- 3 hours ago
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Short filmTranscript
00:00Octopolis! My goodness!
00:02A multiple gessity 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.
00:27I 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 twelve, 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, glued to his side was a young girl with tear-filled eyes, Vivian.
00:54Stella, I'm sorry.
00:56Love doesn't care about who came first.
00:59Harrison and I are truly, deeply in love.
01:03Please, I'm begging you.
01:05Let us be together.
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.
01:17All 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,
01:25fumbled 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 a 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
02:13looking,
02:14when 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 study my emotions.
02:33I was curious to see just how far 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.
02:49I ordered you the newest jewelry line, a whole set of designer bags.
02:52They'll be here tomorrow. Just 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. I
04:56had 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. When
05:05I 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.
06:13The 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! Why would you hurt my baby? He's
06:45innocent!
06:46But Harrison didn't even glance at me. He was holding Vivian tight on the floor.
06:51Stella, have I spoiled you too much? How 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, with the gentle, loving man
07:33I'd fallen for all those years ago.
07:35Now you're crying? Where 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, and rushed out of the house with Vivian in his arms,
07:47hurrying into 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, I used the last of my strength to dial 911.
08:08When I woke again, it was already late afternoon the next day, the sharp, acrid smell of antiseptic burned my
08:14nostrils.
08:15I opened my eyes to a blindingly white hospital room, and the first thing I saw was the doctor's face.
08:22Stella, you were in hemorrhagic shock when you were brought in.
08:26We did everything we could to save the pregnancy, but we couldn't keep the babies.
08:31All eight fetuses have ceased development.
08:34We just completed a dilation and curruption procedure for you.
08:37A multiple gestation like this was already high risk, and the severe physical trauma and emotional distress you endured caused
08:43critical damage to your entramenium.
08:45We 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, my fingertips brushing over my still aching lower stomach.
08:58There had once been eight tiny heartbeats here, the 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, and checked myself out the moment I could stand on my own.
09:11As I walked out of the hospital doors, I spotted Harrison at the entrance of the obstetrics ward.
09:17He was carefully guiding Vivian toward a patient room, her body curled into his chest.
09:23His gaze swept over me, lingering for barely half a second, as if he'd seen a total stranger.
09:28I tugged at the corner of my mouth and turned to leave, without a single pause.
09:33I'd lay this gift right in front of him, in person.
09:36When I got back to the mansion, the bloodstains in the living room had been cleaned up by the housekeepers.
09:41This house, the home we'd shared for seven years, was now filled floor to ceiling with Vivian's things.
09:47My 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, packing only
09:55the 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.
10:04Once 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, waiting for him
10:29to 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, sobbing about the pain of losing
10:53her baby.
10:53He gritted his teeth and promised her, over 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, just grabbed Vivian and raced to
11:15the hospital.
11:16And that emergency call, the one from the number he'd set himself.
11:20His one and only emergency contact.
11:23He'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, but it always went straight to voicemail.
11:33He'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.
11:58I'd never let you leave.
11:59Just focus on getting better, and don't worry about anything else.
12:04Harrison 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'd 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.
12:33I'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.
12:50She'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.
13:19Her hand clamped tight over her stomach.
13:20The 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,
13:30he raced to the parking garage, threw himself into his car,
13:33and 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!
13:44Stella!
13:45Stella!
13:45Stella!
13:50Stella!
13:52Stella!
14:12Dated the day of their seventh wedding anniversary, patient name, Stella, ultrasound finding,
14:18intrauterine pregnancy, eight live fetuses. His hands began to shake uncontrollably.
14:23He flipped through the pages, one by one, the incomplete abortion diagnosis, the dilation
14:28and curatage surgical records, the medical evaluation confirming severe, permanent damage
14:33to her uterus. Every single word was a knife, twisted deep into his heart.
14:37Stella, you finally answered. I'm so sorry, none of this is real, right?
14:42Harrison, 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.
14:50Harrison let out a guttural, animalistic scream. His knees gave out, and he collapsed to the floor,
14:56the papers scattering all around him. He clung to the specimen box like a lifeline,
15:00his forehead pressed to the cold nightstand, and wailed, loud and broken. Tears and snot streamed
15:05down his face, unhinged and broken. He finally understood. On their seventh anniversary,
15:10she hadn't come empty handed. She'd prepared the biggest surprise in the world. Eight babies that were
15:16his. He was the one who'd brought his mistress into their home, and shattered that gift with his own
15:20two hands. He was the one who'd pushed her to the ground, the woman carrying his eight children,
15:25for a lying con artist, and killed his own babies. He was the one who'd hung up on her desperate
15:30call for
15:31help, left her bleeding out on the floor, and nearly cost her her life. He was the one who'd pushed
15:36the
15:36girl he'd loved for 10 years straight into hell, and burned every last bridge between them to ash.
15:41He called Stella again and again, frantically, endlessly. But the only thing that came through
15:46the speaker was the same, unchanging automated message, telling him the number he'd dialed could
15:51not be reached. He was finally panicking, finally terrified. He'd lost his girl. He'd lost his eight
15:57babies. He'd lost every last bit of good fortune he'd ever had in his life.
16:02No, no. Harrison sat on the master bedroom floor for an entire night,
16:07clutching the specimen box to his chest. He read and reread those medical reports,
16:12whispering Stella's name over and over, until his voice went completely hoarse.
16:15Not a single sound able to come out. As soon as dawn broke, he headed back to the hospital,
16:21his eyes bloodshot that he didn't step into the patient room. Instead, he had his lawyers and the
16:26police waiting outside, and secured full evidence of Vivian and the doctor conspiring to falsify
16:31medical records, commit fraud, and file false accusations. He had both of them sent to prison
16:36that same day, using every connection and resource at his disposal to make them pay the steepest
16:41possible price for what they'd done. After it was all handled, he felt no relief whatsoever.
16:46The hollow void in his chest only grew wider, and regret washed over him like a tidal wave,
16:51drowning him day and night. He used every single one of his connections and resources,
16:55searching for Stella like a man possessed. He pulled security footage, flight records, hotel bookings,
17:01and called every single one of her friends, until he finally found out that the day she was discharged
17:06from the hospital, she'd booked a one-way flight to Country F. After she landed, there was no record
17:12of her ever leaving the country again. Country F was where her parents had settled for years,
17:16all those years ago, she'd cut ties with her parents and given up her chance to study abroad,
17:21just to stand by him and build his business from nothing. Now, with nowhere else to go,
17:26she'd finally gone home to her family. He'd booked a flight to Country F immediately,
17:30but right before he boarded the plane, he was stopped by customs, a travel ban had been issued
17:35against him, due to his involvement in an ongoing financial case, as well as accessory liability for
17:40the false accusation. He smashed up his entire office in a fit of rage, but it did nothing to change
17:46the 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.
17:55It was his birthday. For the past 10 years, Stella had never missed his birthday. Every single year,
18:01she'd spend weeks preparing his gift, and cook him a pot of spaghetti from scratch. But this year,
18:07there was no gift, not even a text, not a single phone call. He sat at the dining table,
18:12staring at the cold bowl of spaghetti in front of him. He'd cooked it over and over, following Stella's
18:18old recipe down to the last detail, but he could never recreate the taste he remembered. He picked
18:23up his phone and dialed that number he knew by heart once again. This time, all that came through
18:27the speaker was an automated message, telling him the number he had dialed was no longer in service.
18:32She'd changed her number. She'd cut off every last tie to him, completely and utterly. Harrison collapsed
18:38onto the table, and broke down and loud, heaving sobs like a lost child. He finally understood how
18:44Stella had felt all those years ago at the airport, clinging to his hand and refusing to let go.
18:48He finally understood the soul-crushing despair she'd felt, watching him hold another woman in his
18:54arms. He finally understood that some things, once lost, can never be found again. I thrived in
19:00country F. The moment the plane touched down, and I saw my mom and dad waiting for me at the
19:05airport,
19:06all the grief and pain I'd bottled up for months came flooding out. I collapsed into their arms and cried.
19:11They didn't blame me. They didn't bring up what had happened all those years ago.
19:16They just rubbed my back, whispering over and over,
19:19You're home now. It's okay. You're home.
19:21It turned out they'd never truly cut ties with me. All those years, they'd been quietly
19:27keeping tabs on how I was doing. They just never reached out, scared I wouldn't want to see them,
19:32scared they'd disturb my life. Under my mom's meticulous care, my body slowly healed,
19:37and the scars on my heart were gently mended, little by little, by the warmth of family.
19:42Mason, one of my mom's former students, stopped by the house often after he heard I'd come home.
19:48He was a gentle, steady man. He knew what I'd been through, but never pressed for painful details.
19:54He only ever gave me exactly the right amount of company and support, exactly when I needed it.
20:00With his referral, I joined his investment firm, stepping back into the work I'd excelled at all
20:05those 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
20:21of a house, and lost myself in the process. The moment I stepped back into the corporate world,
20:26I finally found myself again. I no longer lived in fear of losing a man's love,
20:31no longer drained myself over a relationship that was never worth it. I had my own career,
20:36my own family, my own life. Mason's presence was like soft spring rain, gentle and unwavering.
20:43He remembered I had a sensitive stomach, and would always ask the restaurant to make my food
20:47mild ahead of every meal. He remembered I was afraid of the dark, and would always drive me home
20:52personally if I worked late. He respected every single one of my thoughts, supported every decision I made,
20:58and never once asked me to change a single thing about myself for him. Unlike Harrison's love,
21:04which had burned hot and wild until it scorched everything in its path, Mason's love was quiet,
21:08steady, and deep. It was a safe harbor where I could let my guard down completely, without fear.
21:14We fell into a relationship naturally, no grand. Dramatic vows, only quiet, consistent companionship.
21:21On my birthday, Mason took me to the beach. The sunset spilled over the water,
21:26painting the waves in gold. He took my hand in his, and asked me softly if I'd marry him.
21:31I looked into his eyes, full of warmth and sincerity, and smiled, nodding yes. The sea
21:37breeze blew over us, carrying the salt of the ocean. I suddenly remembered the line I'd written on the
21:42card I left for Harrison, my love has gone to the sea. It turned out to be true. All the
21:47regret and
21:48pain 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,
21:57I saw Harrison standing outside my apartment building. It had been a full year since I'd left.
22:07Stella! Stella!
22:10His eyes were bloodshot and clouded, only flaring to sudden.
22:14I finally found you.
22:15Sharp life the second he saw me. I 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.
22:25What I did with Vivian. I was blind. I was stupid. I failed you. I failed our babies.
22:31Hit me. Yell at me. Punish me however you want. I'll give you all my companies, my life, everything.
22:38Just please, come home with me, please.
22:42I looked at him calmly. Not a single ripple in my chest. No hatred. No resentment. Only complete and
22:51total 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. What you owe me. What you owe those eight babies.
23:38Then bees can never be repaid with a single I'm sorry. You saw the gift I left you. You destroyed
23:43it with your own hands and it can never, ever be fixed. I'm happy now. I have a partner, a
23:50home,
23:50a life of let go of the past. I'm asking you to leave me alone and never bother me again.
23:56I'm going with
24:07him.
24:10Stop! Don't go! Please.
24:25Later, I heard he'd been forcibly deported back to his home country.
24:31After that, word got around that he'd liquidated every last one of his companies and assets,
24:36holing 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
24:56twins' first birthday, a breaking international news alert flashed across the TV. American National
25:01Harrison illegally flew a small private plane into Country F's restricted airspace. The plane lost control and
25:07crashed into the Gulf, with no survivors. On our wedding day, I'd sent a single white rose to him,
25:14through a courier. It was my final goodbye to the ten years of my youth I'd given to him. Now,
25:19he'd sunk to the bottom of the sea, along with that crashed plane. And the love that had died in
25:25me,
25:25long ago, had already been laid to rest in those same waters, with the eight babies we never got to
25:30hold.
25:31What we had is gone forever, my love has sunk to the sea. For the rest of my days,
25:36I will walk every mile of this world in peace and joy, never again to be shaken.
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