- 19 hours ago
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Short filmTranscript
00:00I was born with skin as fragile as glass. The slightest touch makes it tear. My family lost
00:06everything. I asked my wealthy boyfriend for a loan. Instead, he took me to a piercing studio.
00:12I'll give you 50 grand for each piercing. How much do you need?
00:15I knew he was torturing me, punishing me for slapping his adopted sister. The first piercing
00:21went through my private area. The second went through my shoulder. After 10 piercings,
00:26I was shaking in agony. He tossed a flimsy check onto me. 5 million.
00:33Thank you, Mr. Thorne. It's enough.
00:36Enough to buy an urn for my ashes. I was born with skin as fragile as glass.
00:41The slightest touch makes it tear. After my family's decline, I asked my wealthy boyfriend
00:46for a loan. Instead, Sebastian Thorne took me to a piercing studio with a cruel, mocking glint in his
00:53eyes. I'll give you 50 grand for each piercing. How much do you need?
00:58I knew he was deliberately torturing me, punishing me for raising a hand against his adopted sister.
01:04Yet, I still gave in. The first piercing went through a private area. I dug my nails into my
01:11palms until they bled. The second piercing went straight through my shoulder, leaving a trail of
01:16blood. After 10 piercings, I was shaking violently in extreme pain. Sebastian casually tossed a flimsy
01:23check onto me. 5 million. 5 million S city currents of barely 2,000. I didn't cry or make a
01:30scene.
01:30I just picked it up. I squeezed out a smile for him. Thank you, Mr. Thorne. It's enough.
01:36Enough to buy a decent urn for my ashes one that won't let the wind in.
01:41Just as I reached for the last bill, Sebastian crushed my hand under his foot.
01:46You're calling me Mr. Thorne? He gripped my neck, forcing me to look him in the eye.
01:51Didn't you used to crawl after me? Begging to call me babe? Husband? Why so quiet now?
01:57The piercings tugged at my skin with agonizing pain. Beads of blood seeping out all over my body.
02:03I lowered my head, compromising with abject humility for the first time.
02:07Sebastian, give me the divorce papers. I'll sign. There was a time when a single flinch from me
02:12would send him into a panic. Now, Sebastian's eyes held nothing but a cold lack of care.
02:18He curled his lip in a sneer. You want a divorce? You're a doll I trained with my own hands.
02:25Why should I let anyone else have my leftovers? Then he commanded.
02:30Give up the master bedroom to Isabella. She has a weak contusion and isn't used to the guest room.
02:35I didn't speak, simply nodding in obedience.
02:41Walking out of the piercing studio, my skin felt as if it were being torn apart.
02:46I counted the medical money he gave me. There was an extra 200.
02:51Just as I was about to push the door open to return it, I heard the piercer's fawning voice.
02:58Mr. Thorne, the live stream you arranged has already surpassed 10 million viewers!
03:04My mind went blank with a buzz, as if struck by a heavy hammer.
03:09My private piercings, watched by the entire internet.
03:14That shame broke me more than the physical pain.
03:17I was born with glass skin.
03:19A condition where even a needle could cause my flesh to rot.
03:23Back then, Sebastian knelt for 999 steps up the pilgrimage stairs to plead for my cure.
03:30He suppressed his desires for nearly 10 years, being careful even when hugging me.
03:36Only when my condition became steady did we truly belong to each other.
03:43Back then, he held me, his voice trembling.
03:47I will protect you with my life, for as long as I live.
03:50But ever since he met Isabella Thorne at the art exhibition, everything changed.
03:56She was vibrant and bold, like a wild rose with thorns.
04:00The complete opposite of someone dutiful and reserved like me.
04:05Countless times in bed, Sebastian would pant heavily and whisper to her.
04:13Isabella, my life belongs to you.
04:16After hearing the piercer's report, Sebastian tapped his fingertips on the table and asked nonchalantly.
04:23Her face wasn't shown just now, was it?
04:27Rest assured, Mrs. Vance's face was blurred the entire time.
04:32Trembling, I unlocked my phone.
04:35It turned out that the locations of the piercings on my private parts were all voted on by the livestream
04:41audience.
04:42Shoulder.
04:43Private.
04:46It felt as though icy.
04:48Bone-chilling nails were piercing through my entire body.
04:52Censored screenshots had already flooded the local forums.
04:56Everyone was trying to uncover the identity of the woman with the blurred face.
05:00Sebastian leaned back against the sofa, his tone casual.
05:06If Iris Vance had just behaved, she wouldn't have had to suffer like this.
05:14Once Isabella sees this news, she should finally be willing to take my call.
05:18Light snow drifted through the streets.
05:21But it was nothing compared to the chill in my blood.
05:24All because I couldn't stand seeing his birthday scarred into the small of her back.
05:28I had taken someone to get it lasered off.
05:31So this is how he takes his revenge on me.
05:34I 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.
05:48These piercings will leave permanent holes in my body.
05:51And 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.
06:06The place was as small as a storage unit.
06:09The car had barely come to a halt when I heard the wail of an ambulance siren.
06:14Paramedics were rushing out of the building with a stretcher.
06:16The person on the stretcher lay motionless beneath a silent white sheet.
06:21My heart sank violently, and my fingertips turned ice cold.
06:25Holding my breath, I dialed her number.
06:28Until my own voice, singing that familiar nursery rhyme, drifted out from beneath the white sheet.
06:33I rushed forward like a madwoman and ripped back the white sheet.
06:38Mom's eyes were wide and vacant, as if she had stared into the heart of a nightmare in her final
06:43moments.
06:44I screamed until my throat was raw, tears falling like broken pearls.
06:49My mother's checkups were always fine! How could this happen?
06:56The medical examiner glanced at me.
06:58Your mother took an overdose of sleeping pills.
07:00No, I didn't believe it. Mom loved me too much.
07:04She would never leave me all alone.
07:06I unlocked her phone.
07:08On the screen, a message from an anonymous account flickered it was the link to the livestream.
07:13I collapsed to the floor, my strength gone.
07:16A sharp pain twisted in my chest as I broke down, sobbing.
07:20It was me. I was the one who killed my own mother.
07:24In our chat history, she had left her final words.
07:27Iris, my darling.
07:29Don't let yourself be chained to a man who doesn't love you, just for my sake.
07:33My fragile glass doll, leave this darkness behind.
07:36Clutching my mother's cold hand, I wept like a child.
07:40My skin would ulcerate and fester at the slightest bump.
07:43My classmates looked at me like I was garbage, avoiding me like the plague.
07:50Only mom would hug me tight, repeating over and over.
07:55You're different from from the others.
07:57You are my porcelain doll.
08:01If you don't want to go to school, mama everyday homeskill you.
08:04But I was determined to fight fate, gritting my teeth and continuing school.
08:09The year one transferred high schools.
08:11I sat next to Sebastian.
08:13He was the one who chased away my bullies time and again.
08:16Even though it was out of his way, he walked me to and from school every day.
08:20Back then, I naively thought he was the light of my world.
08:24It turned out that besides mom, there really was someone who would protect me without asking for anything in return.
08:30When we graduated college, I secretly gave the dowry mom had saved for me to Sebastian to start his business.
08:36For once, fate finally treated me kindly.
08:40When the company turned its first profit, he placed the deed to a Riverview villa in the city center into
08:45my hands.
08:46Reporters crowded around to interview him.
08:51Mr. Thorne, why give your girlfriend such an expensive gift right after starting your business?
08:55Clad in a custom-made suit, he radiated the charm of a perfect gentleman.
09:00Back then, she sat behind me on my bike and stayed with me in a low-rent place for two
09:05years.
09:06I swore then that one day, I would let her live in a house where she could see the sunlight
09:11and the waves.
09:13From now on, you can all call her Mrs. Thorne.
09:16Amidst the salute of fireworks, he knelt on one knee and pulled out a ring.
09:20Everyone said we were the model couple of the business world.
09:23They called it a fairy tale ending.
09:25The devoted wife who stayed through the storm, finally crowned in his glory.
09:30I sat withered in the morgue for the entire afternoon, until the staff member's voice pulled me back from my
09:35trance.
09:37Mrs. Thorne, this card still won't go through.
09:41That was the last card I had on me.
09:43The man who once bought me a river view house and jewelry had frozen every single one of my accounts.
09:48Just two coax a smile out of his adopted baby sister, Isabella.
09:53Swallowing the bitterness in my throat, I knelt humbly and begged.
09:57This is everything I have.
09:59Please, just let me lay my mother to rest.
10:04I'll find a way to pay the balance, I swear.
10:07The staff member looked at me with mockery.
10:09This isn't even enough to buy a coffin.
10:11He sneered.
10:12Just go apologize to Mr. Thorne.
10:14Soften up a bit.
10:15You can surely get this small amount of money from him.
10:17I took a shaky breath and unclasped the heavy gold cross from my neck.
10:21This is solid gold.
10:22It's worth at least twenty thousand, Bobasund.
10:25Please, have a heart.
10:27He snatched it eagerly, bit down to test it, and then violently smashed the cross onto the ground.
10:32I can't believe you had the gall to try and scam me with a cheap, gold-plated piece of junk.
10:39The gold cross, engraved with my name and meant to keep me safe, now lay mangled and deformed from his
10:44blow.
10:45My tears finally broke free, crashing down onto the mangled lump of gold.
10:49Beneath a thin layer of gold leaf, the dull, dark copper stung my eyes.
10:55The gift was a sham, just like his love.
10:58Every word, every promise since the very beginning had been a calculated lie.
11:02I picked up the twisted piece of fake gold and used my last bit of change to catch a cab
11:07back to the Thorn Mansion.
11:08Outside the master bedroom, I heard Sebastian's lazy, teasing voice from inside.
11:15Every time I touch her, it's a chore.
11:17One wrong move and the sheets are stained with her blood.
11:20It's a total turn-off.
11:21You're a little much better.
11:23You're so obedient, and you know so many more positions.
11:26I couldn't stop my anger and sadness.
11:29I screamed, kicking at the door like mad.
11:33Sebastian, you murderer!
11:35You killed my mother!
11:38The man's voice was thick with impatience and lingering lust.
11:42Iris, I'm not pouring any more money into your family's bottomless hole.
11:48Don't use your mother's death as a pathetic plea for sympathy.
11:51Tears streamed down my face.
11:53I was sobbing so hard I could barely breathe.
11:59I have never lied to you, but what about you?
12:04Even the gold guardian cross you gave me was a fake.
12:07Was anything between us ever real?
12:09Sebastian fell silent for a few seconds, his tone laced with confusion.
12:14Iris, what the hell are you talking about?
12:16There was a rustling sound of someone getting up, but it was cut short by a woman's flirty whining.
12:21Sebastian, come on.
12:23A few more times.
12:24I haven't finished yet.
12:27Alright, whatever you say.
12:29After that, no matter how hard I kicked or how loud I cursed, it just became background noise to fuel
12:35their pleasure.
12:35My breakdown and extreme pain seemed to act as fuel for their lust.
12:41I collapsed to the floor, unconsciously murmuring his name.
12:46Sebastian.
12:46I wanted to tell on him to the man he used to be, the man who used to cherish me
12:50above all else.
12:51I don't know how much time passed before the bedroom door finally opened.
12:55I could see large, wet stains all over the bed.
12:58Those were my bridal linens handmade by my mother.
13:01I instantly realized just how intense they had been moments ago.
13:05Sebastian caught sight of the tears in the corners of my eyes.
13:08A complicated look flashing through his own.
13:11He frowned and instinctively reached his hand out toward me.
13:14But Isabella beat him to it.
13:16Grabbing his hand and pressing it against her lower abdomen.
13:19Sebastian.
13:20You were incredible.
13:24I can feel you still inside me.
13:27I'm only 20, so I'm sure to get pregnant easily.
13:32Unlike Iris.
13:34She's nothing but a barren, broken doll.
13:36As she spoke, she shot a disdainful glance at my body.
13:43You had a vasetimi.
13:45You said there was no way for us to have another baby.
13:49I was trembling all over, my voice shaking.
13:53Iris.
13:54I had the vasenia reversed.
13:56Things have changed.
13:57I need an heir to carry on the thorn legacy.
14:00Sebastian's gaze swept over me indifferently.
14:02Yet it pierced my heart like a knife.
14:05The last shred of hope was crushed.
14:07And my heart turned to ash.
14:09If I hadn't given you my dowry as startup capital, how would you have ever built this fortune?
14:16Our first child.
14:17I lost it because my health was too frail.
14:20It was you who knelt in the church all night.
14:23Swearing you would never want children in this lifetime.
14:26You were the one who knelt in the temple all night.
14:30Praying and swearing that you'd never crave a child if it meant risking my life.
14:36I ripped the heirloom emerald bracelet from my wrist and smashed it onto the floor.
14:41The jagged shard sliced into my skin, drawing blood.
14:45I'm returning this heirloom bracelet to you.
14:47Sebastian, I will never believe a single word you say again.
14:51Sebastian didn't even look up.
14:52Indifferently ordering the servant.
14:54Her wrist is cut.
14:56Bring the antiseptic ointment.
14:58Before I could speak, he suddenly sneered.
15:01Get some ointment for her wrist.
15:03We can't have you dying here.
15:05It's bad for business.
15:06My family has no room for a jinx like you.
15:08My throat felt as if it were stuffed with cotton.
15:11I slapped away his reaching hand.
15:13Do you know?
15:14My mom swallowed sleeping pillows and killed herself.
15:18Is everything the arse drew exactly because she watched that live stream?
15:22You even frozen all my cards.
15:25I can't even scrape together.
15:27Care the money for her funeral.
15:29The only response I got was a vicious slap.
15:35Iris, to extort money.
15:38You'd even make up such despicable lies.
15:40In the moment our eyes met, the boy who once draped his jacket over me in the rain and this
15:46man before me with eyes like ice were like two completely different people.
15:50The air seemed to freeze solid until a ball of sticky, soiled bedsheets was thrown at my feet.
15:58Isabella snuggled into Sebastian's embrace.
16:01Sebastian, I'm too exhausted to move.
16:03Why don't you let Iris wash the sheets for us?
16:06I froze in place.
16:09Sebastian pinched Isabella's cheek, then turned to me and said,
16:13Wash this clean.
16:15I'll give you a hundred thousand after it's done.
16:19Remember, stop using your mother to scam people.
16:22If you want money, you have to be obedient.
16:28Just so mom could rest in peace, I gritted my teeth, bent down and picked up that disgusting thing.
16:35When I walked out of the bathroom, Isabella was leaning against the doorframe, looking at me with a faint, ambiguous
16:42smile.
16:43I can give you a sum of money to bring your mom's company back to life.
16:47Just sign the divorce papers.
16:49She pointed to the documents on the table.
16:51I stared at her blankly, my voice trembling.
16:54How did you get Sebastian's signature?
16:57Ever since she appeared, I had mentioned divorce to Sebastian countless times, but he ignored me every time.
17:03Isabella raised an eyebrow, her tone flippant.
17:06I said I wanted that pink diamond ring from the auction.
17:10He didn't even ask the price, he just signed.
17:12That ring was worth 500 million.
17:15Sebastian couldn't possibly not know that.
17:19If he had been willing to pay just one third of that price, my mother wouldn't have been driven to
17:24a dead end.
17:25He would rather drop a fortune on a ring for his adopted sister than spare a cent to save my
17:30mother.
17:31Bitterness welled up in my throat.
17:34Fine.
17:35I'll sign.
17:36Isabella took me to the underground garage.
17:38Get in!
17:39I'll take you to get the money.
17:41The car drove further and further into desolation.
17:44It wasn't heading toward the bank at all.
17:46I smashed the window with all my might, trying to jump out.
17:50A pill was forcibly stuffed into my mouth.
17:53My consciousness instantly plunged into darkness.
17:57When I opened my eyes, I was bound tightly to a chair.
18:01Isabella gripped my jaw fiercely.
18:04A knife hidden in her smile.
18:06Iris, do you know how many people out there are looking for you to collect debts?
18:12My heart sank violently, a subconscious panic setting in.
18:16She turned back and jerked her chin at the men behind her, whose faces were brutal and fleshy.
18:23She's the daughter of that fraud, Margaret Vance.
18:26Sebastian has already divorced her.
18:28She is nothing now.
18:29Do whatever you want with her.
18:31As soon as the words left her mouth, the men circled me like a pack of hungry wolves.
18:35I was pinned to the ground, forced to beg on my knees over and over.
18:40I'm sorry.
18:42Sorry.
18:43It's all because of your damn dead mother that we haven't been paid in three months.
18:49They roared at the top of their lungs.
18:51My eyes red.
18:53I screamed back.
18:55My mom is gone!
18:56Don't you dare talk about her like that!
18:58The men burst into raucous laughter, their tone filthy and vicious.
19:03Since your mom's dead, you can pay her debts with your body.
19:10Their rough fingernails scraped against my skin, feeling like sandpaper grinding against my
19:15bones.
19:16I curled into a ball, tears mixed with drops of blood hitting the ground.
19:21It felt like I was back in my childhood, being bullied all over again.
19:25Only this time, no one was coming to save me.
19:28They roughly tore my clothes to shreds.
19:31Seeing the piercings on my body, they howled in excitement.
19:35Wait, she's the bitch from the live stream!
19:37Come on, brothers!
19:38Let's see what the grokky man with the great Sebastian Thorn's leftovers tastes like!
19:42I scrambled backward desperately, but the ropes binding me only grew tighter.
19:45Just then, the phone that had been thrown to the ground started vibrating, gritting my
19:50teeth.
19:51I crawled toward it.
19:52But Isabella stepped on the phone, crushing it under her foot as she sneered.
19:57Give it up.
19:58No one is coming to save you.
19:59With that, she locked the iron gate from the outside.
20:05That night, Sebastian called my number again, but it was already switched off.
20:10He checked the GPS tracker on my phone.
20:13It led him to the heart of the slums, the most dangerous part of the city.
20:16To his shock, my location showed up in the most depraved and chaotic part of the slums.
20:23Sebastian gripped the steering wheel tight and drove like a madman toward the location.
20:27Just as he turned into the alley, he overheard to drunken day laborers.
20:32Uh, that chick back there was wild.
20:36Those piercings on her body drove me crazy.
20:41Sebastian froze in his tracks, the blood rushing straight to his head.
20:46Sebastian grabbed the man by the hair, forcing his head back.
20:49Did any of you filthy animals lay a finger on her?
20:52Tell me where she is, or you're dead.
20:56No.
20:58He was filled with rage.
21:00I was the treasure he had protected for ten years, and he would not allow anyone to hurt me.
21:05Seeing his custom-made suit, the day laborers immediately adopted a weak and fearful, begging on their knees posture.
21:13Wait, wait, boss, please.
21:15We didn't know who she was.
21:16It's all a mistake.
21:17Don't kill us.
21:18We'll take you to her right this second.
21:19With that, the two men led Sebastian deeper into the alley.
21:24A dozen shops ahead were lit with cheap neon lights.
21:27Heavily made-up women stood by the street.
21:29But upon seeing his face cold as ice, they retreated in fear.
21:33They all knew they couldn't afford to offend such a powerful figure.
21:37Sebastian's knuckles turned white as he thought to himself.
21:40Today the punishment height harsh.
21:42I'd even give her a chance to explain before making own the decision on my own.
21:47Rush the consequence or jindif that abad.
21:50Then her will thou'd serve into maindin me.
21:57Soon, the day laborers led him into a barber shop, bowing low, one said.
22:02Boss, the young lady you're looking for is right in there.
22:04Please, go in.
22:06Inside, a woman in a slip dress was lounging on the sofa, touching up her makeup.
22:11Sebastian strode over and yanked her up.
22:15The moment he saw her face, his suspended heart suddenly settled.
22:22He whispered.
22:23It's not her.
22:25Where on earth is Iris right now?
22:28Sebastian, consumed by fury, immediately dialed his bodyguard.
22:33My wife is missing.
22:35I want her location within ten minutes.
22:37But no one expected what happened next.
22:39The bodyguard team, which the Thorne family spent a fortune on every year recruiting top talent nationwide,
22:45could not find me.
22:46Sebastian tore up the search report handed to him by the bodyguards.
22:50A vague suspicion surfaced in his mind.
22:55He immediately had Isabella brought to him, his eyes cold as knives.
23:00Someone said,
23:01You were the last person to see my wife.
23:05I didn't want to suspect you,
23:06but the bodyguards have searched every corner of Seattle.
23:10Isabella, you'd better come clean.
23:12Isabella walked up to him and leaned into his embrace.
23:15Iris, Iris' family went bankrupt.
23:18Do you know how many people want revenge on her and her mother?
23:22Her mother is already dead.
23:24I just thought I'd hand her over to let those people take their revenge.
23:28Think of it as accumulating good karma for our child.
23:32Sebastian, I'm already pregnant with your child.
23:35Why should that barren hen stay in the Thorne family?
23:37Upon hearing this, Sebastian's hand clamped around her throat.
23:41The force of his grip seemed intended to kill her.
23:47Who gave you the right to act on your own?
23:50Tell me where Iris is right now!
23:52If a single hair on her head is harmed,
23:56I will make you wish you were dead.
24:00Isabella covered her burning cheek,
24:02daring not to talk back any longer.
24:04I only sent her there.
24:06I really don't know what happened after that.
24:09I paid off those workers!
24:10At most, they'd yell at her a bit.
24:12They wouldn't lay a hand on her.
24:14She continued to feign innocence.
24:17But Sebastian wouldn't believe a single word anymore.
24:20He drove straight to that abandoned warehouse on the outskirts of town.
24:24The main gate was ajar,
24:25and the warehouse was completely empty.
24:28Only a pool of darkened blood remained on the concrete floor.
24:32Sebastian dropped to his knees,
24:33ignoring the filth on the ground as he reached for a blood-stained emerald pendant.
24:37There was no mistaking it.
24:39This was mine the one piece of jewelry I never took off.
24:44His eyes drifted to the dark,
24:46sticky pool of blood on the concrete.
24:49His heart felt like it was being crushed in a vice,
24:51the pain making it impossible to breathe.
24:53He immediately ordered the security team to run a rushed DNA test on the blood.
24:58Then, dragging Isabella by the arm like she was trash,
25:01he hauled her to the underground chamber behind the warehouse.
25:04There was a three meter deep pool there, already filled with ice.
25:08Isabella finally smelled the scent of death.
25:11Her face was ashen as she shrank back in fear.
25:16Sebastian, why did you bring me here?
25:18I'm so cold.
25:20Sebastian only gave her a cold look.
25:23Cold?
25:24You won't be feeling that for long.
25:26Two minutes later,
25:28two bodyguards roughly tore open Isabella's clothes,
25:31chaining her hands and feet.
25:35Isabella shivered uncontrollably from the cold and screamed.
25:41Sebastian, are you crazy?
25:42I'm carrying your child!
25:44But Sebastian stepped closer,
25:45his eyes devoid of warmth.
25:48Scared?
25:49When you pushed Iris toward those day laborers,
25:52did you ever think she might be scared too?
25:55Isabella, did you really think climbing into my bed would let you replace her?
26:02You aren't even worth her shadow.
26:04He waved his hand,
26:06and the bodyguards immediately pulled the chains toward the pool.
26:09The moment Isabella's feet touched the water,
26:11her whole body seized up from the cold.
26:14The man before her was no longer the tender partner,
26:16but the grim reaper from hell.
26:19Speak.
26:20What exactly happened tonight?
26:22I want the truth,
26:24not your lies.
26:27He glanced at the time,
26:29his tone chilling.
26:31I'm counting to ten.
26:33If you don't talk,
26:34I'll sink you.
26:35Isabella went completely limp,
26:37snot and tears streaming down her face.
26:40I was wrong!
26:42I was just jealous of her!
26:43I wanted to teach her a lesson!
26:45She spilled everything how she colluded with the workers.
26:48How she tricked Iris into going to the warehouse.
26:51After listening,
26:52Sebastian pushed her head down toward the water.
26:56His eyes were filled with poisonous, murderous intent.
26:59Isabella's voice cracked with terror.
27:06But you even live streamed today to get revenge for me?
27:11I'm still carrying your child.
27:13How can you do this to me?
27:15Sebastian sneered.
27:16Do you really think I had the piercer use ordinary nails on her?
27:20I just wanted to teach Iris a lesson.
27:22To make her behave.
27:26Those were custom made nails.
27:28They dissolve completely after three days.
27:30No one would have known it was her in the live stream.
27:32But you took that as proof that I didn't love her and you decided to kill her!
27:39How could I not love her?
27:41She is the woman I would give my life to protect.
27:45Only I am allowed to cause her pain.
27:48Who the hell do you think you are?
27:50Isabella continued to scream in her defense.
28:05Sebastian's foot was already on top of her head.
28:07Pressing down with increasing force.
28:12Before you go under,
28:13I might as well tell you one more thing.
28:17The child in your belly is actually an embryo from me and Iris.
28:21I had a doctor implanted in you.
28:29Isabella,
28:30when it comes down to it,
28:32you're just a tool for breeding.
28:36I had planned to treat you better.
28:38To let you help raise the child.
28:40But what a pity.
28:41You won't live to see that day.
28:43With those words,
28:44he kicked her hard.
28:45And Isabella sank to the bottom.
28:49Sebastian had countless ways
28:50to make Isabella vanish instantly.
28:52But he felt that would be letting her off too easy.
28:55For a woman with a heart as poisonous as a snake,
28:57she deserved to simmer in fear
28:59until he lost interest completely.
29:01Isabella was pushed underwater in the freezing pool.
29:04Her body had gone numb from the extreme cold.
29:07Her limbs swollen and stiff.
29:09Just as she sank to the bottom,
29:11the rope around her neck yanked her violently upward.
29:14Leaving her coughing as if her lungs would tear apart.
29:19But this was only the beginning.
29:24The ropes binding her neck and limbs lowered her slowly once more.
29:28She was forced to teeter back and forth
29:30on the edge of drowning and suffocation.
29:32Sebastian knew she feared the cold and suffocation above all else.
29:36So he would make her taste the brink of death
29:38a hundred times beneath the water.
29:40Hours later,
29:41the call from the bodyguard finally came.
29:43Mr. Thorne,
29:44we've located Mrs. Thorne.
29:46The day laborers had all been rounded up.
29:48From them,
29:49Sebastian learned the truth.
29:51Moments after Isabella left the warehouse,
29:53the main doors were blasted open
29:55by a group of men in black.
29:57A man in a black trench coat
29:58had scooped up me and vanished into the night.
30:01Sebastian's eyes were bloodshot as he demanded.
30:04Then where the hell is my wife?
30:06But no one had the answer.
30:07He took a deep breath and radioed his men again.
30:10Turn Seattle upside down if you have to.
30:13Find her.
30:16That night,
30:17several middle-aged men appeared in the slums of Seattle,
30:20unconscious and with their limbs broken.
30:22When I startled awake from a chaotic nightmare,
30:24I found myself in a pristine white hospital room
30:27filled with sophisticated equipment.
30:29This wasn't an ordinary ward.
30:31It was run by the Global Medical Federation.
30:33It's a facility reserved for the world's most elite.
30:37A place that only accepted the elite
30:39who had made significant contributions to humanity.
30:41I realized with a silent start,
30:43I hadn't expected that he would be the one to save me just in time.
30:47The man in the adjoining lounge saw I was awake
30:50and entered the room after an iris scan.
30:53Liam, thank you for today.
30:55I softly called out his name.
30:57He gently took my hand,
30:58his voice steady and calm.
31:00There's no need for that between us.
31:02If I hadn't happened to be on break and contacted you,
31:06I dread to think what might have happened.
31:10He paused,
31:12then lifted a bowl of nutrient porridge to feed me.
31:15Why would you head somewhere like this?
31:17It's way too dangerous.
31:19I remained silent,
31:20unwilling to reopen those wounds.
31:22Even if he was my childhood sweetheart.
31:25Sebastian had his lover,
31:27his adopted sister,
31:28and I had my childhood sweetheart of 10 years.
31:31It was just that after I got together with Sebastian,
31:33I had consciously kept my distance from Liam.
31:37Liam's parents were core researchers at the center,
31:39and he had grown up under my mother's care.
31:42In high school,
31:43he was selected for the medical center's elite training program,
31:46and now he was its youngest senior officer.
31:48We hadn't seen much of each other over the years,
31:52only confirming we were both well
31:53through occasional calls and messages.
31:56He had contacted me this time to share some major news.
32:01We've had a breakthrough with your glass skin condition.
32:04This new treatment is light years ahead of the junk Sebastian found.
32:07It was a world of difference compared to those folk remedies Sebastian had dug up.
32:12Just one of the specific pills would allow me to become a normal person within a week.
32:16As I swallowed the sugar-coated pill,
32:18I couldn't help but say thanks once more to the man standing before me.
32:22Aside from a flimsy thank you,
32:24I didn't seem to have anything else to offer him in return.
32:27He had already become a chief of the highest medical rank,
32:30a height I could never hope to reach.
32:32A man like him truly lacked for nothing.
32:35After leaving the treatment control center,
32:38I never wanted to return to the Thorn Mansion,
32:40the cage that had imprisoned me for so many years.
32:43I'd act as if I had long since let go,
32:46leaving the unfaithful Sebastian in that iron cage to Isabella.
32:51I rented an apartment with a balcony by the river.
32:54Liam moved into the same complex,
32:56right next door.
32:58This proximity finally allowed my frayed nerves a moment of peace.
33:02It happened to be his rotation break.
33:04Occasionally, he would take me out for a drive.
33:07He would also invite me over to taste his cooking.
33:10I had never seen him like this wearing a cotton linen apron,
33:13tending to a pot of thick soup all afternoon.
33:15It completely changed my opinion of him.
33:18I'd often tease him.
33:20With skills like this,
33:22even the Sims special menu couldn't keep you satisfied, could it?
33:25A hint of grievance flashed in his eyes.
33:27Back I was supporting remote outposts,
33:30all I had to gnaw on were compressed biscuits.
33:33Back then, I'd always think of Aunt Margaret's pork chop.
33:36It wasn't until I returned to headquarters
33:38that I got a dedicated dietary consultant.
33:42Hearing him mention my mother,
33:43the spoon in my hand clattered onto the table.
33:46He looked at me, his voice soft.
33:49I'm sorry, I didn't mean to.
33:51If you don't want to talk about it,
33:53I won't bring it up again.
33:54I shook my head,
33:56tears already welling up in my eyes.
33:58It had been so long since I tasted my mother's cooking,
34:01and I would never have the chance again.
34:03After I was rescued from the warehouse,
34:05Liam not only paid for my mother's funeral expenses,
34:08but also arranged a grand memorial service for her.
34:10As for the truth behind the company's bankruptcy,
34:13he uncovered it using the Medical Alliance's
34:16global information network.
34:17It turned out to be Sebastian's conspiracy all along.
34:20He had engineered a fatal contract.
34:22He siphoned off all the cash flow from my mother's company
34:25and bribed every financial institution,
34:28cutting off our escape route.
34:30Furthermore,
34:31Liam had used his resources to recover the diverted assets,
34:34getting the company back up and running.
34:36All the unpaid wages for the day laborers had been issued as well.
34:42Tragically,
34:43mom would never know.
34:44I patted his shoulder.
34:46It's okay.
34:48It seems we are the only two left who still remember her.
34:51I sniffled,
34:52trying hard to hold back my tears.
34:55If I hadn't Sebastian,
34:57she could have lived happily and healthily for decades more.
35:03She only chose suicide so she wouldn't be a burden to me.
35:06She gave me my life,
35:08yet she lost hers because of me.
35:12Last night,
35:13Liam and I talked all night about the past.
35:15We talked about how mom used to make sweet pork and corn stew for us in the summer.
35:20I would help mom wash the corn,
35:22and Liam would help chop it up.
35:23Every time,
35:25I was the one who ate the most meat.
35:27Confused,
35:28I asked mom why she wasn't eating any meat,
35:30wondering if she had lost her appetite.
35:32She just smiled and placed another piece of meat in my bowl.
35:37I used to have a taste for it when I was young,
35:40but somewhere along the way I realized I'd rather see you full than eat it myself.
35:44That sentence stayed with me my whole life.
35:47It turns out the most loving lie in the world is,
35:50mom doesn't like the taste.
35:53I told Liam that my mother actually loved sweets back then.
35:57But to teach me to eat less sugar,
35:59she even gave up her favorite floral honey cake.
36:02Once,
36:03when I caught her,
36:04she smiled awkwardly.
36:06Sweetie,
36:07mom just had a tiny bite.
36:09Every time we would celebrate Christmas,
36:12mom and I would lie on the sofa watching the holiday variety show.
36:15The performances were playing on the TV.
36:18Mom turned to me and asked,
36:20Do you know what tune this is?
36:22I said I didn't.
36:24Never learned it.
36:25Mom gave a proud little hump.
36:27This is that piano piece you practiced every single day.
36:31What's the me?
36:32Mew to be hair.
36:36I smiled.
36:37Mom,
36:38but I played the violin!
36:39Then we both burst into laughter.
36:43I was born with glass skin syndrome.
36:46I was like a fragile porcelain doll,
36:48needing to be cradled in the palm of a hand and protected at all costs.
36:52It was truly exhausting.
36:54Yet my mother cared for me with meticulous devotion,
36:57beaming with delight.
36:59This beautiful porcelain doll is mine,
37:02and I'm going to take good care of her.
37:04That night,
37:05I didn't tell Liam about those heart-wrenching memories.
37:08Instead,
37:09I spoke of the sweet times I shared with mom.
37:12Her dying wish was for me to be safe and happy,
37:14so I would carry all those warm memories of her and live the rest of my life well.
37:18The loss of a loved one is a dampness that clings for a lifetime,
37:21but the part of me that was shaped by my mother will take her place and stay with me forever.
37:26Before sleep,
37:27I said softly to Liam,
37:29Thank you for saving me,
37:31and thank you for everything you've done.
37:33But,
37:34I'm not ready to start another relationship.
37:42Before I can love someone else,
37:43I need to learn to love myself first.
37:46I looked into the tenderness in his eyes and added,
37:49But,
37:50But we will be partners for life.
37:52People always mistake dependency for love.
37:55Having survived a shattered marriage,
37:57I can no longer believe in spending the rest of my life with another person.
38:01Nor do I want to hear flimsy promises or make guarantees that cannot be kept.
38:05He nodded gently.
38:07He softly sang a nursery rhyme,
38:09lolling me to sleep.
38:11The night in Seattle was completely silent,
38:14leaving only two adrift souls,
38:16leaning on one another for warmth.
38:18A few days later,
38:19I took Liam's dog for a walk in the park.
38:22A Rolls Royce screeched to a halt beside me.
38:24The window rolled down to reveal Sebastian's agitated voice.
38:28Iris!
38:29Are you really gonna throw everything away because of one mistake?
38:32Get in the car!
38:33Now!
38:33I tightened my grip on the leash.
38:36Sebastian,
38:37you signed the divorce papers yourself.
38:39You're nothing but a stranger to me now.
38:41Please,
38:42have some dignity.
38:43Having said my piece,
38:44I tugged the dog along and kept walking.
38:47But Sebastian jumped out of the car and chased after me.
38:50He reached out and grabbed my arm.
38:53Don't go.
38:55Let's just talk properly,
38:56please.
38:58I shook off his hand violently,
39:00not even bothering to look at him.
39:04There's nothing to talk about.
39:06That was your signature on the divorce papers.
39:09Legally,
39:10we have absolutely no ties anymore.
39:12Sebastian,
39:13stop this harassment.
39:14Trying to trap someone who doesn't love you
39:16is just torture for both of us.
39:17It's completely pointless.
39:19He acted as if he hadn't heard a word,
39:21rambling on and on.
39:22He kept going on about how much effort it took to find me,
39:25and about the piercings on my body.
39:27He also claimed he had already tortured Isabella a thousand times over.
39:31I already knew about the nails.
39:33I knew the moment those nails began to dissolve and vanish from my skin.
39:37As for the rest of what he was saying,
39:39I couldn't care less.
39:41I finally stopped walking and turned my head,
39:43my voice as cold as ice.
39:45None of that matters anymore.
39:46What matters is that we will never have anything to do with each other again.
39:49Let the past rot in the past.
39:51Don't ever show your face in front of me again.
39:53Hearing this,
39:54Sebastian suddenly roared like a madman.
39:57Iris!
39:58Have you been seeing someone else all along?
40:03How else could you be so heartless?
40:05How could forget me so quickly?
40:07Watching him lose control,
40:09I couldn't help but laugh out loud.
40:13You're so arrogant.
40:15Does my life have to revolve around a man?
40:17I don't need to love someone else to stop loving you.
40:20I belong to myself.
40:21I am not your possession.
40:23I am not something you can just snatch away.
40:25And certainly,
40:26not something you can trap whenever you please.
40:29As I spoke,
40:30I pulled out my phone.
40:31Now get the hell away from me.
40:33Just ahead is a restricted medical facility.
40:36My brother works there.
40:37One phone call from me
40:38and he'll bring people out to pin you to the ground.
40:40But Sebastian seemed possessed.
40:42His eyes filled with a manic obsession.
40:45He gripped my wrist tightly,
40:46refusing to let go,
40:48determined to drag me back to his car.
40:49I couldn't be bothered to struggle with him any longer.
40:52I barked a command to the Doberman on the leash.
40:55Westa!
40:56Get him!
40:56The command took immediate effect.
40:58West was a working dog with professional protection training.
41:01And he obeyed my commands implicitly.
41:03He lunged forward.
41:05Sinking his teeth into Sebastian's calf
41:07and tearing open several bloody gashes.
41:10Sebastian stumbled from the pain,
41:12dropping to one knee
41:13as cold sweat broke out across his forehead.
41:15I didn't even spare him a glance,
41:17turning on my heel and walking straight away.
41:20Just then,
41:21my phone screen lit up
41:22with a booking confirmation notification.
41:24Booking confirmed.
41:26Iris Vance Flight LX81 to Zurich.
41:288 p.m.
41:29I locked the screen and my steps grew lighter.
41:32From now on,
41:33my life was finally rid of these toxic people and their mess.
41:37The past could no longer hold me prisoner.
41:39And like a bird,
41:40I would soar into a sky that belonged to me.
41:43When I returned home,
41:45I found Liam had already prepared dinner.
41:47The sunset streamed through the window,
41:49spilling across the dining table.
41:51A wave of warmth spread through my heart.
41:53I'm not sure if you thought you were just closer to home yet.
41:54But I've neverれる food.
41:54with a这ểm of warmth I was Więcbry,
41:55I don't mean to at all and come back.
41:55And she was drinking the accent.
41:55And as you say you get out of this mínimo
41:55going up.
41:55The fish so soft-like in this little bit
41:55I can save myself.
41:56You can come back then and하게