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