- 1 day ago
Category
🎥
Short filmTranscript
00:00in bed. Sebastian stormed in. This is the third time my husband caught me cheating in bed.
00:06Sebastian stormed in, expecting me to fall apart like the last two times.
00:10Mrs. Caldwell, this is your third violation. Under the agreement, you waive any claim to
00:14marital assets and agree not to contest custody. Sebastian threw the divorce papers onto the
00:20table in front of me. First time, you claimed you didn't know the guy. Second time, you had
00:26no idea how you end up in that hotel room. Third time, Quinn. What's your excuse now?
00:32I picked up the pen and signed. No tears, no begging, no explanation. Just my name at the
00:39bottom of the page. I gave him everything he wanted. The divorce, the house, even our daughter.
00:47So why did he look like I was the one who had just destroyed him?
00:52It's done, Mr. Caldwell.
00:54Sebastian kept staring at me. Because last time, I had gotten on my knees and begged
01:00him. I grabbed his arm and wouldn't let go. Please, for Ava. Just believe me this once.
01:15I'll clear out my things as soon as possible. As for visitation rights-
01:19You don't deserve to be her mother. The agreement is clear. You have no rights to Ava. Not anymore.
01:25That's actually what I was going to say. I don't want visitation rights either. He couldn't figure
01:30me out, and it showed. For four years, Sebastian and Ava were my entire world. I used to fall apart
01:36just watching Ava reach for Kara's hand instead of mine. And now I was walking away without blinking.
01:43Even Sebastian could tell something was off.
01:49Typical. You'd throw your own kid away for some guy. But didn't you work so hard to trap me?
01:55Got pregnant on purpose just to lock me down? So what was all that about?
02:00I let him talk. I was done explaining myself to this man. I had been done for a long time.
02:06The first time Sebastian stormed in, my mind went totally blank. I didn't know that man. I had never
02:13seen him in my life. I cried. I begged. I swore I had no idea what had happened. Sebastian had
02:20always
02:20assumed I could never leave him. That arrogance worked in my favor. The guy had already disappeared.
02:26Nothing left on the security footage but a shadow. So Sebastian let it go. But he still took Ava from
02:33me. I got one visit a month, and even that had to be booked through Kara a week in advance.
02:39Every toy, every piece of clothing I bought for her had to go through Kara first. If Kara said no,
02:46Ava never saw it. I was falling apart. So I found a job just to keep myself together. Then the
02:52second
02:53time happened. I was on a work trip. I woke up in a hotel room I didn't book, next to
02:59a man I didn't
03:00know. Both of us barely dressed. I called the police immediately. The female officer examined me and
03:08confirmed I hadn't been assaulted. But Sebastian had already decided. To him, I was guilty. I just got
03:15caught before anything happened. After that, I wasn't allowed at Ava's school events. Kara went instead.
03:22I was told to stay home and stop embarrassing everyone. Our four-year-old looked me in the eye
03:27and called me a bad woman. Sebastian stood right there and said nothing. So the third time, I was
03:35done playing their game. I gave them exactly what they wanted. And now he had the nerve to ask me
03:41why I was
03:42walking away from my own child. Mr. Caldwell, in my years of practice, I have never seen a mother give
03:52up her child that quickly. She's been cheating multiple times. She probably planned this from the
03:58start. A baby was always just an inconvenience to her. Don't waste your breath. She glanced over at me
04:04as she said it. Something crossed her face. Just for a second. Then it was gone. I almost laughed,
04:09because she seemed to forget. Four years ago, she was the one who drafted that prenup. The one that
04:14spelled out exactly how many times I'd have to cheat before losing everything. She wrote the
04:19rules of this game. Now she was shocked I was done playing. Sebastian looked at me like I'd just said
04:24something stupid. You better mean it. Don't come crawling back. I watched him disappear through the
04:31door. I won't, Sebastian. Not this time. I spent months talking myself into loving him. Ignored every red
04:38flag. Told myself it was meant to be. Funny how that turned out. Quinn. Wouldn't want to ruin your
04:44little reunion. The door clicked shut. The room went quiet. I looked down at the man still passed out in
04:49the bed. My stomach turned. I had woken up before him. I could have left before Sebastian ever showed
04:55up. But I was tired of running. Tired of being the mouse in this game. So I stayed. And I
05:01let them come.
05:01I grabbed my coat and walked out without looking back. The next evening, I went back to pack my
05:08things. I pushed open the bedroom door and stopped. Everything was gone. My clothes, my shoes,
05:14all of it. Ma'am, your things were moved to the storage room out back. Ms. Ellick gave the
05:19instructions. She said the room needs to be ready soon. I smiled. Four years. And I didn't even get a
05:24proper goodbye. I walked out to the storage room and pushed the door open. Boxes stacked on boxes.
05:31Bags shoved into corners. I got down and started going through them one by one. Everything else could
05:37stay. I just needed one thing. Mom's antique enamel locket. Her grandmother had given it to her and she
05:43had passed it down to me. It was the only thing in this house that had ever truly belonged to
05:48me.
05:48I found it at the bottom of the last box. I pressed it into my palm and finally exhaled.
05:53I was reaching for a few pieces of clothing when a small voice came from the doorway.
05:58What are you doing?
06:00I turned around. Ava. Standing in the doorway, arms crossed. She had Sebastian's face,
06:06but that stance, that look down her nose, pure Kara. Getting my things. I turned back and kept
06:13packing. Any other day, I would have pulled her into a hug. Even if she squirmed away. Not today.
06:19Those aren't your things.
06:20Then she stepped directly onto the pile of clothes on the floor.
06:24Auntie Kara said everything in this house belongs to dad. You can't take any of it.
06:33This belonged to me before I ever set foot in this house.
06:36You spent dad's money. Dad paid for it, so it's his. You don't live here anymore. Don't touch it.
06:44Not family anymore. I looked up at her. Four years old. Standing in front of me like I was a
06:50stranger
06:50who had broken in. She looked at me the way Sebastian never could.
06:54I'm only taking one thing. Everything else can stay.
06:59No! Auntie Kara said you're a thief!
07:02Ava. Move.
07:04No! Auntie Kara said if you come back you're a bad person. You're a thief! Put it back!
07:11I'm going to say it one more time. Move!
07:14Put it down!
07:15She lunged at me and snatched the pendant hanging around my neck.
07:20I staggered back. The pendant slipped off.
07:23The antique enamel locket hit the hardwood floor. A sharp crack split the room.
07:28I stood frozen. Mom's voice echoed in my head from the day she gave it to me.
07:33Six generations. My grandmother to me. Me to you. And one day, your daughter.
07:41I did have a daughter. And she had just destroyed it. Six generations of history.
07:47Shattered on the floor by my own flesh and blood.
07:51Your fault. You wouldn't let go.
07:55I told you that locket was your grandmother's.
07:59Do you even know why she's stuck in a care center right now?
08:03I don't have a grandma. Auntie Kara said she's just a leech draining daddy's bank account.
08:08The room went dead silent. I took one slow step toward her.
08:14Say that again.
08:15Ava flinched. She bit her lip. But she was too used to getting away with it.
08:19I said! Auntie Kara said she's just burning through daddy's money and she's never getting better.
08:25I shoved her. She stumbled.
08:28Went straight down on her backside.
08:31She sat there, blinking. One second, two.
08:34Then she let out a wail.
08:36Daddy! Daddy!
08:38I stood there, my palms numb.
08:40I watched my daughter kick her legs on the floor.
08:43A leech.
08:45A burden.
08:46That woman she was talking about was my mom.
08:49Her grandmother.
08:50The woman who spent months knitting Ava a blanket from that exact, useless bed.
08:54Her frail hands shaking the entire time.
08:57The woman who, every single birthday, made a nurse dial my number.
09:01Her. Just to whisper,
09:03Happy birthday, baby girl.
09:05And that's all she was to Ava.
09:07A waste of money.
09:08A jagged piece of the broken locket bit into my palm.
09:11The pain pulled me back, just barely.
09:14Sebastian came charging in.
09:15He saw Ava on the floor crying and scooped her up instantly.
09:19Ava, hey.
09:21What happened?
09:22Ava buried her face in his chest, gasping between sobs.
09:26Daddy, she pushed me.
09:27Make her leave.
09:28I want Auntie Kara.
09:32Quinn.
09:33Have you lost your mind?
09:35She's four years old.
09:37I didn't hit her.
09:38I pushed her.
09:39Same thing.
09:40I looked down at the broken locket in my palm.
09:43No, hitting her would have been discipline.
09:45Pushing her?
09:46She earned it!
09:48Sebastian went still.
09:49He looked down at the little girl in his arms.
09:52Ava sniffled against his shoulder.
09:55I just told the truth.
09:57Auntie Kara said she's a broken old lady taking up space.
10:02She's a child.
10:03Let it go.
10:04Kara runs the household finances now.
10:06Ava overheard one comment and ran with it.
10:08Don't turn this into a whole thing.
10:09You know everything she does for this family.
10:11His eyes dropped to the broken locket in my hand.
10:15He went quiet for a second.
10:18I brought Ava here so you two could talk.
10:20But the other thing.
10:22Not in front of her.
10:23I knew exactly what the other thing was.
10:25The divorce.
10:26I didn't say anything.
10:28Talk.
10:28About what exactly?
10:30Four years of marriage?
10:32The time Sebastian and Ava spent talking to me wouldn't add up to half the time he spent with Kara.
10:37And he had been the one who chased me.
10:39Back in college.
10:40Step by step.
10:42Pulling me in.
10:42Making me believe in something everyone around us had already given up on.
10:47I held on to that for so long.
10:49Waiting.
10:50Hoping.
10:51Until the day I finally got the answer I'd been waiting for.
10:55Maybe it was better it never came.
10:57Mom was still at the care center waiting for me.
11:00I grabbed my bag and walked out.
11:02In the living room Kara was crouched in front of Ava murmuring softly.
11:06Why won't she look at?
11:08She's so mean!
11:10She was used to me caving.
11:11Used to me coming back red-eyed.
11:13I'm sorry baby.
11:14Mommy was wrong.
11:15So when I didn't even glance back it felt like the cruelest thing I'd ever done to her.
11:20Sebastian said nothing.
11:21But I felt his stare like ice on the back of my neck.
11:24I kept walking.
11:25My hand touched the front door.
11:27Then he finally snapped.
11:28Don't you dare walk out that door!
11:30I stopped.
11:32Get over here.
11:33Apologize to Ava.
11:34You pushed her.
11:35You scared her.
11:36I stood there for a moment.
11:38This was probably the last time I'd ever see her.
11:40I had nothing left to fight about.
11:42I'm sorry.
11:44Mommy shouldn't have pushed you.
11:45Ava sniffled.
11:46And then she spat in my face.
11:48I felt it land on my cheek.
11:50Warm.
11:51Sliding down slowly.
11:52You're disgusting.
11:54You got what you deserved.
11:55Even a four-year-old knows trash when she sees it.
11:59I raised my hand and wiped my cheek.
12:02A smile crossed my face.
12:03I'm the one who's been cheating?
12:04Every setup had been sloppy.
12:06Obvious.
12:07Either he didn't see it, or he didn't want to.
12:10Fine.
12:11Four years, Sebastian.
12:12You had her in our lives for every single one of them.
12:15You put her in my home.
12:17You let her raise my daughter.
12:19So who's really the problem here?
12:21We're done pretending.
12:23We both know it.
12:24Kara's face drained.
12:25Her eyes filled instantly.
12:27How dare you say that?
12:30Sebastian, I swear.
12:31I never...
12:32Four years, Quinn.
12:33Are you done?
12:34You want to go there?
12:36Fine.
12:37Let me show you what that actually looks like.
12:39He told the nanny to take Ava out.
12:42Then he grabbed my wrist and dragged me into the bedroom.
12:45The door shut behind us.
12:48He used his tie to bind my wrists and shoved me to the floor.
12:53Then he turned, jerked her close, and buried his face in her neck.
12:59You want this?
13:01Kara hesitated for just a second.
13:03Then she wrapped her arms around him.
13:05Sebastian, I've been waiting so long for this.
13:09He pulled her in and they crashed together, hands everywhere.
13:12Clothes hit the floor.
13:14Sebastian.
13:15My voice scraped out of my throat.
13:17We're already getting divorced.
13:20Did you have to do this right in front of me?
13:24Humiliate you?
13:25Quinn, you think you're still worth that much to me?
13:28Kara curled around him from behind.
13:30She looked at me over his shoulder.
13:32Don't get distracted, baby.
13:34I closed my eyes.
13:35The tears came without a sound.
13:38Then the phone buzzed against the floor.
13:40Mom's number.
13:41Miss Bennett, you need to come now.
13:42Your mother found out about the divorce.
13:44She's completely hysterical.
13:45She's out of her mind.
13:47She's on the roof.
13:48What?
13:49She said she wants to-
13:50The line went dead.
13:52Sebastian, something happened to my mom.
13:54Please, let me go.
13:56Funny timing, Quinn.
13:57A second ago, you wanted proof.
13:59Now you're desperate to run.
14:00I'm not making it up.
14:01That was the care center.
14:03She found out about the divorce and she's on the roof.
14:05She's going to-
14:07Enough!
14:08We just signed the papers today.
14:10How would she even know?
14:11You knew she couldn't handle stress.
14:14If you told her, that's on you.
14:16He turned back to Kara.
14:18Sebastian, I never told her.
14:20Please, just let me go.
14:23There's still time.
14:24She's the one who got hit by that car for you and Ava.
14:27Please don't do this.
14:28What is it this time, Quinn?
14:29Your mom again?
14:30You always pull the same card.
14:32Every time.
14:33Either it's that Ava is too young,
14:35or it's what your mom sacrificed for us.
14:37This is real.
14:38Please.
14:39Everyone knows your mother only jumped in front of that car because of Ava.
14:44Would she have done it for you alone?
14:47You've more than repaid that debt, Sebastian.
14:50Don't let her ruin this.
14:51Something shut off behind his eyes.
14:53He wasn't going to help me.
14:54I knew that now.
14:56I threw myself at the door.
14:57My head hit the wood.
14:59Something split open at my hairline.
15:00He crossed the room in three strides and grabbed me.
15:03You want-
15:09You wanted proof.
15:11Fine.
15:12You're not going anywhere.
15:13He tore off-
15:19a strip of tape and pressed it over my mouth.
15:22Then he picked me up and shoved me into the closet.
15:24Listen closely.
15:26This is what the truth sounds like.
15:28The last sliver of light disappeared.
15:32In the dark, I listened.
15:34Once.
15:37And again.
15:40The next evening, Sebastian came home late.
15:46He stood in the living room for a moment, pressing two fingers to his temple.
15:49Quinn, I've got a headache.
15:51Can you make something for me?
15:52Silence.
15:53He frowned.
15:57Turned to the housekeeper.
15:58Where is she?
16:00Mr. Caldwell, I was about to ask you the same thing.
16:02Ava's been running a fever since this morning.
16:04A hundred and two.
16:05She keeps calling for her mom.
16:06And the care center called last night.
16:09Your wife's mother jumped from the roof.
16:11Her body is still there.
16:12No one has come to claim her.
16:13What did you just say?
16:14Did you let her out?
16:15Let her out of what?
16:17He was already moving, up the stairs, faster with every step.
16:21He threw open the closet door, staggered back.
16:25The tape ripped apart.
16:27Blood smeared the door hinges where I had literally sawed myself free.
16:32He thought I'd been playing him.
16:34The whole time.
16:36The tears, the screaming, my mom on the roof.
16:39All of it.
16:40Nice performance.
16:42Mother and daughter running the same con.
16:44All of this just to squeeze money out of me.
16:47He pulled out his phone.
16:48Called me.
16:50Straight to voicemail.
16:51Keep an eye on Ava.
16:52I want to see exactly what game these two are running.
16:55Yes, sir.
16:56The morgue.
16:57A few nurses recognized Sebastian the moment he walked in.
17:01Their expressions shifted.
17:03You're Quinn's husband?
17:04Where have you been?
17:07She didn't come here?
17:09If she'd come, her mother wouldn't be dead.
17:11Last night, that woman stood on that roof for 30 minutes.
17:14We talked her down.
17:14Told her she had to see her daughter one last time.
17:17That worked.
17:18She stepped back.
17:19We called Quinn.
17:20We kept calling.
17:21She never picked up.
17:21Not once.
17:23The tape.
17:24Last night.
17:25He had thrown me into that closet.
17:27My phone had been on the floor across the room.
17:30Out of reach.
17:31I had heard every call and couldn't answer a single one.
17:35Her mother jumped because she found out about the divorce.
17:37It completely broke her.
17:39She went into a state of shock and wandered up to the roof.
17:41Came all the way down from that height.
17:43And her own daughter couldn't even show up for the last goodbye.
17:46What kind of person does that?
17:48Sebastian said nothing.
17:49He wanted to explain.
17:51But the words wouldn't come.
17:53The body can't stay here.
17:54You're her family.
17:55Sign the paperwork.
17:56And tell your wife this.
17:58Her mother's last words were,
18:00Tell my Quinn I love her.
18:01It wasn't her fault.
18:02She died defending her daughter.
18:04Make sure Quinn knows that.
18:05Who told her about the divorce?
18:07I never even signed.
18:08We don't know.
18:09Quinn hadn't been here in days.
18:10But a woman came to see her recently.
18:13Said her name was Kara.
18:14After that visit, she wasn't with the same.
18:17Kara.
18:18She came here.
18:19Of course she did.
18:21I never brought bad news home.
18:24Never.
18:25My mom was the last person I'd tell about the divorce.
18:28But Kara would.
18:30He took one step back.
18:32And Quinn's voice came back to him.
18:35My mom got hit by that car because of you and Ava.
18:38Please don't do this.
18:40Three years ago.
18:41Father's Day.
18:42He'd been walking with Ava along the sidewalk when the truck lost control.
18:45My mom had shoved them both out of the way.
18:48Took the full impact herself.
18:50Six steel pins in her leg.
18:52A permanent limp.
18:53Long-term care for the rest of her life.
18:55Mom.
18:56I'll take care of you.
18:57I promise.
18:58And at first, he had.
19:00But then the visits got shorter.
19:02Then stopped.
19:03He told himself the care center was no place for a child.
19:07The truth was simpler than that.
19:09He just forgot.
19:11The lights were on when he got home.
19:13Ava was on the couch.
19:14Cheeks flushed red.
19:16Daddy.
19:17Where's mommy?
19:19Why isn't she back?
19:21Mom's dealing with something.
19:23I don't care.
19:24I'm sick.
19:25I want mommy.
19:26She always stays with me when I'm sick.
19:28She tells me stories and gives me my medicine and holds me all night.
19:33She's so mean.
19:34Why won't she come back?
19:37Mommy.
19:38I want my mommy.
19:40It hit him all at once.
19:42The woman Ava cursed and the mother she was crying for were the same person.
19:46Every time Ava got sick, I had shown up.
19:49No matter what.
19:50I'd stay up all night watching her, holding her until the fever broke.
19:54Ava knew it without ever being told.
19:56Good days.
19:57Fun days.
19:58She ran to Auntie Kara.
20:00Sick days.
20:01Scared days.
20:02Nightmares in the dark.
20:03She called for mom.
20:04And now mom was gone.
20:06He picked her up, whispered something, and handed her to the housekeeper.
20:10He walked to the study and closed the door.
20:12The divorce papers were on the desk, my signature already on the line, his side still blank.
20:18He'd never intended to sign.
20:20He'd been furious when I signed so easily.
20:23More than furious.
20:24He thought I was the one who cheated.
20:26That I blew this apart.
20:27So why was I the one walking away clean?
20:30The first two times, I begged, cried, told him I couldn't do it.
20:34That's how it always went.
20:36Not this time.
20:37I signed without blinking, left without looking back, didn't even fight for Ava.
20:41And now, I couldn't even show up for my own mother's body.
20:46Four years.
20:47And I walked out like none of it happened.
20:50Like there was nothing left worth taking.
20:52He stared at my name on the paper.
20:54It made him sick.
20:55He opened our chat, typed slowly.
20:58I took care of your mom's arrangements.
21:00No reply.
21:01He typed again.
21:03Ava has a fever.
21:04She keeps asking for you.
21:05Nothing.
21:06The study was quiet, just the clock on the wall.
21:09Then the housekeeper screamed from down the hall.
21:11Mr. Caldwell, Ava's having a febrile seizure!
21:15He let Sebastian burst into Ava's room.
21:17He scooped her up and ran.
21:19In the car, Ava was barely conscious, mumbling against his chest.
21:24Kara said Mommy was horrible.
21:26She said just pull the plug and the old lady dies.
21:30Ticara said if I pulled the tube, the old lady would die.
21:34But Grandma wasn't bad.
21:36She made things for me.
21:38Mommy, I'm sorry.
21:41Don't leave me.
21:43He looked down at her.
21:45Pulled the plug.
21:46It came back to him.
21:48He remembered the night my mom's oxygen got disconnected.
21:51She had nearly died.
21:53I was so devastated that he finally caved and let Ava move back in with me.
21:58But shortly after that, he caught me in bed with another guy.
22:01That was the third time.
22:03And just like that, I gave up the kid.
22:05Walked away without a fight.
22:08Yesterday, Ava spat in my face.
22:10And somehow, that had become normal in his house.
22:14When?
22:15When did that become normal to her?
22:18They reached the hospital.
22:20The doctors rushed Ava into the ER.
22:23Sebastian leaned against the wall in the corridor, hands still shaking.
22:27He pulled out his phone and stared at the messages he'd sent.
22:30If Ava's fever couldn't bring me back, nothing would.
22:33The hallway was quiet.
22:34He closed his eyes.
22:35All he could see was me.
22:37Crying.
22:38Begging.
22:39The first time.
22:40The second time.
22:42The night my mom collapsed.
22:44Kara came rushing down the corridor, faced tight with panic.
22:47How is she?
22:48Is Ava okay?
22:49Sebastian opened his eyes and looked at her.
22:52Kara basically grew up in his house.
22:53Her dad managed their money.
22:55He trusted her.
22:56He swore she cared about his family.
22:58But what Ava mumbled in the car changed everything.
23:01What have you been telling her?
23:03What?
23:05My daughter.
23:06Waste of money.
23:07Pull the plug.
23:08Was that you?
23:10I was just looking at the facts.
23:13The facts?
23:14She's four.
23:15You taught a four-year-old to spit at her own mom because of facts?
23:18Sebastian, listen!
23:19Get out!
23:21I'll pay you for last night.
23:23After that, you're done here.
23:24Don't ever come back.
23:25Kara's eyes filled with tears.
23:27Years of playing the long game.
23:29Just for it to end like this?
23:30She didn't say another word.
23:32Just turned and left.
23:33Sebastian leaned back against the wall.
23:35Sure, he let Kara cross some lines.
23:38But they never slept together.
23:40Honestly, he didn't realize she was throwing herself at him until yesterday.
23:43Kara, he pulled out his phone and called his assistant.
23:48Pull everything.
23:49January last year, the 8th of last month, and the hotel.
23:52I want every single detail on those three guys.
23:55Okay.
23:56Kara used to handle these background checks.
23:58But if she was setting me up this whole time?
24:00He opened our chat and typed,
24:03Quinn, I'm sorry.
24:05Five minutes.
24:06Ten minutes.
24:07Nothing.
24:08He tried again.
24:09Ava is asking for you.
24:11Please come back.
24:12He dropped to the floor, head in his hands.
24:14He couldn't stop thinking about last night.
24:16Me trapped inside that closet, hands bound, mouth taped shut.
24:20Forced to lie there in the dark and listen to him and Kara going at it right on our bed.
24:24He remembered me screaming that my mom was on the roof.
24:27And he just told me to stop acting crazy.
24:30His stomach violently heaved.
24:32For the first time in four years, he realized he might be the monster in this story.
24:38Sebastian's phone buzzed against the floor.
24:40It was his assistant.
24:42What did you find?
24:43Mr. Caldwell.
24:44The men from the second and third incidents both received large transfers from the same account.
24:49Sir, it looks staged.
24:53He stared at the screen, his grip tightening around his phone.
24:56He thought back to the first affair.
24:58I was on my knees crying, swearing I didn't know the guy.
25:02He refused to believe me.
25:04The second time, I said I had no idea how I ended up in that hotel room.
25:08He still didn't believe me.
25:10The third time, I didn't say a single word.
25:12And he took my silence as guilt.
25:15Every single time, he let Kara handle the investigation.
25:18The evidence was always too perfect.
25:21He had his doubts, but he needed an excuse.
25:23He wanted to punish me for that pregnancy trap.
25:26For forcing him into this marriage.
25:28Back then, having Kara draft that prenup was just a sick way to humiliate me.
25:33Even he thought the clause about losing everything after three affairs was ridiculous.
25:37How could he ever let me cheat three times?
25:40He wouldn't even tolerate it once.
25:42But in the end, he was the one who practically set me up for it.
25:45He had destroyed his wife over a crime I didn't commit.
25:48Call the cops, give them everything.
25:50And add everything you can on coaching a child to tamper with medical equipment.
25:55For the next few days, he stayed by Ava's hospital bed, waiting for just one message from me.
26:03Ava kept waking up, mumbling,
26:06Where's mommy?
26:08He never had an answer.
26:10I had really done it.
26:12I had wiped them from my life.
26:14Not long after that, he got an urgent call from her kindergarten.
26:17When he rushed over, he found Ava huddled in a chair in the nurse's office.
26:21Busted lip, bruised cheek.
26:23What happened?
26:25Ava refused to talk.
26:27Some kids said she didn't have a mom.
26:29Ava fought them.
26:33On the drive home, Ava looked at him in the rearview mirror.
26:36Daddy, did mommy throw me away because I spit at her?
26:41She wiped her nose.
26:42Auntie Kara told me if I spit at her, mommy would get scared and stay.
26:47She was packing her bags.
26:49I didn't want her to leave.
26:51Sebastian's hands gripped the steering wheel.
26:52He wanted to tell her,
26:54Mommy didn't abandon you.
26:56Daddy pushed her away.
26:57But his throat just locked up.
26:59It took two weeks to nail Kara.
27:02Not for the setup.
27:03There wasn't enough proof for that.
27:04So he set a trap.
27:05He had her dad investigated for cooking the books on the Caldwell accounts.
27:09Embezzlement.
27:10Millions.
27:11And Kara, as his lawyer, helped forge the documents.
27:14Slam dunk.
27:15When the cops kicked her door in,
27:17I gave you years of my life!
27:19This is how you treat me?
27:23You think locking me up brings her back?
27:25You're dreaming!
27:26Her mom is dead!
27:28She's never gonna forgive you!
27:30The cop cars drove off.
27:32He pulled out his phone and opened my chat.
27:34Hundreds of texts over the last two weeks.
27:36I'm sorry.
27:38Ava misses you.
27:39I was wrong.
27:40Not a single reply.
27:41Not blocked.
27:42Just ignored.
27:43He shoved the phone in his pocket and went to pick up Ava.
27:46She held his hand, their shadows stretching on the sidewalk.
27:50Daddy, did I make Mommy mad because I liked Auntie Kara better?
27:56No, baby.
27:57Daddy drove her away.
27:59Then just say sorry and bring her back!
28:01When Tommy broke my eraser, he said sorry and we were friends again.
28:07Sebastian didn't answer.
28:09He wanted to say sorry now, but I wasn't listening anymore.
28:14His mind flashed back to college.
28:16I was gorgeous, but I kept dodging him.
28:19Said our backgrounds were too different.
28:21He told me he'd handle the rest if I just gave him a chance.
28:25Then came graduation night.
28:27He drank a glass of wine, blacked out, and woke up in bed with me.
28:31Our clothes everywhere.
28:33He thought it was a trap.
28:35He thought I played the innocent card just to drug him and force a marriage.
28:39Then I got pregnant and his parents pushed hard for the marriage.
28:43That only made him resent me more.
28:45He hated me for it.
28:47For four years, he punished me.
28:49But after seeing how desperate Kara was to get in his bed last week,
28:53a sick realization hit him.
28:55A detail he'd ignored for years.
28:58That glass of wine on graduation night?
29:01Kara was the one who handed it to him.
29:03It wasn't me trying to trap him.
29:06It was Kara.
29:08I just walked into the wrong room at the wrong time.
29:11I took the fall.
29:13He had spent four years punishing the wrong woman.
Comments