- 3 hours ago
I Saw My Boyfriend Love My Best Friend
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🎥
Short filmTranscript
00:00On New Year's Eve, after being blinded in an accident three years ago, I finally regained my sight.
00:15Overwhelmed with joy, I rushed out without a second thought, eager to tell my boyfriend and best friend the good
00:21news at once, so they would no longer have to worry about me.
00:24I had to tell them. Dryson, Willow, they had to know.
00:29But something unexpected happened.
00:31Blue?
00:32For stay, red for leave. Which side are you on?
00:35Blue, obviously. Who wants to be stuck with a blind girl forever?
00:38Watching other patients talking about the viral poll on their phones, I couldn't help but take out my own phone.
00:45However, when I saw the person who started the poll was none other than my best friend, I forgot to
00:51breathe.
00:51That photo, I took it. For her.
00:56Having understood everything, I chose to face it with a smile.
01:00Perhaps this is the price I pay for being given a second chance at life.
01:04I would let them be happy.
01:06Although I had braced myself for the worst, seeing them so intimate before I even stepped outside still forced me
01:12to steady my heart.
01:13I told myself I was doing the right thing. Letting go. Giving them the happiness they chose.
01:20She won't know. It's fine.
01:26Not here. She's coming out.
01:31I had no choice but to keep pretending I couldn't see, watching them walk toward me.
01:36Dryson?
01:38Willow?
01:40Is that you?
01:41You came to pick me up?
01:43He seemed utterly indifferent to me.
01:45Of course we did. We were so worried.
01:49What did the doctor say? Any progress?
01:52No change. He said it might stay this way for years.
01:57He spoke to me, but his gaze never left Willow, and they even held hands.
02:03Don't worry, Athena. Willow and I are here. We're not going anywhere.
02:06A day, a year, a decade. We'll wait. We'll always be with you.
02:12Once, those words would have shattered me with gratitude. Now, they felt like a tomb.
02:18The sun began to set, casting long, warm orange shadows of the three of us.
02:26They thought I was still in the dark, and I let them.
02:30Carr drove away, leaving only the shadows behind, just like the people we used to be.
02:35Make sure to grab extra button mushrooms. They're Athena's absolute favorite.
02:38The cart was full of Willow's favorites, but she said they were mine.
02:42What hurt more was what came next.
02:44Willow, watch out!
02:49Dryson!
02:55My hand closed on empty air.
03:00I'm fine.
03:03Are you okay?
03:04Miss, miss your head. You're bleeding, Bagley. We need to call an ambulance.
03:07No hospital, just a clinic, please.
03:10Athena, you need a doctor!
03:11I don't want to go back there.
03:12I couldn't let them find out. Not now. Not like this.
03:16I grew calmer despite my situation.
03:20Be careful next time, and don't hurt yourself again.
03:24I'm so sorry, Athena. I should have been watching.
03:27It wasn't your fault. The boxes weren't secured.
03:34Athena, I'm sorry I didn't-
03:35It's fine, Dryson. You protected Willow. That's what matters.
03:38I was no longer just the blind girl. Now I was the scarred one, too.
03:41A perfect picture of pitiful ruin.
03:44The house was filled with their things, and worse was yet to come.
03:51This wasn't my home anymore.
03:53It was theirs.
03:54And I was just...
03:56A guest who never left.
04:01You swear to me.
04:03She deserves it.
04:05We both do.
04:09I sat in the dark, watching them build their life in the light, and I let them.
04:20Three days until New Year.
04:23Three days until I decide if I stay blind, or finally open my eyes.
04:29Only after switching off my phone did I notice the heated exchange coming from the kitchen.
04:39Drivulm, sounding frantic, was pulling Willow toward the bedroom.
04:51Battling the turmoil inside, I quietly followed.
05:00Willow, what is this post?
05:02You're planning to leave me?
05:05Go abroad?
05:07Athena's eyes will recover eventually.
05:09How am I supposed to face her?
05:10How can I shamelessly tell her I've fallen in love with you?
05:14Dryston, you're Athena's boyfriend.
05:15I'm just the best friend who betrayed her.
05:17A secret she can't ever know about.
05:19I can't face her.
05:20Running away is my only choice.
05:21Please don't push me.
05:23Willow, don't go.
05:24We're in love.
05:25How can we just walk away?
05:27The doctor said it could be years before Athena's sight returns.
05:30She'll never know.
05:32And look, 100,000 people online support us, support our love.
05:36Are you just going to ignore that?
05:40The warmth drained from fingertips.
05:43Maybe if I were still that blind girl, I could have lived in ignorance forever.
05:48I wouldn't have had to lose my boyfriend and my best friend at the same time.
05:53Dryston, my conscience is eating me alive every second.
05:56Let fate decide.
05:57If after the new year, the votes for me leaving break 100,000, then I'm going.
06:01No matter what, Lidl.
06:03You belong to Epithea, not to me.
06:04I want you to be happy, even if the price is losing you.
06:12The taste of salt filled my mouth.
06:15I covered it with my hand, turned, and silently walked away.
06:20On New Year's Eve, I played my part.
06:24The blind girl waiting for the feast.
06:26It left me staring blankly, thinking back to three years ago.
06:30I'm blind!
06:32What's the point of hanging decorations I can't see?
06:34Why bother the feast?
06:35I might as well be dead!
06:35Athena, don't say that!
06:37You're not blind!
06:38You're the person we love most!
06:39We just want you to be happy!
06:41Athena, I love you.
06:42You'll get through this.
06:43Please don't do this to yourself.
06:44It hurts me more than it hurts you.
06:46Athena, it's all your favorites.
06:48Eat well to get your strength back.
06:50Happy holiday.
06:51Let's keep this tradition alive, just like we did back in school.
06:55I nodded faintly, mechanically putting food in my mouth.
06:58Thanks, but I couldn't manage a smile.
07:01Even the most delicious feast now tasted like ashes.
07:06Because in my peripheral vision, I could see Willow and Dryton's hands clasped tightly
07:11together behind my back.
07:19A heavy weight slammed into my chest, suffocating me.
07:38Why the photo?
07:40So I can remember you both when I'm gone.
07:42Athena, I'll find a boyfriend who treats me even better than Dryson treats you.
07:46I'm tired of watching you two be all lovey-doovy for over a decade.
07:50Give a girl a break, will you?
07:52As she finished speaking, Dryson's grip on my hand Willow's, a current of unspoken longing
07:56passing between them.
07:58I closed my eyes, surrendering to the charade, and pretended to fall asleep.
08:03Athena?
08:05Athena?
08:13Dryston called my name twice to test if I was really asleep, then let go of my hand.
08:17He took Willow's hand and led her to the far edge of the alchemy, cradling her face in
08:22his hands.
08:24There are only five minutes till midnight.
08:26I have to go.
08:28When I looked up again, Dryson was already kissing her desperately.
08:32His voice was rough.
08:34He claimed her lips again, his arms locking her fiercely against his chest.
08:40Willow, don't leave me.
08:42Please.
08:43Please.
08:44Please.
08:50I quietly opened the post on my phone.
08:53The likes Erg Rijil to leave were just one short of 100,000.
08:57Ten.
08:58Nine.
08:59Eight.
09:00Six.
09:01Five.
09:02Four.
09:03Three.
09:04Two.
09:06One.
09:06Time flowed on.
09:08The midnight countdown arrived, and brilliant fireworks burst against the dark sky.
09:15Do you remember our first kiss?
09:17Of course.
09:19The day of Athena's parents' funeral, in the storage room, we kissed for a full half hour.
09:24Thinking back now, we really shouldn't have.
09:28My heart clenched, but Willow's next words nailed me to the spot.
09:33Every hair on my body stood on end.
09:39I bit my tongue until I tasted blood.
09:46Twelve-oh-three a.m.
09:48The red votes just hit 100,000.
09:53Dryson, I have to go.
09:57Willow, you don't have to leave.
09:59You want Dryara?
10:00He's yours.
10:04He's yours.
10:08How long have you been awake, Athena?
10:20I was never asleep.
10:23I've been wide awake this whole time.
10:29Yeah, the fireworks were so loud, you must have misheard.
10:32Let's go inside, it's freezing out here.
10:34What do you want to eat tomorrow?
10:36It's the first day of the new year, we should have something good.
10:38I'm sorry, I didn't catch that.
10:41I pulled my hands free from both of them and took a step back, creating a safe distance.
10:56Willow and Dryasden stared at their now empty hands, confusion and dread dawning in their eyes.
11:03I didn't just hear everything, I saw it all.
11:06I saw you kissing in front of me, holding hands, fixing each other's hair, helping each other with jackets.
11:10I saw how, when those boxes fell at the supermarket Dryston, my boyfriend shielded you in his arms without a
11:16second thought from me.
11:17I saw how our home has been filled with someone else's presence.
11:21Your photos are everywhere.
11:23Your clothes are mixed together.
11:24You did all of this because you thought I was a blind, useless fool.
11:28Someone who wouldn't notice your betrayal even when it was right in front of me.
11:34I hadn't wanted to cry in front of them.
11:37I didn't want to show my shattered, broken self to these two ever again.
11:43But the tears came anyway, betraying my despair.
11:50So, your eyes, they're healed.
11:55You can see.
11:58And you hid it from us.
12:00You pretended nothing had changed?
12:04Yes.
12:05That day at the hospital, my sight came back.
12:08I wanted to share the news with you.
12:10But the first thing I saw with my new eyes was you and Dryston together behind my back.
12:15I didn't know how to face it, so I said nothing.
12:25Athena.
12:27You didn't hear anything, right?
12:29Those weren't your words just now, were it?
12:32I saw you kissing in front of me, holding hands, fixing each other's hair, helping each other with jackets.
12:40I saw how, when those boxes fell at the supermarket,
12:43you shielded her in your arms without a second thought for me.
12:47I've made up my mind.
12:49I'll pack tonight and leave the country.
12:53For good.
12:55I won't be with Dryston.
12:57I'll cut all ties with him.
12:59Please, just believe me one last time.
13:03Willow, even if you leave, do you think Dryan and I could just go back to how we were?
13:07Get married, live happily?
13:10No.
13:12He'd never forget you.
13:13He'd lie to me, over and over, and find a way to fly to you.
13:17He'd cheat.
13:18We'd fight.
13:20We'd become one of those bitter, trapped couples stuck in a marriage that's already a tomb.
13:30That wasn't the future I wanted.
13:32Thina, I won't let that happen.
13:34I'll disappear completely.
13:36I won't give him Yance to find me.
13:38Please, don't do this.
13:39We've been the best of friends since elementary school through middle school, university,
13:43and all the way till now.
13:45We promise to grow old together and never be apart.
13:47Dryston, can you do it?
13:50Can you truly be with me and only me?
13:53Never seek out Willow.
13:55Never lie awake, missing her.
13:59Never wonder if choosing her would have made you happier.
14:08Dryston, even if you could, I wouldn't stay with you.
14:12You can rest easy.
14:14Whatever I felt for you died the moment I learned the truth.
14:17It's like ash after fireworks.
14:19No warmth left, no way to bring it back to life.
14:22Willow, you're right.
14:23We were the closest of friends.
14:25We've spent more time together than with our own families.
14:27In a way, we were family.
14:29But you destroyed that.
14:31You chose to let go of everything we had.
14:34What's gone should stay gone.
14:36From now on, let's go our separate ways.
14:38No contact.
14:39No looking back.
14:54Dryston, let's end it here.
14:57Since you've chose each other against all odds,
15:00I hope you find happiness.
15:05I packed a small bag with a few essentials and stepped out into the cold night air,
15:11hailing a taxi to the airport.
15:25Behind me, from the balcony, Willow's broken sobs echoed into the dark.
15:31Dryston stood motionless in the wind,
15:34his eyes following my car until it disappeared from sight.
15:42On the first day of the new year, I landed in my hometown.
15:47After buying some fruit, I made my way to the hillside cemetery where my parents rest.
15:54I hadn't visited in three years.
15:57Weeds had grown tall and wild over their graves.
16:03Once I cleared them away, I sat down and talked to them for a long time.
16:11But as I spoke, my throat closed up, and words failed me.
16:21It was hard to grasp.
16:24I was truly alone in this world now.
16:28I had no family left.
16:32Mom, I still don't understand.
16:37Why is it always the people who loved me most that hurt me the deepest?
16:49My father, in the driver's seat, took the full force of the impact and was gone instantly.
16:56My mother and I were rushed to the hospital.
16:58The surgeries lasted through the day and into the night.
17:05In the end, she left me too.
17:09And I was left blind.
17:13My own life barely clinging on.
17:17Back then, grief was a constant tide,
17:20drowning me in tears every minute of every day.
17:24Dryseth stayed by my hospital bedside day and night,
17:28his voice, a steady anchor.
17:33Athena, you still have me.
17:37I'll take care of you for the rest of my life,
17:40just like your parents would have wanted.
17:45You can trust me.
17:49The doctors say there's a chance.
17:52I'm your boyfriend.
17:54It's my job to stay by your side through all of this.
17:58I'm not giving up.
17:59So you can't either.
18:03Willow, overseas, broke down sobbing when she heard the news over the phone.
18:11Without a second thought, she drafted her resignation and booked the first flight home.
18:16Athena Turner, no job is more important than you.
18:20I can find another job.
18:22But right now, you need me.
18:25I can't leave you alone and vulnerable in that hospital bed.
18:28Dryseth and I will take care of you until you're back on your feet.
18:31Don't be impulsive.
18:32You'll regret this.
18:34I'll manage.
18:36I...
18:36I have Dryseth.
18:38Just keep living your life.
18:40We can talk every day, okay?
18:46Willow sacrificed everything to go abroad.
18:49In college, she studied relentlessly, aced every scholarship, and held the highest GPA in her year.
18:56She pushed herself to ill health and thinning hair, all for a place at a top foreign university.
19:03If she threw it all away for me, everything she'd worked for would vanish.
19:08Her struggles would mean nothing.
19:11After we hung up, I cried for a long time in the dark.
19:16I used to believe I'd done something extraordinary in another life.
19:20Something grand enough to deserve a boyfriend so devoted, and a best friend as selfless as Willow.
19:25But now I know, even the people who loved me most could break me.
19:29And I survived anyway.
19:31I used to believe I'd done something extraordinary in another life.
19:35Something grand enough to deserve this kind of luck.
19:38How else could I have ended up with a boyfriend so devoted, and a best friend as selfless as Willow?
19:44Willow came home.
19:45She and Dryren handled my parents' funeral arrangements together.
19:51You know, the nurse on the third floor keeps asking about you.
19:54I think she's jealous of how felt it was tough, but she never complained.
19:58Only shared funny stories and gossip to lift my spirit.
20:01He left his career in finance and switched entirely to medical research.
20:05The new treatment protocol, they've had success in three cases already.
20:09He joined a lab focused on vision restoration.
20:12Your eyes.
20:13Dedicating himself to developing new people.
20:15I'm going to find a way.
20:15I promise.
20:17He spent countless nights in that lab, chasing a light he hoped I would one day see.
20:24He never said it, but I knew.
20:27Every breakthrough, every failure, it was all for me.
20:33Without the two of them by my side, I probably wouldn't have made it this far.
20:38I just never imagined that the two people who had given up everything for me would one day,
20:43would one day deliver the most crushing blow of all.
20:49Mom, did I do the right thing?
20:54I couldn't stay.
20:56Not after what they did.
21:00Beautiful.
21:03I ran away.
21:05I could never face them with a clean heart, grateful for their sacrifice, but unable to forgive their betrayal.
21:12So I chose to leave.
21:14A gust of wind stirred the grass.
21:16The sunlight felt too bright, too sharp against my closed eyelids.
21:27Athena, I knew I'd find you here.
21:31I wasn't surprised.
21:34Placing my hands on the ground, I pushed myself up.
21:37My legs had gone mole from crouching so long.
21:42Stumbling, I swayed unsteadily.
21:48Are you okay?
21:49Is it low blood sugar?
21:51Did you eat before coming here?
21:52Don't touch me, Dryston!
21:54I don't want your concern!
21:57You make me sick, do you understand?
22:00Sick!
22:01I told you, we're done.
22:03I don't want to see you, and I don't want you at my here, at my parents' gravesite.
22:08Don't ever come back!
22:11I watched him pull his hands back, slowly.
22:15As if my words had burned him.
22:18And for a moment, I saw it.
22:21The grilt he couldn't hide.
22:23But I didn't care anymore.
22:29Athena.
22:33Willow's gone.
22:34Her flight left three hours ago.
22:37She didn't tell anyone where she was going, not even me.
22:40She asked me to give you this letter, and to tell you she's sorry.
22:45That she won't come back, won't disturb your peace anymore.
22:49She hopes you'll be happy, at peace, and always shining.
22:55A photo.
22:56Our graduation day.
22:58Willow and me, arms linked, heads together.
23:02Dryston took it.
23:03She carried it abroad, said it gave her strength.
23:07That summer, that hope, gone.
23:10I picked up the lighter from beside the candles.
23:13My hands didn't shake.
23:15I watched it curl, blacken, and turn to ash, carried away by the wind.
23:21That summer, that girl, that friendship, gone.
23:26And for the first time, I let it be.
23:39When I couldn't see, I used to dream so much.
23:42I imagined my sight would come back, and I get smoked croutenitone.
23:48I'd find work I loved.
23:52I'd find a job I loved.
23:54That every weekend, we'd meet Willow for meals.
23:58That was the life I wanted.
24:06On holidays, we'd travel.
24:09Take photos at every stop.
24:11Make reels.
24:12Check all the boxes.
24:17Then you and I would marry.
24:19Have a baby a few years later.
24:22We'd ask Willow to be the godmother.
24:26If she had a child, too, we'd joke about setting them up, like in some sweet TV drama.
24:40The first thing I saw when I opened my eyes was Willow's post.
24:44All the moments you two shared for three years.
24:53Athena, I'm so sorry.
24:56I wasn't someone you could trust with your heart.
24:59Is it too late for regrets now?
25:01You've lost all faith in me, haven't you?
25:04I know I don't deserve another chance.
25:07You could still find Willow if you try.
25:11I'm not stopping you.
25:12I never was.
25:14I'm not here because she left.
25:16I'm not coming back just because she's gone.
25:18I'm here because I made a mistake I can't undo.
25:22Athena, we could still start over, couldn't we?
25:24I want to be with you.
25:26All those futures you imagined.
25:28The job.
25:29The trips.
25:29The family.
25:32We could still make them real.
25:34Just give me one more chance, please.
25:38Dryston, you can't undo what's been done.
25:41You know that.
25:43I don't have any love left to give you.
25:46What we had is gone.
25:49Just let me live in peace, please.
25:54All right.
25:56I understand.
25:57There's nothing I can say to change it.
26:00I'll let you go.
26:03I hope you find the peace I couldn't give you.
26:08After that day, we never saw each other again.
26:11Not because I hated him.
26:13I just knew some doors close for good.
26:16And that's how it should be.
26:24And I kept walking.
26:26Steadily, firmly, toward a future of my own.
26:30Not because I'd forgotten.
26:32But because I'd finally learned to let go.
26:35I'm not going to let go.
26:36I'm not going to let go.
26:37I'm not going to let go.
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