- 16 hours ago
Mom, Please Believe Me Just Once
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🎥
Short filmTranscript
00:00My mom called me a liar from the day I was born, not because I actually lied, but because of
00:05this thing around my neck, the Verity choker.
00:07Mom was Luna of Silvermoon Pack, and she believed one thing above all, lying was the mark of a weak
00:13wolf.
00:13We were her daughters, future alpha heirs. Weakness was not an option.
00:18So when my twin sister Emma and I were born, mom clasped these chokers around our throats, which had witch
00:24magic to detect lies.
00:25Green light means truth, red light means you were lying.
00:28Emma's choker? Always green. She could shred mom's ceremonial cloak and blame the cat, and Jem would glow a steady
00:35green.
00:36Not me.
00:37Green light. Believed. Me?
00:40Mom, I'm hungry.
00:42Flash! Red light. The choker choked tight. I shifted on instinct.
00:46A small white wolf, pawing desperately at the Jem around my neck, claws scraping against it, unable to get it
00:53off.
00:53I'm not lying. Not lying.
00:58Please.
00:59But mom's eyes had already gone cold. Instant punishment. Mom's punishment wasn't gentle.
01:05No food, locked in my room, no contact with anyone in the pack.
01:09The truth necklace doesn't lie, Stella. Starve now, study later. I'm doing this for your own good.
01:15After 10 years of this, I started believing it too. Maybe I really was born wrong.
01:20New Year's Eve, everything changed. Mom was getting ready to take Emma to the pack's bonfire celebration.
01:26And that's when the pain hit, like a knife twisting in my gut. I collapsed on the floor, my skeletal
01:32frame curling into itself.
01:34The choker flashed red and choked tight. She looked down at me, disgusted in her eyes.
01:42In your dreams, Stella. Faking an illness to ruin our night?
01:46She grabbed Emma's hand and headed for the door. I wanted to howl, but my wolf was too weak to
01:52answer.
01:52I shifted anyway. Forced it. A small, white wolf trembling on the floor. Ribs heaving.
01:58Maybe in this warm, the pain would hurt less. It didn't. I couldn't even hold the shift.
02:03I slipped back into myself without meaning to.
02:06Sorry, mom. I won't lie anymore.
02:08But the pain got worse. Way worse.
02:10The door handle turned. For one second, I thought, mom's coming back. She came back for me.
02:16Hurry up. The bonfire is starting. Emma's waiting.
02:20Mom?
02:20I reached out with a shaking hand.
02:23Please. Something's really wrong. I feel like I'm dying.
02:26She glanced at my neck. The gem was flashing red, over and over.
02:31She crouched down, grabbed my chin.
02:33Stella, how long are you going to keep this up?
02:36Can't you just be honest and stay here and think about what you've done?
02:40Dad appeared in the doorway.
02:42Honey, should we at least leave her some food?
02:46Food? She has a stash of snacks she bought with stolen money.
02:49Honey, she won't starve. Lock the door. When that gem turns green, we'll talk.
02:56But...
02:56But what?
02:58It's because you spoil her that she turned out this way.
03:01Look at Emma. Her gem has always been green.
03:05Stella is a liar. An alpha heiress who can't tell the truth. She needs discipline.
03:10But my cabinet was empty. Emma stole that money. Emma ate those snacks.
03:16Emma just stood there with her glowing green gem, saying,
03:20Not me.
03:20And mom believed her.
03:22I tried to defend myself.
03:24It wasn't me!
03:25Red light. The choker choked tight.
03:28I tried to shift.
03:29Nothing happened.
03:31Deep inside, my wolf barely stirred.
03:34Mom locked me up for three days with nothing but water and stale bread.
03:38Mom turned to leave.
03:39Emma peeked through the door, made a face at me.
03:42Bye, sis. We're gonna see the bonfire.
03:44Her gem glowed a steady green. So pretty.
03:48The door locked. The house went silent.
03:51I called my wolf.
03:52Nothing came back. Not even a whisper.
03:56Just me alone.
03:57The pain was unbearable.
04:00But I kept thinking.
04:01Mom's right. The gem doesn't lie.
04:04It's red, so I must be lying.
04:07I'm not in pain.
04:08I'm not in pain.
04:10I'm not in pain.
04:13I kept repeating it like a prayer.
04:16Eventually, I almost believed it.
04:18The pain dulled.
04:20Or maybe I was just going numb.
04:22I crawled to my desk.
04:24I had to write.
04:25That was the rule.
04:27If the gem glowed red,
04:28I had to pen a thousand-word apology.
04:31Or mom would never let me out.
04:33I am a liar.
04:35Write it down.
04:36And maybe mom would forgive me.
04:38Maybe she'd even let me out.
04:40I opened my journal.
04:42Pages and pages of apologies I'd written over the years.
04:46Sorry I lied.
04:47I won't do it again.
04:49But this time, I wanted to write the truth.
04:52My vision blurred.
04:54My hand shook as I wrote,
04:56Mom, I really love you.
04:58It really hurts.
05:00Why won't you believe me?
05:02Please believe me.
05:04Just once.
05:04The moment I finished the last word,
05:08The pain vanished.
05:09Just gone.
05:10I felt light.
05:12Weightless.
05:13I looked down.
05:14I was floating.
05:15And there, slumped over the desk,
05:18Was my body.
05:20Motionless.
05:20The gem still flashing red around a dead girl's neck.
05:24Oh!
05:25I'm dead.
05:26And then,
05:27She came out.
05:28My wolf.
05:29Stepping out of my body like she'd been waiting all along.
05:33Small.
05:34Skinny.
05:35Barely holding together.
05:37She looked up at me and,
05:38Once.
05:39Soft and low.
05:41In the pack's old stories,
05:42They say when a wolf dies young,
05:45Her spirit doesn't cross over alone.
05:47Her wolf walks beside her,
05:49Until they find the door together.
05:51I knelt down.
05:52She pressed her nose into my ghostly palm.
05:55Finally.
05:56We were together now.
05:58But I never learned how to be honest.
06:00Sorry, Mom.
06:01I heard laughter.
06:03Mom.
06:03Dad.
06:04Emma.
06:05Coming through the front door.
06:07Tonight's bonfire was beautiful.
06:09The best one yet.
06:11Just like our Emma.
06:13Perfect in every way.
06:15I'd never heard her sound like that when she talked about me.
06:18I floated toward them.
06:19My wolf patting silently at my side.
06:22Moving on instinct,
06:23I wanted to help them take off their cloaks.
06:25That's what I always did.
06:27Mom!
06:27My arms passed right through her body.
06:30Like wind.
06:31Why is it so cold here?
06:33Is the hearthi out?
06:35I stood there,
06:36Staring at my transparent hands.
06:38My wolf pressed against my leg
06:39And looked up at me with sad eyes.
06:42Right.
06:42Dead wolves couldn't hug the living.
06:45Shall we go and see Stella?
06:46She hasn't eaten yet.
06:48Still the good cop.
06:49I looked at Mom hopefully.
06:51If she found me dead,
06:52Would she be sad?
06:54Would she regret it?
06:56She won't starve.
06:58She is a werewolf,
06:59Not a human pup.
07:01This whole fake sick for attention thing
07:03Is out of control.
07:05I laughed bitterly.
07:06Mom wasn't wrong.
07:08Werewolves heal.
07:09But I hadn't been able to in a long time.
07:12Last winter,
07:12The choker left bruises that stayed for days.
07:15That hadn't happened before.
07:17I reached for my wolf.
07:18She was still there,
07:19But the warmth never came.
07:21She was too hungry.
07:22Just like me.
07:24Mom never noticed.
07:25She only ever looked at my neck for one thing.
07:28The gem.
07:29And whether it was red or green.
07:31Mom pushed open my door.
07:33Didn't even turn on the light.
07:34Just for a second,
07:36Her eyes flashed gold.
07:37Her wolf might have known.
07:39Mom didn't listen.
07:40In the dim glow from the hallway,
07:42She saw me slumped over my desk.
07:44I looked like a skeleton.
07:46Hadn't moved.
07:47Still putting on an act?
07:49You're ten years old,
07:51Not five.
07:52Grow up.
07:53Mom, I'm not playing.
07:55I'm dead.
07:56Look at me.
07:57Touch me.
07:58I'm freezing.
07:59She couldn't hear me.
08:01She only believed what she wanted to see.
08:03Emma squeezed past her,
08:05Held up her choker with that smug little grin.
08:08Look, my gem is green.
08:10Stella's is still red.
08:11She's lying, even in her sleep.
08:13That's my good girl.
08:15Ignore the liar.
08:16Let her stay there.
08:18Maybe she'll learn how to be honest.
08:21Should we at least put her in bed?
08:22It's freezing.
08:24Put her in bed?
08:25Look at that red gem, still lying.
08:28Come on, leave her.
08:29We have to visit grandma tomorrow.
08:32The door locked again.
08:34I floated next to my corpse.
08:36My wolf curled silently at my feet,
08:38Staring at that single point of red light in the darkness.
08:42Mom, if you'd just stepped closer,
08:44If you'd just touched my hand,
08:46You'd know I was ice cold.
08:47But you didn't.
08:48You believed the choker.
08:50Not the daughter you carried for nine months.
08:53That night,
08:53A rat crawled out of my empty cabinet.
08:56I used to scream whenever I saw rats.
08:58But now,
08:59I just floated by the ceiling,
09:00Watching it scurry across my dead body.
09:03The rat bit into my toe.
09:05I didn't feel anything.
09:06My wolf charged at it anyway,
09:08And passed right through,
09:10Landing on the other side.
09:11She turned back to look at me,
09:13Confused.
09:14Lost.
09:15I pulled her close,
09:16And buried my face in the fur of her back.
09:19It's okay.
09:21You can't feel it anymore.
09:23It'll be over soon.
09:25She let out one low growl,
09:27Then went still against me.
09:29Finally,
09:30No more pain.
09:32For either of us.
09:33The next morning,
09:34Sunlight streamed through the window.
09:36No warmth reached my body.
09:38In the kitchen,
09:39I could hear Mom making breakfast.
09:41The smell of roasted meat crept under my door.
09:44My favorite.
09:45But Mom always said liars don't deserve meat.
09:48So I only ever got steamed vegetables.
09:50She was clanging the pots extra loud on purpose.
09:53Trying to tempt me out.
09:55Trying to make me give in,
09:56And apologize for things I never did.
09:59In the old days,
10:00I might have caved.
10:01I might have confessed to anything,
10:03For one bite of roasted meat.
10:05But I don't need food anymore.
10:07Stella still hasn't come out yet?
10:09Dad asked,
10:10Reading the pack notices.
10:12She is so stubborn.
10:13She can eat or not.
10:14I don't care.
10:17Emma walked to my door,
10:19And made a big show of sniffing the air.
10:22Then she screamed dramatically.
10:24Mom!
10:25Stella's room smells like poop!
10:27Did she poop in there?
10:29I floated by the door,
10:31Watching my sister with a bitter smile.
10:33My wolf sat beside me,
10:35Ears flat,
10:36Eyes low.
10:37The hearth was burning hot.
10:39After just one night,
10:41My body started to rot.
10:43Mom stormed over,
10:44Pounding on the door.
10:46Stella!
10:47Who does that?
10:48The toilet is right there!
10:50Did you shit on the floor to spite me?
10:52I remembered being six.
10:54I had food poisoning.
10:56Couldn't make it to the toilet in time.
10:58Mom didn't help me clean up.
11:00She made me stand outside,
11:02Pointed at me,
11:03And told the neighbors.
11:04Look at this.
11:05She's such a mess.
11:07She can't even use the toilet herself.
11:09Now she thought I was dirty again.
11:11Leave her.
11:12Let her sit in her own stink.
11:14But Dad stood up, frowning.
11:16That smells really bad.
11:18I should check.
11:19Could it be a dead rat or something?
11:22My heart,
11:23If I still had one,
11:24Leapt.
11:25Dad, please!
11:27Open the door!
11:28I'm right here!
11:29Just turn the handle,
11:31And you'll see I'm not moving!
11:32I waved my transparent arms frantically.
11:36My wolf ran straight to my bedroom door,
11:38Willing Dad to open it.
11:40Dad's hand touched the door handle.
11:42His hand froze.
11:43Someone was pounding at the front door.
11:45A pack elder.
11:46Urgent business.
11:47Dad's face went pale.
11:48He grabbed his cloak.
11:49The border.
11:50There's an emergency.
11:52He was already out the door.
11:53I froze.
11:54So close.
11:55One second away.
11:56If that knock had come one second later,
11:59I would have been found.
12:00Maybe then,
12:01I wouldn't have rotted alone.
12:02That afternoon,
12:03Mom took Emma to the pack market.
12:05The house was empty except for my corpse.
12:07When they came back that evening,
12:09Loaded down with food and gifts from the market,
12:11The smell had gotten worse.
12:12Mom gagged the second she walked in.
12:15Stella?
12:16Are you trying to turn this place into a den of inequity?
12:19She didn't even open my door.
12:20Just grabbed cloth strips and sealed the gap at the bottom.
12:23If you want to stay in there and make disgusting stew zoos,
12:26Don't stink up my house.
12:27She patted her hands together, satisfied.
12:30Then went to prepare dinner.
12:31I stared at that sealed door.
12:33My wolf pressed her nose against it and whimpered once.
12:36So that's it.
12:36I'm worth less than a venison dinner.
12:38By day three,
12:39Even the cloth strips couldn't contain the smell.
12:42Mom was arranging fresh wildflowers,
12:43Trying to cover it up.
12:45But the stench of death is unmistakable.
12:47Sweet.
12:48Rotten.
12:49Oily.
12:49She cut a rose stem too hard.
12:51A thorn pierced her hand.
12:53She snapped.
12:54In her mind,
12:55I was doing this on purpose.
12:56Not bathing.
12:57Poop on the floor.
12:58Hiding dead rats in my room.
13:00All to piss her off.
13:01All to defy her authority as Luna.
13:03Stella!
13:04She grabbed a rolling pin from the kitchen.
13:07Stormed toward my room.
13:08I'm done with you!
13:09You disgusting little brat!
13:11Time you learned what real pain feels like!
13:14I floated in front of her,
13:15Waving my arms desperately.
13:17Don't come in, Mom!
13:19Please!
13:21Please!
13:22Even though she never loved me,
13:24I didn't want her to see me like that.
13:25But she walked right through me.
13:27Ripped the cloth strips off.
13:29Jammed the spare key into the lock.
13:31The door flew open.
13:32The smell hit her like a wall.
13:34She stumbled back,
13:35Wretching.
13:36Stella!
13:36What are you doing?
13:38She saw me.
13:39Still slumped over the desk.
13:40Back turned.
13:41Not moving.
13:42To her,
13:42this was the ultimate rebellion.
13:44I'm talking to you!
13:46She marched over,
13:47raised the rolling pin,
13:49but stopped.
13:50She wanted to see my face first.
13:52Wanted to see my...
13:53Get up!
13:54She grabbed the back of my shirt,
13:56grabbed my skin.
13:57The moment she touched me,
13:58she froze.
13:59Through the thin fabric,
14:00her hand didn't feel warm flesh.
14:02She felt cold,
14:03hard,
14:04dead meat.
14:05The kind of cold
14:05that seeps into your bones.
14:07What?
14:08But momentum carried her forward.
14:10She yanked.
14:11Crash.
14:11My body,
14:12stiff as a board,
14:13toppled backward,
14:14taking the chair with it.
14:16And there was my face.
14:17Blue-black.
14:17Eyes bulging.
14:18Features twisted in agony.
14:20Dried foam and blood
14:21crusted around my mouth.
14:23Around my blackened neck,
14:24the Verity choker hung lifeless.
14:26The gem dark.
14:28No red.
14:28No green.
14:30Just silence.
14:31My journal slid off the desk.
14:32Fell open at mom's feet.
14:34The last page stared up at her.
14:36Mom,
14:37my stomach really hurts.
14:38The choker is wrong.
14:40I'm not lying.
14:41Please don't punish me.
14:42Mom screamed.
14:43Not a wolf's howl.
14:44A raw,
14:46guttural shriek
14:47that tore through her throat.
14:48She stumbled backward,
14:50slammed into the bookshelf.
14:52A clay pot shattered.
14:53But she didn't seem to feel the pain.
14:55She just
14:56stared at me,
14:58eyes wide,
14:59unblinking.
15:00No, no.
15:02This isn't real.
15:03Stella,
15:04Stella, get up.
15:05Stella, please get up.
15:06I'm not angry anymore.
15:09Please don't scare me again.
15:11Her hand reached out,
15:12trembling,
15:13to touch my arm.
15:14The second her skin
15:15made contact with my corpse,
15:17she recoiled like she'd been burned.
15:19That cold was too real.
15:21Lisa from next door
15:23heard the screaming
15:24and went straight to the pack healer.
15:26When she saw what was in my room,
15:28she collapsed in the gate.
15:29Within the hour,
15:30heavy boots on the floorboards,
15:32the pack healer
15:33and a handful of pack warriors
15:35crowding the entrance.
15:36Mom sat on the floor,
15:38a warrior's hand on her shoulder.
15:40She's speaking it.
15:41She's always lying.
15:44It doesn't lie.
15:46I'm just teaching her.
15:47No one responded.
15:49They all looked at her
15:50like she was a monster.
15:51The pack healer
15:52crouched next to my body.
15:54He muttered under his breath,
15:55Severe malnutrition,
15:57organ failure.
15:59This puppy has been starved
16:00for at least a month.
16:01He carefully tried
16:02to remove the Verity choker,
16:04but it had fused.
16:06Years of tightening
16:07had pressed the leather
16:08deep into the skin of my neck.
16:10Damn it.
16:11He had to use tools
16:12to pry it off.
16:13Even dead,
16:14my soul flinched.
16:16My wolf lifted her head
16:17and
16:19long,
16:20raw,
16:21desperate.
16:22The kind of howl
16:23that should have shaken the walls.
16:25No one heard it.
16:26No one flinched.
16:27We were already dead.
16:29A warrior picked up my journal,
16:31started reading.
16:32His face went from neutral
16:33to horrified.
16:35Mom's eyes locked onto that book.
16:37That's her confession.
16:39She admits she lied.
16:40Look,
16:41she wrote it herself.
16:44The warrior pushed her back,
16:46wrapped the journal in cloth,
16:48and took it.
16:49We'll report it to the council.
16:51That's when Dad got home.
16:52He saw the pack healer
16:54and the pack warriors
16:55crowding the doorway.
16:56Saw the body wrap
16:57being carried out.
16:59Saw the long cord
17:00that sealed away
17:01my entire life.
17:03His legs gave out.
17:05He collapsed on the doorstep.
17:07Emma stood nearby,
17:08sobbing in confusion.
17:10She pointed at the discolored
17:12Verity choker on the table.
17:13Why does Stella have a black collar?
17:15And I have a green one.
17:17See?
17:18She held up her neck.
17:20The gem blinked its steady green.
17:22It was grotesque.
17:24The council elders arrived before dawn.
17:27Mom straightened when she saw them.
17:28Even now,
17:29even with my body
17:31three days cold and rotting,
17:33her Luna instincts kicked in.
17:35She lifted her chin,
17:36squared her shoulders.
17:38It didn't work today.
17:39They started questioning Mom
17:41in the living room.
17:42Mom grabbed the Verity choker
17:44off the table
17:44like it was a lifeline.
17:46Test it!
17:47That choker proved she was lying.
17:50Red gem means lie.
17:52I never abused her!
17:54The choker told me!
17:56I was just educating her!
17:59The council elders looked at her
18:00like she'd lost her mind.
18:03The pup shows signs
18:04of extreme malnutrition.
18:06Months of starvation.
18:09Aphelion?
18:10Multiple old injuries
18:11consistent with prolonged...
18:13That's dis-discipline!
18:15That's teaching her to be honest!
18:17Then,
18:18she did something insane.
18:20You don't believe me?
18:22Fine.
18:23I'll wear it.
18:26Watch.
18:27It'll be green.
18:28The leather pressed against her skin.
18:30Cold.
18:32Sticky.
18:32That was my blood.
18:34She took a deep breath.
18:35Tried to calm herself.
18:37She needed to prove she was innocent.
18:39Needed to prove her way of raising
18:41an alpha heir was right.
18:43She held up the gem.
18:44Eyes wild.
18:46Listen.
18:46I'm Rachel.
18:48I'm Stella's mother.
18:50This is the truth.
18:51The absolute truth.
18:53The gem flashed red.
18:55Mom's confident expression shattered.
18:59I said truth.
19:01I am Rachel.
19:03I never abused her.
19:05I did it for her own good.
19:08I love her.
19:10And suddenly,
19:11she remembered.
19:13Me.
19:13Ten years old.
19:15Gasping as the choker tightened around my throat.
19:18Biting my lip so I wouldn't make a sound.
19:20Is this what it felt like?
19:23Why is it red?
19:24I am telling the truth.
19:26Turn green.
19:27You're broken.
19:28You're setting me up.
19:29But the gem kept flashing.
19:31Like it was mocking her.
19:33You're a liar.
19:34You're a liar.
19:35You're a liar.
19:37Enough.
19:38This is just a bloodstone.
19:41I've seen it before.
19:42It changes color with body heat.
19:45Fear.
19:45Pain.
19:46Anything that makes your heart race.
19:49Temperature rises.
19:50It burns red.
19:51That's all it does.
19:53No witch magic.
19:55Never was.
19:56Think about your daughter.
19:58Ruptured appendix.
19:59Organ failure.
20:01The pain must have been unbearable.
20:03She was terrified.
20:04And what did you see?
20:06A red gem.
20:08So you punished her more.
20:10Which made her more scared.
20:12Which made her temperature rise.
20:15Which made the stone turn redder.
20:19You are Luna.
20:21You are supposed to protect every wolf in this pack.
20:25You couldn't even protect your own daughter.
20:27You ignored her cries for help.
20:30You starved your daughter to death.
20:33Mom's world collapsed.
20:34She sat there.
20:35Staring at the flashing gem on her own neck.
20:38And finally understood.
20:40For ten years.
20:41Every red light wasn't because I was lying.
20:44It was because I was scared.
20:46Scared of her anger.
20:48Scared of being misunderstood.
20:50Scared of eating food that made me sick.
20:53I was in pain.
20:55Pain that made my heart race and cold sweat pour down my face.
20:59I was desperate.
21:00Desperate for a hug.
21:02For her to hold me the way she held Emma.
21:05Every signal from my frightened heart she had interpreted as proof of my lies.
21:17She tried to shift.
21:19Fur rippling across her skin.
21:21Bones cracking.
21:22But the leather cinched harder around her throat the moment her neck began to change.
21:27She snapped back into human form.
21:30Gasping.
21:31I can't get it off.
21:33Stella take it back.
21:35I'm sorry.
21:36It's all my fault.
21:38This little bit of choking and she was already breaking.
21:42Mom.
21:42I suffered for ten years.
21:46The council elders needed evidence for judgment.
21:49So they opened my journal in front of my parents.
21:52February 14th.
21:54Sunny.
21:54Mom put celery on my plate.
21:56I'm allergic.
21:58My throat swells.
21:59I can't breathe.
22:00I said I can't eat it.
22:01But because I was scared of making her angry, my body ran hot.
22:06The gem flashed red.
22:08The choker tightened.
22:10Mom said I was picky.
22:12Lying.
22:13Made me eat the whole plate.
22:15That night, I threw up blood.
22:17My throat felt like it was on fire.
22:19I shifted to ease my pain.
22:21Mom saw it and said I'd snuck berry juice.
22:24That I was faking.
22:26The choker tightened for ten more minutes.
22:30Mom's hand flew to her mouth.
22:32She was shaking violently.
22:34She remembered that.
22:35She really did think it was berry juice.
22:38She didn't even look closely.
22:40Just turned away to read Emma a bedtime story.
22:44That was blood from a swollen, torn throat.
22:48June 1st.
22:49Pup's day.
22:50Emma shredded Mom's ceremonial cloak.
22:53Emma's heart is always calm.
22:55Her gem stays green.
22:57I tried to explain, but I was scared of being hit.
23:00My body ran hot.
23:02Red gem.
23:03Choker tightened for ten minutes.
23:06It hurt so bad.
23:08But I didn't cry.
23:09Because crying makes your body run hotter.
23:12And Mom thinks that means you're not sorry.
23:14So I held my breath.
23:16Pretended it didn't hurt.
23:18Mom said, see?
23:20She doesn't even blink.
23:22She's definitely faking it.
23:24Dad couldn't take it anymore.
23:26This man, who had always put the pack before his own family, chose duty over his daughter for ten years.
23:32You monster!
23:34What did you do?
23:35That was your daughter!
23:38You treated her like a stray!
23:40Blood at the corner of her mouth.
23:42Not my fault.
23:43Not my fault.
23:44It's her.
23:45It's Emma.
23:46Emma's gem was always green.
23:49Emma was the good one.
23:50If it wasn't for that green light making me trust her, I wouldn't have believed the red light so much.
23:55This is Emma's fault.
23:57That little princess everyone had protected.
24:00One of the council elders walked over, gently removed the green Verity choker from her neck, took out a blade,
24:07pried the gem loose right there.
24:09It rolled onto the table, still glowing green.
24:13Steady.
24:14Unchanged.
24:15The elder picked up the stone.
24:17A glowstone.
24:18That is all.
24:20Your younger daughter's choker was always going to shine green.
24:24No matter what she said, did, or lied about, it would never change.
24:30Your so-called Verity choker was a fraud.
24:34That was her truth for ten years.
24:37That was the evidence she used to convict me.
24:39A common glowstone that put me in hell while Emma lived in paradise.
24:43So I wasn't a liar.
24:46I laughed.
24:47Laughed until I cried.
24:49Turns out, ghosts could cry too.
24:51The elder turned to the last page of the journal.
24:53His voice broke.
24:55The handwriting was a mess, clearly written while dying.
24:58Mom, if I die, will the choker stop glowing red?
25:02Or if it turns green, will you hug me then?
25:05I'm not lying.
25:06I couldn't heal myself anymore.
25:08My stomach hurts so much.
25:10Like knives.
25:12Next life, please don't make me wear the choker.
25:15Please.
25:16I just want to be a normal pup.
25:18I want to eat mom's roasted meat.
25:20Mom stared at the broken glowstone on the table.
25:22That truth magic she trusted without question?
25:25A worthless stone.
25:26Because of that stone, she spoiled Emma for 10 years.
25:31Because of that cursed red light, she tortured me for 10 years.
25:38Mom started laughing.
25:40Her voice cracking in every sound.
25:43Worse than crying.
25:45Fake!
25:46All fake!
25:49I killed my most honest pup.
25:52And I worshipped a liar!
25:55She'd lost her mind.
25:56For real this time.
25:58My death became the talk of the entire pack.
26:01Lisa, the neighbor who had sent for the pack healer, told everyone what she'd seen.
26:06Every wolf knew by morning.
26:08Luna had starved her own daughter to death.
26:11Monster!
26:13Murderer!
26:14She doesn't deserve to be Luna!
26:16Stones flew at our door.
26:18The word killer carved into the wall.
26:21The council convened within the day.
26:23The verdict was swift.
26:24Dad lost his alpha title.
26:27No wolf would follow him now.
26:29My grandfather, the former alpha, read out the judgment himself.
26:34He didn't look at his son once.
26:36Dad walked out of the council hall and never looked back.
26:39He took Emma and left the pack that same night.
26:42Emma was a bad seed, sure.
26:44But she was still his blood.
26:46Before they left, Emma tried to take her green choker.
26:49Dad stomped on it.
26:51Why the hell would you want that piece of trash?
26:54Emma cried as he dragged her away.
26:56Mom got out of the dungeon.
26:58The healer said she had lost her mind.
27:00The council locked her in the home instead.
27:03The one that still smelled like death.
27:05Her mental state deteriorated fast.
27:08She refused to take off the red choker.
27:10She would tighten it herself whenever the guilt got too heavy.
27:14She said choking was the only thing that eased it.
27:16It was her self-imposed punishment.
27:19I floated in the darkness.
27:21My wolf curled beside me, watching her unravel day after day.
27:25She'd talk to the empty corner where I used to stand.
27:27Stella, I brought you some food.
27:29No celery today.
27:31It's all roast.
27:33Just how you like it.
27:34But there was no food.
27:36There was nothing.
27:37Just her hands, cupped around air.
27:39She'd pretend to set a plate down.
27:42Her hands shook.
27:43The gem flashed red.
27:45She was anxious.
27:46Guilty.
27:47Falling apart.
27:48She smiled, but her eyes were empty.
27:50The gem is red.
27:52Mom is lying.
27:54Liars don't deserve food.
27:56She pulled the choker tight with her own hands.
27:58Let it choke her.
27:59Her body convulsed against the cold floor.
28:02It hurts so much.
28:04Is this how Stella felt?
28:06I'm sorry.
28:08Mom started reenacting my diary entries.
28:10I couldn't eat celery because of my allergy.
28:14So she forced herself to eat spoiled food until she vomited blood.
28:18Then swallowed it back down.
28:20I was locked in isolation.
28:23So she locked herself in my old room.
28:26Lights off and bowed to my portrait until her forehead bled.
28:30Over and over.
28:32Blood on the floor.
28:33Late at night, she'd see the red glow of the bloodstone reflected on the wall.
28:38To her, it looked like my bloody eyes were watching.
28:41She kept punishing herself.
28:43The wounds healed slower and slower.
28:46Her wolf, exhausted by months of self-torture, slowly fell into a deep sleep.
28:52Mom didn't care.
28:53She scrawled on the back of my journal.
28:55I'm sorry.
28:56I was wrong.
28:58Red means pain.
29:00Red means love.
29:01Please come back and say it hurts hurts one more time.
29:05I'll save you.
29:06I promise.
29:07Too bad I'm dead.
29:08Dead wolves can't cry for help.
29:10Eventually, the new alpha intervened.
29:13Mom's self-harm had gone too far.
29:15She'd nearly choked herself to death with her own hands.
29:18He ordered her to move to a small hut at the far edge of the village, locked from the outside.
29:24Someone posted to watch her day and night.
29:27She was the strangest woman they'd ever seen.
29:30Nobody knew where she'd found it.
29:32A frayed red cord tied around her own neck.
29:35Her homemade choker.
29:37If anyone tried to remove it, she'd snap at them.
29:40Teeth bared, snarling, wild-eyed.
29:43Don't touch me!
29:45Stella's watching.
29:47She'll be angry if you take it!
29:49Every time the guard called her name and brought her food,
29:52Mom would grab the red cord and pull it tight against her own throat, convulsing, screaming.
29:58Red light!
29:59Red light!
30:01Don't punish!
30:02Punish me!
30:03I'll eat!
30:03I'll eat!
30:05Even if the food was scalding hot, she'd gulp it down, burning her throat.
30:10Wouldn't spit it out.
30:12She was reenacting my final moments, living my hell on repeat.
30:16Years later, Emma grew up.
30:18Without guidance and with a trail of shame behind her,
30:21she drifted from pack to pack, stealing to survive.
30:25No one would take her in.
30:27When she ran out of options, she remembered.
30:29Mom was still alive.
30:32She slipped back into the Silverman pack under the cover of night.
30:35Not for love, for money.
30:38Hey, crazy lady!
30:40Dad's dead!
30:41Give me whatever you've been hiding!
30:43Emma stood there, face hard, eyes full of contempt.
30:47She looked at Mom's hollow, broken form and spat on the floor.
30:51It's disgusting.
30:53Give me what I want, or I'll send you to meet your daughter.
30:58For a moment, Mom's cloudy eyes cleared.
31:00She looked at Emma, and suddenly remembered.
31:03That choker.
31:04That always green glowstone.
31:07That decade of deception.
31:09It's you!
31:11You lie!
31:12You're the green light that wasn't there!
31:14You killed Stella!
31:16Give her back to me!
31:18Give her back to me!
31:19The last shred of maternal love twisted into something feral.
31:24Mom lunged, grabbed Emma by the throat.
31:26You should have died!
31:29Not her!
31:30You!
31:33Emma thrashed, but couldn't break free from a madwoman's grip.
31:36The guards rushed in, pulled her off.
31:39Emma stumbled out of the hut, terrified.
31:42They're all insane!
31:44She bolted into the forest.
31:46She didn't get far.
31:47Rogues.
31:48The kind that haunted the borderlands.
31:50Preying on anyone foolish enough to run through the trees alone at night.
31:54Emma never saw them coming.
31:57By the time she did, it was too late.
32:00She survived.
32:01Barely.
32:02Both legs shattered beyond repair.
32:04She'd never walk again.
32:06Meanwhile, Mom was strapped to her cot, staring at the ceiling.
32:10Tears streaming.
32:11In her dreams, she finally saw me.
32:14I was ten again.
32:15No choker.
32:16White dress.
32:17Smiling.
32:19Mom!
32:19She reached for me, crying with joy.
32:22Stella!
32:23But the moment her hands touched me, I burst into ash.
32:28No!
32:29She woke up screaming.
32:30If she'd been wearing that choker, it would have been blood red.
32:34Eternal torment.
32:36I stood in the void, watching it all.
32:38Mom strapped to her bed.
32:40Emma in a wheelchair, begging on the market.
32:43Dad, drunk and dead in some gutter.
32:45I felt nothing.
32:47No satisfaction.
32:48Just a flat, dead calm.
32:50My wolf padded over quietly.
32:53She didn't howl.
32:54Didn't nudge.
32:55Just pressed her head against my hand and held it there.
32:58In the distance, a door of light appeared.
33:01Soft.
33:02Steady.
33:03Waiting.
33:03I looked at my wolf.
33:05She looked at me.
33:06Yeah.
33:07Time to leave.
33:08This life was too bitter.
33:10Nothing worth holding onto.
33:11I floated to Mom's hut one final time.
33:14She looked ancient.
33:15Hair completely white.
33:17Frail as paper.
33:18She sensed something.
33:19Her cloudy eyes focused on a point in the air, right where I stood.
33:22Stella?
33:23Is that you?
33:24Her trembling hand reached into the emptiness.
33:27Mom destroyed the choker.
33:28I don't believe in it anymore.
33:30Come back.
33:30Please?
33:31I'll cook for you.
33:32No salary.
33:33I'll buy you new dresses.
33:34Not Emma.
33:35Tears rolled down her face.
33:37I looked at the red marks on her neck from the frayed cord.
33:40I...
33:40I reached out.
33:41My cold, ghostly finger touched her forehead.
33:44This was my final mercy.
33:46Sleep, Mom.
33:47In sleep, there's no pain.
33:49Her eyes fluttered shut.
33:51She slumped into a deep, dreamless rest.
33:53A breeze blew through the hut.
33:55The old journal on her cot flipped open.
33:57The last page, my dying words, stared up at the ceiling.
34:01But below it, in shaky handwriting, were new lines.
34:04Written by Mom during a lucid moment.
34:07Next life, let me wear the choker.
34:09Let me be the liar.
34:10Punish me however you want.
34:12Just don't leave me.
34:13I stared at those words.
34:14Felt nothing.
34:15Too late.
34:16Repentance means nothing to the dead.
34:18Mom, I don't hate you anymore.
34:21But I don't love you either.
34:22Let's not meet again.
34:24I turned away.
34:25My wolf was waiting.
34:26In the distance, the door of light still glowed.
34:28Soft.
34:29Steady.
34:30Patient.
34:30I looked at my neck.
34:32The phantom Verity choker.
34:33Still there, even in spirit form.
34:36The nightmare that had changed me for a lifetime.
34:38I grabbed it.
34:39It shattered into nothing.
34:41I felt weightless.
34:42Free.
34:42No red light.
34:43No hunger.
34:44No lies.
34:45Just freedom.
34:46My wolf pressed against my side.
34:48Together, we walked toward the light.
34:50I didn't look back.
34:51Morning came.
34:52A guard pushed open the door.
34:53Rachel, time to eat.
34:55No response.
34:56She walked closer.
34:57Mom's hand clutched the torn journal.
34:59A single tear crystallized at the corner of her eye.
35:02She crouched beside her.
35:03Held two fingers beneath her nose.
35:05Nothing.
35:05She was gone.
35:06Passing through the door wasn't violent.
35:08No spinning.
35:09No chaos.
35:10Just warmth.
35:11Like sinking into a spring stream.
35:13I looked to my side.
35:15My wolf was gone.
35:16I didn't panic.
35:17I pressed my hand to my chest.
35:18And there she was.
35:20Steady.
35:20Warm.
35:21Then I heard her voice.
35:22Not a whimper.
35:23Not a whine.
35:24Clear and bright and full of life.
35:26Like the first time we met.
35:28Run.
35:28I shifted.
35:29Four paws hit the ground and I ran.
35:31Through forests that smelled of pine and rain.
35:34Through cold, shallow streams that splashed silver around my legs.
35:38Through meadows I had never seen but somehow knew.
35:41My white fur caught the light.
35:43My paws were sure.
35:44My lungs were full.
35:45My body was strong.
35:47No choker around my throat.
35:49No red light.
35:50No hunger.
35:51The lingering ache in my soul.
35:53The phantom pain of ten years.
35:55Started to fade with every step.
35:57I ran toward brightness.
35:59Behind me, old life dissolved like a worn photograph left out in the rain.
36:04Mom's final tear.
36:05The red glow of the choker.
36:07Blood on the journal pages.
36:09Gone.
36:09I didn't look back.
36:10That ten year nightmare was finally, truly over.
36:14When I opened my eyes again, I was tiny, wrapped in soft blankets.
36:19Someone was humming.
36:21Mmm.
36:22A woman's voice.
36:24Gentle.
36:24Off-key.
36:25But full of love.
36:26Her fingers brushed my cheek.
36:28The scent of wildflowers.
36:30Not the cold, clinical distance of my old mother.
36:33Not the silence of someone who only touched me to punish.
36:37I blinked up at her.
36:39She had kind eyes.
36:40A soft smile.
36:42She cradled me like I was made of glass.
36:44Grace is awake, honey.
36:46Come quick.
36:48Our daughter just opened her eyes.
36:50A man appeared.
36:51Tall.
36:52A little awkward.
36:53But his face lit up when he saw me.
36:55He touched my tiny hand with one finger.
36:58His voice was deep.
37:00Warm.
37:01Hey, Grace.
37:02I'm your dad.
37:05Grace.
37:06Not Stella.
37:07No weight.
37:08No chains.
37:09No red light.
37:11Just Grace.
37:12A name that meant something light.
37:14Something cherished.
37:15This house was small.
37:16But warm.
37:17Full of light.
37:19Cartoon painting on the walls.
37:21Flowers by the window.
37:22Sunlight pouring through the windows.
37:24Warm on the floor.
37:25I realized fast.
37:27This family was nothing like the last one.
37:30They never forced me to do anything.
37:32There were no chokers.
37:34No red lights.
37:35No punishments for things I hadn't done.
37:38I grew.
37:39Learned to crawl.
37:40To talk.
37:41And when I was three,
37:43Mom made a stew with celery.
37:45The green stalks in the bowl triggered me.
37:47I flashed back to choking.
37:49Throat swelling.
37:51Vomiting blood.
37:52I stumbled backwards, shaking.
37:54Tears came without permission.
37:56Mom immediately put down her spoon.
37:58Crouched.
37:59Pulled me into a hug.
38:01Grace, what's wrong?
38:03You don't like celery?
38:04I couldn't speak.
38:05Just shook my head, sobbing.
38:07Dad knelt too.
38:09Rubbed my back.
38:10Hey, it's okay.
38:11You don't have to eat it.
38:13Can you tell us why?
38:14Their eyes were patient.
38:16Gentle.
38:17Finally, I choked out.
38:19It hurts my throat.
38:21Makes me bleed.
38:23They didn't say,
38:24The Verity choker doesn't lie.
38:26They didn't accuse me of faking.
38:28They took me to the pack healer immediately.
38:31Turns out, I really do have a celery allergy.
38:33After that, celery never appeared in the house again.
38:38Mom added it to her market list.
38:40Grace's allergies.
38:41Celery.
38:42She checked every time she shopped.
38:44I lay in her arms that night, smelling wildflowers, and realized, this is what it feels like to be believed.
38:51Love isn't measured by a stone.
38:54It's listening.
38:55Even when the story sounds impossible.
38:57When I was four, Dad took me to the pack healer for my first health check.
39:01There was a blood draw.
39:02I saw the needle and lost it.
39:05Flashes of the choker tightening around my throat.
39:07Flashes of starvation.
39:09I screamed.
39:10Clung to Dad's leg.
39:12The healer sighed.
39:13I couldn't stop shaking.
39:15Don't punish me.
39:17I'm not lying.
39:19Dad immediately scooped me up.
39:20Sorry, she's not ready.
39:21We'll come back another time.
39:23On the walk home, Dad didn't scold me for being weak.
39:26He just asked gently.
39:28Grace, did someone hurt you before?
39:31I buried my face in his shoulder, tears soaking his shirt.
39:35Mom, Joker, red light.
39:39I couldn't explain it clearly, but he listened, nodded.
39:43It's okay.
39:44Dad's here now.
39:46No one's ever hurting you again.
39:48From then on, they took me to the pack healer regularly.
39:52Not for blood draws, just to talk.
39:54She has been hurt.
39:56Be patient with her.
39:57My parents never complained.
39:59Never made me feel like a burden.
40:01They bought me a colorful necklace, but never forced me to wear it.
40:04This is just a pretty thing, Grace.
40:06Wear it if you want.
40:08Take it off if you don't.
40:09We'll love you either way.
40:11Slowly, I started to heal.
40:13I could say,
40:14I don't like this.
40:15Without fear.
40:16I could say,
40:17I'm scared.
40:19I could say,
40:20I want that.
40:21I didn't have to worry about my heart racing being proof of a lie.
40:24I started sharing my stories with them.
40:27I cried when I didn't get a toy.
40:29I laughed when I got praise.
40:31I was finally just a pup.
40:33A normal, loved pup.
40:38When I turned seven, I started at the pack school.
40:41There was a girl in my class, Annie Sullivan.
40:44She looked exactly like Emma.
40:46Same eyes, but her hair was shorter.
40:48And she was timid.
40:51Scared.
40:52The first time I saw her, my heart clenched.
40:55Flashbacks.
40:56Emma's smug grin.
40:58The green light mocking me.
41:00I stepped back instinctively.
41:02Annie noticed.
41:03She looked down, voice barely a whisper.
41:07I'm Annie.
41:09Do you want to be friends?
41:11Her tone was so careful.
41:13So desperate to please.
41:14Just like I used to be.
41:16I glanced at her neck.
41:17She wore a simple choker with green gem.
41:20My stomach turned.
41:22Later, I found out Annie's mom was strict too.
41:26Demanded honesty.
41:27Locked her in her room without food when she made mistakes.
41:31One day, Annie accidentally knocked over the teacher's ink pot.
41:35She was trembling.
41:36Too scared to admit it.
41:37I saw her face.
41:39Red-rimmed eyes.
41:40Barely holding back tears.
41:42I remembered myself at that desk.
41:44Writing,
41:44I am a liar.
41:46Over and over.
41:48I walked over.
41:49Took her hand.
41:51Annie, it's okay.
41:53Accidents happen.
41:55Let's tell the teacher together.
41:57She won't be mad.
41:58Annie looked at me, shocked.
42:00But mom says liars are bad wolves.
42:02Being honest isn't about never making mistakes.
42:05It's about owning up when you do.
42:07And even if you tell the truth, you shouldn't be punished for it.
42:11If the teacher gets angry, I'll stand with you.
42:14If your mom gets angry, come to my house.
42:16My parents will help.
42:17I gave her the courage I never had.
42:19She confessed.
42:21The teacher forgave her.
42:23Told her to be more careful next time.
42:24From that day on, we have been best friends.
42:27I brought Annie home to meet my parents.
42:29She saw how warm they were.
42:31How they didn't yell.
42:33Didn't punish little things.
42:34I told her,
42:35You don't have to make everyone happy.
42:38You're allowed to feel things.
42:41Say things.
42:43One day, Annie's mom came to pick her up from school.
42:46She saw us together and her face twisted.
42:48She grabbed Annie's hand.
42:50Did you mess up again?
42:52Is Grace covering for you?
42:54Annie immediately looked down.
42:56Silent.
42:57I stepped in front of her.
42:58Looked at the mom in the eye.
43:00Ma'am, Annie didn't do anything wrong.
43:03She's a good pup.
43:04You shouldn't always assume the worst.
43:09She's scared of you.
43:11The mom froze.
43:12Looked at me.
43:13Then at Annie's tear-filled eyes.
43:15Her expression softened.
43:17That night, she called my mom.
43:19Thanked her.
43:20Said I'd opened her eyes.
43:22Over time, Annie's mom got gentler.
43:24Started listening instead of yelling.
43:27And Annie?
43:28She blossomed.
43:29Confident.
43:30Happy.
43:31I watched her laugh freely one day
43:33and felt this warmth in my chest.
43:35I didn't get saved in my last life.
43:37I suffered alone in the dark.
43:39But this time, I could save someone else.
43:42I could stop another Stella from happening.
43:45Maybe that's the gift my past life gave me.
43:47The ability to see pain.
43:49And to heal it.
43:50When I was 10, my parents took me to visit Grandma.
43:53There was an old oak tree in her yard.
43:55Its branches spread wide, casting shade over the whole garden.
43:59I sat beneath it, watching sunlight filter through the leaves.
44:02My wolf dozed inside me, warm and content.
44:05Then I saw her.
44:06An old woman.
44:08White hair.
44:08Hunched over a walking stick.
44:10Wearing a faded blue dress.
44:11The second I saw her face, I froze.
44:14She looked exactly like Rachel.
44:17My old mother.
44:18Grandma noticed me too.
44:20Walked over slowly.
44:21Her eyes were hazy, but there was something familiar in them.
44:24Something heavy.
44:25What's your name, child?
44:26Grace.
44:27She repeated it softly.
44:29Grace.
44:29That's a beautiful name.
44:30She reached out like she wanted to touch my hair.
44:33Then hesitated.
44:34Pulled back.
44:35Like she was afraid of disturbing something sacred.
44:37My mom came over.
44:39Studied her.
44:39Mom, this is our daughter, Grace.
44:42So she was my grandma in this life too.
44:44Over the next few days, grandma watched me constantly.
44:47Her expression was unreadable.
44:49One morning, she brought me a bowl of roasted meat.
44:51Grace, eat up.
44:52This used to be your favorite.
44:54I stared at the bowl.
44:55In my last life, I wrote in my dying breath,
44:58I want to eat mom's roasted meat.
45:00And here was grandma, saying those exact words.
45:03Tears blurred my vision.
45:05This wasn't some distant wish anymore.
45:07It was real, right in front of me.
45:09I picked up a piece, bit into it.
45:11Tender, sweet, perfect.
45:14Grandma smiled.
45:15A tired, guilty smile.
45:17That night, lying in bed with my wolf curled warm inside my chest,
45:21I thought about Rachel's last words.
45:23Next life, let me wear the choker.
45:25Let me be the liar.
45:26Punish me however you want.
45:28Just don't leave me.
45:29I thought about her final tear, the torn journal.
45:32I didn't hate her anymore.
45:34Hating someone is like locking yourself in the past,
45:36chewing on pain forever.
45:38This life's warmth had already washed away the bitterness.
45:41I just felt sad.
45:42Sad that she only understood too late.
45:45Real love was never about stones or punishment.
45:48We stayed for a month, then went back home.
45:50Before I left, she held my hand.
45:52Grace, live well.
45:54Be happy.
45:54Her voice was soft, but heavy with meaning.
45:57I nodded.
45:58You too, grandma.
45:58I watched her walk away, and I felt nothing.
46:02No anger, no grief.
46:03The grudges of my past life were like fallen leaves,
46:06blown away by the wind.
46:07I wasn't Stella anymore, the girl locked in the dark, choking on a lie.
46:12I was Grace Sterling, surrounded by love, free.
46:15At 13, I graduated from PAC school, got into the best academy in the region.
46:19My parents took me to the lake for a picnic to celebrate.
46:22I stood at the edge of the water, wind in my hair,
46:25the scent of pine and cold water on my skin.
46:28I stretched out my arms, feeling the freedom.
46:31For a moment, I saw her, my ghost self, floating,
46:35desperate to hug someone, but passing right through.
46:38Grace, what are you thinking?
46:40Dad handed me a drink.
46:41I smiled.
46:42Just, I'm grateful.
46:43To be alive, to be with you both.
46:45Mom pulled me into a hug.
46:47Silly girl, we're the lucky ones.
46:50No one said anything.
46:51We all just shifted at the same time,
46:53like we'd done it a hundred times before.
46:55We ran together through the trees, through the shallow edge of the lake.
46:59Water sprang silver around our paws.
47:02Eventually, I slowed down, turned, and threw myself at them.
47:06We tumbled into the grass together.
47:08Mom nuzzled her head against mine.
47:10Dad licked the top of my head with lazy affection.
47:13I pressed into them both and stayed there, breathing hard, warm, all the way through.
47:19I looked up at the sky through the canopy of trees.
47:21I didn't need to prove I wasn't a liar anymore.
47:24I didn't need to fear a red light.
47:26I could laugh, cry, speak freely.
47:28I had parents who loved me, a best friend, a healthy body, a bright future.
47:33This was the life I died wishing for.
47:36That night, I wrote in my journal.
47:38Not the blood-stained confessions of my old life.
47:41This one was full of happiness, growth, love.
47:45I wrote,
47:45Today, we ran by the lake.
47:47Mom and dad shifted with me without saying a word.
47:50We tumbled in the grass like pups.
47:52I thought about my past self.
47:53That little girl, locked in a room, choking in the dark, desperate to be loved.
47:59She'd never believe that I could be this happy.
48:01Mom and dad loved me.
48:03They taught me that honesty isn't something you punish out of someone.
48:06It's something you grow, with patience and warmth.
48:09Annie is my best friend now.
48:12She laughs freely.
48:13She speaks without flinching.
48:15Grandma is getting older, but her eyes are warm when she looks at me.
48:19My wolf grows stronger every day.
48:21With her beside me, I feel at ease.
48:23I don't hate anyone anymore.
48:25I don't cling to the past.
48:27Those painful memories are like paw prints in the mud, washed away by rain.
48:31But they taught me to cherish every step forward.
48:34I know my old mom, sister, and dad got what they deserved.
48:38And I finally broke free.
48:40I found real freedom.
48:42I don't want to see them again.
48:44I don't want to relive that life.
48:45I just want to be grey, simple, happy, loved.
48:49The lake was beautiful.
48:50Life was beautiful.
48:52I closed my journal.
48:53Looked out the window.
48:54Moonlight shimmered on the water through the trees.
48:57My wolf stirred softly inside my chest.
48:59Warm, steady.
49:00I smiled.
49:01This life.
49:02I finally became who I wanted to be.
49:05No red light.
49:05No starvation.
49:07No lies.
49:08Just love.
49:09Freedom.
49:10Happiness.
49:10And those scars from my past?
49:12They became part of me.
49:13Proof that I had survived.
49:15Proof that darkness, no matter how long it lasts, cannot swallow you whole.
49:19Not if you keep moving toward the light.
49:21The road ahead is long, but I will walk it with courage, with joy, toward something even brighter.
49:28The road ahead is long, but it's scary, and really affordable.
49:28Have a good and Jed Mae.
49:28So here's the road ahead is long, and stay healthy, and Ki JEROME!
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