- 6 hours ago
Welcome to Focal.Point. This is a Dailymotion channel dedicated to sharing Boy Love drama episodes and romantic short films. We focus on emotional storytelling, meaningful relationships, and beautifully crafted moments that explore love, connection, and youth. Whether you are a fan of BL series or romance stories, Focal.Point aims to be a place where heartfelt stories come into focus.
Category
🎥
Short filmTranscript
00:00I took an arrow from my husband. It pierced deep, damaged my organs.
00:04I got shipped off to a country estate down south to heal.
00:06Four years.
00:08When I finally came home, another woman was living my life.
00:11My son relied on her.
00:13My daughter adored her.
00:14My mother-in-law praised her.
00:16And my husband?
00:17He whispered her name in my ear when we were in bed.
00:20I snapped.
00:21I raised help.
00:22So they got rid of me.
00:23Clean and easy.
00:25Like I was the problem all along.
00:27And their perfect little family lived happily ever after.
00:30As a ghost, I watched them for 20 years.
00:32Watching what came for them in the end.
00:34And then I woke up.
00:36Right on the road home.
00:37I was back.
00:40Don't take me home yet.
00:41Take me to the palace.
00:42I'm seeing the queen mother first.
00:46My name is Olivia Shaw.
00:47I'm the orphan daughter of a fallen war hero.
00:50My dad died in battle when I was 9.
00:52The queen mother took pity on me.
00:54She brought me into the palace and raised me like her own.
00:57I got married at 16.
00:58By 18.
01:00I had twins.
01:01A boy and a girl.
01:02My marriage to Ethan Barone was perfect.
01:04Or so I thought.
01:06When the twins turned 6, I went on a royal hunt with Ethan.
01:09That day, the third prince pulled a bow on him.
01:11He smiled like it was a joke.
01:13But his eyes said something else.
01:15So I stepped in front of Ethan.
01:17The arrow hit me instead.
01:18It wrecked my insides.
01:20I was badly hurt.
01:21And yes, I used it.
01:23I cried in front of the king.
01:25I cried in front of the queen mother.
01:27I made sure they saw every bit of my pain.
01:29The third prince got hammered for it.
01:31My husband's family had backed the second prince for years.
01:34My injury lit a fire.
01:35The king turned cold on the third prince.
01:38My father's old men in the army also turned on him.
01:40The second prince's path to the throne got a whole lot cleaner.
01:44Olivia, that wound isn't healing anytime soon.
01:48The third prince hates us now.
01:50So let's finish this.
01:52Let's use this chance to bury him for good.
01:54I believed him.
01:55I thought we were one team.
01:57One name.
01:58One future.
01:59His win was my win.
02:01His shame was mine too.
02:02So for the bigger plan, I had to disappear.
02:05I had to stay far from London.
02:06Heal somewhere quiet.
02:10Three years.
02:11Maybe five.
02:12Long enough for the court to keep using my injury as a weapon.
02:15Long enough for the second prince's people to keep dragging the third prince through the mud.
02:19So I went.
02:20To the southern estate.
02:21And when the second prince was finally named heir.
02:24Ethan still didn't send for me.
02:26Not right away.
02:27That was when the dread hit.
02:28Something was wrong.
02:30And when I finally got home, I found out the truth.
02:32My place had already been filled.
02:34This time, after being reborn, I went to see the queen mother first.
02:37She was the only person in the world who had ever truly loved me.
02:40I'm better now.
02:42She took my hand and held it tight.
02:44That's all I wanted to hear.
02:46You're back.
02:47Come see me often.
02:49Don't leave me worrying like this.
02:50I won't.
02:53Before I left, I quietly slid the gold bracelet from my wrist.
02:56And tucked it deep into the cushions.
02:58Right into her favorite armchair.
03:00Her throne.
03:00It had belonged to my birth mother.
03:02The queen mother had put it on me with her own hands.
03:05She knew what it meant to me.
03:06She knew I never took it off.
03:08I got back to the Barone estate late in the afternoon.
03:10The sun was dropping.
03:12Golden light broke through the trees and scattered across the yard.
03:14My husband was there.
03:15My kids, too.
03:17They were all gathered around my mother-in-law.
03:21Every single face looked surprised.
03:23And behind them stood a woman in a soft lilac dress.
03:26Pretty.
03:26Gentle looking.
03:28Sweet in that careful, polished way.
03:30Olivia?
03:31Why are you home today?
03:33As she hurried over and grabbed my hand.
03:35The house manager never sent word.
03:38It's my home.
03:39I don't need a formal announcement to walk into it.
03:42Right, mum?
03:44Ethan stepped up next.
03:46Asked about the trip.
03:47Asked if the road was rough.
03:49Then my twins came over.
03:50Ten years old now.
03:51They greeted me properly.
03:53All polished manners and distance.
03:55Olivia.
03:56You haven't met her yet.
03:57This is Lana.
03:59I hired her to teach Sophie Needlework.
04:03My name is Lana Brooks.
04:05It's a pleasure to meet you, Mrs. Barone.
04:07She was my mother-in-law's distant niece.
04:09A widow.
04:10She'd come to stay after her husband died.
04:13She was amazing with embroidery.
04:15Even better in the kitchen.
04:16And with those two things, she had won over my entire family.
04:20No need to be so formal.
04:22Thank you for looking after Sophie while I was away.
04:25Mum!
04:26You have no idea how great Aunt Lana is!
04:29I gently smoothed her hair back.
04:31You can tell me all about it later, sweetheart.
04:33In my last life, I noticed it right away.
04:36How every person in that house had a soft spot for Lana.
04:38How none of them were really mine anymore.
04:40And I let it show.
04:42My face turned cold.
04:43The whole house froze.
04:44By the first night, everything had already gone bad.
04:47Not this time.
04:48This time, I smiled.
04:50I joked with them.
04:51I sat through dinner like nothing was wrong.
04:54After dinner, Ethan was clearly on edge.
04:56Restless.
04:57Distracted.
04:58Like his mind was somewhere else.
05:00I knew why.
05:01By now, he had already slept with Lana.
05:03And tonight?
05:04He wanted her.
05:05Not me.
05:06So I made it easy for him.
05:08I'm wiped out from the trip.
05:09I want to turn in early.
05:11Could I trouble you to sleep in the studio tonight, Duke?
05:14His face changed on the spot.
05:16He looked relieved.
05:17Thrilled.
05:18Almost.
05:20Of course.
05:21Get some rest, Olivia.
05:23I slept well that night.
05:24The next morning, I picked my moment.
05:26And then I blew it all up.
05:30At breakfast, Lana was there again.
05:32Still standing by my mother-in-law.
05:34Still serving her like she ran the house.
05:36We had barely finished eating when a servant rushed in.
05:39And announced that someone from the palace had arrived.
05:41That was my moment.
05:42I let the bowl slip from my hand.
05:44It smashed cardigans before.
05:46Everyone stared at me.
05:47My mother-in-law frowned.
05:49Ethan frowned too.
05:50Neither of them got it yet.
05:51I stood up and said it loudly.
05:53I'm the wife of this house.
05:55If my husband is taking a mistress, why was I the last to know?
05:58And if mom doesn't see me as her daughter-in-law anymore, then fine.
06:02Hand me divorce papers.
06:04I never should have come back.
06:06The whole room went dead.
06:07My son, Mason, spoke up like some tiny little judge.
06:11Mom, you smashed a bowl in front of dad and grandma.
06:14This is embarrassing.
06:16My daughter looked stunned.
06:17Mom, who's been filling your head with this stuff?
06:21You've got Lana all wrong.
06:23Olivia, you are way too spoiled.
06:25Is this really how the queen mother raised you?
06:28Only Ethan caught on fast.
06:29He walked over to me at once.
06:31Soft voice.
06:32Calm face.
06:34Olivia, maybe being home again feels strange.
06:36Maybe you didn't sleep well.
06:38It's just a bowl.
06:39That's nothing.
06:40Then he shot a look at the staff.
06:41At the same time, he tried signaling his mother and Lana.
06:44But they weren't quick enough.
06:46When did I say who the mistress was?
06:50That stopped them cold.
06:52Because that was the problem.
06:53Everybody in that house knew about Ethan and Lana.
06:56Everybody.
06:57Even my children.
06:58And right then, the queen mother seen your lady in waiting.
07:01Mrs. Gable walked in and saw the whole thing.
07:03I had people waiting at the front gate.
07:05The second the servant went to announce her, they let her right in.
07:09She stepped inside and looked around.
07:10What is going on here?
07:13My lady, were you wronged?
07:15Tears instantly sprang to my eyes.
07:17I didn't know someone else had taken over this household.
07:20Last night, my bedding was damp.
07:22I tried to have it changed, but I couldn't find anyone.
07:24I'm not used to being treated this way.
07:27So I barely slept.
07:29This morning, my hands gave out.
07:31And I dropped a dish.
07:32And now the Duke and Lady Barone think I'm throwing a fit.
07:35I swear I'm being framed here.
07:38Mrs. Gable looked at every face in that room.
07:40My mother-in-law wasn't stupid.
07:42Not really.
07:43She realized it then.
07:45It's all a misunderstanding.
07:47I took an arrow for my husband and left to recover.
07:51My mother-in-law wasn't in great health, so yes.
07:54Of course, I can understand bringing in help to run the house.
07:57But if she's been brought in as a concubine, why was I never told?
08:01Why keep it quiet?
08:02Why hide it from everyone?
08:05I took a shaky breath.
08:06I came home completely in the dark.
08:08If I hadn't seen the house keys on her, I would have thought she was just some guest.
08:12And once people call me jealous, who do they blame?
08:16They blame the Queen Mother for raising me wrong.
08:18Mrs. Gable, this is on me.
08:21I'm the fool here.
08:23Her face changed on the spot.
08:26Dark.
08:27Cold.
08:28Angry.
08:29And Ethan, my mother-in-law, and Lana all looked sick.
08:32Because now they were trapped.
08:34If Lana wasn't a mistress, why was she holding the house keys?
08:37Why was she acting like the lady of the house?
08:39And if she was a mistress, why had they kept the legal wife in the dark?
08:43I didn't keep screaming.
08:44I just cried.
08:46Then I went back to the palace with Mrs. Gable.
08:48Mrs. Gable had actually come that morning to return my gold bracelet.
08:51The Queen Mother knew I'd lost it.
08:53She'd worry.
08:54So she sent it over first thing.
08:56And that gave me exactly what I needed.
08:58A witness.
08:59Just my word alone would never have been enough.
09:01I learned that the hard way in my last life.
09:03Especially with Ethan.
09:05He was born to a sophist.
09:07He could twist the truth into a lie.
09:09If nobody from the Queen Mother's side spoke for me.
09:11Every ugly label would land on my head.
09:13Jealous wife.
09:15Unstable.
09:16Ungrateful.
09:17Before long, my name would be trash all over London.
09:19And after I died, people cheered.
09:22They praised Lana instead.
09:24Called her kind.
09:25Called her loyal.
09:26Said she and Ethan were perfect together.
09:28Now Ethan had to explain one thing.
09:30Why, after his lawful wife took an arrow for him and got sent away to heal,
09:34there was suddenly another lady of the house running his estate?
09:37I went with Mrs. Gable to the Queen Mother's palace.
09:39The second she saw me, she pulled me close.
09:42This time, she didn't say what she'd said before.
09:44She didn't remind me that I had chosen Ethan myself.
09:46She didn't say she'd never liked him much.
09:49She only said this.
09:50If you've been hurt, then stay here a few days.
09:53A daughter of the Shaw family does not get trampled by the baronies.
09:57In my last life, she told me to leave him.
10:00She told me to get a divorce.
10:01I refused.
10:03Divorce meant my husband didn't want me.
10:05My kids didn't want me.
10:06I couldn't swallow that.
10:08I had to fight.
10:09I had to beat them all.
10:10So I stayed, and it killed me.
10:13When I died, only one person truly cried for me.
10:15The Queen Mother.
10:17Back then, I never fully believed her love was real.
10:19She was ruthless.
10:21Sharp.
10:21The kind of old woman who could wipe out a whole bloodline and sleep just fine after.
10:25So how much could she really care about me?
10:27I thought it was politics.
10:29A show.
10:30A way to keep my father's old allies loyal.
10:32But after 20 years as a ghost, I watched her.
10:35And every time my name came up, she cried.
10:37People can get attached to a cat after enough years.
10:40Then what about me?
10:41I was beautiful.
10:43Obedient.
10:44Raised by her own hand.
10:45She really did love me.
10:49I asked for a divorce.
10:51And I wasn't leaving empty-handed.
10:52When I got married, endless chests filled with the finest treasures.
10:56Lustrous silks, exquisite jewelry, ornaments of gold and jade.
10:59Every last one bestowed by the Queen Mother herself.
11:02Try her best.
11:03Give me everything.
11:04I wanted all of it back.
11:06Every last piece.
11:07The Buranus shut that down fast.
11:09My mother-in-law went to the palace in tears.
11:12She said I had it all wrong.
11:14Lana is just a widowed relative with nowhere else to go.
11:17She is not a mistress.
11:18And Olivia, she wants a divorce.
11:20Just because she can't allow her husband another woman, she's also hurting her own reputation.
11:25In her mind, a good wife should help bring in more women.
11:28More women meant more children.
11:30More children meant a stronger family line.
11:32So no, according to her, that was not a valid reason for divorce.
11:35I lowered my eyes.
11:37Thought for a second.
11:39You're right.
11:40Ethan came to the palace himself and brought me home.
11:42The Buranus family sent Lana away.
11:44But after I came back, the whole house turned heavy.
11:47No one laughed.
11:48No one breathed easy.
11:50My mother-in-law even got so worked up that she fell sick.
11:53Then one day, my son, Mason, came to me and said,
11:56Mom, Grandma's sick.
11:57Go make her something to eat.
12:01I don't know how to cook.
12:03Aunt Lana always made good food.
12:04Grandma got better every time she ate what Lana made.
12:07Not just Grandma.
12:08When I got sick, Aunt Lena stayed by my bed.
12:11Where were you?
12:13I was out helping your father climb the ladder.
12:15I took an arrow for him.
12:17I let that injury become a weapon for the crown prince.
12:20Without the story of Lady Olivia was badly wounded and never fully healed,
12:23why would your grandfather's old military allies turn against the third prince?
12:26And why are they slowly moving towards the crown prince instead?
12:29My son froze.
12:31He was 10.
12:32He'd studied enough to understand a little about imperial power struggles.
12:35In my last life, I couldn't bear to tear the mask off his father in front of him.
12:40I never told him what kind of man Ethan really was.
12:42How hungry he was for power.
12:44How far he would go.
12:46So Mason blamed me instead.
12:47He said I was jealous.
12:49Small-minded.
12:50That I couldn't make room for another woman.
12:52What if Lana really had become Ethan's second wife?
12:55So what?
12:56In families like ours, men had women everywhere.
12:59Compared to other powerful men, Ethan already looked loyal.
13:02Already looked restrained.
13:03Why should he be expected to belong to me alone?
13:06But this life?
13:07I don't care anymore.
13:08How my son sees me means nothing now.
13:10So I told him the truth.
13:12All of it.
13:13His face went red.
13:14Don't use the royal family to make yourself sound important.
13:17I didn't even flinch.
13:18If you don't believe me, go to the estate.
13:21Ask the manager.
13:22Go ask what your father was doing while your grandmother was sick.
13:27Or if he was sneaking around with your precious Aunt Lana.
13:30He spun around and stormed out.
13:32My daughter, Sophie, took it even harder.
13:35She wasn't angry like her brother.
13:36She just looked hurt.
13:38Mom, I promised the Queen Mother I'd give her a lace embroidery piece.
13:42For her 50th birthday.
13:44You can't do it without Aunt Lana.
13:46Is she teaching you?
13:47Or is she doing it for you?
13:49She's teaching me.
13:50She's not the only person in the world who can do that.
13:53My daughter shook her head.
13:55But the one I'm making now is special.
13:57Only Aunt Lana knows this pattern.
13:59It's one of a kind.
14:00That's how I make the Queen Mother happy.
14:02I almost laughed.
14:04You're my daughter.
14:06You could hand the Queen Mother a scrap of old cloth.
14:09And she'd still be happy.
14:11If you weren't, you could stitch a miracle.
14:13And she still wouldn't care.
14:14The palace is full of master artist.
14:17You think she's lacking embroidery?
14:20Mom, you can't talk about Aunt Lana like that.
14:23When Lana talks herself up, you don't notice.
14:25But the second I tell the truth, suddenly I'm the cruel one?
14:28My son was foolish.
14:29My daughter was naive.
14:31Just like I used to be.
14:32So be it.
14:34Whatever bond one had with them, I leave it to fate now.
14:36I brushed the sleeve of my dress flap.
14:38Once the divorce is done, I'll leave instructions with the estate manager.
14:42He can look after the children here and there.
14:44I'll leave them enough money to live on.
14:46Enough to get them to adulthood.
14:48Enough to see them married.
14:49I'll do what a mother is supposed to do.
14:51They are still my children.
14:53But beyond that?
14:54I expect nothing.
14:55When I first left home, the twins were six.
14:58Old enough to know me.
14:59Old enough to remember.
15:01I had left trusted people behind to care for them.
15:03But by the time I came back, my people around them had been replaced.
15:06My mother-in-law did that.
15:08The people loyal to me had started clashing with the people loyal to her.
15:11And she was never going to let my side stay.
15:14So the people around my children changed.
15:16And then their hearts changed.
15:17But that's fine.
15:19I'm not clinging anymore.
15:20If this is all the fate I get with them, then that's all it is.
15:25I was waiting for the right reason to leave him.
15:27A reason no one could argue with.
15:29And I knew it was coming.
15:31Soon.
15:32Just like the last time.
15:33By the first day of September.
15:35I had been back at the Barone estate for three months.
15:38That morning, my mother-in-law got up early.
15:40And said she was going to the church to pray.
15:42She didn't ask me to come.
15:44Didn't ask the kids either.
15:45She only wanted Ethan to take her.
15:47The second they left, I called for my son and daughter.
15:50I'm taking you somewhere.
15:52My daughter was a little scared of me now.
15:54Her grandmother had been telling her.
15:56I was jealous and mad.
15:58And Sophie had believed it.
15:59Where are we going?
16:00Already sounding hostile.
16:02To pray.
16:02His face hardened.
16:04Grandma and dad just left for that?
16:05And now you suddenly want to go?
16:07What are you trying to do?
16:09I'm not going.
16:10You're full of trick.
16:11My daughter just stood there.
16:13Unsure.
16:13So I gave them a better reason.
16:15It's not just me going.
16:17Princess Anne will be there too.
16:19I thought I'd introduce you to her son.
16:21I heard you've been dying to learn spear work from him.
16:23Princess Anne was my older cousin.
16:25For years older than me, her son was everything boys his age dreamed of being.
16:29Built like he was born for battle.
16:30He trained with top masters.
16:32His spear work was famous.
16:34People talked about it all the time.
16:36He'd even beaten the royal marshal champion once.
16:38Or maybe the champion had thrown him a little glory.
16:40Either way, my son had wanted to know him for a long time.
16:43But while I was gone, Princess Anne's household barely gave Mason the time of day.
16:46Then I turned to my daughter.
16:48Sophie, do you want to meet Princess Anne?
16:50She's one of the Queen Mother's favorites.
16:53That got her.
16:54My son hesitated.
16:55Then finally nodded.
16:56Once we met up with Princess Anne, we all climbed into her massive carriage.
17:00It was huge.
17:01The kind only true royalty could get away with.
17:03And my son got exactly what he wanted.
17:04He saw the young lord he admired.
17:06And just like that, he was grinning.
17:08Then the carriage turned.
17:09Not toward the church.
17:11Toward the country estate.
17:14Olivia, where exactly are we going?
17:16There's an estate nearby that belongs to my family.
17:18We're just stopping by.
17:20I need to deal with with something.
17:21What kind of something?
17:22I leaned against her shoulder and smiled like I was still 16.
17:25Come on, Anne.
17:26Be nice to me.
17:27Your kids are practically grown.
17:30And you still know how to play spoiled.
17:32My daughter watched us and looked a little jealous.
17:34My son just stared at me, like he couldn't believe what he was seeing.
17:37He probably thought I meant nothing in the royal family anymore.
17:40That's what Ethan had told him.
17:42Then we reached the estate.
17:43We all got out.
17:44And walked straight into a private courtyard.
17:47The door opened.
17:48And there she was.
17:49A beautiful woman with the slightest roundness at her belly.
17:52Pregnant.
17:53My mother-in-law was holding her hand.
17:55Talking to her softly.
17:56And Ethan was standing right there beside them.
17:58Supporting her like she was something precious.
18:00Everyone froze.
18:02Everyone except me.
18:03I stepped forward and made my face go blank with shock.
18:05Lady Baron?
18:06Ethan?
18:06What's this?
18:07Then I reached for Lana's belly.
18:09Ethan reacted on instinct.
18:11He shoved my hand away.
18:12So I let myself fall.
18:14Hard.
18:14I cried out as I hit the ground.
18:16Inside my sleeve, I already had a shard of broken glass hidden and ready.
18:19The second I went down, I pressed it into my palm.
18:22It sliced right through.
18:23Princess and Rush to help me up.
18:25Then she turned on Ethan with fire in her eyes.
18:27Are you out of your mind?
18:28You lay hands on your lawful wife in front of me?
18:31Do you have any respect left for the king?
18:33And the queen mother!
18:36I acted like I couldn't take one more second.
18:39I stumbled to my feet and ran for the door.
18:41Princess and came after me.
18:42Her son stepped in front of Ethan and blocked him when he tried to follow.
18:45Back in the carriage, blood was pouring down my hand.
18:48The glass was still buried in the flesh.
18:50I clenched my jaw.
18:51Grabbed it.
18:52And ripped it out.
18:53Blood burst out fast.
18:55Like a faucet turned full open.
18:57Princess and watched me and said,
18:58You owe me for this.
19:00I looked up at her.
19:01I'll never forget what you did for me.
19:03She nutted.
19:04Divorcing him means you lose.
19:05If I were you, I'd stay.
19:07I'd drag every one of them through hell.
19:09I'd see who breaks first.
19:10You're being too soft.
19:11I gave her a bitter smile.
19:13Honestly, that's what most women would say.
19:15If you betray me, I'll burn everything down.
19:18You drown, I drown.
19:19Nobody walks away clean.
19:21But I already died once.
19:22This time, I choose to live.
19:24The only person who ever truly cared about me.
19:26I don't want her sitting there crying.
19:29Not every time my name comes up.
19:30I don't want the queen mother blaming herself.
19:33Saying she should have stopped me from marrying that piece of trash.
19:35Saying my whole life was her one mistake.
19:37She was fearless her entire life.
19:39And I was the one crack in all of that.
19:41My death only did two things.
19:42It broke the people who loved me.
19:44And made my enemies very, very happy.
19:48In my past life, when I came back to the house, I blew up.
19:52The Burana sent Lana away then.
19:54I knew where she was.
19:55At the country estate.
19:56And I knew she was pregnant.
19:58She made sure I knew.
20:00She had people leak it to me on purpose.
20:02I also knew that on September 1st, Ethan used the same excuse as before.
20:05He said he was taking his mother to pray.
20:08Instead, the two of them went to see Lana.
20:10Last life, I followed them in secret.
20:12The second I saw Lana's belly, I lost it.
20:15I wanted to drag that filthy pear straight to the queen mother.
20:17Then my mother-in-law panicked.
20:19She faked a fall.
20:21There was a broken piece of glass on the ground.
20:23Her hand got cut.
20:24And Ethan said I did it.
20:26In this kingdom, if a wife harms her husband's mother, she can be charged.
20:30So Ethan and his mother went to the queen mother first.
20:33They said they were willing to keep it a secret.
20:35As long as I stopped making a scene.
20:37The queen mother told me again to divorce him.
20:39I still said no.
20:40I wanted to fight.
20:42Back then, I was pure rage.
20:44I wanted to sink my teeth into them.
20:46Just to kill them.
20:47But rage makes people stupid, and stupid people lose.
20:50So this time, I changed the board.
20:52I asked Princess and to help me set the trap.
20:54I made sure my children saw the truth with their own eyes.
20:57And yes.
20:58I borrowed my mother-in-law's old trick.
21:00Now the whole city was saying one thing.
21:02Beat his lawful wife over a mistress.
21:08For days, the censor's office was buried in complaints against Ethan.
21:12In the previous life, Lana had that baby in secret.
21:15Outside the family.
21:16Later, they brought the child back under some fake title.
21:19An adopted son.
21:20Lana was never made a concubine.
21:22Never named a mistress.
21:24Not on paper.
21:25And after I died, Ethan married her.
21:27That was the real plan all along.
21:29Because by law, a concubine can't be raised to a wife.
21:32A mistress can't become the legal wife either.
21:34If he had tried that openly, he could have gone to prison.
21:37So no, they didn't protect Lana's status for my sake.
21:40They protected it for hers.
21:42I should have understood that from the start.
21:44People like that are not worth fighting to the death over.
21:46The censors hammered Ethan for two months.
21:48Even the king got sick of it.
21:50So he asked what I wanted.
21:52By then, I had already moved out of the Barone estate.
21:54I was living back at my old family residence.
21:57The Shaw estate.
21:58It had been kept up.
22:00A few elderly staff still guarded it.
22:01People who remembered me from before I was handed off as a bride.
22:05Ethan came to see me there.
22:06Once, he had been the kind of man girls fell for on sight.
22:09Tall.
22:10Polished.
22:11Beautiful in that cold, clean way.
22:13I fell for him fast.
22:14Now he looked stripped down.
22:16Gaunt.
22:17His cheekbones were sharp enough to cut.
22:21Olivia, can you stop doing this?
22:23I just looked at him.
22:25I'll make Lana a concubine.
22:26I'll hand her slave contract over to you.
22:28Is that enough?
22:29We're a family.
22:31That's your apology?
22:32Whether she becomes your concubine or gives birth to your bastard.
22:36Either way, it has nothing to do with me now.
22:39Then what do you want?
22:40A divorce.
22:40And I take every piece of property that came with me.
22:43You're not thinking about the children.
22:45Mason and Sophie are ten now.
22:46They'll be entering the marriage market soon.
22:49If you keep acting like this, who's going to marry into this family?
22:52Ethan, you really can talk.
22:54You slept with another woman.
22:56You hurt me.
22:57When you got into Lana's bed, did you think about their future then?
23:01Did I shove you onto her?
23:03That's not the same.
23:04Men take more than one woman.
23:05That's how the world works.
23:06I never said you couldn't.
23:08You're the head of that house, sure.
23:10But taking in a concubine doesn't only need your approval.
23:13It also needs mine.
23:15Did you ask me first?
23:16What exactly are you trying to do?
23:18He was angry now.
23:19Done pretending.
23:20My mother is sick because of this.
23:22I looked him dead in the eye.
23:23She raised a useless son.
23:25Of course she's sick.
23:26You do not get to talk about my mother like that!
23:31There you go again.
23:32Using your mother as a shield.
23:34When did I disrespect her?
23:36I was talking about you, Ethan.
23:38That was the end of that.
23:39He left angry.
23:41I let him.
23:42After that, the whole Burana started showing up one by one.
23:45My mother-in-law came first.
23:47She lasted maybe three sentences.
23:49Why she handed the household keys to Lana.
23:51Why she helped Lana buy my children's loyalty.
23:54And suddenly she had nothing left to say.
23:56Then the children came.
23:57I put on my mother voice and gave them one warning.
24:00If you won't stand with me, then don't call yourselves good children.
24:04If that's how you want it, maybe we should cut ties now.
24:07The last one to come was Lana.
24:08Her belly was flat.
24:10She looked pale.
24:11Fragile.
24:12Like grief itself.
24:13The second she saw me, she dropped into tears.
24:16My lady!
24:17I lost the baby!
24:19It's all my fault!
24:20I forgot my place!
24:22Please forgive the Duke!
24:24I'll go back to my hometown!
24:26I'll never show my face in front of you again!
24:30I looked at Lana in silence.
24:32She had that soft, harmless face.
24:34Round cheeks.
24:35Big doe eyes.
24:36The kind of face that made people drop their guard.
24:39But that was the trick.
24:40She knew exactly how to get inside people's heads.
24:43She was tough.
24:44Cold where it counted.
24:45And she never lost sight of what she wanted.
24:47She wanted one thing.
24:49To be the lady of the Barone estate.
24:51In my last life, I only found out the truth much later.
24:54She and Ethan had been in love as teenagers.
24:56But Ethan's mother thought Lana's family had fallen too far.
24:59No money.
25:00No status.
25:01No use.
25:02So she forced Lana's cousin to marry her off far away.
25:05That left a wound in Ethan.
25:06A deep one.
25:08It wasn't that he didn't like me.
25:09I was raised by the Queen Mother herself.
25:12Plenty of sons from powerful families wanted me.
25:14I was gentle.
25:15Sheltered.
25:16Easy to love on the surface.
25:18And yes, I was beautiful.
25:20What man wouldn't want me?
25:21Ethan wanted me too.
25:23In his own way.
25:24He loved me while still missing Lana.
25:26He played the devoted husband in one hand.
25:28Kept mourning his lost love with the other.
25:30And because of Lana, he even started resenting his own mother.
25:34Back then, the two of them were at each other's throats.
25:36The joke was on me.
25:37I had just married into that family.
25:39And I actually tried to fix their relationship.
25:42I thought I was helping.
25:43Lana was widowed first.
25:45That came before my injury.
25:47The second Ethan heard that her husband was dead, he was thrilled.
25:50He begged his mother to find a way to bring Lana back to the city.
25:53And just like that, he got two wins with one move.
25:56He told me to head south and recover after I got shot.
25:58Said the warmer air would help my wound heal.
26:01The second I left, his mother made her move to win back her son's heart.
26:04She used my daughter as the excuse.
26:06Said she was hiring a needlework tutor for Sophie.
26:09That was how she brought Lana into the house.
26:11Lana had lived a rough life with her late husband's family.
26:14She had already learned what it felt like.
26:16Live with no money, no power, no one backing you up.
26:19So she came back with one goal.
26:21Not to be some hidden woman.
26:22Not to be a mistress tucked out of sight.
26:24She wanted to marry Ethan for real.
26:26Right now, though, she had to play the long game.
26:29That meant getting rid of this baby.
26:31Even if it wrecked her body.
26:32Even if it meant she might never have another child again.
26:35She was still willing to do it.
26:37That was how ruthless she was.
26:38If I had even half that kind of nerve, I never would have let them kill me.
26:43Lana!
26:46I will never forgive Ethan.
26:48My lady.
26:50This is all my fault.
26:52I deserve whatever you do to me.
26:54I'll kneel.
26:55I'll beg.
26:56I'll knock my head on the floor if I have to.
26:58You could crack your skull open right here.
27:00And no one in this house would feel sorry for you.
27:02This is my family home.
27:04Everyone here answers to me.
27:06You could die on this floor and it still wouldn't buy you pity.
27:09Her lips trembled.
27:11Then she bit down on them.
27:12My lady.
27:14Please.
27:15Tell me what you want.
27:18If there's any way to solve, I'll do it.
27:21Can you turn back time?
27:24My lady.
27:25If time couldn't be reversed.
27:27Her apologies meant nothing.
27:29I already took the wrong road once.
27:30All I wanted now was to get back to the right one.
27:33You lost the baby.
27:34Do you really think Ethan won't blame me for that?
27:36If I go back now, that whole family will see me as the enemy.
27:41And you want me to go back into a house full of people who hate me?
27:44To live under their roof?
27:45To sleep among enemies?
27:48So one day if I end up dead, no one even asks why?
27:51Do I look that stupid to you?
27:54She flinched.
27:55This little act of yours?
27:57It's not for me.
27:58You're stepping back now so Ethan, his mother, will love you more.
28:01You want them to pity you.
28:03You want them to protect you.
28:05That's all this is.
28:06So all that pain, you wasted.
28:10I'm not changing my mind.
28:12I am divorcing him.
28:14Killing your own child just to clear the board.
28:16Look at my two kids, foolish and cruel.
28:18But even then, I never thought of throwing them away.
28:21That hit her.
28:22Hard.
28:23Her hands curled into fists so tight her knuckles went white.
28:25I kept going.
28:26This little sob story has gone as far as she's going to go with me.
28:29Take the tears back to Ethan and his mother.
28:31Go sell your tragedy to them still dumb enough to buy it.
28:35Don't waste another minute here.
28:37Then I called in two older housemates.
28:39I told them to take her back to the Barone estate carefully.
28:42No bumps.
28:43No bruises.
28:45No accidents.
28:46I didn't want anyone saying I touched her.
28:48At the same time, I sent someone to buy off the storyteller at the tavern.
28:52Where gossip spread faster than wildfire.
28:54I had them tell the whole thing under fake names.
28:57The great love story between Ethan Barone and Lana.
29:01The rich family.
29:02The old flame.
29:03The secret child.
29:04The betrayed wife.
29:06And that wife?
29:07That was me.
29:08The beautiful, loyal woman who took an arrow for her husband.
29:11The one who almost died for him.
29:13The one who spent four years healing while he was busy rebuilding his romance with another woman.
29:17They also talked about my father.
29:18A war hero.
29:20A good man.
29:21The kind that this country still respected.
29:23They talked about my looks.
29:25My innocence.
29:26My massive inheritance.
29:27And they shredded Ethan.
29:29People everywhere called him heartless.
29:31A traitor.
29:32A man who used love like a knife.
29:34The Barone name rotted in public for months.
29:36By the end of it, Ethan broke.
29:38He gave me the divorce.
29:39And he returned every property that came with me.
29:42The kids are not going with you.
29:43I smiled.
29:44Keep them.
29:45Take both of them.
29:45Once the love is gone, the weight is gone too.
29:47I don't waste my heart on people who never loved me back.
29:50This time, I'm choosing one thing.
29:52I'm staying alive.
29:53I'm staying alive.
29:53I'm staying alive.
29:54I'm staying alive.
29:54I'm staying alive.
29:55I'm staying alive.
29:55I'm staying alive.
Comments