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Short filmTranscript
00:02I used to be a professional salvage diver, one of the best on the East Coast.
00:07Then, I was convicted of murder.
00:09They said I cut my partner's air hose, said I killed for money.
00:13I did eight years for a murder I didn't commit.
00:16Now, I gut fish for a seafood wholesaler in a run-down warehouse by the docks.
00:21That day, my family came tearing down the pier like the world was ending.
00:25My mom and dad collapsed onto the filthy ground.
00:27Right into the blood, melt water, and fish slime underfoot.
00:31Ethan, your brother went diving two hours ago.
00:34He still hasn't come back up.
00:36Something happened to him.
00:38You're the best diver we know.
00:40Get in the water and bring him up.
00:42My ex-wife, Vanessa, rushed up next.
00:44She pulled out the wedding ring from years ago.
00:46Then, she forced it onto my finger.
00:48I swear to you, if you go down there and bring Jason back, I'll marry you again.
00:54I said nothing.
00:55I just reached up and touched the hearing aid on my ear.
00:58Had they really forgotten?
01:00Eight years ago, Jason, the son they chose, over and over again, instead of me.
01:05He fought with his dive partner underwater, over gold bars, hidden in a sunken ship.
01:10After it happened, Vanessa wanted to protect him, so she forced me to sign a confession.
01:15My dad went even further.
01:16He slapped me so hard.
01:18He ruptured my eardrum.
01:19That one hit left me half deaf.
01:21And now, with the condition I'm in now, if I go back underwater, the pressure could trigger
01:26a brain bleed.
01:27I could die down there.
01:28Ethan!
01:29Shut your damn mouth and do what they say!
01:32That was David, the doc manager.
01:34Just now, he was all smiles, sucking up to them.
01:38The second he turned to me, his face filled with disgust.
01:41The Lane and Cole families practically own this town.
01:44I always thought you knew your place.
01:45Didn't expect you to get so full of yourself.
01:47Just say yes already!
01:49You save a life, you get money.
01:52It's your shot at redemption.
01:54So why are you still rotting here, slinging guts on this pier?
01:58People nearby had no idea what was going on, but that didn't stop them.
02:01Yeah, what's wrong with this guy?
02:03That's his brother!
02:04How can he be this cold?
02:06He probably thinks the money's too low.
02:07He's trying to jack up the price.
02:09Looks normal enough.
02:11Turns out he's rotten inside.
02:13Every word landed hard.
02:14The one they dragged out to take the fall for Jason.
02:17Was me.
02:17The one whose life got destroyed.
02:19Was me.
02:20So why?
02:21Why was I still the one standing here, getting cursed at like I was garbage?
02:25I pulled the ring off, set it back in Vanessa's hand.
02:28Then I pointed at my hearing aid, and shook my head.
02:30It's not that I won't save him.
02:32My ear is shot.
02:33If I go underwater, I'll die.
02:35My mom, Susan, froze for a second.
02:37Then she threw herself into the filthy water on the ground.
02:41Fish scales stuck to her clothes.
02:42She slapped the puddles with both hands, crying so hard her voice cracked.
02:47Ethan!
02:48It's been eight years!
02:49How are you still this cold, this cruel, this heartless to get out of this?
02:53That you'd actually fake an injury?
02:55That's Jason.
02:57That's your brother.
02:58My dad, Victor, stared at me in pure disappointment.
03:01His whole hand was shaking.
03:03How did we end up with a monster like you, standing there while your own brother dies?
03:07And now you're making up lies?
03:10You're a goddamn disgrace.
03:12Vanessa's eyes were bright red.
03:14She dug through her purse with trembling hands.
03:16Then she yanked out a bank card and shoved it into my palm.
03:19Ethan, I'm begging you.
03:21There's five million on this card.
03:23That's enough for you to live on forever.
03:24Just go down there now.
03:26Bring Jason back.
03:27You want money?
03:28Fine, take it!
03:28You want something else?
03:30Just name it!
03:31A hot tear fell from her face.
03:33It landed on the back of my hand.
03:35And burned.
03:36Burned so badly it felt like it went straight through me.
03:39Eight years in prison.
03:40She never visited me once.
03:42Not one time.
03:43And now this was our reunion.
03:45She was humbling herself for the same man she once protected by forcing me to confess.
03:49And even now, she was still using money to grind what was left of my dignity into the dirt.
03:54I didn't want to keep arguing with them.
03:56Not anymore.
03:57So I swallowed the pain.
03:58My hand shook as I pulled a medical report from my pocket.
04:01A diagnosis.
04:02Severe eardrum perforation.
04:03I tried to show it to her.
04:05Vanessa didn't even look.
04:06She slapped my hand away.
04:07The paper flew out.
04:09Are you done yet?
04:10You're still waving around some stupid piece of paper?
04:12Isn't money what you want?
04:13Ira doesn't have time for this!
04:15Jason doesn't have time for this.
04:17Then David charged over.
04:18He grabbed my fish table and flipped the whole thing.
04:21Fish crashed to the ground.
04:22Ice scattered everywhere.
04:23Ethan!
04:24You murderer!
04:25Get the hell out!
04:26Don't bring your bad luck onto these docks!
04:28If you won't save him today, then don't ever think about coming back here!
04:33The crowd joined in at once.
04:35People passing by.
04:36Everybody.
04:37Some even spat at me.
04:38Get out, murderer!
04:40A piece of trash like you deserves to rot in hell.
04:44I looked down.
04:45The medical report Vanessa slapped away was lying on the floor.
04:48Soaked.
04:49Stepped on.
04:50And in that moment, the whole thing felt absurd.
04:52All I wanted was to live like a normal person.
04:55Quietly.
04:56Alone.
04:57In some forgotten corner.
04:59That was it.
05:00I was even that too much to ask.
05:02Did they really have to push me all the way to death?
05:05That feeling.
05:05Like the whole world was pointing at me.
05:08It crushed the last of my defenses.
05:09I didn't want to stay there one more second.
05:11I turned and ran.
05:13I don't even know how I made it back to my rental.
05:15I just remember the voices.
05:16People on the street yelling after me.
05:18Cursing me.
05:19I barely got inside.
05:21I hadn't even caught my breath yet.
05:22Then my phone started going insane.
05:24Alert after alert.
05:26Hashtag the murderer who let his brother drown.
05:28Hashtag rich family drama.
05:29The adopted son versus the real one.
05:32Desperate heiress.
05:33Begs her prisoner.
05:34Ex to help.
05:34I tapped one of the alerts.
05:36It opened straight into Vanessa's live stream.
05:38On camera, my mom, Susan, sat there trembling.
05:41She was trying to hold back tears.
05:43I'm so sorry, everyone.
05:44We know we're taking up public attention.
05:46But as a mother, I have nowhere else to turn.
05:49She covered her mouth and sobbed.
05:51It's our fault.
05:52We failed to raise him right.
05:53Back then, he killed for gold bars.
05:55He robbed people.
05:56He took a life.
05:57He served eight years for it.
05:59I thought prison would change him.
06:00But I was wrong.
06:02He's rotten to the core.
06:04Her tears streamed down harder.
06:06Now his brother's trapped underwater.
06:07His life is hanging by a thread.
06:09Ethan could save him.
06:10He could.
06:11But he just ran away.
06:12Victor held her up like she might collapse.
06:14Then he turned to the camera.
06:16I'm begging everyone to help us.
06:18If anyone can bring Ethan back, I'll pay seven figures.
06:21The comments exploded.
06:23They flooded so fast I could barely read them.
06:25Trash like that deserves exposure.
06:27I know where he lives.
06:29West Side Apartments.
06:30This kind of garbage should die.
06:32Anyone in Harbor City?
06:33Go block him in.
06:34Come on, guys.
06:36Go teach that freak a lesson.
06:37I stared at the screen.
06:38My whole body went numb.
06:40Then it happened.
06:41A violent pounding hit my door.
06:43Over and over.
06:45Like they were trying to break it down.
06:46I barely had time to react.
06:48My landlord stormed in first.
06:50Behind him was a crowd of people.
06:51Phones up.
06:52Flashlights on.
06:53Cameras shoved in my face.
06:54Oh, look at you.
06:55You hit it pretty well.
06:56A damn killer living in my building?
06:59They rushed inside like looters.
07:01One man smashed my bowls.
07:03Another kicked over my pots.
07:05Plates shattered across the floor.
07:06Everything I had got torn apart in seconds.
07:09I tried to stop them.
07:10Two huge men grabbed me instantly.
07:12One slammed my head down.
07:13The other locked my arms.
07:15Hold still.
07:15Apologize to the camera.
07:17Say it now.
07:17Tell them you're trash.
07:19You don't deserve to breathe.
07:21Humiliation drowned me.
07:22It hit like a wave.
07:24Someone yanked my hair back.
07:25A phone was jammed right in my face.
07:27The live comments kept flying by.
07:29I couldn't move.
07:30Then the crowd suddenly split apart.
07:32Making a path.
07:33My parents walked in.
07:34For one stupid second, I thought they were here to stop this.
07:37I was wrong.
07:38Victor's face was dark.
07:40Cold.
07:40He handed someone a thick coil of rope.
07:42It was so heavy it sagged.
07:44He pointed at me through clenched teeth.
07:46Please, help me tie him up.
07:47If he won't go, then drag him there.
07:50I snapped my head up.
07:51I stared at him like I didn't know him.
07:53Dad?
07:54Do you even hear yourself?
07:55I told you.
07:56I can't dive.
07:57I'll die.
07:58Then I looked at my mother.
07:59Mom, do I even matter to you?
08:02I'm your son.
08:03For Jason.
08:05Are you really going to force me to death?
08:07Susan's eyes were red.
08:08For one second, she looked away.
08:10Like something inside her shook.
08:12But it vanished almost instantly.
08:14What came back was ice.
08:15Shut up!
08:16Jason may not be blood, but he's a thousand times better than you know.
08:19Ten thousand!
08:20You spent eight years in prison!
08:22Who took care of us during those years?
08:24Jason did!
08:25Who stayed by our side?
08:26Jason did!
08:27And now he's in trouble.
08:28You're his brother.
08:29You should be saving him.
08:31You're just going to let him die?
08:32Can your conscience live with that?
08:34My chest felt ripped open.
08:36I was already in pieces.
08:37But that still hurt so bad I could barely breathe.
08:40So that was it.
08:41Blood never mattered to them.
08:43Not once.
08:44To them, I was a stain.
08:45Something disposable.
08:46Something they could throw away whenever they needed.
08:48I'm not going!
08:50I didn't kill anyone!
08:51The case back then wasn't what you think!
08:53Why won't any of you believe me?
08:55I fought like hell.
08:57Twisting.
08:57Kicking.
08:58Trying to break free from the rope.
09:00But nobody cared what a convicted killer had to say.
09:03Not one person.
09:04Just when I was about to break.
09:06Vanessa walked in.
09:07One of her bodyguards handed her something.
09:08A stunned baton.
09:09She took it without blinking.
09:11Then she stepped into my room.
09:12Her face was cold and hard.
09:14Ethan, don't make me do this.
09:16For Jason.
09:18There is nothing I won't do.
09:20She didn't hesitate.
09:21She jammed the stun baton straight into my back.
09:24A brutal crack of electricity tore through me.
09:27My whole body convulsed.
09:29Then everything went black.
09:30When I opened my eyes again, I was sprawled across the deck.
09:33Like something the tide had spit back out.
09:36All around me was open ocean.
09:38Nothing but water.
09:39Waves slammed against the boat.
09:41The sound made my heart seize up.
09:43Ethan, stop playing dead.
09:45Get in the water.
09:47Bring Jason back.
09:48When I still didn't move.
09:49I promise you.
09:50If you bring Jason back up.
09:52Clenched her teeth and said.
09:53I'll think about marrying you again.
09:55And you'll never have to do that filthy job again.
09:58Filthy?
09:59That word hit me like a knife.
10:01Half a year ago.
10:02Right after I got out.
10:03I went back to the Cole mansion once.
10:05I was stupid enough to think maybe.
10:07Maybe there was still a little love left for me there.
10:09But that night.
10:10Through the mansion's floor to ceiling windows.
10:13All I saw was a house blazing with light.
10:15My mom and dad were inside.
10:17Vanessa was too.
10:18They were all gathered around Jason.
10:20The son they always chose over me.
10:22They were eating a big holiday dinner.
10:24Roast turkey on the table.
10:25Steak.
10:26Lobster.
10:26Wine.
10:27Everything rich and perfect.
10:29Glasses raised.
10:30Laughter everywhere.
10:31They looked like the perfect family.
10:33And me?
10:34I was standing outside in the freezing wind.
10:36A convict who had done eight years for someone else.
10:39Half deaf.
10:40Broken.
10:40Shaking from the cold.
10:42That was the moment I finally woke up.
10:44My hell had never been prison.
10:46My hell was them.
10:47They built it with their own hands.
10:49In that house, I was never family.
10:52I was just an outsider.
10:53My thoughts snapped back to the boat.
10:56Then my eyes locked on something in Vanessa's hand.
10:58A photograph.
11:00She was gripping it tight.
11:01It was a candid shot from a beach volleyball game.
11:04Jason was shirtless, standing out among a group of dive team members.
11:07And the thing that hit me hardest was the scar on his right shoulder.
11:11The second I saw that scar, my whole body went cold.
11:14Like I'd been struck by lightning.
11:16My mind got dragged back ten years.
11:19Back then, I was captain of the dive team.
11:22Vanessa was on the team.
11:23Jason was too.
11:25That day, the sea turned bad fast.
11:28The current got vicious.
11:29I saw the danger right away.
11:31So I pointed up, signaling everyone to head back.
11:34But before we could surface, everything went sideways.
11:38In the chaos, I used almost every ounce of strength I had to shove Vanessa and Jason towards safer water.
11:44And I got caught instead.
11:45The current took me.
11:46I should have died.
11:47By some miracle, I didn't.
11:49I washed up on a deserted island.
11:51Passed out there for three full days.
11:53Then I was rescued.
11:54When I finally got home, Jason ran straight at me.
11:56He grabbed me hard.
11:58Held on like he'd never let go.
11:59And he started crying.
12:01Ethan, you're back.
12:02This is all my fault.
12:03I was useless.
12:04If I'd stopped you from making us go down, if I'd just been stronger,
12:08then I wouldn't have only saved Vanessa and watched you get swept away.
12:12So that was it.
12:13I finally understood.
12:14No wonder my wife had been willing to force me to take the fall,
12:17to send me to prison, and to let me die for another man.
12:19For ten whole years, she had believed Jason was the one who saved her.
12:23In the three days I disappeared, he became her hero.
12:26The man who risked everything for her.
12:28And me?
12:29I became the reckless one.
12:30The glory-hungry idiot who almost got everybody killed.
12:34What a sick joke.
12:35My throat was dry and raw, but I still forced the words out,
12:38shouting with everything I had left.
12:40I told you!
12:41I can't go underwater!
12:42My ear can't handle the pressure!
12:44If I go down there, my brain could hemorrhage!
12:46Do you people want me dead?!
12:48Vanessa's eyes flickered, just for a second, a flash of panic, gone almost instantly.
12:53Then Victor charged at me in a rage.
12:56He rushed over and kicked me hard.
12:57I hit the deck and rolled.
12:59Keep lying!
13:00Go ahead!
13:00Keep pretending!
13:01Ethan, you're rotten to the core!
13:03At a time like this, you're still faking a disability just to get out of it?!
13:07Off to the side, my mom collapsed to the deck, wiping her tears, sobbing like her heart
13:12was ripping apart.
13:13Oh, God!
13:14Jason was an angel!
13:16He's always been so sweet!
13:18He did everything for us!
13:20If we lose him, I can't go on!
13:24Then the boat captain, Adam, walked over.
13:27He tapped his watch.
13:29Ms. Lane, this is where Jason went under.
13:31Based on the time, his tank has maybe 30 minutes left.
13:34That one sentence shattered whatever reason Vanessa still had.
13:38Her pretty face twisted from panic.
13:40She spun toward me and screamed.
13:41You heard him!
13:43Move!
13:43Now!
13:44Gear him up!
13:45I stared at her, and something in me finally went cold.
13:49Fine.
13:50I'll go.
13:50But I have one condition.
13:52I want the best deep-water gear you've got.
13:55If they were really going to shove me into hell, then I was grabbing whatever slim chance
13:59I had.
13:59No matter how small.
14:01If the gear was strong enough, maybe I could survive the pressure.
14:04The second I gave in, Vanessa's shoulders dropped, like she could finally breathe again.
14:08She rushed over and grabbed my hand tight.
14:10Ethan, I knew it!
14:11I knew you still cared!
14:14I knew you wouldn't just let him die!
14:16Then the next second, guilt flashed across her face.
14:19She pointed to a pile of junk in the corner.
14:22But there's no other option.
14:23This is the only diving gear on the boat.
14:26You used to be the best diver in the business.
14:28A little problem like this?
14:30You can handle it, right?
14:31She said it so casually, like it was nothing.
14:35I followed her finger, and my blood went cold.
14:39It was an old dive suit.
14:40The rubber was cracked in places.
14:42The air valve was rusted.
14:44That kind of gear should have been scrapped years ago.
14:46There was no way it was safe.
14:48A chill shot straight up my spine.
14:50I yanked my hand away, then backed up in panic.
14:53Vanessa, are you out of your mind?
14:55You know diving!
14:56If I go down in that thing, that's the same as killing me!
14:59Adam looked at the suit, too.
15:01His face tightened.
15:02Mrs. Lane, this gear really is too old.
15:05The risk on a forced deep dive is way too high.
15:08If something goes wrong...
15:10Before he could finish, Vanessa's face went cold.
15:12She cut him off without hesitation.
15:14At a time like this, who the hell cares about that?
15:16Get over here!
15:17Put it on him!
15:18A few bodyguards rushed me at once.
15:22They slammed me onto the deck, pinned me down hard.
15:24In the struggle, someone stomped down.
15:26My hearing aid flew off.
15:27It cracked apart, then got crushed under a shoe.
15:30Shattered.
15:30The one thing that had stayed with me for years.
15:33Gone.
15:34In the end, they forced the suit onto my body anyway.
15:37And Vanessa strapped a heavy industrial weight belt around my waist.
15:4060 pounds of lead, enough to make sure I sank.
15:43Then they shoved me toward the edge of the boat.
15:45In that last, desperate moment, I turned and looked back at this family.
15:48Victor stood there with his arms crossed.
15:50Coldly.
15:51Like none of it had anything to do with him.
15:54There wasn't one shred of pity in his eyes.
15:56Not for his own son.
15:57And my mother, Susan.
15:59She had her hands clasped tight.
16:01Eyes shut.
16:02Praying into empty air.
16:03Her lips trembled as she whispered.
16:05Please.
16:06Please let him be safe.
16:08Please God, let Jason come back okay.
16:11At a moment like this, with my life hanging by a thread, she was praying for him.
16:16For Jason.
16:17Not her own flesh and blood.
16:19It was grotesque.
16:20It was pathetic.
16:21It was almost funny.
16:23Then suddenly, a huge force slammed into my chest.
16:25Someone shoved me.
16:26Hard.
16:27The second the deck vanished under my feet.
16:29Ethan!
16:30If you bring Jason back, we'll get married right away.
16:33I'll be right here waiting for you.
16:35Then the ocean swallowed me whole.
16:36The freezing water wrapped around my body instantly.
16:39The weight belt dragged me down.
16:40Fast.
16:41Way too fast.
16:42Straight into the deep.
16:43The pressure hit my ears like a sledgehammer.
16:46My right eardrum was already hanging by a thread.
16:48Now it tore.
16:50A dull ripping burst exploded inside my head, like a balloon popping in my skull.
16:54Pain.
16:55Blinding pain.
16:56So much pain, my whole body seized up.
16:59I opened my mouth to scream.
17:00A mouthful of seawater rushed in instead.
17:02My lungs felt like giant hands were crushing them.
17:04My vision turned red.
17:06Then darker.
17:06Then worse.
17:07My mind started slipping away, and just when I was drowning, just when the dark was closing
17:12over me, just when I gave up trying to live, a pair of soft hands reached for me, fast,
17:16strong, and grabbed me.
17:18Susan pressed a hand to her chest.
17:20Her face was pale.
17:21She leaned against the railing.
17:22Her eyes stayed locked on the water.
17:24Victor had his hands behind his back.
17:26He kept pacing, back and forth.
17:37She kept saying it over and over, like if she said it enough, it would come true, like
17:42it could calm the fear inside her.
17:43But her fingers were shaking, and that gave her away.
17:46Then suddenly, a sharp alarm shattered the dead silence.
17:49A Coast Guard boat was speeding toward them.
17:52Fast.
17:52A few officers jumped onto the deck.
17:54The man in front scanned everyone with hard, sharp eyes.
17:57I'm Owen with the Harbor City Coast Guard.
18:00Who's in charge here?
18:01Victor hurried over at once.
18:03He pulled out a business card and handed it over.
18:05We're with Cole Group.
18:07My son went missing while diving.
18:10We came out here to look for him ourselves.
18:12Owen took the card.
18:14Rescue?
18:15Then he looked them over coldly.
18:17We pulled him out three hours ago.
18:22The whole deck went dead silent.
18:24Then Owen pulled up footage from his body cam.
18:26He opened a video and held it up.
18:27Three hours ago, during patrol, we recovered a man from the water.
18:31It was Jason Cole.
18:34We tried contacting his family.
18:36No answer.
18:38Never thought you came all the way out here.
18:40There's no signal.
18:41The doctor on board examined him.
18:43He'd been exposed to a marine toxin.
18:45A sea barrier.
18:46A kind of sea slug.
18:47That toxin can trigger severe hallucinations.
18:49In serious cases, it can be fatal.
18:51He might have touched one while diving.
18:53He's already been taken to the hospital.
18:54He's been stabilized for now.
18:55The second they heard Jason was alive, my parents and Vanessa lit up with joy.
18:59Like they had all just been handed their lives back.
19:01And not one of them cared about the word hallucinations.
19:04Not one.
19:05Victor nearly started crying on the spot.
19:07He was so excited he could barely stand still.
19:09I knew it!
19:10I knew Jason was blessed!
19:13He's always had luck on his side!
19:15Vanessa, did you hear that?
19:17Jason's okay!
19:19We have money.
19:20As long as he's still breathing, we can save him.
19:23We'll spend whatever it takes.
19:25Vanessa finally let out a long breath.
19:26A smile of pure relief broke across her face.
19:29Like she had just survived a nightmare.
19:31Then the smile froze.
19:32Right there on her face.
19:33Because suddenly she remembered.
19:35Half an hour ago, she had shoved her ex-husband into the ocean.
19:37With her own hands, forced him down there to save Jason.
19:40He was lying in a hospital now.
19:42Alive.
19:42So where was Ethan?
19:44I had already been underwater for over 30 minutes.
19:46And there was still no sign of me.
19:47Not even a trace.
19:48A terrible thought started rising in her mind.
19:50But before she could think it through, Owen took a file from one of his officers.
19:54His expression turned strange.
19:56Cold.
19:56Sharp.
19:57Almost mocking.
19:58Then he looked straight at them and spoke again.
20:02Well, if you're his family, that actually makes this easier.
20:06He opened the document, then announced it on the spot.
20:09As of this moment, Jason Cole is in custody.
20:12He is suspected of stealing protected underwater artifacts.
20:16And suspected of murder.
20:19That landed like a thunderclap.
20:21The next, they were dragged straight into the dirt.
20:23The smile on my dad's face froze.
20:25Then his whole face turned dark.
20:28Pointed right at Owen.
20:29What the hell are you talking about?
20:31Stealing artifacts?
20:32Murder?
20:33Our company practically built this town.
20:35My son, Jason, is one of the most well-known philanthropists.
20:39He's still lying in a hospital bed.
20:40And you people dare dump this kind of filth on him?
20:43My mom rushed up, too.
20:44She tried to shove Owen.
20:46That's right.
20:47Do you even know how many schools Jason has donated to?
20:51He won't even hurt a fly.
20:53How could he possibly steal anything?
20:56How could he kill anyone?
20:58Vanessa stepped up, too.
20:59Putting on that cold, untouchable CEO act.
21:02Officer, watch what you say.
21:04You can't just throw accusations around.
21:06I'm the chair of Lane Group.
21:08Jason is my husband.
21:09If you try to set him up with fake charges, one phone call and your career is over.
21:15They were shouting, threatening.
21:17But Owen only got colder.
21:19He didn't argue.
21:20He just tapped open another video.
21:22Jason scrambled backward from empty air.
21:24Like something horrifying was standing right in front of him.
21:27His whole body was shaking violently.
21:29His face was twisted with pure terror.
21:33He had been down dozens of feet underwater when the toxin hit.
21:36The hallucinations were strong.
21:37Don't come over here!
21:39Ah!
21:39Don't come near me!
21:41Zach, I know I messed up!
21:42Don't kill me!
21:43My parents went white.
21:44Their lips trembled.
21:46Their eyes stayed glued to the screen.
21:48I got greedy!
21:50I never should have cut your arrows!
21:52I'm so sorry!
21:53I'll do whatever it takes to make it right!
21:55No, no, don't take me with you!
21:57He started smashing his forehead against the deck.
21:59Over and over.
22:04Then all at once, the fear vanished.
22:06His face changed, turned vicious.
22:08A grin spread across it, twisted, like a demon laughing.
22:11He gestured into the empty air and cackled.
22:14Ethan, you idiot!
22:15You never saw this coming, did you?
22:18That idiot, Vanessa.
22:19She actually thought I was the one who saved her.
22:21All I did was show her a little scar.
22:23And she fell for me completely!
22:25She played those two old fans like a fettel.
22:27She got me into that house?
22:28My dad forced his neck straight, still trying to fight it.
22:31I just played the victim.
22:32And they treated me like a king while they threw you away!
22:36Sent your pathetic ass to rot!
22:38Ha ha ha ha!
22:39God, that felt damn good!
22:40You can rot in prison forever!
22:42Everything from the coals and everything from the lanes will be mine!
22:46Dead silence.
22:47Only Jason's crazed laughter kept echoing from the video.
22:50Across the deck, Vanessa stumbled back two steps.
22:52She almost fell right there on the deck.
22:54That was their precious son.
22:56Her precious husband.
22:57The man they defended like he was gold.
22:59And now he was on video.
23:01Grinning like a devil.
23:03Mocking them for being fools.
23:04No.
23:05That's impossible.
23:06You said he was poisoned.
23:12He was hallucinating.
23:14He was talking nonsense.
23:16Exactly.
23:17That's all this is.
23:19He was hallucinating.
23:20He didn't know what he was saying.
23:23Yes!
23:25It was the toxin!
23:27That sea salt toxin made him ramble!
23:30Owen's voice turned firm.
23:31I figured that's what you'd say.
23:32Which is exactly why we move fast.
23:35This involves a major attempted murder case.
23:39So we already formed an investigation team.
23:42And verified everything he said.
23:45Then Owen pulled out another stack of documents.
23:48We found that the statements Ethan gave after his arrest eight years ago
23:53did not match the physical evidence from the scene.
23:57And there's more.
23:58Ethan's defense attorney turned on him at trial.
24:01The day before the trial.
24:03A large payment hit his account.
24:06We traced the source.
24:07It came from one of your offshore accounts, Vanessa.
24:10Vanessa's face went white.
24:11And Jason's private account received multiple large wire transfers after the incident that year.
24:17The source was hidden.
24:18But we now have strong reason to believe that money came from selling stolen artifacts.
24:22We believe the case was not what it seemed.
24:24Please cooperate with the investigation.
24:26You're coming with us.
24:27The Coast Guard officers were just about to move in.
24:29Then Adam finally broke.
24:31He swallowed hard.
24:33Then stammered out.
24:35Officer.
24:36Wait.
24:38This still isn't over.
24:40Ethan.
24:41Ethan Cole.
24:43He's still down there.
24:45He never came back up.
24:48What did you just say?
24:50Owen whipped around.
24:51His eyes widened instantly.
24:54There's still someone underwater?
24:56Adam's legs nearly gave out.
24:58He started spilling everything.
25:00About half an hour ago, Ms. Lane pushed Ethan into the water.
25:04He said his ear was injured.
25:06Said he couldn't handle the pressure.
25:08But Ms. Lane insisted.
25:09She forced him to go down.
25:12And now, he still hasn't surfaced.
25:15Three days later.
25:16Harbor City Hospital.
25:18Jason finally woke up.
25:20His body was still weak.
25:21He twitched his fingers.
25:23Then realized the bed was surrounded.
25:25Mom.
25:26Dad.
25:27Vanessa.
25:27And several police officers in uniform.
25:29A flash of joy hit him.
25:31With all these people here, they had to be worried sick about him.
25:34He quickly changed his expression.
25:35Forced tears into his eyes.
25:37Then weakly reached for Susan's hand.
25:39Dad.
25:40Mom.
25:42Vanessa.
25:42I was so scared.
25:44I had the worst nightmare.
25:47I dreamed I was trapped underwater.
25:50I thought I'd never see you again.
25:52Before, that would have worked.
25:54Susan would have rushed over already.
25:55She would have held him.
25:57Cried over him.
25:58But today, the room was terrifyingly quiet.
26:00No one spoke.
26:01Only the monitor kept beeping.
26:03Steady.
26:03Cold.
26:04Jason's hand hung there in midair.
26:06Awkward.
26:07Stiff.
26:08That was when he realized something was wrong.
26:10Victor wasn't fussing over him.
26:11The man who had always spoiled him was standing at the foot of the bed.
26:14His face was black with rage.
26:16And the way he looked at Jason now, there was no warmth left.
26:20No love.
26:20Dad?
26:22What's wrong?
26:23Dad?
26:25What's wrong?
26:25He pulled out a tablet, tapped the screen, then threw it onto Jason's chest.
26:29Jason grabbed it, looked down, and instantly went pale.
26:33On the screen was him, laughing like a maniac, spilling everything, confessing, mocking the
26:38people who raised him, calling them idiots, every ugly word, every filthy truth.
26:42All of it was there.
26:43His face went ghost white.
26:44Cold sweat poured down his forehead.
26:46Jason panicked.
26:47This isn't real.
26:48He struggled to sit up.
26:49Dad.
26:50Mom.
26:50Vanessa.
26:51Listen to me.
26:52That was the sea hair toxin.
26:54It made me hallucinate.
26:56It made me say crazy things.
26:58How could I ever hurt Ethan?
26:59That wasn't me.
27:00It was the poison talking.
27:01Vanessa, believe me.
27:02Reached for her.
27:03I love you.
27:05Everything I did.
27:07I did it so we could be together.
27:09Vanessa's expression turned complicated.
27:11Owen cut in from the side.
27:12Jason Cole.
27:13Drop the act.
27:15We've already confirmed the evidence.
27:17You framed Ethan for the theft.
27:19And you murdered Zach.
27:22The jig is up, I guess.
27:24But don't act so high and mighty, Dad.
27:27You're the one who threw your son to the wolves.
27:30I just watched.
27:31Then he turned to Vanessa.
27:32His eyes dragged over her in that disgusting, sticky way.
27:36And you.
27:38Stop acting innocent.
27:41For the last eight years.
27:44Wasn't I good enough for you in bed?
27:46What?
27:48Suddenly found your conscience?
27:51A little late, don't you think?
27:53He laughed again.
27:54Ugly.
27:55Slow.
27:55Mocking.
27:56Ethan's not coming back anyway.
27:59So, why not let it go?
28:02I can still take care of you two.
28:05We can all stay one happy family.
28:08Still living the dream.
28:11Isn't that what you want?
28:18The second those words came out, the whole room turned freezing cold.
28:22The shamelessness of it.
28:23The evil of it.
28:24It was beyond human.
28:26My parents were shaking so hard they could barely stand.
28:29They stared at the boy they had raised for eight years.
28:31This was the son they had treated?
28:33Like their own flesh and blood?
28:35What?
28:35Susan finally broke.
28:36What?
28:37She remembered my face.
28:38The look in my eyes when they shoved me into the sea.
28:41That dead, hollow, hopeless look.
28:43She remembered pointing at me.
28:45Cursing me.
28:46Calling me heartless in filth.
28:47The pain hit her so hard she almost stopped breathing.
28:49She collapsed to the floor.
28:51Both hands clawing at her hair.
28:53Then she let out a raw, broken scream.
28:56What did I do?
28:58I'm a monster.
29:01I don't deserve to breathe.
29:04The second my mom said that, Victor seemed to wake up.
29:07Like he had just been struck across the face.
29:09He lowered his head, stared at his own trembling hands.
29:13Those hands.
29:14I had slapped my eardrum open eight years ago.
29:16Had handed over the rope to tie up his own son.
29:22He let out a howl like a wounded beast.
29:24Then he raised his hand and started slapping himself across the face.
29:29Hard.
29:30Again.
29:31And again.
29:32Smack.
29:32The sound of those hits echoed through the hospital room.
29:35His face swelled almost instantly.
29:37His cheeks turned red and purple.
29:38Blood ran from the corner of his mouth, but he acted like he couldn't feel any of it.
29:42He just kept hitting himself.
29:43Over and over.
29:44Like a madman.
29:45This is karma.
29:47This is all karma.
29:49I thought I could see through anyone.
29:52But I killed my own blood.
29:54And Vanessa.
29:55By now the mental wall she had spent three days holding up finally collapsed.
29:59Completely.
30:00She didn't want to think about that dive.
30:02The underwater current.
30:03The day I disappeared.
30:05Those three days after I went missing, Jason had stayed by her side.
30:09Again and again he described what happened underwater.
30:11Every detail.
30:12Every danger.
30:13Every second.
30:14He painted the whole thing for her.
30:15She still remembered it.
30:17Jason standing in front of her.
30:18Taking off his shirt.
30:19Pointing at the scar on his shoulder.
30:21Telling her he got it saving her.
30:22And she believed him.
30:23She actually believed him.
30:25Later after the underwater murder case she had bribed my lawyer.
30:28Paid him off to switch sides at the last second.
30:30Helped send me to prison for eight years.
30:32Then she married the man who had really killed someone.
30:34And three days ago.
30:35She used money to humiliate me.
30:37And then.
30:38She pushed me into the abyss.
30:39The same man who nearly died saving her.
30:42No!
30:44It wasn't supposed to be like this!
30:47Vanessa dropped to her knees.
30:49Her hands shook as she pulled something from her pocket.
30:51The broken pieces of my hearing aid.
30:53She had picked them up from the deck of the boat.
30:55The cracked plastic shell still carried the salt and stink of the sea.
30:59Her vision blurred with tears.
31:01Still she tried to fit the pieces back together.
31:03One by one.
31:04Even though it was already smashed beyond repair.
31:07Ethan.
31:09I'm sorry.
31:11I'm so sorry.
31:13She kept trying to piece it together.
31:16Crying harder and harder.
31:17The sharp plastic cut into her fingers.
31:19Her nails split.
31:21Blood smeared across the broken hearing aid pieces.
31:23Please.
31:24Come back.
31:26Come back.
31:27I'll give you anything.
31:29We'll remarry.
31:30No more lies.
31:31Ethan, please.
31:34Oh, please come back to me.
31:36The ice queen who looked down on us all, the cold, untouchable CEO, was now on the floor
31:41like a stray dog, crying, begging.
31:44In a hospital overseas, I opened my eyes slowly and met Claire's gentle eyes.
31:54Ethan, you finally made it back.
31:57She sat by my bed, with a bowl of chicken soup, feeding me one spoonful at a time.
32:03The warmth slid down my throat and settled in my chest.
32:07I hadn't felt that in eight years.
32:09The feeling of being cared for, like I actually mattered, like someone was protecting me.
32:14Claire was Zach's younger sister.
32:16Zach had been on my dive team.
32:18The three of us grew up together, best friends, like family.
32:22Back then, me, Zach, and Jason went diving together.
32:24That was when we found the gold, hidden in a sunken wreck.
32:28Jason got greedy.
32:29He cut Zach's air hose, then pinned it on me.
32:32Vanessa didn't believe me.
32:33My parents didn't either, not for one second.
32:36They even destroyed my eardrum, forced me to take the fall.
32:39Only Claire believed I was innocent, but she had no proof.
32:41She couldn't clear my name, and she couldn't avenge her brother.
32:44For eight years, she came to see me every month in prison.
32:46Never missed.
32:48After I got out, I stood outside the coal mansion, and saw them all inside, laughing,
32:52eating, living like a perfect family.
32:54That was the night I made my choice.
32:56I was going to get revenge.
32:57So I went to Claire, and asked for her help.
33:00Jason killed for gold, and sold me out for greed, all for the money.
33:04Fine.
33:04Then, I decided to give him exactly what he wanted.
33:07Two months earlier, I started feeding Jason exactly the kind of story a greedy man couldn't
33:11ignore.
33:12Rumors, planted articles, fake salvage chatter, over and over, all of it pointing to one patch
33:16of ocean.
33:17A newly discovered wreck.
33:19And the chance it was loaded with gold?
33:20At first, he didn't buy it.
33:22Why would he?
33:22He had the coals and the lanes backing him.
33:24Money was everywhere around him.
33:25Every time he saw the alerts, he just swiped them away.
33:28But greed is greed.
33:30And it always comes back.
33:31After seeing it enough times, he started wondering if it was real.
33:34Then he started searching.
33:35That was the step I was waiting for.
33:36I had already planted spyware on his phone.
33:38The second he started digging, it triggered everything.
33:41All the planted information.
33:42All the fake confirmations.
33:43Everything we had prepared started feeding right into him.
33:46So he believed it.
33:47He took the bait.
33:48But private salvage without approval is illegal.
33:50Especially if it involves protected wrecks, artifacts, historic sites.
33:54He couldn't let too many people know.
33:55So he used diving as cover.
33:57Went down there several times to check it out.
33:59And that part was real.
34:01There really was a wreck in that area.
34:03The moment I found out he had secretly contacted a salvage boat, I knew my chance had come.
34:07After that, the rest fell into place.
34:09Before one of his dives, his breathing gear was contaminated.
34:11Just a trace amount.
34:13Sea hair toxin.
34:14Once he was underwater, it hit.
34:15And everything unfolded exactly how we wanted.
34:17But there was one thing I didn't expect.
34:19My parents.
34:20And my ex-wife.
34:21Instead of calling the official rescue team, they came looking for me.
34:25Me.
34:26Back at the trial, they publicly disowned me.
34:28And after I got out, they never looked for me once.
34:30So I had to change plans.
34:32I decided to fake my death.
34:34Disappear completely.
34:35Thank God Claire got there in time.
34:37She came in a mini-sub.
34:38Pulled me up before I died.
34:39Now, in the hospital room, the TV on the wall was playing live coverage from back home.
34:43A major sentencing update.
34:45Broadcast everywhere.
34:46Jason had been convicted on multiple charges.
34:49Intentional homicide.
34:50Theft of protected artifacts.
34:51Framing an innocent man.
34:53And more.
34:54He was sentenced to death.
34:55With immediate execution.
34:57I watched the screen.
34:58Then shook my head.
34:59Claire caught it right away.
35:01She knew exactly what I meant.
35:02So she explained.
35:03My guess?
35:05Jason got pushed up by an underwater current.
35:09Then patrol officers just happened to spot him.
35:12But that part doesn't matter.
35:14The ending still landed where we needed it.
35:17I nodded.
35:18Then looked back at the TV.
35:20Victor and Susan were sentenced to.
35:22One year each.
35:23For shielding the real killer.
35:25And obstructing justice.
35:26Taken into custody right there in court.
35:28Vanessa got three years.
35:29For bribery.
35:30Perjury.
35:31And covering up a crime.
35:32At the same time, Lane Group and Cole Group were collapsing.
35:35The scandal sent both stocks into free fall.
35:38Then both families went bankrupt.
35:39The Coles.
35:40The Lanes.
35:41The families who once thought they ruled everything.
35:43Their names were ruined for good.
35:45On the screen, those people from my past stood in prison uniforms.
35:48Crying.
35:49Begging.
35:49Confessing to the cameras.
35:50But no one pitied them.
35:52And strangely, I felt nothing.
35:54No hate.
35:55No thrill.
35:56No satisfaction.
35:57Just relief.
35:58A clean, empty kind of relief.
35:59Like all the pain had finally been peeled off me.
36:02Like every last chain had fallen away.
36:04And for the first time in years, I let out one long breath.
36:07Four years later.
36:08Thanks to Claire.
36:09And the best specialists money could buy.
36:11My hearing had long since returned.
36:14Now, we were on Australia's Gold Coast.
36:16Launching a cutting-edge deep-sea ecology project.
36:19That day, we were on the beach testing a new sonar system.
36:23Then a woman came stumbling toward us.
36:24Her hair was almost all white.
36:26She looked gaunt, hollowed out.
36:28If I hadn't looked carefully, I never would have recognized her.
36:30It was Vanessa.
36:32The same Vanessa who once thought she ruled the world.
36:35A foul smell rolled off her.
36:36She dug into a torn pocket.
36:38Then pulled out a ring.
36:40The wedding ring.
36:41The same one she once forced onto my finger.
36:43The same one I threw back at the fish stall.
36:45Ethan.
36:46Ethan, I finally found you!
36:51Look, I kept this ring with me the whole time.
36:54Please.
36:55Please give me one chance to make it right.
36:58One chance to make up for everything.
37:01For years now, I've thought about you every day.
37:03I know I messed up.
37:04Jason lied to me.
37:06He destroyed me.
37:07My family is gone.
37:09My money is gone.
37:10Someone even beat me until I lost hearing in one ear.
37:13That's my punishment.
37:14That's my karma.
37:21Ethan!
37:24You loved me, didn't you?
37:27Back then, you almost died trying to save me.
37:31She kept pouring it out.
37:32How she got tricked out of everything.
37:34How debt collectors hunted her.
37:35How helpless she had been.
37:37Then one day, she saw me on TV.
37:39She sold one of her kidneys just to pay someone to get her into Australia.
37:42But I only took two small steps back.
37:43I avoided the hand reaching toward me with that ring.
37:46Then I spoke.
37:47Please stay away from me.
37:49We're divorced.
37:51The second you forced me to take the fall for a murderer, the woman I once called my wife died.
37:57So stop acting like this is love.
38:02It just makes me sick.
38:04Right then, Claire walked over holding two cold drinks.
38:07She handed one to me like it was the most natural thing in the world.
38:10Then she slipped an arm around my neck and kissed my cheek.
38:14Babe, why is this woman anywhere near you?
38:18I don't know.
38:19Where's security?
38:20Vanessa stared at us, at how good we looked together, at how happy we were, and something
38:25inside her snapped.
38:26Jealousy.
38:27Regret.
38:28Both of them tore through her like poison.
38:30Then she coughed.
38:32Hard.
38:32Once.
38:33Then again.
38:34A mouthful of blood burst from her lips.
38:36She dropped straight onto the sand.
38:38Back in Harbor City, two elderly people shuffled down the street.
38:42Each of them carried a ripped plastic sack.
38:44They limped badly, step by step.
38:46Then they stopped in front of a giant LED screen in the city square.
38:49Their bodies shook.
38:50Their eyes lifted.
38:51On the screen, a global live broadcast was playing.
38:54I was there.
38:55Wearing a custom suit.
38:56Standing tall.
38:57Calm.
38:58Confident.
38:58Receiving a major UN environmental award.
39:01The camera panned wider.
39:02Claire stood beside me.
39:04One hand looped through my arm.
39:05Her baby bump was showing.
39:06And she was smiling, like sunlight.
39:09Susan burst into tears.
39:10The tears ran down her filthy face.
39:12She slowly raised one grimy hand, reached toward the screen, like she could touch me from
39:16where she stood.
39:17Ethan.
39:20That's my boy.
39:22A security guard from the mall rushed out at once.
39:24What the hell are you doing, you filthy beggars?
39:26Get away from there.
39:29He shoved her hard.
39:30She fell straight to the ground.
39:32Victor was crying, too.
39:33But he didn't dare fight back.
39:34He just kept slapping himself across the face.
39:37Again and again.
39:38Muttering through tears.
39:39This is karma.
39:43We were blind.
39:44Then the two of them held each other up and disappeared into the alleys of the city.
39:48As for Vanessa, she was detained and deported.
39:51After that, she completely lost her mind.
39:53The shock broke her for good.
39:54She had no money left for proper treatment.
39:56So she got dumped into the cheapest mental institution they could find.
40:00Out on the shimmering blue water, I lay stretched out on the deck of a yacht.
40:04Warm sea breeze across my face.
40:06Claire walked over with a plate of cut fruit.
40:09Then curled up in my arms.
40:11Honey.
40:13What are you thinking about?
40:15I looked out at the deep blue sea.
40:16The same sea that had almost buried me.
40:19The same sea that gave me a second life.
40:21Then I smiled.
40:22And shook my head.
40:25I was just wondering.
40:27Do you think our baby's a boy or a girl?
40:30Then I started the yacht.
40:31And left every betrayal.
40:33Every wound.
40:34Every bit of that old life.
40:35Behind us in the rolling wake.
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