provoking a billionaire tyrant #DRAMAX
Watch the full short drama with English subtitles. CEO, billionaire, revenge, betrayal — complete story in one video.
#shortdrama #ceodrama #drama #revenge #fullmovie #englishsub #reelshort #dramabox #miniseries #love #betrayal #drama2026
Watch the full short drama with English subtitles. CEO, billionaire, revenge, betrayal — complete story in one video.
#shortdrama #ceodrama #drama #revenge #fullmovie #englishsub #reelshort #dramabox #miniseries #love #betrayal #drama2026
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Short filmTranscript
00:00I was born a liar. That's the label my mom gave me. It all started because my mom, a firm
00:06believer in scientific parenting, put honesty necklaces on me and my twin sister the day we were born. Whenever you
00:12lied, the pendant on the necklace would glow red, and mom would press a remote to send an electric current
00:17as punishment. My sister's necklace was always green, even when she cut mom's dress and blamed it on the cat.
00:24The necklace just blinked gently with a green light. But me? Just saying-
00:28Mom, I'm hungry.
00:30Would make my necklace flash red instantly, followed by a jolt of electricity straight to my skin. At first, I
00:36tried to defend myself. But mom said,
00:39Machines don't lie. The pain will teach you a lesson. Mom's doing this for your own good.
00:45After thousands of electric shocks, I started to believe it too. Maybe I really was born a liar. On New
00:50Year's Eve, mom was taking my sister to see the fireworks. A sharp pain tore through my stomach. I curled
00:57up on the floor, begging.
00:58Mom, my stomach hurts so bad. Please help me.
01:03But my necklace flashed red like crazy. Mom looked down at me, drenched in sweat, and turned the current to
01:08Max.
01:09You're faking sick just to come with us to the fireworks? You're hopeless.
01:13She turned and walked out the door with my sister. I couldn't help but think, mom must be right. The
01:18necklace is red, so I must not really be in pain.
01:21I'm just lying for attention again. I'm sorry, mom. In my next life, I'll learn to be an honest kid.
01:28It hurts so much. It hurts so much.
01:35Mom was back. Mom's a doctor. She must have realized something was wrong. She came to save me.
01:41Are you done yet? The fireworks are about to start, and Jenny's getting impatient.
01:45Mom! Mom, it really hurts. It feels like my intestines are twisting.
01:51How long are you going to keep this up? You're such a liar. You can just stay home and reflect
01:59on yourself.
01:59Honey, come on. Hurry up. The fireworks show is about to start. If she don't want to go, fine. Should
02:05we save her some food?
02:06Save her food? She has a bunch of snacks in her closet, which she buy with the money she stole
02:10last time. She won't starve.
02:11Lock the door. We'll let her out. Only her necklace turns green.
02:15But what? Spare the rod and spoil the child. Look how honest Jenny is. Her necklace is always green.
02:23Stella's just a bad egg, and she needs to be corrected.
02:26But my closet was empty. That time, my sister took the money. She ate all the snacks, too.
02:32My sister just stood there, her necklace glowing soft green.
02:35I know one of you took the money. Who did it?
02:39It wasn't me.
02:40And Mom believed her.
02:42When I tried to say I didn't take it either, my necklace turned red, and I got another shock.
02:47No, Mommy! I did it!
02:55Bye-bye, sister. We're going to see the pretty fireworks.
03:02It hurts so much!
03:09I'm not in pain.
03:11I'm really not in pain.
03:13I'm not in pain.
03:15I'm really not in pain.
03:17Tears streaming down my face.
03:19I hypnotized myself.
03:20I don't know how long passed.
03:22It didn't hurt quite as much anymore.
03:24With my last bit of strength, I crawled to my desk.
03:27I had to write a self-criticism.
03:30That was the rule.
03:31Whenever the red light came on, I had to write a thousand words of I am a liar.
03:34My hands shaking.
03:36I opened that crumpled, worn-out diary.
03:38It was filled with self-criticisms from before.
03:41But this time, I wanted to write the truth.
03:44Mom, I really love you.
03:47It really hurts so much.
03:49Why won't you believe me?
03:51Mom, please just believe me.
03:53Just once.
03:54Everything was getting blurry.
03:56Tears streaming.
03:57I used my last bit of strength to write.
04:00After I wrote the last word, the sharp pain in my stomach suddenly vanished.
04:04In its place was a lightness I'd never felt before.
04:06My body grew light.
04:08I floated up.
04:09I looked down and saw myself slumped over the desk.
04:12My hand hanging limply in the air.
04:14On my neck, the necklace was still blinking red like crazy.
04:17So this is what it's like to die?
04:20I still haven't learned to be an honest kid.
04:24I'm sorry, Mom.
04:25I was woken up by laughter.
04:27It was Mom, Dad, and my sister.
04:30Mom's voice held a tenderness I'd never heard before.
04:33I floated in midair, watching the front door open.
04:36Even though I was a soul now, I instinctively floated over to greet them.
04:39Wanting to get their slippers like I always did.
04:42It was a habit carved into my bones.
04:44The need to please.
04:45Mom?
04:46Mom, I'm not in pain anymore.
04:49I'll be good.
04:51Please don't be mad.
04:53I opened my arms, wanting to hug the woman still carrying the winter chill.
04:57But my hands passed right through her, like wind through nothing.
05:00Why is it so cold in here?
05:01Is the heater off?
05:02I froze, staring at my own transparent hands.
05:06Yeah, I'm dead.
05:09Dead people can't hug the living.
05:11Go check on Stella.
05:13She hasn't come out to eat.
05:14Maybe she's really hungry.
05:16Good old dad.
05:17I looked hopefully at mom.
05:19If she found out I was dead, would she be sad?
05:21Would she regret it?
05:22Mom snorted and walked toward my room.
05:26She pushed my door open.
05:28She didn't turn on the light.
05:30In the glow from the living room, she saw me slumped over the desk.
05:34Not moving.
05:35Like I was asleep.
05:36Oh, still lying there?
05:40You think lying that will make me carry you to bed?
05:43Stella, you're ten years old, not five.
05:46Mom!
05:47I'm not pretending to sleep!
05:49I'm dead!
05:52Look at me!
05:54Touch me!
05:56I'm cold!
05:58But she couldn't hear me.
05:59She only believed what she could see.
06:02Sister's a big sleepy head.
06:04Look, my necklace is green.
06:06But Sister's is still red.
06:09Sister's always lying.
06:10She's even lying in her dreams.
06:14Our Jenny's such a good girl.
06:17Don't mind this liar.
06:19Let her lie there.
06:21See how long she can keep it up.
06:23Maybe we should put her in bed.
06:25It's cold out.
06:26Put her in bed?
06:27The experts in scientific parenting say you have to be cold in moments like this.
06:31She has to realize her own mistake.
06:34Look at that red light.
06:35It means her mental state is still extreme resistance.
06:38She hasn't repented at all.
06:40All right, time for bed.
06:41We're going to Grandma's tomorrow for New Year's.
06:44Mom turned sharply and closed the door again.
06:47I floated beside my body.
06:49Staring at that single point of red light in the darkness.
06:51The sadness in my heart was colder than death itself.
06:55Mom, if you had taken just one step closer.
06:58If you had just touched my hand, you would have known I was dead.
07:01But you didn't.
07:02You only believed that cold, lifeless machine.
07:05Not the daughter you carried for 10 months.
07:08Late at night, a mouse crept out of my empty closet.
07:11I used to be terrified of mice.
07:13I'd scream every time I saw one.
07:15But now, I could only float on the ceiling.
07:18Watching it crawl all over my body, I whispered weakly.
07:21But no sound came out.
07:23The mouse spit through my toe.
07:24A little blackish purple blood oozed out.
07:27I couldn't feel it anymore.
07:29Good.
07:29It finally didn't hurt.
07:31I said to the pitiful shell below me.
07:34It's okay.
07:35You can't feel it anymore.
07:37It'll be over soon.
07:39The next morning, sunlight fell on my body.
07:41But it brought no warmth.
07:43From the kitchen came the clatter of pots and pans.
07:46Mom was making breakfast.
07:47The smell of fried eggs drifted through the crack in my door.
07:50Usually, that was the smell I craved most.
07:53But all I ever got was boiled vegetables.
07:56Because mom said,
07:57Liars didn't deserve meat.
07:59Today, she banged the spatula extra loud on purpose.
08:03I knew what she was doing.
08:05She was trying to tempt me.
08:07She wanted me to give in, come out, and admit I was wrong.
08:10If this were before, maybe I would have confessed to things I didn't do.
08:14Just for one fried egg.
08:16But now, I didn't need to eat anymore.
08:20Stella still hasn't come out?
08:23Nope.
08:24Stubborn as a mule.
08:26Spoiled brat.
08:27Fine.
08:28Don't eat.
08:29See if I care.
08:31My sister drank her milk, her eyes darting around.
08:34She ran up to my door on purpose and took a big sniff.
08:37Then, with a dramatic yell.
08:39Mom!
08:40What?
08:41Sister's room stinks!
08:43Did she poop in there?
08:45The heater was too strong.
08:48After just one night, I was starting to smell.
08:52Mom would hate me even more.
08:55Stella!
08:56The bathroom's right there!
08:58Did your legs break?
08:59You actually pooped in your room?
09:02You're hopeless!
09:03You'd rather lose all self-respect than admit you're wrong?
09:06I remembered once, when I was little.
09:09I had acute gastroenteritis.
09:12I couldn't make it to the bathroom and messed up my pants.
09:15Mom not only refused to wash me, she made me stand in the yard as a punishment.
09:19She pointed at me and told the neighbors I was as dirty as a pig.
09:23Now, she thought I was dirty again.
09:25Leave her alone!
09:26Let her sit in her own stink!
09:28Let it choke her!
09:29The smell's pretty strong.
09:31Let me check it out.
09:32Maybe there's a dead mouse or something.
09:33Dad stood up and walked toward my door.
09:36My heart leaped.
09:37Dad!
09:39Open the door!
09:40Look at me!
09:41I'm right here!
09:43Just turn the handle!
09:45And you'll see I'm not moving!
09:46You'll see my face!
09:48Already turning black!
09:52What?
09:53The server crashed?
09:55Okay, okay, I'm coming right now.
09:57Honey, emergency at work.
09:58I gotta go.
09:59Might not be back for a few days.
10:01But what about Stella?
10:02Mom didn't even finish before Dad slammed the door shut behind him.
10:06I was stunned.
10:07So close.
10:08Just one second.
10:09If that call had come a moment later, I'd have been found.
10:13Maybe then I wouldn't have to rot any longer.
10:15That afternoon, Mom took my sister out shopping.
10:19The house was empty except for my body.
10:21At night, they came back loaded with fancy seafood and gifts.
10:24The smell hit them the second they walked in.
10:27Mom covered her nose, even gagging.
10:29B-Stella!
10:31Does this place have to look like a lamb stilt?
10:34She wouldn't even open the door to yell at me, like looking at that room would somehow
10:38dirty her eyes.
10:39She grabbed wide packing tape, crouched down, and viciously sealed the bottom crack of my
10:43door.
10:44You like the smell so much?
10:46Fine!
10:47Rot in there by yourself!
10:49Just don't let it stink up the rest of us!
10:57Ah, peace and quiet.
10:59I stared at that sealed door.
11:01The last bit of hope in my heart suffocated along with the tape.
11:04Turns out, in Mom's heart, my life or death mattered less than a fancy seafood dinner.
11:09She'd rather seal me and then look to see if I died in there.
11:12Mom, you win.
11:18I'll never bother you again.
11:23The third morning, winter sunlight streamed into the living room, but it couldn't dispel
11:28the gloom hanging over the house.
11:30The underfloor heating was cranked up.
11:3226 degrees.
11:33The tape couldn't hold back the smell anymore.
11:36It was a nauseating, greasy stench of decay.
11:39Mom was trimming freshly bought flowers, but no amount of floral scent could cover the
11:43reek of death.
11:44Mom cut a rose viciously, the thorns piercing her hand.
11:47She'd finally had enough.
11:49In her mind, I hadn't bathed.
11:51I'd pooped in my room.
11:53I'd probably hidden a dead mouse in there, all just to spite her, to defy her authority.
11:57Stella, you've gone too far.
11:59If you don't repent, I won't let you off easily.
12:03It seems that gentle reminders don't work for you.
12:05I must use hard ARBAP to teach you Jelfitwin.
12:08I floated in front of mom, watching her twisted face, waving my arms desperately.
12:13Even though she didn't love me, I didn't want her to see me like that.
12:17But she passed right through me.
12:19I'm ugly!
12:20I'm rotten!
12:22You'll be scared!
12:33Stella!
12:34What have you done?
12:38She looked up and saw me, still slumped over the desk just like three days ago, my back
12:43to her, not moving.
12:45To her, it was silent defiance.
12:47The ultimate disrespect.
12:48I'm talking to you!
12:50You hear me?
12:51Still playing dead?
12:52Blind with rage, mom charged in, raising the rolling pin.
12:56But she didn't strike.
12:57She wanted to grab me first, to see my defiant face.
13:00Her hand grabbed the back of my collar, touched the skin of my neck.
13:03Then she froze.
13:05No warmth of life at all.
13:07She blinked.
13:08But inertia kept her pulling.
13:09My body fell backward.
13:11Chair and all crashed to the floor.
13:13The chair slammed against the ground.
13:15My body, stiff as a statue, toppled over.
13:18My face was finally visible.
13:22It wasn't the shy little girl she knew anymore.
13:25My face was purple-black, my eyes bulging.
13:28My features twisted from the death throes.
13:30Dried white foam and black-red blood caked at the corners of my mouth.
13:34And around my blackened neck, pressed against the rotting flesh.
13:38That honesty necklace mom was so proud of.
13:41Hanging there, lifeless.
13:43The skin on my neck was burnt black by the constant current,
13:46fused with the metal pendant.
13:48No more red light.
13:49No more green light.
13:51Just dead silence.
13:53Thump.
13:54A soft sound.
13:55The diary that had been pinned under my arm slid out as my body fell.
13:59Hanging stabbed into her eyes like knives.
14:01Mom, my stomach really hurts.
14:03The necklace is broken.
14:05I'm not lying.
14:07Please don't shock me.
14:10Mom stumbled back, her lower back slamming into the bookshelf behind her.
14:14Faces shattered on the floor.
14:16But she didn't feel the pain.
14:18Her eyes were wide.
14:20Fixed on me on the ground.
14:25No.
14:27It's a trick.
14:28Makeup.
14:29Special effects.
14:30Stella, get up!
14:31Mom's not mad anymore!
14:33Don't scare me.
14:35That feeling, it was too real.
14:38It was the temperature of death.
14:41Aunt Shelly called the police.
14:44She'd come running at mom's screens and collapsed at the door when she saw the scene.
14:47Sirens soon filled the neighborhood.
14:50Police came.
14:51Forensics came.
14:52Yellow tape went up.
14:53I watched them come and go.
14:55Watched flashlights flicker over my body.
14:57Mom was pulled onto the living room sofa by a female officer.
15:00Officer, she was faking sick.
15:03She's lied since she was little.
15:05The necklace was red.
15:07Machines don't lie.
15:08I was just disciplining her.
15:10I did it for her own good.
15:12No one listened.
15:13Everyone looked at her like she was a monster.
15:16When the coroner moved my body, they ran into a problem.
15:19The necklace.
15:20Because of the prolonged high voltage current, the heat had fused the metal to my skin.
15:24Like it had grown into my flesh.
15:27Damn it.
15:28He had to get tools.
15:29Force the necklace off.
15:31Rip.
15:32The sound of skin tearing.
15:34An officer picked up the diary from the floor.
15:37Wearing gloves, he flipped through it.
15:39His face grew darker and darker.
15:42Mom stared at that diary, eyes locked on it.
15:45Suddenly, she lunged like a madwoman, trying to grab it.
15:48That's her self-criticism.
15:49She admitted it.
15:50She admitted.
15:51She lied.
15:52Look, she wrote it.
15:53We'll find out if she lie.
15:54That's when dad arrived.
15:56He saw the black body bag being carried out.
15:58That long zipper, sealing my whole life shut.
16:02Dad's legs gave out.
16:03He collapsed on the spot, wetting himself.
16:06My little sister was crying, terrified.
16:09She didn't understand what was happening.
16:11She just pointed at the blood-stained necklace on the table and asked.
16:15Mom, why is sister's necklace black?
16:18Mine's still green.
16:19She held up the pendant on her neck.
16:21The green light blinked innocently.
16:23Like a giant, cruel joke.
16:26The police started a temporary inquiry in the living room.
16:29Mom clutched at her last straw.
16:31She pointed at the bloody necklace, her voice shrill.
16:35Officers, check that necklace.
16:37That necklace proved she was lying.
16:39Red means lying.
16:41I only shocked her when it was red.
16:43I didn't abuse her.
16:45The machine showed it.
16:46I was just disciplining her.
16:48The officer frowned at her like she was insane.
16:50Ma'am, the deceased has multiple old electrical burns.
16:53That was discipline.
16:55Education.
16:56Mom screamed, cutting him off.
16:58To prove she was innocent.
17:00To prove she wasn't a murderer.
17:02She made a crazy demand.
17:04She lunged for the table, grabbing the necklace still covered in my flesh and blood.
17:08Ignoring the gore.
17:10Hands shaking.
17:11She forced it onto her own neck.
17:14I'll prove it.
17:15I'm innocent.
17:17As long as it's green, it means I'm telling the truth.
17:20She clicked the necklace around her own neck.
17:22Click.
17:23It locked.
17:24The cold metal touched her skin, sticky with my blood.
17:28Mom took a deep breath, trying to calm herself.
17:31She held up the pendant for the officers to see, her eyes wild with certainty.
17:36Watch closely.
17:37I'm Clara.
17:38I'm Stella's mother.
17:39That was the truth.
17:41Absolutely true.
17:43But...
17:48A piercing shriek erupted.
17:50The dormant red light blazed to life.
17:52Red as blood.
17:53Red as evil.
17:55In the dim living room, it was like a bloodshot eye snapping open.
17:58Mom froze.
17:59The confident expression on her face locked in place.
18:02She slapped the pendant, like fixing a glitching TV.
18:06What's wrong?
18:07It's broken?
18:08I told the truth!
18:10I'm Clara!
18:11Panic crept into her voice, her words tumbling out faster.
18:15It must be broken.
18:16That coroner broke it.
18:17Let me try again.
18:18One more time.
18:19It didn't abuse my child.
18:21I did it for her own good.
18:23I love her!
18:24The red light flashed even faster, a continuous strobe of red.
18:28Sensing her extreme heart rate, the necklace automatically released the leaf current.
18:32Mom jolted, her neck spasming, hands flying to her throat as she doubled over.
18:37It hurt.
18:38Even that tiny current made her neck cramp, goosebumps rising over her skin.
18:43And suddenly she remembered.
18:45Ten years old.
18:46Me.
18:47The current at maximum.
18:49Curled on the floor, biting through my lip, afraid to even cry out.
18:53So this is what it felt like.
18:55Mom completely lost it.
18:57She screamed at the necklace, spittle flying.
19:01Why is it red?
19:02Why?
19:02I'm telling the truth!
19:04Why?
19:04I'm telling the truth!
19:06Turn green!
19:07No matter how she screamed, the red light kept flashing.
19:11Mocking her silently, you're a liar.
19:13You're a liar.
19:14Enough.
19:16Stopping doesn't detect lies.
19:18He grabbed the instruction manual found during the search and slammed it on the coffee table.
19:22It's just a simple galvanic skin response and heart rate monitor.
19:25It works like this.
19:26When you're nervous, anxious, scared, or in pain, your heart rate goes up, your galvanic skin response increases, and the
19:32light turns red.
19:33Right now, you're terrified, anxious, tachycardic.
19:36Of course it's all red.
19:37He stepped closer to mom.
19:39Your daughter had a perforated appendix.
19:42She was writhling on the floor in agony.
19:45The pain of internal perforation.
19:47How fast do you think her heart was beating?
19:49How terrified was she?
19:51In your eyes, the more it hurt, the faster her heart raced, the brighter the red light.
19:56And you thought that meant she was lying harder, so you cranked up the current.
20:01Your younger daughter-less has been set to green since it left the factory.
20:05No matter what she says or does, even if she murders someone, it stays green.
20:11Your scientific parenting?
20:12It's a complete biased joke.
20:15Mom's world collapsed.
20:17She sat there, staring blankly at the red light flashing on her neck.
20:21Finally understanding.
20:23For ten years.
20:25Every time my red light came on, it was because I was afraid.
20:29Afraid mom would be mad.
20:31Afraid of being misunderstood.
20:33Afraid of the food I hated on the table.
20:35I was in pain.
20:37Pain made my heart race.
20:39Made me sweat with fear.
20:40I was longing.
20:42Longing for her hug.
20:43Longing for her to hold me like she held my sister.
20:46Every signal of a beating heart, she'd read as evidence of a lie.
20:50A wail erupted from mom.
20:52She clawed at the necklace around her neck.
20:57But the necklace's clasp, damaged by her violent struggle earlier, was jammed.
21:02Stuck tight around her neck.
21:04She couldn't pry it off.
21:06Can't get it off.
21:07Can't get it off.
21:08Stella!
21:09Take the necklace!
21:11Mommy was wrong!
21:12It hurts!
21:13Can't handle this little bit of pain, mom?
21:16I took it for ten years.
21:18To confirm the details of the abuse and build the case.
21:21The police opened the diary, the key piece of evidence, in front of mom and dad.
21:26That diary I'd kept for ten years, filled with humiliation and blood and tears.
21:30The female officer's voice was soft, but every word cut deep.
21:34February 14th, sunny.
21:36Mom gave me celery.
21:38I'm allergic to celery.
21:40It makes my throat swell up.
21:42I can't breathe.
21:43I said I didn't want it, that it would make me sick.
21:46Because I was scared of making mom mad.
21:48My heart was racing.
21:50The red light came on.
21:52Mom said I was a picky eater and a liar, and made me eat the whole plate.
21:56That night, I coughed up blood.
21:58My throat burned like fire.
22:00Mom saw it and said I drank tomato juice and was faking it.
22:03She shocked me for another ten minutes.
22:05Mom covered her mouth, her whole body shaking violently.
22:09That night, she really had thought it was tomato juice.
22:12She hadn't even looked closely at my vomit before turning away to tell my sister a story.
22:17It was blood.
22:18Blood from a throat swollen and torn.
22:21The officer turned the page and continued.
22:23June 1st, Children's Day.
22:25Sister cut mom's dress.
22:27Sister's heartbeat was slow.
22:29Her necklace was green.
22:30I tried to explain, because I was scared of getting hit.
22:34All red lights.
22:35Mom shocked me for ten minutes.
22:37Current at level five.
22:38It hurt so much, but I didn't dare cry.
22:41Because if I cried, my heart would race faster, and mom would think I was defiant, and shock me harder.
22:47I had to hold my breath.
22:49Pretend it didn't hurt.
22:50Mom said, see.
22:52She's not even screaming.
22:54That means it doesn't hurt.
22:56She's faking.
22:57Dad couldn't take it anymore.
22:59This man, invisible in this family for so long, who turned a blind eye to my suffering, who just wanted
23:05peace and quiet.
23:06He lunged forward.
23:08Slap.
23:09You monster!
23:12You monster!
23:14Look what you've done!
23:16That was your own daughter!
23:18You raised her like an animal!
23:20Mom's mouth bled.
23:21She fell to the floor, but she didn't fight back.
23:25She didn't cry.
23:26She just stared blankly, muttering.
23:29Not me.
23:30It wasn't my fault.
23:32Suddenly, she pointed at my sister, cowering in the corner.
23:36It was her!
23:37Jenny!
23:38Sister's necklace was always green!
23:41Sister was the honest one!
23:42She misled me!
23:44If it weren't for that green light, I wouldn't have trusted the red one so much!
23:49The little princess who'd always been cherished.
23:52An officer walked over.
23:54He unclasped the green necklace from my sister's neck.
23:57Got a screwdriver.
23:59Pride opened the pendant.
24:04There were no complex sensor chips.
24:06No heart rate monitor.
24:08Just two cheap LEDs and a few button batteries.
24:11The circuit was hardwired.
24:13Permanently set to green.
24:16This is a two-dollar plastic toy.
24:18The officer tossed the broken pieces onto the table with a clatter.
24:22Your younger daughter-less has been set to green since it left the factory.
24:25No matter what she says or does, even if she murders someone, it stays green.
24:31Your scientific parenting?
24:33It's a complete, biased joke.
24:36Mom stared at the plastic fragments.
24:38The truth she'd believed for ten years.
24:40The evidence that had sentenced me to death.
24:43Just a toy.
24:44A toy controlled my fate for ten years?
24:47A game where only I was in hell, and my sister in heaven?
24:50So I wasn't a liar.
24:52I wasn't a bad kid.
24:54What were all those years of suffering for?
24:57I laughed.
24:58And as I laughed, I cried.
25:00Turns out, souls can cry too.
25:03The last page of the diary was opened.
25:05The female officer's voice cracked.
25:07The handwriting is shaky, probably written right before she died.
25:12Mom, if I die, will the necklace stop glowing?
25:14Will you hold me then?
25:16I wasn't lying.
25:17My stomach hurts so bad, like a knife twisting inside.
25:21Ma, in my next life, please don't make me wear a necklace.
25:24I'm begging you.
25:25I just want to be a normal kid.
25:27I want to eat the braid pork you make.
25:30Mom stared at the pile of plastic junk.
25:32The honest green light she trusted so blindly.
25:35Just a cheap toy.
25:36Because of it, she doted on my sister for ten years.
25:40Because of that damned red light, she tortured me for ten years.
25:46Fake.
25:47It's all fake.
25:49I killed my most honest child and raised a liar.
25:53My death became a city-wide sensation.
25:55Aunt Shelly, our neighbor, was a kind soul but a big mouth.
25:58She posted everything she'd seen online.
26:01The headline was shocking.
26:02Girl electrocuted by pseudoscience honesty necklace.
26:05The article detailed my corpse's condition, and the necklace fused into my flesh.
26:09It exploded.
26:10Online fury ignited instantly.
26:12Mom's personal information was doxxed.
26:15Electrocution demon.
26:17Murderer.
26:18She doesn't deserve to be a mom.
26:20Insults rained down like snow.
26:22Our front door was splashed with red paint, scrawled with the word death.
26:25Dad was also taken in for investigation.
26:27Failure to prevent abuse.
26:29Neglect of parental duties.
26:31Though he wasn't heavily sentenced due to lack of direct involvement, he lost his job.
26:35His reputation was ruined.
26:37His company fired him immediately to avoid association.
26:41The family went bankrupt.
26:42Pay compensation and legal fees.
26:44The house and car were sold.
26:46Dad couldn't handle the madwoman anymore.
26:49He took what little money was left and left with my sister.
26:52Even if my sister was a bad seed, she was still his only remaining child.
26:56Before leaving, my sister tried to take the green necklace.
27:00Dad crushed it under his foot.
27:02What the hell do you need that piece of junk for?
27:04My sister left, crying.
27:06Mom was released on bail pending trial.
27:09Psychological evaluation showed severe schizophrenia and PTSD.
27:13She was left in that rented room, filled with the memory of my stench.
27:18Completely isolated.
27:20Her mental state deteriorated.
27:22She always felt I was still in the house.
27:25That red necklace, she refused to take it off.
27:27In fact, she became dependent on it.
27:31Because she found that wearing it, feeling that faint sting, eased her guilt just a little.
27:36It was her own self-inflicted punishment.
27:38I floated in the room, watching her daily descent into madness.
27:41She'd cook a whole table of food, calling out to empty air.
27:45Stella, dinner's ready.
27:46No celery today.
27:48All braised pork, your favorite.
27:50Then she'd pick up a piece of meat, hands shaking.
27:53From anxiety, the necklace turned red.
27:55She'd laugh and nervous laugh.
27:57My heart is racing.
27:59Mommy's lying.
28:02Mommy doesn't deserve to be.
28:05Liars must be punished.
28:07She'd put down her chopsticks, pick up the remote, point it at her own neck.
28:12Even though the battery was nearly dead, she'd found new ones somewhere.
28:16The strong current made her convulse.
28:18Foam at the mouth, little look at the light across her face.
28:31It hurts.
28:32It hurts just like...
28:33Was this how much it hurt for Stella?
28:36I'm sorry.
28:37Mommy, taste it now.
28:38She started punishing herself according to my diary entries.
28:41I was shocked for refusing celery, so she forced herself to eat rotten food.
28:45Until she vomited blood, she forced it down.
28:49I was locked in my room, so she locked herself in there without light.
28:53In the darkness, she cowed out to my memorial photo.
28:58Her forehead bled.
29:00Blood stains covered the floor.
29:02Late at night, she'd watch the red light from the necklace cast shadows on the wall.
29:06Like my bloody eyes staring at her.
29:09On the back page of my diary, she scribbled frantically in red pen.
29:23Too bad.
29:25I'm already dead.
29:26Dead people can't say it hurts.
29:29Mom was eventually committed to a psychiatric hospital.
29:32Her self-harm had gotten so bad she nearly electrocuted herself at home.
29:35Community services intervened and sent her in.
29:38She was the strangest patient there.
29:40She'd found some red plastic ring somewhere and wore it around her neck.
29:43A homemade necklace.
29:45If anyone tried to take it off, she'd bite like a rabid dog.
29:49Don't touch my light!
29:51Stella's watching!
29:53If you take it off, she'll get mad!
29:55She developed a terrible conditioned reflex.
29:58Whenever a nurse asked,
29:59Clara, have you eaten?
30:01She'd touch her neck first, then convulse and scream.
30:05Red light! Don't shock me! I'll eat! I'll eat!
30:08Even if the porridge was scalding hot,
30:10she'd gulp it down, burning her esophagus, too scared to spit it out.
30:14She was imitating me, right before I died.
30:17Reliving my hell, over and over.
30:20Years passed.
30:21My sister grew up.
30:22And she grew up twisted.
30:24With no discipline and that reputation hanging over her,
30:27she ended up at the bottom of society.
30:29Broke, she remembered the mom still in the psych ward.
30:32She went to visit.
30:34Not for family love.
30:36For money.
30:37Old crazy lady!
30:39Dad's dead!
30:39Give me the secret stash you hid!
30:41My sister wore heavy makeup, her face full of malice.
30:45She looked at mom's pathetic state and spat in disgust.
30:48Just like your dear Delda's daughter.
30:50If you don't give me money, I'll pull your plug and let you join her.
30:54At those words, mom, who'd been in a daze, suddenly looked up.
30:58Her clotted eyes focused on my sister for a moment, sharp and clear.
31:02She remembered the always green toy necklace.
31:05The green that had fooled her for ten years.
31:09You tricked me!
31:10Your green light was fake!
31:12You killed Stella!
31:14Give her back!
31:15Give her back!
31:18Die!
31:19You die!
31:21You're the one who should die!
31:24Help!
31:26Doctors rushed in, sedated mom, and took her off.
31:30Help!
31:33My sister fled in panic.
31:37She ran blindly out of the hospital gate.
31:40Crazy!
31:41All of you are crazy!
31:42A speeding truck couldn't stop in time.
31:44My sister flew through the air.
31:46She survived.
31:48But her legs were crushed.
31:50She'd spend the rest of her life in a wheelchair.
31:52Completely broken.
31:54And mom, strapped to a restraint bed, stared at the ceiling with tears in her eyes.
31:59In her dreams, she finally saw me.
32:01I was still ten years old.
32:03No necklace.
32:04Wearing a white dress.
32:06Smiling, I ran to her.
32:08She opened her arms joyfully.
32:11Then she saw her own hands, crackling with electricity.
32:15The moment she touched me, my body burned up like paper.
32:19Turned to ashes.
32:21She woke, screaming.
32:24No!
32:28Heart rate spiking.
32:32If she still wore that necklace, it would have been blazing red.
32:36The eternal pain.
32:37I stood in the void, watching it all.
32:39Watching mom suffer in the psych ward.
32:41Watching my sister begging with broken legs.
32:43Watching dad, broken, drunk, dying young.
32:46In my heart, there was no satisfaction in revenge.
32:49Just stillness.
32:50Still as death.
32:51Beside me stood an old dog.
32:53Shao Bai.
32:54The dog I raised as a child, until mom threw him out.
32:57He'd been waiting for me in the spirit world.
33:00Shao Bai rubbed against my leg and barked softly.
33:02Like he was saying.
33:03Come on.
33:04Stop watching.
33:05Yeah, time to go.
33:06This life was too bitter.
33:08Nothing worth holding onto.
33:09I floated to the window of mom's room.
33:12One last goodbye.
33:13Mom lay in bed, withered, hair completely white.
33:16She seemed to sense something.
33:17Stella?
33:18Is that you?
33:20Mom smashed the necklace.
33:22Mom doesn't believe in it anymore.
33:25Please come back.
33:26Mom will cook for you.
33:28No celery.
33:29Mom will buy you new dresses.
33:31Not for your sister.
33:32Tears slipped down her cheeks, falling on the pillow.
33:35Sighed softly.
33:36I reached out.
33:37My cold finger touched her forehead.
33:39The last mercy I could give her.
33:41Let her sleep.
33:42Sleep.
33:43And it won't hurt anymore.
33:45She calmed instantly.
33:46Her eyelids grew heavy.
33:48She fell into a deep sleep.
33:49A breeze blew through.
33:51The worn diary on her bedside table flipped open.
33:53The police had returned it to her as a personal effect.
33:56On the last page, below my dying words, were a few shaking new lines, written by mom in
34:02her lucid moments.
34:04In the next life, let mommy wear the necklace.
34:08Let mommy be the liar.
34:11You punish me.
34:14Just don't leave me.
34:16Mommy will do anything.
34:18I looked at those words.
34:20Felt nothing.
34:21Too late.
34:22All the regret in the world, in the face of death, is pale and meaningless.
34:26Mom, I don't hate you anymore.
34:29But I don't love you either.
34:31Mom, let's don't meet again the next life.
34:34I turned away.
34:35Took Shao Bai's leash.
34:36In the distance, a door of light appeared.
34:39The entrance to the next cycle.
34:40I raised my hand to my neck.
34:42The necklace that had always been there in spirit form.
34:45The nightmare that had bound me my whole life.
34:47I grabbed it.
34:48Pulled.
34:48Snap.
34:49It shattered.
34:50Dissolved into specks of light.
34:52Vanished into the air.
34:53I felt lighter than I'd ever felt.
34:55No red light.
34:56No electricity.
34:58No lies.
34:59Just freedom.
35:00I walked toward the door of light.
35:02Didn't look back.
35:03Morning sunlight streamed in.
35:04A nurse opened the door for rounds.
35:06Clara, time for your meds.
35:09No answer.
35:10The figure on the bed didn't move.
35:12The nurse stepped closer.
35:13Clara clutched the tattered diary tightly in her hand.
35:16At the corner of her eye, one last crystalline tear.
35:19On the heart monitor beside her, the line that represented life had gone perfectly flat.
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