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Octuplets Love Gone, Life Reborn
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Short filmTranscript
00:00Octoplets! My goodness!
00:02A multiple gestity like this carries extremely high risks.
00:05The pregnancy is exceptionally fragile during the first trimester.
00:09You must be on strict bed rest.
00:11Even the smallest misstep could lead to a miscarriage.
00:13Harrison and I had been married for seven years.
00:16I'd stood by him as he built his business from the ground up,
00:19and he'd always said his greatest wish was to have a house full of kids with me.
00:23Finally, on our seventh wedding anniversary,
00:25this incredible gift had fallen into our laps.
00:28I carefully tucked the ultrasound report into a custom jewelry box,
00:31planning to open it and reveal the surprise to him at midnight that night.
00:35I waited from afternoon until late into the night.
00:38The clock struck 12, and finally, the front door lock clicked open.
00:42I stood up with a smile, ready to greet him, only to freeze dead in my tracks.
00:47Harrison strode in.
00:49Glued to his side was a young girl with tear-filled eyes, Vivian.
01:07The surprise I'd spent all afternoon preparing felt like a red-hot branding iron press to my chest.
01:12He didn't even look at me, not a single flicker of guilt for forgetting our anniversary.
01:16All he did was rush forward, his face etched with concern, and scoop Vivian up into his arms.
01:22This man, who'd always had a severe germophobia, fumbled frantically to wipe the tears from her cheeks.
01:28Vivian's been with me this whole time, with no title, no security.
01:32I can't let her down.
01:33Don't worry, she's not after anything.
01:36It's just the thing I'd ever bring to eat this second to anything.
01:39It's just one more mouth to feed in this house, that's all.
01:41Holding Vivian tight, he walked straight into the master bedroom we'd shared for seven years.
01:46He'd forgotten.
01:48Today was our seventh wedding anniversary.
01:50He'd forgotten that seven years ago, there was another girl who'd followed a broke, penniless version of him.
01:56With no title and nothing to her name.
01:58He'd never know that I'd planned to give him the biggest surprise the world had ever seen that night.
02:03The cake on the dining table had melted and warped, the carefully cooked dinner had gone stone cold.
02:08I pulled out my phone, about to take a photo of the mess, hoping to edit it into something warm
02:13-looking, when a notification from Vivian's social media popped up.
02:17From today on, I finally have a place by his side attached was a photo of her and a man,
02:22fingers intertwined in a car.
02:24I recognized it instantly, it was Harrison's car, throbbing pain flared in my lower stomach.
02:29I remembered the doctor's warning, took a deep breath to steady my emotions, I was curious to see just how
02:35far this little performance would go.
02:42Vivian's young, she posted that on a whim, don't let it bother you.
02:47I messed up today. I ordered you the newest jewelry line, a whole set of designer bags, they'll be here
02:53tomorrow.
02:54Just stop being mad at me, okay?
02:58If Stella doesn't want me here, then I'll go!
03:01I can't be the reason you and Harrison fight!
03:08How are you going to survive without me?
03:10I don't want to leave, but Stella won't let me stay. Harrison, just let me go.
03:15I'll always wish you and Stella happiness, even if you never see me again.
03:19If I want you here, no one can kick you out.
03:21Shh, baby, you're pregnant. You can't cry like this, it's bad for the baby.
03:26Vivian, our baby doesn't want to see you upset over someone else, right?
03:33I watched him lead Vivian back into the master bedroom, cooing and comforting her the whole way.
03:38My stomach turned violently, and I ran to the bathroom, throwing up until there was nothing left.
03:44It wasn't my old stomach bug acting up.
03:46It was the morning sickness from the pregnancy, and pure, physical revulsion at the two people in the next room.
03:52When I came out, I stared at the mess on the table. I stood up, grabbed the cake, the cold
03:57food, and the jewelry box with my surprise still inside, and dumped it all straight into the trash can.
04:03It hit me, all at once, how ridiculous it all was.
04:07On our seventh wedding anniversary, my husband had brought his mistress into our home, given her a claim to our
04:12life in our own house, and served me the most humiliating night of my life on a silver platter.
04:16I didn't sleep a wink all night. I'd always been terrible at sleeping anywhere but my own bed.
04:22When we were young, Harrison had a bed custom-made, an exact replica of the one I'd had at my
04:27parents' house, just so I could sleep soundly.
04:29But now, that bed held him and another woman.
04:33I lay on the couch in the guest bedroom, staring at the ceiling until the sun came up, the throbbing
04:37in my stomach getting worse with every passing hour.
04:39The doctor had told me, over and over, that I needed complete rest, but a night of overwhelming emotion, plus
04:46not a single bite of food or drop of water, had left me barely strong enough to stand.
04:50The morning sickness hit again, hard, and I dragged myself to the kitchen to make a bowl of soup.
04:56I had to give the babies inside me at least a little nutrition.
04:59As the soup cooked, another wave of nausea hit me. I spun around and ran straight to the bathroom.
05:05When I came back out, what I saw at the dining table turned the blood in my veins to ice.
05:10Vivian was sitting in my seat. Harrison stood beside her, holding a napkin.
05:15Is it that good, you little greedy thing? If you like it, I'll have Stella make you another bowl.
05:23Really, Harrison? I'm scared Stella won't want to. After all, this was for herself.
05:28Harrison followed her gaze to me, and finally noticed the cold sweat on my face, the way my hand was
05:33clamped tight over my stomach.
05:36What's wrong, Stella? You look like you've seen a ghost.
05:39I refused to show an ounce of weakness in front of him and Vivian. I especially refused to let him
05:45know about the babies.
05:46It's none of your damn business!
05:48Vivian was on her feet in an instant.
05:50Stella, if you're angry, take it out on me! Don't yell at Harrison! I shouldn't have eaten your soup! I'm
05:56so sorry!
05:58She picked up the half-empty bowl of soup, holding it out to me like she was handing it over.
06:11such thing.
06:13The burn made me stumble backward, my lower back slamming hard into the sharp.
06:19Harrison ran over. It was to shove me, hard, with all his strength. Blood poured down my thighs, soaking through
06:26my nightgown.
06:27Worse was the pain in my stomach, the tearing agony getting worse and worse.
06:31Vivian was clutching her stomach.
06:33It hurts so bad.
06:35Blood trickled down my temple.
06:37Stella, if you hated me, you could have hit me, yelled at me.
06:42Why would you hurt my baby?
06:45He's innocent.
06:46But Harrison didn't even glance at me.
06:49He was holding Vivian tight on the floor.
06:51Stella, have I spoiled you too much?
06:53How could you be this cruel?
07:00You'd hurt an unborn baby?
07:01I leaned weakly against the wall, looked at him.
07:06Harrison, you two cheating, lying pieces of shit were made for each other.
07:11One's a liar, the other's a blind fool.
07:22Shut up!
07:23The pain in my stomach hit its peak, holding back the tears that threatened to fall.
07:28I couldn't reconcile the man in front of me, the one who wanted me dead,
07:32with the gentle, loving man I'd fallen for all those years ago.
07:35Now you're crying?
07:36Where was this remorse when you tried to hurt her?
07:40Stella, you've really disappointed me.
07:42Lying there in a pool of my own blood,
07:44and rushed out of the house with Vivian in his arms,
07:47hurrying to the hospital.
07:48The huge, empty mansion was left with only me.
07:56I could feel it, clear as day.
07:59The eight tiny lives inside me were slipping away, one by one.
08:03Before my consciousness faded completely,
08:05I used the last of my strength to dial 911.
08:08When I woke again, it was already late afternoon the next day,
08:11the sharp, acrid smell of antiseptic burned my nostrils.
08:15I opened my eyes to a blindingly white hospital room,
08:18and the first thing I saw was the doctor's face.
08:22Stella, you were in hemorrhagic shock when you were brought in.
08:25We did everything we could to save the pregnancy,
08:28but we couldn't keep the babies.
08:31All eight fetuses have ceased development.
08:34We just completed a dilation and corruption procedure for you.
08:37A multiple gestation like this was already high risk,
08:39and the severe physical trauma and emotional distress you endured
08:42caused critical damage to your endromenium.
08:44We can't guarantee you'll be able to carry another pregnancy to term in the future.
08:48You need to prepare yourself for that possibility.
08:54I lay in the hospital bed,
08:55my fingertips brushing over my still aching lower stomach.
08:58There had once been eight tiny heartbeats here,
09:00the anniversary surprise I'd planned for Harrison.
09:03Now, that gift had been crushed by his own hands.
09:06I spent three days recovering in the hospital,
09:08and checked myself out the moment I could stand on my own.
09:11As I walked out of the hospital doors,
09:13I spotted Harrison at the entrance of the obstetrics ward.
09:17He was carefully guiding Vivian toward a patient room,
09:20her body curled into his chest.
09:23His gaze swept over me, lingering for barely half a second,
09:26as if he'd seen a total stranger.
09:28I tugged at the corner of my mouth and turned to leave,
09:31without a single pause.
09:33I'd lay this gift right in front of him, in person.
09:36When I got back to the mansion,
09:37the bloodstains in the living room had been cleaned up by the housekeepers.
09:40This house, the home we'd shared for seven years,
09:44was now filled floor to ceiling with Vivian's things.
09:46My clothes had been tossed haphazardly into the back corner of the closet.
09:50I only opened the small suitcase I'd carried when I ran away with him all those years ago,
09:55packing only the things that had belonged to me from the start.
09:57It was laughable, really.
10:00Seven years of marriage.
10:01And it all fit in this one case.
10:03Once I was done, I pulled a specimen container out of my bag.
10:07Inside, suspended in preservative fluid, were the eight unformed fetuses.
10:12Alongside it were the octuplet ultrasound report and the surgical records.
10:16Harrison, is the anniversary gift you destroyed with your own two hands.
10:20I zipped up the suitcase and walked out of the home I'd lived in for seven years.
10:24I left the light on in the foyer, just like I had every night for seven years,
10:28waiting for him to come home.
10:29But this time, I'd never be coming back.
10:32I boarded a flight to country F.
10:34My home, and the place where I'd start over.
10:37Ten years of love, seven years of marriage, eight unborn babies.
10:41It all ended here.
10:43Wiped clean.
10:47Every single day, Vivian curled up in his arms, her face streaked with tears,
10:51sobbing about the pain of losing her baby that he gritted his teeth and promised her,
10:55over and over, that he'd make Stella pay for what she'd done.
10:58But that nameless, gnawing unease in his chest only grew heavier, day by day.
11:02He couldn't stop replaying that day.
11:04Stella collapsed on the floor, blood streaming down her temple, the huge, bright pool of red beneath her.
11:10He'd been so fixated on Vivian's baby that he hadn't even glanced at her,
11:13just grabbed Vivian and raced to the hospital.
11:16And that emergency call, the one from the number he'd set himself,
11:20his one and only emergency contact.
11:22He'd been annoyed and flustered at the time, hung up straight away, and never called back.
11:27He'd tried calling me a handful of times over those three days,
11:30but it always went straight to voicemail.
11:32He'd just assumed I was hiding away, too ashamed to face him after my vicious act had been exposed.
11:37But in the dead of night, he couldn't get the image of her clutching her stomach so tightly out of
11:42his head.
11:42Harrison, what are you thinking about?
11:45Are you still thinking about Stella?
11:48I know you still care about her.
11:50Maybe, maybe I should just go.
11:52I don't want to put you in this position.
11:54Don't be ridiculous.
11:56You've been through so much for me.
11:57I'd never let you leave.
11:59Just focus on getting better, and don't worry about anything else.
12:03Harrison stared at her sleeping face, the unease in his chest spiraling out of control.
12:08He slipped quietly out of the patient room, needing to try calling Stella one more time.
12:14This temper tarum has gone on long enough.
12:17He told himself I was just being stubborn, but even in our worst fights, I'd never once ignored his calls.
12:22Rich guys are so easy to fool.
12:24This worked out perfectly.
12:26I pinned everything that happened on that frungy old wife, Stella.
12:29And now, Harrison feels so guilty, he can't say no to me.
12:32I've got this in the bag.
12:34I'm gonna be the Mrs. Hale for real.
12:36Harrison froze outside the door, his mind going completely blank.
12:39He'd been a total, utter fool, played like a fiddle by this woman.
12:44Mr. Hale, don't you worry.
12:47You and your wife will have another baby some.
12:49She's not my wife.
12:52I'm sorry.
12:54She was saying she'll never be able to get pregnant again after the miscarriage.
12:58The miscarriage was because the fetus wasn't developing normally.
13:02I actually advised her to terminate the pregnancy last week.
13:06She didn't tell you that?
13:08What?
13:10It was like a bomb went off in his head, wiping every thought clean.
13:14Every piece of the puzzle clicked into place all at once.
13:17Stella's deathly white face.
13:18Her hand clamped tight over her stomach.
13:20A huge pool of blood on the floor.
13:22That unanswered emergency call.
13:24The number that would never pick up.
13:27Stella!
13:28Spinning on his heel and sprinting down the stairs, he raced to the parking garage, threw himself
13:32into his car, and slammed the gas pedal to the floor.
13:35He ran countless red lights on the drive, racing like a madman toward the mansion.
13:42Stella!
13:44Stella!
14:13Stella!
14:14anniversary. Patient name, Stella. Ultrasound finding, intrauterine pregnancy, eight live
14:20fetuses. His hands began to shake uncontrollably. He flipped through the pages, one by one. The
14:26incomplete abortion diagnosis, the dilation and curatage surgical records, the medical
14:30evaluation confirming severe, permanent damage to her uterus. Every single word was a knife,
14:35twisted deep into his heart. Stella, you finally answered. I'm so sorry, none of this is real,
14:41right? Harrison, this is the anniversary gift I had for you, the preserved remains of the eight
14:46babies you never got to meet, that you killed with your own hands. Harrison let out a guttural,
14:51animalistic scream. His knees gave out, and he collapsed to the floor, the papers scattering
14:56all around him. He clung to the specimen box like a lifeline, his forehead pressed to the cold night
15:01stand, and wailed, loud and broken. Tears and snot streamed down his face, unhinged and broken.
15:07He finally understood. On their seventh anniversary, she hadn't come empty-handed.
15:12She'd prepared the biggest surprise in the world, eight babies that were his. He was the one who'd
15:17brought his mistress into their home, and shattered that gift with his own two hands. He was the one
15:22who pushed her to the ground, the woman carrying his eight children, for a lying con artist, and
15:27killed his own babies. He was the one who'd hung up on her desperate call for help, left her bleeding
15:32out on the floor, and nearly cost her her life. He was the one who'd pushed the girl he'd loved
15:36for ten years straight into hell, and burned every last bridge between them to ash. He called Stella
15:41again and again, frantically, endlessly. But the only thing that came through the speaker was the same,
15:47unchanging automated message, telling him the number he'd dialed could not be reached.
15:52He was finally panicking, finally terrified. He'd lost his girl. He'd lost his eight babies.
15:58He'd lost every last bit of good fortune he'd ever had in his life. Harrison sat on the master bedroom
16:05floor for an entire night, clutching the specimen box to his chest. He read and reread those medical
16:10reports, whispering Stella's name over and over, until his voice went completely hoarse. Not a single
16:16sound able to come out. As soon as dawn broke, he headed back to the hospital, his eyes bloodshot that
16:22he didn't step into the patient room. Instead, he had his lawyers and the police waiting outside,
16:27and secured full evidence of Vivian and the doctor conspiring to falsify medical records,
16:31commit fraud, and file false accusations. He had both of them sent to prison that same day,
16:37using every connection and resource at his disposal to make them pay the steepest possible price for
16:41what they'd done. After it was all handled, he felt no relief whatsoever. The hollow void in his chest
16:47only grew wider, and regret washed over him like a tidal wave, drowning him day and night. He used every
16:53single one of his connections and resources, searching for Stella like a man possessed.
16:57He pulled security footage, flight records, hotel bookings, and called every single one of her friends,
17:03until he finally found out that the day she was discharged from the hospital, she'd booked a one-way
17:08flight to Country F. After she landed, there was no record of her ever leaving the country again.
17:13Country F was where her parents had settled for years, all those years ago, she'd cut ties with her
17:18parents and given up her chance to study abroad, just to stand by him and build his business from
17:23nothing. Now, with nowhere else to go, she'd finally gone home to her family. He'd booked a flight to
17:29Country F immediately, but right before he boarded the plane, he was stopped by customs, a travel ban
17:34had been issued against him, due to his involvement in an ongoing financial case, as well as accessory
17:39liability for the false accusation. He smashed up his entire office in a fit of rage, but it did nothing
17:45to change the outcome. He could only wait in that empty mansion, guarding the specimen box and those
17:50medical reports, waiting for the travel ban to lift, waiting for any word from Stella. It was his
17:55birthday. For the past 10 years, Stella had never missed his birthday. Every single year, she'd spend
18:02weeks preparing his gift, and cook him a pot of spaghetti from scratch. But this year, there was
18:07no gift, not even a text, not a single phone call. He sat at the dining table, staring at the
18:13cold bowl
18:13of spaghetti in front of him. He'd cooked it over and over, following Stella's old recipe down to the
18:19last detail, but he could never recreate the taste he remembered. He picked up his phone and dialed that
18:24number he knew by heart once again. This time, all that came through the speaker was an automated message,
18:29telling him the number he had dialed was no longer in service. She'd changed her number. She'd cut off
18:34every last tie to him, completely and utterly. Harrison collapsed onto the table, and broke down and
18:40loud, heaving sobs like a lost child. He finally understood how Stella had felt all those years
18:45ago at the airport, clinging to his hand and refusing to let go. He finally understood the
18:50soul-crushing despair she'd felt, watching him hold another woman in his arms. He finally understood
18:55that some things, once lost, can never be found again. I thrived in country F. The moment the plane
19:02touched down, and I saw my mom and dad waiting for me at the airport, all the grief and pain
19:07I'd bottled up
19:07for months came flooding out. I collapsed into their arms and cried. They didn't blame me. They
19:13didn't bring up what had happened all those years ago. They just rubbed my back, whispering over and
19:18over, you're home now. It's okay, you're home. It turned out they'd never truly cut ties with me.
19:24All those years, they'd been quietly keeping tabs on how I was doing. They just never reached out,
19:30scared I wouldn't want to see them, scared they'd disturb my life. Under my mom's meticulous care,
19:35my body slowly healed, and the scars on my heart were gently mended, little by little,
19:41by the warmth of family. Mason, one of my mom's former students, stopped by the house often after
19:46he heard I'd come home. He was a gentle, steady man. He knew what I'd been through, but never pressed
19:53for painful details. He only ever gave me exactly the right amount of company and support, exactly when
19:59I needed it. With his referral, I joined his investment firm. Stepping back into the work I'd excelled
20:05at all those years ago. After all, it was I who'd landed the very first windfall that built Harrison's
20:10company from nothing. It was I who designed and executed his first breakout hit project.
20:15But somewhere along the way, I'd given up my career for him, trapped myself in the four walls of a
20:21house,
20:21and lost myself in the process. The moment I stepped back into the corporate world, I finally found myself
20:27again. I no longer lived in fear of losing a man's love, no longer drained myself over a relationship
20:33that was never worth it. I had my own career, my own family, my own life. Mason's presence was like
20:39soft spring rain, gentle and unwavering. He remembered I had a sensitive stomach, and would
20:45always ask the restaurant to make my food mild ahead of every meal. He remembered I was afraid of the
20:50dark, and would always drive me home personally if I worked late. He respected every single one of my
20:56thoughts, supported every decision I made, and never once asked me to change a single thing about
21:00myself for him. Unlike Harrison's love, which had burned hot and wild until it scorched everything
21:06in its path, Mason's love was quiet, steady, and deep. It was a safe harbor where I could let my
21:11guard down completely, without fear. We fell into a relationship naturally, no grand. Dramatic vows,
21:18only quiet, consistent companionship. On my birthday, Mason took me to the beach. The sunset spilled over the
21:25water, painting the waves in gold. He took my hand in his, and asked me softly if I'd marry him.
21:30I looked into his eyes, full of warmth and sincerity, and smiled, nodding yes. The sea
21:36breeze blew over us, carrying the salt of the ocean. I suddenly remembered the line I'd written
21:41on the card I left for Harrison, my love has gone to the sea. It turned out to be true.
21:46All the regret
21:47and pain I'd buried in the depths would finally be smoothed away by the tide. A new love would always
21:52find its way to you, riding on the wind from the sea. The day Mason and I got engaged, I
21:57saw Harrison
21:58standing outside my apartment building. It had been a full year since I'd left.
22:06Stella! Stella!
22:10His eyes were bloodshot and clouded, only flaring to sudden.
22:13I finally found you.
22:15Sharp life the second he saw me.
22:16I finally get to see you.
22:18Like a drowning man grabbing for his last lifeline.
22:21Stella, I know I was wrong. I know it with every fiber of my being. What I did with Vivian.
22:26I was blind. I was stupid. I failed you. I failed our babies.
22:30Hit me. Yell at me. Punish me however you want. I'll give you all my companies, my life, everything.
22:37Just please. Come home with me. Please.
22:42I looked at him calmly. Not a single ripple in my chest. No hatred. No resentment. Only
22:50complete and total peace, IT was like watching a stranger put on a belated, overwrought tragedy.
22:55Harrison, stand up. What we had ended a long time ago.
23:00It ended the day you walked through that front door with Vivian.
23:04It ended the day you killed our eight babies with your own two hands.
23:12No!
23:13We had ten years together. You can't just throw that away.
23:18I know you're still angry at me. Let me spend the rest of my life making it up to you,
23:22okay?
23:24We can have more babies. We can go back to the way things were, please.
23:29We can never go back.
23:32What you owe me. What you owe those eight babies.
23:37Then bees can never be repaid with a single I'm sorry.
23:41You saw the gift I left you. You destroyed it with your own hands and it can never, ever be
23:45fixed.
23:47I'm happy now. I have a partner, a home, a life of let go of the past.
23:51I'm asking you to leave me alone and never bother me again.
23:55I'm going with him.
24:10Stella! Don't go!
24:12No! Please.
24:24Later, I heard he'd been forcibly deported back to his home country.
24:30After that, word got around that he'd liquidated every last one of his companies and assets,
24:35holing up a loan in that empty mansion. He never dated again, never married anyone else.
24:43Mason and I had our wedding in Country F. It was a small, simple ceremony, but it was brimming with
24:49more happiness than I'd ever known. A year later, I gave birth to a healthy set of boy-girl twins.
24:55On the twins' first birthday, a breaking international news alert flashed across the TV.
25:00American national Harrison illegally flew a small private plane into Country F's restricted airspace.
25:05The plane lost control and crashed into the Gulf with no survivors.
25:10On our wedding day, I'd sent a single white rose to him, through a courier. It was my final goodbye
25:16to
25:16the ten years of my youth I'd given to him. Now, he'd sunk to the bottom of the sea, along
25:21with that
25:22crashed plane. And the love that had died in me, long ago, had already been laid to rest in those
25:27same waters, with the eight babies we never got to hold. What we had is gone forever, my love has
25:33sunk to
25:34the sea. For the rest of my days, I will walk every mile of this world in peace and joy,
25:39never again to be shaken.
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