- 2 days ago
Her Voice, My Songs Episode
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🎥
Short filmTranscript
00:00The last note hung in the air. I was 16, fingers still on the keys of our grand piano, when
00:05my father turned and walked to the balcony. He didn't shout. He didn't cry. He just jumped.
00:10Blood bloomed across the white roses below. The man who did this to him was my piano instructor. The woman
00:17who stood beside him was my mother.
00:20Piano became my nightmare. On the day I married Lila Reed, I looked into her eyes and said the quiet,
00:25terrible promise. If you ever want to leave me, play the piano.
00:30She was a nobody then. A small-time club singer with a voice that could break hearts. She clung to
00:35me and swore.
00:37No piano will ever cross this threshold. Not ever.
00:40I believed her. I was Shadow, the anonymous composer behind every chart-topping hit. I wrote her songs. I built
00:48her brand.
00:50I turned Lila Reed into a global pop icon. For five years, I hid in the dark so she could
00:57shine.
00:59I thought that was love. I was wrong. I came home early with a new track. One I'd spent three
01:07weeks
01:07perfecting. The second I opened the door, I heard it. Piano. Clear, cruel, and familiar. I stepped into
01:17the living room. Lila was seated at the grand piano I'd forbidden. A man in a white tailored suit stood
01:22behind her, arms wrapped around her waist, their fingers tangled on the keys. They were playing a
01:28melody I wrote for her. My song. When she saw me, she didn't panic. She didn't even flinch.
01:37Ethan, meet Kian. He's my new collaborator.
01:41The man turned. I knew his face. I knew his blood. He was Damon Hale's son.
01:49The man who destroyed my father. My voice came out cold, sharp enough to cut glass.
01:55My father only had one child. In that moment, I knew. The marriage was over. The mercy was gone.
02:03I sat at my father's grave for three hours. Rain started to fall, cold and gray, just like the day
02:10he died. I didn't just lose a father that day. I lost the right to grieve.
02:15Where are you? You're being ridiculous. I'm at the cemetery. Silence. Then she sighed,
02:23like I was a burden. You're still upset about the piano? It was just a song, Ethan. Let go of
02:29the
02:29past. My chest tightened. Pain exploded in my stomach. Old ulcers from years of writing through
02:34the night, skipping meals, burning myself out for her. I dropped the phone. She called back,
02:40frantic. Are you having an attack? Don't move. I'll come get you.
02:45A car sped past me. It was hers. A text popped up a second later.
02:52I stared at the screen. No shock. No hurt. Just calm, icy clarity. I dialed my lawyer.
03:01Draw up the divorce papers and recall every single song I ever gave Lila Reed. Every last one.
03:09She was a star because of me. I was about to turn off the light. I didn't go back to
03:15the mansion
03:15that night. I checked into a private wellness suite in Beverly Hills, the kind with soundproof walls and
03:20no trace of pianos. For the first time in 10 years, I let someone else take care of me.
03:26No deadlines. No lyrics. No Lila. My phone blew up before I could fall asleep.
03:32Where are you? I'm hungry. Make me soup. Lila had never learned to cook. For a decade,
03:37I'd kept a warm pot waiting for her, no matter how late I worked. My stomach still ached from
03:41the ulcers I'd gotten skipping meals to finish her tracks. I typed back, cold and clean.
03:46We're divorced. Then I blocked her. 30 seconds later, an unknown number called. I ignored it.
03:52By morning, my email had 99 plus unread messages begging, yelling, threatening,
03:56all from the woman I'd given everything. I smiled. She had no idea what regret really felt like.
04:01The news popped up while I was brushing my teeth. Lila Reed had posted a photo. Two hands
04:06intertwined. Her manicured nails wrapped around a man's fingers. Caption, 10 years. 1,000 shows.
04:11You're my everything. Everyone knew. The media, the fans, the entire industry. It was Kian's hand.
04:16She was announcing her new love on the night of our 10th anniversary. On the night I'd signed our
04:22divorce papers. I locked my phone and ordered breakfast. The show was about to begin. I arrived at
04:29Black Note Records at noon. My spot was gone. My desk, my awards, my sound system,
04:35my handwritten notes, all cleared away. In my chair and Hale leaning back like he owned the place.
04:40Surprise, brother. Lila said this studio's mine now. I'm her exclusive producer and manager.
04:48That's yours now. Enjoy the view.
04:51I laughed. It came out sharp, cruel, and honest. Like father, like son. You really are good at
04:58taking what isn't yours. Don't you dare talk about my dad. You mean the man who broke my family apart?
05:03The man who drove my father to his death? I stepped closer, voice low enough only he could hear.
05:09You're just a cheap copy. Even your lies are unoriginal. Love isn't about who came first.
05:14It's about who she wants. And she wants me. I stared at him. You can have her. She's used up.
05:21Broken. Just like you. I found my father's silver ring and a cardboard box slipped it onto my finger
05:27and walked out. Lila was waiting by the door. Arms crossed. Eyes tired. Then stop being childish.
05:33Block me. Apologize. I looked at her like she was a stranger. We're divorced, Lila.
05:39She sighed like I was being impossible. Fine. I'll make it up to you. I'll announce you're my
05:45husband at the concert tonight. The fans will accept it. Just stop this. That was her offer.
05:51After 10 years of hiding, of lying, of letting her pretend to be single, she'd reward me with a
05:55mention. I walked past her without a word. In my car, I snapped my SIM card in half and threw
06:00it out
06:01the window. Tonight, she would have her 1,000 show celebration. And I would end her career.
06:068 PM. Madison Square gave in. The arena was packed. Fans screamed Lila's name so loud the walls shook.
06:13Neon lights flooded the stage. She rose from the floor on a golden platform gown sparking
06:18microphone in hand. Her eyes scanned the front row. It was empty. I wasn't there. For the first
06:23time in her career, she looked nervous. She opened her mouth to sing the first note. The music cut off.
06:28Silence. Confusion rippled through the crowd.
06:30Lila, it's bad. Ethan's lawyer's just served the label. He's recalling every single song you ever
06:35perform. No rights. No stage. No nothing. Her face went white. Her knuckles whitened around the mic.
06:41The fans started to murmur. Refund! What's happening? She didn't write any of them, did she?
06:48Lila's throat bobbed. She forced a smile, shaky and fake. Everyone, I'm so sorry I've developed a
06:54sudden vocal condition. My doctor insists I stop immediately. Liar! Liar! The crowd roared. Booze
07:01rained down. Camera flashes exploded as she stumbled off stage. Humiliated. Destroyed. Ruined. In that
07:08moment Lila Reed's empire crumbled. And I watched it all from a private suite. Drinking whiskey.
07:13Completely calm. I'd kept my promise. She played the piano. I took everything. The backstage chaos was
07:21a war zone. Lila slammed into her dressing room. Throwing chairs. Screaming at assistants.
07:26Call him! Call him now!
07:29Her manager handed over a phone. I answered on the first ring.
07:32Ethan, please. We're family. You can't do this to me.
07:36Divorced. I already sent the papers to your email.
07:40I didn't mean it. I signed because I thought you were throwing a tantrum.
07:43I hung up. She called again. And again. And again. Finally, a text. The songs are ours.
07:52You can't take them back. I smiled. I posted one thing to my official, newly verified account.
07:58A photo of my original manuscripts, dated six years before Lila's debut. Signed by Ethan Voss.
08:03Attached official copyright registration from the US Copyright Office.
08:06Caption. My work. My voice. My name. The internet exploded.
08:14Lila Reid fraud shadow is Ethan Voss, the real consumers.
08:17All at once. The world knew. She wasn't a genius. She was a thief.
08:22I thought that would be the end of it. I was wrong. A call came in from a foreign number.
08:28I almost hang up. Something made me answer.
08:32Ethan. It's mom.
08:35Ethan. The woman who'd left with Damon Hale. Who'd wished my father die and never looked back.
08:43I'm back. I want to fix things.
08:46Fix what? You left. You chose them. You killed him.
08:50It wasn't like that. Your father was fragile.
08:53Don't you dare say his name.
08:55My voice shook with rage. I'd buried for a decade.
08:59You want to talk? Tomorrow, 3 p.m. at my father's grave. Bring Damon Hale with you.
09:03I pulled out my father's old leather journal from the safe.
09:07Pages yellowed. Ink faded.
09:10I'd read it a hundred times.
09:12The first entry, Ethan played Twinkle Twinkle today. My little pianist.
09:17The last entry, I want to hear him play Moonlight one last time. Then I can rest.
09:22I closed it and placed it in my bag. Tomorrow they would finally see what they'd broken.
09:26The cemetery was quiet. Wind blowing through pine trees.
09:31I stood in front of Julian Voss's headstone black coat fluttering.
09:35Claire arrived first, dressed in expensive silk, face heavy with makeup.
09:39Domen Hale followed it then old and nervous and unable to meet my eyes.
09:42Claire, I stepped away.
09:45Don't touch me.
09:46I threw the journal on the grass. Read it.
09:50Damon picked it up. His hands shook as he turned the pages.
09:55Claire knelt beside him.
09:57I'm sorry.
09:58Criating out when she saw the words.
10:00Too late.
10:01Then I heard running heels.
10:03Lila burst through the gates.
10:04Hair messy, dress torn, eyes wild.
10:07She tracked me here.
10:08Ethan! I didn't know!
10:10I swear I didn't know about your father!
10:12I looked at her. Empty.
10:14You knew everything. You just didn't care.
10:16I brought you here to see the damage.
10:18Don't contact me again.
10:20Ever.
10:22I walked away.
10:25No goodbye.
10:27No forgiveness.
10:28Just peace.
10:29The next day, we met at the courthouse.
10:31Lila stumbled in, red-eyed, broken.
10:34Please, let's talk. I'll do anything.
10:36I pulled free.
10:37You remember our wedding vow?
10:40If you want to leave me, play the piano.
10:42She stared, horrified.
10:45You did more than play.
10:46You brought his son into my home.
10:48You played my song on my father's piano.
10:51You spit on his grave.
10:55I slid the divorce pacers across the table.
10:58Sign.
10:59She hesitated.
11:00Then she laughed, hysterical.
11:02You're ruining me over a piano?
11:05Over a grudge?
11:07I slapped her.
11:09The sound echoed.
11:11I pushed a tablet toward her.
11:12Photos of her and Kian, tangled, lips close, in my mansion, on my couch, at iStudio.
11:19Sign, or I'll release these.
11:21Then I sue every label, every sponsor, every venue.
11:24You'll never work in ink.
11:25Her hands shook as she signed.
11:28The clerk stamped our markage papers void.
11:30I walked outside into the sunlight.
11:33For the first time in ten years, I could breathe.
11:37Somewhere behind me Lila sobbed.
11:39I didn't look back.
11:40The second I walked out of the courthouse, my lawyer called.
11:43Everything's filed.
11:44The divorce is final.
11:46The copyright recall is in full effect.
11:48Every platform has been notified.
11:49No more streams.
11:50No more sales.
11:52No more public performance of any song you wrote for Lila Reid.
11:55I leaned against my car.
11:57Staring at the Los Angeles skyline.
11:59Good.
12:00What about the kid?
12:02Kian Hale?
12:02He'll destroy himself.
12:04I was right.
12:06By sunset, the news broke.
12:09Kian had stormed into Black Note Records screaming that Lila was using him, that she'd stolen his money, that he
12:14was the real talent.
12:15Lila fired back in a leaked voice note.
12:18Your songs are garbage.
12:20You're nothing compared to Ethan.
12:23You're just a cheap copy of a man who ruined a family.
12:26The internet ate it alive.
12:27They're trying to leak, I let's live it.
12:29Lila Kian drama.
12:31Industry explodes.
12:32Kian is a flop.
12:34They didn't need me to ruin them.
12:36They were doing it to each other.
12:38I spent the next week in my private studio.
12:40No distractions.
12:42No interruptions.
12:43No Lila.
12:44No Kian.
12:45No ghosts.
12:46Just me, and the music.
12:48My phone buzzed with an email from my old label.
12:52Subject, Lila Reid and Kian Hale.
12:54I opened it.
12:55They'd released a new song.
12:57It was everywhere.
12:58TikTok, Spotify, Instagram.
13:00They were calling it an original masterpiece.
13:02I listened for 10 seconds.
13:05I laughed.
13:08It was my unfinished work.
13:11The old unreleased tracks I'd locked in a drawer, written for my father.
13:15Kian had snicked into my studio months ago, and copied them.
13:20He'd trangined a few lyrics, added some cheap beats, and pretended they were his.
13:25I closed my eyes.
13:27He'd just signed his own death warrant.
13:31I called my legal team.
13:33Checked the copyright registry.
13:35They did.
13:37They called me back.
13:39Breathless.
13:40Mr. Voss, you registered these original compositions six years ago.
13:44The dates are ironclad.
13:46Kian Hale's version doesn't exist until last week.
13:48It's blatant theft.
13:49I stood and walked to the corner of my studio.
13:52There it was.
13:54A black grand piano, covered in white cloth.
13:57I'd avoided it for 10 years.
14:00But now, I pulled the cloth off.
14:02The cues glinted.
14:04I didn't panic.
14:05I didn't flash back.
14:08I just...
14:09looked.
14:10For the first time, the piano didn't feel like a nightmare.
14:13It felt like a chance.
14:16I called Zoe Blake.
14:19She was a Grammy-winning legend.
14:21The only person in the industry who knew I was Shadow.
14:24She showed up at my door in 10 minutes.
14:27I heard the song, They Stole Your Work.
14:30I nodded.
14:31I want to fight back.
14:33But not with lawsuits.
14:34Not with drama.
14:36I...
14:37want to play.
14:38Zoe's eyes softened.
14:40Your father would be proud.
14:42I sat.
14:45My fingers hovered over the keys.
14:48I took a breath.
14:50I pressed down.
14:51The first night filled the room.
14:53No shaking.
14:54No screaming.
14:55No ghosts.
14:55Just sound music.
14:56Just me.
14:57I played the song.
14:59I'd written for my father.
15:01Father's Moonlight.
15:03When I finished...
15:04That's the most beautiful thing I've ever heard.
15:06I released Father's Moonlight that night.
15:09No promotion.
15:11No press.
15:12No fanware.
15:16Just...
15:16The song.
15:18By morning...
15:20It was number one on Billboard.
15:23Global.
15:23Viral.
15:24Every music critiver called it a masterpiece.
15:27The world finally heard my voice.
15:30Not Shadow.
15:30Ethan Voss.
15:32The real composer.
15:33While my song rose to the top.
15:35Leela and Kian's stolen track crashed.
15:37My fans dug up the copyright records.
15:40The proof gone viral.
15:41Kian stole music.
15:42Leela Capper's fraud.
15:44They were finished.
15:45The lawsuits came fast.
15:48I sued for copyright infringement.
15:51Emotional damages.
15:52And fraud.
15:53The court ruled in my favor in 72 hours.
15:56Kian Hale was ordered to pay millions.
15:58He had no money.
16:00He tried to blame Lila.
16:02Leela released every text.
16:04Every recording.
16:05Every proof that Kian had planned the theft alone.
16:08They destroyed each other completely.
16:10Then the industry blacklist dropped.
16:12No labels.
16:13No shows.
16:14No sponsorships.
16:15No work.
16:16Ever.
16:17Leela lost his mansion.
16:19Her cars.
16:20Her fortune.
16:21She moved into a tiny, run-down apartment in a bad part of town.
16:24Kian couldn't even get a job singing at a bar.
16:27They got what they deserved.
16:30Everything they took me, I took from them.
16:33And then some.
16:34I didn't groat.
16:35I didn't celebrate.
16:36I just keep making music.
16:39Zoe and I finished my first official album, Coming Home.
16:46Every song was mine, every note, every feeling.
16:49The album sold 1 million copies in 24 hours.
16:54I was invited to the Grammy Awards.
17:00Not as a shadow.
17:02As a nominee.
17:04For best composer.
17:06For best song.
17:08For best new artist.
17:10I was no longer hiding.
17:13I was home.
17:15Grammy night.
17:16Red carpet.
17:18Cameras.
17:19A-lighters.
17:21Mr. Vossoss, are you the real shadow?
17:23What do you say to Lila Reed?
17:24Is this revenge?
17:25Reporters swarmed me.
17:26I smiled gently.
17:28I'm here for the music.
17:29The presenter opened the envelope.
17:31And the Grammy for best composer goes to Ethan Voss.
17:36The crowd erupted.
17:38I stood up and walked to the stage.
17:42I held the Grammy in my hand.
17:46I looked out at the audience.
17:49And I saw her.
17:51In the very back row.
17:54Lila Reed.
17:55She'd snuck in.
17:56She looked thin.
17:58Pale.
17:59Broken.
18:00No makeup.
18:01No glamour.
18:02No light.
18:03Just a ghost of the star I'd made.
18:06Our eyes met.
18:07She mouthed one word.
18:10I looked away.
18:11This award is not for revenge.
18:14It's for truth.
18:15For every creator who's ever been hidden.
18:17For every person who survived the dark and found their way back to the light.
18:21I paused.
18:22This one's for you dad.
18:24The crowd stood and cheered.
18:26After the show.
18:27I walked out to the parking lot.
18:29Zoe left with her team.
18:31I stood alone.
18:32Breathing in the night air.
18:34A figure stepped out of the shadows.
18:36Lila.
18:37Ethan.
18:38She looked smaller than I'd ever seen her.
18:40I didn't stop walking.
18:42Please.
18:42Just five minutes.
18:44I didn't know.
18:45I didn't understand how much you hurt.
18:48I kept going.
18:49I turned to her.
18:52You knew enough to choose him over me.
18:54You knew enough to play the piano.
18:56You knew enough to break every promise you ever made.
18:59I looked at the Grammy in my hand.
19:01I don't hate you anymore.
19:02I don't feel anything.
19:03You're just a stranger.
19:04I got into my car.
19:05I closed the door.
19:07I drove away.
19:09I never looked back.
19:11One year later.
19:12I owned my own label.
19:14I performed sold out shows around the world.
19:16I played the piano every single day.
19:20No nightmares.
19:21No pain.
19:23Just peace.
19:25I visited my father's grave.
19:28Every Sunday.
19:29I played father's moonlight for him on a popable piano.
19:33The wind cared the notes through the trees.
19:36I knew he was listening.
19:38I was finally free.
19:39The final notes slowly faded into silence.
19:42I closed the piano lid and began packing up my music stand, ready to leave.
19:47Then something caught the corner of my eye.
19:49At the base of the gravestean lay a bouquet of pure white roses.
19:52Fresh dew still clung to the petals.
19:54Someone had placed them there only moments ago.
19:56No one ever came here.
19:58No one except me.
20:00I bent down and picked up the flowers.
20:02Tucked among the roses was a plain white card.
20:04No signature.
20:05No name.
20:06Only Fingjertur trembled as I transled the notes one by one.
20:09Then the message revealed itself.
20:12He didn't jump on his own that day.
20:15A sharp ringing filled my ears.
20:17My mind went completely blank.
20:18Ten years of trauma and years of searching for Redemond.
20:20The truth I believed had long been buried suddenly shattered before me.
20:23The truth was never what I thought it was.
20:28My father's death had been a conspicy from the very begin.
20:32And my revenge...
20:35My revenge was only just beginning.
20:38I stood before my father's gravestone, my finger pit ice cold.
20:43He didn't jump on his own that day.
20:46The words pierced through every ounce of peace I had managed to build over the past ten years.
20:52I had always believed my father took his own life out of despair.
20:57I had always believed my revenge was over.
21:01But now I understood.
21:03What I had avenged was only a fragment of the truth.
21:06I immediately pulled out my phone, my fingers trembling, as I called my lawyer.
21:10Look into someone for me.
21:12Damon Hale.
21:13I want everything.
21:14From the past ten years.
21:16His movements, traggle records, financial transactions.
21:20Everything.
21:21There was a long silence on the other end.
21:24Then my lawyer spoke, his voice unusually grave.
21:27Mr. Voss, there's something I've never had the courage to tell you.
21:30I froze.
21:32What?
21:32Official records state he died in a car accident.
21:35Body identified.
21:39Dead?
21:40Then who was the figure I had just seen disappearing into the woods?
21:44Suddenly, I remembered the final line in my father's journal.
21:48I want to hear him play Moonlight one more time, Rackent.
21:51That day I had played Moonlight.
21:53And after listening, my father jumped.
21:55No.
21:56Something was wrong.
21:58The logic didn't fit.
21:59A father whose only wish was to hear his son play one last time, would never kill himself
22:05immediately afterward.
22:06I rushed back to my car like a madman and sped toward the old mansion.
22:09The mansion I had never dared enter again.
22:12The mansion filled with piano-shaped nightmares.
22:14I shoved open the dust-covered doors.
22:16The living room stood silent.
22:18My father's piano remained exactly where he had left it.
22:21My hands trembled as I lifted the lid.
22:23Hidden deep beneath the keys was a yellowed note I had never seen before.
22:27My father's handwriting.
22:29Only one sentence.
22:30Trust nothing you see.
22:31My heart death.
22:32My father had known.
22:33He had known someone wanted me dead.
22:35At that moment, my phone began vibrating furiously.
22:39A multimedia messes from an unknown number.
22:42The moment I opened it, every drop of blood in my body turned into ice.
22:47The photo shored the rooftop balcony from ten years ago.
22:50The image was blurry.
22:51But one thing was unmistakably clear.
22:54My father had not jumped.
22:55A pair of black-gloved hands which shoved him over the edge.
22:58Claire Voss.
22:59Watching everything happen without emotion.
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