- 5 hours ago
The Truth About the April Fool's Divorce
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Short filmTranscript
00:00home to surprise hubby relax i'm definitely getting this divorce with this divorce
00:04she's been divorced twice already people have stabbed her in the back long enough there's no
00:09way she'd dare go through with a third one you really know how to play it handing over the
00:12divorce papers on april fool's day even if she kicks up a fuss afterward you just turn around
00:17and say it was a joke sweet tunker a bit and it'll blow over could she seriously hold it against
00:21you
00:24don't forget the pact we made back in our senior year of high school
00:26wendy's wedding is next week and for her bachelorette party all of us have to be single
00:33i turned and walked away taking shelter in the cafe across from the residential complex
00:38clutching the coffee cup tightly memories of the past flooded back the first time i got married
00:45it was to help my childhood friend sean fight for the family inheritance his grandfather was
00:50satisfied with my family background and status and handed the inheritance rights to him the
00:56youngest grandson the second time i got married it was to help my sworn brother chris escape an
01:01arranged marriage all the socialites in town heard i'd married him all gave up i never thought all
01:08i'd given would become their excuse to judge me i sat in the cafe for a full hour before i
01:13finally
01:13headed back home seeing me come back ethan walked over to take my luggage why didn't you tell me you
01:18were coming back i would have come to pick you up just as gentle as always have you eaten yes
01:23i have
01:24oh right honey there's something i need to talk to you about i set down the things in my hand
01:29and
01:29turn to look at him companies run into some trouble and we need to do an asset isolation our lawyer
01:38suggested we go through the divorce procedures first just as a formality i glanced down and it
01:43was a divorce agreement he had everything ready so quickly once the heat dies down we'll get remarried
01:50it'll only be a couple of months i know this is a bit out of the blue but sean and
01:55chris called today
01:56and they kept sneering at me saying you didn't hesitate for a second when you helped them but you'd
02:01refuse to do the same for me they also said a woman who's been divorced twice would never dare to
02:07do
02:07it a third time that you definitely wouldn't have the nerve to go through with it i've already got
02:12it all figured out tomorrow just happens to be april fool's day let's go handle it that day
02:17then we can slam the divorce certificate in their faces shock them silly and make sure they never
02:22dare to look down on you again it's april fool's day anyway anything we say can be passed off as
02:26a
02:26joke once the heat on the company dies down we'll get our marriage certificate back properly and no one
02:31will say a thing honey you're not actually gonna let them look down on me are you i looked into
02:36his eyes
02:36had just been clinking glasses with those two men celebrating and saying she won't make a fuss
02:43won't then you get some rest first tomorrow's the start of the month we'll sign the agreement
02:48first thing and then head over i took the pen flipped to the last page and signed my name neatly
02:53and swiftly give them a call tell them to stop going on about it he smiled and put the agreement
03:01away
03:01then leaned in and kissed me my wife is the best he took the agreement to the study to make
03:06a call
03:06his voice wasn't loud but through the closed door i still heard every word she signed it what did i
03:13tell you scarlet is the easiest to fool all right you two help me keep wendy steady on your end
03:18i'll
03:19head over once i'm done here i sat in the room for a very long time my phone buzzed once
03:24it was a
03:25message from chris haven't seen you in ages want to meet up once i would have replied yes i would
03:31have
03:31thought carefully about what to wear what makeup to put on i would have thought about how to uphold
03:36ethan's dignity in front of them to let them know i'd married well i would have tried to make them
03:42stop feuding with ethan after all on one side were the friends i'd grown up with on the other was
03:48the
03:48husband i loved deeply they were all people i cared about deeply i didn't want them to be stuck in
03:54this
03:54hostile state for the rest of their lives but now i couldn't even be bothered to reply i flipped the
04:00phone face down on the coffee table stood up and went to the balcony to bring in the laundry as
04:05i
04:05passed the study ethan was still on the phone his voice was very low but carried a kind of laughter
04:11i had never heard before that kind of laugh as if he no longer needed to act to pretend it
04:18suddenly
04:18hit me that in all the time we'd been together he'd never spoken to me like that the wind was
04:23strong on the balcony i took the clothes off the hangers one by one folded them neatly and put them
04:28in the laundry basket when i'd put away the last piece my phone lit up again this time it was
04:34a
04:34message from sean heard you're getting divorced again ethan is such a jerk he doesn't deserve you
04:38don't be upset your grandfather's 81st birthday party is in a few days chris and i are going to
04:43wish him a happy birthday we should catch up properly i let out a bitter laugh what beautiful
04:47words as if he wasn't one of the three in that living room that day big deal out of it
04:53i suddenly felt an overwhelming curiosity to find out what kind of person my stepsister wendy really
04:59was worth the three of them going through so much scheming to keep a pact treating me as a tool
05:04to
05:05achieve their goal none of it mattered i picked up the laundry basket and turned back into the house
05:11as i passed the study i didn't pause my steps for a second warm yellow light seeped through the crack
05:17in
05:17the door starting tomorrow none of this has anything to do with me anymore i just set down
05:22the laundry basket when the doorbell rang i walked to open the door but ethan got there before me
05:27standing outside the door was a very drunk wendy i knew you'd still be awake ethan instinctively
05:32glanced back at me what are you doing here she didn't answer until he saw me in the living room
05:36oh you're here too sister-in-law wendy's had too much to drink we we were taking her home but
05:42she
05:42insisted on coming over here to check things out chris stood in the doorway and glanced at me with a
05:46rather awkward expression on his face then his gaze swept to ethan his tone turning sharp and cold
05:51ethan your wife is home don't you know to keep a proper distance you're the one who got her this
05:58drunk and dragged her to my house and you're telling me to keep a proper distance i got her drunk
06:03it was
06:03you who posted that stupid moments about being single again fine you're the noble upstanding one
06:10i've delivered the person who got drunk over you do with it what you will the atmosphere was thick
06:16with awkwardness all right all right stop fighting when just wanted to stop by on her way i stood in
06:21the living room watching them their coordination was flawless if i hadn't heard them clinking glasses
06:25and plotting together with my own ears i would have truly believed they hated each other's guts
06:30for the longest time i'd thought the bond between sean chris and me was unbreakable
06:36impenetrable i had even married both of them my parents had passed away when i was young
06:40and my grandfather was always busy with work it was the two of them who filled my entire childhood
06:46and adolescence when i was upset as a kid sean was always there to comfort me chris had even
06:53taken a knife from a mugger to protect me to me they were closer than family but when did it
06:57start
06:57that the three of us the best of friends turned into this it was probably the year my father remarried
07:03and my stepmother moved into our house with wendy i just started high school back then
07:07and wendy was a year younger than me at first i didn't resent this new stepsister at all i even
07:13wanted to get along with her well but little by little she started to take everything from me
07:18intentionally or not the attention of my friends the affection of my elders and in the end even the
07:25people i liked were drawn to her one by one i withdrew my gaze and looked at them no more
07:30some
07:30cracks didn't just appear today it's just that today i was finally willing to see them you've come at
07:35the perfect time there's something i'd like you all to witness in person i walked to the coffee
07:40table and picked up the divorce agreement two copies i've already signed since everyone's here
07:44why not take a good look in person ethan reacted quickly i was voluntarily bringing up the divorce
07:49in front of sean and chris i was proving to them just how far i could go for him scarlet
07:56we can discuss
07:57this privately there's no need to since sister-in-law has already brought it out then may i ask one
08:02question when are you moving out the living room fell silent for a moment ethan frowned slightly
08:08wendy didn't look at him just looked at me her expression innocent this house it's under my name
08:15you can't just keep living here forever can you i froze the house under her name
08:22i instinctively looked at ethan but he avoided my gaze
08:27in that instant countless images surged through my mind the day we moved in he held my hand and said
08:33this is our home i'll handle all the paperwork don't you worry about a thing
08:37happily i took charge of picking out the curtains the sofa the dining table every piece of furniture
08:43here i picked out trip after trip to the home furnishing mall the decor here all according to his
08:49preferences i never cared whose name was on the property deed but i never thought our marital home
08:54belonging to us as husband and wife would be under my stepsister's name i'm leaving right now
09:02scarlet tomorrow nine o'clock the city hall i didn't look back i pulled my suitcase to the door
09:09changed my shoes opened the door i could still hear the sounds coming from inside
09:15now sit even more cooperative than when i begged her to get the certificate laughter mixed with voices
09:20erupted dully from behind the door i stood at the elevator listening to this story that felt so
09:25unfamiliar my reflection in the mirror looked calmer than i had imagined it wasn't until i got
09:30into a taxi that my phone finally buzzed a message from ethan about the house i'll explain to you
09:35be good find a place to stay for now i'll come pick you up in a few days i stared
09:39at the screen
09:39for a few seconds then flipped the phone over and laid it face down on my lap outside the car
09:44window
09:44the street lights receded one by one come pick me up in a few days saying it as if i
09:49had merely
09:50stepped out to buy groceries and would be back soon i leaned back in the seat and closed my eyes
09:55no need ethan no need for you to come pick me up nine in the morning the next day outside
09:59the city
10:00hall by the time i arrived ethan was already waiting there seeing me get out of the taxi he
10:05stubbed out his cigarette and walked over where did you go last night my grandfather's he glanced at
10:09me and reached out to touch my hair i turned my head away his hand hung in the air for
10:13a moment
10:13before he pulled it back scarlet you saved face for me in front of sean and chris i know what
10:19you
10:19did as for the house wendy needed to apply for a residency permit in the city and needed to own
10:25a
10:25property i figured it was just putting a name on paper you were already marrying down and besides
10:31she's your stepsister i didn't think you'd mind so i didn't tell you i looked into his eyes and said
10:36nothing i wouldn't mind he gave our marital home to my stepsister and brushed it off with a
10:41you're rich you won't mind it wasn't that he thought i wouldn't mind he simply didn't care
10:46whether i mind it or not anyway you do have the right to live in the house after the divorce
10:51you
10:52should stay somewhere else for a while once i've handled everything on my end i'll bring you back
10:57i almost laughed out loud even now he still thought i was just playing along with his act
11:02let's go let's get this done
11:07the procedure went faster than i'd imagined sign press the fingerprint hand over the photos
11:12the clerk finally pressed down the embossing stamp a soft click sounding the divorce certificate in my
11:19hand was a thin little booklet much like the marriage certificate just a different color
11:25i need to take a call it's urgent wait for me here a moment i'll take you to back a
11:29bit
11:29he walked a few steps away and answered the phone his voice was very low but two words still drifted
11:34over wendy i stood where i was quietly watching his back something's come up get yourself back first
11:43i'll contact you later it wasn't until after he'd walked out the main entrance that i slowly turned
11:48around and headed toward the marriage registration window on the other side when ethan walked out of the
11:53city hall the sun was already high in the sky he looked at the divorce certificate in his hand
11:58then glanced at his phone screen april 1st april fool's day that's right today was the day
12:05the string that had been stretched taut in his heart loosened slightly his phone suddenly rang
12:11a client was calling he picked up and they talked for nearly 10 minutes when he hung up
12:17he glanced back at the entrance of the city hall why hasn't scarlet come out yet
12:22he hesitated for a moment then turned and walked back he wanted to go inside and say a few more
12:27words to her at least set a date for their remarriage so she wouldn't let her imagination
12:31run wild he hadn't gone more than two steps when he collided head on with a man pushing the door
12:36open from inside the divorce certificate also slipped out sorry gust of wind blew over flipping
12:41open half a page of the marriage certificate's cover revealing a corner of a photo
12:48it's fine ethan looked up the other was a man in a dark gray trench coat tall and straight in
12:54posture with a calm expression congratulations getting married today ethan made some offhand
13:02polite remark the man glanced at the divorce certificate in his hand and said congratulations
13:08to you too ethan paused the man had already tucked the marriage certificate into his inner pocket
13:14his gaze swept past ethan's face without lingering then he turned and left ethan stared after him a
13:22thought growing heavier in his mind today is april fool's day who would choose to get married today
13:28and this man's voice his build he felt like he had seen him somewhere before
13:36wait he called after him the man stopped turned sideways his expression still faint and unperturbed
13:43just then his phone rang he glanced down and saw it was chris calling he looked up to say wait
13:50a moment
13:50only to find the man in the dark gray trench coat had turned the corner and vanished he ignored the
13:56call
13:56and was about to look for scarlet when his phone vibrated again it was a location sent by sean with
14:02a message attached hurry up we have to reach the island before sunset he halted in his tracks that
14:10island he recalled what wendy had said by the sea back in high school she wanted to spend three wild
14:16days and nights on the island with everyone before getting married now she was really about to tie the
14:21knot yet the island was off limits to outsiders he was the only one who had access to it there
14:27was no
14:28way he could be late if he went back to find scarlet and got tangled up he wouldn't be able
14:33to to leave
14:34he didn't hesitate any longer and headed toward the parking lot the car arrived at the dock and everyone
14:40waited with bags in hand wendy stood at the front her white dress and hair fluttering in the sea breeze
14:48ethan glanced at the dress and paused for a second that was the dress he had bought for her on
14:53her
14:5317th birthday with three months of saved up allowance
14:59ethan what took you so long we've been waiting for you forever penalty three drinks no excuses
15:06a warm soft touch registered at his wrist he looked down at her she was looking up at him and
15:12smiling
15:13eyes glistening exactly the same as back in high school
15:19fine i'll drink a chorus of teasing erupted around them
15:22ethan still foils wendy this much what are you jealous
15:28by the time they reached the resort the sky had already darkened fairy lights were strung across the terrace
15:33music was playing from the speakers the atmosphere pumped to the max
15:38speaking of which wendy you're getting married next week and we still haven't seen the groom
15:45you've kept him hidden so well
15:49groom what groom the terrace fell silent for a moment aren't you getting married next week
16:02april fools after all these years how do you guys fall for it every single year
16:09all right all right you win
16:13you even fooled us
16:17oh come on it's just an excuse for everyone to get together and have fun
16:22you're not going to be spoil muns who can't take a joke are you
16:26we can take it we can take it we only got to come to this island thanks to you
16:30exactly someone here is so biased the moment you announced your engagement he started figuring
16:34out how to get the island's membership now your dream has basically come true go all out party
16:39hard for three days and three nights thank you for still remembering my dream
16:46the atmosphere was completely ignited by that one toast
16:51hey hold on if wendy's not married he just got divorced then aren't all of us single right now
16:56after all these years what are you two still doing pretending this is just some pure friendship
17:01who doesn't know about what happened in high school you two acted like you die without each other
17:07you've had too much to drink
17:12i'm not drunk i mean it you two one never married one just divorced isn't this perfect
17:20why don't you just get together get together right right ethan got divorced for wendy if
17:27wendy doesn't take responsibility who will
17:33ethan stood there the scene at the town hall flashing through his mind after scarlett signed
17:38the papers she looked at him calmly he had thought she knew it was a fake divorce and felt nothing
17:43but now he was unsure ethan you're not gonna gang up and tease me with them are you he's not
17:48teasing
17:49he's being serious
17:54ethan looked at the stepsister before him his so-called white moonlight he clearly wanted to
17:59say something but the words stuck in his throat and wouldn't come out wasn't this the wild night
18:04he had wanted the party broke up at some point he didn't know when ethan only remembered drinking
18:08one glass after another drinking until the fairy lights before his eyes blurred into hazy halos
18:14after that he only remembered the hotel corridor lights being very bright the bed being very soft
18:20someone undoing his tie
18:23he turned his head and saw the strands of long hair scattered on the pillow next to him
18:28he jolted upright he closed his eyes and tried to remember last night's images were broken
18:34drinking cheering the hotel the bed and then morning
18:41ethan stood by the bed and instinctively picked up his phone but he found no messages at all from
18:47scarlett she hadn't asked him where he was last night unlike those two previous times when he
18:52sean and chris had their divorces she would still send messages reminding them to take care of their
18:57health would be concerned about the aftermath of their divorces yet for this divorce with him of all
19:02people she asked nothing at all ethan she glanced at the marks and her face reddened
19:09last night i'm sorry those words i'm sorry he didn't even know himself who he was saying them to
19:16you're saying sorry to me wendy got out of bed her legs weakening she nearly stumbled and ethan quickly
19:24held her up look i can't even stand cuddly anymore ethan let go of her hand and stepped back
19:30wendy's smile froze on her face her voice suddenly dropping low ethan how much longer are you going
19:38to keep pretending in high school her grandfather threatened you under the guise of sponsoring you
19:43that's the only reason you were with her you've already climbed to this position do you still need
19:47a washed up tycoon like him ethan turned around and saw tears streaming down her face
19:56her grandfather didn't threaten me i was the one who pursued her that little girl back then with
20:01fashionally dyed hair steered clear of marriage at all costs her parents divorced and then passed away
20:07one after the other she grew up under her grandfather's protection having seen too many
20:11relationships fall apart she didn't think marriage held any meaning at all she was so loyal willing to go
20:16get a marriage certificate for a childhood friend's future without batting an eye in her eyes those
20:21were two separate things love was freedom marriage was chains she was willing to wear chains for a
20:26friend but didn't want to do that for her own love it was him who went to her time and
20:30again proving
20:30time and again that he was different from others i won't let you regret this our marriage won't be a
20:35tomb he took himself apart and showed her and only then did she finally nod carefully placing her love
20:41into his hands and exchanged it for a marriage certificate in the truest sense but now just what
20:47had he done then i must have been overthinking it just go ethan turned and opened the door sean and
20:56chris were standing right outside the door both wearing complicated expressions what did you guys do
21:01last night bro you went too far didn't you don't forget you and scarletta are only fake divorced
21:16i'll take responsibility for her
21:24take responsibility with what you just got divorced yesterday and today you're saying you'll take
21:28responsibility for someone else is this fair to scarlet and besides she's your wife's stepsister
21:34then what do you want me to do all right all right let's all stop arguing ethan you should calm
21:40down
21:40first in your current state any decision you make is going to be the wrong one
21:47going for a smoke ethan chose to temporarily escape the smoke dispersed under the light he stared at the
21:55gray white wisps lost in thought he really did need some time to think about his relationship with his wife
22:02people always grow accustomed to what they have and then start to pine for what they've lost
22:06high school white moot was like a thorn buried in his heart not exactly painful not actually itchy
22:11but he had never actually pulled it out 17 he truly been very close to wendy back then he didn't
22:16know
22:17scarlet yet later when sean and chris brought this girl before him the circle he had desperately tried
22:25to squeeze into she had been born right at its center
22:31back then he was so jealous of sean and chris jealous that they could be so close to her that
22:36they could call each other brothers and sister he tried every means to become part of that circle and
22:39finally he won her heart he ranked among forbes top 10 young billionaires under 30 yet his marriage
22:44turned plain in the end even the best life grows dull with time he intended to get divorced on april
22:49fool's day to keep his promise to wendy and easy his mind but once he actually went through with it
22:54he realized he couldn't do it as easily as he'd imagined it's like ditching old clothes worn for years
22:59feeling empty and chilly in the wind he stubbed out his cigarette and straightened up in that moment
23:05he suddenly felt he should still go back and find her even if she was angry even if she wanted
23:11to curse
23:11him out at least
23:19sean's voice suddenly rang out from the room carrying a panic ethan had never heard before
23:24wendy was standing on the windowsill half her body leaning outside
23:27don't come any closer she turned her head and screamed ethan rushed in reaching out to try and grab her
23:33just come down first we can talk this out properly
23:40what's there to talk about in school you meanly gave me like a letter then i showed up and you
23:45didn't want me anymore then side of divorce did and you still don't want me ethan stood rooted to
23:51the spot his palms soaked in cold sweat a love letter he had never written her a love letter the
23:58only one
23:58was for scarlet it just hadn't been delivered somehow ending up in her hands but he couldn't
24:04say that at least not at this crucial moment
24:07just go go back to that woman as she spoke her body leaned further outward
24:13i won't go i'll stay with you
24:17wendy looked up her eyes blurry with tears really really she hesitated for a moment then slowly
24:26reached out her hand ethan and pulled her down from the windowsill she crying so hard her whole
24:31body trembled i'm not greedy just this period of time when you when you see your own heart clear
24:37if you want to leave i won't stop you
24:42okay wendy's she took his phone swiped and tapped a few times every trace of scarlet's
24:47contact information had been completely deleted this way you can keep your promise and stay with
24:52me properly ethan said nothing just locked the phone screen and put it into his pocket
24:57wendy buried her head in his chest
25:01do you still remember my other dream with things having unfolded this way
25:05all sean and chris could do was play dumb
25:09hey we gotta play it cool after three days of partying on the island they went to attend old
25:14mr johnson's birthday party as if nothing had happened as scarlet's best friends they had shown up
25:20every year without fail just as the two of them gifts in hand were about to enter they were stopped
25:26by the receptionist i'm sorry you two are not on the guest list
25:36look more carefully we are scarlet's childhood friends we've spent new years and holidays at her
25:43house since we were kids i'm sorry if you're not on the list you're not on the list
25:52aren't these the waist looks from the sean and chris families
25:57they married the former tycoon's granddaughter and still managed to run the family business into
26:01the ground like this you really do see everything in this life
26:07both of them are the ex-husbands right coming to the ex-wife's grandfather's birthday party
26:12are you hoping for a remarriage what remarriage her the old man is going to announce a happy occasion
26:17today
26:25we've come to the old man's birthday party every year
26:28we're more qualified to go in than anyone else here
26:33the receptionist glanced at him then unhurriedly pressed the intercom
26:39two minutes later the old butler stewart came out
26:49stewart there's no need for the two of you to come in the future
26:55please be on your way
27:01chris's expression changed he wanted to say something but stewart had already turned and was walking back inside
27:08guests at the entrance trickled in in twos and threes as they passed by the two of them
27:13their eyes carried curiosity and pity
27:24let's go
27:28why should we
27:32scarlett and i ever since we were kids
27:34grew up playing together
27:36grew up together
27:37we're the closest of friends since we were kids
27:40he couldn't go on
27:44three days after being turned away from the birthday party
27:46sean received a call from home
27:53you're really gonna do this after everything your mother and i have done for you
27:57you're gonna throw it all away because of some girl
28:00who exactly have you offended recently
28:02the approval for that piece of land in the south side of the city has been held up
28:06they say there are new regulations
28:07new regulations
28:09that project has been in the works for three years
28:12and no one has ever mentioned any new regulations
28:15sean clutched his phone unable to say a single word
28:18of course he knew who it was
28:20that piece of land was secured back when he and scarlett were married
28:30her grandfather had personally stepped in to pull strings for him
28:34kashwarao the end
28:35but he had been laughing around since childhood
28:39aside of being born into a good family
28:41he had no real ability to spock of
28:45now his aging father still had to humble himself to clean up his mess
28:49he scrolled to scarlett's number
28:51hesitated for a long time
28:53and then pressed the dial button
28:57what came through from the other end was still
29:00the number you have dialed is out of service
29:04the number you have dialed is out of service
29:11his heart instantly felt like a piece was missing
29:15this person who he had always believed would be waiting right there as long as he turned around
29:18had been as if she had never existed in this world these past three days
29:21if his family's business hadn't all been through
29:23if his parents hadn't been seeking help everywhere to know Revol
29:26he probably wouldn't even have a way to get any news of her
29:28he put down his phone and suddenly remembered a winter many years ago
29:36don't be afraid
29:37i'm here
29:38at that time
29:39he felt the entire world could change but scarlett wouldn't
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