Watch "Our Dead Fairy Tale Dreams" Full Short Drama Movie (English Dubbed)! 🎬✨
An exciting complete short drama series story from start to finish. Don't forget to LIKE, SHARE, and FOLLOW for more daily complete series!
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An exciting complete short drama series story from start to finish. Don't forget to LIKE, SHARE, and FOLLOW for more daily complete series!
#ShortDrama #OurDeadFairyTaleDreams #FullDrama #AsianDrama #MiniSeries #ReelShort #DramaWave
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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.
00:14My stomach pain had been getting worse and worse until 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.
00:33But, I was dying.
00:35After school, Liam drove me home.
00:37Just 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 back!
00:48Suddenly, a sharp scream came from upstairs.
00:50Liam knew that voice.
00:51I 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!
01:10In 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.
01:21Covered 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.
01:36The 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.
01:50Just 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.
02:04He hates me.
02:05And 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?
02:14Please, I'm locked in.
02:16The only answer is laughter down the hall.
02:19Ha, serves the bitch right.
02:21Chemistry laughter.
02:22I can't be late.
02:24I fight through the stomach pain.
02:25But 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.
02:52The nurse's office.
02:54I lie on the cot.
02:55My leg is in a splint.
02:57My arm wrapped in gauze.
02:59Liam and Chloe are in the next bed.
03:01Emma Sinclair is the worst person I've ever met.
03:05I begged Mr. Thornton to let her stay.
03:08And this is how she pays me back.
03:11She's jealous of us, Liam.
03:14Chloe, I'm not letting her anywhere near you again.
03:16Liam's voice is so gentle it makes me sick.
03:18Kiss me, Liam.
03:20And then their shadows move, pressing together right there on the curtain.
03:23Liam used to kiss me like that, before everything shattered.
03:27I still remember that evening, the sunset turning the whole school gold.
03:31Liam had just won the hockey championship.
03:33The crowd was cheering.
03:35Trophy in one hand.
03:36His other hand cups my face.
03:38He kissed me.
03:39My face burns.
03:45Emma, you know what my biggest wish is?
03:47One day I'm going to propose to you in Times Square.
03:51Propose?
03:51That's so far away, Liam.
03:53We're not even 18.
03:54It's not far off.
03:55You and me, Emma.
03:55A real future.
03:56Happy and perfect.
03:58I believed every single word.
04:00But now, on the other side of this curtain,
04:03Chloe's gasps between kisses.
04:06Liam, are you doing this on purpose so Emma can hear?
04:09Don't ever say her name.
04:10The sounds of kissing become louder and hungrier.
04:12I squeeze my eyes shut.
04:14The pillow soaks up my tears.
04:16I know I don't have the right to be sad.
04:18His mom died because of, he has every reason to hate me.
04:22But, the pain is blinding.
04:23My stomach burns.
04:25But none of it compares to this, lying here, watching him kiss her.
04:28I wish I could just die.
04:30Right here.
04:31Right now.
04:34Two weeks later.
04:35The mock SAT.
04:36Before the test, I'm in the bathroom.
04:39Swallowing painkillers by the handful, way past the recommended dosage.
04:42My body's giving out.
04:44The doctor told me I only have about two weeks left.
04:47But this is the last exam of my life.
04:49I'm giving it everything I've got.
04:51The moment I step into the room, the usual laughs start up.
04:54There's gum stuck to my chair.
04:55Dirty.
04:56I scrape it off, sit down, and open my test booklet.
04:59Chloe sits right behind me.
05:01Liam's next to her.
05:02He doesn't give me a single glance.
05:04The painkillers do nothing.
05:06My stomach burns like acid.
05:08Cold sweat starts dripping down my forehead.
05:10Behind me, Chloe keeps kicking my chair.
05:13I ignore it and keep writing.
05:15Cheat sheets fly past my desk.
05:17Over and over.
05:19Chloe Mercer.
05:20Are you cheating?
05:22It's not me, sir.
05:24It's Emma Sinclair's.
05:25Right on cue, a crumpled ball of paper lands squarely on my desk.
05:28Look.
05:29A voice pipes up from the back.
05:31Yeah, I saw Emmy doing it, too.
05:34It's not mine.
05:35Somebody threw it at me.
05:37The proctor turns to Liam.
05:39Mr. Walsh, did you see who threw this first?
05:42Chloe tugs at Liam's sleeve with a soft whimper.
05:44I see something flicker deep in his eyes.
05:47I pray for the truth.
05:49It's Emma Sinclair's.
05:51He says it slow.
05:52Staring right at me.
05:53My blood turns to ice.
05:56Emma Sinclair.
05:57Exam has invalidated principal's office.
05:59Now.
06:00Every score.
06:01Every subject.
06:02Gone.
06:03Not one person speaks up for me.
06:05Pinned to the front page of the school forum.
06:07Without that, I'd still be ranked first.
06:10Now.
06:11I'm nothing.
06:12That night, I sit alone in my empty house and cry.
06:15That's the only place I can really cry.
06:17Let it all out.
06:18Ever since my mom vanished, they've smashed all the doors and windows in my house.
06:22They broke in.
06:24Left red spray-painted letters on the wall.
06:26Homewrecker.
06:27The paint drips down the drywall.
06:29I open a video circulating in the school group chat.
06:31Inside the Mustang bar.
06:33Getting her scores wiped is way too nice for her.
06:35She ruined your family.
06:37She needs to suffer more.
06:40Destroy her.
06:41Ruin that bitch.
06:42The crowd raises their glasses.
06:44Cheering.
06:45Liam sits in the shadows of the booth.
06:47His jaw tight.
06:48Face like stone.
06:49He just keeps drinking.
06:51But I know.
06:52His silence is a green light.
06:54The next morning.
06:55The moment I step into the school gates.
06:57Someone yanks me back by my hair.
06:59Drags me to the sports equipment room.
07:01Trash like you doesn't belong in our school.
07:04The door slams shut.
07:06Locking from the outside.
07:07Then the sprinklers kick on.
07:09Ice cold water pours down on my bleeding scalp.
07:11I curl up on the freezing concrete.
07:13The pain almost makes me black out.
07:15And then, a crash.
07:16The door flies open.
07:20I wake up in the hospital.
07:22The first thing I see is the plain white ceiling.
07:24The smell of antiseptic fills my lungs.
07:26Then the pain hits sharply.
07:28I almost black out again.
07:29You're awake.
07:31Who brought me in?
07:33Your boyfriend.
07:34He's been out on that bench for three hours.
07:37I follow her eyes through the window.
07:39A tall figure sits on the bench.
07:40It's really him.
07:41Not a dream.
07:42He's wearing the t-shirt printed with that hockey logo.
07:45The one I got him last year.
07:46For his birthday.
07:49Miss Sinclair.
07:50Your labs are very serious about your condition.
07:54I think your boyfriend needs to know.
07:55He's not my boyfriend.
07:57My throat's so dry the word scrape.
07:59There's no reason to tell him.
08:01But please don't tell him.
08:05Please.
08:05What would it change?
08:07Even if he knew?
08:08Hi.
08:09I'm here on behalf of Lace High.
08:11Checking on our dear classmate.
08:13Chloe Mercer.
08:14Her smile's as sickly sweet as the bouquet in her hand.
08:17The nurse steps out.
08:18Chloe walks straight to my bed.
08:20Aima.
08:21You played the victim to get Liam here, didn't you?
08:24You actually think you could steal him back from me?
08:26I look past her.
08:27Through the open door.
08:28Liam stands right there.
08:30Watching the whole thing with cold eyes.
08:32I know he won't speak up for me.
08:33Won't stop her.
08:34Liam turns and walks away.
08:36Chloe follows behind him.
08:38When it's time to discharge, the nurse calls him for a signature.
08:41He never shows.
08:42I stay in the hospital a full week.
08:44Miss every class.
08:45And I find out my scholarship's been taken away.
08:48All of it.
08:49Since my mom left.
08:50There's no money coming in.
08:52None.
08:52I can't even afford the semester's tuition.
08:55That night, I hear Liam and his friends throw a huge party at Mustang Bar.
08:58The theme?
08:59Celebrating the total ruins of my life.
09:03I sit under the tree.
09:04Watching Liam on the hockey field.
09:06These days, even a whole bottle of painkillers doesn't touch the pain in my stomach.
09:10Life's draining out of me.
09:11I can feel it.
09:13But I keep writing in my journal.
09:14At least, I want to leave something behind.
09:17Without thinking, my pen scratches across the paper, to Liam.
09:20Snapping out of it, I tear out the page and crumple it up.
09:23Ever since we were kids, Liam and I wrote each other letters.
09:27It started with his childish pranks.
09:28Hiding my dolls in the tree hollow.
09:30Later, we used it to swap snacks, notes, and even homework.
09:34Also, I found his confession letter hidden in that tree.
09:37Emma Sinclair.
09:38Don't get it twisted.
09:39This isn't a joke.
09:40I like you.
09:41Be my girlfriend.
09:42Yours?
09:43Least favorite person, Liam Walsh.
09:45I left him hanging on purpose that day.
09:47His face was sour for a solid week.
09:49Until he checked the hollow again and found my reply.
09:52Liam Walsh.
09:53Yes.
09:54I'll be your girlfriend.
09:55That night, he took my hand.
09:57Led me down to the west shore.
09:59And right there, by the crashing waves, he kissed my lips.
10:02That was my first kiss.
10:03I thought we'd stay like that forever.
10:05But now I'm dying.
10:07If I have to write him one last letter, it'll be my goodbye.
10:10Just thinking about it blurs my eyes.
10:12A shadow falls over me.
10:13I wipe my eyes fast and look up.
10:15It's Liam.
10:16What are you doing here?
10:17This is cheer territory.
10:19His tone is as icy as ever.
10:21I grab my bag and turn to leave.
10:23He steps into my path.
10:24Emma.
10:26If you're sick, go see a doctor.
10:30If you're sick, go see a doctor.
10:33Stop with the pathetic act.
10:35Nobody's buying it anymore.
10:36I don't answer.
10:37He smirks.
10:39Whatever.
10:39Get out of my sight.
10:41I just lower my head and walk away in silence.
10:44Soon, the day of Lace High's coming-of-age ceremony arrives.
10:47It's the biggest event of the year for every teenager and family in town.
10:51Everyone is dressed to the nines, including me.
10:54Even if I'm all alone in the house.
10:56Using my mom's old sewing machine, I make a simple blue dress.
10:59And paint flowers on it by hand.
11:02Wildflowers in Central Park.
11:03The kind I always imagine.
11:05Maybe I'll see them, next life.
11:07Right before the ceremony, Chloe storms up to me.
11:10Emma Sinclair!
11:11You stole my dress!
11:13A crowd forms in seconds.
11:15Liam stares at me like I'm already guilty.
11:17Chloe, if you think I stole something, show me proof.
11:21My voice rings out louder than it ever has.
11:23I'm dying anyway.
11:25Nothing left to be scared of.
11:26You want proof, you crazy bitch?
11:28One of Chloe's job friends shoves me aside.
11:31He jerks my locker open.
11:32A stunning gown falls out.
11:34It's already hacked to pieces with scissors.
11:39I knew it was you!
11:40I was supposed to wear this tonight to kiss Liam.
11:43You didn't just steal it!
11:45You destroyed it!
11:47Liam!
11:48Call the cops!
11:49Have her arrested!
11:50She ruined everything!
11:51Emma Sinclair.
11:52Liam stares at me, his eyes entirely dead.
11:55You really are rotten inside, just like your mother.
11:58I know.
11:59These might be the last words he ever says to me.
12:01Liam dials the police.
12:03I'm taken away.
12:05I spend the whole night locked in a freezing room.
12:07Tears soaking my face.
12:09My stomach goes numb from the pain.
12:11Maybe missing the ceremony is a blessing.
12:13What would I even do there?
12:14Watch Liam and Chloe slow dance?
12:16Watch all those happy families celebrate their kids' bright futures?
12:19No one's coming to my ceremony.
12:21No one's celebrating my last three days.
12:23This is where my life ends.
12:25The next morning, I walk out of the police station.
12:28I put on that simple blue dress and head toward the west shore.
12:31The exact spot where Liam first kissed me.
12:35I walk into the ocean.
12:37Step by step, the moonlight spills across the dark water.
12:40Like it's welcoming me home.
12:46Ten years later.
12:48Manhattan penthouse.
12:49Mr. Liam Walsh.
12:51We're almost done here.
12:52I have one last question.
12:54A personal one.
12:56Go ahead.
12:57You're the youngest investment partner on Wall Street.
12:59There's got to be a special woman behind your success.
13:02That would be me.
13:03My fiancee, Chloe Mercer, slips onto the couch next to me with a sweet smile.
13:07I've been by Liam's side, every step of the way.
13:10The host grins.
13:12Miss Mercer, then you must be Mr. Walsh's first love.
13:15Of course.
13:17Liam and I have been together since high school.
13:19We're childhood sweethearts.
13:20Chloe lifts her left hand, flashing the diamond on her ring finger.
13:24We're getting married soon.
13:25We'll send out invitations.
13:28Congratulations to you both!
13:29First love.
13:30Those two words peer straight into a place I think is long dead.
13:34I pick up my whiskey.
13:35Say nothing.
13:36The film crew leaves, the apartment falls quiet.
13:38Chloe wraps her arms around my neck.
13:40Liam, you seem off.
13:42Just tired?
13:43It was a long interview.
13:45I rip off the tie that's been choking me all afternoon.
13:48Slide her arms off.
13:50Tonight, at the Ritz, there's our high school reunion.
13:54Chloe, you know I don't have time for that.
13:57Tyler Garnett's gonna be there.
13:59Noah, Jack, everyone's going.
14:03Everyone?
14:03Does that include Emma Sinclair?
14:05Her name jumps out of somewhere deep inside me.
14:08It terrifies me.
14:09I haven't thought about that name in a long time.
14:12After the coming of age ceremony, Emma just...
14:15Vanished.
14:16I heard some distant relative took her in and shipped her off to another state.
14:20Every time I think about the Sinclairs, I see my mother.
14:23Jumping from that balcony, the hate surges up.
14:26Still, if I could see how pathetic her life is now,
14:29maybe tonight won't be a total waste of time.
14:31So, are we going?
14:35Yeah, I've got work to handle.
14:37Pick me out a suit.
14:38We leave tonight.
14:39The Ritz Carlton, New York.
15:28I know I'm drunk, but I can't ignore the sharp, sudden spike of irritation.
15:36Or maybe, it's disappointment.
15:39But I still brush it off.
15:40If Sinclair were here, it'd make tonight a hell of a lot more interesting, don't you think?
15:46Liam, you really don't know?
15:48Emma Sinclair, she died ten years ago.
15:53Emma Sinclair, she died ten years ago.
15:56It's the noise of the party.
15:57It's like I'm under water.
15:59Everything muffled.
15:59My legs won't move.
16:01Champagne drips down my hand, spilling over my cuff.
16:03That's not possible.
16:04My voice, dry, hollow.
16:07Doesn't even sound like me.
16:08I'm serious, Liam.
16:10She walked into the ocean.
16:11After she died, her family's house in town.
16:13Tyler keeps talking, but I can't hear it anymore.
16:16Liam?
16:17Hey, man.
16:18You look terrible.
16:19You okay?
16:19I snap back.
16:21The glass slips from my hand.
16:22Pieces scatter around my shoes.
16:24I turn and walk out of the ballroom.
16:26The hallway's long.
16:27I'm moving fast.
16:29Almost running.
16:29I push into the bathroom.
16:31Lean over the sink.
16:32Cold water rushing over my wrists.
16:34In the mirror, I see my face, pale.
16:36Stiff.
16:37Like a corpse that just crawled out of a grave.
16:40Emma Sinclair is dead.
16:41She's been dead for ten years.
16:43The year I graduated.
16:44The year I started NYU.
16:46The year I began my new life in Manhattan.
16:48She was already dead.
16:50For ten years, I buried her name.
16:52Locked it away under all that hate.
16:53I told myself she deserved it.
16:55Her mother destroyed my life.
16:57I told myself.
16:58No.
16:58No way.
16:59I'd never think about her again.
17:01Emma Sinclair.
17:03You can't be dead.
17:04You just left lace, right?
17:06After the ceremony, I left with my uncle.
17:07And you left too, didn't you?
17:14I'm calm again.
17:16This has nothing to do with me.
17:17Your mother killed mine.
17:19You owed me.
17:20You deserved everything they did to you.
17:22Walked into the ocean, huh?
17:23Even if that's true, that was your choice.
17:26That night, I don't sleep.
17:28I lie in bed.
17:29Staring at the ceiling.
17:30One image keeps flashing through my head.
17:33Seventeen-year-old Emma Sinclair.
17:34Trapped in that bathroom stall.
17:36Face covered in tears.
17:38Everyone laughing.
17:39Saying she deserved it.
17:40Including me.
17:41I swallow a sleeping pill.
17:42Force my eyes shut.
17:44But in my dreams, her eyes keep coming back.
17:46Those eyes, empty.
17:48Staring at me with nothing left.
17:50Like a hot iron branded into my brain.
17:52I wake up gasping.
17:53And I don't dare close my eyes again.
17:57The next week, I try to get back to normal.
18:00Meetings.
18:01Contracts.
18:02Wall Street networking events.
18:03Dinner with Chloe.
18:04But what Tyler said, it's like a splinter.
18:06I start spacing out, without even realizing it.
18:09Staring out the window during meetings.
18:11Liam!
18:11My partner has to say my name three times before I hear him.
18:15Chloe notices.
18:16Liam.
18:17What is going on with you lately?
18:19Nothing.
18:19Just work stress.
18:21I lie.
18:22Back in my office.
18:23Papers in my hand.
18:24I still can't read a single word.
18:26I look at my screen.
18:27The search bar.
18:28A few letters typed in.
18:29Emma Sinclair, Lestown.
18:31Emma Sinclair, Lacetown.
18:32The cursor blinks.
18:34My finger hovers over the enter key.
18:36I can't do it.
18:37Babe.
18:38This weekend.
18:39Let's try that new French place.
18:41Hey.
18:42Your mom's anniversary is coming up.
18:44Want me to go with you this year?
18:45Chloe's messages pop up.
18:47I keep staring at the search bar.
18:49I take a breath.
18:50Hit enter.
18:51No results found.
18:52No social media.
18:54Nothing.
18:54In a world where everyone leaves a digital trail.
18:57Emma Sinclair left nothing behind.
18:59Like she never even existed.
19:01Another notification pops up.
19:03Mom's anniversary.
19:04June 22.
19:05One week away.
19:06Every year I go back to Lace.
19:08Visit her grave.
19:09Every year her grave is clean.
19:11Fresh flowers.
19:12Always.
19:15I stare at the screen.
19:16And a voice in my head gets louder and louder.
19:19Go back to Lace.
19:20Find out if she's really dead.
19:22My chest tightens.
19:23Next thing I know, I'm grabbing my keys.
19:25Walking out the door.
19:27Sir, where are you going?
19:28Do you need a ride?
19:30I'll go alone.
19:31My assistant sees me.
19:33I drive for six hours straight.
19:35When I leave Manhattan, the sun's still up.
19:38By the time I hit the Lace Town sign, it's the middle of the night.
19:42Ten years ago, this town was alive.
19:44Now, rusty gas stations.
19:46The same dim street lights.
19:47The same dead Main Street.
19:49I drive south.
19:50No destination.
19:52Until I find myself stopped in front of a house.
19:54Gray.
19:55Faded.
19:55This house.
19:56It breaks something inside me.
19:58Ten years ago.
20:00Right here.
20:00My mom caught my dad and Emma's mom together.
20:03Then she jumped.
20:04It's raining tonight.
20:06The paint on the wall bleeds through.
20:08Still visible.
20:09Homewrecker.
20:10It drips down the wall.
20:11Like blood.
20:12I kill the engine.
20:14The silence rushes in.
20:16Just crickets.
20:17Wind.
20:17I sit there.
20:18Hands gripping the wheel.
20:20Knuckles white.
20:21What am I doing?
20:22Why did I come back here?
20:24Their family killed my mother.
20:25Their daughter is dead.
20:26Why should I care?
20:28But I need to know.
20:29Emma.
20:30You better not be lying to me.
20:34I sleep in the car.
20:36Barely.
20:36First thing in the morning, I go to the town records office.
20:39Emma Sinclair?
20:41Oh, yes.
20:42She's here.
20:44Where is she now?
20:45The second I ask, I realize.
20:46I really don't believe she's dead.
20:48Or maybe I just can't accept it.
20:50She's dead.
20:51She says it flat.
20:52Like she's reading the weather.
20:55Emma Sinclair.
20:56Death certificate.
20:58Right here.
20:58Cause of death.
20:59Drowning.
21:00Location.
21:01West.
21:01Shore.
21:02Waters.
21:03Lace.
21:03She slides a copy across the counter.
21:05The words are tiny.
21:06But each one stabs right into my eye's name.
21:09Emma Sinclair age.
21:1118.
21:11Estimated date of death.
21:13June 17, 2014.
21:15Date body recovered.
21:16June 19, 2014.
21:18June 19, 2014.
21:20Three days after the ceremony.
21:22What was I doing that day?
21:23Packing.
21:24Getting ready to move to New York with my uncle.
21:26Finish high school there.
21:28Take the SAT.
21:29Start at NYU.
21:30And Emma.
21:31If I remember right, a fisherman found her body.
21:35She'd been in the water for days before they pulled her out.
21:39What about the funeral?
21:40There was no funeral.
21:42Nobody in town wanted to get involved.
21:44She ended up in the public cemetery at first nobody even claimed the body.
21:48She sighs.
21:49My hand won't stop.
21:51It crushes the paper.
21:52The sound of it crumpling in my fist.
21:54I stand up.
21:55The chair slides back.
21:57Slams into the wall.
21:58I shove the door open and walk out.
22:00The sun is blinding.
22:02I stand on the steps.
22:03My chest so tight I can't breathe.
22:06I whisper her name.
22:08Like someone's breaking my ribs.
22:10One by one.
22:11And I know.
22:12Nothing's ever coming back.
22:15I find the fisherman.
22:17He lives in a shack.
22:18Down by the west shore.
22:19Smells like salt.
22:21Dead fish.
22:21You're asking about that girl?
22:23The one who jumped?
22:25Ten years ago?
22:26He lights a cigarette.
22:27Yeah.
22:28Frowns.
22:29I remember.
22:31I remember it clear as day.
22:33I was out pulling in my nets.
22:35Saw something floating out there.
22:37Thought it was trash.
22:38Got closer.
22:39Wasn't trash.
22:40Just a girl.
22:42So thin.
22:43Blue dress.
22:44So damn young.
22:45My head goes blank.
22:47Static.
22:48I can't picture it.
22:49I don't want to.
22:50The fisherman pauses.
22:52She had her body.
22:53A lot of scars.
22:54A bad burn on her arm.
22:56Old injuries on her leg.
22:58Skinny as a stick.
22:59The burn on her arm.
23:01Chemistry lab.
23:02The acid.
23:03The leg.
23:04The stairs.
23:05That fall.
23:05Every scar.
23:06I know exactly where it came from.
23:08Because I was there.
23:10Every single time.
23:13I leave the fisherman.
23:15Go to the place where they found her body.
23:17I stand on the cliff.
23:19Wind whipping around me.
23:20Waves crashing against the rocks below.
23:23Low.
23:23Heavy.
23:24My chest aches.
23:25This is where Emma stood.
23:26The last place.
23:28Ten years ago everyone was laughing at that ceremony.
23:30And she walked here.
23:31Alone.
23:32I crouched down.
23:34Press my palm against the cold rock.
23:36The images flood back.
23:37I can't stop them.
23:39The at.
23:39The day I backed up Chloe.
23:41Said Emma cheated.
23:42The way she looked at me.
23:44Not angry.
23:44Not wronged.
23:45It was quiet.
23:46Like a light going out.
23:48She was ranked first in our class.
23:50Without that disqualification.
23:51She would have gotten out of lace.
23:53Could have gone anywhere.
23:55And I destroyed it.
23:57Her last chance.
23:58I killed her.
23:59Not Chloe.
23:59Not the people who laughed.
24:01Not this town.
24:02Me.
24:03Liam Walsh.
24:04I'm the one who pushed her off this cliff.
24:06My phone buzzes.
24:08It's Chloe.
24:09Liam.
24:10Where are you?
24:11Three days.
24:12No messages.
24:12No one can reach you.
24:14I hang up before she finishes.
24:18I find her in the public cemetery.
24:20Emma Sinclair.
24:21Plot 247.
24:22No photo.
24:23No epitaph.
24:24Just a gray concrete slab.
24:27Cold numbers.
24:28Her birth date.
24:29Her death date.
24:31She was my neighbor.
24:32We grew up together.
24:33After her dad died.
24:34Her mom raised her alone.
24:36She used to come over.
24:37Eat my mom's apple pie.
24:39Top of the class.
24:40Always.
24:40She loved to draw.
24:42And her smile.
24:42Her eyes would crinkle up.
24:44Like little moons.
24:46Emma.
24:47And something cold slides down my face.
24:49It's not raining.
24:50I'm crying.
24:52My mom's grave is here too.
24:54I come every year.
24:55Never knew Emma was here.
24:57The whole time.
24:57I walk over to my mother's grave.
24:59Just like every year.
25:01Clean.
25:01But there's something.
25:02Fresh white daisies.
25:03I haven't brought flowers yet this year.
25:05I never really noticed.
25:07But every year.
25:08Fresh flowers on her grave.
25:09Ten years.
25:10Never missed.
25:11The maintenance fee I pay only covers basic cleaning.
25:14Who's been leaving these?
25:15My temples pound.
25:17Maybe Emma's not dead.
25:18Maybe.
25:18This grave.
25:19The flowers every year.
25:21Who pays for them?
25:23I find the groundskeeper.
25:24He pulls up his computer.
25:26Turns the screen toward me.
25:28I see the name.
25:29Emma Sinclair paid in full.
25:31Ten years ago.
25:34I stare at the name on the screen.
25:36My mind goes completely blank.
25:37Paid in full.
25:38Ten years ago.
25:39One lump sum.
25:40Covered twenty years.
25:41They say she's dead now.
25:43You're telling me.
25:44Before she died.
25:46She paid for twenty years of flowers?
25:48For my mother's grave?
25:49Sir.
25:50Not my business.
25:52I just organized the files.
25:53Twenty years.
25:54Where did Emma get that kind of money?
25:56After her mom ran off, she had nothing.
25:58No income.
25:58Nothing.
25:59So how?
26:00After giving it all to my mother's grave.
26:01What did she live on?
26:03What if she got sick?
26:04I run back to the car.
26:05Call the only bank in Lace.
26:07Hi.
26:08I need to trace a transaction.
26:10Ten years ago.
26:11Under the name Emma Sinclair.
26:12Sir, that's confidential client information.
26:17She's dead.
26:19I'm family.
26:20I lie to another stranger.
26:22Twenty minutes later, the bank calls back.
26:25Founded.
26:26May 2014.
26:28A scheduled prepayment.
26:30Payable to Lace Public Cemetery.
26:33What kind of account did it come from?
26:35A medical account.
26:36It appears to be an insurance payout.
26:39For terminal illness treatment.
26:41Sir, if you need more details, I can give you the hospital's number.
26:44Two words echo in my head.
26:45Terminal illness and then it hits me hard.
26:47I dial the number immediately.
26:48Grayson Medical Center.
26:49I need to pull a patient file.
26:51Ten years old.
26:52Name Emma Sinclair.
26:54Sir, our old records take two to three business days.
26:57I'll wait.
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