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After the Deep, My Family Begged Me Home #englishsub
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00:30That 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, melt water, and fish slime underfoot.
00:39Ethan, your brother went diving two hours ago. He still hasn't come back up. Something happened to him.
00:46You're the best diver we know. Get in the water and bring him up.
00:50My ex-wife, Vanessa, rushed up next. She pulled out the wedding ring from years ago.
00:55Then she forced it onto my finger.
00:56I swear to you, if you go down there and bring Jason back, I'll marry you again.
01:02I 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, instead of me.
01:13He fought with his dive partner underwater, over gold bars, hidden in a sunken ship.
01:18After it happened, Vanessa wanted to protect him, so she forced me to sign a confession.
01:23My dad went even further. He slapped me so hard. He ruptured my eardrum. That one hit left me half
01:28-deaf.
01:29And now, with the condition I'm in now, if I go back underwater, the pressure could trigger a brain bleed.
01:35I could die down there.
01:36Ethan! 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.
01:45The second he turned to me, his face filled with disgust.
01:49The Lane and Cole families practically own this town.
01:52I always thought you knew your place. Didn't expect you to get so full of yourself.
01:55Just say yes already! You save a life, you get money.
02:00It's your shot at redemption.
02:02So why are you still rotting here, slinging guts on this pier?
02:06People nearby had no idea what was going on, but that didn't stop them.
02:09Yeah, what's wrong with this guy?
02:11That's his brother.
02:12How can he be this cold?
02:14He probably thinks the money's too low. He's trying to jack up the price.
02:18Looks normal enough. Turns out he's rotten inside.
02:21Every word landed hard. The one they dragged out to take the fall for Jason.
02:25Was me. The one whose life got destroyed. Was me.
02:28So why? Why was I still the one standing here, getting cursed at like I was garbage?
02:33I pulled the ring off, set it back in Vanessa's hand.
02:36Then I pointed at my hearing aid, and shook my head.
02:38It's not that I won't save him. My ear is shot.
02:41If I go underwater, I'll die.
02:43My mom, Susan, froze for a second.
02:46Then she threw herself into the filthy water on the ground.
02:49Fish scales stuck to her clothes.
02:51She slapped the puddles with both hands.
02:53Crying so hard her voice cracked.
02:55Ethan! It's been eight years!
02:57How are you still this cold, this cruel, this heartless to get out of this?
03:01That you'd actually fake an injury?
03:03That's Jason. That's your brother.
03:06My dad, Victor, stared at me in pure disappointment.
03:09His whole hand was shaking.
03:11How did we end up with a monster like you, standing there while your own brother dies?
03:15And now you're making up lies?
03:18You're a goddamn disgrace.
03:20Vanessa's eyes were bright red.
03:22She dug through her purse with trembling hands.
03:24Then she yanked out a bank card and shoved it into my palm.
03:28Ethan, I'm begging you.
03:29There's five million on this card.
03:31That's enough for you to live on forever.
03:32Just go down there now.
03:34Bring Jason back.
03:35You want money?
03:36Fine, take it!
03:37You want something else?
03:38Just name it!
03:39A hot tear fell from her face.
03:41It landed on the back of my hand.
03:43And burned.
03:44Burned so badly it felt like it went straight through me.
03:47Eight years in prison.
03:48She never visited me once.
03:50Not one time.
03:51And now this was our reunion.
03:53She was humbling herself for the same man she once protected by forcing me to confess.
03:57And even now, she was still using money to grind what was left of my dignity into the dirt.
04:02I didn't want to keep arguing with them.
04:04Not anymore.
04:05So I swallowed the pain.
04:06My hand shook as I pulled a medical report from my pocket.
04:09A diagnosis.
04:10Severe eardrum perforation.
04:11I tried to show it to her.
04:13Vanessa didn't even look.
04:14She slapped my hand away.
04:15The paper flew out.
04:17Are you done yet?
04:18You're still waving around some stupid piece of paper?
04:20Isn't money what you want?
04:22Iron doesn't have time for this!
04:23Jason doesn't have time for this.
04:25Then David charged over.
04:26He grabbed my fish table and flipped the whole thing.
04:29Fish crashed to the ground.
04:30Ice scattered everywhere.
04:31Ethan!
04:32You murderer!
04:33Get the hell out!
04:34Don'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.
04:43People passing by.
04:44Everybody.
04:45Some even spat at me.
04:46Get out, murderer!
04:48A piece of trash like you deserves to rot in hell.
04:52I looked down.
04:53The medical report Vanessa slapped away was lying on the floor.
04:56Soaked.
04:57Stepped on.
04:58And in that moment, the whole thing felt absurd.
05:01All I wanted was to live like a normal person.
05:03Quietly.
05:05Alone.
05:05In some forgotten corner.
05:07That was it.
05:09I was even that too much to ask.
05:10Did they really have to push me all the way to death?
05:13That feeling.
05:14Like the whole world was pointing at me.
05:16It crushed the last of my defenses.
05:18I didn't want to stay there one more second.
05:19I turned and ran.
05:21I don't even know how I made it back to my rental.
05:23I just remember the voices.
05:25People on the street yelling after me.
05:26Cursing me.
05:27I barely got inside.
05:29I 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.
05:37The adopted son versus the real one.
05:40Desperate heiress.
05:41Begs her prisoner.
05:42Ex to help.
05:42I tapped one of the alerts.
05:44It opened straight into Vanessa's live stream.
05:46On camera, my mom, Susan, sat there trembling.
05:49She was trying to hold back tears.
05:51I'm so sorry, everyone.
05:52We know we're taking up public attention.
05:54But as a mother, I have nowhere else to turn.
05:57She covered her mouth and sobbed.
05:59It's our fault.
06:00We failed to raise him right.
06:01Back then, he killed for gold bars.
06:03He robbed people.
06:04He took a life.
06:05He served eight years for it.
06:07I thought prison would change him.
06:08But I was wrong.
06:10He's rotten to the core.
06:12Her tears streamed down harder.
06:14Now his brother's trapped underwater.
06:15His life is hanging by a thread.
06:17Ethan could save him.
06:18He could.
06:19But he just ran away.
06:20Victor held her up like she might collapse.
06:22Then he turned to the camera.
06:24I'm begging everyone to help us.
06:26If anyone can bring Ethan back, I'll pay seven figures.
06:30The comments exploded.
06:31They flooded so fast I could barely read them.
06:33Trash like that deserves exposure.
06:35I know where he lives.
06:37West Side Apartments.
06:38This kind of garbage should die.
06:40Anyone in Harbor City?
06:41Go block him in.
06:42Come on, guys.
06:44Go teach that freak a lesson.
06:45I stared at the screen.
06:47My whole body went numb.
06:48Then it happened.
06:50A violent pounding hit my door.
06:51Over and over.
06:53Like they were trying to break it down.
06:54I barely had time to react.
06:56My landlord stormed in first.
06:58Behind him was a crowd of people.
06:59Phones up.
07:00Flashlights on.
07:01Cameras shoved in my face.
07:02Oh, look at you.
07:03You hit it pretty well.
07:04A damn killer living in my building?
07:07They rushed inside like looters.
07:10One man smashed my bowls.
07:11Another kicked over my pots.
07:13Plates shattered across the floor.
07:15Everything I had got torn apart in seconds.
07:17I tried to stop them.
07:18Two huge men grabbed me instantly.
07:20One slammed my head down.
07:21The other locked my arms.
07:23Hold still.
07:23Apologize to the camera.
07:25Say it now.
07:26Tell them you're trash.
07:27You don't deserve to breathe.
07:29Humiliation drowned me.
07:30It hit like a wave.
07:32Someone yanked my hair back.
07:33A phone was jammed right in my face.
07:35The live comments kept flying by.
07:37I couldn't move.
07:38Then the crowd suddenly split apart.
07:40Making a path.
07:41My parents walked in.
07:42For one stupid second, I thought they were here to stop this.
07:45I was wrong.
07:46Victor's face was dark.
07:48Cold.
07:48He handed someone a thick coil of rope.
07:50It was so heavy it sagged.
07:52He pointed at me through clenched teeth.
07:54Please, help me tie him up.
07:55If he won't go, then drag him there.
07:58I snapped my head up.
07:59I stared at him like I didn't know him.
08:01Dad?
08:02Do you even hear yourself?
08:03I told you.
08:04I can't dive.
08:05I'll die.
08:06Then I looked at my mother.
08:07Mom, do I even matter to you?
08:10I'm your son.
08:12For Jason.
08:13Are you really gonna force me to death?
08:15Susan's eyes were red.
08:16For one second, she looked away.
08:18Like something inside her shook.
08:20But it vanished almost instantly.
08:22What came back was ice.
08:23Shut up!
08:24Jason may not be blood, but he's a thousand times better than you know.
08:27Ten thousand!
08:28You spent eight years in prison!
08:30Who took care of us during those years?
08:32Jason did!
08:33Who stayed by our side?
08:34Jason did!
08:35And now he's in trouble.
08:36You're his brother.
08:37You should be saving him.
08:39You're just gonna let him die?
08:40Can your conscience live with that?
08:43My chest felt ripped open.
08:44I was already in pieces.
08:46But that still hurt so bad I could barely breathe.
08:48So that was it.
08:49Blood never mattered to them.
08:51Not once.
08:52To them, I was a stain.
08:53Something disposable.
08:55Something they could throw away whenever they needed.
08:56I'm not going.
08:58I didn't kill anyone.
08:59The case back then wasn't what you think.
09:01Why won't any of you believe me?
09:03I fought like hell.
09:05Twisting.
09:05Kicking.
09:06Trying to break free from the rope.
09:08But nobody cared what a convicted killer had to say.
09:11Not one person.
09:12Just when I was about to break.
09:14Vanessa walked in.
09:15One of her bodyguards handed her something.
09:17A stun baton.
09:18She took it without blinking.
09:19Then she stepped into my room.
09:20Her face was cold and hard.
09:22Ethan, don't make me do this.
09:25For Jason.
09:26There is nothing I won't do.
09:28She didn't hesitate.
09:29She jammed the stun baton straight into my back.
09:32A brutal crack of electricity tore through me.
09:35My whole body convulsed.
09:37Then everything went black.
09:38When I opened my eyes again, I was sprawled across the deck.
09:42Like something the tide had spit back out.
09:44All around me was open ocean.
09:46Nothing but water.
09:47Waves slammed against the boat.
09:49The sound made my heart seize up.
09:52Ethan, stop playing dead.
09:53Get in the water.
09:55Bring Jason back.
09:56When I still didn't move.
09:57I promise you.
09:58If 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?
10:07That word hit me like a knife.
10:09Half a year ago.
10:10Right after I got out.
10:11I went back to the Cole mansion once.
10:13I was stupid enough to think maybe.
10:15Maybe there was still a little love left for me there.
10:17But that night.
10:18Through the mansion's floor to ceiling windows.
10:21All I saw was a house blazing with light.
10:23My mom and dad were inside.
10:25Vanessa 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.
10:33Steak.
10:34Lobster.
10:34Wine.
10:35Everything rich and perfect.
10:37Glasses raised.
10:38Laughter everywhere.
10:39They looked like the perfect family.
10:41And me?
10:42I was standing outside in the freezing wind.
10:45A convict who had done eight years for someone else.
10:47Half deaf.
10:48Broken.
10:48Shaking from the cold.
10:50That 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.
11:00I was just an outsider.
11:02My thoughts snapped back to the boat.
11:04Then my eyes locked on something in Vanessa's hand.
11:06A photograph.
11:08She was gripping it tight.
11:09It was a candid shot from a beach volleyball game.
11:12Jason was shirtless.
11:13Standing out among a group of dive team members.
11:15And the thing that hit me hardest was the scar on his right shoulder.
11:20The 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.
11:27Back then, I was captain of the dive team.
11:30Vanessa 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.
11:52And I got caught instead.
11:53The current took me.
11:54I should have died.
11:55By some miracle, I didn't.
11:57I washed up on a deserted island.
11:59Passed 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.
12:06Held 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.
12:13If I'd stopped you from making us go down, if I'd just been stronger, then I wouldn't have only saved
12:17Vanessa and watched you get swept away.
12:19So that was it.
12:21I finally understood.
12:22No wonder my wife had been willing to force me to take the fall, to send me to prison, and
12:26to let me die for another man.
12:28For 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.
12:39The 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, shouting 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.
12:57Just for a second.
12:59A flash of panic.
13:00Gone almost instantly.
13:02Then 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!
13:08Go ahead!
13:08Keep pretending!
13:10Ethan, 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, sobbing like her heart was ripping apart.
13:21Oh God!
13:22Jason was an angel!
13:25He'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.
13:35He 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!
13:52Gear him up!
13:53I stared at her, and something in me finally went cold.
13:57Fine.
13:58I'll go.
13:59But I have one condition.
14:00I want the best deep water gear you've got.
14:03If they were really going to shove me into hell, then I was grabbing whatever slim chance I had.
14:07No matter how small.
14:09If the gear was strong enough, maybe I could survive the pressure.
14:12The second I gave in, Vanessa's shoulders dropped, like she could finally breathe again.
14:16She rushed over and grabbed my hand tight.
14:19Ethan, I knew it.
14:19I knew you still cared.
14:22I 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.
14:30But there's no other option.
14:31This is the only diving gear on the boat.
14:34You used to be the best diver in the business.
14:36A little problem like this, you can handle it, right?
14:40She said it so casually, like it was nothing.
14:43I followed her finger, and my blood went cold.
14:47It 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.
14:55There 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…
15:18Before 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.
15:45And 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.
16:09Eyes shut.
16:10Praying into empty air.
16:11Her lips trembled as she whispered.
16:13Please.
16:14Please 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, she 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.
16:31Then 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!
16:38If you bring Jason back, we'll get married right away.
16:41I'll be right here waiting for you.
16:43Then 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.
16:52The pressure hit my ears like a sledgehammer.
16:54My right eardrum was already hanging by a thread.
16:56Now it tore.
16:58A dull ripping burst exploded inside my head.
17:00Like a balloon popping in my skull.
17:02Pain.
17:03Blinding pain.
17:05So 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.
17:14Then darker.
17:14Then worse.
17:15My mind started slipping away.
17:17And just when I was drowning.
17:18Just when the dark was closing over me.
17:20Just when I gave up trying to live.
17:22A pair of soft hands reached for me.
17:24Fast.
17:24Strong.
17:25And grabbed me.
17:26Susan pressed a hand to her chest.
17:28Her 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.
17:35Back and forth.
17:37Jason will be fine.
17:39He's lucky.
17:40He has to be okay.
17:42Ethan was a diving champion.
17:44He'll bring Jason back up.
17:45She kept saying it over and over.
17:47Like if she said it enough, it would come true.
17:49Like it could calm the fear inside her.
17:51But her fingers were shaking.
17:53And that gave her away.
17:54Then suddenly.
17:55A sharp alarm shattered the dead silence.
17:58A Coast Guard boat was speeding toward them.
18:00Fast.
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.
18:18We 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 him 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.
18:42We tried contacting his family.
18:44No answer.
18:45Never thought you came all the way out here.
18:48There's no signal.
18:49The doctor on board examined him.
18:51You've been exposed to a marine toxin.
18:53A sea barrier.
18:53A kind of sea slug.
18:55That toxin can trigger severe hallucinations.
18:57In serious cases, it can be fatal.
18:59He 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.
19:33Vanessa finally let out a long breath.
19:34A smile of pure relief broke across her face, like she had just survived a nightmare.
19:39Then the smile froze, right there on her face, because suddenly she remembered.
19:43Half an hour ago, she had shoved her ex-husband into the ocean, with her own hands.
19:46Forced him down there, to save Jason.
19:48He was lying in a hospital.
19:50Alive.
19:50So where was Ethan?
19:52I had already been underwater for over 30 minutes, and 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.
20:04Cold.
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, then announced it on the spot.
20:16As of this moment, Jason Cole is in custody.
20:20He is suspected of stealing protected underwater artifacts, and 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, pointed 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?
20:59He won't even hurt a fly.
21:01How could he possibly steal anything?
21:04How could he kill anyone?
21:06Vanessa stepped up, too, putting on that cold, untouchable CEO act.
21:10Officer, watch what you say.
21:11You can't just throw accusations around.
21:14I'm the chair of Lane Group.
21:16Jason 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.
21:27He 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.
21:35His whole body was shaking violently.
21:37His face was twisted with pure terror.
21:41He had been down dozens of feet underwater when the toxin hit.
21:44The hallucinations were strong.
21:45Don't come over here!
21:47Ah!
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.
21:54Their eyes stayed glued to the screen.
21:56I got greedy!
21:58I never should have cut your arrows!
22:00I'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.
22:12Then all at once, the fear vanished.
22:14His face changed, turned vicious.
22:16A 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?
22:26That idiot, Vanessa.
22:27She actually thought I was the one who saved her.
22:29All I did was show her a little scar.
22:31And she fell for me completely!
22:32She played those two old fans like a fettle.
22:35She got me into that house?
22:36My dad forced his neck straight, still trying to fight it.
22:39I just played the victim, and they treated me like a king while they threw you away!
22:44Sent your pathetic ass to rot!
22:46Ha ha ha ha!
22:47God, that felt damn good!
22:48You can rot in prison forever!
22:50Everything 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, and she 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, grinning like a devil, mocking them for being fools.
23:12No.
23:13That's impossible.
23:15You said...
23:17He was poisoned.
23:20He was hallucinating.
23:22He was talking nonsense.
23:24Exactly.
23:25That'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!
23:38Owen's voice turned firm.
23:39I figured that's what you'd say, which is exactly why we move fast.
23:43This involves a major attempted murder case.
23:47So we already formed an investigation team and 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 did not match the physical evidence from
24:03the scene.
24:04And there's more.
24:06Ethan's defense attorney turned on him at trial.
24:09The day before the trial, a large payment hit his account.
24:14We traced the source.
24:15It came from one of your offshore accounts, Vanessa.
24:18Vanessa's face went white.
24:19And Jason's private account received multiple large wire transfers after the incident that year.
24:25The source was hidden.
24:26But we now have strong reason to believe that money came from selling stolen artifacts.
24:30We believe the case was not what it seemed.
24:32Please cooperate with the investigation.
24:33You're coming with us.
24:35The Coast Guard officers were just about to move in.
24:37Then Adam finally broke.
24:39He swallowed hard.
24:41Then stammered out.
24:43Officer.
24:44Wait.
24:46This still isn't over.
24:48Ethan.
24:49Ethan Cole.
24:51He's still down there.
24:53He never came back up.
24:56What did you just say?
24:58Owen whipped around.
24:59His eyes widened instantly.
25:02There's still someone underwater?
25:04Adam's legs nearly gave out.
25:06He started spilling everything.
25:08About half an hour ago,
25:10Ms. Lane pushed Ethan into the water.
25:12He said his ear was injured.
25:14He said he couldn't handle the pressure.
25:15But Ms. Lane insisted.
25:18She forced him to go down.
25:20And now,
25:21he still hasn't surfaced.
25:23Three days later.
25:24Harbor City Hospital.
25:26Jason finally woke up.
25:28His body was still weak.
25:29He twitched his fingers.
25:31Then realized the bed was surrounded.
25:33Mom.
25:34Dad.
25:34Vanessa.
25:35And several police officers in uniform.
25:37A flash of joy hit him.
25:39With all these people here,
25:40they 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.
25:55I dreamed I was trapped underwater.
25:58I thought I'd never see you again.
26:00Before, that would have worked.
26:02Susan would have rushed over already.
26:04She would have held him.
26:05Cried over him.
26:05But today,
26:06the 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.
26:15Stiff.
26:15That was when he realized something was wrong.
26:18Victor wasn't fussing over him.
26:19The man who had always spoiled him
26:20was 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,
26:35tapped 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,
26:45confessing,
26:45mocking the people who raised him,
26:47calling them idiots,
26:48every ugly word,
26:49every filthy truth.
26:49All of it was there.
26:51His face went ghost white.
26:52Cold sweat poured down his forehead.
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.
27:04It made me say crazy things.
27:05How could I ever hurt Ethan?
27:07That 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,
27:15I did it so we could be together.
27:17Vanessa's expression turned complicated.
27:18Owen cut in from the side.
27:20Jason Cole,
27:21drop 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.
27:45Stop 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?
28:01He laughed again.
28:02Ugly.
28:03Slow.
28:03Mocking.
28:04Ethan's not coming back anyway.
28:06So,
28:08why not let it go?
28:10I 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,
28:28the whole room turned freezing cold.
28:30The shamelessness of it.
28:31The 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?
28:43What?
28:43Susan finally brought.
28:45What?
28:45She remembered my face.
28:46The look in my eyes when they shoved me into the sea.
28:48That dead, hollow, hopeless look.
28:51She remembered pointing at me, cursing me,
28:53calling me heartless in filth.
28:55The pain hit her so hard she almost stopped breathing.
28:57She collapsed to the floor,
28:59both hands clawing at her hair.
29:00Then she let out a raw, broken scream.
29:03What did I do?
29:06I'm a monster.
29:09I don't deserve to breathe.
29:12The second my mom said that,
29:13Victor seemed to wake up.
29:15Like he had just been struck across the face.
29:17He lowered his head,
29:18stared at his own trembling hands.
29:20Those hands.
29:22I 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
29:33and 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.
29:43His face swelled almost instantly.
29:44His cheeks turned red and purple.
29:46Blood ran from the corner of his mouth,
29:48but he acted like he couldn't feel any of it.
29:50He 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
30:06finally collapsed.
30:07Completely.
30:08She didn't want to think about that dive.
30:10The underwater current.
30:11The day I disappeared.
30:13Those three days after I went missing,
30:15Jason had stayed by her side.
30:16Again and again he described what happened underwater.
30:19Every detail.
30:20Every danger.
30:21Every second.
30:21He painted the whole thing for her.
30:23She still remembered it.
30:24Jason standing in front of her.
30:26Taking off his shirt.
30:27Pointing at the scar on his shoulder.
30:29Telling her he got it saving her.
30:30And she believed him.
30:31She actually believed him.
30:33Later, after the underwater murder case,
30:35she had bribed my lawyer.
30:36Paid him off to switch sides at the last second.
30:38Helped 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.
30:45And then, she pushed me into the abyss.
30:47The same man who nearly died saving her.
30:50No!
30:52It wasn't supposed to be like this!
30:55Vanessa dropped to her knees.
30:57Her 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.
31:07Her 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.
31:15Ethan!
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!
31:42Oh, please come back to me!
31:44The ice queen who looked down on us all.
31:45The cold, untouchable CEO.
31:48Was now on the floor like a stray dog.
31:50Crying.
31:51Begging.
31:52In a hospital overseas, I opened my eyes slowly.
31:55And met Claire's gentle eyes.
32:02Ethan, you finally made it back.
32:04She sat by my bed.
32:06With a bowl of chicken soup.
32:08Feeding me, one spoonful at a time.
32:11The warmth slid down my throat.
32:13And settled in my chest.
32:15I hadn't felt that in eight years.
32:17The feeling of being cared for.
32:19Like 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.
32:34Hidden in a sunken wreck.
32:35Jason got greedy.
32:37He cut Zach's air hose.
32:38Then 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.
33:01Living like a perfect family.
33:02That was the night I made my choice.
33:04I was going to get revenge.
33:05So, I went to Claire.
33:06And asked for her help.
33:08Jason killed for gold.
33:09And sold me out for greed.
33:11All for the money.
33:12Fine.
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
33:19ignore.
33:19Rumors, planted articles, fake salvage chatter.
33:22Over and over.
33:23All 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.
33:36But greed is greed.
33:37And it always comes back.
33:39After seeing it enough times, he started wondering if it was real.
33:41Then he started searching.
33:43That 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.
33:50All 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.
34:01Historic sites.
34:02He 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,
34:13I knew my chance had come.
34:14After that, the rest fell into place.
34:17Before 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.
34:23And 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.
34:53Broadcast everywhere.
34:54Jason had been convicted on multiple charges.
34:56Intentional homicide.
34:57Theft of protected artifacts.
34:59Framing an innocent man.
35:01And more.
35:02He was sentenced to death.
35:03With immediate execution.
35:04I watched the screen.
35:06Then shook my head.
35:07Claire caught it right away.
35:08She knew exactly what I meant.
35:10So she explained.
35:11My guess?
35:13Jason got pushed up by an underwater current.
35:16Then patrol officers just happened to spot him.
35:20But that part doesn't matter.
35:22The ending still landed where we needed it.
35:25I nodded.
35:26Then looked back at the TV.
35:27Victor and Susan were sentenced to.
35:30One year each.
35:31For 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.
35:41Lane Group and Cole Group were collapsing.
35:43The scandal sent both stocks into free fall.
35:45Then both families went bankrupt.
35:47The Coles.
35:48The Lanes.
35:48The families who once thought they ruled everything.
35:51Their names were ruined for good.
35:52On the screen.
35:53Those people from my past stood in prison uniforms.
35:56Crying.
35:56Begging.
35:57Confessing to the cameras.
35:58But no one pitied them.
36:00And strangely.
36:01I felt nothing.
36:02No hate.
36:03No thrill.
36:03No satisfaction.
36:04Just relief.
36:06A clean, empty kind of relief.
36:07Like all the pain had finally been peeled off me.
36:10Like every last chain had fallen away.
36:12And for the first time in years I let out one long breath.
36:15Four years later.
36:16Thanks to Claire.
36:17And 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.
36:28We were on the beach testing a new sonar system.
36:30Then a woman came stumbling toward us.
36:32Her hair was almost all white.
36:34She looked gaunt.
36:35Hollowed 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.
36:46Then pulled out a ring.
36:47The wedding ring.
36:48The same one she once forced onto my finger.
36:51The same one I threw back at the fish stall.
36:53Ethan.
36:54Ethan.
36:55I finally found you.
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.
37:32You 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.
37:42How debt collectors hunted her.
37:43How helpless she had been.
37:45Then one day she saw me on TV.
37:47She sold one of her kidneys just to pay someone to get her into Australia.
37:49But I only took two small steps back.
37:51Avoided the hand reaching toward me with that ring.
37:53Then I spoke.
37:55Please stay away from me.
37:57We're divorced.
37:59The second you forced me to take the fall for a murderer.
38:02The woman I once called my wife died.
38:05So stop acting like this is love.
38:10It just makes me sick.
38:12Right then Claire walked over holding two cold drinks.
38:15She handed one to me like it was the most natural thing in the world.
38:18Then she slipped an arm around my neck.
38:20And kissed my cheek.
38:22Babe.
38:22Why 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.
38:31At how happy we were.
38:32And something inside her snapped.
38:34Jealousy.
38:35Regret.
38:35Both of them tore through her like poison.
38:38Then she coughed.
38:39Hard.
38:40Once.
38:41Then again.
38:42A 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.
38:58Their eyes lifted.
38:59On the screen, a global live broadcast was playing.
39:02I was there.
39:03Wearing a custom suit.
39:04Standing tall.
39:05Calm.
39:05Confident.
39:06Receiving a major UN environmental award.
39:08The camera panned wider.
39:10Claire stood beside me.
39:11One hand looped through my arm.
39:13Her baby bump was showing.
39:14And she was smiling, like sunlight.
39:16Susan burst into tears.
39:18The 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.
39:32What the hell are you doing, you filthy beggars?
39:33Get away from there!
39:36He shoved her hard.
39:38She 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.
39:45Muttering through tears.
39:47This is karma.
39:51We 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.
40:12Warm sea breeze across my face.
40:14Claire walked over with a plate of cut fruit.
40:16Then curled up in my arms.
40:19Honey.
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.
40:29Then I smiled.
40:30And shook my head.
40:32I was just wondering, do you think our baby's a boy or a girl?
40:37Then I started the yacht.
40:39And left every betrayal, every wound, every bit of that old life behind us in the rolling wake.
40:45Then what happened?
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