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Category
🎥
Short filmTranscript
00:00Octopolis! My goodness!
00:02A multiple gestity like this carries extremely high risks.
00:05The pregnancy is exceptionally fragile during the first trimester.
00:09You must be on strict bed rest.
00:11Even the smallest misstep could lead to a miscarriage.
00:13Harrison and I had been married for seven years.
00:16I'd stood by him as he built his business from the ground up,
00:19and he'd always said his greatest wish was to have a house full of kids with me.
00:23Finally, on our seventh wedding anniversary,
00:25this incredible gift had fallen into our laps.
00:28I carefully tucked the ultrasound report into a custom jewelry box,
00:32planning to open it and reveal the surprise to him at midnight that night.
00:35I waited from afternoon until late into the night.
00:38The clock struck 12, and finally, the front door lock clicked open.
00:42I stood up with a smile, ready to greet him, only to freeze dead in my tracks.
00:47Harrison strode in.
00:49Glued to his side was a young girl with tear-filled eyes, Vivian.
00:54Stella, I'm sorry.
00:56Love doesn't care about who came first.
00:59Harrison and I are truly, deeply in love.
01:03Please, I'm begging you.
01:05Let us be together.
01:07The surprise I'd spent all afternoon preparing felt like a red-hot branding iron press to my chest.
01:12He didn't even look at me, not a single flicker of guilt for forgetting our anniversary.
01:17All he did was rush forward, his face etched with concern, and scoop Vivian up into his arms.
01:22This man, who'd always had a severe germophobia, fumbled frantically to wipe the tears from her cheeks.
01:28Vivian's been with me this whole time with no title, no security.
01:32I can't let her down.
01:33Don't worry, she's not after anything.
01:36It's just the thing I'd ever bring to eat a second to anything.
01:39It's just one more mouth to feed in this house, that's all.
01:42Holding Vivian tight, he walked straight into the master bedroom we'd shared for seven years.
01:46He'd forgotten.
01:48Today was our seventh wedding anniversary.
01:50He'd forgotten that seven years ago, there was another girl who'd followed a broke, penniless version of him,
01:56with no title and nothing to her name.
01:58He'd never know that I'd planned to give him the biggest surprise the world had ever seen that night.
02:03The cake on the dining table had melted and warped, the carefully cooked dinner had gone stone cold.
02:08I pulled out my phone, about to take a photo of the mess, hoping to edit it into something warm
02:13-looking,
02:14when a notification from Vivian's social media popped up.
02:17From today on, I finally have a place by his side attached was a photo of her and a man,
02:22fingers intertwined in a car.
02:24I recognized it instantly, it was Harrison's car, throbbing pain flared in my lower stomach.
02:30I remembered the doctor's warning, took a deep breath to steady my emotions.
02:33I was curious to see just how far this little performance would go.
02:42Vivian's young, she posted that on a whim, don't let it bother you.
02:47I messed up today. I ordered you the newest jewelry line, a whole set of designer bags.
02:53They'll be here tomorrow. Just stop being mad at me, okay?
02:58If Stella doesn't want me here, then I'll go!
03:01I can't be the reason you and Harrison fight!
03:08How are you going to survive without me?
03:11I don't want to leave, but Stella won't let me stay, Harrison. Just let me go.
03:16I'll always wish you and Stella happiness, even if you never see me again.
03:19If I want you here, no one can kick you out.
03:22Shh, baby, you're pregnant. You can't cry like this. It's bad for the baby.
03:27Vivian, our baby doesn't want to see you upset over someone else, right?
03:33I watched him lead Vivian back into the master bedroom, cooing and comforting her the whole way.
03:38My stomach turned violently, and I ran to the bathroom, throwing up until there was nothing left.
03:44It wasn't my old stomach bug acting up.
03:47It was the morning sickness from the pregnancy, and pure, physical revulsion at the two people in the next room.
03:52When I came out, I stared at the mess on the table.
03:55I stood up, grabbed the cake, the cold food, and the jewelry box with my surprise still inside, and dumped
04:01it all straight into the trash can.
04:03It hit me, all at once, how ridiculous it all was.
04:07On our seventh wedding anniversary, my husband had brought his mistress into our home, given her a claim to our
04:12life in our own house, and served me the most humiliating night of my life on a silver platter.
04:17I didn't sleep a wink all night. I'd always been terrible at sleeping anywhere but my own bed.
04:23When we were young, Harrison had a bed custom made, an exact replica of the one I'd had at my
04:27parents' house, just so I could sleep soundly.
04:30But now, that bed held him and another woman.
04:33I lay on the couch in the guest bedroom, staring at the ceiling until the sun came up, the throbbing
04:38in my stomach getting worse with every passing hour.
04:40The doctor had told me, over and over, that I needed complete rest.
04:44But a night of overwhelming emotion, plus not a single bite of food or drop of water, had left me
04:49barely strong enough to stand.
04:51The morning sickness hit again, hard, and I dragged myself to the kitchen to make a bowl of soup.
04:56I had to give the babies inside me at least a little nutrition.
05:00As the soup cooked, another wave of nausea hit me.
05:03I spun around and ran straight to the bathroom.
05:05When I came back out, what I saw at the dining table turned the blood in my veins to ice.
05:10Vivian was sitting in my seat.
05:12Harrison stood beside her, holding a napkin.
05:15Is it that good, you little greedy thing?
05:17If you like it, I'll have Stella make you another bowl.
05:23Really, Harrison?
05:25I'm scared Stella won't want to.
05:27After all, this was for herself.
05:29Harrison followed her gaze to me, and finally noticed the cold sweat on my face,
05:33the way my hand was clamped tight over my stomach.
05:37What's wrong, Stella?
05:38You look like you've seen a ghost.
05:40I refused to show an ounce of weakness in front of him and Vivian.
05:43I especially refused to let him know about the babies.
05:46It's none of your damn business!
05:49Vivian was on her feet in an instant.
05:51Stella, if you're angry, take it out on me!
05:53Don't yell at Harrison!
05:55I shouldn't have eaten your soup!
05:56I'm so sorry!
05:59She picked up the half-empty bowl of soup,
06:01holding it out to me like she was handing it over.
06:14The burn made me stumble backward,
06:16my lower back slamming hard into the sharp...
06:19Harrison ran over.
06:21It was to shove me, hard, with all his strength.
06:24Blood poured down my thighs, soaking through my nightgown.
06:27Worse was the pain in my stomach,
06:29the tearing agony getting worse and worse.
06:31Vivian was clutching her stomach.
06:34It hurts so bad!
06:36Blood trickled down my temple.
06:38Stella, if you hated me, you could have hit me,
06:42yelled at me!
06:43Why would you hurt my baby?
06:45He's innocent!
06:47But Harrison didn't even glance at me.
06:49He was holding Vivian tight on the floor.
06:52Stella, have I spoiled you too much?
06:54How could you be this cruel?
07:00You'd hurt an unborn baby?
07:02I leaned weakly against the wall,
07:04looked at him.
07:06Harrison, you two cheating, lying pieces of shit
07:10were made for each other.
07:12One's a liar, the other's a blind fool!
07:23Shut up!
07:24The pain in my stomach hit its peak,
07:26holding back the tears that threatened to fall.
07:28I couldn't reconcile the man in front of me,
07:31the one who wanted me dead,
07:32with the gentle, loving man I'd fallen for all those years ago.
07:36Now you're crying?
07:37Where was this remorse when you tried to hurt her?
07:40Stella, you've really disappointed me.
07:43Lying there in a pool of my own blood,
07:45and rushed out of the house with Vivian in his arms,
07:48hurrying into the hospital.
07:49The huge, empty mansion was left with only me.
07:57I could feel it, clear as day.
08:00The eight tiny lives inside me were slipping away,
08:02one by one.
08:04Before my consciousness faded completely,
08:06I used the last of my strength to dial 911.
08:09When I woke again,
08:10it was already late afternoon the next day,
08:12the sharp, acrid smell of antiseptic burned my nostrils.
08:16I opened my eyes to a blindingly white hospital room,
08:19and the first thing I saw was the doctor's face.
08:23Stella, you were in hemorrhagic shock when you were brought in.
08:26We did everything we could to save the pregnancy,
08:29but we couldn't keep the babies.
08:31All eight fetuses have ceased development.
08:35We just completed a dilation and corruption procedure for you.
08:38A multiple gestation like this was already high risk,
08:40and the severe physical trauma and emotional distress you endured
08:43caused critical damage to your endermenium.
08:45We can't guarantee you'll be able to carry another pregnancy to term in the future.
08:49You need to prepare yourself for that possibility.
08:54I lay in the hospital bed,
08:56my fingertips brushing over my still aching lower stomach.
08:59There had once been eight tiny heartbeats here,
09:01the anniversary surprise I'd planned for Harrison.
09:04Now, that gift had been crushed by his own hands.
09:07I spent three days recovering in the hospital,
09:09and checked myself out the moment I could stand on my own.
09:12As I walked out of the hospital doors,
09:14I spotted Harrison at the entrance of the obstetrics ward.
09:18He was carefully guiding Vivian toward a patient room,
09:20her body curled into his chest.
09:23His gaze swept over me,
09:25lingering for barely half a second,
09:27as if he'd seen a total stranger.
09:29I tugged at the corner of my mouth and turned to leave,
09:32without a single pause.
09:33I'd lay this gift right in front of him, in person.
09:37When I got back to the mansion,
09:38the bloodstains in the living room had been cleaned up by the housekeepers.
09:41This house, the home we'd shared for seven years,
09:44was now filled floor to ceiling with Vivian's things.
09:47My clothes had been tossed haphazardly into the back corner of the closet.
09:51I only opened the small suitcase I'd carried when I ran away with him all those years ago,
09:56packing only the things that had belonged to me from the start.
09:58It was laughable, really.
10:01Seven years of marriage.
10:02And it all fit in this one case.
10:04Once I was done, I pulled a specimen container out of my bag.
10:08Inside, suspended in preservative fluid, were the eight unformed fetuses.
10:13Alongside it were the octuplet ultrasound report and the surgical records.
10:17Harrison, is the anniversary gift you destroyed with your own two hands.
10:21I zipped up the suitcase and walked out of the home I'd lived in for seven years.
10:25I left the light on in the foyer, just like I had every night for seven years,
10:29waiting for him to come home.
10:30But this time, I'd never be coming back.
10:33I boarded a flight to country F.
10:35My home, and the place where I'd start over.
10:38Ten years of love, seven years of marriage, eight unborn babies.
10:42It all ended here.
10:44Wiped clean.
10:48Every single day, Vivian curled up in his arms, her face streaked with tears,
10:52sobbing about the pain of losing her baby that he gritted his teeth and promised her,
10:56over and over, that he'd make Stella pay for what she'd done.
10:59But that nameless, gnawing unease in his chest only grew heavier, day by day.
11:03He couldn't stop replaying that day.
11:05Stella collapsed on the floor, blood streaming down her temple, the huge, bright pool of red beneath her.
11:11He'd been so fixated on Vivian's baby that he hadn't even glanced at her,
11:14just grabbed Vivian and raced to the hospital.
11:17And that emergency call, the one from the number he'd set himself,
11:21his one and only emergency contact.
11:23He'd been annoyed and flustered at the time, hung up straight away, and never called back.
11:28He'd tried calling me a handful of times over those three days,
11:31but it always went straight to voicemail.
11:33He'd just assumed I was hiding away, too ashamed to face him after my vicious act had been exposed.
11:38But in the dead of night, he couldn't get the image of her clutching her stomach so tightly out of
11:43his head.
11:43Harrison, what are you thinking about?
11:46Are you still thinking about Stella?
11:49I know you still care about her.
11:51Maybe, maybe I should just go.
11:53I don't want to put you in this position.
11:55Don't be ridiculous.
11:57You've been through so much for me.
11:58I'd never let you leave.
12:00Just focus on getting better, and don't worry about anything else.
12:04Harrison stared at her sleeping face, the unease in his chest spiraling out of control.
12:09He slipped quietly out of the patient room, needing to try calling Stella one more time.
12:15This temper tarum has gone on long enough.
12:18He told himself I was just being stubborn, but even in our worst fights, I'd never once ignored his calls.
12:23Rich guys are so easy to fool.
12:25This worked out perfectly.
12:27I pinned everything that happened on that frungy old wife, Stella.
12:30And now, Harrison feels so guilty, he can't say no to me.
12:34I've got this in the bag.
12:35I'm gonna be the Mrs. Hale for real.
12:37Harrison froze outside the door, his mind going completely blank.
12:40He'd been a total, utter fool, played like a fiddle by this woman.
12:45Mr. Hale, don't you worry.
12:48You and your wife will have another baby some.
12:51She's not my wife.
12:53I'm sorry.
12:55She was saying she'll never be able to get pregnant again after the miscarriage.
12:59The miscarriage was because the fetus wasn't developing normally.
13:03I actually advised her to terminate the pregnancy last week.
13:07She didn't tell you that?
13:09What?
13:11It was like a bomb went off in his head, wiping every thought clean.
13:15Every piece of the puzzle clicked into place all at once.
13:18Stella's deathly white face, her hand clamped tight over her stomach,
13:21a huge pool of blood on the floor,
13:23that unanswered emergency call, the number that would never pick up.
13:28Stella!
13:29Spinning on his heel and sprinting down the stairs,
13:31he raced to the parking garage, threw himself into his car,
13:34and slammed the gas pedal to the floor.
13:36He ran countless red lights on the drive,
13:38racing like a madman toward the mansion.
13:43Stella!
13:45Stella!
13:46Stella!
14:14DATED THE DAY OF THEIR 7TH WEDDING
14:15ANNIVERSARY, PATIENT NAME, STELLA, ULTRASOUND FINDING, INTRAUTERINE PREGNANCY, EIGHT LIVE
14:21FETUSES, HIS HANDS BEGAN TO SHAKE UNCONTROLLABLY, HE FLIPPED THROUGH THE PAGES, ONE BY ONE, THE INCOMPLETE
14:28ABORTION DIAGNOSIS, THE DILATION AND CURE TASH SURGICAL RECORDS, THE MEDICAL EVALUATION CONFIRMING
14:33SEVERE, PERMANENT DAMAGE TO HER UTERUS, EVERY SINGLE WORD WAS A KNIFE, TWISTED DEEP INTO
14:38HIS HEART, STELLA, YOU FINALLY ANSWERED, I'M SO SORRY, NONE OF THIS IS REAL, RIGHT?
14:43HARRISON, THIS IS THE ANNIVERSARY GIFT I HAD FOR YOU, THE PRESERVED REMAINS OF THE
14:47EIGHT BABIES YOU NEVER GOT TO MEET, THAT YOU KILLED WITH YOUR OWN HANDS, HARRISON LET OUT
14:52A GUTTURAL, ANIMALISTIC SCREAM, HIS KNEES GAVE OUT, AND HE COLLAPSED TO THE FLOOR, THE PAPERS
14:57SCATTERING ALL AROUND HIM, HE CLUNG TO THE SPECIMEN BOX LIKE A LIFELINE, HIS FOREHEAD PRESSED TO
15:02THE COLD NIGHTSTAND, AND WAILED, LOUD AND BROKEN, TEARS AND SNOT STREAMED DOWN HIS FACE, UNHINGED
15:08AND BROKEN, HE FINALLY UNDERSTOOD, ON THEIR SEVENTH ANNIVERSARY, SHE HADN'T COME EMPTY-HANDED,
15:14SHE PREPARED THE BIGGEST SURPRISE IN THE WORLD, EIGHT BABIES THAT WERE HIS, HE WAS THE ONE WHO
15:19BROUGHT HIS MISTRESS INTO THEIR HOME, AND SHATTERED THAT GIFT WITH HIS OWN TWO HANDS, HE WAS THE
15:23ONE WHO PUSHED HER TO THE GROUND, THE WOMAN CARRYING HIS EIGHT CHILDREN, FOR A LYING CON ARTIST,
15:28AND KILLED HIS OWN BABIES, HE WAS THE ONE WHO HUNG UP ON HER DESPERATE CALL FOR HELP, LEFT HER
15:33BLEEDING OUT ON THE FLOOR, AND NEARLY COST HER HER LIFE, HE WAS THE ONE WHO'D PUSHED THE GIRL
15:37HE'D LOVE FOR TEN YEARS SPREETING TO HELL, AND BURNED EVERY LAST BRIDGE BETWEEN THEM TO ASH,
15:42HE CALLED STELLA AGAIN AND AGAIN, FRANTICALLY, ENDLESSLY, BUT THE ONLY THING THAT CAME THROUGH
15:47THE SPEAKER WAS THE SAME, UNCHANGING AUTOMATED MESSAGE, TELLING HIM THE NUMBER HE DIALLED COULD NOT BE
15:53REACHED, HE WAS FINALLY PANICKING, FINALLY TERRIFIED, HE'D LOST HIS GIRL, HE'D LOST HIS EIGHT BABIES,
15:59HE'D LOST EVERY LAST BIT OF GOOD FORTUNE HE'D EVER HAD IN HIS LIFE, HARRISON SAT ON THE MASTER
16:06BEDROOM FLOOR FOR AN ENTIRE NIGHT, CLUTCHING THE SPECIMEN BOX TO HIS CHEST, HE READ AND RE-READ
16:11THOSE MEDICAL REPORTS, WHISPERING STELLA'S NAME OVER AND OVER, UNTIL HIS VOICE WENT COMPLETELY HORSE,
16:17NOT A SINGLE SOUND ABLE TO COME OUT, AS SOON AS DAWN BROKE, HE HEADED BACK TO THE HOSPITAL,
16:22HIS EYES BLOOD SHOT THAT HE DIDN'T STEP INTO THE PATIENT ROOM, INSTEAD, HE HAD HIS LAWYERS AND THE POLICE
16:27WAITING OUTSIDE, AND SECURED FULL EVIDENCE OF VIVIAN AND THE DOCTOR CONSPIRING TO FALSIFY MEDICAL
16:32RECORDS, COMMIT FRAUD, AND FILE FALSE ACCUSATIONS, HE HAD BOTH OF THEM SENT TO PRISON THAT SAME DAY,
16:38USING EVERY CONNECTION AND RESOURCE AT HIS DISPOSAL TO MAKE THEM PAY THE STEEPEST POSSIBLE PRICE
16:43FOR WHAT THEY'D DONE, AFTER IT WAS ALL HANDLED, HE FELT NO RELIEF WHATSOEVER, THE HOLO VOID IN HIS CHEST
16:48ONLY GREW WIDER, AND REGRET WASHED OVER HIM LIKE A TIDAL WAVE, DROWNING HIM DAY AND NIGHT,
16:53HE USED EVERY SINGLE ONE OF HIS CONNECTIONS AND RESOURCES, SEARCHING FOR STELLA LIKE A MAN
16:58POSSESSED, HE PULLED SECURITY FOOTAGE, FLIGHT RECORDS, HOTEL BOOKINGS, AND CALLED EVERY SINGLE ONE
17:04OF HER FRIENDS, UNTIL HE FINALLY FOUND OUT THAT THE DAY SHE WAS DISCHARGED FROM THE HOSPITAL,
17:08SHE'D BOOKED A ONE-WAY FLIGHT TO COUNTRY F, AFTER SHE LANDED, THERE WAS NO RECORD OF HER EVER LEAVING
17:14THE COUNTRY AGAIN, COUNTRY F WAS WHERE HER PARENTS HAD SETTLED FOR YEARS, ALL THOSE YEARS AGO,
17:18SHE'D CUT TIES WITH HER PARENTS AND GIVEN UP HER CHANCE TO STUDY ABROAD, JUST TO STAND BY HIM AND
17:23BUILD
17:23HIS BUSINESS FROM NOTHING, NOW, WITH NOWHERE ELSE TO GO, SHE'D FINALLY GONE HOME TO HER FAMILY,
17:29HE'D BOOKED A FLIGHT TO COUNTRY F IMMEDIATELY, BUT RIGHT BEFORE HE BOARDED THE PLANE,
17:33HE WAS STOPPED BY CUSTOMS, A TRAVEL BAN HAD BEEN ISSUED AGAINST HIM, DUE TO HIS INVOLVEMENT
17:38IN AN ONGOING FINANCIAL CASE, AS WELL AS ACCESSORY LIABILITY FOR THE FALSE ACCUSATION,
17:43HE SMASHED UP HIS ENTIRE OFFICE IN A FIT OF RAGE, BUT IT DID NOTHING TO CHANGE THE OUTCOME,
17:48HE COULD ONLY WAIT IN THAT EMPTY MANSION, GUARDING THE SPECIMEN BOX AND THOSE MEDICAL REPORTS,
17:53WAITING FOR THE TRAVEL BAN TO LIFT, WAITING FOR ANY WORD FROM STELLA, IT WAS HIS BIRTHDAY,
17:58FOR THE PAST TEN YEARS, STELLA HAD NEVER MISSED HIS BIRTHDAY, EVERY SINGLE YEAR,
18:03SHE'D SPEND WEEKS PREPARING HIS GIFT, AND COOK HIM A POT OF SPAGHETTI FROM SCRATCH,
18:07BUT THIS YEAR, THERE WAS NO GIFT, NOT EVEN A TEXT, NOT A SINGLE PHONE CALL,
18:12HE SAT AT THE DINING TABLE, STARING AT THE COLD BOWL OF SPAGHETTI IN FRONT OF HIM,
18:16HE'D COOKED IT OVER AND OVER, FOLLOWING STELLA'S OLD RECIPE DOWN TO THE LAST DETAIL,
18:21BUT HE COULD NEVER RECREATE THE TASTE HE REMEMBERED,
18:24HE PICKED UP HIS PHONE AND DIALED THAT NUMBER HE KNEW BY HEART ONCE AGAIN,
18:27THIS TIME, ALL THAT CAME THROUGH THE SPEAKER WAS AN AUTOMATED MESSAGE,
18:30TELLING HIM THE NUMBER HE HAD DIALED WAS NO LONGER IN SERVICE, SHE'D CHANGED HER NUMBER,
18:35SHE'D CUT OFF EVERY LAST TIE TO HIM, COMPLETELY AND UTTERLY,
18:39HARRISON COLLAPSED ONTO THE TABLE, AND BROKE DOWN IN LOUD, HEAVING SOBS LIKE A LOST CHILD,
18:44HE FINALLY UNDERSTOOD HOW STELLA HAD FELT ALL THOSE YEARS AGO AT THE AIRPORT,
18:48CLINNING TO HIS HAND AND REFUSING TO LET GO, HE FINALLY UNDERSTOOD THE SOUL CRUSHING DESPAIR
18:52SHE'D FELT, WATCHING HIM HOLD ANOTHER WOMAN IN HIS ARMS, HE FINALLY UNDERSTOOD THAT SOME THINGS,
18:58ONCE LOST, CAN NEVER BE FOUND AGAIN, I THRIVED IN COUNTRY F, THE MOMENT THE PLANE TOUCHED DOWN,
19:05AND I SAW MY MOM AND DAD WAITING FOR ME AT THE AIRPORT, ALL THE GRIEF AND PAIN I'D BOTTLED
19:09UP
19:09FOR MONTHS CAME FLOODING OUT, I COLLAPSED INTO THEIR ARMS AND CRIED, THEY DIDN'T BLAME ME,
19:14THEY DIDN'T BRING UP WHAT HAD HAPPENED ALL THOSE YEARS AGO, THEY JUST RUBBED MY BACK,
19:19WHISPERING OVER AND OVER, YOU'RE HOME NOW, IT'S OKAY, YOU'RE HOME, IT TURNED OUT THEY'D NEVER TRULY CUT TIES WITH
19:26ME,
19:26ALL THOSE YEARS, THEY'D BEEN QUIETLY KEEPING TABS ON HOW I WAS DOING, THEY JUST NEVER REACHED OUT,
19:32SCARED I WOULDN'T WANT TO SEE THEM, SCARED THEY'D DISTURB MY LIFE, UNDER MY MOM'S METICULOUS CARE,
19:37MY BODY SLOWLY HEALED, AND THE SCARS ON MY HEART WERE GENTLY MENDED, LITTLE BY LITTLE,
19:42BY THE WARMTH OF FAMILY, MASON, ONE OF MY MOM'S FORMER STUDENTS, STOPPED BY THE HOUSE OFTEN AFTER HE HE
19:48HEARD
19:48I'D COME HOME, HE WAS A GENTLE, STEADY MAN, HE KNEW WHAT I'D BEEN THROUGH, BUT NEVER PRESSED FOR PAINFUL
19:55DETAILS,
19:55HE ONLY EVER GAVE ME EXACTLY THE RIGHT AMOUNT OF COMPANY AND SUPPORT, EXACTLY WHEN I NEEDED IT,
20:01WITH HIS REFERRAL, I JOINED HIS INVESTMENT FIRM, STEPPING BACK INTO THE WORK I'D EXCELLED AT ALL THOSE YEARS AGO,
20:08AFTER ALL, IT WAS I WHO'D LANDED THE VERY FIRST WINDFALL THAT BUILT HARRISON'S COMPANY FROM NOTHING,
20:13IT WAS I WHO'D DESIGNED AND EXECUTED HIS FIRST BREAKOUT HIT PROJECT, BUT SOMEWHERE ALONG THE WAY,
20:18I'D GIVEN UP MY CAREER FOR HIM, TRAPPED MYSELF IN THE FOUR WALLS OF A HOUSE, AND LOST MYSELF IN
20:24THE
20:24PROCESS. THE MOMENT I STEPPED BACK INTO THE CORPORATE WORLD, I FINALLY FOUND MYSELF AGAIN.
20:29I NO LONGER LIVED IN FEAR OF LOSING A MAN'S LOVE, NO LONGER DRAINED MYSELF OVER A RELATIONSHIP THAT WAS
20:35NEVER
20:35WORTH IT. I HAD MY OWN CAREER, MY OWN FAMILY, MY OWN LIFE. MASON'S PRESENCE WAS LIKE SOFT SPRING RAIN,
20:42GENTLE AND UNWAVERING. HE REMEMBERED I HAD A SENSITIVE STOMACH, AND WOULD ALWAYS ASK THE RESTAURANT TO
20:48MAKE MY FOOD MILD AHEAD OF EVERY MEAL. HE REMEMBERED I WAS AFRAID OF THE DARK, AND WOULD ALWAYS DRIVE
20:53ME HOME
20:54PERSONALLY IF I WORKED LATE. HE RESPECTED EVERY SINGLE ONE OF MY THOUGHTS,
20:58SUPPORTED EVERY DECISION I MADE, AND NEVER ONCE ASKED ME TO CHANGE A SINGLE THING ABOUT MYSELF FOR HIM.
21:04UNLIKE HARRISON'S LOVE, WHICH IT BURNED HOT AND WILD UNTIL IT SCORCHED EVERYTHING IN ITS PATH,
21:09MASON'S LOVE WAS QUIET, STEADY, AND DEEP. IT WAS A SAFE HARBOR WHERE I COULD LET MY GUARD DOWN
21:14COMPLETELY, WITHOUT FEAR. WE FELL INTO A RELATIONSHIP NATURALLY, NO GRAND. DRAMATIC VOWS,
21:20ONLY QUIET, CONSISTENT COMPANIONSHIP. ON MY BIRTHDAY, MASON TOOK ME TO THE BEACH,
21:25THE SUNSET SPILLED OVER THE WATER, PAINTING THE WAVES IN GOLD. HE TOOK MY HAND IN HIS,
21:30AND ASKED ME SOFTLY IF I'D MARRY HIM. I LOOKED INTO HIS EYES, FULL OF WARMTH AND SINCERITY,
21:36AND SMILED, NOTTING YES. THE SEA BREEZE BLUE OVER US, CARRYING THE SALT OF THE OCEAN.
21:41I SUDDENLY REMEMBERED THE LINE I'D WRITTEN ON THE CARD I LEFT FOR HARRISON,
21:45MY LOVE HAS GONE TO THE SEA. IT TURNED OUT TO BE TRUE. ALL THE REGRET AND PAIN I'D BURIED
21:50IN THE
21:50DEPTHS WOULD FINALLY BE SMOOTHED AWAY BY THE TIDE. A NEW LOVE WOULD ALWAYS FIND ITS WAY TO YOU,
21:55RIDING ON THE WIND FROM THE SEA. THE DAY MASON AND I GOT ENGAGED,
21:59I SAW HARRISON STANDING OUTSIDE MY APARTMENT BUILDING. IT HAD BEEN A FULL YEAR SINCE I'D LEFT.
22:09STELLA! STELLA!
22:12HIS EYES WERE BLOODSHOT AND CLOUDED, ONLY FLARING TO SUDDEN.
22:15I FINALLY FOUND YOU.
22:17SHARK LIFE THE SECOND HE SAW ME.
22:18I FINALLY GET TO SEE YOU.
22:20LIKE A DROWNING MAN GRABBING FOR HIS LAST LIFELINE.
22:23STELLA, I KNOW I WAS WRONG. I KNOW IT WITH EVERY FIBER OF MY BEING.
22:27WHAT I DID WITH VIVIAN. I WAS BLIND. I WAS STUPID.
22:30I FAILED YOU. I FAILED OUR BABIES. HIT ME, YELL AT ME, PUNISH ME HOWEVER YOU WANT.
22:35I'LL GIVE YOU ALL MY COMPANIES, MY LIFE, EVERYTHING.
22:40JUST PLEASE COME HOME WITH ME, PLEASE.
22:44I LOOKED AT HIM CALMLY. NOT A SINGLE RIPPLE IN MY CHEST.
22:49NO HATRED. NO RESENTMENT. ONLY COMPLETE AND TOTAL PEACE.
22:53IT WAS LIKE WATCHING A STRANGER PUT ON A BELATED, OVERROUGH TRAGEDY.
22:57STAND UP. WHAT WE HAD ENDED A LONG TIME AGO.
23:02IT ENDED THE DAY YOU WALKED THROUGH THAT FRONT DOOR WITH VIVIAN.
23:06IT ENDED THE DAY YOU KILLED OUR EIGHT BABIES WITH YOUR OWN TWO HANDS.
23:13NO. WE HAD TEN YEARS TOGETHER. YOU CAN'T JUST THROW THAT AWAY.
23:20I KNOW YOU'RE STILL ANGRY AT ME. LET ME SPEND THE REST OF MY LIFE MAKING IT UP TO YOU,
23:24OKAY?
23:26WE CAN HAVE MORE BABIES. WE CAN GO BACK TO THE WAY THINGS WERE, PLEASE.
23:31WE CAN NEVER GO BACK.
23:34WHAT YOU OWE ME. WHAT YOU OWE THOSE EIGHT BABIES.
23:39THEN BEES CAN NEVER BE REPAID WITH A SINGLE I'M SORRY.
23:43YOU SAW THE GIFT I LEFT YOU. YOU DESTROYED IT WITH YOUR OWN HANDS AND IT CAN NEVER EVER BE
23:47FIXED.
23:49I'M HAPPY NOW. I HAVE A PARTNER, A HOME, A LIFE OF LET GO OF THE PAST.
23:54I'M ASKING YOU TO LEAVE ME ALONE AND NEVER BOTHER ME AGAIN.
23:57I'M GOING WITH HIM.
24:12STELLA! DON'T GO!
24:18PLEASE.
24:26LATER, I HEARD HE'D BEEN FORCIBLY DEPORTED BACK TO HIS HOME COUNTRY.
24:32AFTER THAT, WORD GOT AROUND THAT HE'D LIQUIDATED EVERY LAST ONE OF HIS COMPANIES AND ASSETS,
24:38HOLING UP ALONE IN THAT EMPTY MANSION. HE NEVER DATED AGAIN, NEVER MARRIED ANYONE ELSE.
24:45MASON AND I HAD OUR WEDDING IN COUNTRY F. IT WAS A SMALL, SIMPLE CEREMONY, BUT IT WAS BRIMMING
24:51WITH MORE HAPPINESS THAN I'D EVER KNOWN. A YEAR LATER, I GAVE BIRTH TO A HEALTHY SET OF BOY-GIRL
24:56TWINS.
24:57ON THE TWINS' FIRST BIRTHDAY, A BREAKING INTERNATIONAL NEWS ALERT FLASHED ACROSS THE TV.
25:02AMERICAN NATIONAL HARRISON ILLEGALLY FLEW A SMALL PRIVATE PLANE INTO COUNTRY F'S RESTRICTED AIRSPACE.
25:07THE PLANE LOST CONTROL AND CRASHED INTO THE GULF WITH NO SURVIVORS.
25:11ON OUR WEDDING DAY, I'D SENT A SINGLE WHITE ROSE TO HIM, THROUGH A COURIER.
25:16IT WAS MY FINAL GOODBYE TO THE TEN YEARS OF MY YOUTH I'D GIVEN TO HIM.
25:21NOW, HE'D SUNK TO THE BOTTOM OF THE SEA, ALONG WITH THAT CRASHED PLANE.
25:25AND THE LOVE THAT HAD DIED IN ME, LONG AGO, HAD ALREADY BEEN WAIT TO REST IN THOSE SAME WATERS,
25:30WITH THE EIGHT BABIES WE NEVER GOT TO HOLD. WHAT WE HAD IS GONE FOREVER, MY LOVE HAS SUNT TO
25:36THE SEA.
25:36FOR THE REST OF MY DAYS, I WILL WALK EVERY MILE OF THIS WORLD IN PEACE AND JOY,
25:40NEVER AGAIN TO BE SHAKEN.
25:42THIS IS A REST OF MY DAYS.
25:44WE HAVE SEEN THE END OF THE LEAD OF OUR FAMILY.
25:44THIS IS A REST OF MY LADY.
25:45THIS IS A REST OF MY LADY.
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