newly discovered wreck.
33:26And the chance it was loaded with gold?
33:28At first, he didn't buy it.
33:29Why would he?
33:30He had the coals and the lanes backing him.
33:32Money was everywhere around him.
33:33Every time he saw the alerts, he just swiped them away.
33:35But greed is greed.
33:37And it always comes back.
33:38After seeing it enough times, he started wondering if it was real.
33:41Then he started searching.
33:42That was the step I was waiting for.
33:44I had already planted spyware on his phone.
33:46The second he started digging, it triggered everything.
33:48All the planted information.
33:49All the fake confirmations.
33:51Everything we had prepared started feeding right into him.
33:53So he believed it.
33:54He took the bait.
33:55But private salvage without approval is illegal.
33:58Especially if it involves protected wrecks.
34:00Artifacts.
34:00Historic sites.
34:01He couldn't let too many people know.
34:03So he used diving as cover.
34:05Went down there several times to check it out.
34:07And that part was real.
34:09There really was a wreck in that area.
34:10The moment I found out he had secretly contacted a salvage boat, I knew my chance had come.
34:14After that, the rest fell into place.
34:16Before one of his dives, his breathing gear was contaminated.
34:19Just a trace amount.
34:20Sea hair toxin.
34:21Once he was underwater, it hit, and everything unfolded exactly how we wanted.
34:25But there was one thing I didn't expect.
34:27My parents.
34:28And my ex-wife.
34:29Instead of calling the official rescue team, they came looking for me.
34:32Me.
34:33Back at the trial, they publicly disowned me.
34:35And after I got out, they never looked for me once.
34:38So I had to change plans.
34:39I decided to fake my death.
34:41Disappear completely.
34:42Thank God Claire got there in time.
34:44She came in a mini-sub.
34:45Pulled me up before I died.
34:47Now, in the hospital room, the TV on the wall was playing live coverage from back home.
34:51A major sentencing update.
34:52Broadcast everywhere.
34:54Jason had been convicted on multiple charges.
34:56Intentional homicide.
34:57Theft of protected artifacts.
34:59Framing an innocent man.
35:00And more.
35:01He was sentenced to death with immediate execution.
35:04I watched the screen.
35:05Then shook my head.
35:07Claire caught it right away.
35:08She knew exactly what I meant.
35:09So she explained.
35:11My guess?
35:13Jason got pushed up by an underwater current.
35:16Then patrol officers just happened to spot him.
35:19But that part doesn't matter.
35:22The ending still landed where we needed it.
35:24I nodded.
35:25Then looked back at the TV.
35:27Victor and Susan were sentenced to.
35:29One year each.
35:30For shielding the real killer.
35:32And obstructing justice.
35:34Taken into custody right there in court.
35:36Vanessa got three years.
35:37For bribery.
35:38Perjury.
35:38And covering up a crime.
35:40At the same time, Lane Group and Cole Group were collapsing.
35:43The scandal sent both stocks into freefall.
35:45Then both families went bankrupt.
35:47The Coles.
35:47The Lanes.
35:48The families who once thought they ruled everything.
35:50Their names were ruined for good.
35:52On the screen, those people from my past stood in prison uniforms.
35:55Crying.
35:56Begging.
35:57Confessing to the cameras.
35:58But no one pitied them.
36:00And strangely, I felt nothing.
36:02No hate.
36:02No thrill.
36:03No satisfaction.
36:04Just relief.
36:05A clean, empty kind of relief.
36:07Like all the pain had finally been peeled off me.
36:09Like every last chain had fallen away.
36:11And for the first time in years, I let out one long breath.
36:14Four years later.
36:16Thanks to Claire and the best specialists money could buy,
36:19my hearing had long since returned.
36:21Now, we were on Australia's Gold Coast.
36:24Launching a cutting-edge deep-sea ecology project.
36:27That day, we were on the beach testing a new sonar system.
36:30Then a woman came stumbling toward us.
36:32Her hair was almost all white.
36:33She looked gaunt, hollowed out.
36:35If I hadn't looked carefully, I never would have recognized her.
36:38It was Vanessa.
36:39The same Vanessa who once thought she ruled the world.
36:42A foul smell rolled off her.
36:44She dug into a torn pocket.
36:45Then pulled out a ring.
36:47The wedding ring.
36:48The same one she once forced onto my finger.
36:50The same one I threw back at the fish stall.
36:53Ethan.
36:54Ethan, I finally found you.
36:57Look.
36:59I kept this ring with me the whole time.
37:02Please.
37:03Please give me one chance to make it right.
37:06One chance to make up for everything.
37:08For years now, I've thought about you every day.
37:10I know I messed up.
37:12Jason lied to me.
37:13He destroyed me.
37:15My family is gone.
37:16My money is gone.
37:17Someone even beat me until I lost hearing in one ear.
37:20That's my punishment.
37:22That's my karma.
37:29Ethan.
37:31You loved me, didn't you?
37:35Back then, you almost died trying to save me.
37:38She kept pouring it out.
37:40How she got tricked out of everything.
37:41How debt collectors hunted her.
37:43How helpless she had been.
37:44Then one day, she saw me on TV.
37:46She sold one of her kidneys just to pay someone to get her into Australia.
37:49But I only took two small steps back, avoided the hand reaching toward me with that ring.
37:53Then I spoke.
37:54Please stay away from me.
37:57We're divorced.
37:58The second you forced me to take the fall for a murderer, the woman I once called my wife died.
38:04So stop acting like this is love.
38:09It just makes me sick.
38:11Right then, Claire walked over holding two cold drinks.
38:14She handed one to me like it was the most natural thing in the world.
38:18Then she slipped an arm around my neck and kissed my cheek.
38:21Babe, why is this woman anywhere near you?
38:25I don't know.
38:27Where's security?
38:28Vanessa stared at us.
38:29At how good we looked together.
38:30At how happy we were.
38:32And something inside her snapped.
38:34Jealousy.
38:34Regret.
38:35Both of them tore through her like poison.
38:38Then she coughed.
38:39Hard.
38:40Once.
38:41Then again.
38:41A mouthful of blood burst from her lips.
38:44She dropped straight onto the sand.
38:46Back in Harbor City, two elderly people shuffled down the street.
38:49Each of them carried a ripped plastic sack.
38:51They limped badly.
38:52Step by step.
38:53Then they stopped in front of a giant LED screen in the city square.
38:56Their bodies shook.
38:57Their eyes lifted.
38:58On the screen, a global live broadcast was playing.
39:01I was there.
39:02Wearing a custom suit.
39:04Standing tall.
39:04Calm.
39:05Confident.
39:06Receiving a major UN environmental award.
39:08The camera panned wider.
39:09Claire stood beside me.
39:11One hand looped through my arm.
39:12Her baby bump was showing.
39:14And she was smiling like sunlight.
39:16Susan burst into tears.
39:17The tears ran down her filthy face.
39:19She slowly raised one grimy hand.
39:21Reached toward the screen.
39:22Like she could touch me from where she stood.
39:25Ethan.
39:27That's my boy.
39:29A security guard from the mall rushed out at once.
39:31What the hell are you doing, you filthy beggars?
39:33Get away from there!
39:36He shoved her hard.
39:37She fell straight to the ground.
39:39Victor was crying, too.
39:40But he didn't dare fight back.
39:42He just kept slapping himself across the face.
39:44Again and again.
39:45Karma.
39:45Muttering through tears.
39:46This is karma.
39:50We were blind.
39:52Then the two of them held each other up.
39:53And disappeared into the alleys of the city.
39:56As for Vanessa, she was detained and deported.
39:58After that, she completely lost her mind.
40:00The shock broke her for good.
40:02She had no money left for proper treatment.
40:04So she got dumped into the cheapest mental institution they could find.
40:07Out on the shimmering blue water, I lay stretched out on the deck of a yacht.
40:11Warm sea breeze across my face.
40:14Claire walked over with a plate of cut fruit.
40:16Then curled up in my arms.
40:18Honey.
40:20What are you thinking about?
40:22I looked out at the deep blue sea.
40:24The same sea that had almost buried me.
40:26The same sea that gave me a second life.
40:28Then I smiled.
40:30And shook my head.
40:32I was just wondering.
40:35Do you think our baby's a boy or a girl?
40:37Then I started the yacht.
40:39And left every betrayal.
40:40Every wound.
40:41Every bit of that old life.
40:43Behind us in the rolling wake.
Comments

Recommended