- 21 minutes ago
Shattered Porcelain HD
Category
🎥
Short filmTranscript
00:00He took me to a piercing studio.
00:02I'll give you 50 grand for each piercing. How much do you need?
00:06I didn't expect it to be a live stream.
00:09The locations of the piercings on my private parts were all voted on by the audience.
00:14My mother saw the live stream.
00:16She watched her daughter being stripped of dignity in front of millions.
00:21That night, she swallowed an entire bottle of sleeping pills.
00:25I couldn't even pay for her coffin.
00:27I washed his mistress's stained sheets just to get money for my mother's funeral.
00:35I was born with skin as fragile as glass.
00:39The slightest touch makes it tear.
00:41After my family's decline, I asked my wealthy boyfriend for a loan.
00:45Instead, Sebastian Thorne took me to a piercing studio with a cruel, mocking glint in his eyes.
00:52I'll give you 50 grand for each piercing.
00:55How much do you need?
00:57I knew he was deliberately torturing me, punishing me for raising a hand against his adopted sister.
01:04Yet, I still gave in.
01:05The first piercing went through a private area.
01:09I dug my nails into my palms until they bled.
01:12The second piercing went straight through my shoulder, leaving a trail of blood.
01:16After 10 piercings, I was shaking violently in extreme pain.
01:21Sebastian casually tossed a flimsy check onto me.
01:255 million.
01:275 million S. City Currents of barely 2,000.
01:30I didn't cry or make a scene.
01:32I just picked it up.
01:33I squeezed out a smile for him.
01:36Thank you, Mr. Thorne.
01:38It's enough.
01:40Enough to buy a decent urn for my ashes one that won't let the wind in.
01:47Just as I reached for the last bill, Sebastian crushed my hand under his foot.
01:54You're calling me Mr. Thorne?
01:57He gripped my neck, forcing me to look him in the eye.
02:01Didn't you used to crawl after me?
02:03Begging to call me babe?
02:06Husband?
02:07Why so quiet now?
02:08The piercings tugged at my skin with agonizing pain, beads of blood seeping out all over
02:14my body.
02:15I lowered my head, compromising with abject humility for the first time.
02:20Sebastian, give me the divorce papers.
02:22There was a time when a single flinch from me would send him into a panic.
02:26Now, Sebastian's eyes held nothing but a cold lack of care.
02:31He curled his lip in a sneer.
02:32You want a divorce?
02:34You're a doll I trained with my own hands.
02:37Why should I let anyone else have my leftovers?
02:41Then he commanded,
02:42Give up the master bedroom to Isabella.
02:45She has a weak constitution and isn't used to the guest room.
02:52Walking out of the piercing studio, my skin felt as if it were being torn apart.
02:58I counted the medical money he gave me.
03:00There was an extra 200.
03:02Just as I was about to push the door open to return it,
03:05I heard the piercer's fawning voice.
03:08Mr. Thorne, the live stream you arranged has already surpassed 10 million figure.
03:13My mind went blank with a buzz, as if struck by a heavy hammer.
03:17My private piercings, watched by the entire internet.
03:21That shame broke me more than the physical pain.
03:24I was born with glass skin, a condition where even a needle could cause my flesh to rot.
03:29Back then, Sebastian knelt for 999 steps up the pilgrimage stairs to plead for my cure.
03:36He suppressed his desires for nearly 10 years, being careful even when hugging me.
03:42Only when my condition became steady did we truly belong to each other.
03:50Back then, he held me, his voice trembling.
03:53I will protect you with my life.
03:56But ever since he met Isabella Thorne at the art exhibition, everything changed.
04:01She was vibrant and bold, like a wild rose with thorns.
04:05The complete opposite of someone dutiful and reserved like me.
04:09Countless times in bed, Sebastian would pant heavily and whisper to her,
04:14Isabella, my life belongs to you.
04:20After hearing the piercer's report, Sebastian tapped his fingertips on the table and asked nonchalantly,
04:26Her face wasn't shown just now, was it?
04:30Rest assured, Ms. Vance's face was blurred the entire time.
04:33Trembling, I unlocked my phone.
04:36It turned out that the locations of the piercings on my private parts were all voted on by the livestream
04:42audience.
04:43Shoulder private!
04:49It felt as though icy.
04:51Bone-chilling nails were piercing through my entire body.
04:54Censored screenshots had already flooded the local forums.
04:58Everyone was trying to uncover the identity of the woman with the blurred face.
05:03Sebastian leaned back against the sofa, his tone casual.
05:07If Iris Vance had just behaved, she wouldn't have had to suffer like this.
05:12Once Isabella sees this news, she should finally be willing to take my call.
05:18Light snow drifted through the streets, but it was nothing compared to the chill in my blood.
05:23All because I couldn't stand seeing his birthday scarred into the small of her back.
05:27I had taken someone to get it lasered off.
05:31So this is how he takes his revenge on me.
05:33I wrapped my coat tightly around myself and fled the piercing shop like a wandering ghost.
05:39Sebastian has been with me for so many years.
05:42He knows perfectly well.
05:44My body simply cannot withstand having them removed.
05:47These piercings will leave permanent holes in my body and bring me a lifetime of humiliation.
05:56I told the driver not to go back to the Thorn Mansion, but to drive straight to where Mom lived.
06:01After my family's fall from grace, she had moved from the mid-level villa to the slums.
06:07The place was as small as a storage unit.
06:10The car had barely come to a halt when I heard the wail of an ambulance siren.
06:15Paramedics were rushing out of the building with a stretcher.
06:18The person on the stretcher lay motionless beneath a silent white sheet.
06:22My heart sank violently and my fingertips turned ice cold.
06:26Holding my breath, I dialed her number.
06:29Until my own voice.
06:31Singing that familiar nursery rhyme.
06:34Drifted out from beneath the white sheet.
06:36I rushed forward like a mad woman and ripped back the white sheet.
06:45Mom's eyes were wide and vacant, as if she had stared into the heart of a nightmare in her final
06:53moments.
06:54I screamed until my throat was raw, tears falling like broken pearls.
06:59My mother's checkups were always fine!
07:02How could this happen?
07:15The medical examiner glanced at me.
07:18Your mother took an overdose of sleeping pills.
07:21No, I didn't believe it.
07:23Mom loved me too much.
07:25She would never leave me all alone.
07:27I unlocked her phone.
07:29On the screen, a message from an anonymous account flickered it was the link to the live stream.
07:35I collapsed to the floor, my strength gone.
07:38A sharp pain twisted in my chest as I broke down sobbing.
07:42It was me.
07:44I was the one who killed my own mother.
07:48In our chat history, she had left her final words.
07:52Iris, my darling.
07:54Don't let yourself be chained to a man who doesn't love you.
07:57My fragile glass doll, leave this darkness behind.
08:01Go find the sun again.
08:03Clutching my mother's cold hand, I wept like a child.
08:06My skin would ulcerate and fester at the slightest bump.
08:10My classmates looked at me like I was garbage, avoiding me like the plague.
08:16Only mom would hug me tight, repeating over and over.
08:21You're different from the others.
08:23You are my porcelain doll.
08:25If you don't want to go to school, mommy will homeschool you every day.
08:32But I was determined to fight fate, gritting my teeth and continuing school.
08:39The year one transferred high schools, I sat next to Sebastian.
08:43He was the one who chased away my bullies time and again.
08:47Even though it was out of his way, he walked me to and from school every day.
08:51Back then, I naively thought he was the light of my world.
08:55It turned out that besides mom, there really was someone who would protect me without asking
09:00for anything in return.
09:02When we graduated college, I secretly gave the dowry mom had saved for me to Sebastian
09:07to start his business.
09:09For once, fate finally treated me kindly.
09:12When the company turned its first profit, he placed the deed to a Riverview villa in the
09:17city center into my hands.
09:20Reporters crowded around to interview him.
09:25Mr. Thorne, why give your girlfriend such an expensive gift right after starting your
09:29business?
09:30Clad in a custom-made suit, he radiated the charm of a perfect gentleman.
09:35Back then, she sat on the back of my bicycle and lived in a basement with me for two years.
09:43I swore then that one day I would let her live in a house where she could see the sunlight
09:49and the waves.
09:50From now on, you can all call her Mrs. Thorne.
09:55Amidst the salute of fireworks, he knelt on one knee and pulled out a ring.
10:00Everyone said we were the model couple of the business world.
10:03They called it a fairy tale ending.
10:05The devoted wife who stayed through the storm, finally crowned in his glory.
10:09I sat withered in the morgue for the entire afternoon, until the staff member's voice
10:15pulled me back from my trance.
10:17Mrs. Thorne, this card still won't go through.
10:22That was the last card I had on me.
10:25The man who once bought me a Riverview house and jewelry had frozen every single one of my
10:30accounts.
10:31Just two coax a smile out of his adopted baby sister, Isabella.
10:36Swallowing the bitterness in my throat, I knelt humbly and begged.
10:40This is everything I have.
10:44Please, just let me lay my mother to rest.
10:46I'll find a way to pay the balance, I swear.
10:49The staff member looked at me with mockery.
10:52This isn't even enough to buy a coffin.
10:54He sneered.
10:55Just go apologize to Mr. Thorne.
10:58Soften up a bit.
10:59You can surely get this small amount of money from him.
11:01I took a shaky breath and unclasped the heavy gold cross from my neck.
11:06This is solid gold.
11:08It's worth at least $20,000.
11:12Please, have a heart.
11:14He snatched it eagerly, bit down to test it, and then violently smashed the cross onto the
11:20ground.
11:21I can't believe you had the gall to try and scam me with a cheap gold-plated piece of junk.
11:30The gold cross, engraved with my name and meant to keep me safe, now lay mangled and deformed
11:36from his blow.
11:37My tears finally broke free, crashing down onto the mangled lump of gold.
11:42Beneath the thin layer of gold leaf, the dull, dark copper stung my eyes.
11:48The gift was a sham, just like his love.
11:51Every word, every promise since the very beginning had been a calculated lie.
11:55I picked up the twisted piece of fake gold and used my last bit of change to catch a cab
12:01back to the Thorn Mansion.
12:02Outside the master bedroom, I heard Sebastian's lazy, teasing voice from inside.
12:09Every time I touch her, it's a chore.
12:11One wrong move and the sheets are stained with her blood.
12:14It's a total turn-off.
12:16You're much better.
12:18You're so obedient and you know so many more positions.
12:22I couldn't stop my anger and sadness.
12:25I screamed, kicking at the door like mad.
12:28Sebastian!
12:30You poison mother!
12:31You killed my mother!
12:36The man's voice was thick with impatience and lingering lust.
12:40Iris, I'm not pouring any more money into your family's bottom.
12:44Don't use your mother's death as a pathetic plea for sympathy.
12:49Tears streamed down my face.
12:51I was sobbing so hard I could barely breathe.
12:54I have never lied to you, but what about you?
12:58Even the gold guardian cross you gave me was a fake.
13:02Sebastian fell silent for a few seconds, his tone laced with confusion.
13:07Iris, what the hell are you talking about?
13:09There was a rustling sound of someone getting up, but it was cut short by a woman's flirty whining.
13:15Sebastian, come on.
13:17A few more times.
13:18I haven't finished yet.
13:22Alright, whatever you say.
13:27After that, no matter how hard I kicked or how loud I cursed, it just became background noise to fuel
13:33their pleasure.
13:34My breakdown and extreme pain seemed to act as fuel for their lust.
13:42I collapsed to the floor, unconsciously murmuring his name.
13:46Sebastian!
13:47I wanted to tell on him to the man he used to be the man who used to cherish me
13:52above all else.
13:53I don't know how much time passed before the bedroom door finally opened.
13:57I could see large, wet stains all over the bed.
14:01Those were my bridal linens handmade by my mother.
14:04I instantly realized just how intense they had been moments ago.
14:08Sebastian caught sight of the tears in the corners of my eyes, a complicated look flashing through his own.
14:15He frowned and instinctively reached his hand out toward me.
14:18But Isabella beat him to it, grabbing his hand and pressing it against her lower abdomen.
14:24Sebastian, you are incredible.
14:26I can feel you still inside me.
14:29I'm only 20, so I'm sure to get pregnant easily.
14:32Unlike Iris, she's nothing but a barren, broken doll.
14:37As she spoke, she shot a disdainful glance at my body.
14:44I was trembling all over, my voice shaking.
14:48You had a vasectomy?
14:51You said there was no way for us to have another baby.
14:54Sebastian's gaze swept over me indifferently.
14:57Yet it pierced my heart like a knife.
15:00Iris, I had the vascomy reversed.
15:03Things have changed.
15:04I need an heir to carry on the Thorn legacy.
15:06The last shred of hope was crushed and my heart turned to ash.
15:10If I hadn't given you my dowry as startup capital, how would you have ever built this fortune?
15:16Our first child.
15:18I lost it because my health was to frail.
15:21It was you who knelt in the church all night, swearing you would never want children in this lifetime.
15:27You were the one who knelt in the temple all night,
15:30praying and swearing that you'd never crave a child if it meant risking my life.
15:36I ripped the heirloom emerald bracelet from my wrist and smashed it onto the floor.
15:41The jagged shard sliced into my skin, drawing blood.
15:46I'm returning this heirloom bracelet to you.
15:49Sebastian, I will never believe a single word you say again.
15:53Sebastian didn't even look up, indifferently ordering the servant.
15:57Her wrist is cut.
15:59Bring the antiseptic ointment.
16:00Before I could speak, he suddenly sneered.
16:03Get some ointment for her wrist.
16:06We can't have you dying here.
16:08It's bad for business.
16:10My family has no room for a jinx like you.
16:12My throat felt as if it were stuffed with cotton.
16:15I slapped away his reaching hand.
16:17Do you know?
16:18My mom swallowed sleeping pillets and killed herself exactly because she watched that livestream!
16:26You even froze all my cards!
16:28I can't even scrape together the money for her funeral!
16:31The only response I got was a vicious slap.
16:40Iris.
16:42To extort money, you'd even make up such despicable lies.
16:46In the moment our eyes met, the boy who once draped his jacket over me in the rain, and this
16:52man before me with eyes like ice, were like to completely different people.
16:56The air seemed to freeze solid, until a ball of sticky, soiled bedsheets was thrown at my feet.
17:03Isabella snuggled into Sebastian's embrace.
17:07Sebastian, I'm too exhausted to move.
17:10Why don't you let Iris wash the sheets for us?
17:13I froze in place.
17:15Sebastian pinched Isabella's cheek, then turned to me and said,
17:20Wash this clean.
17:22I'll give you a hundred thousand, after it's done.
17:27Remember, stop using your mother to scam people.
17:32If you want money, you have to be obedient.
17:38Just so mom could rest in peace, I gritted my teeth, bent down and picked up that disgusting thing.
17:45When I walked out of the bathroom, Isabella was leaning against the doorframe, looking at me with a faint, ambiguous
17:53smile.
17:53I can give you a sum of money to bring your mom's company back to life, she pointed to the
17:59documents on the table.
18:01Just sign the divorce papers.
18:03I stared at her blankly, my voice trembling.
18:07How did you get Sebastian's signature?
18:10Ever since she appeared, I had mentioned divorce to Sebastian countless times, but he ignored me every time.
18:17Isabella raised an eyebrow, her tone flippant.
18:20I said, I wanted that pink diamond ring from the auction.
18:24He didn't even ask the price, he just signed.
18:27That ring was worth 500 million.
18:30Sebastian couldn't possibly not know that.
18:36If he had been willing to pay just one third of that price, my mother wouldn't have been driven to
18:42a dead end.
18:42He would rather drop a fortune on a ring for his adopted sister than spare a cent to save my
18:48mother.
18:49Bitterness welled up in my throat.
18:51Final sign.
18:53Isabella took me to the underground garage.
18:55Get in.
18:56I'll take you to get the money.
18:58The car drove further and further into desolation.
19:01It wasn't heading toward the bank at all.
19:04I smashed the window with all my might, trying to jump out.
19:07A pill was forcibly stuffed into my mouth.
19:10My consciousness instantly plunged into darkness.
19:14When I opened my eyes, I was bound tightly to a chair.
19:17Isabella gripped my jaw fiercely, a knife hidden in her smile.
19:23Iris, do you know how many people out there are looking for you to collect debts?
19:30My heart sank violently, a subconscious panic setting in.
19:35She turned back and jerked her chin at the men behind her, whose faces were brutal and fleshy.
19:40She's the daughter of that fraud, Margaret Vance.
19:45Sebastian has already divorced her.
19:47She is nothing now.
19:49Do whatever you want with her.
19:52As soon as the words left her mouth, the men circled me like a pack of hungry wolves.
19:58I was pinned to the ground, forced to beg on my knees over and over.
20:02I'm sorry.
20:04I'm sorry.
20:05They roared at the top of their lungs.
20:08It's all because of your damn dead mother that we haven't been paid in three months.
20:12My eyes red.
20:13I screamed back.
20:15My mom is gone.
20:16Don't you dare talk about her like that.
20:22The men burst into raucous laughter, their tone filthy and vicious.
20:26Since your mom's dead, you can pay her debts with your body.
20:35Their rough fingernails scraped against my skin, feeling like sandpaper grinding against my
20:40bones.
20:41I curled into a ball, tears mixed with drops of blood hitting the ground.
20:46It felt like I was back in my childhood, being bullied all over again.
20:51Only this time, no one was coming to save me.
20:54They roughly tore my clothes to shreds.
20:57Seeing the piercings on my body, they howled in excitement.
21:00Wait, she's the bitch from the live stream.
21:03Come on, brothers.
21:05Let's see what the great Sebastian Thones leftovers taste like.
21:09I scrambled backward desperately, but the ropes binding me only grew tighter.
21:14Just then, the phone that had been thrown to the ground started vibrating.
21:19Gritting my teeth, I crawled toward it.
21:22But Isabella stepped on the phone, crushing it under her foot as she sneered.
21:27Give it up.
21:29No one is coming to save you.
21:31With that, she locked the iron gate from the outside.
21:39That night, Sebastian called my number again, but it was already switched off.
21:44He checked the GPS tracker on my phone.
21:47It led him to the heart of the slums the most dangerous part of the city.
21:51To his shock, my location showed up in the most depraved and chaotic part of the slums.
21:57Sebastian gripped the steering wheel tight and drove like a madman toward the location.
22:02Just as he turned into the alley, he overheard to drunken day laborers.
22:07That chick back there was wild.
22:10Those piercings on her body drove me crazy.
22:14Sebastian froze in his tracks, the blood rushing straight to his head.
22:19Sebastian grabbed the man by the hair, forcing his head back.
22:23Did any of you filthy animals lay a finger on her?
22:30Tell me where she is, or you're dead.
22:36He was filled with rage.
22:38I was the treasure he had protected for ten years, and he would not allow anyone to hurt me.
22:44Seeing his custom-made suit, the day laborers immediately adopted a weak and fearful,
22:50begging on their knees posture.
22:51Wait, wait, boss, please.
22:55We didn't know who she was.
22:57It's all a mistake.
22:59Don't kill us.
23:00We'll take you to her, right this second.
23:03With that, the two men led Sebastian deeper into the alley.
23:07A dozen shops ahead were lit with cheap neon lights.
23:11Heavily made-up women stood by the street,
23:13but upon seeing his face, cold as ice, they retreated in fear.
23:18They all knew they couldn't afford to offend such a powerful figure.
23:23Sebastian's knuckles turned white as he thought to himself.
23:26The punishment today was too harsh.
23:30I didn't even give her a chance to explain before making the decision on my own.
23:34If the consequences are truly that bad, how will someone as proud as her ever face me again?
23:44The day laborers led him into a barbershop.
23:47Going low, one said.
23:50Boss, the young lady you're looking for is right in there.
23:53Inside, a woman in a slip dress was lounging on the sofa, touching up her makeup.
23:59Sebastian strode over and yanked her up.
24:01The moment he saw her face, his suspended heart suddenly settled.
24:07It's not her.
24:09He whispered.
24:10Where on earth is Iris right now?
24:12Sebastian, consumed by fury, immediately dialed his bodyguard.
24:17My wife is missing.
24:19I want her location within ten minutes.
24:22But no one expected what happened next.
24:24The bodyguard team, which the Thorne family spent a fortune on every year recruiting top talent nationwide, could not find
24:32me.
24:33Sebastian tore up the search report handed to him by the bodyguards.
24:37A vague suspicion surfaced in his mind.
24:44He immediately had Isabella brought to him, his eyes cold as knives.
24:49Someone said you were the last person to see my wife.
24:52I didn't want to suspect you, but the bodyguards have searched every corner of Seattle.
24:58Isabella, you'd better come clean.
25:00Isabella walked up to him and leaned into his embrace.
25:03Iris' family went bankrupt.
25:05Do you know how many people want revenge on her and her mother?
25:09Her mother is already dead.
25:12I just thought I'd hand her over to let those people take their revenge.
25:18Think of it as accumulating good karma for our child.
25:24Sebastian, I'm already pregnant with your child.
25:27Why should that barren hen stay in the Thorne family?
25:31Upon hearing this, Sebastian's hand clamped around her throat.
25:35The force of his grip seemed intended to kill her.
25:42Who gave you the right to act on your own?
25:48Tell me where Iris is, right now!
25:51If a single hair on her head is harmed, I will make you wish you were dead.
25:56Isabella covered her burning cheek, daring not to talk back any longer.
26:01I only sent her there.
26:04I know it's the real last to end of being at this bit.
26:07She continued to feign innocence.
26:09I paid off those workers.
26:11At most, they'd yell at her a bit.
26:13They wouldn't lay a hand on her.
26:14But Sebastian wouldn't believe a single word anymore.
26:17He drove straight to that abandoned warehouse on the outskirts of town.
26:22The main gate was ajar, and the warehouse was completely empty.
26:26Only a pool of darkened blood remained on the concrete floor.
26:30Sebastian dropped to his knees, ignoring the filth on the ground as he reached for a blood-stained emerald pendant.
26:37There was no mistaking it.
26:39This was mine the one piece of jewelry I never took off.
26:46His eyes drifted to the dark, sticky pool of blood on the concrete.
26:51His heart felt like it was being crushed in a vice.
26:54The pain making it impossible to breathe.
26:57He immediately ordered the security team to run a rushed DNA test on the blood.
27:02Then, dragging Isabella by the arm like she was trash,
27:06he hauled her to the underground chamber behind the warehouse.
27:09There was a three-meter deep pool there, already filled with ice.
27:14Isabella finally smelled the scent of death.
27:16Her face was ashen as she shrank back in fear.
27:19Sebastian, why did you bring me here?
27:24I'm so cold.
27:26Sebastian only gave her a cold look.
27:29Cold?
27:30You won't be feeling that for long.
27:33Two minutes later,
27:35two bodyguards roughly tore open Isabella's clothes,
27:38chaining her hands and feet.
27:44Isabella shivered uncontrollably from the cold and screamed.
27:48Sebastian, are you crazy?
27:51I'm carrying your child!
27:53But Sebastian stepped closer, his eyes devoid of warmth.
27:57Scared?
27:58When you pushed Iris toward those day labors,
28:00did you ever think she might be scared too?
28:02Isabella,
28:04did you really think climbing into my bed would let you replace her?
28:08You aren't even worth her shadow.
28:12He waved his hand,
28:14and the bodyguards immediately pulled the chains toward the pool.
28:18The moment Isabella's feet touched the water,
28:21her whole body seized up from the cold.
28:23The man before her was no longer the tender partner,
28:26but the grim reaper from hell.
28:29Speak.
28:30What exactly happened tonight?
28:33I want the truth,
28:35not your lies.
28:38He glanced at the time,
28:40his tone chilling.
28:41I'm counting to ten.
28:44If you don't talk,
28:46I'll sink you.
28:48Isabella went completely limp,
28:50snot and tears streaming down her face.
28:53I was wrong!
28:55I was just jealous of her.
28:57I wanted to teach her a lesson.
29:00She spilled everything how she colluded with the workers,
29:03how she tricked Iris into going to the warehouse.
29:07After listening,
29:08Sebastian pushed her head down toward the water.
29:11His eyes were filled with poisonous, murderous intent.
29:15Isabella's voice cracked with terror.
29:19But you even live streamed today
29:22to get revenge for me.
29:25I'm still carrying your child.
29:27How can you do this to me?
29:28Sebastian sneered.
29:30Do you really think I had the piercer use ordinary nails on her?
29:35I just wanted to teach Iris a lesson
29:37to make her behave.
29:43Those were custom-made nails.
29:46They dissolve completely after three days.
29:49No one would have known it was her in the live stream.
29:50But you took that as proof that I love her.
29:53And you decided to kill her.
29:55How could I not love her?
29:58She is the woman I would give my life to protect.
30:01Only I am allowed to cause her pain.
30:05Who the hell do you think you are?
30:07Isabella continued to scream in her defense.
30:11No!
30:13Sebastian, I must be special to you!
30:15Otherwise, you wouldn't have let me carry your child!
30:19He is your bloodline!
30:21He's supposed to inherit your family fortune!
30:24Sebastian's foot was already on top of her head,
30:27pressing down with increasing force.
30:30Before you go under,
30:31I might as well tell you one more thing.
30:34The child in your belly
30:36is actually an embryo from me and Iris.
30:39I had a doctor implanted in you.
30:47Isabella,
30:50when it comes down to it,
30:52you're just a tool for breeding.
30:58I had planned to treat you better,
31:00to let you help raise the child.
31:05But what a pity.
31:07You won't live to see that day.
31:10With those words,
31:12he kicked her hard
31:13and Isabella sank to the bottom.
31:16Sebastian had countless ways
31:18to make Isabella vanish instantly.
31:21But he felt that would be
31:22letting her off too easy.
31:24For a woman with a heart
31:26as poisonous as a snake,
31:28she deserved to simmer in fear
31:30until he lost interest completely.
31:32Isabella was pushed underwater
31:34in the freezing pool.
31:35Her body had gone numb
31:37from the extreme cold,
31:38her limbs swollen,
31:39and stiff.
31:40Just as she sank to the bottom,
31:42the rope around her neck
31:44yanked her violently upward,
31:46leaving her coughing
31:47as if her lungs would tear apart.
31:50But this was only the beginning.
31:56The ropes binding her neck
31:58and limbs lowered her slowly once more.
32:00She was forced to teeter
32:01back and forth
32:02on the edge of drowning
32:03and suffocation.
32:05Sebastian knew she feared
32:06the cold and suffocation
32:08above all else,
32:09so he would make her taste
32:10the brink of death
32:11a hundred times beneath the water.
32:13Hours later,
32:14the call from the bodyguard
32:15finally came.
32:19Mr. Thorne,
32:20we've located Mrs. Thorne.
32:23The day laborers had all been rounded up.
32:27From them,
32:29Sebastian learned the truth.
32:32Moments after Isabella
32:33left the warehouse,
32:34the main doors were blasted open
32:36by a group of men in black.
32:40A man in a black trench coat
32:42had scooped up me
32:43and vanished into the night.
32:48Then where the hell is my wife?
32:52Sebastian's eyes were bloodshot
32:54as he demanded.
32:55But no one had the answer.
32:58He took a deep breath
33:00and radioed his men again.
33:06Turn Seattle upside down
33:08if you have to.
33:09Find her.
33:12That night,
33:13several middle-aged men
33:14appeared in the slums of Seattle,
33:16unconscious and with their limbs broken,
33:19when I startled awake
33:20from a chaotic nightmare.
33:22I found myself
33:23in a pristine white hospital room
33:25filled with sophisticated equipment.
33:27This wasn't an ordinary ward.
33:29It was run by
33:31the Global Medical Federation.
33:33It's a facility reserved
33:35for the world's most elite.
33:37A place that only accepted
33:39the elite who had made
33:41significant contributions
33:42to humanity.
33:45I realized with a silent start,
33:48what ends it seem.
33:49I hadn't expected
33:51that he would be the one
33:52to save me just in time.
33:54The man in the adjoining lounge
33:56saw I was awake
33:57and entered the room
33:58after an iris scan.
34:00I softly called out his name
34:03at Liam.
34:05Thank you for today.
34:06He gently took my hand,
34:08his voice steady and calm.
34:09There's no need for that
34:10between us.
34:11If I hadn't happened to be
34:12on break and contacted you,
34:14I dread to think
34:16what might have happened.
34:20He paused,
34:22then lifted a bowl of nutrient porridge
34:24to feed me.
34:26Why did you go to a place like that?
34:28It's really not safe.
34:30I remained silent,
34:32unwilling to reopen those wounds.
34:34even if he was my childhood sweetheart.
34:38Sebastian had his lover,
34:40his adopted sister,
34:40and I had my childhood sweetheart
34:42of 10 years.
34:45It was just that
34:46after I got together
34:47with Sebastian,
34:48I had consciously kept
34:50my distance from Liam.
34:52Liam's parents were core researchers
34:54at the center,
34:54and he had grown up
34:56under my mother's care.
34:58In high school,
35:00he was selected
35:00for the medical center's
35:02elite training program,
35:03and now he was
35:04its youngest senior officer.
35:06We hadn't seen much
35:07of each other over the years,
35:09only confirming
35:10we were both well
35:10through occasional calls
35:12and messages.
35:13He had contacted me
35:14this time
35:14to share some major news.
35:20We've had a breakthrough
35:21with your glass skin condition.
35:24This new treatment
35:25is light years ahead
35:26of the junk
35:27Sebastian found.
35:28It was a world of difference
35:29compared to those folk remedies
35:31Sebastian had dug up.
35:33Just one of the specific pills
35:35would allow me
35:35to become a normal person
35:37within a week.
35:39As I swallowed
35:40the sugar-coated pill,
35:41I couldn't help
35:42but say thanks once more
35:43to the man standing before me.
35:45Aside from a flimsy
35:46thank you.
35:48I didn't seem to have
35:49anything else
35:50to offer him in return.
35:51He had already become
35:52a chief of the highest
35:53medical rank,
35:54a height I could never
35:55hope to reach.
35:56A man like him
35:57truly lacked for nothing.
35:59After leaving
36:00the treatment control center,
36:01I never wanted to return
36:03to the Thorn Mansion,
36:04the cage that had
36:05imprisoned me
36:05for so many years.
36:07I'd act as if
36:08I had long since let go,
36:09leaving the unfaithful
36:11Sebastian and that
36:12iron cage to Isabella.
36:15I rented an apartment
36:16with a balcony
36:17by the river.
36:19Liam moved into
36:20the same complex,
36:21right next door.
36:23This proximity
36:25finally allowed
36:25my frayed nerves
36:26a moment of peace.
36:29It happened to be
36:30his rotation break.
36:32Occasionally,
36:33he would take me out
36:34for a drive.
36:34He would also
36:36invite me over
36:37to taste his cooking.
36:38I had never seen him
36:39like this wearing
36:40a cotton linen apron,
36:41tending to a pot
36:42of thick soup
36:43all afternoon.
36:45It completely changed
36:46my opinion of him.
36:48I'd often tease him.
36:51With skills like
36:52disness,
36:52even the center's
36:53Ristoshi menu
36:54couldn't keep you satisfied.
36:55A hint of grievance
36:57flashed in his eyes.
36:59Back when I was
37:00supporting remote
37:01outposts,
37:02all I had to
37:03gnaw on were
37:04compressed biscuits.
37:06Back then,
37:07I'd always think
37:08of Aunt Margaret's
37:09pork chop.
37:10It wasn't until
37:11I returned to
37:11headquarters that
37:12I got a dedicated
37:13dietary consultant.
37:17Hearing him
37:18mention my mother,
37:19the spoon in my hand
37:21clattered onto the table.
37:23He looked at me,
37:24his voice soft.
37:27I'm sorry,
37:28I didn't mean to.
37:29If you don't
37:30want to talk about it,
37:32I won't bring it up again.
37:35I shook my head,
37:36tears already
37:37welling up in my eyes.
37:39It had been so long
37:40since I tasted
37:41my mother's cooking,
37:42and I would never
37:43have the chance again.
37:45After I was rescued
37:47from the warehouse,
37:48Liam not only paid
37:49for my mother's
37:50funeral expenses,
37:51but also arranged
37:52a grand memorial
37:53service for her.
37:54As for the truth
37:55behind the company's
37:56bankruptcy,
37:57he uncovered it
37:58using the Medical
37:59Alliance's
38:00Global Information Network.
38:01It turned out
38:02to be Sebastian's
38:03conspiracy all along.
38:05He had engineered
38:06a fatal contract.
38:07He siphoned off
38:09all the cash flow
38:09from my mother's
38:10company and bribed
38:11every financial institution,
38:13cutting off
38:14our escape route.
38:15Furthermore,
38:16Liam had used
38:17his resources
38:18to recover
38:18the diverted assets,
38:20getting the company
38:21back up and running.
38:22All the unpaid wages
38:23for the day laborers
38:25had been issued
38:25as well.
38:29Tragically,
38:30Mom would never know.
38:32I patted his shoulder.
38:34It's okay.
38:36It seems we are
38:37the only two left
38:38who still remember her.
38:42I sniffled,
38:44trying hard to hold
38:45back my tears.
38:47Wasita Cibiza.
38:49If I hadn't married
38:50Sebastian,
38:51she could have lived
38:51happily and healthily
38:53for decades more.
38:55She only chose suicide,
38:59so she wouldn't
39:00be a burden to me.
39:03She gave me my life,
39:04yet she lost hers
39:06because of me.
39:10Last night,
39:11Liam and I talked
39:11all night about the past.
39:13We talked about
39:14how Mom used to make
39:15sweet pork and corn stew
39:17for us in the summer.
39:18I would help Mom
39:20wash the corn,
39:21and Liam would help
39:22chop it up.
39:23Every time,
39:24I was the one
39:25who ate the most meat.
39:28Confused,
39:28I asked Mom
39:29why she wasn't
39:30eating any meat,
39:31wondering if she
39:32had lost her appetite.
39:33She just smiled
39:34and placed another
39:35piece of meat
39:35in my bowl.
39:36I used to have
39:37a taste for it
39:38when I was young.
39:42But somewhere
39:43along the way,
39:43I realized
39:45I'd rather
39:45see you full
39:46than eat it myself.
39:48That sentence
39:49stayed with me
39:50my whole life.
39:52It turns out
39:53the most loving
39:54lie in the world
39:55is,
39:56Mom doesn't
39:57like the taste.
40:01I told Liam
40:02that my mother
40:03actually loved
40:04sweets back then.
40:05But to teach me
40:06to eat less sugar,
40:08she even gave up
40:09her favorite
40:09floral honey cake.
40:12Once,
40:12when I caught her,
40:14she smiled awkwardly.
40:17Sweetie,
40:18Mom just had
40:19a tiny,
40:20tiny bite.
40:21Every time
40:22we would celebrate
40:23Christmas,
40:24Mom and I would
40:24lie on the sofa
40:25watching the holiday
40:26variety show.
40:27The performances
40:28were playing
40:28on the TV.
40:30Mom turned to me
40:31and asked,
40:32Do you know
40:33what tune this is?
40:34I said I didn't.
40:36I know it.
40:37Never learned it.
40:38Mom gave a proud
40:40little humph.
40:41This is that
40:42piano piece
40:42you practiced
40:43every single day.
40:44I still remember it,
40:46but you've forgotten
40:47it all.
40:48I smiled.
40:54Mom,
40:55but I played
40:55the violin.
40:59Then we both
41:00burst into laughter.
41:06I was born with
41:07glass skin syndrome.
41:09I was like a
41:10fragile porcelain doll,
41:11needing to be
41:12cradled in the palm
41:13of a hand and
41:13protected at all costs.
41:15It was truly
41:17exhausting.
41:18Yet my mother
41:19cared for me
41:19with meticulous
41:20devotion,
41:21beaming with delight.
41:22this beautiful
41:24porcelain doll
41:24is mine,
41:25and I'm going
41:26to take good
41:27care of her.
41:28That night,
41:29I didn't tell Liam
41:30about those
41:31heart-wrenching memories.
41:32Instead,
41:33I spoke of the
41:34sweet times
41:35I shared with Mom.
41:36Her dying wish
41:37was for me
41:38to be safe and happy,
41:39so I would carry
41:40all those warm
41:41memories of her
41:41and live the rest
41:42of my life well.
41:43The loss of a loved one
41:45is a dampness
41:46that clings
41:47for a lifetime,
41:48but the part of me
41:49that was shaped
41:49by my mother
41:50will take her place
41:51and stay with me
41:52forever.
41:52Before sleep,
41:53I said softly
41:54to Liam,
41:55Thank you for saving me,
41:57and thank you
41:58for everything you've done,
41:59but I'm not ready
42:00to start another
42:00relationship.
42:04Before I can love
42:05someone else,
42:07I need to learn
42:08to love myself first.
42:09I looked into
42:10the tenderness
42:11in his eyes
42:11and added,
42:12But we will be
42:13partners for life.
42:15People always mistake
42:16dependency for love.
42:18Having survived
42:19a shattered marriage,
42:20I can no longer
42:21believe in spending
42:22the rest of my life
42:23with another person.
42:24Nor do I want
42:26to hear flimsy promises
42:27or make guarantees
42:28that cannot be kept.
42:30He nodded gently,
42:31he softly sang
42:32a nursery rhyme,
42:34lulling me to sleep.
42:37The night in Seattle
42:38was completely silent,
42:40leaving only two
42:41adrift souls
42:42leaning on one another
42:44for warmth.
42:45A few days later,
42:46I took Liam's dog
42:47for a walk in the park.
42:49A Rolls Royce
42:50screeched to a halt
42:51beside me.
42:52The window rolled down
42:53to reveal
42:54Sebastian's agitated voice.
42:56Iris!
42:58Are you really
42:59going to throw
42:59everything away
43:00because of one mistake?
43:02Get in the car,
43:03now!
43:03I tightened my grip
43:04on the leash.
43:06Sebastian,
43:08you signed
43:09the divorce papers
43:10yourself.
43:12You're nothing
43:13but a stranger
43:13to me now.
43:16Please,
43:18have some dignity.
43:21Having said my piece,
43:22I tugged the dog along
43:24and kept walking,
43:25but Sebastian
43:26jumped out of the car
43:27and chased after me.
43:28He reached out
43:29and grabbed my arm.
43:31Don't go.
43:32Let's just talk properly,
43:34please.
43:38I shook off
43:39his hand violently,
43:40not even bothering
43:41to look at him.
43:42There's nothing
43:43to talk about.
43:44That was your signature
43:45on the divorce,
43:47your Sareforce papers.
43:49Legally,
43:50we have absolutely
43:51no ties anymore.
43:55Sebastian,
43:56stop this harassment.
43:58Trying to trap
43:59someone who doesn't love you
44:01is just torture
44:01for both of us.
44:03It's completely pointless.
44:05He acted as if
44:07he hadn't heard a word,
44:08rambling on and on.
44:10He kept going on
44:11about how much effort
44:12it took to find me
44:13and about the piercings
44:14on my body.
44:16He also claimed
44:17he had already tortured
44:19Isabella a thousand times over.
44:21I already knew
44:22about the nails.
44:23I knew the moment
44:24those nails began
44:25to dissolve
44:26and vanish
44:26from my skin.
44:28As for the rest
44:29of what he was saying,
44:30I couldn't care less.
44:31I finally stopped
44:32walking and turned
44:33my head,
44:34my voice as cold
44:35as ice.
44:36None of that
44:37matters anymore.
44:38What matters
44:39is that we will
44:41never have
44:41anything to do
44:43with each other again.
44:45Let the past
44:46rot in the past.
44:48Don't ever show
44:49your face
44:50in front of me again.
44:51Hearing this,
44:52Sebastian suddenly
44:53roared like a madman.
44:54Iris!
44:56Have you been
44:57seeing someone else
44:57all along?
44:59How else could you
45:00be so heartless?
45:04How could you
45:04forget me so quickly?
45:06watching him
45:07lose control,
45:08I couldn't help
45:08but laugh out loud.
45:11You're so arrogant.
45:13Does my life
45:14have to revolve
45:15around a man?
45:17I don't need
45:18to love someone else
45:19to stop loving you.
45:22I belong to myself.
45:25I am not
45:26your possession.
45:27I am not something
45:28you can just snatch away
45:29and certainly
45:30not something
45:31you can trap
45:31whenever you please.
45:32As I spoke,
45:34I pulled out my phone.
45:36Now get the hell
45:37away from me.
45:38Just ahead
45:38is a restricted
45:39medical facility.
45:40My brother works there.
45:42One phone call
45:43from me
45:44and he'll bring
45:45people out
45:45to pin you
45:46to the ground.
45:48But Sebastian
45:49seemed possessed.
45:51His eyes filled
45:52with a manic obsession.
45:53He gripped
45:54my wrist tightly,
45:55refusing to let go,
45:57determined to drag
45:58me back to his car.
45:59I couldn't be bothered
46:00to struggle
46:00with him any longer.
46:01I barked a command
46:02to the Doberman
46:03on the leash.
46:05Wester,
46:06get him.
46:07The command
46:07took immediate effect.
46:09West was a working dog
46:10with professional
46:11protection training
46:12and he obeyed
46:13my commands implicitly.
46:14He lunged forward,
46:16sinking his teeth
46:16into Sebastian's calf
46:18and tearing open
46:18several bloody gashes.
46:20Sebastian stumbled
46:21from the pain,
46:23dropping to one knee
46:23as cold sweat
46:24broke out
46:25across his forehead.
46:26I didn't even
46:27spare him a glance,
46:29turning on my heel
46:30and walking straight away.
46:32Just then,
46:33my phone screen lit up
46:34with a booking
46:35confirmation notification.
46:37Booking confirmed
46:38at Iris Vance,
46:39flight LX81
46:41to Zurich,
46:428 p.m.
46:45I locked the screen
46:46and my steps
46:47grew lighter.
46:49From now on,
46:50my life was finally
46:51rid of these toxic
46:52people and their mess.
46:54The past could no longer
46:55hold me prisoner.
46:58And like a bird,
47:00I would soar into a sky
47:01that belonged to me.
47:02I'm alive here,
47:02but I would
47:02touch my feet
47:02with no more
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