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