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Court Métrage
Enjoy addictive short dramas packed with romance, betrayal, revenge, emotional moments, and shocking plot twists.
From billionaire love stories to hidden identities and dramatic relationships, Drama Royale delivers nonstop entertainment with fast-paced storytelling and unforgettable characters.
🔥 Viral Shorts Drama
💔 Romance & Heartbreak
⚡ Unexpected Plot Twists
🎭 Emotional Drama Series
New episodes uploaded regularly. Subscribe and enjoy the world of short drama entertainment with Drama Royale
#ShortDrama #DramaSeries
Catégorie
🎥
Court Métrage
Catégorie
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TVTranscription
00:02with Liam for three years when his mother jumped off the roof in front of us because she'd found
00:07out her husband was sleeping with my mom. From that day on, my life became a living hell. Last
00:12Thursday, Lace Memorial Hospital. My stomach pain had been getting worse and worse until I couldn't
00:17ignore it anymore. Emma, it's advanced stomach cancer. You have a month left, maybe less. The
00:23paper shook in my hands. I had no idea how to tell my mom tonight and Liam. Liam and I
00:29were juniors
00:29at Lace High. We had our whole lives planned out, New York University, together. But, I was dying.
00:35After school, Liam drove me home, just like any other day. At the front door, he kissed my cheek.
00:41Emma, you look pale today. How did the checkup go? Oh my god, you two behind my back! Suddenly, a
00:49sharp
00:49scream came from upstairs. Liam knew that voice. I ran after him. Both 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. I collapsed onto the floor.
01:18Liam ran downstairs. He fell to his knees beside her body. Covered in blood, he looked like a trapped
01:23animal, wild, completely broken. By nightfall, the red glow from the police cars washed over the
01:30street. Half the town was out there. The last time Liam and I ever saw his mother, they were wheeling
01:35her away, under a white sheet. The same night, my mom and Liam's dad, vanished. Liam let go of my
01:40hand,
01:41and he never touched me again.
01:48Emma Sinclair, you're trash. Just like your mother.
01:52A bucket of ice water is dumped right over my head. I fall to my knees. My stomach twists. I
01:58double over
01:58and spit up blood. Liam's standing there. He gives me one cold glance, then walks away. I know. He hates
02:05me, and I deserve it. The bathroom door is locked from the outside. I'm soaked, shivering on the floor.
02:11The late bell rings. Hey, is anyone out there? Please, I'm locked in. The only answer is laughter
02:18down the hall. Serves the bitch right. Chemistry lab. I can't be late. I fight through the stomach
02:25pain, but still late. Sinclair, you just come from the circus? I don't teach clowns. Emma, you can be
02:32my partner. It's Chloe Mercer, head cheerleader, queen of lace high, playing the nice. Mr. Thornton,
02:39the bathroom. The bathroom lock was broken. That's why she's late. Well, Sinclair, move it before I kick
02:45you out. I don't have a choice. I head toward her station. Liam walks through me like I'm air.
02:52The nurse's office. I lie on the cot. My leg is in a splint. My arm wrapped in gauze. Liam
02:59and Chloe
03:00are in the next bed. Emma Sinclair is the worst person I've ever met. I begged Mr. Thornton to let
03:07her stay, and this is how she pays me back. She's jealous of us, Liam. Chloe, I'm not letting her
03:16anywhere near you again. Liam's voice is so gentle it makes me sick. Kiss me, Liam. And then their shadows
03:21move, pressing together right there on the curtain. Liam used to kiss me like that, before everything
03:26shattered. I still remember that evening. The sunset turning the whole school gold. Liam had just won
03:32the hockey championship. The crowd was cheering. Trophy in one hand. His other hand cups my face.
03:38He kissed me. My face burns.
03:45Emma, you know what my biggest wish is? One day I'm gonna propose to you in Times Square.
03:51Propose? That's so far away, Liam. We're not even 18.
03:53It's not far off. You and me, Emma. A real future. Happy and perfect.
03:58I believed every single word. But now, on the other side of this curtain,
04:03Chloe's gasps between kisses. Liam, are you doing this on purpose so Emma can hear?
04:09Don't ever say her name. The sounds of kissing become louder and hungrier.
04:13I squeeze my eyes shut. The pillow soaks up my tears. I know I don't have the right to be
04:18sad.
04:18His mom died because of. He has every reason to hate me. But, the pain is blinding.
04:23My stomach burns. But none of it compares to this, lying here, watching him kiss her.
04:28I wish I could just die. Right here. Right now.
04:34Two weeks later. The mock SAT. Before the test, I'm in the bathroom.
04:39Swallowing painkillers by the handful, way past the recommended dosage.
04:42My body's giving out. The doctor told me I only have about two weeks left.
04:47But this is the last exam of my life. I'm giving it everything I've got.
04:50The moment I step into the room, the usual laughs start up. There's gum stuck to my chair.
04:56Dirty. I scrape it off, sit down, and open my test booklet.
05:00Chloe sits right behind me. Liam's next to her. He doesn't give me a single glance.
05:05The painkillers do nothing. My stomach burns like acid. Cold sweat starts dripping down my forehead.
05:11Behind me, Chloe keeps kicking my chair. I ignore it and keep writing.
05:15Cheat sheets fly past my desk. Over and over.
05:19Chloe Mercer. Are you cheating?
05:22It's not me, sir. It'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. Somebody threw it at me.
05:37The proctor turns to Liam.
05:39Mr. Walsh. Did you see who throw this first?
05:42Chloe tugs at Liam's sleeve with a soft whimper.
05:45I see something flicker, deep in his eyes. I pray for the truth.
05:49It's Emma Sinclair's.
05:51He says it slow. Staring right at me. My blood turns to ice.
05:55Emma Sinclair. Exam has invalidated principal's office. Now.
06:00Every score. Every subject. Gone.
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. I'm nothing.
06:11That 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.
06:26Home wrecker.
06:27The paint drips down the drywall.
06:28I 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.
07:17The 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.
07:30You'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.
07:47For his birthday.
07:49Miss Sinclair.
07:50Your labs are very serious.
07:53About 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.
08:20Aina.
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.
08:31I know he won't speak up for me.
08:33Won't stop her.
08:35Liam turns and walks away.
08:36Chloe follows behind him.
08:38When it's time to discharge.
08:39The nurse calls him for a signature.
08:41He never shows.
08:42I stay in the hospital a full week.
08:44Miss every class.
08:46And 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, watching 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, but 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.
09:21Snapping 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, hiding 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, don'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, I'll be your girlfriend.
09:55That night, he took my hand, led me down to the west shore, and right there, by the crashing
10:00waves, he kissed my lips.
10:02That was my first kiss.
10:04I thought we'd stay like that forever, but 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.
10:20I grab my bag and turn to leave.
10:23He steps into my path.
10:25Emma.
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.
10:55Using 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!
11:18If 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 jock friends shoves me aside.
11:31He jerks my rocker 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, step by step.
12:38The moonlight spills across the dark water, like it's welcoming me home.
12:46Ten years later, Manhattan Penthouse.
12:49Mr. Liam Walsh, we're almost done here.
12:52I have one last question, a 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.
13:08I've been by Liam's side, every step of the way.
13:10The host grins.
13:11Miss 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.
13:37The 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 vanished.
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, maybe 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.
14:408pm, the Ritz-Carlton.
14:42New York.
14:42Grand Ballroom.
14:44I push the doors open.
14:45Wave of familiar faces rushes toward me.
14:47It tricks me into thinking I'm back at that high school ceremony.
14:51Liam Walsh!
14:5210 years, man!
14:54You actually made it!
14:56I tap my glass against his with a polite smile.
15:00I move through the crowd.
15:01My eyes scan the every corner of the room.
15:06I know exactly who I'm looking for.
15:08And then my breath catches.
15:10I spot a slender back, exactly the way I remember.
15:13Emma Sinclair.
15:14I walk over.
15:15Emma.
15:16Looks like life turned out alright for you.
15:19The woman turns around.
15:20I freeze.
15:21It's not Emma.
15:22Excuse me, who are you?
15:23I take a step back.
15:25Sorry.
15:25I took you for someone else.
15:29Liam.
15:30Who are you talking to?
15:32Sinclair?
15:33I know I'm drunk.
15:34But I can't ignore the sharp, sudden spike of irritation.
15:37Or maybe.
15:37It'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.
16:02Spilling 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?
16:20I 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.
16:54I told myself she deserved it.
16:55Her mother destroyed my life.
16:57I told myself.
16:58No.
16:59No 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.
17:27I lie in bed, staring 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, including 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.
18:05But what Tyler said, it's like a splinter.
18:07I 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.
18:14Chloe notices.
18:16Liam.
18:17What is going on with you lately?
18:19Nothing.
18:20Just 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.
18:30Emma Sinclair, Lestown.
18:31Emma Sinclair, Lacetown.
18:33The 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?
18:46Chloe'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.
19:30My 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 streetlights.
19:48The same dead Main Street.
19:49I drive south.
19:50No destination.
19:51Until I find myself stopped in front of a house.
19:54Gray.
19:55Faded.
19:56This house.
19:56It breaks something inside me.
19:59Ten years ago.
20:00Right here.
20:01My 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.
20:15Just 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?
20:23Their 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 Shore Waters.
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 estimated 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?
21:41There was no funeral.
21:42Nobody in town wanted to get involved.
21:44She ended up in the public cemetery.
21:46At 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.
22:51The 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.
23:09Because 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.
23:27The last place.
23:28Ten years ago everyone was laughing at that ceremony.
23:30And she walked here.
23:31Alone.
23:32I crouch 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.
23:52She 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.
24:00Not 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.
24:13No 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.
24:23No photo.
24:24No 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, her 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.
24:41And 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 the whole time.
24:57I walk over to my mother's grave.
24:59Just like every year, clean.
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, fresh 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.
25:20The 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, she 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, what did she live on?
26:02What 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.
26:18She's dead.
26:19I'm family.
26:21I 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.
26:50I 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.
26:58I'll wait.