- 12 minutes ago
Category
🎥
Short filmTranscript
00:00for my husband three years later i found out i wasn't his i gave up everything to move to port
00:04victoria for my husband three years later i found out i wasn't his legal wife in port victoria
00:09right after our wedding my husband sean sterling was recruited by port victoria university i left
00:16my entire career behind to go with him i thought i was sacrificing for love yet three years went by
00:22i still didn't even have valid status let alone a local id card sean told me i was on a
00:28temporary
00:28dependent permit but his assistant zoe she already had her permanent residency he got it for her
00:34through his connections i was furious i threatened to leave for the first time ever my calm husband
00:41actually cried i'm already supporting you those documents can wait and zoe came here to work for
00:48me helping her settle in is only fair i believed him until last week i went to the immigration bureau
00:54to check my status i handed the clerk at the desk our marriage certificate she stared at her screen
01:02ma'am our system shows you are not listed as mr sterling's spouse in that instant everything
01:08became clear all those delays all those excuses sean had never listed me as his wife i said nothing
01:15i went straight home and started packing my bags but when i reached my own front door
01:20my fingerprint was rejected three times access denied the lock had been changed i called sean
01:27immediately why did you change the lock oh zoe's lock was broken she's familiar with this model so
01:36i had ours taken off and sent over to her just stay in a hotel tonight i'll be working late
01:40anyway
01:40my mind went blank my husband had taken the lock off our door and given it to another woman
01:46so i went to a hotel but when i swiped my card it was declined when we first moved in
01:52sean had given
01:53me an unlimited black card but little by little zoe took over his personal shopping eventually that
01:59card ended up in her wallet and somehow i believed him until our third anniversary just as the evening
02:06was turning intimate it was zoe she casually handed sean a box of ultra thin condoms
02:14professor it's a special night you always say this brand feels the best thoughtful of me right
02:19i didn't even know what brand he preferred for the past three years we've been trying for a baby
02:24we never used protection the dinner was pure torture he made some lame excuse about a work emergency
02:31and rushed out when the door closed behind him i finally understood by then it was obvious her role
02:36as his assistant extended all the way to his bed the next morning i was about to book a one
02:41-way ticket
02:41out of port victoria when my friend called claire i pulled some strings but all they would give me
02:49was the official marriage record it's fine just tell me what you found
02:55in port victoria sean was legally married to zoe zimmerman claire are you okay i'm fine
03:03the woman by his side had never been me it had always been zoe and in that moment every detail
03:09i
03:09had forced myself to ignore came rushing back all those weekends when he claimed he had work at the
03:14university and was gone all day whenever i asked what could possibly be so important he always gave
03:19me the same answer even if i told you you wouldn't understand then i remembered the time he forgot an
03:24important file i took it to the apartment he kept near campus on the bathroom counter were two
03:30toothbrushes and stupidly i didn't think anything of it my mind drifted back to the day i first
03:36arrived in port victoria three years ago sean pulled me into his arms and spun me around like i was
03:41his
03:41whole world then zoe waved at us from nearby sean smiled took her suitcase oh i forgot to tell you
03:48zoe came too
03:53she's here all by herself things haven't been easy for her the whole ride his attention was already on
03:58another woman and i had actually been happy for him i really thought he had found the perfect
04:03assistant during those first few months in port victoria i couldn't find a job for the first time
04:09in my life i learned what rejection felt like eventually i swallowed my pride and asked sean for
04:14help doesn't the university have some kind of placement program for spouses could you look into
04:21it for me he didn't even look up he just kept sorting through his papers and said i'll ask around
04:28i waited three months when i asked again i got the same answer meanwhile zoe had already landed a job
04:35at
04:35his university the job the benefits the place at his side and she wasn't nearly as qualified as i was
04:42that was when it finally hit me nothing had gone wrong that job was never meant for me sean had
04:48already reserved it all for the real mrs sterling
04:53i had already decided to leave i went to book the earliest flight out of port victoria for good
04:59finally it was my turn i slid my passport across the counter i just wanted to leave but after a
05:06few
05:06taps on the keyboard the agent frowned i'm sorry but there seems to be a problem with your immigration
05:11status why she turned the screen toward me our system shows that you've overstayed your most recent
05:18extension application was denied at the moment you no longer have valid immigration status in port
05:24victoria i had been living in port victoria for three years legally i had no status there at all
05:31not as a wife not as anyone i was just a stranger i stepped aside and immediately called the immigration
05:38consultant miss parker my extension was never approved now i can't even leave without running
05:45into legal trouble what exactly is going on
05:50mrs sterling let me ask you something when your husband filed on your behalf did he sponsor you as
05:55his spouse because the system shows that the approved spousal sponsor under your husband's file went to a
06:01woman named zoe widzemarkin he did file for you too but not as his spouse he filed you under a
06:07different
06:07category that category stopped accepting applications last year that's why your case has been stuck this
06:13whole time standing there on the sidewalk i suddenly wanted to laugh so that was the truth sean had
06:21already handed zoe the spousal sponsorship that should have been mine and me i had spent three years in
06:26the city only to find out i didn't even have legal status i was only one step away from leaving
06:31for
06:32good one step but there was still one final document he had to sign before my case could be cleared
06:37without it i still couldn't leave cleanly
06:42i went to his university to get his signature before i even reached his office i heard zoe's voice inside
06:48sean are you really giving me the arts foundation residency but i'm not qualified this should go to
06:54claire she actually trained for this i stopped cold outside the door the arts foundation residency
07:00the opportunity one had needed most and sean had never mentioned it to me then i heard him answer
07:07it's fine i already made the calls as for claire she has me she doesn't need it and even if
07:14you'd had
07:14the same chance you wouldn't have done any worse than claire i stood outside his office and almost laughed
07:20so everything i had sacrificed was just luck in his eyes and the career i had once been proud of
07:25was something he thought anyone could replace then the door opened zoe saw me and smiled claire
07:31visitors aren't allowed on this floor why don't you wait downstairs move
07:37i barely touched her before she stumbled backward
07:44are you hurt
07:48i'm fine i just lost my balance it's not claire's fault zoe was just doing her job why would you
07:54shove her i didn't explain i held out the notice this is from immigration i need your signature
08:03claire when did you become this unreasonable sign now or i go straight to the dean and ask why the
08:11spouse-sponsored placement in your faculty relocation package ended up with your assistant
08:15that's enough don't forget who's been supporting you without me you wouldn't even be able to stay
08:20here legally when he begged me to come he had said i'll take care of you now it had become
08:26i've been
08:27supporting you sign it now and you might still have a little dignity left
08:34escort my wife out she's not feeling well
08:36a second later two guards grabbed me i hadn't even spoken before someone covered my mouth
08:41talk tonight stop acting like a child talk tonight there was nothing left to say at nine that night
08:48sean came home he pushed open the half-closed front door the lights were on so he assumed i was
08:53inside
08:54enough already i told you from the beginning zoe needed that spot more than you did then he pushed
08:59the bedroom door open and froze the room was empty everything of mine was gone
09:0710 minutes later two police officers were standing in front of sean asking questions
09:12mr sterling are you sure this was a burglary yes my wife's things are all gone
09:17when i got back the door was unlocked someone must have come in one of the officers examined the lock
09:26the lock is brand new there are no signs of forced entry i changed the lock yesterday i just hadn't
09:31gotten around to adding her fingerprint yet you hadn't added her fingerprint then how was your wife
09:36supposed to get in sean opened his mouth but no words came out then he remembered over the past three
09:43years he had made claire wait again and again maybe she couldn't get in so she found someone to
09:48change the lock herself so your wife couldn't get into her own home and instead of calling you or
09:54waiting for you to come back she hired someone to replace the lock yes
10:02what is your wife's phone number it's been off the whole time when was the last time you saw her
10:09he thought about what he had done to claire that afternoon then he lied
10:17this afternoon she was still home this afternoon besides your wife's belongings was anything else
10:22valuable missing no just her mr sterling this probably wasn't a burglary it looks like your
10:27wife changed the lock packed her things and left on her own that's impossible she wouldn't leave the
10:33doors and windows were intact nothing valuable was missing everything in the house was still there
10:38except claire's things and even then he still insisted my wife loves me she gave up everything for me
10:45there's no way she would leave on her own before leaving the officer asked one last question mr sterling
10:53did you and your wife have an argument this afternoon no we didn't argue the police left before they
11:01went they told him to contact claire's family and friends standing alone in the empty house he suddenly
11:06realized something in the past three years claire had not made a single friend here because he had always
11:12told her you have me that's enough he pulled out his phone and called claire's mother mom has claire
11:23contacted you today no why what happened nothing she lost her phone after he hung up he went through
11:29his contacts again and realized he didn't have the number of any of claire's friends that was when he
11:35remembered over the past three years claire had brought up going back more than once and every single
11:39time he had said don't bother it's too much trouble so in the end she really never went back he
11:46used to think
11:47she was simply going along with him only now did he understand she had known all along that he never
11:52wanted to go back with her
11:56he called her number again and again every time all he heard was the same cold message her phone was
12:02off
12:04he walked back into the bedroom and stood in front of the empty side of the closet for him she
12:09had
12:09given up everything and not once had she ever said she regretted it so he had taken it for granted
12:14that
12:15she had done it willingly just then his phone rang it was the police mr sterling we reviewed the
12:24building's exterior surveillance footage at around five this afternoon your wife was seen leaving with a
12:29suitcase there were no signs that she was being forced leaning against the closet he looked at
12:35their wedding photo on the wall his face stricken he fought back to the promises they had made three
12:39years ago then he buried his face in his hands in it i was in white and he was in
12:44a suit we were both
12:45smiling at the camera three years ago i had asked him we'll always stay together right of course and i
12:55had believed him for three whole years i had believed him then his phone rang again
13:00it was a purchase alert the card he had given zoe had just been used in central 103 000 for
13:07a designer
13:08handbag while sean was still reeling from the fact that i was gone he received a purchase alert from his
13:16assistant it was over a hundred thousand suddenly he remembered two days ago zoe had said she wanted a
13:23new bag he had agreed without even thinking the money he gave me every month was only two thousand
13:29dollars that had to cover everything i had never asked him for anything more the only time i had ever
13:35asked him for anything was when i needed his signature on that immigration form
13:41sean shot to his feet and called miss parker
13:45has claire contacted you she came to me before she asked about her status recently she also asked me
13:52about her extension request she wanted to know what documents she needed to fix everything so she
13:57could leave without any legal complications mr sterling there is something else i think you should
14:03know when claire spoke to me she mentioned the marriage certificate i think she already knows what
14:08you did she knows yes that is why she never asked you again about filing for her as your spouse
14:15sean
14:15stood there frozen just then another message came in from zoe sean the bag needs a cute outfit to match
14:23right after that another charge notification popped up this one was over 20 000 he stared at the number
14:28his mind completely blank when had zoe started spending his money as if she had every right to it
14:33then he remembered it had started the moment the extra card that should have gone to me ended up in
14:38her hands for three years i had given up everything and all that time he had been busy giving all
14:43his
14:44care to his assistant sean soon found out that i had never left port victoria he immediately arranged
14:51a meeting with miss parker and asked urgently what is the fastest way to fix claire status now
14:58mr sterling you have always known what the fastest way is a few years ago someone told me that during
15:04onboarding it was better to come in as single first then once everything was stable i could file the
15:11family paperwork later at the time i had no choice i only did it to keep the older people in
15:18the
15:18family calm weary that is nonsense who told you that my assistant she specifically asked around for me
15:27mr sterling i have worked in immigration for 15 years i have never heard of any rule like that
15:33when you joined the university you came in through an employment-based status route that permit
15:37has never required an applicant to be single he suddenly remembered what zoe had told him sean
15:46it is better not to list yourself as married during the hiring process
15:51the background check gets messy he had believed her he had always buried himself in research and
15:57handed all those details over to the assistant he trusted most immigration rules onboarding forms
16:02relocation paperwork he had barely read any of them himself later with red eyes zoe had told him she
16:09wanted legal status here he had thought about how she was a young woman far from home who had followed
16:14him all the way here all it would take was one marriage certificate so he agreed without thinking twice
16:20mr sterling that assistant was miss zimmerman wasn't it he said nothing just as he stood up in a daze
16:28his phone
16:29ring sean please come to the office of academic affairs as soon as possible there are some matters
16:36we need you to explain in person at three o'clock that afternoon sean was sitting in a conference room
16:44at the office of academic affairs i was not there i only learned the details later there had been two
16:50documents on the table in front of him the first was a copy of the certificate for the marriage he
16:55had
16:55registered in port victoria with zoe the second was a copy of the certificate for the marriage he had
17:00registered with me in another jurisdiction the director of academic affairs pushed the documents
17:05toward him professor sterling do you confirm that these materials are authentic sean said nothing
17:11under port victoria law bigamy is a criminal offense the university has already received a request
17:18for cooperation for immigration in addition you will need to explain the marital status declaration you
17:24submitted when you joined the university how was he supposed to explain it soon after the
17:30investigators arrived professor sterling are you saying you did not know that forging documents is
17:35illegal later when i heard those words repeated i almost laughed did he know maybe he didn't that was
17:46the cruelest part sean had never carefully planned to ruin me he just never thought about me enough
17:53so we spent three years figuring out how to stay by his side i spent those same three years waiting
17:58for him to come home she fought for a place beside him i waited for him to remember i was
18:03there
18:03he never did sean was suspended from all teaching and research duties during the investigation his salary
18:10was stopped as well when he walked out of academic affairs so he was already standing in the corridor waiting
18:17for him
18:17sean my work has been suspended too the residency program with the art foundation called they said my
18:24spot has been canceled when i first heard that part i felt nothing no triumph no relief he looked at
18:32her
18:33for the first time he really looked the coat the bag the lipstick all of it had been paid for
18:40with my card
18:40and me i had never spent like that even buying something small for myself i used to hesitate
18:47then sean said give the card back sean that card was for claire not for you
18:59she pulled her handbag behind her back her eyes reddened even more sean i've been with you for three
19:05years you were with me for three years she waited for me for three years zoe bit her lip and
19:12said
19:12nothing back then you kept claire and me from registering our marriage properly this was what you wanted
19:18wasn't it sean i just wanted to stay after that the legal battle turned ugly zoe refused to dissolve the
19:30spousal relationship she hired a lawyer and demanded compensation sean gave her nothing during those
19:36three years in port victoria she had already gotten plenty a respectable job residency status and the card
19:42he had handed over without a second thought what had i gotten nothing in court the two of them tore
19:50at
19:50each other until there was almost nothing left zoe was ordered to repay what she owed her reputation was
19:55ruined and she left sean did not fare much better he came back to my hometown several times to look
20:01for
20:02me but the people all told him the same thing i had never gone back he kept traveling back and
20:08forth
20:08day after day passed then month after month by the time i heard the rest his life had already been
20:15stripped down to almost nothing no job no home no one
20:23a year later i was at the port victoria art fair claire i turned around i saw sean the moment
20:31i saw him
20:31the smile faded from my face there was no surprise no anger no grievance nothing at all it was just
20:39like the last time i had looked at him from the doorway of his office there were only a few
20:43steps left
20:43between us then a hand came across in front of him and stopped him sir what exactly do you want
20:50with my
20:50wife your wife she's my wife it's fine i'll handle it mr sterling do you need something claire
21:06i've been looking for you for a year as for the marriage certificate i can explain mr sterling
21:13it has been a year my husband and i are doing very well you made me wait for three years
21:20he has
21:21never made me wait even three days at the time i had no money no connections and no way to
21:26leave
21:27port victoria i worked part-time jobs trying to save enough to pay the penalty first and buy a ticket
21:32out
21:34adrian could stand in a gallery for half an hour just to ask me how i read a painting what
21:38you could never
21:38give me he gave back to me one by one legal status respect and the chance to become myself again
21:45sean stood there and said nothing i looked at him for a few seconds i have things to do i'll
21:51be going
21:51now i turned away adrian followed beside me his hand resting lightly at the small of my back behind me
21:59sean instinctively took a step forward adrian turned his head and looked at him he did not say a word
22:04the
22:04meaning in his eyes was obvious enough don't come any closer sean stopped i did not look back again
22:10by the time i disappeared into the crowd he was still standing there the exhibition hall was full
22:15of people moving back and forth and in front of him was the painting i had been standing before
22:20it's title was leaving port
22:23you
22:24you
Comments