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03:27اشتركوا في الحالة
03:57the pain. My hand shook as I pulled a medical report from my pocket. A diagnosis. Severe
04:02eardrum perforation. I tried to show it to her. Vanessa didn't even look. She slapped my hand
04:07away. The paper flew out. Jason doesn't have time for this. Then David charged over. He grabbed my
04:19fish table and flipped the whole thing. Fish crashed to the ground, ice scattered everywhere.
04:27Dox. If you won't save him today, then don't ever think about coming back here.
04:33The crowd joined in at once. People passing by. Everybody. Some even spat at me.
04:38Get out, murderer! A piece of trash like you deserves to rot in hell.
04:44I looked down. The medical report Vanessa slapped away was lying on the floor. Soaked. Stepped on.
04:50And in that moment, the whole thing felt absurd. All I wanted was to live like a normal person.
04:56quietly. Alone. In some forgotten corner. That was it. I was even that too much to ask.
05:02Did they really have to push me all the way to death? That feeling. Like the whole world was
05:07pointing at me. It crushed the last of my defenses. I didn't want to stay there one more second.
05:11I turned and ran. I don't even know how I made it back to my rental. I just remember the
05:16voices.
05:16People on the street yelling after me. Cursing me. I barely got inside. I hadn't even caught my breath
05:22yet. Then my phone started going insane. Alert after alert. Hashtag the murderer who let his
05:27brother drown. Hashtag rich family drama. The adopted son versus the real one. Desperate heiress
05:32begs her prisoner, ex, to help. I tapped one of the alerts. It opened straight into Vanessa's
05:37livestream. On camera, my mom, Susan, sat there trembling. She was trying to hold back tears.
05:42I'm so sorry, everyone. We know we're taking up public attention. But as a mother,
05:47I have nowhere else to turn. She covered her mouth and sobbed. It's our fault. We failed to
05:52raise him right. Back then, he killed for gold bars. He robbed people. He took a life. He served
05:57eight years for it. I thought prison would change him. But I was wrong. He's rotten to the core.
06:04Her tears streamed down harder. Now his brother's trapped underwater.
06:07His life is hanging by a thread. Ethan could save him. He could. But he just ran away.
06:12Victor held her up like she might collapse. Then he turned to the camera.
06:16I'm begging everyone to help us. If anyone can bring Ethan back, I'll pay seven figures.
06:21The comments exploded. They flooded so fast I could barely read them. Trash like that deserves
06:26exposure. I know where he lives. Westside apartments. This kind of garbage should die.
06:32Anyone in Harbor City? Go block him in. Come on, guys. Go teach that freak a lesson.
06:37I stared at the screen. My whole body went numb. Then it happened. A violent pounding hit my door,
06:43over and over, like they were trying to break it down. I barely had time to react.
06:48My landlord stormed in first. Behind him was a crowd of people. Phones up, flashlights on,
06:53cameras shoved in my face. Oh, look at you. You hit it pretty well. A damn killer living in my
06:57building? They rushed inside like looters. One man smashed my bowls. Another kicked over my pots.
07:04plates shattered across the floor. Everything I had got torn apart in seconds. I tried to stop
07:09them. Two huge men grabbed me instantly. One slammed my head down. The other locked my arms.
07:14Hold still! Apologize to the camera! Say it now! Tell them you're trash! You don't deserve to breathe!
07:21Humiliation drowned me. It hit like a wave. Someone yanked my hair back. A phone was jammed right in my
07:27face. The live comments kept flying by. I couldn't move. Then the crowd suddenly split apart,
07:32making a path. My parents walked in. For one stupid second, I thought they were here to stop
07:37this. I was wrong. Victor's face was dark, cold. He handed someone a thick coil of rope. It was so
07:43heavy it sagged. He pointed at me through clenched teeth. Please, help me tie him up. If he won't go,
07:48then drag him there. I snapped my head up. I stared at him like I didn't know him. Dad! Do
07:54you even hear
07:54yourself? I told you! I can't dive! I'll die! Then I looked at my mother. Mom, do I even matter
08:01to you?
08:02I'm your son! For Jason, are you really gonna force me to death? Susan's eyes were red. For one
08:09second, she looked away, like something inside her shook. But it vanished almost instantly. What
08:14came back was ice. Shut up! Jason may not be blood, but he's a thousand times better than you know.
08:19Ten thousand! You spent eight years in prison! Who took care of us during those years? Jason did! Who
08:25stayed by our side? Jason did! And now he's in trouble. You're his brother. You should be saving him.
08:30you're just gonna let him die? Can your conscience live with that? My chest felt ripped
08:36open. I was already in pieces, but that still hurt so bad I could barely breathe. So that was it.
08:41Blood
08:41never mattered to them. Not once. To them, I was a stain. Something disposable. Something they could
08:47throw away whenever they needed. I'm not going! I didn't kill anyone! The case back then wasn't what
08:52you think! Why won't any of you believe me? I fought like hell. Twisting. Kicking. Trying to break
08:59free from the rope. But nobody cared what a convicted killer had to say. Not one person.
09:04Just when I was about to break. Vanessa walked in. One of her bodyguards handed her something.
09:08A stun baton. She took it without blinking. Then she stepped into my room. Her face was
09:13cold and hard. Ethan, don't make me do this. For Jason. There is nothing I won't do.
09:20She didn't hesitate. She jammed the stun baton straight into my back.
09:23A brutal crack of electricity tore through me. My whole body convulsed. Then everything went black.
09:30When I opened my eyes again, I was sprawled across the deck. Like something the tide had spit back out.
09:36All around me was open ocean. Nothing but water. Waves slammed against the boat. The sound made my
09:42heart seize up. Ethan, stop playing dead. Get in the water. Bring Jason back. When I still didn't
09:48move, I promise you, if you bring Jason back up, clenched her teeth and said, I'll think about
09:54marrying you again. And you'll never have to do that filthy job again. Filthy? That word hit me like a
10:00knife. Half a year ago, right after I got out, I went back to the Cole mansion once. I was
10:05stupid
10:05enough to think maybe, maybe there was still a little love left for me there. But that night,
10:10through the mansion's floor to ceiling windows, all I saw was a house blazing with light. My mom
10:16and dad were inside. Vanessa was too. They were all gathered around Jason. The son they always chose
10:21over me. They were eating a big holiday dinner. Roast turkey on the table, steak, lobster, wine,
10:27everything rich and perfect. Glasses raised, laughter everywhere. They looked like the perfect family.
10:33And me? I was standing outside in the freezing wind. A convict who had done eight years for someone
10:38else. Half deaf, broken, shaking from the cold. That was the moment I finally woke up.
10:44My hell had never been prison. My hell was them. They built it with their own hands. In that house,
10:50I was never family. I was just an outsider. My thoughts snapped back to the boat. Then my eyes
10:56locked on something in Vanessa's hand. A photograph. She was gripping it tight. It was a candid shot from
11:02a beach volleyball game. Jason 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. The second I saw that scar,
11:13my whole body went cold. Like I'd been struck by lightning. My mind got dragged back ten years.
11:19Back then, I was captain of the dive team. Vanessa was on the team. Jason was too.
11:25That day, the sea turned bad fast. The current got vicious. I saw the danger right away. So I pointed
11:32up, signaling everyone to head back. But before we could surface, everything went sideways. In the
11:38chaos, I used almost every ounce of strength I had to shove Vanessa and Jason toward safer water.
11:43And I got caught instead. The current took me. I should have died. By some miracle, I didn't.
11:48I washed up on a deserted island. Passed out there for three full days. Then I was rescued.
11:54When I finally got home, Jason ran straight at me. He grabbed me hard. Held on like he'd never let
11:59go. And he started crying. Ethan, you're back. This is all my fault. I was useless. If I'd stopped
12:05you from making us go down, if I'd just been stronger, then I wouldn't have only saved Vanessa
12:09and watched you get swept away. So that was it. I finally understood. No wonder my wife had been
12:15willing to force me to take the fall, to send me to prison, and to let me die for another
12:19man.
12:19For ten whole years, she had believed Jason was the one who saved her. In the three days I
12:24disappeared, he became her hero. The man who risked everything for her. And me? I became the reckless
12:30one. The glory-hungry idiot who almost got everybody killed. What a sick joke. My throat was dry and raw,
12:37but I still forced the words out, shouting with everything I had left.
12:40I told you! I can't go underwater! My ear can't handle the pressure! If I go down there,
12:45my brain could hemorrhage! Do you people want me dead?! Vanessa's eyes flickered. Just for a
12:50second. A flash of panic. Gone almost instantly. Then Victor charged at me in a rage. He rushed
12:56over and kicked me hard. I hit the deck and rolled. Keep lying! Go ahead! Keep pretending!
13:01Ethan, you're rotten to the core! At a time like this, you're still faking a disability just
13:06to get out of it! Off to the side, my mom collapsed to the deck, wiping her tears,
13:11sobbing like her heart was ripping apart. Oh God! Jason was an angel! He's always been so sweet!
13:18He did everything for us! If we lose him, I can't go on! Then the boat captain, Adam, walked over.
13:26He tapped his watch. Ms. Lane, this is where Jason went under. Based on the time, his tank has maybe
13:3330 minutes left. That one sentence shattered whatever reason Vanessa still had. Her pretty
13:39face twisted from panic. She spun toward me and screamed. You heard him! Move! Now! Gear him up!
13:45I stared at her, and something in me finally went cold. Fine. I'll go. But I have one condition.
13:52I want the best deep water gear you've got. If they were really going to shove me into hell,
13:57then I was grabbing whatever slim chance I had, no matter how small. If the gear was strong enough,
14:02maybe I could survive the pressure. The second I gave in, Vanessa's shoulders dropped like she
14:07could finally breathe again. She rushed over and grabbed my hand tight. Ethan, I knew it. I knew
14:12you still cared. I knew you wouldn't just let him die. Then the next second, guilt flashed across her
14:18face. She pointed to a pile of junk in the corner. But there's no other option. This is the only
14:24diving
14:24gear on the boat. You used to be the best diver in the business. A little problem like this, you
14:30can handle
14:31it, right? She said it so casually, like it was nothing. I followed her finger, and my blood went
14:38cold. It was an old dive suit. The rubber was cracked in places. The air valve was rusted. That
14:44kind of gear should have been scrapped years ago. There was no way it was safe. A chill shot straight
14:49up my spine. I yanked my hand away, then backed up in panic. Vanessa, are you out of your mind?
14:55You know
14:55diving? If I go down in that thing, that's the same as killing me! Adam looked at the suit too.
15:00His face tightened. Mrs. Lane, this gear really is too old. The risk on a force deep dive is way
15:07too
15:07high. If something goes wrong... Before he could finish, Vanessa's face went cold. She cut him off
15:13without hesitation. At a time like this, who the hell cares about that? Get over here! Put it on him!
15:19A few bodyguards rushed me at once. They slammed me onto the deck, pinned me down hard. In the struggle,
15:25someone stomped down. My hearing aid flew off. It cracked apart, then got crushed under a shoe.
15:30Shattered. The one thing that had stayed with me for years. Gone. In the end, they forced the suit
15:36onto my body anyway. And Vanessa strapped a heavy industrial weight belt around my waist.
15:40sixty pounds of lead, enough to make sure I sank. Then they shoved me toward the edge of the boat.
15:45In that last, desperate moment, I turned and looked back at this family. Victor stood there with his
15:49arms crossed. Coldly. Like none of it had anything to do with him. There wasn't one shred of pity in
15:55his eyes. Not for his own son. And my mother, Susan? She had her hands clasped tight, eyes shut,
16:02praying into empty air. Her lips trembled as she whispered,
16:05please. Please let him be safe. Please, God, let Jason come back, okay?
16:11At a moment like this, with my life hanging by a thread, she was praying for him. For Jason. Not
16:17her
16:18own flesh and blood. It was grotesque. It was pathetic. It was almost funny. Then suddenly,
16:23a huge force slammed into my chest. Someone shoved me. Hard. The second the deck vanished under my feet.
16:29Ethan! If you bring Jason back, we'll get married right away. I'll be right here waiting
16:34for you.
16:35Then the ocean swallowed me whole. The freezing water wrapped around my body instantly. The
16:39weight belt dragged me down. Fast. Way too fast. Straight into the deep. The pressure hit my ears
16:45like a sledgehammer. My right eardrum was already hanging by a thread. Now it tore. A dull ripping
16:50burst exploded inside my head, like a balloon popping in my skull. Pain. Blinding pain. So much pain,
16:57my whole body seized up. I opened my mouth to scream. A mouthful of seawater rushed in instead.
17:02My lungs felt like giant hands were crushing them. My vision turned red. Then darker. Then worse.
17:07My mind started slipping away. And just when I was drowning. Just when the dark was closing over
17:12me. Just when I gave up trying to live. A pair of soft hands reached for me. Fast. Strong. And
17:17grabbed
17:17me. Susan pressed a hand to her chest. Her face was pale. She leaned against the railing. Her eyes stayed
17:23locked on the water. Victor had his hands behind his back. He kept pacing. Back and forth.
17:29Jason will be fine. He's lucky. He has to be okay. Ethan was a diving champion. He'll bring Jason back
17:37up. She kept saying it over and over. Like if she said it enough, it would come true. Like it
17:42could
17:42calm the fear inside her. But her fingers were shaking, and that gave her away. Then suddenly, a sharp
17:48alarm shattered the dead silence. A Coast Guard boat was speeding toward them. Fast. A few officers
17:53jumped onto the deck. The man in front scanned everyone with hard, sharp eyes. I'm Owen with
17:58the Harbor City Coast Guard. Who's in charge here? Victor hurried over at once. He pulled out a business
18:04card and handed it over. We're with Cole Group. My son went missing while diving. We came out here to
18:11to look for him ourselves. Owen took the card. Rescue. Then he looked them over coldly. We pulled
18:18him out three hours ago. The whole deck went dead silent. Then Owen pulled up footage from his body
18:26cam. He opened a video and held it up. Three hours ago, during patrol, we recovered a man from the
18:30water.
18:31It was Jason Cole. We tried contacting his family. No answer. Never thought you came all the way out
18:39here. There's no signal. The doctor on board examined him. He'd been exposed to a marine toxin. A sea
18:45berry. A kind of sea slug. That toxin can trigger severe hallucinations. In serious cases, it can be
18:50fatal. He might have touched one while diving. He's already been taken to the hospital. He's been
18:54stabilized for now. The 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. And not one of them cared about the word
19:03hallucinations. Not one. Victor nearly started crying on the spot. He was so excited he could
19:08barely stand still. I knew it. I knew Jason was blessed. He's always had luck on his side.
19:15Vanessa, did you hear that? Jason's okay. We have money. As long as he's still breathing,
19:22we can save him. We'll spend whatever it takes. Vanessa finally let out a long breath. A smile of pure
19:27relief broke across her face. Like she had just survived a nightmare. Then the smile froze. Right
19:32there on her face. Because suddenly she remembered. Half an hour ago she had shoved her ex-husband
19:36into the ocean. With her own hands. Forced him down there. To save Jason. He was lying in a hospital.
19:42Alive. So where was Ethan? I had already been underwater for over 30 minutes. And there was still
19:46no sign of me. Not even a trace. A terrible thought started rising in her mind. But before she could
19:51think it through, Owen took a file from one of his officers. His expression turned strange.
19:55Cold. Sharp. Almost mocking. Then he looked straight at them and spoke again.
20:02Well, if you're his family, that actually makes this easier. He opened the document. Then announced
20:08it on the spot. As of this moment, Jason Cole is in custody. He is suspected of stealing protected
20:14underwater artifacts and suspected of murder. That landed like a thunderclap. The next, they were
20:22dragged straight into the dirt. The smile on my dad's face froze. Then his whole face turned dark.
20:27Pointed right at Owen. What the hell are you talking about? Stealing artifacts? Murder? Our company
20:34practically built this town. My son Jason is one of the most well-known philanthropists. He's still
20:39lying in a hospital bed. And you people dare dump this kind of filth on him? My mom rushed up
20:44too. She tried to shove Owen. That's right. Do you even know how many schools Jason has donated to?
20:50He won't even hurt a fly. How could he possibly steal anything? How could he kill anyone? Vanessa
20:58stepped up too, putting on that cold, untouchable CEO act. Officer, watch what you say. You can't just
21:04throw accusations around. I'm the chair of Lane Group. Jason is my husband. If you try to set him
21:10up with fake charges, one phone call and your career is over. They were shouting, threatening.
21:17But Owen only got colder. He didn't argue. He just tapped open another video. Jason scrambled
21:23backward from empty air. Like something horrifying was standing right in front of him. His whole body
21:28was shaking violently. His face was twisted with pure terror. He had been down dozens of feet
21:34underwater when the toxin hit. The hallucinations were strong. Don't come over here. Don't come
21:40near me. Zach, I know I messed up. Don't kill me. My parents went white. Their lips trembled. Their
21:46eyes stayed glued to the screen. I got greedy. I never should have cut your arrows. I'm so sorry.
21:53I'll do whatever it takes to make it right. No, no, don't take me with you. He started smashing
21:58his forehead against the deck, over and over. Then all at once, the fear vanished. His face
22:06changed, turned vicious. A grin spread across it, twisted, like a demon laughing. He gestured
22:12into the empty air and cackled. Ethan, you idiot. You never saw this coming, did you?
22:18That idiot, Vanessa. She actually thought I was the one who saved her. All I did was show
22:22her a little scar, and she fell for me completely. She played those two old fans like a fettle.
22:27She got me into that house. My dad forced his neck straight, still trying to fight it.
22:31I just played the victim, and they treated me like a king while they threw you away.
22:36Sent your pathetic ass to rot. God, that felt damn good. You can rot in prison forever,
22:41everything from the coals and everything from the lanes will be mine.
22:46Dead silence. Only Jason's crazed laughter kept echoing from the video. Across the deck,
22:51Vanessa stumbled back two steps, and she almost fell right there on the deck. That was their
22:55precious son, her precious husband, the man they defended like he was gold. And now he was on video,
23:01grinning like a devil, mocking them for being fools.
23:04No, that's impossible.
23:06You said he was poisoned. He was hallucinating. He was talking nonsense.
23:16Exactly. That's all this is. He was hallucinating. He didn't know what he was saying. Yes!
23:25It was the toxin! That sea salt toxin made him ramble!
23:30Owen's voice turned firm.
23:31I figured that's what you'd say, which is exactly why we move fast. This involves a major attempted
23:38murder case. So we already formed an investigation team and 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 did not match the
23:54physical evidence from the scene. And there's more. Ethan's defense attorney turned on him at
24:00trial. The day before the trial, a large payment hit his account. We traced the source. It came from
24:08one of your offshore accounts, Vanessa. Vanessa's face went white.
24:11and Jason's private account received multiple large wire transfers after the incident that year.
24:16The source was hidden, but we now have strong reason to believe that money came from selling
24:21stolen artifacts. We believe the case was not what it seemed. Please cooperate with the investigation.
24:26You're coming with us.
24:27The Coast Guard officers were just about to move in. Then Adam finally broke. He swallowed hard,
24:33then stammered out.
24:35Officer, wait. This still isn't over. Ethan,
24:41Ethan, Ethan Cole. He's still down there. He never came back up.
24:48What did you just say? Owen whipped around. His eyes widened instantly.
24:54There's still someone underwater? Adam's legs nearly gave out. He started spilling everything.
25:00About half an hour ago, Ms. Lane pushed Ethan into the water. He said his ear was injured. He said
25:06he
25:07couldn't handle the pressure. But Ms. Lane insisted. She forced him to go down. And now,
25:13he still hasn't surfaced.
25:15Three days later, Harbor City Hospital. Jason finally woke up. His body was still weak. He twitched
25:22his fingers, then realized the bed was surrounded. Mom, Dad, Vanessa, and several police officers in
25:29uniform. A flash of joy hit him. With all these people here, they had to be worried sick about him.
25:33He quickly changed his expression, forced tears into his eyes, then weakly reached for Susan's hand.
25:38Dad, Mom, Vanessa, I was so scared. I had the worst nightmare. I dreamed I was trapped underwater.
25:50I thought I'd never see you again. Before, that would have worked. Susan would have rushed over
25:55already. She would have held him, cried over him. But today, the room was terrifyingly quiet. No one
26:01spoke. Only the monitor kept beeping. Steady. Cold. Jason's hand hung there in midair. Awkward.
26:07Stiff. That was when he realized something was wrong. Victor wasn't fussing over him. The man
26:11who had always spoiled him was standing at the foot of the bed. His face was... black with rage.
26:16And the way he looked at Jason now, there was no warmth left. No love.
26:20Dad? What's wrong? Dad? What's wrong? He pulled out a tablet, tapped the screen,
26:27then threw it onto Jason's chest. Jason grabbed it, looked down, and instantly went pale. On the
26:33screen was him, laughing like a maniac, spilling everything, confessing, mocking the people who
26:38raised him, calling them idiots, every ugly word, every filthy truth. All of it was there. His face
26:43went ghost white. Cold sweat poured down his forehead. Jason panicked. This isn't real. He
26:48struggled to sit up. Dad! Mom! Vanessa! Listen to me. That was the sea hair toxin. It made me
26:55hallucinate. It made me say crazy things. How could I ever hurt Ethan? That wasn't me.
27:00It was the poison talking. Vanessa, believe me. Reached for her. I love you.
27:05Everything I did, I did it so we could be together. Vanessa's expression turned complicated.
27:11Owen cut in from the side. Jason Cole, drop the act. We've already confirmed the evidence.
27:17You framed Ethan for the theft, and you murdered Zack.
27:22The jig is up, I guess. But don't act so high and mighty, Dad. You're the one who threw your
27:28son
27:28to the wolves. I just watched. Then he turned to Vanessa. His eyes dragged over her in that
27:34disgusting, sticky way. And you. Stop acting innocent. For the last eight years.
27:43Wasn't I good enough for you in bed? What? Suddenly found your conscience?
27:51A little late, don't you think? He laughed again. Ugly. Slow. Mocking.
27:56Ethan's not coming back anyway. So, why not let it go? I can still take care of you two.
28:05We can all stay one happy family. Still living the dream. Isn't that what you want?
28:18The second those words came out, the whole room turned freezing cold. The shamelessness of it.
28:23The evil of it. It was beyond human. My parents were shaking so hard they could barely stand.
28:28They stared at the boy they had raised for eight years. This was the son they had treated,
28:33like their own flesh and blood. What? Susan finally broke. What?
28:37She remembered my face. The look in my eyes when they shoved me into the sea. That dead,
28:42hollow, hopeless look. She remembered pointing at me, cursing me, calling me heartless in filth.
28:47The pain hit her so hard she almost stopped breathing. She collapsed to the floor,
28:51both hands clawing at her hair. Then she let out a raw, broken scream.
28:55What did I do? I'm a monster. I don't deserve to breathe.
29:04The second my mom said that, Victor seemed to wake up, like he had just been struck across the face.
29:09He lowered his head, stared at his own trembling hands. Those hands. I had slapped my eardrum open
29:15eight years ago, had handed over the rope to tie up his own son.
29:22He let out a howl like a wounded beast. Then he raised his hand and started slapping himself
29:27across the face. Hard. Again. And again. Smack. The sound of those hits echoed through
29:34the hospital room. His face swelled almost instantly. His 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. He just
29:42kept hitting himself. Over and over. Like a madman. This is karma. This is all karma.
29:49I thought I could see through anyone. But I killed my own blood. And Vanessa. By now,
29:56the mental wall she had spent three days holding up finally collapsed. Completely. She didn't want to
30:01think about that dive. The underwater current. The day I disappeared. Those three days after I went
30:06missing, Jason had stayed by her side. Again and again he described what happened underwater.
30:11Every detail. Every danger. Every second. He painted the whole thing for her. She still remembered it.
30:17Jason standing in front of her. Taking off his shirt. Pointing at the scar on his shoulder.
30:21Telling her he got it saving her. And she believed him. She actually believed him.
30:25Later, after the underwater murder case, she had bribed my lawyer. Paid him off to switch sides at the last
30:29second. Helped send me to prison for eight years. Then she married the man who had really killed
30:33someone. And three days ago, she used money to humiliate me. And then, she pushed me into the
30:39abyss. The same man who nearly died saving her. No! It wasn't supposed to be like this!
30:47Vanessa dropped to her knees. Her hands shook as she pulled something from her pocket.
30:51The broken pieces of my hearing aid. She had picked them up from the deck of the boat. The cracked
30:56plastic shell still carried the salt and stink of the sea. Her vision blurred with tears. Still,
31:01she tried to fit the pieces back together. One by one. Even though it was already smashed beyond
31:05repair. Ethan! I'm sorry! I'm so sorry! She kept trying to piece it together. Crying harder and harder.
31:17The sharp plastic cut into her fingers. Her nails split. Blood smeared across the broken
31:22hearing aid pieces. Please! Come back! Come back! I'll give you anything! We'll remarry! No more lies!
31:31Ethan, please! Please come back to me! The ice queen who looked down on us all,
31:38the cold, untouchable CEO, was now on the floor like a stray dog, crying, begging. In a hospital overseas,
31:45I opened my eyes slowly and met Claire's gentle eyes. Ethan, you finally made it back.
31:56She sat by my bed, with a bowl of chicken soup, feeding me one spoonful at a time. The warmth
32:04slid
32:04down my throat and settled in my chest. I hadn't felt that in eight years. The feeling of being cared
32:10for. Like I actually mattered. Like someone was protecting me. Claire was Zach's younger sister.
32:16Zach had been on my dive team. The three of us grew up together. Best friends. Like family. Back
32:22then, me, Zach, and Jason went diving together. That was when we found the gold. Hidden in a sunken
32:27wreck. Jason got greedy. He cut Zach's air hose, then pinned it on me. Vanessa didn't believe me. My
32:33parents didn't either. Not for one second. They even destroyed my eardrum. Forced me to take the fall.
32:38Only Claire believed I was innocent. But she had no proof. She couldn't clear my name. And she
32:43couldn't avenge her brother. For eight years, she came to see me every month in prison. Never missed.
32:48After I got out, I stood outside the coal mansion. And saw them all inside. Laughing. Eating. Living
32:53like a perfect family. That was the night I made my choice. I was going to get revenge. So I
32:58went to
32:58Claire. And asked for her help. Jason 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. Two months earlier, I started feeding
33:09Jason exactly the kind of story a greedy man couldn't ignore. Rumors, planted articles,
33:13fake salvage chatter. Over and over. All of it pointing to one patch of ocean. A newly discovered
33:18wreck. And the chance it was loaded with gold? At first, he didn't buy it. Why would he? He had
33:23the coals and the lanes backing him. Money was everywhere around him. Every time he saw the alerts,
33:26he just swiped them away. But greed is greed. And it always comes back. After seeing it enough times,
33:32he started wondering if it was real. Then he started searching. That was the step I was waiting
33:36for. I had already planted spyware on his phone. The second he started digging, it triggered everything.
33:40All the planted information. All the fake confirmations. Everything we had prepared
33:44started feeding right into him. So he believed it. He took the bait. But private salvage without
33:49approval is illegal. Especially if it involves protected wrecks. Artifacts. Historic sites. He
33:54couldn't let too many people know. So he used diving as cover. Went down there several times to check it
33:59out. And that part was real. There really was a wreck in that area. The moment I found out he
34:04had
34:04secretly contacted a salvage boat, I knew my chance had come. After that, the rest fell into place.
34:09Before one of his dives, his breathing gear was contaminated. Just a trace amount. Sea hair toxin.
34:13Once he was underwater, it hit. And everything unfolded exactly how we wanted. But there was one
34:18thing I didn't expect. My parents. And my ex-wife. Instead of calling the official rescue team,
34:23they came looking for me. Me. Back at the trial, they publicly disowned me. And after I got out,
34:29they never looked for me once. So I had to change plans. I decided to fake my death. Disappear
34:34completely. Thank God Claire got there in time. She came in a mini-sub. Pulled 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. Broadcast everywhere. Jason had been convicted on multiple charges.
34:48Intentional homicide. Theft of protected artifacts. Framing an innocent man. And more.
34:54He was sentenced to death with immediate execution. I watched the screen. Then shook my head. Claire
34:59caught it right away. She knew exactly what I meant. So she explained. My guess? Jason got pushed
35:06up by an underwater current. Then patrol officers just happened to spot him. But that part doesn't
35:14matter. The ending still landed where we needed it. I nodded. Then looked back at the TV. Victor
35:20and Susan were sentenced to. One year each. For shielding the real killer. And obstructing justice.
35:26Taken into custody right there in court. Vanessa got three years. For bribery. Perjury. And covering
35:31up a crime. At the same time, Lane Group and Cole Group were collapsing. The scandal sent both stocks
35:37into freefall. Then both families went bankrupt. The Coles. The Lanes. The families who once thought
35:42they ruled everything. Their names were ruined for good. On the screen, those people from my past
35:46stood in prison uniforms. Crying. Begging. Confessing to the cameras. But no one pitied
35:51them. And strangely, I felt nothing. No hate. No thrill. No satisfaction. Just relief. A clean,
35:58empty kind of relief. Like all the pain had finally been peeled off me. Like every last chain had fallen
36:03away. And for the first time in years, I let out one long breath. Four years later, thanks to Claire,
36:09and the best specialists money could buy, my hearing had long since returned.
36:14Now, we were on Australia's Gold Coast. Launching a cutting edge deep sea ecology project.
36:19That day, we were on the beach testing a new sonar system. Then a woman came stumbling toward us.
36:24Her hair was almost all white. She looked gaunt, hollowed out. If I hadn't looked carefully,
36:29I never would have recognized her. It was Vanessa. The same Vanessa who once thought she ruled the world.
36:35A foul smell rolled off her. She dug into a torn pocket, then pulled out a ring. The wedding ring.
36:41The same one she once forced onto my finger. The same one I threw back at the fish stall.
36:45Ethan. Ethan, I finally found you. Look. I kept this ring with me the whole time. Please.
36:55Please give me one chance to make it right. One chance to make up for everything. For years now,
37:01I've thought about you every day. I know I messed up. Jason lied to me. He destroyed me.
37:07My family is gone. My money is gone. Someone even beat me until I lost hearing in one ear.
37:13That's my punishment. That's my karma.
37:21Ethan.
37:24You loved me, didn't you? Back then, you almost died trying to save me.
37:31She kept pouring it out. How she got tricked out of everything. How debt collectors hunted her. How
37:35helpless she had been. Then one day, she saw me on TV. She sold one of her kidneys just to
37:40pay
37:40someone to get her into Australia. But I only took two small steps back, avoided the hand reaching
37:45toward me with that ring. Ma'am. Then I spoke. Please stay away from me. We're divorced. The second
37:52you forced me to take the fall for a murderer, the woman I once called my wife died. So stop
37:58acting
37:58like this is love. It just makes me sick. Right then, Claire walked over holding two cold drinks.
38:07She handed one to me like it was the most natural thing in the world. Then she slipped an arm
38:11around my
38:12neck and kissed my cheek. Babe, why is this woman anywhere near you? I don't know.
38:19Where's security? Vanessa stared at us. At how good we looked together. At how happy we were. And
38:24something inside her snapped. Jealousy. Regret. Both of them tore through her like poison. Then she
38:31coughed. Hard. Once. Then again. A mouthful of blood burst from her lips. She dropped straight onto the sand.
38:38Back in Harbor City, two elderly people shuffled down the street.
38:41Each of them carried a ripped plastic sack. They limped badly. Step by step. Then they stopped
38:46in front of a giant LED screen in the city square. Their bodies shook. Their eyes lifted. On the screen,
38:52a global live broadcast was playing. I was there. Wearing a custom suit. Standing tall. Calm.
38:57Confident. Receiving a major UN environmental award. The camera panned wider. Claire stood beside me.
39:03One hand looped through my arm. Her baby bump was showing. And she was smiling like sunlight.
39:08Susan burst into tears. The tears ran down her filthy face. She slowly raised one grimy hand,
39:13reached toward the screen. Like she could touch me from where she stood.
39:19Ethan. That's my boy.
39:21A security guard from the mall rushed out at once. What the hell are you doing, you filthy beggars?
39:26Get away from there.
39:28He shoved her hard. She fell straight to the ground. Victor was crying too. But he didn't
39:33dare fight back. He just kept slapping himself across the face. Again and again, muttering through tears.
39:39This is karma. We were blind.
39:44Then the two of them held each other up and disappeared into the alleys of the city. As for
39:48Vanessa, she was detained and deported. After that, she completely lost her mind. The shock broke her for
39:54good. She had no money left for proper treatment, so she got dumped into the cheapest mental institution
39:58they could find. Out on the shimmering blue water, I lay stretched out on the deck of a yacht.
40:04warm sea breeze across my face. Claire walked over with a plate of cut fruit and curled up in my
40:10arms.
40:12Honey, what are you thinking about? I looked out at the deep blue sea. The same sea that had almost
40:18buried me. The same sea that gave me a second life. Then I smiled and shook my head. Nothing.
40:25I was just wondering, do you think our baby's a boy or a girl? Then I started the yacht and
40:32left every
40:32betrayal, every wound, every bit of that old life, behind us in the rolling wake.
40:40You
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