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00:02I'd been with Liam for three years when his mother jumped off the roof in front of us
00:06because she'd found out her husband was sleeping with my mom.
00:09From that day on, my life became a living hell.
00:11Last Thursday, Lace Memorial Hospital, my stomach pain had been getting worse and worse
00:16until I couldn't ignore it anymore.
00:18Emma, it's advanced stomach cancer.
00:21You have a month left, maybe less.
00:23The paper shook in my hands.
00:25I had no idea how to tell my mom tonight.
00:27And Liam.
00:28Liam and I were juniors at Lace High.
00:30We had our whole lives planned out, New York University, together.
00:34But, I was dying.
00:35After school, Liam drove me home, just like any other day.
00:39At the front door, he kissed my cheek.
00:41Emma, you look pale today.
00:43How did the checkup go?
00:44Oh my god, you two behind my...
00:48Suddenly, a sharp scream came from upstairs.
00:50Liam knew that voice.
00:52I ran after him.
00:53Both of us froze at the sight.
00:55My mom, and Liam's dad, in bed together, clothes everywhere.
01:00Lucy, please, let me explain.
01:03She went crazy, running straight for the balcony.
01:07Mom, no!
01:11In that split second, the whole world went completely silent.
01:14My knees buckled.
01:15I collapsed onto the floor.
01:18Liam ran downstairs.
01:19He fell to his knees beside her body.
01:22Covered in blood, he looked like a trapped animal.
01:24Wild, completely broken.
01:27By nightfall, the red glow from the police cars washed over the street.
01:30Half the town was out there.
01:32The last time Liam and I ever saw his mother, they were wheeling her away.
01:35Under a white sheet, the same night, my mom and Liam's dad, vanished.
01:39Liam let go of my hand.
01:41And he never touched me again.
01:48Emma Sinclair, you're trash.
01:51Just like your mother.
01:52A bucket of ice water is dumped right over my head.
01:55I fall to my knees.
01:56My stomach twists.
01:57I double over and spit up blood.
01:59Liam's standing there.
02:00He gives me one cold glance, then walks away.
02:03I know, he hates me, and I deserve it.
02:06The bathroom door is locked from the outside.
02:09I'm soaked.
02:10Shivering on the floor.
02:11The late bell rings.
02:13Hey, is anyone out there?
02:15Please, I'm locked in.
02:16The only answer is laughter down the hall.
02:19Serves the bitch right.
02:21Chemistry lab.
02:22I can't be late.
02:24I fight through the stomach pain, but still late.
02:27Sinclair, you just come from the circus?
02:29I don't teach clowns.
02:31Emma, you can be my partner.
02:33It's Chloe Mercer.
02:34Head cheerleader.
02:36Queen of Lace High.
02:37Playing the nice.
02:38Mr. Thornton.
02:39The bathroom lock was broken.
02:41That's why she's late.
02:42Well, Sinclair, move it before I kick you out.
02:45I don't have a choice.
02:47I head toward her station.
02:48Liam walks through me like I'm air.
02:53Halfway through the lab, the spoiled breakfast hits my stomach.
02:56I grip the beaker, trying to stop the shaking.
02:59Ever since my mom ran off with his dad, it's been a nightmare.
03:02The milk on my doorstep.
03:03The sandwich in my locker.
03:05Someone always swaps it out for something moldy and rotten.
03:09Emma!
03:11What the hell?
03:15You throw acid on me!
03:17I didn't even touch her.
03:19She's the one who shoved me, but I can't even speak.
03:22The skin on my arm is already blistering.
03:26Liam, it hurts so bad.
03:30Emi Sinclair, you ever touch Chloe again?
03:32I'll destroy you.
03:34He scoops Chloe into his arms and shoves past me.
03:37Liam, I didn't did...
03:39I lose my balance.
03:41My back slams into the stair rail.
03:43My head cracks against the floor.
03:45The world spins.
03:46A sick snap echoes from my right leg, blinding pain.
03:49I lie on the cold floor, crying, watching Liam carry Chloe away.
03:55The nurse's office.
03:57I lie on the cot.
03:58My leg is in a splint.
04:00My arm, wrapped in gauze.
04:02Liam and Chloe are in the next bed.
04:04Emma Sinclair is the worst person I've ever met.
04:08I begged Mr. Thornan to let her stay.
04:11And this is how she pays me back.
04:14She's jealous of us, Liam.
04:17Chloe, I'm not letting her anywhere near you again.
04:19Liam's voice is so gentle, it makes me sick.
04:22Kiss me, Liam.
04:23And then their shadows move, pressing together right there on the curtain.
04:26Liam used to kiss me like that, before everything shattered.
04:30I still remember that evening, the sunset turning the whole school gold.
04:34Liam had just won the hockey championship.
04:36The crowd was cheering.
04:38Trophy in one hand.
04:39His other hand cups my face.
04:41He kissed me.
04:42My face burns.
04:48Emma, you know what my biggest wish is?
04:50One day I'm going to propose to you in Times Square.
04:53Propose?
04:54That's so far away, Liam.
04:56We're not even 18.
04:56It's not far off.
04:58You and me, Emma.
04:58A real future.
04:59Happy and perfect.
05:01I believed every single word.
05:02But now, on the other side of this curtain,
05:05Chloe's gasps between kisses.
05:09Liam, are you doing this on purpose, so Emma can hear?
05:12Don't ever say her name.
05:13The sounds of kissing become louder and hungrier.
05:15I squeeze my eyes shut.
05:17The pillow soaks up my tears.
05:19I know I don't have the right to be sad.
05:21His mom died because of.
05:23He has every reason to hate me.
05:25But, the pain is blinding.
05:26My stomach burns.
05:28But none of it compares to this, lying here, watching him kiss her.
05:31I wish I could just die.
05:33Right here.
05:34Right now.
05:36Two weeks later.
05:38The mock SAT.
05:39Before the test, I'm in the bathroom.
05:42Swallowing painkillers by the handful, way past the recommended dosage.
05:46My body's giving out.
05:47The doctor told me I only have about two weeks left.
05:50But this is the last exam of my life.
05:52I'm giving it everything I've got.
05:54The moment I step into the room, the usual laughs start up.
05:57There's gum stuck to my chair.
05:58Dirty.
05:59I scrape it off, sit down, and open my test booklet.
06:02Chloe sits right behind me.
06:04Liam's next to her.
06:05He doesn't give me a single glance.
06:07The painkillers do nothing.
06:09My stomach burns like acid.
06:11Cold sweat starts dripping down my forehead.
06:13Behind me, Chloe keeps kicking my chair.
06:16I ignore it and keep writing.
06:18Cheat sheets fly past my desk.
06:20Over and over.
06:21Chloe Mercer.
06:23Are you cheating?
06:25It's not me, sir.
06:26It's Emma Sinclair's.
06:28Right on cue, a crumpled ball of paper lands squarely on my desk.
06:31Look.
06:32A voice pipes up from the back.
06:34Yeah, I saw Emmy doing it too.
06:37It's not mine.
06:38Somebody threw it at me.
06:40The proctor turns to Liam.
06:42Mr. Walsh, did you see who throw this first?
06:45Chloe tugs at Liam's sleeve with a soft whimper.
06:47I see something flicker, deep in his eyes.
06:50I pray for the truth.
06:52It's Emma Sinclair's.
06:54He says it slow.
06:55Staring right at me.
06:56My blood turns to ice.
06:58Emma Sinclair.
07:00Exam is invalidated.
07:01Principal's office.
07:02Now.
07:02Every score.
07:04Every subject.
07:05Gone.
07:06Not one person speaks up for me.
07:08Pinned to the front page of the school forum.
07:10Without that, I'd still be ranked first.
07:13Now.
07:13I'm nothing.
07:15That night.
07:16I sit alone in my empty house and cry.
07:18That's the only place I can really cry.
07:20Let it all out.
07:21Ever since my mom vanished.
07:23They've smashed all the doors and windows in my house.
07:25They broke in.
07:27Left red spray painted letters on the wall.
07:29Homewrecker.
07:30The paint drifts down the drywall.
07:31I open a video circulating in the school group chat.
07:34Inside the Mustang bar.
07:36Getting her scores wiped is way too nice for her.
07:38She ruined your family.
07:40She needs to suffer more.
07:43Destroy her.
07:44Ruin that bitch.
07:45The crowd raises their glasses.
07:47Cheering.
07:48Liam sits in the shadows of the booth.
07:50His jaw tight.
07:51Face like stone.
07:52He just keeps drinking.
07:54But I know.
07:55His silence is a green light.
07:57The next morning.
07:58The moment I step into the school gates.
08:00Someone yanks me back by my hair.
08:02Drags me to the sports equipment room.
08:04Trash like you doesn't belong in our school.
08:06The door slams shut.
08:08Locking from the outside.
08:10Then the sprinklers kick on.
08:12Ice cold water pours down on my bleeding scalp.
08:14I curl up on the freezing concrete.
08:16The pain almost makes me black out.
08:18And then.
08:19A crash.
08:20The door flies open.
08:23I wake up in the hospital.
08:25The first thing I see is the plain white ceiling.
08:27The smell of antiseptic fills my lungs.
08:29Then the pain hits sharply.
08:31I almost black out again.
08:32You're awake.
08:34Who brought me in?
08:36Your boyfriend.
08:37He's been out on that bench for three hours.
08:40I follow her eyes through the window.
08:41A tall figure sits on the bench.
08:43It's really him.
08:44Not a dream.
08:45He's wearing the t-shirt printed with that hockey logo.
08:48The one I got him last year.
08:49For his birthday.
08:52Miss Sinclair.
08:53Your labs are very serious.
08:55About your condition.
08:57I think your boyfriend needs to know.
08:58He's not my boyfriend.
09:00My throat's so dry the word scrape.
09:02There's no reason to tell him.
09:04But.
09:05Please don't tell him.
09:08Please.
09:09What would it change?
09:10Even if he knew?
09:11Hi.
09:12I'm here on behalf of Lace High.
09:14Checking on our dear classmate.
09:16Chloe Mercer.
09:17Her smile's as sickly sweet as the bouquet in her hand.
09:20The nurse steps out.
09:21Chloe walks straight to my bed.
09:23Aina.
09:24You played the victim to get Liam here, didn't you?
09:27You actually think you could steal him back from me?
09:29I look past her.
09:30Through the open door.
09:31Liam stands right there.
09:33Watching the whole thing with cold eyes.
09:34I know he won't speak up for me.
09:36Won't stop her.
09:37Liam turns and walks away.
09:39Chloe follows behind him.
09:41When it's time to discharge.
09:42The nurse calls him for a signature.
09:44He never shows.
09:45I stay in the hospital a full week.
09:47Miss every class.
09:48And I find out my scholarship's been taken away.
09:51All of it.
09:52Since my mom left.
09:53There's no money coming in.
09:55None.
09:55I can't even afford the semester's tuition.
09:57That night, I hear Liam and his friends throw a huge party at Mustang Bar.
10:01The theme?
10:02Celebrating the total ruins of my life.
10:06I sit under the tree.
10:07Watching Liam on the hockey field.
10:09These days, even a whole bottle of painkillers doesn't touch the pain in my stomach.
10:13Life's draining out of me.
10:14I can feel it.
10:16But I keep writing in my journal.
10:17At least, I want to leave something behind.
10:20Without thinking, my pen scratches across the paper to Liam.
10:23Snapping out of it, I tear out the page and crumple it up.
10:26Ever since we were kids.
10:28Liam and I wrote each other letters.
10:29It started with his childish pranks, hiding my dolls in the tree hollow.
10:33Later, we used it to swap snacks, notes, and even homework.
10:36Also, I found his confession letter hidden in that tree.
10:40Emma Sinclair, don't get it twisted.
10:42This isn't a joke.
10:43I like you.
10:44Be my girlfriend.
10:45Yours?
10:46Least favorite person, Liam Walsh.
10:48I left him hanging on purpose that day.
10:50His face was sour for a solid week.
10:52Until he checked the hollow again and found my reply.
10:55Liam Walsh.
10:56Yes.
10:57I'll be your girlfriend.
10:58That night, he took my hand.
11:00Led me down to the west shore.
11:02And right there, by the crashing waves, he kissed my lips.
11:05That was my first kiss.
11:06I thought we'd stay like that forever.
11:08But now, I'm dying.
11:10If I have to write him one last letter, it'll be my goodbye.
11:13Just thinking about it blurs my eyes.
11:15A shadow falls over me.
11:16I wipe my eyes fast and look up.
11:18It's Liam.
11:19What are you doing here?
11:20This is cheer territory.
11:21His tone is as icy as ever.
11:23I grab my bag and turn to leave.
11:26He steps into my path.
11:27Emma.
11:29If you're sick, go see a doctor.
11:33If you're sick, go see a doctor.
11:36Stop with the pathetic act.
11:38Nobody's buying it anymore.
11:39I don't answer.
11:40He smirks.
11:41Whatever.
11:42Get out of my sight.
11:44I just lower my head and walk away in silence.
11:47Soon, the day of Lace High's coming-of-age ceremony arrives.
11:50It's the biggest event of the year for every teenager and family in town.
11:53Everyone is dressed to the nines, including me.
11:56Even if I'm all alone in the house.
11:58Using my mom's old sewing machine, I make a simple blue dress.
12:02And paint flowers on it by hand.
12:05Wildflowers in Central Park.
12:06The kind I always imagine.
12:08Maybe I'll see them next life.
12:10Right before the ceremony, Chloe storms up to me.
12:13Emma Sinclair!
12:14You stole my dress!
12:16A crowd forms in seconds.
12:18Liam stares at me like I'm already guilty.
12:20Chloe.
12:21If you think I stole something, show me proof.
12:24My voice rings out louder than it ever has.
12:26I'm dying anyway.
12:28Nothing left to be scared of.
12:29You want proof, you crazy bitch?
12:31One of Chloe's jock friends shoves me aside.
12:33He jerks my locker open.
12:35A stunning gown falls out.
12:37It's already hacked to pieces with scissors.
12:42I knew it was you!
12:43I was supposed to wear this tonight to kiss Liam.
12:46You didn't just steal it.
12:48You destroyed it!
12:50Liam, call the cops!
12:52Have her arrested!
12:53She ruined everything!
12:54Emma Sinclair.
12:55Liam stares at me, his eyes entirely dead.
12:58You really are rotten inside, just like your mother.
13:01I know.
13:02These might be the last words he ever says to me.
13:04Liam dials the police.
13:06I'm taken away.
13:07I spend the whole night locked in a freezing room.
13:10Tears soaking my face.
13:12My stomach goes numb from the pain.
13:14Maybe missing the ceremony is a blessing.
13:16What would I even do there?
13:17Watch Liam and Chloe slow dance?
13:19Watch all those happy families celebrate their kids' bright futures?
13:22No one's coming to my ceremony.
13:24No one's celebrating my last three days.
13:26This is where my life ends.
13:28The next morning, I walk out of the police station.
13:31I put on that simple blue dress and head toward the west shore.
13:34The exact spot where Liam first kissed me.
13:38I walk into the ocean.
13:40Step by step, the moonlight spills across the dark water,
13:43like it's welcoming me home.
13:49Ten years later, Manhattan Penthouse.
13:52Mr. Liam Walsh, we're almost done here.
13:55I have one last question, a personal one.
13:59Go ahead.
14:00You're the youngest investment partner on Wall Street.
14:02There's got to be a special woman behind your success.
14:05That would be me.
14:06My fiancee, Chloe Mercer, slips onto the couch next to me with a sweet smile.
14:11I've been by Liam's side, every step of the way.
14:13The host grins.
14:14Miss Mercer, then you must be Mr. Walsh's first love.
14:18Of course.
14:19Liam and I have been together since high school.
14:22We're childhood sweethearts.
14:23Chloe lifts her left hand, flashing the diamond on her ring finger.
14:27We're getting married soon.
14:28We'll send out invitations.
14:30Congratulations to you both!
14:32First love.
14:33Those two words peer straight into a place I think is long dead.
14:37I pick up my whiskey.
14:38Say nothing.
14:39The film crew leaves, the apartment falls quiet.
14:41Chloe wraps her arms around my neck.
14:43Liam, you seem off.
14:45Just tired?
14:46It was a long interview.
14:48I rip off the tie that's been choking me all afternoon.
14:51Slide her arms off.
14:53Tonight, at the Ritz, there's our high school reunion.
14:57Chloe, you know I don't have time for that.
15:00Tyler Garnett's gonna be there.
15:02Noah, Jack, everyone's going.
15:06Everyone?
15:06Does that include Emma Sinclair?
15:08Her name jumps out of somewhere deep inside me.
15:11It terrifies me.
15:12I haven't thought about that name in a long time.
15:15After the coming-of-age ceremony, Emma just vanished.
15:19I heard some distant relative took her in and shipped her off to another state.
15:23Every time I think about the Sinclairs, I see my mother.
15:26Jumping from that balcony, the hate surges up.
15:29Still, if I could see how pathetic her life is now, maybe tonight won't be a total waste of time.
15:34So, are we going?
15:38Yeah, I've got work to handle.
15:40Pick me out a suit.
15:41We leave tonight.
15:438pm, the Ritz-Carlton.
15:45New York.
15:45Grand Ballroom.
15:46I push the doors open.
15:48A wave of familiar faces rushes toward me.
15:50It tricks me into thinking I'm back at that high school ceremony.
15:54Liam Walsh!
15:5510 years, man!
15:57You actually made it!
15:59I tap my glass against his with a polite smile.
16:03I move through the crowd.
16:04My eyes scan the every corner of the room.
16:09I know exactly who I'm looking for.
16:11And then my breath catches.
16:12I spot a slender back.
16:14Exactly the way I remember.
16:16Emma Sinclair.
16:17I walk over.
16:18Emma.
16:19Looks like life turned out alright for you.
16:21The woman turns around.
16:23I freeze.
16:23It's not Emma.
16:24Excuse me, who are you?
16:26I take a step back.
16:28Sorry.
16:28I took you for someone else.
16:32Liam, who are you talking to?
16:35Sinisclair?
16:36I know I'm drunk, but I can't ignore the sharp, sudden spike of irritation.
16:39Or maybe it's disappointment.
16:41But I still brush it off.
16:43If Sinclair were here, it'd make tonight a hell of a lot more interesting, don't you think?
16:49Liam, you really don't know?
16:51Emma Sinclair, she died 10 years ago.
16:56Emma Sinclair, she died 10 years ago.
16:59It's the noise of the party.
17:00It's like I'm under water.
17:02Everything muffled.
17:02My legs won't move.
17:04Champagne drips down my hand.
17:05Spilling over my cuff.
17:06That's not possible.
17:07My voice.
17:08Dry.
17:09Hollow.
17:10Doesn't even sound like me.
17:11I'm serious, Liam.
17:12She walked into the ocean.
17:14After she died, her family's house in town.
17:16Tyler keeps talking, but I can't hear it anymore.
17:19Liam?
17:20Hey, man.
17:21You look terrible.
17:22You okay?
17:22I snap back.
17:23The glass slips from my hand.
17:25Pieces scatter around my shoes.
17:27Excuse me.
17:28I turn and walk out of the ballroom.
17:29The hallway's long.
17:30I'm moving fast.
17:31Almost running.
17:32I push into the bathroom.
17:34Lean over the sink.
17:35Cold water rushing over my wrists.
17:37In the mirror, I see my face, pale.
17:39Stiff.
17:40Like a corpse that just crawled out of a grave.
17:43Emma Sinclair is dead.
17:44She's been dead for 10 years.
17:45The year I graduated.
17:47The year I started NYU.
17:49The year I began my new life in Manhattan.
17:51She was already dead.
17:52For 10 years, I buried her name.
17:54Locked it away under all that hate.
17:56I told myself she deserved it.
17:58Her mother destroyed my life.
18:00I told myself.
18:01No.
18:01No way.
18:02I'd never think about her again.
18:04Emma Sinclair.
18:05You can't be dead.
18:07You just left lace, right?
18:08After the ceremony, I left with my uncle.
18:10And you left too, didn't you?
18:17I'm calm again.
18:18This has nothing to do with me.
18:20Your mother killed mine.
18:22You owed me.
18:22You deserved everything they did to you.
18:25Walked into the ocean, huh?
18:26Even if that's true, that was your choice.
18:29That night, I don't sleep.
18:31I lie in bed, staring at the ceiling.
18:33One image keeps flashing through my head.
18:3517-year-old Emma Sinclair.
18:38Trapped in that bathroom stall.
18:39Face covered in tears.
18:41Everyone laughing.
18:42Saying she deserved it.
18:43Including me.
18:44I swallow a sleeping pill.
18:45Force my eyes shut.
18:47But in my dreams, her eyes keep coming back.
18:49Those eyes, empty.
18:51Staring at me with nothing left.
18:53Like a hot iron branded into my brain.
18:55I wake up gasping.
18:56And I don't dare close my eyes again.
19:00The next week, I try to get back to normal.
19:03Meetings.
19:04Contracts.
19:04Wall Street networking events.
19:06Dinner with Chloe.
19:07But what Tyler said, it's like a splinter.
19:09I start spacing out.
19:10Without even realizing it.
19:12Staring out the window during meetings.
19:14Liam.
19:14My partner has to save my name three times before I hear him.
19:18Chloe notices.
19:19Liam.
19:20What is going on with you lately?
19:22Nothing.
19:22Just work stress.
19:24I lie.
19:24Back in my office.
19:26Papers in my hand.
19:27I still can't read a single word.
19:29I look at my screen.
19:30The search bar.
19:31A few letters typed in.
19:32Emma Sinclair, Lestown.
19:34Emma Sinclair, Lacetown.
19:35The cursor blinks.
19:37My finger hovers over the enter key.
19:39I can't do it.
19:40Babe.
19:41This weekend.
19:42Let's try that new French place.
19:44Hey.
19:45Your mom's anniversary is coming up.
19:47Want me to go with you this year?
19:48Chloe's messages pop up.
19:50I keep staring at the search bar.
19:52I take a breath.
19:53Hit enter.
19:54No results found.
19:55No social media.
19:56Nothing.
19:57In a world where everyone leaves a digital trail.
20:00Emma Sinclair left nothing behind.
20:02Like she never even existed.
20:04Another notification pops up.
20:06Mom's anniversary.
20:07June 22.
20:08One week away.
20:09Every year I go back to Lace.
20:11Visit her grave.
20:12Every year her grave is clean.
20:14Fresh flowers.
20:15Always.
20:18I stare at the screen.
20:19And a voice in my head gets louder and louder.
20:21Go back to Lace.
20:23Find out if she's really dead.
20:25My chest tightens.
20:26Next thing I know, I'm grabbing my keys.
20:28Walking out the door.
20:30Sir, where are you going?
20:31Do you need a ride?
20:32I'll go alone.
20:34My assistant sees me.
20:36I drive for six hours straight.
20:38When I leave Manhattan, the sun's still up.
20:41By the time I hit the Lace Town sign, it's the middle of the night.
20:45Ten years ago, this town was alive.
20:47Now, rusty gas stations.
20:49The same dim streetlights.
20:50The same dead main street.
20:52I drive south.
20:53No destination.
20:54Until I find myself stopped in front of a house.
20:57Gray.
20:58Faded.
20:59This house.
20:59It breaks something inside me.
21:01Ten years ago.
21:03Right here.
21:03My mom caught my dad and Emma's mom together.
21:06Then she jumped.
21:07It's raining tonight.
21:09The paint on the wall bleeds through.
21:11Still visible.
21:12Homewrecker.
21:13It drips down the wall.
21:14Like blood.
21:15I kill the engine.
21:17The silence rushes in.
21:18Just crickets.
21:20Wind.
21:20I sit there.
21:21Hands gripping the wheel.
21:23Knuckles white.
21:23What am I doing?
21:24Why did I come back here?
21:26Their family killed my mother.
21:28Their daughter is dead.
21:29Why should I care?
21:31But I need to know.
21:32Emma.
21:33You better not be lying to me.
21:37I sleep in the car.
21:38Barely.
21:39First thing in the morning, I go to the town records office.
21:42Emma Sinclair?
21:44Oh, yes.
21:45She's here.
21:46Where is she now?
21:48The second I ask, I realize.
21:49I really don't believe she's dead.
21:51Or maybe I just can't accept it.
21:53She's dead.
21:54She says it flat.
21:55Like she's reading the weather.
21:58Emma Sinclair.
21:59Death certificate.
22:00Right here.
22:01Cause of death.
22:02Drowning.
22:03Location.
22:04West.
22:04Shore.
22:05Waters.
22:06Lace.
22:06She slides a copy across the counter.
22:08The words are tiny.
22:09But each one stabs right into my eye's name.
22:12Emma Sinclair age.
22:1418.
22:14Estimated date of death.
22:16June 17, 2014.
22:18Date body recovered.
22:19June 19, 2014.
22:21June 19, 2014.
22:22Three days after the ceremony.
22:25What was I doing that day?
22:26Packing.
22:27Getting ready to move to New York with my uncle.
22:29Finish high school there.
22:30Take the SAT.
22:32Start at NYU.
22:33And Emma.
22:34If I remember right, a fisherman found her body.
22:38She'd been in the water for days before they pulled her out.
22:42What about the funeral?
22:43There was no funeral.
22:45Nobody in town wanted to get involved.
22:47She ended up in the public cemetery.
22:49At first nobody even claimed the body.
22:51She sighs.
22:52My hand won't stop.
22:54It crushes the paper.
22:55The sound of it crumpling in my fist.
22:57I stand up.
22:58The chair slides back.
22:59Slams into the wall.
23:01I shove the door open and walk out.
23:03The sun is blinding.
23:05I stand on the steps.
23:06My chest so tight I can't breathe.
23:09I whisper her name.
23:11Like someone's breaking my ribs.
23:13One by one.
23:14And I know.
23:15Nothing's ever coming back.
23:18I find the fisherman.
23:20He lives in a shack.
23:21Down by the west shore.
23:22Smells like salt.
23:24Dead fish.
23:24You're asking about that girl?
23:26The one who jumped?
23:28Ten years ago?
23:29He lights a cigarette.
23:30Yeah.
23:31Frowns.
23:32I remember.
23:34I remember it clear as day.
23:36I was out pulling in my nets.
23:38Saw something floating out there.
23:40Thought it was trash.
23:41Got closer.
23:42Wasn't trash.
23:43Just a girl.
23:45So thin.
23:46Blue dress.
23:47So damn young.
23:48My head goes blank.
23:50Static.
23:51I can't picture it.
23:52I don't want to.
23:53The fisherman pauses.
23:55She had her body.
23:56A lot of scars.
23:57A bad burn on her arm.
23:59Old injuries on her leg.
24:01Skinny as a stick.
24:02The burn on her arm.
24:04Chemistry lab.
24:05The acid.
24:06The leg.
24:07The stairs.
24:07That fall.
24:08Every scar.
24:09I know exactly where it came from.
24:11Because I was there.
24:13Every single time.
24:16I leave the fisherman.
24:18Go to the place where they found her body.
24:20I stand on the cliff.
24:21Wind whipping around me.
24:23Waves crashing against the rocks below.
24:25Low.
24:26Heavy.
24:27My chest aches.
24:28This is where Emma stood.
24:29The last place.
24:30Ten years ago everyone was laughing at that ceremony.
24:33And she walked here.
24:34Alone.
24:35I crouch down.
24:37Press my palm against the cold rock.
24:39The images flood back.
24:40I can't stop them.
24:42The at.
24:42The day I backed up Chloe.
24:44Said Emma cheated.
24:45The way she looked at me.
24:46Not angry.
24:47Not wronged.
24:48It was quiet.
24:49Like a light going out.
24:51She was ranked first in our class.
24:53Without that disqualification.
24:54She would have gotten out of lace.
24:56Could have gone anywhere.
24:58And I destroyed it.
24:59Her last chance.
25:01I killed her.
25:02Not Chloe.
25:03Not the people who laughed.
25:04Not this town.
25:05Me.
25:06Liam Walsh.
25:07I'm the one who pushed her off this cliff.
25:09My phone buzzes.
25:11It's Chloe.
25:12Liam.
25:13Where are you?
25:14Three days.
25:14No messages.
25:15No one can reach you.
25:17I hang up before she finishes.
25:21I find her in the public cemetery.
25:23Emma Sinclair.
25:24Plot 247.
25:25No photo.
25:26No epitaph.
25:27Just a grey concrete slab.
25:30Cold numbers.
25:31Her birth date.
25:32Her death date.
25:33She was my neighbor.
25:35We grew up together.
25:36After her dad died, her mom raised her alone.
25:39She used to come over.
25:40Eat my mom's apple pie.
25:42Top of the class.
25:43Always.
25:43She loved to draw.
25:44And her smile.
25:45Her eyes would crinkle up.
25:47Like little moons.
25:49Emma.
25:50And something cold slides down my face.
25:52It's not raining.
25:53I'm crying.
25:54My mom's grave is here too.
25:56I come every year.
25:58Never knew Emma was here the whole time.
26:00I walk over to my mother's grave.
26:02Just like every year.
26:03Clean.
26:04But there's something.
26:05Fresh white daisies.
26:06I haven't brought flowers yet this year.
26:08I never really noticed.
26:10But every year.
26:11Fresh flowers on her grave.
26:1210 years.
26:13Never missed.
26:14The maintenance fee I pay only covers basic cleaning.
26:17Who's been leaving these?
26:18My temples pound.
26:20Maybe Emma's not dead.
26:21Maybe...
26:21This grave.
26:22The flowers every year.
26:24Who pays for them?
26:25I find the groundskeeper.
26:27He pulls up his computer.
26:29Turns the screen toward me.
26:31I see the name.
26:32Emma Sinclair paid in full.
26:3410 years ago.