- 4 hours ago
Her Voice, My Songs
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Short filmTranscript
00:00fingers still on the keys of our grand piano when my father turned and walked to the balcony
00:04he didn't shout he didn't cry he just jumped blood bloomed across the white roses below
00:11the man who did this to him was my piano instructor the woman who stood beside him
00:16was my mother piano became my nightmare on the day i married lila reed i looked into her eyes
00:22and said the quiet terrible promise if you ever want to leave me play the piano she was a nobody
00:28then a small-time club singer with a voice that could break hearts she clung to me and swore no
00:34piano will ever cross this threshold not ever i believed her i was shadow the anonymous composer
00:41behind every chart-topping hit i wrote her songs i built her brand i turned lila reed into a global
00:49pop icon for five years i hid in the dark so she could shine
00:56i thought that was love i was wrong i came home early with a new track one i'd spent three
01:04weeks
01:04perfecting the second i opened the door i heard it piano clear cool and familiar i stepped into the
01:14living room lena was seated at the grand piano i'd forbidden a man in a white tailored suit stood
01:20behind her arms wrapped around her waist their fingers tangled on the keys they were playing a
01:25melody i wrote for her my song when she saw me she didn't panic she didn't even flinch
01:34ethan meet kian he's my new collaborator the man turned i knew his face i knew his blood he was
01:43damon
01:43hale's son
01:47the man who destroyed my father my voice came out cold sharp enough to cut glass my father only had
01:54one child in that moment i knew the marriage was over the mercy was gone i sat at my father's
02:02grave for
02:02three hours rain started to fall cold and gray just like the day he died i didn't just lose a
02:10father
02:10that day i lost the right to grieve where are you you're being ridiculous i'm at the cemetery
02:19silence then she sighed like i was a burden you're still upset about the piano it was just a song
02:25ethan
02:26let go of the past my chest tightened pain exploded in my stomach old ulcers from years of writing through
02:31the night skipping meals burning myself out for her i dropped the phone she called back frantic
02:39are you having an attack don't move i'll come get you a car sped past me it was hers
02:45a text popped up a second later
02:49i stared at the screen no shock no hurt
02:54just calm icy clarity i dialed my lawyer
02:59draw up the divorce papers and recall every single song i ever gave lila reed
03:04every last one she was a star because of me
03:10i was about to turn off the light
03:11i didn't go back to the mansion that night
03:13i checked into a private wellness suite in beverly hills
03:16the kind with soundproof walls and no trace of pianos
03:19for the first time in 10 years i let someone else take care of me
03:23no deadlines
03:24no lyrics
03:26no lila
03:27my phone blew up before i could fall asleep
03:30where are you
03:31i'm hungry
03:32make me soup
03:33lila had never learned to cook
03:34for a decade i'd kept a warm pot waiting for her
03:36no matter how late i worked
03:38my stomach still ached from the ulcers i've gotten skipping meals to finish her tracks
03:41i typed back cold and clean
03:44we're divorced
03:45then i blocked her
03:4730 seconds later
03:48an unknown number called
03:49i ignored it
03:50by morning my email had 99 plus unread messages
03:52begging yelling threatening
03:53all from the woman i'd given everything
03:55i smiled
03:56she had no idea what regret really felt like
03:59the news popped up while i was brushing my teeth
04:01lila reed had posted a photo
04:03two hands intertwined
04:04her manicured nails wrapped around a man's fingers
04:06caption
04:0710 years
04:081000 shows
04:09you're my everything
04:10everyone knew
04:10the media
04:11the fans
04:12the entire industry
04:13it was kian's hand
04:14she was announcing her new love on the night of our 10th anniversary
04:18on the night i'd signed our divorce papers
04:21i locked my phone and ordered breakfast
04:24the show was about to begin
04:26i arrived at black note records at noon
04:28my spot was gone
04:30my desk
04:31my awards
04:32my sound system
04:32my handwritten notes
04:34all cleared away
04:35in my chair and hale leaning back like he owned the place
04:38surprise brother
04:39lila said this studio's mine now
04:42i'm her exclusive producer and manager
04:45that's yours now
04:46enjoy the view
04:49i laughed
04:50it came out sharp
04:51cruel and honest
04:52like father
04:53like son
04:54you really are good at taking what isn't yours
04:56don't you dare talk about my dad
04:58you mean the man who broke my family apart
05:00the man who drove my father to his death
05:02i stepped closer
05:04voice low enough
05:05only he could hear
05:06you're just a cheap copy
05:08even your lies are unoriginal
05:10love isn't about who came first
05:12it's about who she wants
05:13and she wants me
05:15i stared at him
05:16you can have her
05:17she's used up
05:18broken
05:19just like you
05:20i found my father's silver ring
05:22and a cardboard box
05:23slipped it onto my finger
05:25and walked out
05:25lila was waiting by the door
05:27arms crossed
05:28eyes tired
05:29then stop being childish
05:31block me
05:32apologize
05:33i looked at her like she was a stranger
05:35we're divorced lila
05:37she sighed like i was being impossible
05:39fine
05:40i'll make it up to you
05:42i'll announce you're my husband at the concert tonight
05:44the fans will accept it
05:46just stop this
05:47that was her offer
05:48after 10 years of hiding
05:50of lying
05:50of letting her pretend to be single
05:52she'd reward me with a mention
05:53i walked past her without a word
05:55in my car i snapped my sim card in half
05:58and threw it out the window
05:59tonight
06:00she would have her 1000 show celebration
06:02and i would end her career
06:058pm
06:05madison square gaben
06:06the arena was packed
06:08fans screamed lila's name so loud
06:10the walls shook
06:11neon lights flooded the stage
06:13she rose from the floor
06:14on a golden platform
06:15gown sparking microphone in hand
06:16her eyes scanned the front row
06:17it was empty
06:18i wasn't there
06:20for the first time in her career
06:21she looked nervous
06:22she opened her mouth
06:23to sing the first note
06:24the music cut off
06:25silence
06:26confusion rippled through the crowd
06:28lila it's bad
06:29ethan's lawyers just served the label
06:31he's recalling every single song
06:32you ever perform
06:33no rights
06:33no stage
06:34no nothing
06:35her face went white
06:37her knuckles whitened around the mic
06:39the fans started to murmur
06:40refund
06:41refund
06:41what's happening
06:43she didn't write any of them did she
06:45lila's throat bobbed
06:47she forced a smile
06:48shaky and fake
06:49everyone i'm so sorry
06:51i've developed a sudden vocal condition
06:53my doctor insists i stop immediately
06:55liar liar
06:57the crowd roared
06:58booze rained down
07:00camera flashes exploded
07:01as she stumbled off stage
07:03humiliated
07:03destroyed
07:04ruined
07:05in that moment
07:06lila reed's empire crumbled
07:07and i watched it all
07:08from a private suite
07:09drinking whiskey
07:11completely calm
07:12i'd kept my promise
07:14she played the piano
07:15i took everything
07:17the backstage chaos
07:19was a war zone
07:20lila slammed into her dressing room
07:22throwing chairs
07:23screaming at assistants
07:24call him
07:25call him now
07:27her manager handed over a phone
07:28i answered on the first ring
07:30ethan please
07:31we're family
07:32you can't do this to me
07:34divorced
07:36i already sent the papers to your email
07:38i didn't mean it
07:39i signed because i thought you were throwing a tantrum
07:41i hung up
07:43she called again
07:44and again
07:45and again
07:46finally
07:48a text
07:48the songs are ours
07:50you can't take them back
07:51i smiled
07:52i posted one thing to my official
07:55newly verified account
07:56a photo of my original manuscripts
07:58dated six years before lila's debut
08:00signed by ethan voss
08:01attached official copyright registration
08:03from the u.s copyright office
08:05caption
08:05my work
08:06my voice
08:07my name
08:08the internet exploded
08:12leela reed fraud shadow
08:14is ethan voss
08:15the real cum sumers
08:16all at once
08:17the world knew
08:18she wasn't a genius
08:19she was a thief
08:20i thought that would be the end of it
08:23i was wrong
08:24a call came in from a foreign number
08:26i almost hang up
08:27something made me answer
08:30ethan
08:31it's mom
08:33the woman who'd left with damon hale
08:36who'd witched my father die
08:38and never looked back
08:42i'm back
08:43i wanna fix things
08:45fix what
08:46you left
08:46you chose them
08:48you killed him
08:49it wasn't like that
08:50your father was fragile
08:52don't you dare say his name
08:53my voice shook with rage
08:56i'd buried for a decade
08:57you wanna talk
08:58tomorrow
08:593pm
08:59at my father's grave
09:00bring damon hale with you
09:02i pulled out my father's old leather journal from the safe
09:06pages yellowed
09:07ink faded
09:09i'd read it a hundred times
09:11the first entry
09:12ethan played twinkle twinkle today
09:14my little pianist
09:15the last entry
09:16i wanna hear him play moonlight one last time
09:19then i can rest
09:20i closed it and placed it in my bag
09:23tomorrow they would finally see what they'd broken
09:25the cemetery was quiet
09:28wind blowing through pine trees
09:29i stood in front of julian voss's headstone black coat fluttering
09:34claire arrived first dressed in expensive silk face heavy with makeup
09:38dom and hale followed it then old and nervous unable to meet my eyes
09:41claire i stepped away
09:44don't touch me
09:45i threw the journal on the grass
09:47read it
09:50damon picked it up
09:51his hands shook as he turned the pages
09:54claire knelt beside him
09:56i'm sorry
09:57crying out when she saw the words
09:59too late
10:00then i heard running heels
10:02leela burst through the gates
10:04hair messy
10:05dress torn
10:05eyes wild
10:06she tracked me here
10:08ethan
10:08i didn't know
10:10i swear i didn't know about your father
10:12i looked at her
10:13empty
10:13you knew everything
10:14you just didn't care
10:16i brought you here to see the damage
10:17don't contact me again
10:19ever
10:21i walked away
10:25no goodbye
10:26no forgiveness
10:27just peace
10:29the next day
10:30we met at the courthouse
10:31leela stumbled in
10:32red-eyed
10:33broken
10:33please
10:34let's talk
10:35i'll do anything
10:36i pulled free
10:37you remember our wedding vow
10:39if you want to leave me
10:41play the piano
10:42she stared
10:43horrified
10:44you did more than play
10:46you brought his son into my home
10:48you played my song on my father's piano
10:51you spit on his grave
10:56i slid the divorce pacers across the table
10:58sign
10:59she hesitated
11:00then she laughed
11:02hysterical
11:03you're ruining me over a piano
11:05over a grudge
11:08i slapped her
11:09the sound echoed
11:11i pushed a tablet toward her
11:13photos of her and kian
11:14tangled
11:15lips close
11:16in my mansion
11:17on my couch
11:18at i studio
11:19sign
11:20or i'll release these
11:22then i sue every label
11:23every sponsor
11:24every venue
11:24you'll never woke
11:25and ink
11:26her hands shook as she signed
11:28the clerk stamped our markage papers void
11:31i walked outside into the sunlight
11:33for the first time in 10 years
11:36i could breathe
11:38somewhere behind me
11:39lila sobbed
11:40i didn't look back
11:41the second i walked out of the courthouse
11:43my lawyer called
11:44everything's filed
11:45the divorce is final
11:46the copyright recall is in full effect
11:49every platform has been notified
11:50no more streams
11:51no more sales
11:52no more public performance of any song you wrote for lila reed
11:56i leaned against my car
11:58staring at the los angeles skyline
12:00good
12:01what about the kid
12:02kian hale
12:03he'll destroy himself
12:05i was right
12:08by sunset
12:09the news broke
12:10kian had stormed into black note records screaming that lila was using him that she'd stolen
12:14his money that he was the real talent
12:16lila fired back in a leaked voice note
12:19your songs are garbage
12:21you're nothing compared to ethan
12:24you're just a cheap copy of a man who ruined a family
12:27the internet ate it alive
12:28they're trying to leak i let's live it
12:30lila kian drama
12:32industry explodes
12:33kian is a flop
12:36they didn't need me to ruin them
12:37they were doing it to each other
12:39i spent the next week in my private studio
12:41no distractions
12:43no interruptions
12:44no lila
12:45no kian
12:46no ghosts
12:47just me
12:48and the music
12:49my phone buzzed with an email from my old label
12:52subject
12:54lila reed and kian hile
12:56i opened it
12:57they'd released a new song
12:58it was everywhere
12:59tiktok
13:00spotify
13:01instagram
13:01they were calling it an original masterpiece
13:04i listened for 10 seconds
13:06i laughed
13:10it was my unfinished work
13:12the old unreleased tracks i'd locked in a drawer
13:15written for my father
13:16kian had snicked into my studio months ago
13:19and copied them
13:22he'd changed into few lyrics
13:23added some cheap beats
13:25and pretended they were his
13:27i closed my eyes
13:29he just signed his own death warrant
13:33i called my legal team
13:35checked the copyright registry
13:36they did
13:39they called me back
13:41breathless
13:42mr voss you registered these original compositions six years ago
13:46the dates are ironclad
13:47kian hale's version doesn't exist until last week
13:50it's blatant theft
13:51i stood and walked to the corner of my studio
13:54there it was
13:56a black grand piano
13:58covered in white cloth
13:59i'd avoided it for 10 years
14:01but now
14:03i pulled the cloth off
14:04the cues glinted
14:06i didn't panic
14:07i didn't flash back
14:09i just
14:11looked
14:12for the first time
14:13the piano didn't feel like a nightmare
14:15it felt like a chance
14:18i called zoe blake
14:21she was a grammy winning legend
14:23the only person in the industry
14:25who knew i was shadow
14:27she showed up at my door in 10 minutes
14:29i heard the song
14:31they stole your work
14:32i nodded
14:33i want to fight back
14:35but not with lawsuits
14:36not with drama
14:38i
14:39want to play
14:40zoe's eyes softened
14:42your father would be proud
14:44i sat
14:47my fingers hovered over the keys
14:50i took a breath
14:52i pressed down
14:53the first night filled the room
14:55no shaking
14:56no screaming
14:57no ghosts
14:58just sound music
14:59just me
14:59i played the song
15:01i'd written for my father
15:03father's moonlight
15:06when i finished
15:07that's the most beautiful thing i've ever heard
15:09i released father's moonlight
15:11that night
15:12no promotion
15:13no press
15:15no fanware
15:18just
15:19the song
15:20by morning
15:22it was number one on billboard
15:25global
15:26viral
15:27every music critiver called it a masterpiece
15:29the world finally heard my voice
15:32not shadow
15:33ethan voss
15:35the real composer
15:36while my song rose to the top
15:37leela and kian's stolen track crashed
15:40my fans dug up the copyright records
15:42the proof gone viral
15:44kian stole music
15:45leela cappers fraud
15:46they were finished
15:47the lawsuits came fast
15:51i sued for copyright infringement
15:53emotional damages
15:54and fraud
15:55the court ruled in my favor in 72 hours
15:58kian hale was ordered to pay millions
16:01he had no money
16:03he tried to blame lila
16:05leela released every text
16:07every recording
16:08every proof that kian had planned the theft alone
16:11they destroyed each other completely
16:13then the industry blacklist dropped
16:15no labels
16:16no shows
16:17no sponsorships
16:18no work
16:19ever
16:20leela lost his mansion
16:22her cars
16:23her fortune
16:24she moved into a tiny
16:25run-down apartment
16:26in a bad part of town
16:27kian couldn't even get a job singing at a bar
16:30they got what they deserved
16:33everything they took me
16:34i took from them
16:35and then some
16:37i didn't groat
16:38i didn't celebrate
16:39i just keep making music
16:41zoe and i finished my first official album
16:44coming home
16:49every song was mine
16:50every note
16:51every feeling
16:52the album sold 1 million copies in 24 hours
16:57i was invited to the grammy awards
17:04not as a shadow
17:05as a nominee
17:07for best composer
17:09for best song
17:11for best new artist
17:14i was no longer hiding
17:17i was home
17:18grammy night
17:20red carpet
17:22cameras
17:22a lighters
17:24mr boss
17:25are you the real shadow
17:26what do you say to lila reed
17:27is this revenge
17:28reporters swarmed me
17:30i smiled gently
17:31i'm here for the music
17:33the presenter
17:34opened the envelope
17:35and the grammy
17:36for best composer
17:37goes to
17:38ethan voss
17:40the crowd erupted
17:43i stood up
17:44and walked to the stage
17:46i held the grammy
17:48in my hand
17:50i looked out
17:51at the audience
17:53and i saw her
17:55in the very back row
17:57lila reed
17:59she'd snuck in
18:00she looked thin
18:02pale
18:03broken
18:04no makeup
18:05no glamour
18:06no light
18:07just a ghost of the star i'd made
18:10our eyes met
18:11she mouthed one word
18:14i looked away
18:15this award is not for revenge
18:18it's for truth
18:19for every creator who's ever been hidden
18:21for every person who survived the dark
18:24and found their way back to the light
18:25i paused
18:26this one's for you dad
18:28the crowd stood and cheered
18:30after the show
18:31i walked out to the parking lot
18:33zoe left with her team
18:34i stood alone
18:36breathing in the night air
18:38a figure stepped out of the shadows
18:40lila
18:42ethan
18:42she looked smaller than i'd ever seen her
18:44i didn't stop walking
18:46please
18:46just five minutes
18:48i didn't know
18:49i didn't understand
18:50how much you hurt
18:52i kept going
18:53i turned to her
18:57you knew enough to choose him over me
18:58you knew enough to play the piano
19:00you knew enough to break every promise you ever made
19:03i looked at the grammy in my hand
19:05i don't hate you anymore
19:06i don't feel anything
19:07you're just a stranger
19:08i got into my car
19:09i closed the door
19:12i drove away
19:13i never looked back
19:16one year later
19:17i owned my own label
19:18i performed sold out shows around the world
19:21i played the piano every single day
19:24no nightmares
19:26no pain
19:27just peace
19:30i visited my father's grave
19:32every sunday
19:34i played father's moonlight for him on a popable piano
19:38the wind carried the notes through the trees
19:41i knew he was listening
19:43i was finally free
19:44the final notes slowly faded into silence
19:47i closed the piano lid and began packing up my music stand ready to leave
19:51then something caught the corner of my eye
19:53at the base of the gravestean lay a bouquet of pure white roses
19:56fresh dew still clung to the petals
19:58someone had placed them there only moments ago
20:00no one ever came here
20:03no one except me
20:05i bent down and picked up the flowers
20:07tucked among the roses was a plain white card
20:09no signature
20:10no name
20:11only finger turd trembled as i transled the notes one by one
20:14then the message
20:16revealed itself
20:17he didn't jump
20:18on his own that day
20:20a sharp ringing filled my ears
20:22my mind went completely blank
20:23ten years of trauma
20:24and years of searching for redemond
20:26the truth i believed had long been buried
20:27suddenly shattered before me
20:28the truth
20:31was never what i thought it was
20:33my father's death had been a conspicy
20:35from the very begin
20:37and my revenge
20:40my revenge was only just beginning
20:43i stood before my father's gravestone
20:46my finger pit ice cold
20:48he didn't jump on his own that day
20:51the words pierced through every ounce of peace
20:55i had managed to build over the past ten years
20:58i had always believed my father took his own life out of despair
21:02i had always believed my revenge was over
21:06but now i understood
21:09what i had avenged was only a fragment of the truth
21:11i immediately pulled out my phone my fingers trembling as i called my lawyer
21:16look into someone for me
21:17damon hale
21:18i want everything
21:19from the paste ten years
21:22his movements
21:23traggle records
21:24financial transactions
21:25everything
21:27there was a long silence on the other end
21:30then my lawyer spoke
21:31his voice unusually grave
21:33mr voss
21:33there's something i've never had the courage to tell you
21:36i froze
21:37what
21:38official records state he died in a car accident
21:40body identified
21:45dead
21:46then who was the figure i had just seen disappearing into the woods
21:50suddenly
21:51i remembered the final line in my father's journal
21:53i want to hear him play moonlight one more time
21:56rackent
21:57that day i had played moonlight
21:59and after listening my father jumped
22:01no
22:02something was wrong
22:03the logic didn't fit
22:05a father whose only wish was to hear his son play one last time
22:09would never kill himself immediately afterward
22:12i rushed back to my car like a madman and sped toward the old mansion
22:16the mansion i had never dared enter again
22:18the mansion filled with piano shaped nightmares
22:20i shoved open the dust cupboard doors
22:22the living room stood silent
22:24my father's piano remained exactly where he had left it
22:27my hands trembled as i lifted the lid
22:29hidden deep beneath the keys was a yellowed note i have never seen before
22:33my father's handwriting
22:35only one sentence
22:36trust nothing you see
22:37my heart death
22:39my father had known
22:40he had known someone wanted me dead
22:41at that moment
22:42my phone began vibrating furiously
22:45a multimedia messes from an unknown number
22:48the moment i opened it
22:49every drop of blood in my body turned into ice
22:53the photo shored the rooftop balcony from 10 years ago
22:56the image was blurry
22:57but one thing was unmistakably clear
23:00my father had not jumped
23:01a pair of black gloved hands which shoved him over the edge
23:04Claire Voss
23:06watching everything happen without a
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