He is the city's most feared tycoon—a cold, ruthless 'tyrant' who always gets what he wants. She is the only one brave enough to stand up to him and provoke his anger. But in this dangerous game of power, she didn't realize that provoking a tyrant is the fastest way to become his obsession. Watch as their fierce battle of wills turns into a love that burns everything in its path. ✨👠🔥
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#DRAMAX #FullMovie2026 #ShortDrama #EnglishSubtitles #MysteryThriller #BingeWatch #4KVideo #NonstopDrama #PremiumContent #DramaLovers #EmotionalClimax #FullLengthDrama #RevengeStory #NewMovie2025 #2025Movie
Category
🎥
Short filmTranscript
00:00I was born a liar. That's the label my mom gave me. It all started because my mom, a firm
00:05believer
00:06in scientific parenting, put honesty necklaces on me and my twin sister the day we were born.
00:11Whenever you lied, the pendant on the necklace would glow red, and mom would press a remote
00:16to send an electric current as punishment. My sister's necklace was always green, even when
00:21she cut mom's dress and blamed it on the cat. The necklace just blinked gently with a green light.
00:27But me, just saying mom, I'm hungry, would make my necklace flash red instantly, followed
00:33by a jolt of electricity straight to my skin. At first, I tried to defend myself, but mom
00:38said, machines don't lie. The pain will teach you a lesson. Mom's doing this for your own
00:44good. After thousands of electric shocks, I started to believe it too. Maybe I really
00:49was born a liar. On New Year's Eve, mom was taking my sister to see the fireworks. A sharp
00:54pain tore through my stomach. I curled up on the floor, begging,
00:58Mom, my stomach hurts so bad. Please help me.
01:02But my necklace flashed red like crazy. Mom looked down at me, drenched in sweat, and
01:08turned the current to Max. You're faking sick just to come with us to the fireworks? You're
01:12hopeless. She turned and walked out the door with my sister. I couldn't help but think,
01:17Mom must be right. The necklace is red, so I must not really be in pain. I'm just lying
01:22for 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. Mom was back. Mom's a doctor. She must have realized
01:39something was wrong. She came to save me. Are you done yet? The fireworks are about to
01:43start, and Jenny's getting impatient. Mom! Mom, it really hurts. It feels like my intestines
01:49are twisting. How long are you going to keep this up? You're such a liar. You can just stay home
01:58and reflect on yourself. Honey, come on. Hurry up. The fireworks show is about to start. If she
02:03don't want to go, fine. Should we save her some food? Save her food? She has a bunch of snacks
02:08in
02:08her closet, which she buy with the money she stole last time. She won't starve. Lock the door. We'll let
02:13her out. Only her necklace turns green. But what? Spare the rod and spoil the child. Look how honest
02:19Jenny is. Her necklace is always green. Stella'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. I know one of you took the money.
02:37who did it. It wasn't me. And mom believed her. When I tried to say I didn't take it either,
02:44my necklace turned red, and I got another shock. No, mommy, I did it!
02:55Bye-bye, sister. We're going to see the pretty fireworks.
03:17Tears streaming down my face. I hypnotized myself. I don't know how long passed. It didn't hurt quite
03:23as much anymore. With my last bit of strength, I crawled to my desk. I had to write a self
03:29-criticism.
03:30That was the rule. Whenever the red light came on, I had to write a thousand words of I am
03:34a liar.
03:35My hands shaking. I opened that crumpled, worn-out diary. It was filled with self-criticisms from before.
03:41But this time, I wanted to write the truth. Mom, I really love you.
03:47It really hurts so much. Why won't you believe me? Mom, please just believe me. Just once.
03:54Everything was getting blurry. Tears streaming. I used my last bit of strength to write.
03:59After I wrote the last word, the sharp pain in my stomach suddenly vanished. In its place was a
04:05lightness I'd never felt before. My body grew light. I floated up. I looked down and saw myself
04:10slumped over the desk. My hand hanging limply in the air. On my neck, the necklace was still
04:16blinking red like crazy. So this is what it's like to die? I still haven't learned to be an honest
04:22kid.
04:24I'm sorry mom. I was woken up by laughter. It was mom, dad, and my sister. Mom's voice held a
04:31tenderness I'd never heard before. I floated in midair, watching the front door open. Even though I was a
04:36soul now, I instinctively floated over to greet them, wanting to get their slippers like I always
04:41did. It was a habit carved into my bones, the need to please. Mom, I'm not in pain anymore.
04:49I'll be good. Please don't be mad. I opened my arms, wanting to hug the woman still carrying the
04:56winter chill. But my hands passed right through her, like wind through nothing. Why is it so cold
05:01in here? Is the heater off? I froze, staring at my own transparent hands. Yeah, I'm dead.
05:09Dead people can't hug the living. Go check on Stella. She hasn't come out to eat. Maybe she's
05:15really hungry. Good old dad. I looked hopefully at mom. If she found out I was dead, would she be
05:20sad?
05:21Would she regret it? Mom snorted and walked toward my room.
05:26She pushed my door open. She didn't turn on the light. In the glow from the living room,
05:32she saw me slumped over the desk, not moving, like I was asleep. Oh, still lying there?
05:40You think lying that will make me carry you to bed? Stella, you're 10 years old, not 5.
05:46Mom! I'm not pretending to sleep! I'm dead! Look at me! Touch me! I'm cold!
05:58But she couldn't hear me. She only believed what she could see.
06:02Sister's a big sleepy head. Look, my necklace is green, but Sister's is still red. Sister's
06:09always lying. She's even lying in her dreams. Our Jenny's such a good girl. Don't mind this
06:18liar. Let her lie there. See how long she can keep it up. Maybe we should put her in bed.
06:25It's cold out. Put her in bed? The experts in scientific parenting say you have to be cold
06:30in moments like this. She has to realize her own mistake. Look at that red light. It means her
06:36mental state is still extreme resistance. She hasn't repented at all. All right, time for bed.
06:41We're going to Grandma's tomorrow for New Year's. Mom turned sharply and closed the door again.
06:47I floated beside my body, staring at that single point of red light in the darkness.
06:51The sadness in my heart was colder than death itself. Mom, if you had taken just one step closer,
06:58if you had just touched my hand, you would have known I was dead. But you didn't. You only believed
07:03that cold, lifeless machine. Not the daughter you carried for 10 months.
07:08Late at night, a mouse crept out of my empty closet. I used to be terrified of mice. I'd scream
07:14every time I saw one. But now, I could only float on the ceiling, watching it crawl all over my
07:20body.
07:20I whispered weakly. But no sound came out. The mouse bit through my toe. A little blackish purple blood
07:26oozed out. I couldn't feel it anymore. Good. It finally didn't hurt. I said to the pitiful shell
07:33below me. It's okay. You can't feel it anymore. It'll be over soon. The next morning, sunlight fell
07:41on my body, but it brought no warmth. From the kitchen came the clatter of pots and pans. Mom was
07:46making breakfast. The smell of fried eggs drifted through the crack in my door. Usually, that was the
07:52smell I craved most. But all I ever got was boiled vegetables, because Mom said,
07:57Liars didn't deserve meat. Today, she banged the spatula extra loud on purpose. I knew what she was
08:04doing. She was trying to tempt me. She 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, just for one fried egg.
08:16But now, I didn't need to eat anymore. Stella still hasn't come out? Nope. Stubborn as a mule.
08:26Spoiled brat. Fine. Don't eat. See if I care. My sister drank her milk, her eyes darting around.
08:34She ran up to my door on purpose and took a big sniff. Then, with a dramatic yell,
08:39Mom! What? Sister's room stinks! Did she poop in there? The heater was too strong. After just one
08:49night, I was starting to smell. Mom would hate me even more. Stella! The bathroom's right there!
08:58Did your legs break? You actually pooped in your room? You're hopeless! You'd rather lose all
09:04self-respect than admit you're wrong? I remembered once, when I was little. I had acute gastroenteritis.
09:11I couldn't make it to the bathroom and messed up my pants. Mom not only refused to wash me,
09:17she made me stand in the yard as a punishment. She pointed at me and told the neighbors I was
09:21as dirty as a pig. Now, she thought I was dirty again. Leave her alone! Let her sit in her
09:27own
09:28stink! Let it choke her! The smell's pretty strong. Let me check it out. Maybe there's a dead mouse or
09:33something. Dad stood up and walked toward my door. My heart leaped. Dad! Open the door!
09:40Look at me! I'm right here! Just turn the handle and you'll see I'm not moving! You'll see my face
09:48already turning black! What? The server crashed? Okay, okay, I'm coming right now. Honey, emergency at work.
09:58I gotta go. Might not be back for a few days. But what about Stella? Mom didn't even finish before
10:04dad slammed the door shut behind him. I was stunned. So close. Just one second. If that call had come
10:11a
10:11moment later, I'd have been found. Maybe then I wouldn't have to rot any longer. That afternoon,
10:17mom took my sister out shopping. The house was empty except for my body. At night, they came back loaded
10:23with fancy seafood and gifts. The smell hit them the second they walked in. Mom covered her nose,
10:28even gagging. Stella! Does this place have to look like a lamb stilt? She wouldn't even open the door
10:35to yell at me, like looking at that room would somehow dirty her eyes. She grabbed wide packing
10:40tape, crouched down, and viciously sealed the bottom crack of my door. You like the smell so much?
10:46Fine! Rot in there by yourself! Just don't let it stink up the rest of us!
10:57Ah, peace and quiet. I stared at that sealed door. The last bit of hope in my heart suffocated along
11:03with the tape. Turns 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'd died in there. Mom, 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 the gloom
11:28hanging over the house. The underfloor heating was cranked up. 26 degrees. The tape couldn't hold
11:34back the smell anymore. It was a nauseating, greasy stench of decay. Mom was trimming freshly
11:40bought flowers, but no amount of floral scent could cover the reek of death. Mom cut a rose viciously,
11:46the thorns piercing her hand. She'd finally had enough. In her mind, I hadn't bathed. I'd pooped
11:52in my room. I'd probably hidden a dead mouse in there, all just to spite her, to defy her authority.
11:57Stella, you've gone too far. If you don't repent, I won't let you off easily. It seems that gentle
12:04reminders don't work for you. I must use hard ARBAP to teach you Jelfigwin. I floated in front
12:09of mom, watching her twisted face, waving my arms desperately. Even though she didn't love me,
12:15I didn't want her to see me like that. But she passed right through me.
12:18I'm ugly. I'm rotten. You'll be scared.
12:32Stella! What have you done?
12:38She looked up and saw me, still slumped over the desk just like three days ago,
12:42my back to her, not moving. To her, it was silent defiance. The ultimate disrespect,
12:48I'm talking to you. You hear me? Still playing dead?
12:52Blind with rage, mom charged in, raising the rolling pin. But she didn't strike.
12:57She wanted to grab me first, to see my defiant face. Her hand grabbed the back of my collar,
13:02touched the skin of my neck. Then she froze. No warmth of life at all. She blinked. But inertia
13:08kept her pulling. My body fell backward. Chair and all crashed to the floor. The chair slammed
13:14against the ground. My body, stiff as a statue, toppled over. My face was finally visible.
13:22It wasn't the shy little girl she knew anymore. My face was purple black, my eyes bulging.
13:28My features twisted from the death throes. Dried white foam and black red blood caked at the
13:33corners of my mouth. And around my blackened neck, pressed against the rotting flesh.
13:38That honesty necklace mom was so proud of. Hanging there, lifeless. The skin on my neck was burnt
13:44black by the constant current, fused with the metal pendant. No more red light. No more green light.
13:51Just dead silence. Thump. A soft sound. The diary that had been pinned under my arm slid out as my
13:58body fell. Hiding stabbed into her eyes like knives. Mom, my stuck really hurts. The necklace is broken.
14:05I'm not lying. Please don't shock me. Mom stumbled back, her lower back slamming into the bookshelf
14:13behind her. Faces shattered on the floor. But she didn't feel the pain. Her eyes were wide, fixed on me
14:21on the ground. No. It's a trick. Make up special effects. Stella, get up. Mom's not mad anymore.
14:33Don't scare me. That feeling. It was too real. It was the temperature of death.
14:41Aunt Shelly called the police. She'd come running at mom's screams and collapsed at the door when she
14:47saw the scene. Sirens soon filled the neighborhood. Police came. Forensics came. Yellow tape went up.
14:53I watched them come and go. Watched flashlights flicker over my body. Mom was pulled onto the
14:58living room sofa by a female officer. Officer, she was faking sick. She's lied since she was little.
15:05The necklace was red. Machines don't lie. I was just disciplining her. I did it for her own good.
15:11No one listened. Everyone looked at her like she was a monster. When the coroner moved my body,
15:17they ran into a problem. The necklace. Because of the prolonged high voltage current,
15:22the heat had fused the metal to my skin, like it had grown into my flesh.
15:27Damn it. He had to get tools. Force the necklace off. Rip. The sound of skin tearing. An officer picked
15:35up the diary from the floor. Wearing gloves, he flipped through it. His face grew darker and darker.
15:42Mom stared at that diary, eyes locked on it. Suddenly, she lunged like a madwoman,
15:47trying to grab it. That's her self-criticism. She admitted it. She admitted. She lied. Look,
15:52she wrote it. We'll find out if she lie. That's when dad arrived. He saw the black body bag being
15:58carried out. That long zipper, sealing my whole life shut. Dad's legs gave out. He collapsed on the spot,
16:05wetting himself. My little sister was crying, terrified. She 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? Mine's still green. She held up the pendant on her neck.
16:21The green light blinked innocently. Like a giant, cruel joke. The police started a temporary inquiry
16:28in the living room. Mom clutched at her last straw. She pointed at the bloody necklace,
16:33her voice shrill. Officers, check that necklace. That necklace proved she was lying. Red means lying.
16:41I only shocked her when it was red. I didn't abuse her. The machine showed it. I was just
16:47disciplining her. The officer frowned at her like she was insane.
16:50Ma'am, the deceased has multiple old electrical burns. That was discipline. Education.
16:56Mom screamed, cutting him off. To prove she was innocent. To prove she wasn't a murderer.
17:02She made a crazy demand. She lunged for the table, grabbing the necklace still covered in my flesh
17:08and blood. Ignoring the gore. Hands shaking, she forced it onto her own neck. I'll prove it.
17:15I'm innocent. As long as it's green, it means I'm telling the truth. She clicked the necklace around
17:21her own neck. Click. It locked. The cold metal touched her skin, sticky with my blood. Mom took a
17:29deep breath, trying to calm herself. She held up the pendant for the officers to see,
17:34her eyes wild with certainty. Watch closely. I'm Clara. I'm Stella's mother. That was the truth.
17:41Absolutely true. But...
17:48A piercing shriek erupted. The dormant red light blazed to life. Red as blood. Red as evil. In the dim
17:55living room, it was like a bloodshot eye snapping open. Mom froze. The confident expression on her
18:01face locked in place. She slapped the pendant, like fixing a glitching TV. What's wrong? It's broken?
18:08I told the truth. I'm Clara. Panic crept into her voice, her words tumbling out faster.
18:15It must be broken. That coroner broke it. Let me try it again. One more time. It didn't abuse my
18:20child. I did it for her own good. I love her. The red light flashed even faster, a continuous
18:27strobe of red. Sensing her extreme heart rate, the necklace automatically released the leak current.
18:32Mom jolted, her neck spasming, hands flying to her throat as she doubled over.
18:37It hurt. Even that tiny current made her neck cramp, goosebumps rising over her skin. And
18:43suddenly she remembered. Ten years old. Me. The current at maximum. Curled on the floor,
18:51biting through my lip, afraid to even cry out. So this is what it felt like. Mom completely
18:57lost it. She screamed at the necklace, spill flying. Why is it red? Why? I'm telling the truth. Why? I'm
19:05telling the truth. Turn green. No matter how she screamed, the red light kept flashing, mocking her
19:11silently. You're a liar. You're a liar. Enough. Stopping doesn't detect lies. He grabbed the
19:19instruction manual found during the search and slammed it on the coffee table. It's just a simple
19:23galvanic skin response and heart rate monitor. It works like this. When you're nervous, anxious,
19:28scared, or in pain, your heart rate goes up, your galvanic skin response increases, and the light
19:32turns red. Right now, you're terrified, anxious, tachycardic. Of course it's all red. He stepped
19:38closer to mom. Your daughter had a perforated appendix. She was writhling on the floor in agony.
19:44The pain of internal perforation. How fast do you think her heart was beating? How 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? It's a complete, biased joke.
20:15Mom's world collapsed. She sat there, staring blankly at the red light flashing
20:20on her neck. Finally understanding. For 10 years. Every time my red light came on,
20:27it was because I was afraid. Afraid mom would be mad. Afraid of being misunderstood. Afraid of the food
20:34I hated on the table. I was in pain. Pain made my heart race. Made me sweat with fear. I
20:40was longing.
20:42Longing for her hug. Longing for her to hold me like she held my sister. Every signal of a beating
20:47heart, she'd read as evidence of a lie. A wail erupted from mom. She clawed at the necklace around
20:53her neck. But the necklace's clasp, damaged by her violent struggle earlier, was jammed.
21:02Stuck tight around her neck. She couldn't pry it off. Can't get it off. Can't get it off.
21:08Stella? Take the necklace. Mommy was wrong. It hurts. Can't handle this little bit of pain,
21:15mom? I took it for 10 years. To 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. That diary
21:27I'd kept for 10 years, filled with humiliation and blood and tears. The female officer's voice was soft,
21:32but every word cut deep. February 14th, sunny. Mom gave me celery. I'm allergic to celery.
21:39It makes my throat swell up. I can't breathe. I said I didn't want it, that it would make me
21:45sick.
21:46Because I was scared of making mom mad. My heart was racing. The red light came on. Mom said I
21:52was a
21:53picky eater and a liar, and made me eat the whole plate. That night, I coughed up blood. My throat
21:58burned
21:59like fire. Mom saw it and said I drank tomato juice and was faking it. She shocked me for another
22:0410
22:05minute. Mom covered her mouth, her whole body shaking violently. That night, she really had
22:10thought it was tomato juice. She hadn't even looked closely at my vomit before turning away to tell my
22:16sister a story. It was blood. Blood from a throat swollen and torn. The officer turned the page and
22:22continued. June 1st. Children's Day. Sister cut mom's dress. Sister's heartbeat was slow. Her necklace was
22:29green. I tried to explain, because I was scared of getting hit. All red lights. Mom shocked me for 10
22:36minutes. Current at level 5. It hurt so much, but I didn't dare cry. Because if I cried, my heart
22:43would
22:43race faster, and mom would think I was defiant, and shock me harder. I had to hold my breath. Pretend
22:49it
22:49didn't hurt. Mom said, see? She's not even screaming. That means it doesn't hurt. She's faking.
22:57Dad couldn't take it anymore. This man, invisible in this family for so long,
23:02we turned a blind eye to my suffering. We just wanted peace and quiet. He lunged forward.
23:08Slap.
23:08You monster. You monster. Look what you've done. That was your own daughter. You raised her like an
23:19animal. Mom's mouth bled. She fell to the floor, but she didn't fight back. She didn't cry. She just
23:27stared blankly, muttering. Not me. It wasn't my fault. Suddenly, she pointed at my sister,
23:35cowering in the corner. It was her! Jenny! Sister's necklace was always green. Sister was the honest
23:42one. She misled me. If 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. An officer walked over. He unclasped the green
23:55necklace from my sister's neck. Got a screwdriver. Pryed opened the pendant.
24:04There were no complex sensor chips. No heart rate monitor. Just two cheap LEDs and a few button
24:11batteries. The circuit was hardwired. Permanently set to green. This is a $2 plastic toy. The officer
24:18tossed the broken pieces onto the table with a clatter. Your younger daughterless has been set to
24:24green since it left the factory. No matter what she says or does, even if she murders someone,
24:29it stays green. Your scientific parenting? It's a complete, biased joke. Mom stared at the plastic
24:37fragments. The truth she'd believed for 10 years. The evidence that had sentenced me to death. Just a
24:44toy. A toy controlled my fate for 10 years? A game where only I was in hell, and my sister
24:50in heaven?
24:50So I wasn't a liar. I wasn't a bad kid. What were all those years of suffering for? I laughed.
24:58And as I
24:58laughed, I cried. Turns out, souls can cry too. The last page of the diary was opened. The female
25:06officer's voice cracked. The handwriting is shaky. Probably written right before she died. Mom, if I die,
25:13will the necklace stop glowing? Will you hold me then? I wasn't lying. My stomach hurts so bad like a
25:19knife
25:19twisting inside. Ma, in my next life, please don't make me wear a necklace. I'm begging you. I just
25:26want to be a normal kid. I want to eat the braid pork you make. Mom stared at the pile
25:31of plastic
25:32junk. The honest green light she trusted so blindly. Just a cheap toy. Because of it, she doted on my
25:38sister for 10 years. Because of that damned red light, she tortured me for 10 years.
25:45Fake. It's all fake. I killed my most honest child and raised a liar.
25:53My death became a city-wide sensation. Aunt Shelly, our neighbor, was a kind soul but a big
25:58mouth. She posted everything she'd seen online. The headline was shocking, girl electrocuted by
26:03pseudoscience honesty necklace. The article detailed my corpse's condition, and the necklace fused into
26:08my flesh. It exploded. Online fury ignited instantly. Mom's personal information was doxxed.
26:15Electrocution demon. Murderer. She doesn't deserve to be a mom. Insults rained down like snow.
26:22Our front door was splashed with red paint, scrawled with the word death. Dad was also taken in for
26:27investigation, failure to prevent abuse, neglect of parental duties. Though he wasn't heavily sentenced
26:32due to lack of direct involvement, he lost his job. His reputation was ruined. His company fired him
26:38immediately to avoid association. The family went bankrupt. Pay compensation and legal fees,
26:44the house and car were sold. Dad couldn't handle the madwoman anymore. He took what little money was
26:50left and left with my sister. Even if my sister was a bad seed, she was still his only remaining
26:55child.
26:56Before leaving, my sister tried to take the green necklace. Dad crushed it under his foot.
27:02What the hell do you need that piece of junk for?
27:04My sister left, crying. Mom was released on bail pending trial. Psychological evaluation showed
27:11severe schizophrenia and PTSD. She was left in that rented room, filled with the memory of my stench.
27:18Completely isolated, her mental state deteriorated. She always felt I was still in the house.
27:24That red necklace, she refused to take it off. In fact, she became dependent on it. Because she found
27:31that wearing it, feeling that faint sting, eased her guilt just a little. It was her own self-inflicted
27:37punishment. I floated in the room, watching her daily descent into madness. She'd cook a whole table
27:42of food, calling out to empty air. Stella, dinner's ready. No celery today. All braised pork, your favorite.
27:50Then she'd pick up a piece of meat, hands shaking. From anxiety, the necklace turned red.
27:55She'd laugh. A nervous laugh.
27:57The heart is racing. Mommy's lying. Mommy doesn't deserve to be. Liars must be punished.
28:07She'd put down her chopsticks, pick up the remote, point it at her own neck. Even though the battery
28:13was nearly dead, she'd found new ones somewhere. The strong current made her convulse. Foam at the
28:18mouth. It'll look at the light across her face.
28:31It hurts. It hurts just like... Was this how much it hurt for Stella? I'm sorry. Mommy
28:37taste it now. She started punishing herself according to my diary entries. I was shocked
28:42for refusing celery, so she forced herself to eat rotten food. Until she vomited blood, she
28:47forced it down. I was locked in my room, so she locked herself in there without light. In
28:53the darkness, she cowed out to my memorial photo. Her forehead bled. Blood stains covered
29:01the floor. Late at night, she'd watch the red light from the necklace cast shadows on the
29:06wall. Like my bloody eyes staring at her. On the back page of my diary, she scribbled frantically
29:11in red pen. I'm sorry. Mommy was wrong. Red light is pain. Red light is love. Please come back.
29:19Just say it hurts one more time. Mommy will save you this time. I promise.
29:24Too bad. I'm already dead. Dead people can't say it hurts. Mom was eventually committed to a
29:30psychiatric hospital. Her self-harm had gotten so bad she nearly electrocuted herself at home.
29:35Community services intervened and sent her in. She was the strangest patient there. She found some
29:41red plastic ring somewhere and wore it around her neck. A homemade necklace. If anyone tried to
29:46take it off, she'd bite like a rabid dog. Don't touch my light! Stella's watching! If you take it off,
29:54she'll get mad! She developed a terrible conditioned reflex. Whenever a nurse asked,
29:59Clara, have you eaten? She'd touch her neck first, then convulse and scream.
30:05Red light! Don't shock me! I'll eat! I'll eat! Even if the porridge was scalding hot,
30:10she'd gulp it down, burning her esophagus, too scared to spit it out. She was imitating me,
30:16right before I died. Reliving my hell, over and over. Years passed. My sister grew up. And she grew up
30:23twisted. With no discipline and that reputation hanging over her, she ended up at the bottom of
30:28society. Broke, she remembered the mom still in the psych ward. She went to visit. Not for family
30:35love. For money. Old crazy lady! Dad's dead! Give me the secret stash you hid! My sister wore heavy
30:42makeup, her face full of malice. She looked at mom's pathetic state and spat in disgust.
30:47Just like your dear Delda's daughter. If you don't give me money, I'll pull your plug and let
30:53you join her. At those words, mom, who'd been in a daze, suddenly looked up. Her clotted eyes focused
30:59on my sister for a moment, sharp and clear. She remembered the always green toy necklace. The green
31:05that had fooled her for ten years. You tricked me! Your green light was fake! You killed Stella!
31:14Give her back! Give her back! Give her back! Die! You die! You're the one who should
31:22die! Help! Doctors rushed in, sedated mom, and pulled her off. My sister fled in panic. She
31:38ran blindly out of the hospital gate. Crazy! All of you are crazy! A speeding truck couldn't
31:43stop in time. My sister flew through the air. She survived. But her legs were crushed. She'd spend
31:50the rest of her life in a wheelchair. Completely broken. And mom, strapped to a restraint bed,
31:57stared at the ceiling with tears in her eyes. In her dreams, she finally saw me. I was still
32:02ten years old. No necklace. Wearing a white dress. Smiling, I ran to her. She opened her arms
32:10joyfully. Then she saw her own hands, crackling with electricity. The moment she touched me. My body
32:17burned up like paper. Turned to ashes. She woke screaming. No! Heart rate spiking.
32:32If she still wore that necklace, it would have been blazing red. The eternal pain. I stood in the
32:38void, watching it all. Watching mom suffer in the psych ward. Watching my sister begging with broken
32:43legs. Watching dad, broken, drunk, dying young. In my heart, there was no satisfaction in revenge.
32:49Just stillness. Still as death. Beside me stood an old dog. Shao Bai. The dog I raised as a child,
32:56until mom threw him out. He'd been waiting for me in the spirit world. Shao Bai rubbed against my leg
33:01and barked softly. Like he was saying. Come on. Stop watching. Yeah. Time to go. This life was too
33:07bitter. Nothing worth holding onto. I floated to the window of mom's room. One last goodbye. Mom lay in
33:13bed. Withered. Hair completely white. She seemed to sense something. Stella? Is that you? Mom smashed the
33:21necklace. Mom doesn't believe in it anymore. Please come back. Mom will cook for you. No celery. Mom
33:29will buy you new dresses. Not for your sister. Tears slipped down her cheeks, falling on the pillow.
33:35Sighed softly. I reached out. My cold finger touched her forehead. The last mercy I could give her.
33:41Let her sleep. Sleep. And it won't hurt anymore. She calmed instantly. Her eyelids grew heavy. She fell
33:48into a deep sleep. A breeze blew through. The worn diary on her bedside table flipped open. The police
33:54had returned it to her as a personal effect. On the last page, below my dying words, were a few
34:00shaky new lines, written by mom in her lucid moments. In the next life, let mommy wear the necklace.
34:09Let mommy be the liar. You punish me. Just don't leave me. Mommy will do anything. I looked at those
34:19words. Felt nothing. Too late. All the regret in the world, in the face of death, is pale and
34:25meaningless. Mom, I don't hate you anymore. But I don't love you either. Mom, let's don't meet again
34:33the next life. I turned away. Took Shao Bai's leash. In the distance, a door of light appeared.
34:39The entrance to the next cycle. I raised my hand to my neck. The necklace that had always been there
34:44in spirit form. The nightmare that had bound me my whole life. I grabbed it. Pulled. Snap. It shattered.
34:50Dissolved into specks of light. Vanished into the air. I felt lighter than I'd ever felt. No red light.
34:56No electricity. No lies. Just freedom. I walked toward the door of light. Didn't look back.
35:02Morning sunlight streamed in. A nurse opened the door for rounds. Clara. Time for your meds.
35:09No answer. The figure on the bed didn't move. The nurse stepped closer. Clara clutched the tattered
35:14diary tightly in her hand. At the corner of her eye, one last crystalline tear. On the heart monitor
35:20beside her, the line that represented life, had gone perfectly flat.
35:24the lid on the heart.
35:24the lid on the heart.
35:25the lid on the heart.
35:25the lid on the heart. The lid on the heart. The lid on the heart. The lid on the heart.
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