Cutting the Cord - Reborn as My Mom's High School Frenemy [Full Movie] - video Dailymotion

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Transcript

00:00:001996, Texas. I suddenly jerk up from the sink, gasping for air. Water drips from my thick blonde hair. I

00:00:06stare at the mirror in shock. The face staring back at me is vibrant, beautiful, full of life. Vintage smoky

00:00:11eye makeup framing a chalky teenage face. 18. You young, healthy, cancer free. I've been thrown back into the dead

00:00:18end Texas high school years my mom spent her entire life clawing her way out of. Suddenly, the bathroom door

00:00:24swings open. A familiar grapefruit perfume hits me instantly. It's Valerie, my 18 year old mother.

00:00:30Her hair is pulled into a high tony tail, high waisted jeans hugging her hips, a white tam top straight

00:00:34out of a 90s teen magazine. Come on, the pep lolly's about to start. She yanks me forward hard enough

00:00:39to make me stumble. But instead of following her, I freeze. Stare at the young face in front of me,

00:00:44untouched by wealth, untouched by surgery, untouched by the years that twisted her into a monster. Valerie, we're friends? Uh,

00:00:52duh, we're best friends. Why are you being so weird today? Come on.

00:00:55She turns and keeps pulling me towards the door. Half a step behind her, I stare at her back. The

00:00:59confusion in my eyes vanishes instantly, replaced by something cold, something vicious.

00:01:04The school's public address system drones on from the loudspeaker's overhead, buzzing with the daily lunch menu.

00:01:09Pizza slices, tater tots, and chocolate milk.

00:01:12Valerie pulls me through the crowded hallway, her hand warm and dry in mine. And then it hits me again,

00:01:18that sharp grapefruit perfume.

00:01:21The scent wraps around me so suddenly, my breath catches. It was the smell I knew best as a child.

00:01:26Before I turned five, she used to hold me in her arms, humming old country songs and asking if I

00:01:32loved her.

00:01:32But after she ditched me to chase her high school sweetheart to the big city, that scent only ever showed

00:01:38up in my nightmares.

00:01:40Scarlet, you've been acting weird all day.

00:01:42Scarlet? God, even this body's name sucks.

00:01:45Carefully, I slipped my hand out of hers. My eyes swamp across the hallway. The dented locker numbers, the faded

00:01:51football team pictures, the bulletin board plastered with fall semester 1996.

00:01:55Cheerleaders rush past us, ponytails flying while some varsity asshole has a scrawny kid pinned against a logger, shaking him

00:02:02down for lunch money.

00:02:03This isn't a dream. I'm really back in the 90s.

00:02:06That's when a tall, lanky guy with glasses started walking toward us.

00:02:10Hector, my mother's first love. The man who ruined all our lives.

00:02:14Hey, this is my Scarlet. She just transferred it in.

00:02:16Scarlet, meet Hector. Straight-A student, total teacher's pet, basically tutoring half the school.

00:02:21Hey, I'm Hector. Welcome to East Ridge.

00:02:24The second I hear his name, my stomach turns.

00:02:28I ignore his hand completely and scan the noisy hallway for the one person who should have been here.

00:02:33Where's my dad? Austin should be at this school, too.

00:02:37Wait! Austin's not in your class?

00:02:39Austin? There's no Austin in this entire school.

00:02:44Austin Walker! My dad! He's not- he's not here?

00:02:49Your... dad?

00:02:51Just as I'm scrambling for an excuse, a roar erupts from the end of the hallway and saves me.

00:02:55The pep rally's starting.

00:02:57You coming or what?

00:02:59Sunlight spills across her shoulders.

00:03:00For a second, she looks nothing like the woman who would one day watch me die without blinking.

00:03:05The gym is loud, humilded, packed wall-to-wall.

00:03:09Football players in red jerseys charge onto the court while cheerleaders shake palm balls under the flashing lights.

00:03:14The bleachers thunder with stomping feet and screaming students.

00:03:18This Friday, let's show East Ridge who really runs this town.

00:03:22The crowd explodes.

00:03:24She's radiant up there.

00:03:26Beside me, Hector adjusts his glasses, eyes fixed on her.

00:03:29She's gonna get out of this town someday.

00:03:31He says it like he already knows the future.

00:03:34I don't answer.

00:03:35I just stare at Valerie beneath the spotlight.

00:03:38After the rally, students pour out of the gym.

00:03:41The halls fill with slamming lockers and overlapping conversations again.

00:03:46People argue about Friday's game.

00:03:48Girls debate who's gonna win prom queen.

00:03:50Last period is study hall.

00:03:52Valerie sits one row ahead of me by the window.

00:03:55Her notes neat enough to look typed.

00:03:57As she flips a page, something slips out from between her books.

00:04:01A pale green application packet.

00:04:03Harvard University.

00:04:05My breathing catches.

00:04:06She actually got an application.

00:04:08But later in life, she always says Harvard was never an option for someone like her.

00:04:12So that was a lie too.

00:04:13Valerie, your future turns out cheap and pathetic anyway.

00:04:16So why are you out here pretend to be some gifted golden girl right now?

00:04:19It makes me sick.

00:04:20I rise from my seat.

00:04:21Then, with one sharp shove of my elbow, I knock over the black coffee on her desk.

00:04:26The dark liquid spills perfectly across the application packet, soaking through the giant

00:04:30Harvard crest until the ink begins to bleed.

00:04:32I stare at her coldly, waiting for her to snap.

00:04:36Waiting for the mask to fall off.

00:04:37Waiting to finally see the real Valerie underneath all that fake sweetness.

00:04:41But her reaction throws me completely off.

00:04:46Oh god, Scarlett, are you okay?

00:04:49She grabs a stack of napkins and immediately starts swiping coffee off my hand.

00:04:52There's real concern in her eyes.

00:04:53No anger.

00:04:54No blame.

00:04:55Not even irritation.

00:04:56It's wrong.

00:04:57She's too nice.

00:04:58So nice it scares me.

00:05:00Nice enough to make me wonder if the woman I remember was ever the real Valerie at all.

00:05:04Just then, the classroom door swings open.

00:05:07A Latino teacher steps inside and walks over to Valerie's desk.

00:05:10Hey Valerie, something came up with Scarlett's family.

00:05:14Kind of an emergency.

00:05:15Your parents called and asked if you could bring her home with you after school.

00:05:18An emergency?

00:05:20What the hell happened?

00:05:22By the time school lets out, the Texas sunset looks like the whole sky's on fire.

00:05:26Stadium lights flicker on one by one around the football field.

00:05:29The cheer squad is still practicing while snippets of 90s pop songs crack through the loudspears.

00:05:34Valerie walks a few steps ahead of me, her ponytail swaying softly behind her.

00:05:37She suddenly stops and turns to me gently.

00:05:39I heard about your parents.

00:05:41Scarlett, don't be scared, okay?

00:05:42You've still got me.

00:05:43We're best friends.

00:05:44Then she pulls me into a hug.

00:05:45I'm sorry for what happened.

00:05:46If you need a shoulder to cry on, I'll always be here.

00:05:48That faint grapefruit scent wraps around me again.

00:05:51And just like that, I break.

00:05:53In my last life, there were countless nights when I would have given anything for this exact embrace.

00:05:57As I sob into her shoulder, I deliberately smears and snot all over her pretty shirt.

00:06:01Petty revenge.

00:06:02Pathetic, tiny revenge.

00:06:04But her arms are warm exactly the way I remember from childhood.

00:06:07So how the hell did someone like this become the woman who wouldn't even save my life?

00:06:12A bicycle bell rings behind us.

00:06:14Hector catches up, pushing an old bike with a paper box of cupcakes sitting in the basket.

00:06:18He adjusts his glasses awkwardly.

00:06:20Sugar helps.

00:06:21A little, anyway.

00:06:22I watch the two of them walking side by side beneath the football field lights, and something bitter twists in

00:06:26my chest.

00:06:27What, Hector?

00:06:28You gonna pick her up like this every day?

00:06:30Keep her stuck in this town and make her your wife someday?

00:06:32Hector stops walking, but when he looks at me, his expression is completely open and sincere.

00:06:37Valerie's meant for bigger things than this place.

00:06:39She's too talented to spend her life shrinking herself for some guy.

00:06:44That'd be...

00:06:45wrong.

00:06:46I freeze, because I never imagined Hector would say something like that.

00:06:52I'm not getting stuck married with kids at 18.

00:06:55I want to see what's out there first.

00:06:57But you did have me at 18.

00:06:58You ended up trapped in a rotting trailer park full of violence and screaming and broken walls.

00:07:03Valerie, did your dreams betray you?

00:07:05The whole walk there, something about this timeline feels off in a way I can't explain.

00:07:11And then Valerie opens the front door.

00:07:15The smell of home-cooked food hits me instantly.

00:07:18So you're Scarlet, huh?

00:07:21Hi, Mr. Wyatt.

00:07:22Thanks for letting me stay over.

00:07:25He bursts out laughing and pulls me inside before I can even finish.

00:07:29The house is warm, spotless, lived in.

00:07:32There's a brand new pair of slippers waiting for me by the entryway, along with folded pajamas set out they'd

00:07:36been expecting me for days.

00:07:37The living room walls are lined with plaques, commendations, and framed Federal Service Award.

00:07:42On the TV, a local news station is covering a major drug trafficking case near the Texas border.

00:07:46A photo flashes on screen of two fallen narcotics agents.

00:07:50Your parents were good people, kiddo.

00:07:52Best partners I ever had.

00:07:54Real heroes.

00:07:55And from now on, this house is yours, too.

00:07:57You hear me?

00:07:57That's when it finally hits me.

00:07:59The parents belonging to this body are already dead.

00:08:02Dinner is loud and warm and painfully alive.

00:08:05Grandpa keeps piling food onto plates.

00:08:07Grandma laughs at everything.

00:08:08A dog nudges against my legs beneath the table.

00:08:10The kitchen light glows so warmly it almost hurts to look at.

00:08:13And across from me sits Valerie, laughing freely while her parents dole on her like she's the center of their

00:08:17universe.

00:08:18My chest tightens so hard it feels unbearable.

00:08:21This is insane.

00:08:22Like some cruel cosmic joke.

00:08:24She grew up surrounded by this much love.

00:08:26So how the hell did she become someone who could watch me die without a single shred of kindness?

00:08:31Late that night, Valerie and I lay side by side in the dark.

00:08:35There's been this huge cartel case near the border lately.

00:08:39I keep having nightmares something's gonna happen to my parents.

00:08:42At 18, she looks so young, so fragile.

00:08:45Before sunrise, I wake to the sound of movement in the living room.

00:08:49Grandpa is sitting by the door, pulling on his police boots.

00:08:51I run out barefoot and grab onto his sleeve before he can leave.

00:08:54Mr. Wyatt, please be careful out there.

00:08:57He smiles and ruffles my hair.

00:08:58I will, kiddo.

00:08:59Promise I'll come home safe.

00:09:01Then he and Grandma disappear together into the pale border fog of early morning.

00:09:05And the dread in my chest only grows heavier.

00:09:10Valerie stumbles out of bed half asleep the next morning and stands in front of the mirror,

00:09:15completely lost, trying to fix her ponytail.

00:09:18God, she's hopeless.

00:09:19I walk over and quietly redo her hair for her.

00:09:22It's the first time in both my lives that I've ever been this close to her.

00:09:26Scarlett, how are you so good at this?

00:09:28And suddenly I remember how, when I was little, she always hacked my hair off into awful tomboy cuts.

00:09:33Maybe it wasn't coldness after all.

00:09:35Maybe 18-year-old Valerie just barely knew how to take care of herself.

00:09:38A bicycle bell rings outside the yard.

00:09:40Hector, right on schedule.

00:09:42He hands me an ice-cold soda, then stares at my face for a little too long.

00:09:47Scarlett, is it just me or are you starting to look more and more like Valerie?

00:09:51A chill shoots straight through me.

00:09:53Right before I died in my last life, I was barely recognizable, skin and bones from the cancer.

00:09:57But the last time I looked in a mirror, I realized something horrifying.

00:10:00I hadn't taken over someone else's body.

00:10:01I came back wearing my own 18-year-old face.

00:10:04Pretty girls always kind of look alike, right?

00:10:06Surrounded by all this warmth, I start wavering.

00:10:09It gets harder and harder to connect this version of Valerie to the woman from my last life.

00:10:14This girl is kind, bright, alive.

00:10:16I finally begin to understand why my dad, Austin, spent his whole life loving her even when she never truly

00:10:21loved him back.

00:10:22Part of me even starts thinking that when I finally meet him in this timeline,

00:10:25maybe I should tell him to fall for somebody else.

00:10:27But I never imagined that just as I started letting my guard down, hell was already opening its doors.

00:10:33School lets out early that day.

00:10:35Hector and I stop by a taco truck on the corner.

00:10:38Valerie says she's tired and asks us to grab her a baked potato before heading home ahead of us.

00:10:44We're almost at her house when an old pickup truck with no plates suddenly comes flying backward out of the

00:10:49driveway.

00:10:50Several tattooed men in masks jump into the bed of the truck.

00:10:54Then, a scream tears through the air.

00:10:57It's Valerie.

00:11:01Hector and I sprint toward the house so fast my lungs feel like they're tearing apart.

00:11:06The front door hangs crooked on its hinges, creaking heavily as it swings loosely against the broken frame.

00:11:12The second we step inside, the smell hits me.

00:11:14Blood, sweat, whiskey.

00:11:16The living room looks like a battlefield.

00:11:17Furniture overturned.

00:11:18Glass shattered everywhere.

00:11:19Family photos ripped from the walls.

00:11:21Blood smeared across the wooden floorboards in long streaps like someone had been dragged.

00:11:25Grandpa and Grandma lie motionless on the ground.

00:11:27And in the middle of the room, Valerie, covered in blood, curled up on the floor.

00:11:32A tattooed man stands nearby, calmly fixing his belt like nothing happened.

00:11:38Hector roars and charges at him, only to get kicked hard across the room.

00:11:42The stranger turns toward me slowly.

00:11:44Then he grabs my collar and jerks me forward so violently my feet leave the ground.

00:11:49Hector!

00:11:50The stench of blood and cigarettes floods my nose so hard I nearly gag.

00:11:55Well, damn.

00:11:56If it isn't Officer Miller's kid.

00:11:58Lucky day for you, sweetheart.

00:12:00Boss already told us to pull out.

00:12:02Otherwise, you'd have been a lot of fun, too.

00:12:04He spits onto the floor beside me and turns to leave.

00:12:08Behind him, Valerie curls tighter into herself, desperately clutching the ripped fabric over her chest.

00:12:14A broken sound escapes her throat.

00:12:16Something inside me snaps.

00:12:18I throw myself forward and grab the man's pant leg with both hands.

00:12:21Moonlight spills through the shattered window, sliding across the side of his face.

00:12:25That jawline.

00:12:26That scar near his mouth.

00:12:27That voice.

00:12:28My entire body freezes.

00:12:30The world goes completely silent around me.

00:12:33Because he isn't some random cartel thug.

00:12:35He's Austin.

00:12:37My father.

00:12:41Hector scrambles to the wall and grabs the landline.

00:12:44But the phone cord has already been cut.

00:12:49You brought this on yourself, you little bitch!

00:12:52He lunges at me and starts ripping at my clothes, yanking violently at my collar.

00:12:57Trying to save me, Hector throws himself at Austin again, without a second thought.

00:13:01In the chaos, I catch a flash of murder in Austin's eyes.

00:13:05He suddenly pulls a hunting knife from the back of his waist hand.

00:13:08And in that instant, I completely lose it.

00:13:11Without thinking, I grab the blade with my bare hand.

00:13:14My dad?

00:13:15How could this be my dad?

00:13:17Tears crash into the growing pool of blood beneath me.

00:13:20The man I loved most growing up.

00:13:22The father who raised me in that trailer park with nothing.

00:13:25How could it be you?

00:13:26You're a rapist now.

00:13:27A murderer.

00:13:28I can't take it.

00:13:29I feel like I'm losing my mind.

00:13:31But the sharp pain slicing through my palm and Valier's desperate sobbing remind me this

00:13:36is real.

00:13:37I clamp down on the knife with everything I have and scream hysterically at Hector.

00:13:42Hector, run!

00:13:44Go get help!

00:13:45Go!

00:13:46Now!

00:13:46Blood streams down Hector's face as he staggers toward the door and bolts outside.

00:13:51And the second he's gone, Austin completely snaps.

00:13:55With a vicious twist of his wrist, he jerks the knife free and points the blade straight at

00:14:01my throat.

00:14:04But just then, my grandmother, who had been lying motionless in a pool of blood, somehow

00:14:09forces herself back up with the last bit of strength she has left.

00:14:14Austin turns, ready to stab her next.

00:14:18No!

00:14:19I slam into him with everything I need.

00:14:21The blade plunges straight into my stomach.

00:14:24Warmth explodes through my body.

00:14:26Then comes the pain.

00:14:27Endless, crushing pain.

00:14:29I press both hands against the wound, holding onto the knife with everything I've got so

00:14:33Austin can't pull it back out.

00:14:35You can't kill them.

00:14:38You can't.

00:14:40I'm crying, choking as blood pours from my mouth in heavy bursts.

00:14:44But Austin just twists the knife cruelly inside me.

00:14:48The agony sends me collapsing to my knees in the blood.

00:14:51That's when Grandma suddenly wraps both arms around Austin's neck from behind and drags

00:14:56him to the floor with every ounce of strength she has left.

00:14:59My grandfather, already covered in blood, grabs onto Austin's leg and refuses to let go.

00:15:04Realizing he's about to get caught, Austin curses violently, kicks himself free from them,

00:15:09and climbs out the window, disappearing into the darkness near the border.

00:15:12Scarlet!

00:15:14Scarlet, stay with me!

00:15:16Please don't close your eyes!

00:15:18Through my fading vision, I feel Valerie pulling me into her arms.

00:15:23My consciousness is already slipping away.

00:15:26Sobbing controllably, with tears and blood all over my face, I still try to take off my jacket and cover

00:15:30her with it.

00:15:31But I'm too weak.

00:15:32My arm barely lifts halfway before it drops limply into the blood.

00:15:35In the distance, sirens scream through the night.

00:15:38I hear Hector crying as he rushes back inside with the police.

00:15:41Then everything goes dark.

00:15:43Somewhere far away, voices echo around me as I'm lifted onto a stretcher.

00:15:48She's flatlining! Move! Get the defibrillator! Now!

00:15:53When I finally open my eyes again, all I see is the pale white ceiling of a hospital room.

00:15:57Sitting beside my bed is Hector.

00:15:58When he ran for help, Austin's men caught him and beat him half to death.

00:16:01The second he sees me awake, arrogant genius, completely falls apart.

00:16:04He wipes his eyes while gripping to entice Sertanli.

00:16:06You were the last one to wake up!

00:16:08Do you have any idea how close you came to dying?

00:16:11You scared the hell out of us!

00:16:12He's crying so hard, it's a complete mess.

00:16:14Tears, snot, everything.

00:16:15At one point, he even spits on my face while talking.

00:16:17I let out a weak laugh.

00:16:18The anesthesia still hasn't fully worn over.

00:16:20I can't really feel pain yet, just heavy numbness all over my body.

00:16:22I look at him anxiously.

00:16:23Valerie's parents and Valerie, are they okay?

00:16:27Her folks made it to the hospital just in time.

00:16:30If that knife had hit either of them, any worse.

00:16:33I struggle to sit up, desperate to see her, but before I can move, the hospital room door slowly opens.

00:16:38Valerie is standing there.

00:16:39Her eyes look hollow, and when she looks at me, there's something shattered in them I can't even begin to

00:16:44explain.

00:16:45I say her name softly.

00:16:46She nods faintly and walks over.

00:16:47Her cold fingers are on my shoulder.

00:16:49Does it hurt?

00:16:51I shake my head.

00:16:52Looking at her red-rimmed eyes, I force a small smile.

00:16:55Have you been crying?

00:16:57She doesn't answer.

00:16:58She just holds my hand tighter and gently squeezes my cheek like she's afraid I'll disappear.

00:17:01Then suddenly, she lowers her head and tears drip onto the back of my hand.

00:17:05Thank you, Scarlet.

00:17:06If it weren't for you, I would have lost my parents.

00:17:10I look at the 18-year-old version of my mother standing in front of me, her fate already completely

00:17:14changed because of me.

00:17:16I sniff hard, holding back tears.

00:17:18I don't say a single word.

00:17:19I just let her tears soak into my skin, before slowly lifting my free hand and placing it softly over

00:17:24the trembling hand resting on my shoulder.

00:17:28Valerie looks down at my hand covering hers, as if she understands the comfort in my eyes.

00:17:34She takes a deep breath.

00:17:37Tears still cling to her lashes, but for the first time in forever, her voice carries a little relief.

00:17:43I've got good news.

00:17:44The case is over.

00:17:45The cartel operation finally got busted.

00:17:48Every single person involved in the attack was caught near the border.

00:17:51My parents can finally rest for a while.

00:17:53The moment I hear Austin and the traffickers were all arrested, my entire mind goes blank.

00:17:58Relief crashes over me so hard, I almost shoot upright in the hospital bed.

00:18:02Wait, seriously?

00:18:03They caught all of them?

00:18:05Yes, seriously.

00:18:07Now stop moving before you rip your stitches open.

00:18:09The denton-crushing weight that haunted me through both lifetimes finally disappears at that moment.

00:18:13Meanwhile, Hector, who has been sitting nearby this entire time, calmly peels a banana like nothing's happening.

00:18:19Doctor said you should eat this.

00:18:20You've already woken up a few times these past couple days.

00:18:22You've managed to pass gas, so now they're just waiting to see if you can finally have a bowel movement.

00:18:27Coming from someone usually this serious, it's so absurd I completely lose it.

00:18:31Unfortunately, the second I laugh, pain rips through the stitches in my abdomen.

00:18:34I immediately hiss in pain, clutching my stomach.

00:18:36Valerie starts laughing too, but after a few seconds, her laughter fades.

00:18:38Tears suddenly begin falling again without warning.

00:18:41She tries to cry quietly.

00:18:43She doesn't want either of us to notice.

00:18:45Hector's smile slowly disappears too.

00:18:47I wrap both arms tightly around this 18-year-old girl.

00:18:50At that moment, through my chest is no longer the hatred I carried in my previous life.

00:18:55Mom, if I had known my biologed father was the monster who destroyed your entire family,

00:19:00how could I ever have hated you?

00:19:01I would have only hated myself for ever being born, since fate gave me another chance.

00:19:07Then this time, I'll set you free.

00:19:11After surviving the nightmare, the little Texas town slowly comes back to life.

00:19:15Once I'm discharged from the hospital, my grandparents take me home.

00:19:18Grandpa proudly hands me a limited edition Barbie doll he brought back from New York.

00:19:21In my previous life, it was the only toy my mother had ever given me, but this time, somehow, it

00:19:25heals me first.

00:19:26Then Grandma completely hijacks what was supposed to be an emotional family dinner with giant sizzling Texas steaks,

00:19:31oversized cowboy hats and boots that look straight out of a Hollywood audition,

00:19:35and enough chaos to turn the whole night upside down.

00:19:37Even Hector, who normally acts way too composed for his age, finally laughs without holding back.

00:19:43But beneath the warm yellow glow of the dinner lights, the conversation eventually turns to goodbye.

00:19:48Hector's mother lifts her wine glass, eyes red and swollen,

00:19:50and quietly announces that they're moving back to Boston before Thanksgiving.

00:19:53She can't handle the danger near the border anymore.

00:19:56And in that moment, a misunderstanding from both my lifetimes finally unravels.

00:20:00In my previous life, Hector never left because he looked down on my mother's reputation.

00:20:05His mother had simply watched her son nearly die.

00:20:08Any parent would have wanted to run from this place after that.

00:20:10As an old country song crackles through the radio in the background,

00:20:14we start talking about the future.

00:20:16Valerie asks where I want to go to school someday.

00:20:18I look at her, the girl whose entire future was crushed fate in my previous life,

00:20:23and answer without hesitation.

00:20:25Harvard.

00:20:26Under the endless Texas night sky, with the Milky Way stretched above her like a dream,

00:20:29I finally understand the suffocating pain she carried in her previous life.

00:20:32I turn my head slightly and whisper so softly that only I can hear it.

00:20:35Mom, this time go live your life.

00:20:37Chase your dreams.

00:20:38Be yourself again.

00:20:38As for me, I'll stay behind in the darkness of this timeline.

00:20:41The day Hector leaves, the boy who has always been calm and restrained completely breaks

00:20:45down the moment he steps onto the bus.

00:20:47Clinging to the window, he cries so hard he can barely breathe.

00:20:50And then the bus slowly pulls away, kicking up clouds of Texas dust before disappearing

00:20:54at the end of the highway.

00:20:55Watching the bus vanish into the distance, I think life might finally return to normal.

00:21:00But fate still isn't done with me yet.

00:21:01Something happened to Valerie.

00:21:05After seeing Hector off, we head home through the bitter Texas winter wind.

00:21:09I cling tightly to Valerie's arm, trying my best to keep the mood light while talking

00:21:12excitedly about Christmas dinner plans.

00:21:13It has to be there.

00:21:14And Mr. Wyatt smoked pulled pork too.

00:21:16No argument.

00:21:16This year, we are eating like royalty.

00:21:18I'm still rambling happily when Valerie's expression suddenly changes.

00:21:21Without warning, she jerks her arm out of my grasp.

00:21:24Like a frightened deer, she stumbles towards a trash can on the side of the road, bends over,

00:21:28and starts violently throwing up.

00:21:29She vomits so hard, there's eventually nothing left except bitter, dry humps.

00:21:33By the end, she can barely stay standing.

00:21:35She grips a freezing telephone pole for support, her whole body trembling violently, her face

00:21:41drained completely white.

00:21:42My mind goes blank.

00:21:43The smile freezes on my face.

00:21:46Watching her clutch her stomach and reek in pain, a terrifying cold realization crawls slowly

00:21:53up my spine like ice water.

00:21:56Those symptoms.

00:21:58No, no way.

00:22:05You're pregnant?

00:22:08Valerie instinctively places a hand over her stomach.

00:22:11Her eyes are filled with the kind of panic and confusion no 18-year-old girl should ever

00:22:16have to carry.

00:22:17What happened that night may have been stopped halfway through, but some nightmares had already

00:22:22rerouted themselves deep in the dark.

00:22:25She looks at me helplessly, tears trembling in her eyes.

00:22:29I don't know, Scarlett.

00:22:32I thought maybe it was just stress lately.

00:22:35I haven't had much appetite, and I kept feeling nauseous.

00:22:39Come on, we're going to the clinic.

00:22:41Now.

00:22:42I don't even let her finish speaking.

00:22:43I grab her hand and practically drag her down the street toward the town's small community

00:22:48clinic.

00:22:51The doctor on duty is an elderly Cuban-American woman with silver hair, Dr. Ramirez.

00:22:56She isn't just the only general practitioner in town.

00:22:58She's also one of Grandma Wyatt's oldest friends, and her child's alongside her years

00:23:02ago.

00:23:03The second Dr. Romero sees Valerie's face and the sheer panic in my eyes, her sharp, battle-wurned

00:23:08gaze immediately narrow.

00:23:10Wasting another second, she starts ushering every remaining patient out of the clinic.

00:23:15The entire room falls into suffocating silence.

00:23:20Tell me what's going on.

00:23:22My scalp precles with dread as I quickly explain Valerie's nausea and vomiting.

00:23:26The old doctor says nothing after hearing me out, but a deep, piercing sorrow flashes

00:23:31through her eyes.

00:23:32She quietly takes Valerie into the examination room in the back.

00:23:36The moment the door closes, all the strength drains out of me.

00:23:39I collapse into the cold metal chair outside the office, shoving both hands deep into my

00:23:44hair.

00:23:44More than anyone else, I know exactly where I came from.

00:23:47And because of that, a horrifying truth finally pieces itself together in my mind.

00:23:51In my previous life, Austin, the man who raised me after selling Valerie's life, was actually

00:23:55released from prison early.

00:23:56After committing crimes like that, he still got out in less than 20 years.

00:23:59Back then, when the case went to court, Valerie must have stayed silent.

00:24:03Maybe to hide the shame of being pregnant as a teenager.

00:24:06Maybe to protect the Wyatt family's reputation.

00:24:08Whatever the reason, her silence helped set a monster free.

00:24:11The guilt of my own existence tears through me like a dull blade.

00:24:14This nightmare destroyed a brilliant girl who was supposed to go to Harvard.

00:24:17And the one thing it gave back to the world was a demon.

00:24:21Half an hour later, the exam room door slowly creaks open.

00:24:25Dr. Ramirez steps outside, looking exhausted.

00:24:28She gently pats my shoulder.

00:24:32Scarlet, go get Mr. and Mrs. Wyatt for me.

00:24:36The moment the truth comes out, the house, which had barely survived one nightmare already,

00:24:42falls into dead silence all over again.

00:24:53Grandpa sits heavily on the couch.

00:24:56This massive, hard-nosed cop who once stared down cartel gunfires now looks hollowed out,

00:25:02like a man aging 10 years in a single night.

00:25:08He buries his rough, califafed hands over his face and says nothing.

00:25:14Meanwhile, Grandma holds 18-year-old Valerie tightly in her arms,

00:25:19sobbing so hard she can barely breathe.

00:25:22We're packing tonight.

00:25:25We'll go straight to Boston and stay with Hector and his mother.

00:25:30I won't let that monster's family lay a finger on you ever again.

00:25:36Valerie stays curled up in the corner of the bed the entire time,

00:25:40silent as a porcelain doll.

00:25:42She doesn't say a word.

00:25:43She just keeps staring at me with those shattered, empty eyes.

00:25:47But somewhere inside them is still this helpless instinct begging for someone to save her.

00:25:52The sight tears me apart inside.

00:25:55I lower my head immediately,

00:25:58too ashamed to even look my own mother in the eye.

00:26:01And then things somehow get even worse.

00:26:05Austin's trashy parents,

00:26:06the grandparents I had in my previous life,

00:26:09somehow hear about Valerie's pregnancy.

00:26:11Right after the attack,

00:26:12those two cowards vanished completely to avoid being dragged into the police investigation.

00:26:16But the second they hear Valerie is carrying Austin's child,

00:26:19they swoop in like vultures smelling blood.

00:26:21To them, this pregnancy is leverage,

00:26:23the perfect weapon to destroy the Wyatt family.

00:26:26We barely made it back home before the two of them show up outside the house

00:26:29with some sleazy lawyer they hired.

00:26:33The smell of cheap cigarettes and stale alcohol

00:26:36hits before they even step into the yard.

00:26:41My former grandfather, Silas Walker,

00:26:44doesn't show even a trace of shame.

00:26:46No guilt.

00:26:48No apology.

00:26:50Just this disgusting, smug arrogance.

00:26:56Standing in the yard,

00:26:57he bellows toward the house like he owns the place.

00:27:00Officer Wyatt,

00:27:01don't hide in there.

00:27:03My son Austin may be in prison,

00:27:05but he still has parental rights.

00:27:07That baby is part of our family,

00:27:08and you're not taking our grandchild anywhere.

00:27:11The sleazy lawyer beside him adjusts his glasses

00:27:14and smirks coldly.

00:27:19If Miss Yight refuses to drop the charges,

00:27:21we're fully prepared to drag this through family court for years.

00:27:24And trust me,

00:27:25once the media gets involved,

00:27:26everybody in Texas is going to know

00:27:28exactly what happened to your daughter.

00:27:33Then Mayabelle Walker,

00:27:34my former grandmother,

00:27:36blows out a stream of cigarette smoke

00:27:38and starts screeching in the house.

00:27:40You go testify in federal court,

00:27:43and we'll swear Valerie wanted it!

00:27:45We'll tell everyone you cops framed our son!

00:27:51We'll make damn sure every police department in Texas

00:27:54knows what kind of girl your daughter really is!

00:27:57You think those badges are going to survive this?

00:28:02We'll ruin your whole family!

00:28:07The police had kept the details of that night sealed tightly.

00:28:11Nobody in town knew what Valerie had actually suffered in the dark.

00:28:15But now,

00:28:15these two shameless monsters are ripping open her deepest traumata in public

00:28:19just to save their worthless son from federal prison.

00:28:21They stand outside with a damn megaphone,

00:28:24turning a survivor's private nightmare

00:28:26into some sick public spectacle

00:28:27about protecting the family bloodline.

00:28:30Before long,

00:28:30the whole town knows.

00:28:32But they don't actually want the baby.

00:28:34That's never been the point.

00:28:35What they want is pressure.

00:28:38They want to weaponize this conservative little town.

00:28:41The gossip,

00:28:42the judgment,

00:28:43the victim blaming

00:28:44until the Wyatts have nowhere left to run.

00:28:46And their terms are crystal clear.

00:28:48They want Valerie to change her testimony in federal court.

00:28:52They want her to claim Austin was just the driver

00:28:55and knew nothing about the attack.

00:28:57In exchange,

00:28:58the walkers will stop harassing the family

00:29:00and leave them alone.

00:29:01Hearing the whispers rising outside the fence.

00:29:04Seeing neighbors stare

00:29:06with that fake sympathy

00:29:07hiding disgust underneath.

00:29:11Everything suddenly clicks into place inside my head.

00:29:15Now I understand exactly how Austin

00:29:17got that early release in my previous life.

00:29:20There had been a deal.

00:29:22And Valerie had been crushed into accepting it.

00:29:24Looking at those two smug bastards

00:29:26standing outside our home acting righteous.

00:29:28Every ounce of humiliation from my previous life

00:29:30and every drop of rage from this one

00:29:32finally explodes inside me.

00:29:34To hell with staying calm.

00:29:35I grab grandpa's Louisville slugger

00:29:37from behind the front door

00:29:38and storm outside,

00:29:39gripping the bat so hard my knuckles go white.

00:29:41By then,

00:29:41all I can see is red.

00:29:58Right in front of everyone,

00:29:59I swing the bat.

00:30:00Crack, crack.

00:30:01The heavy end of the Louisville slugger

00:30:03smashes straight into Silas

00:30:04and Navian's faces

00:30:05without a shred of hesitation.

00:30:07The sound of teeth breaking

00:30:08mixes with their screams

00:30:09as both of them stumble backward,

00:30:11clutching their bloody mouths

00:30:12before collapsing into the dirt.

00:30:13Your son is a convicted rapist!

00:30:16I point the bat directly at the two of them,

00:30:18shaking with rage.

00:30:19Where the hell was the talk about the law

00:30:20when your psycho son

00:30:22was pointing a gun at federal officers?

00:30:24And now you want to come here

00:30:25and black rail cops?

00:30:28Gripping the bat with both hands,

00:30:30I swing as hard as I can

00:30:31into the lawyer's sedan parked by the curb.

00:30:33The windshield explodes instantly

00:30:35into a spider web of shattered glass.

00:30:36Then I whip around

00:30:37towards the neighbors

00:30:38gathering outside the fence,

00:30:40all of them whispering and staring.

00:30:41What are you all looking at?

00:30:43Anybody else wants to stand here

00:30:45screaming at a victim

00:30:46with these two pieces of trash?

00:30:47I raise the broken bat,

00:30:49splintered wood

00:30:50jouting from the barrel.

00:30:51I swear to God

00:30:52the next swing

00:30:53straight goes through your skull!

00:30:54Get the hell away

00:30:55from the Wyatt house!

00:30:56All of you!

00:30:57Move!

00:30:58The hot border wind

00:30:59tears through the street.

00:31:01One look at the shattered bat

00:31:02in my hands is enough.

00:31:03The neighbors pale instantly

00:31:04and start backing away in fear.

00:31:06And then suddenly,

00:31:07Silas runges at me

00:31:09with a rusty switchblade in his hand.

00:31:10Drop the charges

00:31:11or I'll kill every last one of you!

00:31:16The gunshot detonates

00:31:18through the street like thunder.

00:31:19The bullet slices past Silas's ear

00:31:21and blasts apart

00:31:22one of the wooden fence posts

00:31:23behind him.

00:31:24Everyone freezes.

00:31:25Grandpa Rick stands there

00:31:26gripping a cold knife and revolver.

00:31:28The barrel pressed directly

00:31:29against Silas's forehead.

00:31:30His voice is low and deadly.

00:31:32Officer Miller's daughter

00:31:33took a knife from my family.

00:31:35You touch her again

00:31:36and see what happens.

00:31:38The ringing echo

00:31:39from the gunshot

00:31:40leaves everyone stunned.

00:31:42Silas drops the knife immediately.

00:31:44It clatters onto the dirt beside him

00:31:46as he collapses in terror.

00:31:50He's gonna kill us!

00:31:52The cops are trying to murder us!

00:31:54But before she can say another word,

00:31:55another figure comes flying

00:31:57down the porch steps.

00:31:58Grandma.

00:32:00She moves like lightning.

00:32:01Grabbing a fistful of

00:32:03Maybella's brittle yellow hair,

00:32:04she yanks her sideways so hard

00:32:06the old woman nearly falls.

00:32:07Slap!

00:32:09Grandma backhands her across the face

00:32:10hard enough to send her

00:32:11crashing into the dirt,

00:32:13then plants a boot

00:32:14against her chest.

00:32:15Her eyes are pure steel.

00:32:17You think you can threaten

00:32:18my daughter's name?

00:32:19I'll go to prison smiling

00:32:20before I let your family

00:32:21destroy her life.

00:32:22Now get the hell off my property

00:32:24before I bury all of you

00:32:26out in the desert myself.

00:32:27Rick cocks the revolver once,

00:32:29never taking his eyes off Silas.

00:32:32You assaulted my family.

00:32:33As a police officer,

00:32:34I have every right

00:32:35to arrest you right now.

00:32:36Next time,

00:32:37you won't walk away this lucky.

00:32:39Now get out.

00:32:40The sheer violence radiating

00:32:42off the two retired narcotics officers

00:32:44terrifies everyone into silence.

00:32:46The gossipy neighbors

00:32:47scatter immediately.

00:32:48Silas and Maybel

00:32:49scramble to their feet

00:32:50and flee down the road

00:32:52like stray dogs.

00:32:53But then suddenly,

00:32:54Grandpa Rick doubles over

00:32:56coughing violently.

00:32:57Fresh blood begins soaking

00:32:59through the white bandages

00:33:00wrapped around his torso.

00:33:06Grandpa's stitches tear open again,

00:33:08so Grandma rushes him

00:33:09back to the hospital.

00:33:10I stay behind

00:33:10to take care of Valerie.

00:33:11Standing outside her bedroom door,

00:33:12I force myself to breathe

00:33:13through the panic

00:33:14crushing my chest.

00:33:14I wipe the tears

00:33:15and blood off my face

00:33:16over and over with my sleeve

00:33:17until my skin burns raw.

00:33:18I can't let Valerie

00:33:19see me falling apart.

00:33:20Right now,

00:33:20I have to be strong for her.

00:33:22I shove the bedroom door open

00:33:23and lock it tightly behind me,

00:33:25shutting out the chaos outside.

00:33:26Then I walk straight

00:33:27towards her bed.

00:33:29The second I see her sitting there,

00:33:31pale, hollow, motionless,

00:33:34something inside me

00:33:35finally breaks completely.

00:33:37Valerie,

00:33:39let's leave.

00:33:40We can start over somewhere else.

00:33:42New York,

00:33:43California,

00:33:44anywhere.

00:33:45Please,

00:33:46just pack a bag

00:33:47and come with me, okay?

00:33:48I almost sound desperate.

00:33:50I grab her shoulders gently,

00:33:52trying to pull strength

00:33:53from the girl who,

00:33:54in another lifetime,

00:33:55would become my mother

00:33:5619 years later.

00:33:58But Valerie never says a word.

00:34:00She just stays curled

00:34:01in the corner of the bed.

00:34:03The fading sunset

00:34:04filters through the blinds,

00:34:05strip by strip,

00:34:06dying slowly across her face.

00:34:08Then she finally lifts her head.

00:34:10And once again,

00:34:11she looks at me

00:34:12with those same shattered eyes,

00:34:14empty,

00:34:15helpless,

00:34:15but still quietly

00:34:17begging someone to save me.

00:34:18A sight crushes my chest.

00:34:20For my entire previous life,

00:34:21I thought I had been born unwanted.

00:34:22But now I finally understand the truth.

00:34:24My birth was never love.

00:34:25It was a chain,

00:34:27a weapon crafted by a monster

00:34:28to trap my mother

00:34:29and destroy her family forever.

00:34:30I have never hated myself

00:34:32more than I do right now.

00:34:35Valerie,

00:34:36listen to me.

00:34:38This baby...

00:34:39Before I can finish,

00:34:40Valerie suddenly covers my mouth

00:34:41with her hand.

00:34:44I look up at her.

00:34:46And suddenly the dam inside me

00:34:49completely breaks.

00:34:51Tears pour down my face

00:34:52as I collapse to my knees

00:34:54beside the bed.

00:34:55I pull her hand away from my mouth

00:34:57and finally scream out the truth

00:34:59that destroyed me

00:35:00for an entire lifetime.

00:35:02This baby is a stain

00:35:04that monster left on your life!

00:35:06You'll hate it forever!

00:35:09Every time you look at it,

00:35:11you'll remember him!

00:35:13You'll wish it had never been born!

00:35:16My voice cracks apart completely.

00:35:19It's better to end this now

00:35:21than let that child

00:35:22grow up trapped in pain and misery.

00:35:25I can barely breathe

00:35:26through the sobbing.

00:35:28No one can calmly beg their own mother

00:35:30to erase them from existence.

00:35:31But at that exact moment,

00:35:33Valerie,

00:35:34who has been sitting there

00:35:35lifeless and hollow this hole,

00:35:36the whole time,

00:35:37suddenly trembles violently.

00:35:39It's like something inside her

00:35:41finally snaps awake.

00:35:42She bolts upright from the bed

00:35:44and throws her arms around me

00:35:45without warning,

00:35:46crushing me against her chest.

00:35:48She holds me so tightly

00:35:49her fingers dig painfully

00:35:51into my back.

00:35:52Hot tears spill onto my neck,

00:35:54burning against my skin.

00:35:55And then she completely breaks down.

00:35:57I never wanted you dead!

00:36:00Nora!

00:36:02Nora!

00:36:03Your voice is raw

00:36:04and shattered from crying.

00:36:06Not once!

00:36:08Not for a single second

00:36:10did I ever wish you were dead!

00:36:15That single sentence

00:36:17crashes through the room

00:36:18with the weight

00:36:18of two lifetimes behind it.

00:36:20Every ounce of pain,

00:36:22resentment,

00:36:23anger,

00:36:24and loneliness

00:36:24I carried inside me

00:36:26shatters instantly into dust.

00:36:28Because she called me Nora.

00:36:30Not Scarlet.

00:36:32Nora.

00:36:33In this timeline,

00:36:34nobody knows that name.

00:36:36Nobody except my mother

00:36:38from my previous life.

00:36:39I freeze in her arms,

00:36:41my mind going completely blank.

00:36:43She isn't just the 18-year-old Valerie

00:36:46who knows nothing about the future.

00:36:48She remembers too.

00:36:50In this broken,

00:36:51twisted timeline,

00:36:53and ne'er my find,

00:36:54my mother was reborn alongside me.

00:36:58I know.

00:37:00My entire body shakes

00:37:01as I cling to her shoulder,

00:37:03her shoulder,

00:37:04like a lost child.

00:37:07I know I was never supposed to be born.

00:37:10You had every reason to hate me

00:37:13because of that monster.

00:37:15Valerie suddenly grabs my face

00:37:16with both hands

00:37:17and forces me to look at her

00:37:18through her tears.

00:37:19How could a mother

00:37:20ever hate her child?

00:37:22After two lifetimes,

00:37:24inside this old Texas house

00:37:25in 1996,

00:37:26she finally tears open

00:37:28the truth she buried for decades.

00:37:30And through uncontrollable sobbing,

00:37:32my mother finally tells me

00:37:33why she stood beside my hospital bed

00:37:35and watched me die

00:37:36in my previous life.

00:37:40The reason I couldn't donate bone marrow

00:37:42was because I had terminal cancer too.

00:37:46I wasn't eligible to donate.

00:37:48I wasn't abandoning you, Nora.

00:37:50How could I ever abandon my own daughter?

00:37:54Outside,

00:37:55the winter wind screams

00:37:57across the Texas borderlands.

00:37:59But inside this cold little room,

00:38:02a mother and daughter

00:38:03separated by two lifetimes

00:38:04finally find each other again

00:38:06in the ruins of everything they lost.

00:38:09Valerie clutches me so tightly

00:38:11she's shaking.

00:38:12I never gave on you, Nora.

00:38:15I begged everyone I could for help.

00:38:17I borrowed money from anybody

00:38:18willing to listen

00:38:19because I wanted to save you.

00:38:21Every word tears out of her throat

00:38:23like it physically hurts to say it.

00:38:24Your bastard father

00:38:25wouldn't pay a single dime.

00:38:27The ICU bills kept piling up

00:38:29every single day.

00:38:30The hospital kept mailing notices

00:38:31until my bowel box was overflowing.

00:38:33In the end,

00:38:34I sold every apartment

00:38:35and every piece of property

00:38:36I owned in Boston

00:38:37just to barely cover

00:38:38your medical bills.

00:38:39Then her breathing

00:38:40completely falls apart.

00:38:41And Austin,

00:38:42that monster wanted to

00:38:43pull your ventilator out himself

00:38:45back at the trailer park.

00:38:46He lied to you.

00:38:47He actually convinced you

00:38:48that I was the one

00:38:49who abandoned you.

00:38:50She cries so hard

00:38:51she can barely breathe anymore.

00:38:52Decades of humiliation

00:38:53and buried motherhood

00:38:54finally exploding out

00:38:55all at once.

00:38:56Back then,

00:38:57I left with Hector's mother

00:38:58to work in the city

00:38:59because I needed money.

00:39:00I was trying to build

00:39:01enough of a life

00:39:01to come back

00:39:02and take you away

00:39:03from that rotting border town.

00:39:04But the second I left,

00:39:06Austin cut off

00:39:07every possible way

00:39:07for me to contact you.

00:39:09He guarded the trailer park

00:39:10with a gun

00:39:10and wouldn't even

00:39:11let me get near you.

00:39:12The only thing I could do

00:39:16Her voice breaks completely

00:39:19was stand outside your school

00:39:21at the beginning

00:39:21of every semester

00:39:22and watch you

00:39:23from across the street.

00:39:28I bite down so hard

00:39:29on my little lip

00:39:30I taste blood.

00:39:32My vision is completely

00:39:33blurred by tears.

00:39:35And finally,

00:39:37I understand everything.

00:39:40Back then,

00:39:41she was only 18.

00:39:42A girl who had survived

00:39:44something horrific

00:39:44whose mind was already

00:39:46hanging by a thread.

00:39:47There was no way

00:39:48she could go back

00:39:48to that monster.

00:39:50For her,

00:39:51every step towards

00:39:52that trailer cramp

00:39:53was like walking back

00:39:54into hell itself.

00:39:55But fate has always

00:39:56been cruel.

00:39:57By the time mom

00:39:57finally saved enough money

00:39:59and came back

00:40:00to fight for custody of me,

00:40:01Austin had already

00:40:02sensed something was coming.

00:40:04He grabbed me

00:40:04in the middle of the night

00:40:05and disappeared.

00:40:06And in the 1990s,

00:40:07before cell phones,

00:40:09databases,

00:40:10and internet tracking

00:40:11connected the world,

00:40:12we vanished

00:40:13into countless

00:40:13forgotten trailer parks

00:40:15scattered across America.

00:40:17She never found us again.

00:40:19Valerie cups my face

00:40:21with trembling hands.

00:40:25When you turned 18,

00:40:27you finally tracked down

00:40:28my private number.

00:40:30Her voice cracks apart.

00:40:32But by then,

00:40:34I'd already been diagnosed

00:40:35with terminal cancer.

00:40:38I didn't have much time left,

00:40:40Nora.

00:40:43Her tears mix with mine

00:40:45as they stream down

00:40:46our faces together.

00:40:47My body was falling apart

00:40:48day by day.

00:40:49I didn't want to drag you

00:40:50into that.

00:40:51I couldn't bear the thought

00:40:52of you watching me die

00:40:53in a hospital bed

00:40:54or inheriting all my debt

00:40:56after I was gone.

00:40:58That's why I acted cold

00:40:59on the phone.

00:41:00That's why I pretended

00:41:01I didn't know you.

00:41:02Everything inside my head

00:41:03goes completely blank.

00:41:08The mother I spent

00:41:09my whole life hating

00:41:09never abandoned me.

00:41:11Not once.

00:41:13With a body and soul

00:41:14shattered by a monster,

00:41:15she still fought

00:41:16through the filled

00:41:17and hopelessness

00:41:18of the 1990s

00:41:19with everything

00:41:19she had left

00:41:20just to keep loving me.

00:41:22We cling to each other

00:41:23in that dark little room

00:41:24and cry until there

00:41:25are no tears left.

00:41:27Finally,

00:41:28I wipe my face hard

00:41:29and force myself

00:41:30to look straight

00:41:31into her eyes.

00:41:32Mom,

00:41:34if we've really both

00:41:35been given another chance,

00:41:37then don't let me

00:41:38become your change

00:41:38all over again.

00:41:40We can still fix this.

00:41:41We'll go to the hospital.

00:41:43Without me,

00:41:43you can finally live

00:41:44your own life.

00:41:45Valerie instantly

00:41:46shakes her head

00:41:47and panic.

00:41:47Stop!

00:41:48Don't say that!

00:41:49I can't do it!

00:41:50Nora!

00:41:51You are part of me!

00:41:52I will never let you go!

00:41:55She covers her face,

00:41:56crying uncontrollably.

00:41:58And seeing the pain

00:41:59and determination

00:41:59in her eyes,

00:42:01I can't force her anymore.

00:42:02The sunset over the Texas border

00:42:04paints the entire sky

00:42:05blood red.

00:42:06Hot wind rolls

00:42:07through the yard

00:42:08carrying dust

00:42:09and dry heat

00:42:10that makes my chest

00:42:11tighten with unease.

00:42:12Grandpa fires up

00:42:13the smoker in the backyard

00:42:14using a stash of oak wood

00:42:16he's been saving for years.

00:42:17Before long,

00:42:18the air fills with the smell

00:42:19of smoked brisket and ribs.

00:42:20Grandma and I spend

00:42:21the entire afternoon

00:42:22preparing dinner,

00:42:23wanting to give Mom,

00:42:24the girl who suffered

00:42:24so much in this timeline,

00:42:26the happiest

00:42:2618th birthday possible.

00:42:27But just as Grandma

00:42:28wipes her hands clean

00:42:29and starts heading inside

00:42:30to call Valerie at a dinner,

00:42:39Officer Wyatt,

00:42:40we've got a problem.

00:42:42Austin escaped

00:42:43during transport

00:42:43to federal prison.

00:42:44He killed two federal marshals

00:42:46and stole a shotgun.

00:42:48Dispatch intercepted

00:42:48a report 10 minutes ago.

00:42:49He's heading straight for town

00:42:50in a stolen pickup truck.

00:42:52The second I hear Austin's name,

00:42:54rage destinates

00:42:55inside my body.

00:42:56Every ounce of blood

00:42:57in my veins

00:42:57feels like it catches fire.

00:42:59He's coming here

00:43:00for revenge!

00:43:06That monster ruined

00:43:08my mother once already.

00:43:09Why the hell

00:43:10should he get another chance

00:43:12to destroy her life?

00:43:18While Grandpa and Grandma

00:43:20rush back inside

00:43:21in Scotch

00:43:22to grab their

00:43:23Remingston shoe duns,

00:43:24I move first.

00:43:31Without hesitation,

00:43:33I snatch up

00:43:33the heavy cleaver

00:43:34sitting beside

00:43:35the cutting board

00:43:36from the kitchen.

00:43:46I don't even look back

00:43:47at the house.

00:43:48Eyes burning red

00:43:49with hatred,

00:43:50I run straight

00:43:51into the blood-colored

00:43:52Texas dusk.

00:43:53Austin,

00:43:54even if this drags

00:43:55my soul straight

00:43:56into hell,

00:43:57this time,

00:43:58I'm going to kill you myself.

00:44:03Night falls fast

00:44:05near the border.

00:44:06Freezing wind

00:44:07filled with sand

00:44:08cuts across my face

00:44:09like blades.

00:44:12I crouch silently

00:44:13in the shadows

00:44:14near the edge

00:44:15of the neighborhood,

00:44:15my palms slick

00:44:16with sweat

00:44:17around the handle

00:44:18of the clemver.

00:44:20But no matter

00:44:21how long I wait,

00:44:23Austin never appears.

00:44:25Then around midnight,

00:44:26a horrible instinct

00:44:27suddenly clenches

00:44:28around my heart.

00:44:29Valerie should have

00:44:30returned from

00:44:31the clinic hours ago.

00:44:32But she still

00:44:33isn't home.

00:44:34Headlights suddenly

00:44:35tear through the darkness.

00:44:36Grandpa's old

00:44:37wake-up truck

00:44:38skids to a stop

00:44:39beside me.

00:44:39Scarlet, get in!

00:44:46Grandma and Grandpa

00:44:47both look pale

00:44:48with fear,

00:44:49gripping loaded

00:44:50Remington shoot guns

00:44:51tightly in their hands.

00:44:52We immediately

00:44:53start tracking tire marks

00:44:54and crushed brush

00:44:55along the bide side.

00:44:59Following every sign

00:45:00we can find.

00:45:01The search leads us

00:45:02all the way

00:45:03to the edge of town.

00:45:04Then the pickup engine dies.

00:45:06Silence.

00:45:06Nothing but cold

00:45:07desert wind

00:45:08and darkness.

00:45:09In front of us

00:45:10sits an abandoned

00:45:11trailer park

00:45:11that's been empty

00:45:12for years.

00:45:12We split up

00:45:13to search for Valerie.

00:45:14Let go of me!

00:45:15You're insane!

00:45:16Let me go!

00:45:19Let go of me!

00:45:20You're insane!

00:45:22Let me go!

00:45:23My mind goes blank.

00:45:26I know instantly

00:45:27there's no time

00:45:28to turn back

00:45:28for Grandpa.

00:45:30So I run

00:45:31toward Valerie's

00:45:32screams alone

00:45:35but somewhere

00:45:36during those

00:45:36few desperate

00:45:37seconds

00:45:38hearing my mother

00:45:39crying inside

00:45:40that trailer

00:45:42something strange

00:45:44happens.

00:45:45The panic

00:45:46inside my head

00:45:47suddenly disappears.

00:45:48Something strange

00:45:49happens.

00:45:50The panic

00:45:51inside my head

00:45:51suddenly disappears

00:45:52completely.

00:45:54As I sprint

00:45:55through the freezing

00:45:55dark

00:45:56I grip the heavy

00:45:57meat cleaver

00:45:57hidden beneath my

00:45:58coat so tightly

00:45:59my hand aches

00:45:59my palm is

00:46:00slipped with sweat

00:46:01but my eyes

00:46:02hold no fear

00:46:03anymore

00:46:03only calm

00:46:05and certainty.

00:46:07In that moment

00:46:08I finally understand

00:46:09why I came back

00:46:10to this world.

00:46:10I wasn't reborn

00:46:11to keep living

00:46:12as that monster's

00:46:13unwanted child.

00:46:14I crossed 28 years

00:46:15of time

00:46:16for one reason only

00:46:17to set my mother

00:46:18free

00:46:19even if it cost

00:46:20the life I was

00:46:20never supposed to

00:46:21have in the first place.

00:46:23I stare

00:46:24at the battered

00:46:25trailer door

00:46:25glowing faintly

00:46:26under the moonlight

00:46:27and I never

00:46:28slow down

00:46:29for even

00:46:29a second.

00:46:31You sick

00:46:31bastard!

00:46:33Die!

00:46:37Without hesitation

00:46:38I slam my foot

00:46:40into the flimsy

00:46:40aluminum trailer

00:46:41door.

00:46:42Using the momentum

00:46:43I throw myself

00:46:45straight at Austin

00:46:46from behind.

00:46:47Under the pale

00:46:48moonlight

00:46:48I raise the heavy

00:46:49cleaver high

00:46:50over my head

00:46:51and bring it down

00:46:52with every ounce

00:46:53of hatred

00:46:53from both lifetimes

00:46:55behind it.

00:46:57Austin lets out

00:46:58an animalistic scream

00:46:59but I underestimated

00:47:01what kind of monster

00:47:02he really is.

00:47:05I'm gonna rip you apart!

00:47:07A man who survived

00:47:08years of cartel violence

00:47:10along the border

00:47:11doesn't go down easily.

00:47:13The pain only drives

00:47:15him insane.

00:47:16Before I can swing again

00:47:17agony shoots

00:47:18through my arm

00:47:19like the bone

00:47:19is about to snap.

00:47:21I'm gonna kill you!

00:47:24The clever is ripped

00:47:25out of my hands

00:47:26instantly.

00:47:27Clang!

00:47:28The weapon

00:47:28crashes to the floor

00:47:30as Austin slams me

00:47:31hard against the ground

00:47:32inside the trailer.

00:47:36Under the dim

00:47:37moonlight leaking

00:47:37through the broken

00:47:38trailer walls

00:47:39Austin finally

00:47:40sees my face

00:47:41clearly.

00:47:44You little bitch

00:47:46bitch again.

00:47:47You just keep ruining

00:47:49everything!

00:47:50He roars hysterically

00:47:51and raises the

00:47:52clember over his head.

00:47:53Then it comes down.

00:47:55Again.

00:47:56And again.

00:47:57The blade

00:47:58flashes silver

00:47:59through the cramped trailer.

00:48:00Each strike

00:48:02tears violently

00:48:02into my stomach

00:48:03and chest

00:48:04without mercy.

00:48:10Warm blood

00:48:11immediately floods

00:48:11from my mouth

00:48:12soaking my clothes.

00:48:13legs.

00:48:16Strangely

00:48:18I can't feel pain

00:48:19anymore.

00:48:23My mind

00:48:24is terrifyingly

00:48:25clear.

00:48:26Only one thought

00:48:27keeps screaming

00:48:27inside my head.

00:48:29Don't let him go.

00:48:30Don't let him

00:48:31get to Valerie.

00:48:31No!

00:48:33Please!

00:48:33Stop!

00:48:34Let her go!

00:48:37No!

00:48:40Please!

00:48:42Stop!

00:48:49And the second

00:48:50I see him

00:48:51turning toward

00:48:51my mother again

00:48:52something inside

00:48:53me snaps

00:48:54using every

00:48:55last ounce of

00:48:56strength

00:48:57from both my

00:48:57lives.

00:48:58I throw myself

00:48:59onto him

00:49:00from behind

00:49:00and lock

00:49:01my arms

00:49:02around his

00:49:02body

00:49:02like a

00:49:03steel trap.

00:49:12No matter

00:49:13how violently

00:49:14he punches me

00:49:16no matter

00:49:17how many times

00:49:18the blade

00:49:18carves into

00:49:19my flesh

00:49:20I grit my teeth

00:49:21so hard

00:49:22I taste blood

00:49:22and hold on

00:49:23anyway.

00:49:25Even as blood

00:49:26purrs from my mouth

00:49:27I use my dying

00:49:28body weight

00:49:29to keep him

00:49:29pinned in place.

00:49:31You want to

00:49:32hurt her?

00:49:33Then you'll have

00:49:34to cut me

00:49:35into pieces

00:49:36first.

00:49:37Then you'll have

00:49:38to cut me

00:49:38into pieces

00:49:39first.

00:49:41A deafening

00:49:42shotgun blast

00:49:43erupts

00:49:43through the trailer.

00:49:45Austin!

00:49:46Blinding police

00:49:47spotlights flood

00:49:48the darkness

00:49:48as Grandpa

00:49:49storms inside

00:49:50roaring.

00:49:51The blast

00:49:52tears straight

00:49:53through Austin's

00:49:54skull.

00:49:55The impact

00:49:55stops the

00:49:56monster cold.

00:49:57his body

00:49:58jerks violently

00:49:59before collapsing

00:49:59to the floor

00:50:00like dead weight.

00:50:01Scarlet!

00:50:02Finally

00:50:03the demon

00:50:04falls silent

00:50:05and with the

00:50:06last bit of

00:50:06life draining

00:50:07from my body

00:50:07I collapse

00:50:08into the blood

00:50:09beside him.

00:50:14Scarlet!

00:50:15Scarlet!

00:50:19Scarlet wake up!

00:50:22Please!

00:50:23Mom's begging you

00:50:24please wake up!

00:50:27My mother's

00:50:27screams tear

00:50:28through the

00:50:29freezing Texas

00:50:29night.

00:50:30Raw.

00:50:31Desperate.

00:50:32Sharp enough

00:50:33to rip the

00:50:33sky apart.

00:50:34I want to

00:50:35lift my hand.

00:50:37Wipe the blood

00:50:38off her face

00:50:38like I always

00:50:39do.

00:50:40Pull her

00:50:40into my arms

00:50:41one last time.

00:50:42But my arm

00:50:42feels filled

00:50:43with concrete.

00:50:44My body is

00:50:45getting colder

00:50:45by the second

00:50:46and the voices

00:50:46around me

00:50:47sound farther

00:50:47and farther

00:50:48away like

00:50:49they're trapped

00:50:49beneath deep

00:50:50water.

00:50:50The whole world

00:50:51is slowly

00:50:51drifting out of

00:50:52reach.

00:50:52I lie there

00:50:53helplessly

00:50:54in the cold

00:50:54moldy blood

00:50:55pooling across

00:50:55the floor

00:50:56of the

00:50:56abandoned

00:50:56trailer.

00:50:57I see

00:50:58grandpa and

00:50:58grandma rushing

00:50:59toward me.

00:51:01Grandpa's

00:51:01hands.

00:51:02The same

00:51:03steady hands

00:51:03that held a

00:51:04gun his entire

00:51:05life without

00:51:05trembling once.

00:51:07He presses so

00:51:07hard his

00:51:08knuckles turn

00:51:09white but the

00:51:10blood still keeps

00:51:10pouring through

00:51:11his fingers.

00:51:13Grandma collapses

00:51:14beside me

00:51:15covering her

00:51:16mouth as

00:51:16sobs wreck her

00:51:17body.

00:51:19The whole world

00:51:21is slowly

00:51:21drifting out

00:51:22of reach.

00:51:23I know

00:51:24then I'm

00:51:26never gonna

00:51:26wake up

00:51:26again.

00:51:30That monster

00:51:31who haunts

00:51:31both of my

00:51:32lives like a

00:51:33curse carved

00:51:33into my

00:51:34bones.

00:51:36Austin Walker

00:51:37is finally

00:51:38killed that

00:51:38night by

00:51:39grandpa's

00:51:39shotgun.

00:51:40The blast

00:51:41tears straight

00:51:42through his

00:51:42head.

00:51:43His blood,

00:51:44his violence,

00:51:45his evil.

00:51:45All of it

00:51:46splatter across

00:51:47the rusted

00:51:48trailer walls

00:51:48and sinks

00:51:49into the mud

00:51:49of the Texas

00:51:50borderlands.

00:51:51Justice comes

00:51:52late.

00:51:52The law

00:51:53never even

00:51:53gets the

00:51:53chance to

00:51:54put him

00:51:54on death

00:51:55row.

00:51:55Fate beats

00:51:56it to the

00:51:56punch.

00:51:57Brutal,

00:51:57bloody,

00:51:58and absolute.

00:51:59After two

00:51:59lifetimes of

00:52:00suffering,

00:52:01the debt is

00:52:02finally paid.

00:52:03But the

00:52:04devil's death

00:52:04doesn't bring

00:52:05life back to

00:52:05our family.

00:52:06A few days

00:52:07later, an

00:52:07unusual storm

00:52:08rolls across

00:52:08the border.

00:52:09Cold rain

00:52:10mixes with

00:52:10sand and

00:52:11dirt,

00:52:11turning the

00:52:11whole town

00:52:12gray,

00:52:12muddy,

00:52:13and bitterly

00:52:13cold as

00:52:14if the sky

00:52:14itself is

00:52:15mourning everything

00:52:15we've lost.

00:52:16The Wyatt

00:52:17house falls

00:52:17silent.

00:52:18The kitchen

00:52:18that once

00:52:18smells of

00:52:19barbecue and

00:52:19fresh coffee

00:52:20never lights

00:52:20up again.

00:52:22Valerie

00:52:22becomes a

00:52:23ghost.

00:52:23She barely

00:52:24speaks,

00:52:25barely moves,

00:52:26like someone

00:52:27winds her up

00:52:28once and then

00:52:28forgets to do

00:52:29it again.

00:52:30Late one night,

00:52:31after the rain

00:52:32finally stops,

00:52:33she stumbles

00:52:34into my room

00:52:35alone.

00:52:35Dust has

00:52:36already settled

00:52:36across everything

00:52:37I leave behind.

00:52:38With trembling

00:52:39hands, she folds

00:52:40my faded jeans,

00:52:41picks up my

00:52:42unfinished

00:52:42notebooks,

00:52:43smooths out the

00:52:44wrinkles in the

00:52:44blanket on my

00:52:45bed.

00:52:46And the moment

00:52:47her fingers touch

00:52:48those cold sheets,

00:52:49the ones that

00:52:49will never hold

00:52:50my warmth again,

00:52:51something inside

00:52:52her finally breaks.

00:52:53Tears hit the

00:52:54hardwood floor

00:52:54one after another,

00:52:56soft, heavy.

00:52:59Nora, can mom

00:53:00come find you

00:53:01in heaven?

00:53:04Valerie drops

00:53:05to her knees

00:53:06beside the bed.

00:53:07She buries her

00:53:08pale face deep

00:53:09into my old pillow,

00:53:10the one I never

00:53:11get around to

00:53:12washing.

00:53:13There's still

00:53:13the faint smell

00:53:14of cheap shampoo

00:53:15lingering in the

00:53:16fabric, the last

00:53:17trace of her

00:53:17daughter left

00:53:18in this world.

00:53:20She clutches the

00:53:21sheets so tightly

00:53:22her fingers cramp,

00:53:23crying like a child

00:53:24who loses everything

00:53:25in the middle of

00:53:26the desert.

00:53:28The news of the

00:53:30border shooting

00:53:30reaches Boston

00:53:31overnight.

00:53:33Hector and his

00:53:34mother immediately

00:53:35cancel everything

00:53:36and drive back

00:53:37to Texas.

00:53:39Neither of them

00:53:40asks questions.

00:53:42They simply stay

00:53:43beside my grandparents

00:53:44and help them

00:53:45hold themselves

00:53:45together long

00:53:46enough to bury

00:53:47me.

00:53:49The funeral is

00:53:50held in the

00:53:50little cemetery

00:53:51outside town.

00:53:53For once,

00:53:54there is no

00:53:55sandstorm.

00:53:57White roses

00:53:58cover my grave.

00:53:59Hector stands

00:54:00at the very back

00:54:01of the crowd.

00:54:02The boy who

00:54:03once looked so

00:54:04calm and

00:54:04untouchable

00:54:05now has eyes

00:54:07darkened with

00:54:08grief and rage.

00:54:09He stares at

00:54:10the photo on

00:54:11my headstone,

00:54:12my 18-year-old

00:54:13smile frozen

00:54:14forever in time,

00:54:15and clenches

00:54:16his fists so

00:54:17hard his knuckles

00:54:18turn pale.

00:54:21After the funeral,

00:54:23the atmosphere

00:54:23inside the Wyatt

00:54:24house feels

00:54:25suffocating.

00:54:26Grandpa and

00:54:27grandma sit

00:54:28silently at the

00:54:29dinner table,

00:54:30exhaustion and

00:54:31grief etched

00:54:32into every line

00:54:33on their faces.

00:54:34Hector sits

00:54:35alone on the

00:54:35old bench near

00:54:36the living room

00:54:36window, staring

00:54:37out at the

00:54:38empty Texas

00:54:38highway.

00:54:39He struggles

00:54:40with himself

00:54:40for a long

00:54:41time before

00:54:41finally standing

00:54:42and walking

00:54:43over to

00:54:43Valerie.

00:54:44He crouches

00:54:45down in front

00:54:45of her carefully,

00:54:46like he's

00:54:47afraid she might

00:54:47shitter if he

00:54:48moves too

00:54:48fast.

00:54:54Valerie,

00:54:54come with us.

00:54:56Leave this

00:54:56place behind.

00:54:57We can start

00:54:58over somewhere

00:54:59else, okay?

00:55:01His voice is

00:55:02barely above a

00:55:03whisper.

00:55:03He doesn't even

00:55:04dare touch her.

00:55:05He just looks

00:55:06at her with

00:55:06quiet heartbreak

00:55:07in his eyes.

00:55:08Valerie doesn't

00:55:09answer.

00:55:10She sits there

00:55:11in the shadows,

00:55:12clutching my

00:55:12faded denim jacket

00:55:13against her chest

00:55:14like it's the

00:55:15last oxygen left

00:55:16in the world.

00:55:19That night,

00:55:20after everyone

00:55:20finally falls asleep

00:55:21from sheer

00:55:22exhaustion,

00:55:23the old house

00:55:24sinks into

00:55:24silence.

00:55:31And Valerie

00:55:32wanders back

00:55:33into my room

00:55:34again.

00:55:49She doesn't

00:55:50turn on the

00:55:50lights.

00:55:51In a room

00:55:52without me,

00:55:53even the light

00:55:53feels like a

00:55:54mockery.

00:56:00she kneels

00:56:01alone on

00:56:01the cold

00:56:01floor,

00:56:02organizing my

00:56:03belongings one

00:56:04piece at a

00:56:04time under

00:56:05the pale

00:56:05moonlight coming

00:56:06through the

00:56:06window.

00:56:15My

00:56:15textbooks full

00:56:16of notes,

00:56:20my

00:56:20erasers worn

00:56:21down to

00:56:22almost nothing.

00:56:22then finally,

00:56:25my old

00:56:26backpack,

00:56:27the cheap

00:56:28one with

00:56:28frayed edges

00:56:29and fading

00:56:29fabric.

00:56:30She pulls

00:56:31it into her

00:56:31arms and

00:56:32buries her

00:56:33face against

00:56:33it,

00:56:34breathing in

00:56:35what little

00:56:35remains of

00:56:36my scent.

00:56:40Then her

00:56:41hand brushes

00:56:42against something

00:56:43hidden deep

00:56:43inside the

00:56:44torn inner

00:56:45lining.

00:56:46I'm

00:56:54paper.

00:56:55A folded

00:56:55envelope slips

00:56:56loose and

00:56:57falls softly

00:56:58into her

00:56:58lap.

00:56:59On the

00:56:59front is

00:56:59only one

00:57:00word.

00:57:02Those are

00:57:03the words I

00:57:03want to say

00:57:04across two

00:57:04lifetimes.

00:57:06The words I

00:57:07never managed

00:57:07to say out

00:57:08loud before

00:57:08I die.

00:57:17Valerie

00:57:18freezes.

00:57:19Her

00:57:19whole body

00:57:20stiffens as

00:57:20her trembling

00:57:21fingers slowly

00:57:22tear the

00:57:22envelope open.

00:57:24She's shaking

00:57:25so badly,

00:57:26her fingernail

00:57:27slices the

00:57:28edge of the

00:57:28paper and

00:57:29draws blood,

00:57:30but she

00:57:31doesn't even

00:57:31notice.

00:57:32Then she

00:57:33sees the

00:57:33first line,

00:57:35and the

00:57:35moment she

00:57:36reads the

00:57:36name buried

00:57:37deepest inside

00:57:38her heart,

00:57:43breathing

00:57:44stops.

00:57:51Mom,

00:57:53if you're

00:57:54reading this,

00:57:56I'm probably

00:57:56already gone.

00:58:03Don't cry

00:58:04for me.

00:58:06From the

00:58:07first day I

00:58:08came back to

00:58:09this timeline,

00:58:10I already

00:58:11make up my

00:58:12mind.

00:58:13I'm going to

00:58:14trade my

00:58:14life for

00:58:15your freedom.

00:58:18Under the

00:58:19moonlight,

00:58:20Valerie's eyes

00:58:21instantly turn

00:58:22red.

00:58:23She covers her

00:58:24mouth tightly

00:58:24to stop

00:58:26herself from

00:58:26sobbing out

00:58:27loud and

00:58:28keeps reading.

00:58:31During those

00:58:3228 filthy

00:58:33years in my

00:58:33first life,

00:58:36I hated

00:58:36I hated you

00:58:37so much

00:58:37sometimes.

00:58:38Living in

00:58:39that moldy

00:58:39trailer park,

00:58:40I wonder

00:58:40every day why

00:58:41everyone else

00:58:42has a loving

00:58:42mom except

00:58:43me.

00:58:44Why you

00:58:45left me

00:58:45alone in

00:58:46hell.

00:58:46But in

00:58:46this life,

00:58:47I finally

00:58:47learned the

00:58:48truth.

00:58:49My mother

00:58:49loves me more

00:58:50than anyone

00:58:51ever could.

00:58:52You burn

00:58:53your whole

00:58:53life away

00:58:54trying to

00:58:54protect me.

00:58:55And honestly,

00:58:56mom, being

00:58:57loved by you

00:58:58like that is

00:58:58already enough.

00:58:59You're

00:59:00brilliant.

00:59:01Beautiful.

00:59:03Grandpa and

00:59:04grandma love

00:59:04you so much.

00:59:06Hector's mom

00:59:07once says you're

00:59:08meant to soar

00:59:08high above the

00:59:09clouds, not

00:59:10rot away in

00:59:11border town dirt

00:59:11because some

00:59:12rapist destroys

00:59:13your life.

00:59:14Please let me

00:59:15go, mom.

00:59:16Don't give

00:59:16birth to me

00:59:17again.

00:59:17As long as

00:59:18the name Nora

00:59:19exists, Austin

00:59:20Walker's shadow

00:59:20will always haunt

00:59:21you.

00:59:22This time,

00:59:23don't look back.

00:59:24Promise me.

00:59:24Go somewhere

00:59:25cleaner, higher,

00:59:26better.

00:59:27Go live the

00:59:28life you're

00:59:28supposed to have.

00:59:29Be free.

00:59:31By the end

00:59:32of the letter,

00:59:32Valerie has

00:59:33completely

00:59:33collapsed onto

00:59:34the floor.

00:59:35She presses

00:59:35those pages

00:59:36against her

00:59:37chest like

00:59:37they're the

00:59:37last pieces

00:59:38of my

00:59:38heartbeat

00:59:39left in

00:59:39the world

00:59:40and cries

00:59:40so hard

00:59:41she can

00:59:41barely breathe.

00:59:42Curled up

00:59:43beside the

00:59:43bed in

00:59:44the darkness,

00:59:44she breaks

00:59:45apart completely.

00:59:47And in

00:59:47that winter

00:59:48night of

00:59:481996, in

00:59:50a world

00:59:51without her

00:59:51daughter, my

00:59:53mother lets

00:59:54out the most

00:59:54shattered, guilt

00:59:55radined, heart

00:59:56broken sobs of

00:59:57both our

00:59:58lifetimes.

01:00:02That night, the

01:00:03Texas winter

01:00:04wind howls so

01:00:05hard it nearly

01:00:06tears the old

01:00:07wooden house

01:00:07apart.

01:00:09Valerie clutches

01:00:10my letter against

01:00:11her chest and

01:00:13cries until her

01:00:13voice gives up.

01:00:17In that letter, I

01:00:19beg her to let me

01:00:19go, beg her not

01:00:20to look back, beg her

01:00:22to chase her dreams

01:00:23and finally become the

01:00:24free person she

01:00:25deserves to be.

01:00:27But staring into

01:00:28my empty room,

01:00:29something reignites

01:00:30in her hollow,

01:00:32lifeless eyes.

01:00:35A fire.

01:00:37A stubbornness

01:00:38stronger than

01:00:39grief itself.

01:00:41Valerie whispers

01:00:43hoskily into

01:00:44the darkness.

01:00:46You silly

01:00:47girl.

01:00:48How could a

01:00:49mother ever stop

01:00:50loving her child?

01:00:51She can't do

01:00:52what I ask.

01:00:55Because she had

01:00:56already told me

01:00:57once before.

01:00:59I will never

01:01:00let you go.

01:01:03You are part

01:01:04of my body.

01:01:06Part of my life.

01:01:10A few days later,

01:01:11Hector and his

01:01:12mother help my

01:01:13exhausted

01:01:14grandparents

01:01:16finish arranging

01:01:17everything.

01:01:25Then carrying

01:01:27unbearable grief

01:01:28with them,

01:01:29the entire family

01:01:30leaves Texas

01:01:31for Boston.

01:01:38The day the bus

01:01:39pulls away,

01:01:40kicking up yellow

01:01:41dust behind it,

01:01:44Valerie stands

01:01:46by the window

01:01:46and takes a deep

01:01:47breath of cold

01:01:48New England air.

01:01:52This time,

01:01:53she isn't running

01:01:54as a victim

01:01:55buried under shame.

01:01:57This time,

01:01:59she's a mother

01:02:00determined to

01:02:00rewrite fate itself

01:02:01and bring her

01:02:03daughter back

01:02:03into the world

01:02:04with every ounce

01:02:05of love she has.

01:02:09Time moves quickly

01:02:10beneath Boston's

01:02:11blue skies.

01:02:14Valerie throws

01:02:15every ounce of grief

01:02:17and pain

01:02:17into studying.

01:02:21Fueled by the

01:02:22determination

01:02:23of two lifetimes,

01:02:24she works through

01:02:25endless nights

01:02:26until she's accepted

01:02:28into Harvard

01:02:29with near-perfect

01:02:31scores.

01:02:33And Hector,

01:02:34the boy who once

01:02:35cries for me

01:02:36at that Texas bus

01:02:36station,

01:02:38finally achieved

01:02:39his own dream,

01:02:40too.

01:02:42Earning a place

01:02:43at one of the

01:02:44country's top

01:02:45medical schools.

01:02:48Textbooks become

01:02:49Valerie's shelter

01:02:50and the child

01:02:51growing inside her.

01:02:52The child,

01:02:53once used by

01:02:54monsters as blackmail,

01:02:56is finally being

01:02:57nurtured in warmth

01:02:58and love.

01:03:00The following autumn,

01:03:01beneath golden maple

01:03:03leaves and the bright

01:03:04lights of a Boston

01:03:05maternity room,

01:03:06a baby girl

01:03:08enters the world

01:03:09with a loud,

01:03:09healthy cry.

01:03:12Valerie lies

01:03:13exhausted

01:03:13against the hospital bed,

01:03:15tears blurring her vision

01:03:16as she smiles

01:03:16wider than she ever

01:03:17has before.

01:03:18With trembling arms,

01:03:20she holds the tiny

01:03:21newborn against

01:03:22her chest

01:03:23and kisses her

01:03:24forehead gently.

01:03:25Noma,

01:03:27welcome to the world,

01:03:28baby.

01:03:29This time,

01:03:30there's no moldy

01:03:31trailer park,

01:03:32no violence,

01:03:33no shadow

01:03:34left behind

01:03:35by monsters.

01:03:36Sunlight pours

01:03:36through the hospital

01:03:37windows onto

01:03:38a warm nursery crib.

01:03:39Grandpa and Grandma

01:03:40show up crying

01:03:41and carrying

01:03:42brand new Barbie dolls.

01:03:44Hector adjusts

01:03:45his glasses

01:03:45and smiles softly

01:03:47beside him.

01:03:48And this version

01:03:49of Nora

01:03:49is finally born

01:03:51into life.

01:03:54After that,

01:03:55life slowly finds

01:03:56its way onto

01:03:56the right path.

01:03:58Without the suffering

01:03:59and burdens

01:03:59of the first timeline,

01:04:01Valerie and Hector

01:04:02both reach the futures

01:04:03they are always

01:04:04meant to have.

01:04:05Hector becomes

01:04:06one of the country's

01:04:07leading surgeons

01:04:08saving countless lives.

01:04:10Valora becomes

01:04:12a legendary attorney

01:04:13known across America,

01:04:15dedicating her career

01:04:16to protecting women

01:04:18and children

01:04:18through civil rights law.

01:04:20And the new Nora

01:04:21grows up

01:04:22in Harvard's

01:04:23golden autumn trees

01:04:24surrounded by love

01:04:26instead of fear.

01:04:27She is bright,

01:04:28confident,

01:04:30happy,

01:04:32the cancer

01:04:34that once

01:04:34destroys my body

01:04:36never appears

01:04:38in hers.

01:04:42As little Nora

01:04:43grows up,

01:04:44she watches

01:04:45Valerie and Hector

01:04:46eventually fall in love

01:04:47and build a quiet,

01:04:48beautiful family together.

01:04:50Their life

01:04:51isn't glamorous,

01:04:53but the love

01:04:53they give her

01:04:54overflows far beyond

01:04:56what most families

01:04:57could ever offer.

01:04:58And somewhere

01:04:59inside the golden

01:05:00evening light,

01:05:00the version of me

01:05:02that crosses

01:05:03time itself.

01:05:04The wandering soul,

01:05:05carried away

01:05:06by the wind,

01:05:08finally smiles.

01:05:09At the end

01:05:09of her autobiography,

01:05:11my mother writes

01:05:12one final dedication.

01:05:14Every achievement

01:05:15and honor

01:05:16in my life

01:05:16belongs to a girl

01:05:18named Nora.

01:05:18My daughter

01:05:19once tears open

01:05:20the darkness

01:05:21with her own life,

01:05:22and I spend the rest

01:05:23of mine

01:05:23bringing her back

01:05:24into the light.

01:05:25I lean quietly

01:05:26against my mother's knee

01:05:28in that final memory

01:05:29and whisper softly

01:05:30in my heart

01:05:31her dear prayers.

01:05:33Mom,

01:05:34this time

01:05:35you get everything right.

01:05:36And at last,

01:05:37those two wounded souls

01:05:39walk hand in hand

01:05:40towards the endless stars

01:05:41waiting beyond the clouds.

Cutting the Cord - Reborn as My Mom's High School Frenemy [Full Movie]

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