- 16 hours ago
Dad, Why Won’t You Save Me
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Short filmTranscript
00:00:00My son died in a hotel fire. My husband was on that rescue team. He's a firefighter, but he ran
00:00:07past our room. He went straight to his first love in the next room. Right before my son died, he
00:00:13looked at me and said,
00:00:14Dad saves strangers? Why won't he save me?
00:00:18I had no answer. At my son's funeral, I called my husband. He picked up. Sounded annoyed.
00:00:25Lauren and her son got burned. They're in the hospital. Can you just stop making everything about your jealousy? Don't
00:00:31call me unless it's important.
00:00:33Then he hung up. I sat in my wheelchair, my skin burning under the bandages. My son's name was carved
00:00:39into the stone right in front of me. That was when I knew my marriage was over. I'll never forget
00:00:45that night.
00:00:46Dad, I'm here.
00:00:50Nate, cover your mouth. Don't talk.
00:00:54By the time my son and I realized the house was on fire, it had already spread across half the
00:00:58floor. We were trapped in the room.
00:01:00My husband, Gavin Reed, was the captain leading the response that night. When I saw him down below, I thought
00:01:06we were saved.so did my son.
00:01:08Before this trip, I had texted Gavin the hotel name and the room number, so he knew exactly where we
00:01:14were.
00:01:14But when he came upstairs, he didn't stop at our door.he passed us. He went next door to save
00:01:19Lauren Blake and her little boy.
00:01:21That was when my son broke down. He started crying so hard he could barely get the words out.
00:01:25Mom, Miss Lauren is here too. Dad only cares about them, right? He's leaving us again.
00:01:32I, I, I can't breathe. It hurts so much. Mom, I, I don't want to go.
00:01:40The room was full of smoke. My boy was only five. His tiny body was giving out. My hands were
00:01:47shaking. I grabbed a wet towel and pressed it over his nose and mouth. Then I picked him up and
00:01:52stumbled to the door.
00:01:53Gavin! Nate can't breathe! Please save us! Gavin, please!
00:01:58I begged him, please, just this time. But he passed right by our door. I screamed until my throat tore
00:02:05open. He didn't even stop. Over the fire, I heard his voice, soft, tender.
00:02:11Don't worry, Lauren. I got you. You and your boy are going to be fine.
00:02:15Okay.
00:02:16The smoke was thick.My head stopped working right. I tried to cover Nate's ears. His eyes were full of
00:02:22tears. His pupils were starting to drift. My little boy murmured in desperation.
00:02:26Dad, why, why won't you see me? I yelled so loud. I tried. Mom, I'm so scared. I, I can't
00:02:35stay. Please, next time, can you get me a different dad?
00:02:40That was the last thing my son ever asked me. Then his little hand dropped. Just like that. I lost
00:02:47him, forever. Something inside me blew apart. My brain went blank. My chest felt like someone was driving nails into
00:02:54it.
00:02:55I forced myself up and held him tight. Okay. Okay, my boy. I hear you. Nate, don't fall asleep. Stay
00:03:03with me. Please, I'm getting you out. I swear I'm getting you out.
00:03:08The smoke got thicker. I couldn't even see his face anymore. The floor was burning. The door handle, too. Then
00:03:15the fire hit me. My arms. My legs. Then it caught on him, too.
00:03:20My poor boy. He must have suffered a lot. I beat at the flames with my hands. I cried and
00:03:26begged and hit and clawed. But the smoke got heavier. The heat got worse. I couldn't walk anymore, so I
00:03:33dropped to the floor and crawled.
00:03:34But that hallway would not end. It just kept going. And going. By the time another crew came through to
00:03:40clear the floor, Nate and I were barely there. They pulled us out. Took us to the hospital. Gavin was
00:03:47in the room next to mine. Lauren and her son were with him. And just like in that fire, there
00:03:52was only one wall between us. One wall. Still, he never came to see us. His whole world was still
00:03:59Lauren.
00:04:00Her and that child. Her and that child. The doctors tried to take me away to treat my burns. I
00:04:05dropped to my knees and begged them not to.
00:04:07Please save my son. He's just tired. He just passed out. Please, you have to save him.
00:04:14They took Nate into the ER. They shocked him again. And again. And again. His little body jerked every time.
00:04:22But he never opened his eyes.
00:04:24Finally, the doctor looked at me and said,
00:04:26He suffered enough while he was alive. Don't make his body suffer more.
00:04:30He was right. My boy hated pain. I should let him rest in peace. I had burns all over my
00:04:36body. Bad ones.
00:04:38I called my brother to handle the funeral. And the divorce. The papers were drafted the same day I got
00:04:44burned.
00:04:45I signed them. But Gavin wouldn't pick up. Just like that night in the fire. He had blocked me again.
00:04:51Every time he was with Lauren and her son. He blocked my number. He said my calls were annoying.
00:04:57Then when he felt like it, he'd unblock me. Like I was a notification he could mute. I lived like
00:05:03that for six years.
00:05:05But this time, something in me was done. Not angry. Not screaming.
00:05:10My brother had gone to the funeral home to make arrangements for Nate. Only the aide was with me.
00:05:15I asked her to help me into my wheelchair. Then I rolled myself next door.
00:05:20Toward Gavin, the man I should have left years ago.
00:05:23This marriage was a joke. I was done with it. The room next door was private too.
00:05:28My family has money. And I made good money on my own. I never needed Gavin to support me.
00:05:34On his salary alone, he could barely cover his own life. There was no way he could afford a private
00:05:39room for Lauren and her son. They came out of that fire with soot on their faces and a few
00:05:44small blisters.
00:05:45That was it. But Gavin looked at them like they'd been through war.
00:05:48Like one more scratch might break them. Then I thought about Nate. About what was left of my
00:05:54little boy's body. And my chest caved in all over again. That's the difference. Love. Or none at all.
00:06:01Gavin?
00:06:01I said his name through my teeth. He turned and looked at me. The second he saw me,
00:06:06the smile dropped off his face. His brows pulled tight.
00:06:10Claire, why are you here? Get out!
00:06:12I had on a hat and a mask. I didn't want to scare anybody with my burns. But I was
00:06:17in a hospital gown.
00:06:19In a wheelchair. Gavin saw none of it. He got up at once. Grabbed my wheelchair. Shoved me straight
00:06:26into the hallway. Lauren and I are just friends. I've told you a hundred times. Her husband's dead.
00:06:31She has nobody. She's been through enough. I'm just giving her a little support.
00:06:36I'd heard that speech a hundred times before. I was sick of it. Lauren didn't have a husband.
00:06:42But she had Gavin. I had a husband. And somehow I was the one alone. When a pipe burst at
00:06:49home,
00:06:49he was fixing Lauren's light. When I got in a car crash, he was shopping with her. When Nate had
00:06:55a
00:06:55fever, he stayed with her son. That was my marriage. A complete joke. When I looked at the shameless
00:07:01bastard standing in front of me. I felt sick. I didn't want to waste another breath on him.
00:07:08Sign the divorce papers. And I'm out of your life. I held the papers out. He didn't even take them.
00:07:14He thought I was bluffing again. You done yet? Once Lauren and Liam are better, I'll come home.
00:07:19He'd said that before. A hundred times. And stupid me. I always believed him. Not anymore.
00:07:26If you won't sign, my lawyer will file. I looked straight at him.
00:07:30Um. Nate's funeral is in six days. You. From inside the room, Lauren let out this soft little
00:07:36cry. Gavin. It really hurts. He turned fast. All panic. All tenderness. That was it. He walked
00:07:45right back into the room. I stared at the closed door. It felt like something was tearing through
00:07:50my chest. I don't even remember how I got back to my room. I just know I couldn't breathe. Like
00:07:56the air had left the world. Up until the day of the funeral, Gavin never asked about Nate once.
00:08:02When the service was about to start, the boy's own father still wasn't there. Guests had started
00:08:08whispering. Where's his dad? I heard he's at the hospital with some woman and her kid.
00:08:13His ex, right? Even so, missing his own son's funeral? What a bastard!
00:08:19People looked at me with pity. A few came over and tried to comfort me. But my mind was all
00:08:25about
00:08:26Nate. The way he used to wait by the window for his dad. The way his whole face lit up
00:08:31over the
00:08:31smallest promise. My throat felt full of thorns. I clenched my hands so hard my nails tore open the
00:08:37blisters in my palms. The pain helped. Barely. Today was my son's goodbye to the world. I would not let
00:08:44Gavin ruin that too. I turned to my brother. Call him. He blocked me again. My brother's face went
00:08:51dark. He pulled out his phone and called. Gavin picked up fast. Gavin! My brother said. Today is
00:08:58Nate's funeral. But Gavin cut him off. Claire, are you serious? Lauren and her son were hurt in that fire.
00:09:05They're infected. Still in the hospital. I'm here taking care of them because someone has to. And now
00:09:10you're saying Nate is dead? Wow. You've really crossed a line. Then he hung up. Suddenly it all
00:09:17made sense. That day, when I told him Nate was gone, he barely reacted. Not because he didn't hear me.
00:09:24Because he thought I was making it up. He had accused me of a lot over the years. But this
00:09:29time? This time
00:09:30I shook so hard that I couldn't speak. My brother had heard every word. He grabbed my phone, found Nate's
00:09:37death certificate photo, and sent it to Gavin. Then he called him back. When Gavin answered,
00:09:43my brother's voice came out low and raw, like each word had to rip its way free. Do you see
00:09:47it now?
00:09:48Nate's been dead for a week. You're his father. But you never even showed up. Then he snapped.
00:09:54What kind of man does that, Gavin? What kind of father ignores his own son's funeral? But Gavin cut him
00:10:00off.
00:10:01Claire, are you serious? Lauren and her son were hurt in that fire. They're infected. Still in the
00:10:06hospital. I'm here taking care of them because someone has to. And now you're saying Nate is
00:10:11dead? Wow. You've really crossed the line. Then he hung up. Suddenly it all made sense.
00:10:18That day, when I told him Nate was gone, he barely reacted. Not because he didn't hear me. Because he
00:10:24thought I was making it up. He had accused me of a lot over the years. But this time? This
00:10:30time I shook
00:10:31so hard that I couldn't speak. My brother had heard every word. He grabbed my phone,
00:10:36found Nate's death certificate photo, and sent it to Gavin. Then he called him back. When Gavin
00:10:42answered, my brother's voice came out low and raw, like each word had to rip its way free.
00:10:47Do you see it now? Nate's been dead for a week. You're his father. But you never even showed up.
00:10:53Then he snapped. What kind of man does that, Gavin? What kind of father ignores his own son's funeral?
00:10:59My brother said it clearly. I thought Gavin would finally get it. I thought once the truth hit him,
00:11:05he'd say he was sorry. He'd feel something. Guilt. Shame. Regret. But he said nothing. He just hung
00:11:14up. I held myself together the whole time. Or maybe I didn't. People came. People hugged me. But I don't
00:11:21remember any of it. I just remember sitting there in my wheelchair, staring at Nate's picture carved
00:11:27into stone. In my head, all I could hear was his voice. Mom, Miss Lauren is here too. Dad only
00:11:34cares
00:11:34about them, right? He's leaving us again. I, I can't breathe. It hurts so much. Mom, I, I don't want
00:11:45to go.
00:11:46And his last words. Dad, why, why won't you see me? Can you get me a different dad? Those words
00:11:52kept
00:11:52looping in my mind. Again and again. Like an endless nightmare. When the funeral was over,
00:11:59my brother took me straight to the ER. I had burns all over my body. The infection got bad.
00:12:05My fever shot up. Everything after that blurred. Dreams. Voices. Needles. White lights. I couldn't
00:12:13tell what was real anymore. I only remember one thing for sure. Somebody kept holding my hand.
00:12:19Over and over, I heard a voice saying,
00:12:23Claire, stay with me. Don't fall asleep.
00:12:27When the fever finally broke and they moved me to a regular room, 10 days had passed.
00:12:32Gavin was sitting by my bed. Dark circles under his eyes. Stubble all over his jaw. Clothes
00:12:38wrinkled. He looked wrecked. Nothing like himself. The second he saw my eyes open, his whole face
00:12:45changed. Claire, you're awake. The second I saw him, everything came back. The fire. Nate's voice.
00:12:53That closed door. That empty seat at the funeral. All of it hit me at once. Like my chest was
00:12:59being
00:12:59crushed from the inside. I sat up and slapped him. Hard. How dare you show your face here.
00:13:06His cheek turned red right away. He looked at me with this hollow, bitter kind of pain.
00:13:10Gavin's voice was quiet. I should have been at Nate's funeral. I know. I screwed up.
00:13:15Then Lauren rushed in, pale, wide-eyed. Like always, she dropped to her knees beside my bed like we were
00:13:21in some cheap TV drama. The second she blinked, tears spilled. Claire, I'm so sorry for what happened.
00:13:28This is all my fault. Liam had a heart episode that day. I panicked. Gavin was worried about us.
00:13:35That's why he missed the funeral. Please don't blame Gavin. Don't divorce him because of me.
00:13:42She grabbed my hand and pressed it to her cheek. Eyes wide and trembling. The same trick she used
00:13:46before. Daring me to hit her. Playing weak. Playing helpless. Setting the trap. Before, I used to freeze.
00:13:53But this time, I slapped her. Hard. Then I hit her again. Still not enough.
00:13:58You shameless bitch. What's wrong with you? There are millions of single men out there.
00:14:04So why do you keep going after someone else's husband? You got no shame? No self-respect?
00:14:11I raised my hand again. Gavin grabbed my wrist. His face went cold.
00:14:16Enough. I told you. Lauren and I are just friends. She's alone. She has a kid. Her life is hard
00:14:22enough.
00:14:23He glared at me. Do you have to twist our relationship? I yanked my hand free. I didn't
00:14:28even want to fight anymore. I pointed at the door. Get out.
00:14:36Claire, how can you talk to Gavin like that? He... I grabbed everything I could reach and hurled it
00:14:41at both of them. A cup. A tissue box. A remote. Get out! Both of you! Get the hell out!
00:14:49Gavin took a glance at me. A second later, he turned and pulled Lauren behind him. Then he
00:14:54walked her out. There was a time that would have destroyed me. Watching him choose her. Now,
00:14:59I felt nothing. I was born with doors that opened for me. Private schools. Summer houses. A last name
00:15:07that mattered. Gavin had none of that. He's just a firefighter from a normal family. A man who
00:15:13should have stayed out of my world. Gavin and I met by accident. One night, my best friend got
00:15:19dumped and dragged me out drinking. The bar caught fire. In the worst moment of my life, when I thought
00:15:24I was going to die on that filthy floor, Gavin found me. He carried me out. He nearly died doing
00:15:30it.
00:15:31He was handsome. Calm under pressure. And he saved my life. I fell for him hard. I found out he
00:15:39was
00:15:39single. I went after him. Persistent. Relentless. Finally, he said yes. Then, he proposed.
00:15:47Gavin was a gentle man. Always smiling, steady and calm. When you first met him, he felt warm
00:15:54and easy to talk to. But the longer you knew him, the more you realized something. He was polite to
00:16:00everyone. Even to me. Everybody said I'd married a good man. That I'd hit the jackpot. After we got
00:16:07married, he gave me every paycheck. He cooked. He cleaned. He handled the house. They didn't live in my
00:16:15marriage. They didn't feel the distance. The politeness. Even in bed, he felt, elsewhere.
00:16:22Like a man finishing a task. There is a wall between us. Invisible. Unbreakable. At first,
00:16:29I thought that was just who he was. Quiet. Closed off. Then Lauren came back. She had just gotten
00:16:36divorced and moved back with her son. The day she returned was our anniversary. Gavin took the day off.
00:16:42Not for me. For her. He didn't go to work. He didn't come home that night either. That's
00:16:49when I found out. Lauren wasn't just a friend. She was his ex. They'd been together since middle
00:16:55school. Ten years. First love. Their families forced them apart. That was the story. Gavin
00:17:03told me he helped her. We're just friends. I'll never betray you. Because she was a single mom.
00:17:08He looked me in the eye and said. I believed him. A big mistake. After he left my hospital room,
00:17:15Gavin started texting me. Long messages. I didn't read a single one. I blocked his number. Then I
00:17:23called my brother and told him to fire Lauren. Before all this, I didn't know she was Gavin's ex.
00:17:28I'd only heard she was a divorced mom with one kid, trying to start over, and that she worked
00:17:33in media. My family owns the company. I was the one who got her the job. Looking back,
00:17:39I'm sure people laughed behind my back the whole time. The rich wife. The fool. Lauren got fired the
00:17:45next day. And Gavin showed up right after. He walked in already angry. Jaw tight. Brows down.
00:17:52It's my fault, okay? I'm sorry. But that's none of her business. I stared at him. We're just friends.
00:17:59She has a little boy. That's it. And you had your brother fire her? Why are you being so harsh
00:18:05to a
00:18:05single mom? I gave her the job. Of course I can take it back. Listen, that's not the end. Every
00:18:10single
00:18:10dollar you spent on her, I'm taking it all back. Being harsh to a single mom? I nearly ended up
00:18:16letting
00:18:16her sleep in my bed. Gavin's face went dark. Claire, I'm saying this one more time. I've never done
00:18:22anything to betray you. Yes, she's my ex. But now, just a friend. A fucking friend. I was so sick
00:18:34of
00:18:34this cliche. And the hypocrite in front of me. I ground out through my teeth. Friend more important
00:18:40than your wife and your son? Nate's? Nate's funeral was ten days ago. If you cared even a little about
00:18:47me or your son, you'd know he died just next door to Lauren. Gavin didn't move. I could feel every
00:18:54nerve
00:18:54in my body screaming. Nate screamed for you. He gasped. He choked. He begged. And you? You stood there.
00:19:02Broke every rule. Passed our door. Picked her and her kid over us. I shouted. My hands shook. My chest
00:19:10burned. My son is dead because of you. I'm not asking you to save us as first. You wanted to
00:19:15save her first? Fine. But when you dragged her out, carried her son out? Did it ever cross your mind
00:19:20your wife and son were trapped in the same damn hotel? Did you tell your crew to check? Did you
00:19:25even care? If you thought for one second, my boy wouldn't have died in that fire! My voice turned raw.
00:19:33I was screaming by then. Years of rage. Humiliation. Grief. All of it came out at once. Gavin just stood
00:19:42there. For the first time, the anger drained out of his face. He looked wrecked. His lips parted,
00:19:48but no sound came out. Every time Gavin ever lost control, it was over Lauren and her son. This was
00:19:54the
00:19:54first time I had ever seen that much pain on his face because of me and Nate. He stared at
00:19:59me,
00:19:59lost, pale, shaking. Claire, I'm sorry. I didn't know. I swear to God, I didn't know you and Nate
00:20:08were there. I didn't mean it. I texted you everything. The hotel, the room number, more than once.
00:20:20You texted Lauren what to pack. You reminded her to be careful, but me and Nate going on a trip?
00:20:26You completely forgot about us? His face turned pale. He grabbed his phone and started scrolling
00:20:33through our messages with shaking fingers. I used to text him everything. Photos. Updates. Bits of
00:20:40life. But he hardly answered. The night before Nate died, he said he missed his dad. He wanted to
00:20:46FaceTime him. But Gavin was on a video call with Lauren's son, Liam. So he declined Nate's calls for
00:20:52three times. I couldn't stand seeing that look on his face. So I told him we'd make a little video
00:20:58for dad instead. I said, he'll watch it. He'll love it. Nate lit right up. He smiled into the camera
00:21:05and
00:21:05showed off every place we'd been that day. Then he gave the hotel name, the room number, and in the
00:21:10sweetest voice, full of hope, he said dad should come join us if he had time. Gavin opened the video.
00:21:16He watched it. His eyes went red fast. Then the tears came. Just poured down his face. His throat
00:21:24made this awful broken sound. Like he was choking on it. I had never seen him look like that. But
00:21:30his
00:21:30tears can't bring my boy back. Gavin held the phone so tight his knuckles went white. His voice was
00:21:36wrecked. It's all my fault. I failed Nate. I'm not a good dad. But please, don't blame Lauren and Liam.
00:21:45They didn't do anything wrong. I grabbed the water glass by my back. It hit his forehead. I was shaking
00:21:52so badly I could barely breathe. You want to protect the ones you love? Then you better see if you're
00:21:58man
00:21:59enough to pull it off. Get out. I was done. Done talking. Done explaining. He didn't deserve to be
00:22:07Nate's father. The room got loud enough that people came running. My brother came in with Wes and a
00:22:12couple of nurses. They pushed Gavin out. I had just gotten out of ICU. My body was wrecked, but my
00:22:19head
00:22:19was clear. My brother had barely been to the office for two weeks. Work was piling up. He told me
00:22:25to rest,
00:22:26left Wes with me, and rushed back downtown. Wes is his best friend. A smartass who never seemed to
00:22:32grow up. Then he became a lawyer. Shocked all of us. Now he was handling my divorce. He dropped into
00:22:39the chair by my bed, grabbed an apple off the tray, took a bite, and looked at me. Tell me
00:22:44how far you
00:22:44want to take this. Every dollar Gavin spent on Lauren and her son while he was married to me, I
00:22:49want it
00:22:49traced and clawed back. He used all of his income on them, and he used 200 grand of mine. I
00:22:54want the money
00:22:54back. And the divorce. Done. Now. And file a complaint with his department. He broke rescue
00:23:01protocol. He delayed help to our room. That delay? It killed Nate, and it left me burned half to hell.
00:23:08I was dizzy from the fight, but my mind was sharp as a blade. This wasn't about the money. I
00:23:14wanted
00:23:14Gavin and Lauren to feel my pain. And his team? They deserved to know the truth. That his negligence
00:23:21cost a life. That this was the kind of man he really was. Wes didn't waste time. He said he'd
00:23:27start on the financial claim and the filing that day. That night, Gavin came back. Bandage wrapped
00:23:33around his forehead. Thermos in one hand. Sorry I'm late. Got caught up at work. I made some food for
00:23:40you. Easy on your stomach, but still good for you. He opened the lids one by one. Soup. Rice. Soft
00:23:48vegetables. Gavin got 10 vacation days a year. Nine went to Lauren and her son. The last half? He saved
00:23:56it for them too. I looked at the food. It actually looked good. For one second, I just stared at
00:24:03it.
00:24:03Then I shoved the tray. Everything hit the floor. Food. Broth. Containers. All of it. I looked at him
00:24:11and felt sick. You bring over all this food here for what? So I dropped the claim? So you can
00:24:16keep
00:24:16sending money to your side spit? Gavin stared at the food on the floor. His face went hard.
00:24:22Claire, can you quit talking like that? Nothing ever happened between me and Lauren.
00:24:27That money was just a loan. His voice sharpened fast. I don't get why you hate her so much.
00:24:31I had heard that speech so many times it made me choke. A cough tore out of me before I
00:24:36could stop it.
00:24:37Gavin froze. The anger dropped right out of his face. He came over and reached for my back,
00:24:43trying to steady my breathing. Before Lauren came back into his life, people thought we were the
00:24:48perfect couple. So sometimes I caught myself wondering, how did we end up here? Gavin let
00:24:54out a slow breath. You're weak right now. Can we not fight? When he spoke again, his voice was softer.
00:25:01You're a mom. You get how tough this is for Lauren, right? I just stared at him. He kept going.
00:25:07She lost her job. If I make her pay that money back now, what does that make me? Try putting
00:25:12yourself in her shoes. That was the moment I knew there was nothing left to say. I was too tired
00:25:18to
00:25:18argue. Get out. My voice was flat. If you don't want to leave here with more injuries, get out now.
00:25:25He frowned, acting like I was crazy. Then his phone rang. Lauren. Of course. He picked up,
00:25:32and I heard enough to know what it was. Liam kept calling for him. Just like that,
00:25:37he was done fighting with me. Claire, you're upset right now. Calm down. We'll talk later.
00:25:41That was always his move. Whenever I got angry over Lauren, he never fixed it. He'd blame me for
00:25:48getting upset. Then leave me alone with the damage. He probably thought this would go the way it always
00:25:53had. That eventually I'd stop pushing. Move on. What he still didn't understand was this.
00:25:59The second Nate died, whatever was left between us died too. That same evening, I completed the
00:26:05procedures for transferring to another hospital. I wasn't going to stay there another day and let
00:26:09him and Lauren keep circling my room like vultures. The next morning, Gavin couldn't reach me,
00:26:15so he started asking our mutual friends to check on me. Hey Claire, you just got out of the hospital.
00:26:19Where are you? Gavin's been freaking out about you. Ask Gavin this. If he was so worried about me,
00:26:25why did he pick a fight the day I left ICU just to defend his ex and ask him this
00:26:31too? If he was so
00:26:33worried, why did he spend less than 10 minutes in my room before running back to Lauren? One of them
00:26:38called and said, I hung up. Then I went into the group chat. We all shared friends, coworkers,
00:26:44the whole fake little group and tagged both Gavin and Lauren. Stop pretending everything's fine.
00:26:51Stop asking me to help you two play this game. Do you really think no one sees it? Gavin,
00:26:58just admit it. You're still in love with your ex. At least be honest about it instead of this crap.
00:27:07And ladies, I typed. The group chat went dead. No one replied. Silence in public. Chaos in private.
00:27:15A little later, Gavin texted me from a new number. You can hate me all you want. You can take
00:27:21it out
00:27:22on me. Leave Lauren and Liam out of this. They didn't do anything. How many times do I have to
00:27:28tell you? Didn't do anything? Ridiculous. I used to keep quiet. Out of pride. Out of mercy. But now my
00:27:37son
00:27:37was gone. All my mercy was buried with him. I called Gavin right away. When he answered, I didn't wait.
00:27:44Don't worry. You're on the list too. Do you really have to do this? No doubt. Yes. No pause.
00:27:51You're acting so crazy. I don't even know you anymore. He said something that almost made me
00:27:56laugh again. I closed my eyes. Funny. I guess I never knew you at all. If I had known what
00:28:02he really
00:28:03was. How weak. How blind. How messed up inside. I never would have married him. Nate wouldn't have
00:28:10been compared to Liam. He wouldn't have been called too sensitive, too clingy, not enough. He wouldn't
00:28:16have had to shrink himself for a father who always chose someone else. And maybe, he wouldn't have
00:28:21died still hoping that man would change. Wes moved fast. The money case came through first. The court
00:28:28ordered Lauren to pay me back 1.85 million. Wes warned me. He said the divorce wouldn't be easy.
00:28:34I didn't have hard proof Gavin had physically cheated. Without that, the court said the marriage
00:28:39was not legally beyond repair. So they denied the divorce. Gavin was furious that I forced Lauren to
00:28:45pay. He tried to borrow money and cover it for her himself. I shut that down immediately. I had Wes
00:28:51pass the message straight to him. Gavin. Want to raise your mistress and her kid? Fine. Once we're
00:28:58divorced, do whatever you want. But every dollar you spent on her? That's my money. So get it back.
00:29:05Now. I thought he'd agree. I thought there was no way he'd let Lauren suffer if he could stop it.
00:29:11But I was wrong. Gavin asked to meet. I said no. Wes came back later and told me. He won't
00:29:18sign.
00:29:19He says the marriage is fine. He says you're overreacting. He says you don't get him. I almost
00:29:24laughed. I realized I never really knew Gavin. For years, he gave everything to Lauren and Liam.
00:29:30His time. His care. His patience. And me. Shorter. Colder. Meaner. Some days, he treated strangers
00:29:37better than his own wife. I couldn't figure it out. Why drag this out? Why hold on? Then I stopped
00:29:43trying. I was done playing nice. He wanted to drag this out? I'd make him beg for the divorce. The
00:29:49complaint letter was already in. The review was moving. A few days later, someone from internal
00:29:54review called. I said yes. They showed up in a group. Too many suits. Too many fake smiles. They
00:30:01even brought health supplements. Like that would fix any of this. What I didn't expect. Gavin walked in
00:30:06with them. One of the senior men gave me a grave little smile. Gavin has already explained the
00:30:11situation. He knows he made a serious mistake. Then he turned to Gavin. Go on. Apologize now. Gavin
00:30:17looked thinner. Dark circles. Hollow cheeks. Like grief had finally found his address. He stepped
00:30:23up to me. His voice was rough. Claire, I'm sorry. I promise this will never happen again. I stared at
00:30:29him. My hands were clenched so tight it hurt. And what good is that now? Nate is dead. Does saying
00:30:36sorry bring him back? You didn't even show up to your own son's funeral. What kind of man does that?
00:30:42What kind man are you about? Gavin swallowed hard. For once, he didn't look calm. He wasn't steady.
00:30:48He looked scared. I failed Nate. I know that. But Liam had a cardiac episode that day. He doesn't
00:30:54have a dad. Lauren didn't know what to do. I couldn't just leave. I cut him off so fast he
00:30:59flinched. Was she the only person in the world? She's 35, Gavin. Not a kid you have to babysit. If
00:31:07you
00:31:07looked around the room. The suits. The fake smiles. The men hoping I'd make this easy.
00:31:12You all came here to talk me out of this, didn't you? You really think that sounds okay?
00:31:17Nobody answered. Because nobody could. Once I got so caught up in all this, I even ran paternity
00:31:23tests. More than once. Gavin and Liam. Never father and son. Then it hit me. Love someone. You take
00:31:30everything with them. That was Gavin. He loved Lauren so much. He treated her kid like a saint too.
00:31:36The room went stiff. Everybody looked embarrassed. Finally, one of the leaders cleared his throat
00:31:42and tried again. Claire, you gotta think this through. Gavin's one of our top guys. People
00:31:47are already talking promotions. He's got a huge future ahead. And if you push this, you could
00:31:53ruin it for him. You still think you deserve it?
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