- 22 hours ago
Come Down and Hit Me - Short Drama Full HD 720p
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Short filmTranscript
00:00The worst years of my bipolar, I bought myself, a broke scholarship kid, 15 grand a month, I'd take a
00:06riding prop to that ridiculous body of his, slap that face, the one too pretty for its own good, I
00:12liked BDSM, loved playing with him most of all, finals week, stress through the roof, so I called him over
00:18to my place, the moment he walked in, he took the riding prop from my hand himself, dragged the leather
00:23tip across his own abs.
00:30Later, I wore myself out hitting him and fell asleep, how did I wake up here, did Ethan decide I
00:37went too hard and sell me off while I was unconscious, I look around, lost, everything is cold white, expensive
00:44sleek furniture, floors so grey they gleam, and these strangers, all staring at their phones, nobody looks at me, I
00:51swallow and get ready to slip out, the door opens without a sound, the man holding it bows with an
00:57apologetic smile, and Ethan walks in behind him,
00:59Awake?
01:00He moves to the seat directly across from me, I stare as he lifts his wrist without thinking, a Patek
01:06Philippe sits on that lean, strong forearm, everything about him radiates, something that doesn't belong to him, something effortless and
01:13expensive, this is not the Ethan Mercer I remember, he doesn't look at me, opens his mouth, unhurried,
01:20This contract,
01:21Contract? Right, right, okay, he did sell me, my voice cuts through the room,
01:26What we had was consensual, you wanted out, you could have just said so, selling me off is a whole
01:32other level of low,
01:34Everyone freezes, the round faced girl next to me taps my arm gently,
01:38Ethan?
01:38Ethan cuts her off, his gaze locks onto me, cold and flat,
01:42Are you having an episode?
01:43He dares talk to me like that?
01:45The old Ethan Mercer, no matter how hard I hit him, would only press his hand to his face, look
01:50up at me with those damp, hazy eyes, and grit out two words,
01:54More money, now he has the nerve to call me crazy, I shoot to my feet and swing, the slap
01:59cracks across his face,
02:01You wanna get hit? I'll ask one more time, where is this?
02:09Ethan lifts his hand and wipes the corner of his mouth, watches me, that look, it's too complicated, for a
02:14second I'm sure he's about to hit me back, but a few seconds pass,
02:18He presses his lips tight, leans into my ear,
02:21Wanna keep going? Get it out of your system? Then we work,
02:25I can't bring myself to swing again, too many people, kills the momentum, I drop back into my seat, I'm
02:31leaving, now,
02:32Ethan lowers his head and goes back to the contract,
02:35Suit yourself, then to the room,
02:37The rest of you go, it's past six,
02:39Past six? What is even happening? My head spins, I wander the building for what feels like forever, and can't
02:46even find the elevator,
02:48The round-faced girl catches up, careful, gentle,
02:51Eden, wanna head out together? We're the same direction,
02:54As she talks, she pulls out her phone, the date glows across the screen, 2026,
03:01It's... it's 2026?
03:03She gives me a puzzled look,
03:05Yeah? 26?
03:06Why? What year did you think it was?
03:09Like getting hit by a truck, I wasn't so close,
03:12Son of a bitch, I time traveled,
03:15The round-faced girl's name is Brie Keller, I fish for information carefully, each answer sinks my heart a little
03:21deeper into ice water,
03:22In the conference room, that was the entire strategic planning division, Brie breaks the silence,
03:27Eden, I seriously admire you,
03:30And I hit someone, in front of all of them,
03:32For what?
03:33You slapped the CEO in front of the entire team,
03:36I've never been so terrified and so thrilled at the same time,
03:40Cold sweat beads across my forehead,
03:43Honestly, I've wanted to do that for months,
03:46My vision goes dark around the edges,
03:51Ethan Mercer!
03:52Is the CEO?
03:53When he was with me, the guy was dead broke,
03:55Drowning in his father's gambling debt, raising an underage sister,
03:58Without me, he couldn't have paid tuition,
04:00And now he's the CEO,
04:02And I just slapped the CEO in front of every department head in the company,
04:06Something clicks,
04:08Back in the meeting, you called me Eden,
04:10You know who I am?
04:11Brie stares at me like I've lost my mind,
04:13You're his EA?
04:14She's looking at me like I'm a special kind of stupid,
04:18Executive assistant,
04:19Ethan Mercer's executive assistant,
04:22That's why I admire you,
04:24You slapped your direct boss,
04:26At least there's one piece of good news,
04:28Seven years later,
04:29I still live in the most expensive part of Manhattan,
04:31Upper East Side, penthouse,
04:33The moment I walk in,
04:34Mrs. Delaney takes my coat and hands me a glass of water,
04:37Different housekeeper from seven years ago,
04:39But that's normal enough after all this time,
04:41I sink into the couch,
04:42The living room's changed a bit from what I remember,
04:44But the overall vibe is still mine,
04:46If this apartment's still here,
04:48The family hasn't gone bankrupt,
04:49I pissed off Ethan today,
04:51Worst case,
04:52I quit tomorrow,
04:53I drift off on the couch,
04:54In my dream,
04:55Ethan's body's still warm around me,
04:57He's rubbing ointment into my hand,
04:58The one that went red from hitting him,
05:00Something knots in my chest,
05:02Aftercare wasn't part of our deal,
05:03But at some point,
05:04He started doing it anyway,
05:06Every time,
05:07Checking my palms for swelling,
05:08For redness from striking too hard,
05:10I think he was afraid I'd let him go,
05:12Without my money,
05:13He and his sister would have been on the street,
05:14Debt collectors circling,
05:16My eyes dropped to the riding crop marks,
05:17Across his chest,
05:19I frown,
05:19I hit too hard this time,
05:21The moment my fingers touch his skin,
05:23Ethan's lashes flutter,
05:24He turns toward me,
05:25And his lips land on mine,
05:27Soft as a feather,
05:28Light,
05:28Barely there,
05:29It tickles,
05:30His eyes open,
05:30Cold and steady,
05:34Eden, we had a deal,
05:36You get my body for this,
05:38You don't get all of me,
05:40Oh, right,
05:41The kid had his boundaries,
05:42I can't remember which time it was,
05:44I was drunk,
05:45Shoved him against the wall,
05:46And kissed him,
05:48Ethan's eyes,
05:49Rim,
05:50Red,
05:50Fury locks every muscle in his body tight,
05:53He grabs my chin,
05:54Fingers white knuckled,
05:55Eden,
05:56I will never be with you,
05:59Get that through your head,
06:00Who wants to be with him,
06:01I pull my hand back,
06:02Sheepish,
06:03Then stop,
06:04Wait,
06:04He leaned in first,
06:05A cold draft sweeps through,
06:07Scattering the warmth from my palm,
06:09The dream dissolves with it,
06:10I open my eyes,
06:11Half awake,
06:12And wander barefoot,
06:13Into the bedroom,
06:14Directly across from the bed,
06:15Hangs a framed photo,
06:17Half my height,
06:17I freeze,
06:18Cold sweat breaks out everywhere,
06:20Sleep vanishes,
06:21A man and a woman in the frame,
06:23Him in a suit,
06:24Effortlessly handsome,
06:25Her in a wedding gown,
06:26That pools on the floor,
06:28Smiling like the sun,
06:29It's my wedding photo,
06:30Mine and Ethan Mercer's,
06:32At the same moment,
06:33Movement at the front door,
06:34Mrs. Delaney's voice,
06:36Drifts in,
06:37Fragments at first,
06:38Then clear,
06:39Warm in a way,
06:40She never sounds with me,
06:41Mr. Mercer you're back,
06:43Mrs. Mercer's home already,
06:45She's in the bedroom,
06:47Can I fix you something to eat?
06:48No,
06:49Ethan's voice,
06:50Heavy with fatigue,
06:51I'll go check on her,
06:52I turn my head,
06:53Slowly,
06:53Stickly,
06:54One degree at a time,
06:56His eyes meet mine,
06:59Neither of us speaks,
07:00Ethan's cheek still seems to carry,
07:02A red mark,
07:03I tuck my hand behind me,
07:05Something uncomfortable twists in my chest,
07:08Come here,
07:09Do I need to say it again?
07:10Every nerve in my body fires at once,
07:13Voice like ice water,
07:14I flinch back,
07:15I hit him without permission,
07:17That was on me,
07:18In front of all those people,
07:19That kind of humiliation,
07:21It's like being stripped naked in public,
07:23I shuffle up to his chest,
07:24I'm sorry,
07:25Plant my feet,
07:26Ethan extends his hand toward me in silence,
07:30Don't move,
07:31But he catches my wrist in a sudden grip,
07:34He turns my hand over,
07:35Examining my palm with care,
07:37Good,
07:38No swelling,
07:40His voice sounds blunt as a plate,
07:43Relieved,
07:43Don't hate me?
07:44Hate you?
07:45I could strangle you,
07:46I glance at my palm,
07:47Still cradled in his fingers,
07:49He's rubbing it gently,
07:50Then why?
07:51I don't know how to finish the sentence,
07:53Feeling guilty?
07:55Then kiss me,
07:56That'll make us even,
07:57I blink,
07:58The Ethan from seven years ago,
08:00Would never have said that,
08:01What?
08:01He used to look at me the way you look at trash,
08:04Cold,
08:04Always cold,
08:06Only in those first few seconds after the riding crop landed,
08:09That's when something shifted in his eyes,
08:11Something wet,
08:12Something dazed,
08:13And underneath it,
08:14An emotion I could never name,
08:16There were moments,
08:17I almost believed he liked it,
08:20When I hit him,
08:20The doorbell rings,
08:21Mrs. Delaney answers it,
08:23The therapist Ethan hired for me has arrived,
08:26And as it happens,
08:27It's the same one who treated me before,
08:29Dr. Julian Vaughn,
08:31Dr. Julian Vaughn used to be a senior psychiatrist at NYU Langone,
08:37Ethan found me during your first year of marriage,
08:39Before that your family went through,
08:41A crisis,
08:43Your father's fund collapsed,
08:45The SEC got involved,
08:47Our sessions were suspended for a long time,
08:50I almost laugh,
08:51My father's fund collapsed?
08:54That can't be right,
08:56If that were true,
08:57How am I still living here?
08:58Dr. Vaughn studies me for a few seconds,
09:00A trace of pity crosses his face,
09:02I push down the acid burning in my chest,
09:05After your father's case,
09:06This apartment Woody Mistelized auctioned out in the bankruptcy proceedings,
09:11Ethan bought it back,
09:12So seven years later,
09:13This apartment doesn't belong to me anymore,
09:16It belongs to Ethan Mercer,
09:18I'm still here because he allows it,
09:20And listen to Dr. Vaughn continue,
09:22When I resumed your treatment,
09:23You were already married,
09:25You've been improving steadily,
09:27This sudden amnesia,
09:29I'll need to rework the entire plan,
09:32Dr. Vaughn,
09:32My voice cracks,
09:34Can you tell me how my father is doing?
09:36Hesitates for a few seconds,
09:37And opens his mouth to answer,
09:39Ethan pushes through the door,
09:40Your father, time's up,
09:41That's enough for today,
09:43I watch Dr. Vaughn leave,
09:44Helpless,
09:45No discussion,
09:46Then comes the wave,
09:47I can't hold back,
09:48I jerk my head up,
09:49My heart slams once,
09:51I lunge forward to stop him,
09:52But Ethan pins me to the chair with one hand,
09:54Raw choking frustration,
09:55And let go,
09:57What gives you the right to stop me,
09:59What gives you the right to keep me from asking?
10:01Because I'm the one paying for your treatment,
10:03Ethan pauses,
10:04Without me,
10:05Your father's debt would have buried you,
10:08You begged me to marry you,
10:11To protect you,
10:12I start shaking,
10:13Have you forgotten what you looked like back then?
10:16Burns through my whole body,
10:18Peeling back everything ugly I've tried to hide,
10:21And my hand flies up almost on its own,
10:23Ethan catches my arms,
10:24Can't stop hitting people can you?
10:26What right do you have to hit me now?
10:27A faint edge of mockery in his voice,
10:30Rage floods my chest like a dam breaking,
10:33The sting is sharp,
10:34The urge to keep going,
10:35Ethan yanks my arm behind my back and locks it there,
10:38Eden,
10:39I can't hear a word,
10:40You need to learn to calm yourself down,
10:42Bite his hand,
10:43Full force,
10:44Copper floods my tongue,
10:45His grip is steel,
10:46His hand spasms,
10:48He doesn't pull away,
10:49His jaw tightens,
10:50And he grips my wrist harder,
10:51I pant through clenched teeth,
10:53For the first time in my life,
10:56I beg,
10:56Is my father dead?
10:58I'm not sad,
10:59I forgot what sad feels like a long time ago,
11:01His eye twitches at the sting,
11:03Ethan looks down at me,
11:05His silence is the answer,
11:07Your father couldn't handle the debt,
11:09He took his own life,
11:10I crumple to the floor,
11:12Without Ethan,
11:13I would have been the second one,
11:14He's right,
11:15What right do I have to hit him now?
11:17In my peripheral vision,
11:18I can barely hold my voice together,
11:21Ethan,
11:21I want a divorce,
11:23What did you just say?
11:25My voice goes quiet with them,
11:27A divorce,
11:29What's the reason this time?
11:30The hand at his side,
11:31Curls into a slow fist,
11:33Whether you married me for revenge,
11:35Or out of pity,
11:36It sure as hell wasn't love,
11:38I've done you wrong,
11:39I know that,
11:41But it's been years,
11:42Let it go,
11:43Let me go,
11:45Let yourself go,
11:46Memories surface,
11:47The truth is,
11:48I liked Ethan,
11:49But we started so ugly,
11:51That I never dared hope,
11:52He could feel anything for me,
11:54I told myself,
11:55Once he graduates,
11:56Once he doesn't need the money anymore,
11:58I'll let go,
11:59Disappear from his life for good,
12:01Nobody could have predicted,
12:02That seven years later,
12:04Everything would look like this,
12:05He says nothing for a long time,
12:07Then he walks out,
12:08And slams the-
12:10That night,
12:11Ethan doesn't come home,
12:12The enormous apartment,
12:13Holds only me and Mrs. Delaney,
12:15Mrs. Delaney,
12:17Shouldn't you be off by now?
12:19I should be,
12:21But when Mr. Mercer's not home,
12:23I stay,
12:24Why?
12:25It's in my employment contract,
12:27If he's away,
12:28I stay with you,
12:29He just Venvo'd me overtime pay,
12:31And told me to keep an eye on you,
12:32Mrs. Delaney started after we got married,
12:34Thanks to her,
12:35I find a spreadsheet on Ethan's office computer,
12:37Every debt he's repaid on my behalf,
12:39Every dollar,
12:40Logged and tracked,
12:41If I want a divorce,
12:42I need to pay him back first,
12:44Only then are we even,
12:45The next day,
12:46I go to work like normal,
12:47The moment I step into the conference room,
12:49Every pair of eyes lands on me,
12:51Complicated expressions all around,
12:54Here's what you asked for,
12:55He takes the folder from me,
12:56Without expression,
12:57Drops it on the table with a flat smack,
12:59He tugs at the collar of his turtleneck,
13:01Revealing those sharp, cold eyes,
13:03I stand at his side,
13:04Obedient,
13:05The meeting runs until noon,
13:07Department heads file out,
13:08One by one,
13:09Mr. Mercer,
13:09What would you like for lunch?
13:11Ethan ignores me,
13:12It used to be the other way around,
13:13He'd bring me food,
13:14After every session,
13:15I'd even make him feed me,
13:16Claiming my hand hurt too much,
13:18My turn now,
13:19I call Mrs. Delaney,
13:20And ask what Ethan likes to eat,
13:22She rattles them off without thinking,
13:24Truffle mac and cheese,
13:26Lobster bisque,
13:27Grilled salmon,
13:29Those are all my favorites,
13:30Yes,
13:31You eat first,
13:32He eats what you leave,
13:34I don't know what I'm feeling,
13:35When I open DoorDash,
13:37And order everything she listed,
13:38At checkout,
13:39Apple Pin pulls from Ethan's Amex Black,
13:41Six figure balance,
13:43My phone is the newest iPhone Pro Max,
13:45My bag is an unreleased saline,
13:47This is the lifestyle I had before my family went under,
13:50I set the food on Ethan's desk,
13:52Gently,
13:52He doesn't bother looking up,
13:54Not hungry,
13:56It's all fresh,
13:57Not leftovers,
13:59Even less interesting now,
14:01Seriously?
14:02I stare at him,
14:03What is his problem?
14:04That night,
14:05Ethan doesn't come home,
14:06The enormous apartment holds only me and Mrs. Delaney,
14:09Mrs. Delaney,
14:10Shouldn't you be off by now?
14:12I should be,
14:15But when Mr. Mercer's not home,
14:17I stay,
14:18Why?
14:19It's in my employment contract,
14:20If he's away,
14:21I stay with you,
14:22He just Venvo'd me overtime pay,
14:24And told me to keep an eye on you,
14:26Mrs. Delaney started after we got married,
14:28Thanks to her,
14:29I find a spreadsheet on Ethan's office computer,
14:31Every debt he's repaid on my behalf,
14:33Every dollar,
14:34Logged and tracked,
14:35If I want a divorce,
14:36I need to pay him back first,
14:37Only then are we even,
14:39The next day,
14:40I go to work like normal,
14:41The moment I step into the conference room,
14:43Every pair of eyes lands on me,
14:44Complicated expressions all around,
14:47Here's what you asked for,
14:49He takes the folder from me,
14:50Without expression,
14:51Drops it on the table with a flat smack,
14:53He tugs at the collar of his turtleneck,
14:55Revealing those sharp, cold eyes,
14:57I stand at his side,
14:58Obedient,
14:59The meeting runs until noon,
15:00Department heads file out one by one,
15:02Mr. Mercer,
15:03What would you like for lunch?
15:05Ethan ignores me,
15:06It used to be the other way around,
15:07He'd bring me food,
15:08After every session,
15:09I'd even make him feed me,
15:10Claiming my hand hurt too much,
15:12Mine right now,
15:13I call Mrs. Delaney,
15:14And ask what Ethan likes to eat,
15:15She rattles them off without thinking,
15:17Truffle mac and cheese,
15:19Lobster bisque,
15:20Grilled salmon,
15:22Those are all my favorites,
15:24Yes,
15:24You eat first,
15:26He eats what you leave,
15:28I don't know what I'm feeling,
15:29When I open DoorDash,
15:30And order everything she listed,
15:32At checkout,
15:33Apple Pin pulls from Ethan's Amex Black,
15:35Six figure balance,
15:37My phone is the newest iPhone Chrome Max,
15:39My bag is an unreleased saline,
15:41This is the lifestyle I had before my family went under,
15:44I set the food on Ethan's desk,
15:45Gently,
15:46He doesn't bother looking up,
15:48Not hungry,
15:50It's all fresh,
15:51Not leftovers,
15:53Even less interesting now,
15:55Seriously?
15:56I stare at him,
15:56What is his problem?
15:58Ethan does not believe in separating work from personal grudges,
16:01He's got anger stored up,
16:02And he's freezing me out at the office,
16:04At this rate,
16:04I'll be fired,
16:06I find an empty corner and call for advice,
16:09Mrs. Delaney,
16:10Ethan won't even eat,
16:11How do I fix this?
16:12He's ignoring you?
16:13Honey, that's nothing,
16:14Ignore him for a few days,
16:15He'll come crawling back,
16:17Always does,
16:18What kind of marriage is this?
16:20But I'm the one who messed up,
16:22Shouldn't I be the one doing the groveling?
16:23Well, if you don't want to wait it out,
16:25I do have one trick,
16:26One trick?
16:27Tell me,
16:28Tell me now!
16:30Smack him again dear,
16:31That always resets me,
16:32I'm speechless,
16:33One Christmas Eve,
16:34Mr. Mercer cooked an entire dinner himself,
16:37You didn't touch a bite,
16:38You swept it all off the table,
16:40He was devastated,
16:41When I came to clean up,
16:42He was sitting on the floor,
16:44Crying,
16:45Silently,
16:46Next time I came in,
16:47You two were back to normal,
16:51Just like that?
16:52The whip dear,
16:53The whip fixes everything in this house,
16:56Excuse me?
16:56When the fight was at its worst,
16:57You went at him with the riding cup,
16:59I felt sorry for him,
17:01But then he grabbed your hand and kissed your palm,
17:03The hand you hit him with,
17:05I'm crouched in the corridor,
17:07I glance left,
17:08Glance right,
17:08Look ahead,
17:09Look behind,
17:10When my head turns 45 degrees back,
17:13I see two long straight legs,
17:15I tilt my head up,
17:17Ethan's eyes meet mine,
17:20On the phone,
17:22Mrs. Delaney is still going full throttle,
17:24The harder you hit him,
17:25The harder he kissed you,
17:26Lord I had to leave the room,
17:28I'm too old for that kind of show,
17:30You've lost your memory,
17:31But I haven't,
17:32You got angry again,
17:33Hit him with the other hand,
17:35He grabbed both your wrists,
17:37And pinned you on the back,
17:38I silently hang up,
17:39A suffocating pause,
17:40Ethan cold and clipped,
17:42Go to internal Alidus,
17:43Get the planning report from the director,
17:46Okay,
17:47And tell the director of strategic planning to see me,
17:50This proposal has issues,
17:52Okay,
17:55Next time you bite me,
17:57Use the left hand,
18:00Okay,
18:00Wait,
18:01What?
18:03Ethan stands with his hands in his pockets,
18:06Perfectly straight,
18:07Perfectly untouchable,
18:08That same glacial composure,
18:10Whatever he's thinking,
18:11He won't say,
18:12Ethan seems determined to ignore me,
18:14Looks exactly like seven years ago,
18:16Cold to the bone,
18:17Eden,
18:19I'll give you a ride on my motorcycle,
18:21Bree has something come up,
18:23Can't leave with me tonight,
18:24Genuine,
18:25Hard to say no to,
18:27Downstairs,
18:27Ryan's already straddling the bike,
18:29In full riding gear,
18:30I reach for it,
18:31And a low horn sounds behind me,
18:33A black Bentley glides past like water,
18:36Roads are bad tonight,
18:37I'll take you home,
18:39Mr. Mercer,
18:40How'd you know I've always wanted to ride in a Bentley,
18:42Call yourself another one,
18:43Expense it,
18:44Ethan cuts him off,
18:45Voice cool as marble,
18:48You,
18:48Get in,
18:49The door shuts with a clean thud,
18:51Heat seals out the noise,
18:54I wasn't messing around,
18:55Ryan was just being nice,
18:57Don't flatter yourself,
18:58You want a divorce right,
19:00Might as well audition replacements,
19:02I'm not petty enough to care,
19:04Ethan's tone barely registers emotion,
19:06Me,
19:07Petty,
19:07Please,
19:08His voice is level,
19:09But something sharp presses just beneath the surface,
19:12I don't know how to answer,
19:13I close my mouth,
19:13Silence all the way home,
19:15The car stops,
19:16Ethan's voice out of nowhere,
19:20One affair wasn't enough,
19:22Now you're starting a collection,
19:24I have an affair,
19:25The kind of affair that means cheating,
19:27Ethan,
19:27What did I do wrong,
19:28What do I have to do,
19:30To make you stop,
19:31Since we got married,
19:32I've let you hit me,
19:34I've given you everything you wanted,
19:36Why do you keep trying to leave,
19:37And on top of that,
19:39He seems to remember the amnesia,
19:40Takes a deep breath,
19:41His voice drains of energy,
19:43You've been seeing someone behind my back,
19:45You even brought him here,
19:46For six months,
19:47That's impossible,
19:48A bitter scoff,
19:51Your words, not mine,
19:53He's your first love,
19:55Better looking than me,
19:56Younger than me,
19:58I go still,
19:59After my father's fun collapsed,
20:01I married Ethan almost immediately,
20:03Before that,
20:03I was with him the whole time,
20:05I almost laughed,
20:07Since when do I have a first love?
20:08Ethan holds up his phone,
20:10Face tight,
20:10On the screen,
20:11A selfie,
20:12Me and some boy I've never seen,
20:13Tangled up on a couch,
20:14Arms around each other,
20:16Way too close,
20:19You've tried to divorce me over him,
20:20More times than I can count,
20:22That expression on his face,
20:24Like a husband,
20:24Who just caught his wife cheating,
20:27So what if he's younger,
20:29Eden have your fun,
20:29But let's be real,
20:30Can he take a hit like I can,
20:31I hold it in for a few seconds,
20:33Then I burst out laughing,
20:35That's my nephew,
20:36He's in high school,
20:37What is wrong with you?
20:38Your nephew?
20:39Ethan's dark pupils flash,
20:40Like a meteor streaking through them,
20:43He zooms in on the photo,
20:44Comparing two similar faces,
20:46You lied to me,
20:47You didn't cheat,
20:48Something heavy,
20:49Settles in my chest,
20:50The laughter fades from my face,
20:52Without a sound,
20:53Yeah,
20:53Why did the future version of me,
20:55Lie to him?
20:56A week later,
20:57I meet Dr. Vaughn in secret,
20:58There are things I need to know,
20:59Starting with my father's death,
21:01Dr. Vaughn lets out a quiet sigh,
21:03Eden,
21:03I don't think you need to fixate,
21:04On your father's death,
21:05Your memory stopped seven years ago,
21:07Everything before that,
21:08You should still have,
21:09Of course I do,
21:11Seven years ago,
21:12Was the moment I hated my father most,
21:13That was when I learned the truth,
21:15About how my mother died,
21:16My mother loved my father,
21:18From the days when he had nothing,
21:19To the days when he was worth hundreds of millions,
21:21She loved him the same,
21:23Even knowing he had hereditary bipolar,
21:25She married him,
21:26Had his child,
21:27A child who would almost certainly inherit it,
21:29She whispered in my ear that she was very sick,
21:31A very, very serious illness,
21:34She said,
21:35No cure,
21:35She told me I had to take care of myself,
21:37For years I believed her,
21:39Until I met Ethan,
21:39After one of our sessions,
21:41I was still buzzing,
21:42Why do you react like that,
21:43Every time I hit you?
21:44Don't tell me you're falling for me,
21:46Would you marry me if I asked?
21:47I will never forget what he said,
21:4920 year old Ethan,
21:50Eyes full of cold contempt,
21:51Marry you,
21:52So I can watch you destroy me,
21:54The way your father destroyed your mother?
21:56My mother's face floated up,
21:57That hollow, ruined smile,
21:59Her hand on my cheek,
22:01Gentle,
22:01Her voice breaking,
22:02Eden honey,
22:03Mommy can't save your father,
22:04And she can't save herself,
22:06I hate my father,
22:08Hate him for knowing he was sick,
22:10And refusing to get help,
22:11Hate him for knowing he'd hurt my mother,
22:13And never letting her leave,
22:15Until he finally destroyed her,
22:17Hate him for bringing me into the world,
22:19Another broken thing,
22:20Just like him,
22:21I pushed the chaos down,
22:23Dr. Vaughn,
22:24After my mother died,
22:25My father sent me to boarding school,
22:27We were never close,
22:29I suspect that's precisely why he sent you away,
22:32He was afraid of hurting you too,
22:34What father doesn't love his daughter,
22:36He was still my father,
22:37I have a right to know how he really died,
22:40My father's fund was massive,
22:42Ashford capital didn't go down quietly,
22:44So why did he?
22:46Every article I found is about the financial scandal,
22:48Not a single one mentions how Richard Ashford actually died,
22:51Just one vague obituary,
22:53The color drains from Dr. Vaughn's face,
22:55Ethan lied to me,
22:58My father's death wasn't just a suicide,
23:01Dr. Vaughn picks up the stack and shakes his head,
23:03Eden, you really are something,
23:05Almost laughing,
23:07What?
23:07Ethan called me last night,
23:09He was happy,
23:10Said you were doing better,
23:12Said you still seemed to like him even without your memories,
23:14I pressed my lips together,
23:16If he knew what you've been up to,
23:17He'd be heartbroken,
23:18Say nothing,
23:19Since making up with Ethan,
23:20I've been acting like everything's fine,
23:22Eden,
23:22Why do you think Ethan lied to you?
23:24Dr. Vaughn looks me dead in the eye,
23:25Something shifts in him like he's made a decision,
23:28I dropped my gaze,
23:29He sighs,
23:29He speaks slowly,
23:31You don't think he was trying to hurt you,
23:33Do you?
23:34He was protecting you,
23:36You'll recover your memories eventually,
23:38I don't want to keep lying to you,
23:40You and your father both have mental illness,
23:43Under extreme emotional stress,
23:45People like you are capable of crossing lines,
23:50You killed your father,
23:51A red fog floods my vision out of nowhere,
23:53Dr. Vaughn stares at me,
23:55Face blank,
23:56And repeats,
23:56You killed your father,
23:58Your father destroyed your mother,
24:00And you killed him,
24:02People like you and your father,
24:04Maybe the world was never built for you,
24:07I grip the edge of the table,
24:08Something buried deep in my skull is clawing its way out,
24:11Lines and fragments writhe and twist,
24:13Fighting to surface,
24:15What the hell did you say to her?
24:17Have you lost your goddamn mind?
24:19Doing my job. Mr. Mercer, why do you think NYU Langone let me go? My methods are too aggressive. The
24:26mainstream doesn't approve.
24:28I feel like I've been asleep for a very long time. Seven years in a single dream. I didn't travel
24:33through time at all. I got sick. Lost seven years of memory by accident.
24:38Dr. Vaughn's brutal words ripped a crack in my brain. And through that crack, memories pour back. Some of them.
24:44First, I didn't kill my father.
24:46After the fund collapsed, it was one wave after another. SEC investigations. Investor lawsuits. Debt collectors.
24:53The last time I saw him was in the old brownstone in Brooklyn Heights. My mother's room. The three of
24:58us lived there once. My father's voice was wrong.
25:03After my mother died, he'd never looked this worn. I didn't give you a sound mind or a whole family.
25:07And now I can't even give you money.
25:10He wasn't a father I was close to. But I won't drag you down. I didn't blame you.
25:15All those years of privilege were enough. I had a job. Two hands. Two feet. We could share the burden.
25:23Later, he replayed that moment over and over. It was that coldness from the person closest to him that sent
25:29him over the edge.
25:30Triggered another episode. Took the last of his reason.
25:33Late that night, he went back to Ashford Capital's corner office. Every financial record the company had was stored there.
25:39He destroyed what he could. Shredder, hard drives wiped clean. Then, in that same office, he overdosed.
25:44Swallowed an entire bottle of prescription pills. And set a fire.
25:48The fire department put out the blaze. Most of the documents were already Ash. Some things could never be traced
25:53again.
25:54The corporate legal team and the insurance company controlled the narrative.
25:57The official statement read,
25:58Richard Ashford passed away from cardiac arrest during the course of the investigation.
26:02Cause of death? Sealed.
26:04The media kept its spotlight on the financial scandal.
26:07Nobody cared how a fallen fund manager actually died.
26:10I didn't kill my father.
26:11But I was the thing that pushed him faster toward the edge.
26:14I ended the three-year arrangement with Ethan.
26:16His debts were long paid off.
26:18Aside from a small ache of not wanting to let go,
26:20it cost me nothing.
26:22I had nothing left.
26:23Even with most of the financial records destroyed,
26:25the remaining liabilities and personal guarantees were enough to suffocate me.
26:29Without Ethan, my emotions had no outlet.
26:32I realized I couldn't keep going.
26:34I was so tired.
26:36I wanted to die.
26:38The rooftop of the Ashford Capitol building.
26:40Ethan on his knees, begging me,
26:42controlled and falling apart at the same time.
26:44He never gave me a kind look.
26:46Not once.
26:47Every glance said he despised me.
26:49But the moment he saw me about to jump,
26:52something in him snapped.
26:53That shock, the sheer strangeness of his desperation,
26:56is what stopped me from stepping off the edge.
26:58I stared as he took my hand in his,
27:00gentle and terrified.
27:03Eden, I'm here.
27:04You want to hit me?
27:05You can hit me.
27:05I won't charge you.
27:06Not now, not ever.
27:07Just come down, please.
27:08Come down and hit me.
27:09Just...
27:09I have nothing left to give you.
27:11I don't need.
27:12Marry me.
27:13I'll take care of you.
27:13I'll pay off the debt.
27:15Please, if you die, I won't survive either.
27:18From somewhere far away,
27:20Dr. Vaughn's voice calls me back.
27:23Eden.
27:23My mind resurfaces.
27:25Dr. Vaughn watches my eyes.
27:27A small smile on his face.
27:28Some of it came back.
27:31Ethan hovers beside me, tense.
27:33How are you feeling?
27:34I look up at him.
27:35I'm fine.
27:36It's over.
27:37When you first married Ethan,
27:38you were in a very bad place.
27:40But he didn't give up.
27:41He found me.
27:42Over the years, you've made real progress.
27:44As for why the amnesia happened,
27:45that's not my story to tell.
27:47Ask your husband.
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