- 10 hours ago
Western movies, trending series, and emotional journeys — all in one place: Bocaxa Channel.
Category
🎥
Short filmTranscript
00:05I used to be a professional salvage diver, one of the best on the East Coast, then I
00:11was convicted of murder.
00:12They said I cut my partner's air hose, said I killed for money.
00:16I did eight years for a murder I didn't commit.
00:19Now I gut fish for a seafood wholesaler in a run-down warehouse by the docks.
00:24That day, my family came tearing down the pier like the world was ending.
00:28My mom and dad collapsed onto the filthy ground, right into the blood, melt water, and fish
00:33slime underfoot.
00:34Ethan, your brother went diving two hours ago.
00:37He still hasn't come back up.
00:39Something happened to him.
00:41You're the best diver we know.
00:43Get in the water and bring him up.
00:45My ex-wife Vanessa rushed up next.
00:47She pulled out the wedding ring from years ago.
00:49Then she forced it onto my finger.
00:51I swear to you, if you go down there and bring Jason back, I'll marry you again.
00:57I said nothing.
00:58I just reached up and touched the hearing aid on my ear.
01:01Had they really forgotten?
01:03Eight years ago, Jason, the son they chose, over and over again, instead of me.
01:08He fought with his dive partner underwater, over gold bars, hidden in a sunken ship.
01:13After it happened, Vanessa wanted to protect him, so she forced me to sign a confession.
01:18My dad went even further.
01:19He slapped me so hard.
01:21He ruptured my eardrum.
01:22That one hit left me half-deaf.
01:24And now, with the condition I'm in now, if I go back underwater, the pressure could trigger
01:28a brain bleed.
01:30I could die down there.
01:31Ethan!
01:32Shut your damn mouth and do what they say!
01:35That was David, the doc manager.
01:37Just now, he was all smiles, sucking up to them.
01:40The second he turned to me, his face filled with disgust.
01:44The Lane and Cole families practically own this town.
01:47I always thought you knew your place.
01:48Didn't expect you to get so full of yourself.
01:50Just say yes already!
01:52You save a life, you get money.
01:54It's your shot at redemption.
01:57So why are you still rotting here, slinging guts on this pier?
02:01People nearby had no idea what was going on, but that didn't stop them.
02:04Yeah, what's wrong with this guy?
02:06That's his brother!
02:07How can he be this cold?
02:09Probably thinks the money's too low.
02:10He's trying to jack up the price.
02:12Looks normal enough.
02:14Turns out he's rotten inside.
02:15Every word landed hard.
02:17The one they dragged out to take the fall for Jason.
02:20Was me.
02:20The one whose life got destroyed.
02:22Was me.
02:23So why?
02:24Why was I still the one standing here, getting cursed at like I was garbage?
02:28I pulled the ring off, set it back in Vanessa's hand.
02:31Then I pointed at my hearing aid, and shook my head.
02:33It's not that I won't save him.
02:35My ear is shot.
02:36If I go underwater, I'll die.
02:38My mom, Susan, froze for a second.
02:40Then she threw herself into the filthy water on the ground.
02:43Fish scales stuck to her clothes.
02:46She slapped the puddles with both hands.
02:48Crying so hard her voice cracked.
02:50Ethan!
02:51It's been eight years!
02:52How are you still this cold, this cruel, this heartless to get out of this?
02:56That you'd actually fake an injury?
02:58That's Jason.
03:00That's your brother.
03:01My dad, Victor, stared at me in pure disappointment.
03:04His whole hand was shaking.
03:06How did we end up with a monster like you, standing there while your own brother dies?
03:10And now you're making up lies?
03:13You're a goddamn disgrace.
03:15Vanessa's eyes were bright red.
03:17She dug through her purse with trembling hands.
03:19Then she yanked out a bank card, and shoved it into my palm.
03:22Ethan, I'm begging you.
03:24There's five million on this card.
03:25That's enough for you to live on forever.
03:27Just go down there now.
03:29Bring Jason back.
03:30You want money?
03:31Fine, take it!
03:31You want something else?
03:33Just save it!
03:34A hot tear fell from her face.
03:36It landed on the back of my hand, and burned.
03:39Burned so badly it felt like it went straight through me.
03:42Eight years in prison.
03:43She never visited me once.
03:45Not one time.
03:46And now this was our reunion.
03:48She was humbling herself for the same man she once protected by forcing me to confess.
03:52And even now, she was still using money to grind what was left of my dignity into the
03:57dirt.
03:57I didn't want to keep arguing with them.
03:59Not anymore.
04:00So I swallowed the pain.
04:01My hand shook as I pulled a medical report from my pocket.
04:04A diagnosis.
04:05Severe eardrum perforation.
04:06I tried to show it to her.
04:08Vanessa didn't even look.
04:09She slapped my hand away.
04:10The paper flew out.
04:12Are you done yet?
04:13You're still waving around some stupid piece of paper?
04:15Isn't money what you want?
04:16Iron doesn't have time for this!
04:18Jason doesn't have time for this.
04:20Then David charged over.
04:21He grabbed my fish table and flipped the whole thing.
04:24Fish crashed to the ground.
04:25Ice scattered everywhere.
04:26Ethan!
04:27You murderer!
04:28Get the hell out!
04:29Don't bring your bad luck onto these docks!
04:31If you won't save him today, then don't ever think about coming back here!
04:36The crowd joined in at once.
04:38People passing by.
04:39Everybody.
04:40Some even spat at me.
04:41Get out, murderer!
04:43A piece of trash like you deserves to rot in hell.
04:47I looked down.
04:48The medical report Vanessa slapped away was lying on the floor.
04:51Soaked.
04:52Stepped on.
04:53And in that moment, the whole thing felt absurd.
04:55All I wanted was to live like a normal person.
04:58Quietly.
04:59Alone.
05:00In some forgotten corner.
05:02That was it.
05:03I was even that too much to ask.
05:05Did they really have to push me all the way to death?
05:07That feeling.
05:08Like the whole world was pointing at me.
05:10It crushed the last of my defenses.
05:12I didn't want to stay there one more second.
05:14I turned and ran.
05:15I don't even know how I made it back to my rental.
05:18I just remember the voices.
05:19People on the street yelling after me.
05:21Cursing me.
05:22I barely got inside.
05:24I hadn't even caught my breath yet.
05:25Then my phone started going insane.
05:27Alert after alert.
05:29Hashtag the murderer who let his brother drown.
05:31Hashtag rich family drama.
05:32The adopted son versus the real one.
05:34Desperate heiress begs her prisoner, X, to help.
05:37I tapped one of the alerts.
05:39It opened straight into Vanessa's live stream.
05:41On camera, my mom, Susan, sat there trembling.
05:44She was trying to hold back tears.
05:46I'm so sorry, everyone.
05:47We know we're taking up public attention.
05:49But as a mother, I have nowhere else to turn.
05:52She covered her mouth and sobbed.
05:54It's our fault.
05:55We failed to raise him right.
05:56Back then, he killed for gold bars.
05:58He robbed people.
05:59He took a life.
06:00He served eight years for it.
06:01I thought prison would change him.
06:03But I was wrong.
06:05He's rotten to the core.
06:07Her tears streamed down harder.
06:09Now his brother's trapped underwater.
06:10His life is hanging by a thread.
06:12Ethan could save him.
06:13He could.
06:14But he just ran away.
06:15Victor held her up like she might collapse.
06:17Then he turned to the camera.
06:19I'm begging everyone to help us.
06:21If anyone can bring Ethan back, I'll pay seven figures.
06:24The comments exploded.
06:26They flooded so fast I could barely read them.
06:28Trash like that deserves exposure.
06:30I know where he lives.
06:31West Side Apartments.
06:33This kind of garbage should die.
06:35Anyone in Harbor City?
06:36Go block him in.
06:37Come on, guys.
06:38Go teach that freak a lesson.
06:40I stared at the screen.
06:41My whole body went numb.
06:43Then it happened.
06:44A violent pounding hit my door.
06:46Over and over.
06:47Like they were trying to break it down.
06:49I barely had time to react.
06:51My landlord stormed in first.
06:52Behind him was a crowd of people.
06:54Phones up.
06:55Flashlights on.
06:56Cameras shoved in my face.
06:57Oh, look at you.
06:58You hit it pretty well.
06:59A damn killer living in my building?
07:02They rushed inside like looters.
07:04One man smashed my bowls.
07:06Another kicked over my pots.
07:08Plates shattered across the floor.
07:09Everything I had got torn apart in seconds.
07:11I tried to stop them.
07:13Two huge men grabbed me instantly.
07:15One slammed my head down.
07:16The other locked my arms.
07:18Hold still.
07:18Apologize to the camera.
07:20Say it now.
07:20Tell them you're trash.
07:22You don't deserve to breathe.
07:24Humiliation drowned me.
07:25It hit like a wave.
07:26Someone yanked my hair back.
07:28A phone was jammed right in my face.
07:30The live comments kept flying by.
07:32I couldn't move.
07:33Then the crowd suddenly split apart.
07:35Making a path.
07:36My parents walked in.
07:37For one stupid second, I thought they were here to stop this.
07:40I was wrong.
07:41Victor's face was dark.
07:43Cold.
07:43He handed someone a thick coil of rope.
07:45It was so heavy it sagged.
07:47He pointed at me through clenched teeth.
07:49Please, help me tie him up.
07:50If he won't go, then drag him there.
07:53I snapped my head up.
07:54I stared at him like I didn't know him.
07:56Dad, do you even hear yourself?
07:58I told you, I can't dive.
08:00I'll die.
08:01Then I looked at my mother.
08:02Mom, do I even matter to you?
08:05I'm your son.
08:06For Jason, are you really going to force me to death?
08:10Susan's eyes were red.
08:11For one second, she looked away.
08:13Like something inside her shook.
08:15But it vanished almost instantly.
08:16What came back was ice.
08:18Shut up!
08:19Jason may not be blood, but he's a thousand times better than you know.
08:22Ten thousand!
08:23You spent eight years in prison!
08:25Who took care of us during those years?
08:26Jason did!
08:27Who stayed by our side?
08:29Jason did!
08:29And now he's in trouble.
08:31You're his brother.
08:32You should be saving him.
08:34You're just going to let him die?
08:35Can your conscience live with that?
08:37My chest felt ripped open.
08:39I was already in pieces.
08:40But that still hurt so bad I could barely breathe.
08:43So that was it.
08:44Blood never mattered to them.
08:46Not once.
08:47To them, I was a stain.
08:48Something disposable.
08:49Something they could throw away whenever they needed.
08:51I'm not going.
08:52I didn't kill anyone.
08:54The case back then wasn't what you think.
08:56Why won't any of you believe me?
08:58I fought like hell.
09:00Twisting.
09:00Kicking.
09:01Trying to break free from the rope.
09:03But nobody cared what a convicted killer had to say.
09:05Not one person.
09:07Just when I was about to break.
09:08Vanessa walked in.
09:10One of her bodyguards handed her something.
09:11A stunned baton.
09:12She took it without blinking.
09:14Then she stepped into my room.
09:15Her face was cold and hard.
09:17Ethan, don't make me do this.
09:19For Jason.
09:20There is nothing I won't do.
09:22She didn't hesitate.
09:24She jammed the stun baton straight into my back.
09:27A brutal crack of electricity tore through me.
09:30My whole body convulsed.
09:32Then everything went black.
09:33When I opened my eyes again, I was sprawled across the deck.
09:36Like something the tide had spit back out.
09:39All around me was open ocean.
09:40Nothing but water.
09:42Waves slammed against the boat.
09:44The sound made my heart seize up.
09:46Ethan, stop playing dead.
09:48Get in the water.
09:49Bring Jason back.
09:51When I still didn't move.
09:52I promise you.
09:53If you bring Jason back up.
09:55Clenched her teeth and said.
09:56I'll think about marrying you again.
09:58And you'll never have to do that filthy job again.
10:01Filthy?
10:02That word hit me like a knife.
10:03Half a year ago.
10:05Right after I got out.
10:06I went back to the Cole mansion once.
10:08I was stupid enough to think maybe.
10:10Maybe there was still a little love left for me there.
10:12But that night.
10:13Through the mansion's floor to ceiling windows.
10:16All I saw was a house blazing with light.
10:18My mom and dad were inside.
10:20Vanessa was too.
10:21They were all gathered around Jason.
10:23The son they always chose over me.
10:25They were eating a big holiday dinner.
10:27Roast turkey on the table.
10:28Steak.
10:28Lobster.
10:29Wine.
10:30Everything rich and perfect.
10:32Glasses raised.
10:33Laughter everywhere.
10:34They looked like the perfect family.
10:36And me?
10:37I was standing outside in the freezing wind.
10:39A convict who had done eight years for someone else.
10:42Half deaf.
10:42Broken.
10:43Shaking from the cold.
10:44That was the moment I finally woke up.
10:47My hell had never been prison.
10:49My hell was them.
10:50They built it with their own hands.
10:52In that house, I was never family.
10:54I was just an outsider.
10:56My thoughts snapped back to the boat.
10:58Then my eyes locked on something in Vanessa's hand.
11:01A photograph.
11:02She was gripping it tight.
11:04It was a candid shot from a beach volleyball game.
11:07Jason was shirtless.
11:08Standing out among a group of dive team members.
11:10And the thing that hit me hardest was the scar on his right shoulder.
11:14The second I saw that scar, my whole body went cold.
11:17Like I'd been struck by lightning.
11:19My mind got dragged back ten years.
11:21Back then, I was captain of the dive team.
11:24Vanessa was on the team.
11:26Jason was too.
11:28That day, the sea turned bad fast.
11:31The current got vicious.
11:32I saw the danger right away.
11:34So I pointed up.
11:35Signaling everyone to head back.
11:37But before we could surface, everything went sideways.
11:40In the chaos, I used almost every ounce of strength I had to shove Vanessa and Jason
11:45towards safer water.
11:46And I got caught instead.
11:48The current took me.
11:49I should have died.
11:50By some miracle, I didn't.
11:51I washed up on a deserted island.
11:53Passed out there for three full days.
11:55Then I was rescued.
11:57When I finally got home, Jason ran straight at me.
11:59He grabbed me hard.
12:00Held on like he'd never let go.
12:02And he started crying.
12:04Ethan, you're back.
12:05This is all my fault.
12:06I was useless.
12:07If I'd stopped you from making us go down, if I'd just been stronger, then I wouldn't
12:11have only saved Vanessa and watched you get swept away.
12:14So that was it.
12:15I finally understood.
12:17No wonder my wife had been willing to force me to take the fall, to send me to prison,
12:20and to let me die for another man.
12:22For ten whole years, she had believed Jason was the one who saved her.
12:25In the three days I disappeared, he became her hero.
12:29The man who risked everything for her.
12:31And me?
12:32I became the reckless one.
12:33The glory-hungry idiot who almost got everybody killed.
12:37What a sick joke.
12:38My throat was dry and raw, but I still forced the words out, shouting with everything I had
12:42left.
12:43I told you!
12:43I can't go underwater!
12:45My ear can't handle the pressure!
12:47If I go down there, my brain could hemorrhage!
12:49Do you people want me dead?!
12:50Vanessa's eyes flickered, just for a second, a flash of panic, gone almost instantly.
12:56Then Victor charged at me in a rage.
12:58He rushed over and kicked me hard.
13:00I hit the deck and rolled.
13:02Keep lying!
13:02Go ahead!
13:03Keep pretending!
13:04Ethan, you're rotten to the core!
13:06At a time like this, you're still faking a disability just to get out of it?!
13:10Off to the side, my mom collapsed to the deck, wiping her tears, sobbing like her heart
13:15was ripping apart.
13:16Oh God!
13:17Jason was an angel!
13:19He's always been so sweet!
13:21He did everything for us!
13:23If we lose him, I can't go on!
13:27Then the boat captain, Adam, walked over.
13:29He tapped his watch.
13:31Ms. Lane, this is where Jason went under.
13:33Based on the time, his tank has maybe 30 minutes left.
13:37That one sentence shattered whatever reason Vanessa still had.
13:41Her pretty face twisted from panic.
13:43She spun toward me and screamed.
13:44You heard him!
13:45Move!
13:46Now!
13:46Gear him up!
13:48I stared at her, and something in me finally went cold.
13:51Fine.
13:52I'll go.
13:53But I have one condition.
13:55I want the best deep water gear you've got.
13:57If they were really going to shove me into hell, then I was grabbing whatever slim chance
14:01I had.
14:02No matter how small.
14:03If the gear was strong enough, maybe I could survive the pressure.
14:07The second I gave in, Vanessa's shoulders dropped, like she could finally breathe again.
14:11She rushed over and grabbed my hand tight.
14:13Ethan, I knew it.
14:14I knew you still cared.
14:16I knew you wouldn't just let him die.
14:19Then the next second, guilt flashed across her face.
14:21She pointed to a pile of junk in the corner.
14:24But there's no other option.
14:26This is the only diving gear on the boat.
14:28You used to be the best diver in the business.
14:31A little problem like this, you can handle it, right?
14:34She said it so casually, like it was nothing.
14:38I followed her finger, and my blood went cold.
14:41It was an old dive suit.
14:43The rubber was cracked in places.
14:45The air valve was rusted.
14:46That kind of gear should have been scrapped years ago.
14:49There was no way it was safe.
14:51A chill shot straight up my spine.
14:53I yanked my hand away, then backed up in panic.
14:55Vanessa, are you out of your mind?
14:57You know diving!
14:59If I go down in that thing, that's the same as killing me!
15:01Adam looked at the suit, too.
15:03His face tightened.
15:05Mrs. Lane, this gear really is too old.
15:08The risk on a forced deep dive is way too high.
15:11If something goes wrong...
15:12Before he could finish, Vanessa's face went cold.
15:15She cut him off without hesitation.
15:17At a time like this, who the hell cares about that?
15:19Get over here!
15:20Put it on him!
15:22A few bodyguards rushed me at once.
15:24They slammed me onto the deck, pinned me down hard.
15:27In the struggle, someone stomped down.
15:28My hearing aid flew off.
15:30It cracked apart, then got crushed under a shoe.
15:32Shattered.
15:33The one thing that had stayed with me for years.
15:36Gone.
15:37In the end, they forced the suit onto my body anyway.
15:40And Vanessa strapped a heavy industrial weight belt around my waist.
15:43Sixty pounds of lead, enough to make sure I sank.
15:46Then they shoved me toward the edge of the boat.
15:48In that last, desperate moment, I turned and looked back at this family.
15:51Victor stood there with his arms crossed.
15:53Coldly.
15:54Like none of it had anything to do with him.
15:56There wasn't one shred of pity in his eyes.
15:59Not for his own son.
16:00And my mother, Susan?
16:02She had her hands clasped tight, eyes shut, praying into empty air.
16:06Her lips trembled as she whispered,
16:08Please, please let him be safe.
16:11Please, God, let Jason come back, okay?
16:14At a moment like this, with my life hanging by a thread, she was praying for him.
16:18For Jason.
16:20Not her own flesh and blood.
16:21It was grotesque.
16:23It was pathetic.
16:24It was almost funny.
16:25Then suddenly, a huge force slammed into my chest.
16:28Someone shoved me.
16:29Hard.
16:30The second the deck vanished under my feet.
16:32Ethan!
16:32If you bring Jason back, we'll get married right away.
16:35I'll be right here waiting for you.
16:37Then the ocean swallowed me whole.
16:39The freezing water wrapped around my body instantly.
16:42The weight belt dragged me down.
16:43Fast.
16:44Way too fast.
16:45Straight into the deep.
16:46The pressure hit my ears like a sledgehammer.
16:49My right eardrum was already hanging by a thread.
16:51Now it tore.
16:52A dull ripping burst exploded inside my head, like a balloon popping in my skull.
16:57Pain.
16:58Blinding pain.
16:59So much pain, my whole body seized up.
17:01I opened my mouth to scream.
17:03A mouthful of seawater rushed in instead.
17:05My lungs felt like giant hands were crushing them.
17:07My vision turned red.
17:08Then darker.
17:09Then worse.
17:10My mind started slipping away.
17:11And just when I was drowning.
17:13Just when the dark was closing over me.
17:15Just when I gave up trying to live.
17:16A pair of soft hands reached for me.
17:18Fast.
17:19Strong.
17:19And grabbed me.
17:20Susan pressed a hand to her chest.
17:22Her face was pale.
17:23She leaned against the railing.
17:25Her eyes stayed locked on the water.
17:26Victor had his hands behind his back.
17:29He kept pacing.
17:30Back and forth.
17:32Jason will be fine.
17:33He's lucky.
17:35He has to be okay.
17:36Ethan was a diving champion.
17:38He'll bring Jason back up.
17:40She kept saying it over and over.
17:41Like if she said it enough, it would come true.
17:44Like it could calm the fear inside her.
17:46But her fingers were shaking.
17:47And that gave her away.
17:49Then suddenly.
17:50A sharp alarm shattered the dead silence.
17:52A Coast Guard boat was speeding toward them.
17:54Fast.
17:55A few officers jumped onto the deck.
17:57The man in front scanned everyone with hard, sharp eyes.
18:00I'm Owen with the Harbor City Coast Guard.
18:03Who's in charge here?
18:04Victor hurried over at once.
18:05He pulled out a business card and handed it over.
18:08We're with Cole Group.
18:10My son went missing while diving.
18:12We came out here to look for him ourselves.
18:15Owen took the card.
18:17Rescue?
18:18Then he looked them over coldly.
18:20We pulled him out three hours ago.
18:25The whole deck went dead silent.
18:27Then Owen pulled up footage from his body cam.
18:29He opened a video and held it up.
18:30Three hours ago, during patrol, we recovered a man from the water.
18:34It was Jason Cole.
18:36We tried contacting his family.
18:38No answer.
18:40Never thought you came all the way out here.
18:43There's no signal.
18:44The doctor on board examined him.
18:46He'd been exposed to a marine toxin.
18:47A sea barrier.
18:48A kind of sea slug.
18:49That toxin can trigger severe hallucinations.
18:51In serious cases, it can be fatal.
18:53He might have touched one while diving.
18:55He's already been taken to the hospital.
18:57He's been stabilized for now.
18:58The second they heard Jason was alive, my parents and Vanessa lit up with joy.
19:01Like they had all just been handed their lives back.
19:04And not one of them cared about the word hallucinations.
19:07Not one.
19:08Victor nearly started crying on the spot.
19:10He was so excited he could barely stand still.
19:12I knew it!
19:13I knew Jason was blessed!
19:15He's always had luck on his side!
19:18Vanessa, did you hear that?
19:20Jason's okay!
19:21We have money.
19:23As long as he's still breathing, we can save him.
19:25We'll spend whatever it takes.
19:27Vanessa finally let out a long breath.
19:29A smile of pure relief broke across her face.
19:31Like she had just survived a nightmare.
19:33Then the smile froze.
19:35Right there on her face.
19:36Because suddenly she remembered.
19:37Half an hour ago she had shoved her ex-husband into the ocean.
19:40With her own hands.
19:41Forced him down there.
19:42To save Jason.
19:42He was lying in a hospital.
19:44Alive.
19:45So where was Ethan?
19:46I had already been underwater for over 30 minutes.
19:49And there was still no sign of me.
19:50Not even a trace.
19:51A terrible thought started rising in her mind.
19:53But before she could think it through, Owen took a file from one of his officers.
19:56His expression turned strange.
19:58Cold.
19:59Sharp.
19:59Almost mocking.
20:01Then he looked straight at them and spoke again.
20:04Well.
20:05If you're his family.
20:07That actually makes this easier.
20:09He opened the document.
20:10Then announced it on the spot.
20:11As of this moment.
20:13Jason Cole is in custody.
20:14He is suspected of stealing protected underwater artifacts.
20:19And suspected of murder.
20:22That landed like a thunderclap.
20:24The next, they were dragged straight into the dirt.
20:26The smile on my dad's face froze.
20:28Then his whole face turned dark.
20:30Pointed right at Owen.
20:32What the hell are you talking about?
20:34Stealing artifacts?
20:35Murder?
20:36Our company practically built this town.
20:38My son Jason is one of the most well-known philanthropists.
20:41He's still lying in a hospital bed.
20:43And you people dare dump this kind of filth on him?
20:46My mom rushed up too.
20:47She tried to shove Owen.
20:49That's right.
20:50Do you even know how many schools Jason has donated to?
20:53He won't even hurt a fly.
20:55How could he possibly steal anything?
20:59How could he kill anyone?
21:01Vanessa stepped up too.
21:02Putting on that cold, untouchable CEO act.
21:04Officer, watch what you say.
21:06You can't just throw accusations around.
21:08I'm the chair of Lane Group.
21:10Jason is my husband.
21:12If you try to set him up with fake charges,
21:15one phone call and your career is over.
21:18They were shouting, threatening.
21:20But Owen only got colder.
21:21He didn't argue.
21:23He just tapped open another video.
21:25Jason scrambled backward from empty air.
21:27Like something horrifying was standing right in front of him.
21:30His whole body was shaking violently.
21:32His face was twisted with pure terror.
21:35He had been down dozens of feet underwater when the toxin hit.
21:38The hallucinations were strong.
21:40Don't come over here!
21:41Ah!
21:42Don't come near me!
21:43Zack, I know I messed up!
21:45Don't kill me!
21:46My parents went white.
21:47Their lips trembled.
21:48Their eyes stayed glued to the screen.
21:50I got greedy!
21:52I never should have cut your arrows!
21:54I'm so sorry!
21:56I'll do whatever it takes to make it right!
21:58No, no, don't take me with you!
22:00He started smashing his forehead against the deck.
22:02Over and over.
22:06Then all at once, the fear vanished.
22:09His face changed, turned vicious.
22:10A grin spread across it, twisted, like a demon laughing.
22:14He gestured into the empty air and cackled.
22:17Ethan, you idiot!
22:18You never saw this coming, did you?
22:20That idiot, Vanessa.
22:22She actually thought I was the one who saved her.
22:24All I did was show her a little scar.
22:25And she fell for me completely.
22:27She played those two old fans like a fettle.
22:29She got me into that house.
22:31My dad forced his neck straight, still trying to fight it.
22:33I just played the victim.
22:35And they treated me like a king while they threw you away.
22:39Sent your pathetic ass to rot.
22:40Ha ha ha ha!
22:41God, that felt damn good!
22:43You can rot in prison forever.
22:44Everything from the coals and everything from the lanes will be mine!
22:48Dead silence.
22:50Only Jason's crazed laughter kept echoing from the video.
22:53Across the deck, Vanessa stumbled back two steps.
22:55She almost fell right there on the deck.
22:57That was their precious son.
22:59Her precious husband.
23:00The man they defended like he was gold.
23:02And now he was on video.
23:04Grinning like a devil.
23:05Mocking them for being fools.
23:07No.
23:08That's impossible.
23:09You said he was poisoned.
23:14He was hallucinating.
23:16He was talking nonsense.
23:19Exactly.
23:19That's all this is.
23:21He was hallucinating.
23:23He didn't know what he was saying.
23:25Yes!
23:28It was the toxin.
23:30That sea salt toxin made him ramble.
23:32Owen's voice turned firm.
23:34I figured that's what you'd say.
23:35Which is exactly why we move fast.
23:38This involves a major attempted murder case.
23:41So we already formed an investigation team.
23:44And verified everything he said.
23:48Then Owen pulled out another stack of documents.
23:51We found that the statements Ethan gave after his arrest eight years ago
23:55did not match the physical evidence from the scene.
23:59And there's more.
24:01Ethan's defense attorney turned on him at trial.
24:04The day before the trial.
24:06A large payment hit his account.
24:08We traced the source.
24:10It came from one of your offshore accounts, Vanessa.
24:12Vanessa's face went white.
24:14And Jason's private account received multiple large wire transfers after the incident that year.
24:19The source was hidden.
24:20But we now have strong reason to believe that money came from selling stolen artifacts.
24:24We believe the case was not what it seemed.
24:26Please cooperate with the investigation.
24:28You're coming with us.
24:29The Coast Guard officers were just about to move in.
24:31Then Adam finally broke.
24:34He swallowed hard.
24:35Then stammered out.
24:37Officer.
24:38Wait.
24:40This still isn't over.
24:42Ethan.
24:44Ethan Cole.
24:46He's still down there.
24:47He never came back up.
24:51What did you just say?
24:52Owen whipped around.
24:53His eyes widened instantly.
24:57There's still someone underwater?
24:59Adam's legs nearly gave out.
25:00He started spilling everything.
25:02About half an hour ago, Ms. Lane pushed Ethan into the water.
25:07He said his ear was injured.
25:09He said he couldn't handle the pressure.
25:10But Ms. Lane insisted.
25:12She forced him to go down.
25:14And now, he still hasn't surfaced.
25:18Three days later.
25:19Harbor City Hospital.
25:21Jason finally woke up.
25:22His body was still weak.
25:24He twitched his fingers.
25:25Then realized the bed was surrounded.
25:27Mom.
25:28Dad.
25:29Vanessa.
25:30And several police officers in uniform.
25:32A flash of joy hit him.
25:33With all these people here, they had to be worried sick about him.
25:36He quickly changed his expression.
25:38Forced tears into his eyes.
25:39Then weakly reached for Susan's hand.
25:41Dad.
25:43Mom.
25:44Vanessa.
25:45I was so scared.
25:46I had the worst nightmare.
25:49I dreamed I was trapped underwater.
25:52I thought I'd never see you again.
25:54Before, that would have worked.
25:56Susan would have rushed over already.
25:58She would have held him.
25:59Cried over him.
26:00But today, the room was terrifyingly quiet.
26:03No one spoke.
26:04Only the monitor kept beeping.
26:05Steady.
26:06Cold.
26:07Jason's hand hung there in midair.
26:08Awkward.
26:09Stiff.
26:10That was when he realized something was wrong.
26:12Victor wasn't fussing over him.
26:14The man who had always spoiled him was standing at the foot of the bed.
26:16His face was black with rage.
26:19And the way he looked at Jason now, there was no warmth left.
26:22No love.
26:23Dad?
26:24What's wrong?
26:25Dad?
26:27What's wrong?
26:28He pulled out a tablet.
26:29Tapped the screen.
26:30Then threw it onto Jason's chest.
26:32Jason grabbed it.
26:33Looked down.
26:33And instantly went pale.
26:35On the screen was him, laughing like a maniac, spilling everything, confessing, mocking the
26:40people who raised him, calling them idiots, every ugly word, every filthy truth.
26:44All of it was there.
26:45His face went ghost white.
26:47Cold sweat poured down his forehead.
26:58This...
26:58He made me say crazy things.
27:00How could I ever hurt Ethan?
27:01That wasn't me.
27:02It was the poison talking.
27:03Vanessa, believe me.
27:05Reached for her.
27:06I love you.
27:07Everything I did...
27:09I did it so we could be together.
27:11Vanessa's expression turned complicated.
27:13Owen cut in from the side.
27:14Jason Cole, drop the act.
27:17We've already confirmed the evidence.
27:20You framed Ethan for the theft.
27:21And you murdered Zach.
27:25The jig is up, I guess.
27:27But don't act so high and mighty, Dad.
27:29You're the one who threw your son to the wolves.
27:32I just watched.
27:33Then he turned to Vanessa.
27:35His eyes dragged over her in that disgusting, sticky way.
27:38And you...
27:40Stop acting innocent.
27:43For the last eight years...
27:46Wasn't I good enough for you in bed?
27:49What?
27:51Suddenly found your conscience?
27:54A little late, don't you think?
27:55He laughed again.
27:56Ugly, slow, mocking.
27:59Ethan's not coming back anyway.
28:02So...
28:02Why not let it go?
28:04I can still take care of you two.
28:08We can all stay one happy family.
28:11Still living the dream.
28:13Isn't that what you want?
28:21The second those words came out, the whole room turned freezing cold.
28:24The shamelessness of it.
28:26The evil of it.
28:27It was beyond human.
28:28My parents were shaking so hard they could barely stand.
28:31They stared at the boy they had raised for eight years.
28:34This was the son they had treated?
28:35Like their own flesh and blood?
28:38Susan finally brought...
28:39She remembered my face.
28:41The look in my eyes when they shoved me into the sea.
28:43That dead, hollow, hopeless look.
28:46She remembered pointing at me, cursing me, calling me heartless in filth.
28:49The pain hit her so hard she almost stopped breathing.
28:52She collapsed to the floor, both hands clawing at her hair.
28:55Then she let out a raw, broken scream.
29:06The second my mom said that, Victor seemed to wake up, like he had just been struck across
29:11the face.
29:11He lowered his head, stared at his own trembling hands.
29:15Those hands.
29:16I slapped my eardrum open eight years ago, had handed over the rope to tie up his own
29:20son.
29:24He let out a howl like a wounded beast.
29:27Then he raised his hand and started slapping himself across the face.
29:31Hard.
29:32Again.
29:33And again.
29:34Smack.
29:35The sound of those hits echoed through the hospital room.
29:37His face swelled almost instantly.
29:39His cheeks turned red and purple.
29:41Blood ran from the corner of his mouth, but he acted like he couldn't feel any of it.
29:44He just kept hitting himself.
29:45Over and over.
29:47Like a madman.
29:48This is karma.
29:50This is all karma.
29:52I thought I could see through anyone, but I killed my own blood.
29:57And Vanessa, by now the mental wall she had spent three days holding up finally collapsed.
30:01Completely.
30:02She didn't want to think about that dive.
30:04The underwater current.
30:06The day I disappeared.
30:07Those three days after I went missing, Jason had stayed by her side.
30:11Again and again he described what happened underwater.
30:14Every detail.
30:14Every danger.
30:15Every second.
30:16He painted the whole thing for her.
30:17However, she still remembered it.
30:19Jason standing in front of her.
30:21Taking off his shirt.
30:22Pointing at the scar on his shoulder.
30:23Telling her he got it saving her.
30:25And she believed him.
30:26She actually believed him.
30:27Later, after the underwater murder case, she had bribed my lawyer.
30:30Paid him off to switch sides at the last second.
30:32Helped send me to prison for eight years.
30:34Then she married the man who had really killed someone.
30:36And three days ago, she used money to humiliate me.
30:39And then, she pushed me into the abyss.
30:41The same man who nearly died saving her.
30:44No!
30:46It wasn't supposed to be like this!
30:50Vanessa dropped to her knees.
30:51Her hands shook as she pulled something from her pocket.
30:54The broken pieces of my hearing aid.
30:56She had picked them up from the deck of the boat.
30:58The cracked plastic shell still carried the salt and stink of the sea.
31:01Her vision blurred with tears.
31:03Still, she tried to fit the pieces back together.
31:05One by one.
31:06Even though it was already smashed beyond repair.
31:10Ethan, I'm sorry.
31:13I'm so sorry.
31:16She kept trying to piece it together.
31:18Crying harder and harder.
31:20The sharp plastic cut into her fingers.
31:22Her nails split.
31:23Blood smeared across the broken hearing aid pieces.
31:26Please, come back.
31:28Come back!
31:30I'll give you anything!
31:31We'll remarry!
31:32No more lies!
31:33Ethan, please!
31:36Oh, please come back to me!
31:38The ice queen who looked down on us all, the cold, untouchable CEO, was now on the floor
31:43like a stray dog, crying, begging.
31:46In a hospital overseas, I opened my eyes slowly and met Claire's gentle eyes.
31:53Ethan.
31:56You finally made it back.
31:59She sat by my bed, with a bowl of chicken soup, feeding me one spoonful at a time.
32:05The warmth slid down my throat and settled in my chest.
32:09I hadn't felt that in eight years.
32:11The feeling of being cared for, like I actually mattered, like someone was protecting me.
32:16Claire was Zach's younger sister.
32:18Zach had been on my dive team.
32:20The three of us grew up together, best friends, like family.
32:24Back then, me, Zach, and Jason went diving together.
32:26That was when we found the gold, hidden in a sunken wreck.
32:30Jason got greedy.
32:31He cut Zach's air hose, then pinned it on me.
32:34Vanessa didn't believe me.
32:35My parents didn't either, not for one second.
32:38They even destroyed my eardrum, forced me to take the fall.
32:41Only Claire believed I was innocent, but she had no proof.
32:43She couldn't clear my name, and she couldn't avenge her brother.
32:46For eight years, she came to see me every month in prison.
32:48Never missed.
32:50After I got out, I stood outside the coal mansion, and saw them all inside, laughing,
32:54eating, living like a perfect family.
32:56That was the night I made my choice.
32:58I was going to get revenge.
32:59So, I went to Claire, and asked for her help.
33:02Jason killed for gold, and sold me out for greed, all for the money.
33:06Fine.
33:06Then, I decided to give him exactly what he wanted.
33:09Two months earlier, I started feeding Jason exactly the kind of story a greedy man couldn't
33:13ignore.
33:13Rumors, planted articles, fake salvage chatter, over and over.
33:17All of it pointing to one patch of ocean.
33:19A newly discovered wreck.
33:21And the chance it was loaded with gold?
33:22At first, he didn't buy it.
33:23Why would he?
33:24He had the coals and the lanes backing him.
33:26Money was everywhere around him.
33:27Every time he saw the alerts, he just swiped them away.
33:30But greed is greed.
33:31And it always comes back.
33:33After seeing it enough times, he started wondering if it was real.
33:36Then he started searching.
33:37That was the step I was waiting for.
33:38I had already planted spyware on his phone.
33:40The second he started digging, it triggered everything.
33:42All the planted information, all the fake confirmations, everything we had prepared started
33:47feeding right into him.
33:48So he believed it.
33:49He took the bait.
33:49But private salvage without approval is illegal, especially if it involves protected wrecks,
33:54artifacts, historic sites.
33:56He couldn't let too many people know.
33:57So he used diving as cover, went down there several times to check it out, and that part
34:02was real.
34:03There really was a wreck in that area.
34:05The moment I found out he had secretly contacted a salvage boat, I knew my chance had come.
34:09After that, the rest fell into place.
34:10Before one of his dives, his breathing gear was contaminated.
34:13Just a trace amount.
34:15Sea hair toxin.
34:16Once he was underwater, it hit, and everything unfolded exactly how we wanted.
34:19But there was one thing I didn't expect.
34:21My parents, and my ex-wife, instead of calling the official rescue team, they came looking
34:26for me.
34:27Me.
34:27Back at the trial, they publicly disowned me.
34:30And after I got out, they never looked for me once.
34:32So I had to change plans.
34:33I decided to fake my death.
34:35Disappear completely.
34:37Thank God Claire got there in time.
34:38She came in a mini-sub, pulled me up before I died.
34:41Now, in the hospital room, the TV on the wall was playing live coverage from back home.
34:45A major sentencing update.
34:47Broadcast everywhere.
34:48Jason had been convicted on multiple charges.
34:50Intentional homicide, theft of protected artifacts, framing an innocent man, and more.
34:56He was sentenced to death, with immediate execution.
34:58I watched the screen, then shook my head.
35:01Claire caught it right away.
35:02She knew exactly what I meant.
35:04So she explained.
35:05My guess?
35:07Jason got pushed up by an underwater current.
35:11Then patrol officers just happened to spot him.
35:14But that part doesn't matter.
35:16The ending still landed where we needed it.
35:19I nodded.
35:20Then looked back at the TV.
35:22Victor and Susan were sentenced to.
35:24One year each.
35:25For shielding the real killer.
35:27And obstructing justice.
35:28Taken into custody right there in court.
35:30Vanessa got three years.
35:31For bribery.
35:32Perjury.
35:33And covering up a crime.
35:34At the same time, Lane Group and Cole Group were collapsing.
35:37The scandal sent both stocks into freefall.
35:40Then both families went bankrupt.
35:41The Coles.
35:42The Lanes.
35:43The families who once thought they ruled everything.
35:45Their names were ruined for good.
35:46On the screen, those people from my past stood in prison uniforms.
35:50Crying.
35:50Begging.
35:51Confessing to the cameras.
35:53But no one pitied them.
35:54And strangely, I felt nothing.
35:56No hate.
35:57No thrill.
35:57No satisfaction.
35:59Just relief.
35:59A clean, empty kind of relief.
36:01Like all the pain had finally been peeled off me.
36:04Like every last chain had fallen away.
36:06And for the first time in years, I let out one long breath.
36:09Four years later.
36:10Thanks to Claire.
36:11And the best specialists money could buy.
36:13My hearing had long since returned.
36:15Now, we were on Australia's Gold Coast.
36:18Launching a cutting-edge deep-sea ecology project.
36:21That day, we were on the beach testing a new sonar system.
36:24Then a woman came stumbling toward us.
36:26Her hair was almost all white.
36:28She looked gaunt.
36:29Hollowed out.
36:29If I hadn't looked carefully, I never would have recognized her.
36:33It was Vanessa.
36:34The same Vanessa who once thought she ruled the world.
36:36A foul smell rolled off her.
36:38She dug into a torn pocket.
36:40Then pulled out a ring.
36:41The wedding ring.
36:42The same one she once forced onto my finger.
36:45The same one I threw back at the fish stall.
36:47Ethan.
36:48Ethan, I finally found you!
36:52Look, I kept this ring with me the whole time.
36:56Please.
36:57Please give me one chance to make it right.
37:00One chance to make up for everything.
37:02For years now, I've thought about you every day.
37:05I know I messed up.
37:06Jason lied to me.
37:07He destroyed me.
37:09My family is gone.
37:10My money is gone.
37:11Someone even beat me until I lost hearing in one ear.
37:15That's my punishment.
37:16That's my karma.
37:25Ethan, you loved me, didn't you?
37:29Back then, you almost died trying to save me.
37:32She kept pouring it out.
37:34How she got tricked out of everything.
37:36How debt collectors hunted her.
37:37How helpless she had been.
37:39Then one day, she saw me on TV.
37:41She sold one of her kidneys just to pay someone to get her into Australia.
37:44But I only took two small steps back.
37:46Avoided the hand reaching toward me with that ring.
37:47Then I spoke.
37:49Please stay away from me.
37:51We're divorced.
37:53The second you forced me to take the fall for a murderer, the woman I once called my wife died.
37:59So stop acting like this is love.
38:04It just makes me sick.
38:06Right then, Claire walked over holding two cold drinks.
38:09She handed one to me like it was the most natural thing in the world.
38:12Then she slipped an arm around my neck and kissed my cheek.
38:16Babe, why is this woman anywhere near you?
38:19I don't know.
38:21Where's security?
38:22Vanessa stared at us.
38:23At how good we looked together.
38:25At how happy we were.
38:26And something inside her snapped.
38:28Jealousy.
38:29Regret.
38:29Both of them tore through her like poison.
38:32Then she coughed.
38:33Hard.
38:34Once.
38:35Then again.
38:36A mouthful of blood burst from her lips.
38:38She dropped straight onto the sand.
38:40Back in Harbor City, two elderly people shuffled down the street.
38:43Each of them carried a ripped plastic sack.
38:45They limped badly, step by step.
38:47Then they stopped in front of a giant LED screen in the city square.
38:50Their bodies shook.
38:51Their eyes lifted.
38:52On the screen, a global live broadcast was playing.
38:55I was there.
38:56Wearing a custom suit.
38:58Standing tall.
38:58Calm.
38:59Confident.
39:00Receiving a major UN environmental award.
39:02The camera panned wider.
39:04Claire stood beside me.
39:05One hand looped through my arm.
39:06Her baby bump was showing.
39:08And she was smiling like sunlight.
39:10Susan burst into tears.
39:11The tears ran down her filthy face.
39:13She slowly raised one grimy hand.
39:15Reached toward the screen.
39:16Like she could touch me from where she stood.
39:19Ethan.
39:21That's my boy.
39:23A security guard from the mall rushed out at once.
39:25What the hell are you doing, you filthy beggars?
39:27Get away from there!
39:30He shoved her hard.
39:31She fell straight to the ground.
39:33Victor was crying, too.
39:34But he didn't dare fight back.
39:36He just kept slapping himself across the face.
39:38Again and again.
39:39Karma.
39:39Muttering through tears.
39:40This is karma.
39:45We were blind.
39:46Then the two of them held each other up and disappeared into the alleys of the city.
39:50As for Vanessa, she was detained and deported.
39:52After that, she completely lost her mind.
39:54The shock broke her for good.
39:56She had no money left for proper treatment.
39:57So she got dumped into the cheapest mental institution they could find.
40:01Out on the shimmering blue water, I lay stretched out on the deck of a yacht.
40:05Warm sea breeze across my face.
40:08Claire walked over with a plate of cut fruit, then curled up in my arms.
40:13Honey, what are you thinking about?
40:16I looked out at the deep blue sea.
40:18The same sea that had almost buried me.
40:20The same sea that gave me a second life.
40:22Then I smiled and shook my head.
40:26I was just wondering, do you think our baby's a boy or a girl?
40:31Then I started the yacht and left every betrayal, every wound, every bit of that old life behind us in
40:38the rolling wake.
Comments