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Each movie brings exciting characters, surprising plot twists, touching relationships, and powerful stories that keep you watching until the final scene. From billionaire romances to inspiring life journeys, every film offers a unique experience.
Enjoy HD movies with English subtitles and stay tuned for regular uploads of the latest popular drama films.
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AmusantTranscription
00:00On the day the divorce verdict was finalized,
00:02the judge asked us twin sisters to choose whether to live with our dad or our mom.
00:06In my past life, I chose my mother without hesitation,
00:10and that choice paved a smooth path for me, all the way to the peak.
00:13I followed my mother when she remarried a wealthy financier,
00:16joined an elite figure skating club,
00:18won the Olympic Ladies Singles Champion at 18,
00:21and lived the life everyone envied.
00:23But this time Ariana beat me to it.
00:25I'm going with mom.
00:27What about you, Jennifer?
00:28Same choice as your sister?
00:30I'm going with dad.
00:31Everyone thought I'd choose my glamorous mother without hesitation,
00:34just like last time.
00:35But this time, I'm doing things differently.
00:38Mom was sure I'd choose her,
00:39so my betrayal took her completely by surprise.
00:42Ariana nestled obediently in mom's arms,
00:45yet her eyes peered over mom's shoulder,
00:48right at me.
00:49There was far too much in those eyes.
00:51For an eight-year-old, in that split second,
00:53I understood completely.
00:55My twin sister had been reborn too.
00:57But why did she have to steal my life?
01:00Whatever one life each, we're even.
01:03The wind outside was fierce,
01:05but the rain had eased up.
01:07Dad walked over with an umbrella and bent down to look at me.
01:10Let's go.
01:11Dad, where are we going?
01:14Just follow me.
01:15His tone was hardly gentle, even a bit stiff.
01:18Dad has never been good at expressing his feelings.
01:21In my past life, he sent me a birthday gift every year.
01:24And inside the box, there was always a card with,
01:27happy birthday.
01:28I stood up and followed him.
01:29I always knew he loved us.
01:31He was just too clumsy to show it.
01:32As dad started the car, I noticed his profile.
01:36He looked younger than I remembered,
01:37with no gray hair at his temples yet.
01:39He was just holding his emotions in a death grip,
01:42hiding all his exhaustion and reluctance to part.
01:45In my past life, Ariana once told me,
01:48Jennifer, after mom and dad divorced,
01:50dad became so quiet.
01:52What about after he remarried?
01:54After he remarried,
01:55the atmosphere at home grew even more strained,
01:58just like an icebox.
02:00And later, even the icebox was gone.
02:02It was just dad all alone.
02:04As the car drove out of the parking lot,
02:07I watched through the rearview mirror,
02:08as mom held Ariana's hand, waiting for a taxi.
02:12Ariana never looked back, and neither did I.
02:16Dad's new place was in downtown Chicago,
02:18a three-bedroom apartment.
02:19Not very big, but clean and minimalist.
02:22Black and white landscape photos hung on the walls,
02:24with an elegant, simple coffee set on the table.
02:27The whole place felt quiet and bare, bleak to the extreme.
02:30Go on, that's your room.
02:32Got it.
02:33My room was bathed in bright sunlight.
02:36Brand-new stationery and a desk lamp sat neatly on the desk,
02:39all prepared in advance by grandma.
02:41My careless father would never notice such tender gestures.
02:44The first week after moving in, life was quiet.
02:47Dad left early and returned late.
02:49During the day, I attended classes at my new school.
02:52After class, I walked home alone,
02:54did my homework, read, and went to bed on schedule.
02:56No one checked my homework.
02:57No one asked if I had a good day at school,
02:59and the fridge was always stocked with pre-made meals sealed with plastic wrap,
03:03ready to eat with a quick reheat in the microwave.
03:05At this moment, I finally understood
03:07why my sister, trapped in such a cold and lonely environment for so long,
03:12in our previous life, became so sharp, paranoid, and bristling with thorns.
03:17Grandma came to visit me once, peeling an orange as she spoke.
03:21Ariana's different from you.
03:23She got your mother's temper, quick-tempered.
03:26You're just like your dad, keeping everything hidden inside.
03:31I took that as a compliment.
03:33In truth, grandma was right.
03:36In my past life, my stepfather used to say
03:39I was like a deep pool of water, serene on the surface,
03:42yet surging with undercurrents beneath.
03:44Grandma, are you leaving already?
03:47Yes, sweetie.
03:48It's getting late, and there's work waiting for me at home.
03:51I'll visit you again next time.
03:53Bye, grandma.
03:54After grandma left, I sat alone in the living room for a while.
03:57One thought lingered in my mind.
03:59According to what my sister said about her past life,
04:02dad would remarry in two years.
04:04I remembered Ariana's assessment of our stepmother.
04:07Dominant, cold, and intensely controlling.
04:10Ariana said she was like a living tyrant.
04:12I silently attached that label to the stepmother I had never met,
04:16but then felt it wasn't entirely fair.
04:18After all, Ariana had been quick-tempered in her past life,
04:22and two people failing to get along wasn't necessarily just one person's fault.
04:26Inside an eight-year-old body lives the mature soul of an 18-year-old.
04:31In this life, I must plan my own path anew.
04:34Days slipped by.
04:36Returning to the third grade with the soul of an 18-year-old
04:38made elementary schoolwork feel like absolute child's play.
04:41I could ace elementary school math with my eyes shut,
04:44but essays and spelling occasionally betrayed a maturity beyond my years,
04:47making me stand out.
04:49In short, I hardly seemed like a student of this age.
04:53Since the script had changed in this life,
04:55I had to figure out what I truly wanted all over again.
04:59In my past life, I started figure skating training at six,
05:02and by eight or nine, I was already formally training at a club.
05:06Yet now I'm almost ten.
05:07Starting over means I've already missed the prime age for beginners.
05:11Besides, would dad even be willing to send me to learn?
05:13In my past life, it was my stepfather, who loved the ice,
05:17that discovered my talent.
05:18Have you ever taken lessons before?
05:20No.
05:21This is your first time on the ice?
05:23Great!
05:24I'd like to train you in figure skating.
05:26Would you be interested?
05:28I'd love to.
05:29But my biological father is busy and reticent,
05:31with no time to keep me company or nurture my talent.
05:34Would he really be willing to drive me to the rink every week
05:36and pay for expensive coaching fees on top of that?
05:39I don't know.
05:41But I know with absolute certainty that Ariana will take up my skating career
05:44from my past life and achieve everything I once did.
05:48Sure enough, a few months later,
05:50photos of my sister at the rink began appearing on mom's social media.
05:54The first one showed Ariana standing on the ice in skates.
05:58I stared at that photo for a long time.
06:00Everything was exactly the same as in my past life.
06:03The script hadn't changed, just the lead actor.
06:06I locked my phone, an indescribable feeling settling in my chest.
06:10It wasn't jealousy, but more like looking in a mirror,
06:13only to see someone else staring back.
06:16Over the next few years,
06:18I could only watch through my mother's social media updates,
06:22in quiet silence,
06:23as my sister walked step by step into the life that had once been mine.
06:27She posted frequently, every two or three days,
06:30a new video or photo of Ariana training would appear.
06:34At ten, she mastered the double jump,
06:36matching the exact pace of my training from my past life,
06:41down to the very day.
06:44Mom, look! How did I do?
06:45You were wonderful!
06:47My little princess is the absolute best!
06:52Sweetheart,
06:53this coach says you have real talent and wants to teach you figure skating.
06:58Would you like that?
06:59Of course I do!
07:01This coach was the mentor who had led me to the top of the Winter Olympics in my past life.
07:06Ariana didn't just want to learn figure skating.
07:09She wanted to duplicate my past life down to the last detail.
07:12The same coach,
07:13the same club,
07:14the same training regimen,
07:15all leading toward the exact same goal,
07:18an Olympic gold medal.
07:19She would succeed.
07:21And what I had to learn was how to let go of my past life.
07:24I had to believe in my ability to live in the present,
07:27no longer dwelling on what once was.
07:32This year,
07:34Ariana took first place at the Intercontinental Championships.
07:38Mom posted photo after photo of her on the ice and on the podium.
07:42She held a trophy in her hands and wore a medal around her neck,
07:47smiling with crescent-shaped eyes.
07:52Jennifer, what are you looking at?
07:54Dad never had a way with pretty words.
07:56He wouldn't say,
07:57Ariana is amazing,
07:59nor would he say,
08:00if there's anything you'd like to learn.
08:02I can send you to classes too.
08:04He would only quietly make my favorite baked mac and cheese.
08:08Tucking all his tenderness into the warmth of home-cooked meals.
08:14Dad, I'm not jealous of Ariana.
08:17I just feel like she's doing well,
08:20and I'm doing well too.
08:23Dad went back to chopping the onion, but I caught it.
08:25His shoulders eased, just a little.
08:28That autumn, when I was ten, Dad brought a woman home.
08:30It was a Saturday, and I was curled up on the living room sofa reading a book.
08:37The sound of the door lock turning came, and I looked up.
08:40I recognized her at a glance.
08:42This was the overbearing, cold, and deeply controlling stepmother.
08:46Ariana had described,
08:47Elizabeth.
08:49This is my daughter, Jennifer.
08:51Dad's voice sounded a bit tense.
08:53Elizabeth stood in the entry day,
08:55wearing dark gray dress pants,
08:56a white shirt, and a black trunch coat over it.
08:58Her hair was pinned back tightly,
09:00without a single stray strand.
09:02Her features aren't breathtaking,
09:03but their sharp lines gave her the presence of a freshly honed blade.
09:07Behind her stood a man carrying several gift boxes.
09:10Hello, Jennifer.
09:11I'm a friend of your father's.
09:13You can call me Elizabeth.
09:14I closed my book, stood up, and gave a slight smile.
09:17Hello, Elizabeth.
09:19Elizabeth's gaze lingered on me for two seconds,
09:21and then she nodded and said to Dad,
09:24Your daughter is much more polite than you.
09:26Dad opened his mouth, but nothing came out.
09:28I smiled to myself.
09:30In front of Elizabeth, Dad was like a cat scruffed by the neck,
09:34stiff and uncomfortable all over.
09:37That day, Elizabeth stayed for lunch.
09:40Her dining etiquette was perfectly standard,
09:43her movements restrained and elegant.
09:46She even sincerely complimented Dad's cooking.
09:49That single, simple praise was enough to fill him with relief and pure joy.
09:54I couldn't help but smile,
09:55quickly looking down to eat my baked mac and cheese.
09:59Elizabeth turned to look at me.
10:00Who usually helps you with your homework?
10:03I tutor myself.
10:04How are your grades?
10:06Straight A's in every subject.
10:08She raised her eyebrows,
10:09appearing somewhat surprised,
10:11and then glanced at Dad.
10:12You're quite fortunate to have such a wonderful daughter.
10:15Dad still didn't say a word.
10:18In that instant, I saw right through Elizabeth.
10:20She was utterly disciplined,
10:22strictly bound by rules,
10:23without any gray areas,
10:25simply lacking a gentle touch.
10:28Elizabeth came over to our place more and more often.
10:31At first, it was just weekend dinners,
10:34then it became three or four times a week.
10:36Until eventually,
10:38her toothbrush appeared in the bathroom cup,
10:41and her slippers showed up in the entryway shoe rack.
10:46Dad never formally brought this up with me.
10:49He probably didn't know how to begin.
10:52So in the end,
10:54Elizabeth said it herself.
10:56That day,
10:57she sat across from me with a folder
10:59and handed the documents over for me to see.
11:03Take a look.
11:04All my basic information is in the file.
11:07Elizabeth,
11:08your tone makes it sound like a formal work report.
11:11Just an old habit.
11:12I'm planning to be with your father.
11:15If you disagree,
11:16just pretend I never said anything.
11:18Looking at the file,
11:19I found it somewhat funny.
11:21But I knew that in my previous life,
11:24Ariana had disapproved.
11:25According to her,
11:27she threw a huge fit.
11:28She threw things,
11:29went on a hunger strike,
11:31and cried in front of Dad for a week.
11:34But Dad and Elizabeth still ended up getting married,
11:37yet Ariana never accepted her.
11:39The two of them fought constantly,
11:40both openly and in secret,
11:41for years.
11:42In the end,
11:43Elizabeth and Dad got divorced.
11:46Seeing my father grow visibly brighter by the day
11:48brought me immense relief.
11:49As long as he could be happy,
11:51I was completely content.
11:52Of course I agree.
11:54As long as you two live happily together,
11:55everything is worth it.
11:57Elizabeth paused for a brief moment,
11:59and in that fleeting second,
12:01I caught a rare flicker of tenderness
12:04cross her perpetually cold face.
12:07Yeah, I'm heading out to buy some groceries.
12:10We'll have fish for dinner tonight.
12:12As she walked to the door to change her shoes,
12:14I heard her murmur softly,
12:16under her breath.
12:17This kid is far better than her dad.
12:18Composed and showing no reaction,
12:20I pretended not to hear anything,
12:22quietly accepting this rare piece of tenderness.
12:25The wedding was super simple,
12:27no big celebration.
12:28They just registered and had a meal with both families.
12:33Elizabeth had a few relatives over.
12:35They dressed simply,
12:37but you could tell they had a nobility ordinary people couldn't fake.
12:42Among them,
12:43a boy around 14 or 15 stood out remarkably.
12:48Elizabeth called him Daniel, her nephew.
12:50They seemed very close.
12:52He gave me a polite smile,
12:54then looked down to drink his coffee quiet and distant.
13:00After the simple wedding,
13:02Elizabeth officially moved in.
13:04She had so few things.
13:06Her clothes were all black,
13:07gray and navy,
13:08without a single flashy piece.
13:10Her skincare was just a basic three-piece set,
13:12as simple and disciplined as a soldier.
13:15But her standards for the house were strict.
13:18Everything had a spot,
13:20and even the remotes had to face the same way.
13:23Dad struggled at first,
13:25always habitually tossing his coat on the sofa.
13:28But Elizabeth never nagged or complained.
13:30She just put the clothes away silently,
13:33then put up a sticky note,
13:34setting the rules gently but firmly.
13:37Every time Dad saw that note,
13:39his expression was so subtle,
13:41awkward yet tender.
13:43Watching them,
13:44I realized they were actually a perfect match.
13:46In my past life,
13:48Ariana always said that Elizabeth was cold
13:50and hard to get along with.
13:51They were just two hedgehogs.
13:53Both sensitive and guarded,
13:54neither willing to back down.
13:56Forced together,
13:56they were bound to hurt each other.
13:59Living under someone else's roof in my past life
14:01and navigating my stepfather's circles for years,
14:03I had long learned to read the room
14:05and tolerate people's sharp edges and indifference.
14:07My stepfather was gentle,
14:09but his social circle was a mixed bag.
14:11Having seen all kinds of people,
14:13I had long seen through the fickleness of human nature
14:15and learned to accept everyone's flaws.
14:18Wall Street elites,
14:20Silicon Valley techies,
14:21Hollywood producers,
14:22and countless social climbers with their own agendas.
14:25I'd seen them all before.
14:26I could read people's intentions
14:27and fake politeness clearly.
14:29I knew how to get along with anyone.
14:32So dealing with someone like Elizabeth wasn't hard for me.
14:35She loves order so I keep the room spotless.
14:37She hates nonsense so I always keep things brief.
14:40She values competence and results
14:41so I consistently get top grades.
14:44It's easy for me.
14:47Over time,
14:48I realized Elizabeth isn't naturally cold or mean.
14:51She's just awkward and clumsy,
14:52never knowing how to show warmth or affection.
14:55Once I got first place in the grade on my finals,
14:57Elizabeth held my report card,
14:59staring at it for a long time in silence.
15:02Not bad.
15:03Just two words,
15:04plain and simple.
15:05But from someone who was always so strict,
15:07it was the highest praise.
15:08But that night,
15:09a brand new desk lamp quietly appeared on my desk.
15:12The warm light washed over the desk,
15:14soothing my cold,
15:15starved heart bit by bit.
15:16In that very moment,
15:17I felt so bad for Elizabeth.
15:19She was probably learning how to be a mom for the first time too,
15:22clumsy but sincere.
15:24Being a stepmother in her first marriage,
15:26never having known family warmth herself,
15:29Elizabeth really had it tough.
15:30I told myself dad and I had to treat her well.
15:33We couldn't let down her clumsy,
15:34sincere efforts.
15:36Days passed slowly,
15:37plain but warm.
15:40I moved smoothly from junior high to senior high,
15:43always at the top of my class.
15:44But I didn't want the spotlight.
15:46I didn't want dad and Elizabeth to have high hopes,
15:48only to be disappointed later.
15:51But while I lived quietly,
15:52news of Ariana came crashing in like a tide.
15:56At 10,
15:57Ariana smoothly passed her junior figure skating test,
16:00entering the advanced group and started her competitive career.
16:04At 11,
16:06she stepped onto the national junior championships for the first time,
16:09taking bronze in the novice division and winning glory right from her first debut.
16:13Mom posted a long caption.
16:15She thanked the coaches,
16:16the club,
16:17and everyone who supported them.
16:18Then she wrote,
16:19Baby,
16:19you are my pride.
16:21She was accelerating frantically,
16:22chasing forward reckless.
16:25I watched her quietly,
16:26following the exact path I once took step by step.
16:29Every step she took was earlier,
16:31faster,
16:31and more aggressive than mine.
16:32She didn't just want to copy my success,
16:34but to defeat the version of me from my past life,
16:37the one who was supposed to shine.
16:41At 13,
16:42Ariana truly made a name for herself in the youth division.
16:45She dazzled the entire arena and the media bubbed her a figure skating prodigy.
16:49At 14,
16:50she hit the international stage,
16:52breaking through a field of young prodigies to sweep awards in youth competitions worldwide.
16:56At 15,
16:57she broke through again,
16:59qualifying for the world juniors and reaching the top stage that every young figure skaters dreams of.
17:03I watched all her steps of growth,
17:05victories,
17:05and shining moments,
17:06without missing a single one.
17:08Each time,
17:09I would unconsciously measure and compare in my mind.
17:11In my past life,
17:13at that exact age,
17:14how far had I reached?
17:15Was the current her faster or slower than the old me?
17:19And most of the time,
17:20the conclusion I reached was always the same.
17:22She was faster,
17:23fiercer,
17:24and far more brilliant than I had ever been.
17:26Countless times,
17:27I told myself that she was bound to succeed.
17:31She will eventually stand on the highest Olympic podium,
17:34hearing the national anthem play for our country,
17:36surrounded by the spotlight of the entire world.
17:41That year when I was 14,
17:43I got the first phone call Ariana had ever initiated.
17:46Yes,
17:46the first one.
17:47After we went our separate ways,
17:49we had zero contact.
17:50Mom would set up video calls sometimes,
17:52but Ariana was always cold.
17:54She'd say a few words and hang up impatiently.
17:57So when Ariana suddenly popped up on my phone screen that night,
18:01I froze completely.
18:02I hesitated for a second,
18:03then hit answer.
18:06Jennifer.
18:07Her voice was muffled by the phone signal,
18:09yet I could still hear that teenage edge.
18:12Yeah,
18:12the line went dead silent for a few seconds.
18:15Through the phone,
18:15I could hear her breathing,
18:17faint ND careful like she was weighing every word.
18:19I landed a triple jump today.
18:21My coach said I'm only the third girl in my age group
18:24he's ever trained who could do it.
18:26Congratulations.
18:28As my words fell,
18:29another long silence followed.
18:32Jennifer,
18:32why did you quit skating?
18:34I remember you loved it when we were little.
18:38I remember that time at the mall,
18:40that little rink,
18:41you skated better than me.
18:42Why did you stop?
18:45She sounded very casual,
18:47like she was just bringing up an old story.
18:49But I knew every word was a deliberate test.
18:53I didn't have time later.
18:54School got busy.
18:55I could clearly hear the mixed feelings in that one word.
18:59Disappointment or maybe relief.
19:01Keep training hard.
19:02Who knows?
19:03Maybe you'll be an Olympic champion one day.
19:07There was a long silence on the other end.
19:09So long I thought the call dropped.
19:12I will.
19:13I'll win it.
19:14And show you.
19:16Why did she call?
19:18A moment later I got it completely.
19:19She just wanted to confirm one thing,
19:21that I'd truly given up skating for good.
19:24And that I would never step onto competitive rink again to against her for victory.
19:32A figure skating prodigy,
19:34carefully trained by top coaches and chased by the media,
19:37is actually afraid of me.
19:38I'm just an ordinary sister quietly studying in Chicago
19:41who hasn't stepped on the ice in years.
19:43But then again I completely get it.
19:45If I wear her I'd be afraid to.
19:47Because deep down,
19:49she knows that all the glory,
19:50resources,
19:51and future she holds right now
19:53originally belonged to someone else.
19:54Someone who walked this path first,
19:56knowing far better where the traps are,
19:58where the turns are,
19:59and where to speed up.
20:00As long as that person wants it back,
20:02she always have the upper hand.
20:03I won't compete with her.
20:05I told myself that it wasn't because I didn't want that glory,
20:08but because I'd already chosen another path.
20:10Once I choose there's no going back.
20:1315, 16, 17.
20:16News about Ariana go sparser but each piece carried more weight.
20:20At 16,
20:21she smoothly moved up to the senior division and skated at the US Nationals,
20:25ultimately finishing fourth.
20:26It wasn't a medal,
20:27but for a 16-year-old,
20:29it was a stunning achievement.
20:31At 17,
20:32she won the silver at the US Nationals,
20:34qualified for Worlds,
20:36and officially joined the world's elite youth.
20:38That same year,
20:39she came in seventh at Worlds,
20:40firmly locking in an Olympic spot for Team USA
20:43and officially knocking on the door to the Olympics.
20:48Everything is moving forward right on track.
20:50By the next Olympics,
20:51she'd be 18,
20:52the exact same age I was when I stood on the Olympic podium in my past life.
20:57Mom's Facebook posts got more and more frequent.
21:00Everyone was full of pride and excitement.
21:03She wrote that Ariana was training extra hours every day without slacking off,
21:07that she'd hired top-tier choreographers to craft custom routines for her,
21:11and that her coach was confident she could win an Olympic medal.
21:15I read every post quietly,
21:17calmly taking in all her highlights.
21:19Then I put my phone down and went back to my math papers,
21:22back to my quiet and normal study life.
21:26How's your sister doing with her skating?
21:29Pretty good.
21:30She should make it to the Olympics.
21:32I knew Dad had always cared.
21:34He never said it,
21:35but he never truly let it go.
21:37Every time Mom posted Ariana's videos on Facebook,
21:40he'd watch them over and over.
21:42Sometimes he'd hold the phone close just to see that little figure on the ice.
21:47She was his daughter too, his other daughter.
21:50But in front of others,
21:51Dad almost never bragged about Ariana.
21:53It seemed that ever since I chose to stay by Dad,
21:55he'd quietly treated me as his only daughter.
21:58I understood what was on his mind.
22:00He was afraid I'd be hurt.
22:02Afraid I couldn't help comparing myself to her.
22:04Afraid her dazzling brilliance would make me feel small.
22:08After all,
22:08what Ariana achieved was indeed dazzling and great enough.
22:12Of course I gave myself a little pat on the back too.
22:14I'm pretty amazing too,
22:16never falling behind.
22:17In the autumn of my 17th year,
22:19Elizabeth suddenly became extraordinarily busy.
22:22Her work had always been demanding,
22:24but during that period,
22:25her business trips increased sharply.
22:27She would often leave for half a week or more,
22:29staying away for a long time.
22:31You've been traveling on business a lot lately.
22:33What are you busy with?
22:36Just work arrangements.
22:41Dad didn't press with a single further question.
22:44He had long grown accustomed to Elizabeth's way.
22:47He never asked what shouldn't be asked,
22:50knowing that when the time came,
22:52she would tell him what he needed to know.
22:56Once,
22:57Elizabeth came back from a business trip looking worn out,
23:00sitting on the sofa with her eyes closed to rest.
23:02I poured her a cup of coffee.
23:04She took it,
23:05took a sip.
23:06You turn 18 next month,
23:08don't you?
23:09Yes,
23:09next month.
23:10I looked into her eyes.
23:12That gaze was something I had never seen before.
23:15It wasn't scrutiny,
23:16nor was it judgment,
23:18but an unprecedented sense of Syrianness and gravity.
23:21I'm going back to Washington next month.
23:24You're coming with me.
23:26Is this happening so suddenly?
23:29It's my family.
23:31They want to meet you.
23:33I froze in my tracks,
23:35my heart turning completely numb and blank.
23:37Elizabeth had never once mentioned the family.
23:40Over all these years,
23:42not a single word had ever been shared about family matters.
23:45Over the years,
23:46I only caught a distant glimpse of one or two of her relatives at the restaurant,
23:50always keeping our distance without ever getting close.
23:53As for her family background,
23:55she never uttered a single word.
23:57But I was not a fool.
23:59I knew better than anyone that this year's long silence was by no means simple avoidance.
24:04Her silence was never deliberate concealment,
24:06but a quiet modesty long ingrained in her nature.
24:09This understated composure was no facade.
24:12It was a deep-seated confidence etched into her bones,
24:15an innate poise that felt no need to flaunt itself.
24:17Just as truly wealthy people never brag about their riches every single day,
24:20those of profound lineage and high standing never boast of their family background and elite connections.
24:25Her surname is Thompson.
24:28I suddenly began to wonder what this seemingly ordinary surname truly signified
24:32in the heavily guarded political circles of Washington.
24:36I began searching through my mind,
24:38sifting through every lingering fragment of memory from my past life.
24:41My stepfather's social circle brought together countless top American political elites.
24:47The insider chatter I occasionally overheard back then,
24:50those obscure, foreign terms.
24:52The so-called old-money dynasties,
24:54K-Street lobbying groups,
24:56and prestigious elite surnames
24:58had sounded like utter gibberish to my younger self.
25:01Forgotten the moment they were heard,
25:03never taken to heart.
25:05But looking back now and piecing it together carefully,
25:08all the scattered fragments aligned and converged,
25:11pointing uninnatably to one,
25:12a staunching truth.
25:14I chose not to pursue it any further.
25:16Some things are better left unsolved for now.
25:21The day Elizabeth took me back to Washington,
25:24the weather was wonderful,
25:26brisk and clear.
25:29We were riding in a black Maybach,
25:31not the Passat that Elizabeth usually drove.
25:34The driver was a quiet middle-aged man,
25:37driving quietly and attentively
25:39without uttering a single word throughout the journey.
25:42He never turned on any navigation the entire way,
25:46clearly knowing the roads in this area like the back of his hand.
25:49The car moved forward steadily,
25:51traveling for a long time,
25:53from the bustling downtown city
25:55all the way to the quiet suburbs
25:57by the Potomac River.
25:58The scenery shifted along the way,
26:01towering high-risers gradually vanished,
26:03replaced by orderly perimeter walls,
26:05and finally gave way
26:07to vast, endless stretches of woods.
26:09At last, the car came to a steady stop
26:11before a heavy iron gate.
26:13On either side of the gate
26:15stood two guards,
26:16straight-backed and impeccably disciplined.
26:18The guards glanced inside the car to confirm,
26:21gave a solemn salute,
26:22and the heavy iron gates slowly swung open.
26:25I sat quietly in the back seat,
26:28my heart beat unnaturally steady,
26:30completely unlike an 18-year-old girl
26:32stepping into such a formidable place
26:34for the first time.
26:35Perhaps it was because I had witnessed
26:37far grander spectacles in my past life.
26:40On the ice rink during the Olympic finals,
26:43with tens of thousands of eyes
26:44locked-inged onto me alone,
26:46that overwhelming bouncing pressure
26:48was a hundred times heavier than this.
26:51The car continued on,
26:53eventually pulling up
26:54in front of a small building.
26:56It was only three stories tall,
26:58modest, quiet,
26:59unremarkable at first glance.
27:01But the guards stationed at the gate,
27:03and the occasional figures
27:05moving silently through the courtyard,
27:07they told me without a single word
27:09that this place was anything but ordinary.
27:12Elizabeth stepped out of the car,
27:14adjusted her collar,
27:15and looked back at me.
27:19Stay close to me,
27:20and don't wander off.
27:22I nodded and followed her up
27:24to the second floor.
27:25The hallway was carpeted in deep red,
27:27and our footsteps made no sound.
27:29Elizabeth stopped in front of a door,
27:31knocked three times,
27:33and went in.
27:34The room was filled with a faint smell of medicine.
27:37An old man was propped up in bed,
27:39his hair completely white,
27:41but his eyes were still bright.
27:44Several people stood by the bed,
27:45and one was someone I recognized.
27:47Elizabeth's nephew,
27:49the man named Daniel,
27:50whom I had met at the restaurant.
27:52He looked a bit more mature than before,
27:54standing by the window
27:55in a dark gray jacket
27:57with a cup of coffee.
27:59Elizabeth walked to the bedside,
28:01her voice soft.
28:02Dad,
28:03I brought her here.
28:08The old man looked at me,
28:09and his gaze was just like Elizabeth's
28:11when we first met,
28:12scrutinizing,
28:12evaluating,
28:13like he was sizing up an object
28:14to see if it was worth keeping.
28:15But his stare went deeper,
28:17heavier,
28:17like it could cut right through to the bone.
28:20Come here.
28:22I stepped forward and bowed slightly.
28:25Hello, sir.
28:30She doesn't look like you at all.
28:33She's not my biological daughter anyway.
28:36Her temperament is just like yours.
28:39Elizabeth didn't say anything further.
28:41He glanced at me once,
28:42pressed no further,
28:43and turned to Elizabeth.
28:45Go discuss it with your brothers.
28:46Elizabeth nodded slightly,
28:48gesturing for me to leave.
28:50As I backed out of the room,
28:52my eyes locked with the boy by the window.
28:54No,
28:55Daniel was a grown man now.
28:56He held his coffee cup
28:58and tilted his head slightly,
29:00as if getting to know me all over again.
29:03The corridor was completely quiet.
29:05I walked up beside him,
29:08lingered by the window for a moment,
29:10and looked at the oak tree in the yard.
29:12The leaves had just begun to turn yellow,
29:15though their borders lined with gold.
29:17His hand holding the coffee cup,
29:19paused slightly.
29:21His gaze lingered on my face for a moment,
29:24before he casually looked away.
29:27He turned and walked toward the other end of the corridor.
29:31After taking a few steps,
29:33he suddenly stopped and tilt his head to look at me.
29:37Elizabeth says your grades are excellent.
29:40Not bad.
29:42Not bad?
29:43In this circle,
29:44no one has ever used not bad to describe themselves.
29:47Then let me correct that.
29:48It's pretty good.
29:52He finally turned his head
29:53and looked straight at me.
29:55Apply to universities in Washington next year.
29:58He spoke flatly.
29:59I was merely puzzled as to why he was telling me this.
30:02There's a family dinner tonight.
30:04Come with us.
30:05I agreed without the slightest hint of feeling flattered.
30:08That evening,
30:09the dinner gathering was set in the dining room on the first floor of the villa.
30:13Around a single large table sat more than a dozen people,
30:17mostly middle-aged faces,
30:19with only one or two young people among them.
30:23Elizabeth sat to the elder's left,
30:25while the seat to his right was empty.
30:28It was meant for her eldest brother,
30:31but something urgent came up.
30:33I was seated next to Elizabeth.
30:34The people at the table spoke in low voices,
30:37yet every word carried immense weight.
30:40Who got moved to what department?
30:42Whose kid made it into which Ivy League and school?
30:45Who came out on top in which deal?
30:48Who was running things in what field?
30:51Everyone traded information without missing a beat.
30:54All smiles on the surface,
30:56but underneath, the currents were running deep.
31:01Elizabeth barely spoke.
31:02She only whispered a few words to the old man,
31:04or leaned over to say something quietly to me.
31:07Halfway through the dinner,
31:08the old man suddenly put down his knife and fork and glanced at me.
31:11How old is this girl?
31:13Eighteen.
31:13Do you have a boyfriend?
31:15The entire table fell silent for a moment.
31:18No.
31:19The old man picked up his colorie and continued cutting his steak,
31:23as though it were just an off-band remark.
31:25Like it was nothing.
31:26Yet everyone at the table knew,
31:27all too well that this old man,
31:30never said anything off-handedly.
31:32Sitting at the other end of the table,
31:35Daniel was sipping his stoop slowly,
31:37his face completely blank.
31:41After dinner,
31:43Elizabeth told me to wait in the living room for a while,
31:46while she and a few of the elders went to the study to talk.
31:50I sat on the couch with a cup of coffee,
31:52looking at the painting on the wall.
31:54It was an abstract expressionist piece,
31:57deep blue and fluid lines.
32:04Understand it?
32:05Daniel was standing in front of me,
32:07still holding that cup of coffee.
32:10I was starting to think it was a prop that the coffee never ran out.
32:15It was painted very well.
32:19He came around the sofa and sat down in the armchair across from me,
32:23crossing his legs.
32:26I'm not asking about the painting.
32:28I'm asking about tonight.
32:32The food was pretty good.
32:34Daniel's eyebrows twitched.
32:36He put down his coffee,
32:38leaned forward slightly,
32:39and rested his clasped hands on his knees.
32:42He looked at me,
32:44and his gaze was completely different now.
32:46Before,
32:47he'd been looking down on me,
32:49but now,
32:49he seemed to be sizing me up again.
32:52Elizabeth was right.
32:53You truly are way better than your father.
32:56At playing dumb, anyway.
32:57I was speechless.
32:58I set my coffee down and looked him straight in the eye.
33:03So why don't you just say what you mean?
33:06He fell silent for a few seconds.
33:08In the quiet living room,
33:10all you could hear was the old wall clock.
33:12Tick, tock.
33:13Every second was as clear as a heartbeat.
33:16Elizabeth is going back to Washington for debriefing.
33:19After this trip,
33:20she'll be staying here for good.
33:22She needs you.
33:25Needs me?
33:26She needs you.
33:27You're her stepdaughter,
33:29and you've been with her for ten years,
33:30sharing a deep bond.
33:32You have good looks and character,
33:33excellent grades,
33:34and a spotless record.
33:36In everyone's eyes,
33:37you're the perfect fit.
33:39Most suitable for what?
33:41He looked at me,
33:43the corners of his lips curving upward.
33:45There was something in that smile
33:47that defied explanation.
33:49Perhaps it was certainty,
33:51perhaps admiration,
33:52or perhaps merely the satisfaction
33:54of a hunter watching his prey
33:55fall into the snare.
33:56The perfect fit to become part
33:58of the Thompson family.
34:00The wall clock chimed three more times,
34:02Elizabeth did stay in Washington.
34:04When her new appointment came through,
34:06she got promoted,
34:07making her schedule even crazier.
34:12That winter,
34:13I turned 18 and the Winter Olympics began.
34:16I assumed Ariana would represent Team USA
34:18in the women's singles.
34:20Just like I did in my past life,
34:22my first instinct was to reach out to her.
34:24But I was afraid she'd think
34:26I was rubbing salt in her wound.
34:31A month later,
34:32I finally heard from Ariana.
34:37It didn't come through my mom's Facebook,
34:39but a channel I never expected.
34:41I was in class when my phone buzzed.
34:43It was a text from an unknown number
34:45with only one line,
34:47Jennifer,
34:48I want to come back.
34:52I stared at those words for a long time.
34:55I flipped my phone over on the desk
34:56and tried to focus on class.
34:58But those words were burned into my head.
35:01She wants to come back.
35:02Come back where?
35:03To Chicago,
35:04to Dad's house.
35:08After class,
35:09I called her.
35:10It rang many times
35:11before it was finally answered.
35:13It was dead quiet on her end.
35:15No rink music.
35:16No coaches' shouts.
35:17No sound of blades gliding on ice.
35:20Only silence
35:21and her occasional breathing.
35:22What's wrong?
35:24The line went quiet
35:25for a long time.
35:27I've been suspended.
35:30My heart sank sharply
35:31dot more silence.
35:33Why?
35:33Then she laughed.
35:34A faint,
35:35joyless sound
35:36as thin and fragile
35:37as a scratch on ice.
35:45During the trials,
35:46I got into a fight with someone.
35:47My hands holding the phone trembled.
35:53The other girl
35:53was from the same team.
35:55She kept pushing my buttons,
35:57saying I stole her spot,
35:59that I only got in
35:59because of who I knew,
36:00that I thought I was hot stuff
36:02just because my mom married Rich.
36:03My eyes suddenly stung.
36:05I'd been through similar things.
36:07Before I became
36:08Olympic women's singles
36:10figure skating champion,
36:13the bullying and nasty comments
36:15never stopped.
36:16But the ones who make it to the top
36:18are the ones who push through it all.
36:21So I hit her.
36:22I shoved her.
36:23She fell,
36:24slammed into the barrier,
36:25and got a concussion.
36:26The coach called the cops.
36:28The club said they were kicking me out,
36:30and the skating association
36:31said I was suspended.
36:33The Olympics?
36:34I didn't make it.
36:37She didn't finish.
36:38In the next Olympic cycle,
36:40she would be 22.
36:41It was not impossible,
36:43but for a skater
36:44who had been suspended
36:45and dismissed from her club,
36:46returning to the elite arena
36:48was as hard as reaching the heavens.
36:52Jennifer,
36:53did I do something wrong?
36:56I closed my eyes.
36:58The rain against the window
37:00sounded just like it did
37:02ten years ago.
37:05Everything you did
37:06was your own choice.
37:08She said nothing.
37:09But when one door closes,
37:11another one opens.
37:12A faint, choked side
37:14came from the other end of the line,
37:15as if abundantly cut short.
37:17Then she hung up.
37:18The autumn wind blew in
37:19through the window,
37:20cold and sharp against my eyes.
37:22I didn't even notice,
37:23but Elizabeth had already
37:25come up behind me.
37:27Who called?
37:28My sister.
37:29Elizabeth looked at me
37:30and asked no further questions.
37:33They merely pulled a tissue
37:34from their pocket
37:35and handed it to me.
37:37I took it and dabbed at my eyes.
37:40What happened to her?
37:42She got into a fight
37:44right before the Olympics
37:45and was suspended.
37:46She looks quite a lot like you,
37:48but your eyes,
37:49they're completely different.
37:55One night at 11,
37:56my phone buzzed.
37:58I'm at the rink.
38:02At first,
38:03I was confused
38:03until a location pin
38:05came through Chicago's.
38:07Ariana came back.
38:08I put on my coat,
38:10grabbed the keys
38:10and walked out the door.
38:13The winter night in Chicago
38:15was freezing,
38:16the wind cutting like knives.
38:19I took a cab to the rink.
38:23The rink was in a mall.
38:25The mall was already closed,
38:27but the rink was still open
38:29for late night sessions.
38:30I pushed the door open
38:31and the cold hit me,
38:33mixed with the sharp,
38:34clean scent of ice.
38:35There was only one person
38:37on the ice,
38:38dressed in black training clothes
38:39with her hair tied
38:40in a ponytail.
38:41She glided slowly.
38:42No music.
38:44No coach.
38:45No audience.
38:46She was completely alone
38:47circling the ice
38:48over and over again.
38:49Like a caged bird,
38:50she repeated endless movements
38:52within a confined space.
38:55I walked to the barrier
38:56and stopped.
38:57She skated over
38:58and stopped in front of me.
39:00Across the barrier,
39:01we looked at each other.
39:02Ten years.
39:05The last time we looked
39:06at each other face to face
39:08was back in court,
39:09when she leaned in mom's arms
39:11and glanced at me
39:12over her shoulder.
39:13We were both eight,
39:14like two reflections
39:15in the same mirror.
39:19Things are different now.
39:21Her face was thinner than mine,
39:24with sharp cheekbones and chin,
39:26and deep, dark circles
39:27beneath her eyes.
39:29Her hair was a mess,
39:31loose strands sticking
39:32to her face.
39:34And on my face
39:35was that polite,
39:36perfect smile
39:37I'd learned from the Thompsons.
39:39She looked at my smile
39:41and gave a sudden,
39:42quiet smile.
39:42It was a bitter smile.
39:44Jennifer, you won.
39:45What do you mean?
39:47You think I've been
39:47competing with you?
39:49For you, it wasn't.
39:50but for me, it was.
39:52She skated off,
39:54did a few crossovers,
39:55and stopped in the middle
39:56of the rink.
39:58The light from above
40:00cast her long, thin shadow
40:01across the ice.
40:02I thought that winning
40:04Olympic gold
40:04would mean winning everything.
40:06I started training
40:07earlier than you,
40:08had better coaches,
40:10and was a step ahead of you
40:11every part of the way.
40:13I truly believed
40:14I was destined to win.
40:16She turned to look at me.
40:17But do you know,
40:18it wasn't until
40:19I got on this ice
40:20that I realized
40:21how hard your path
40:22truly was.
40:23My throat tightened.
40:24How many times
40:25did I fall
40:26on triple jumps?
40:29300 times?
40:31500 times?
40:33I lost count.
40:35Every time I hit the ice,
40:37I thought about
40:38how you went through
40:38all those same falls
40:40back then.
40:40You fell,
40:42got back up,
40:43and kept jumping.
40:44I fell,
40:45got back up,
40:46and kept jumping too.
40:48I thought if I worked
40:49hard enough,
40:50I could be better
40:51than you.
40:53She laid everything out,
40:54and I couldn't pretend
40:55not to understand anymore.
40:59Her eyes were red,
41:00but she didn't cry.
41:02Jennifer,
41:02is it true what they say?
41:04That character
41:04decides destiny?
41:05I looked at her
41:06and said nothing.
41:10Ariana's voice
41:11brought me back.
41:13Jennifer,
41:14you and Elizabeth,
41:16do you get along well?
41:18Pretty well.
41:20So it really was my fault?
41:22That woman,
41:23isn't she awful?
41:24In our past life,
41:26she divorced Dad.
41:26We fought all the time.
41:28She was never easy
41:29to live with.
41:30It's not that she's difficult
41:31to get along with.
41:32She just never knew
41:33how to get along with you.
41:35She froze for a moment.
41:38Jennifer,
41:38you're reborn too,
41:39weren't you?
41:40No matter what kind
41:41of life you get,
41:42you always live it so well.
41:44I didn't say yes or no.
41:46She looked at me,
41:47her eyes filled
41:48with mixed emotions.
41:51Then did you know
41:52from the very start?
41:55Know that I knew
41:56that you were reborn too?
41:58I finished the sentence
41:59for her.
42:00Her pupils dilated.
42:01Her saying it was one thing.
42:03Me calling it out
42:04was another.
42:07I know.
42:08I've known ever since
42:09you chose Mom
42:10first in the courtroom.
42:13Then why didn't you
42:15fight you for it?
42:17She nodded.
42:19I looked at the lights
42:20on the ice,
42:20at her shadow,
42:21and at my own
42:22blurry reflection
42:23in the glass.
42:24Because that was your choice,
42:26just like how I chose Mom
42:27back then.
42:28Everyone has to take
42:29responsibility
42:30for their own choices.
42:32The rink went quiet
42:33for a long time.
42:34in the distance
42:35came the low hum
42:36of ice resurfacing machines.
42:38The staff were getting
42:39ready to close up.
42:41She lowered her head,
42:42looking at her reflection
42:43on the ice.
42:45Jennifer,
42:45can you teach me
42:45how to skate?
42:46Me?
42:47Don't you have a coach?
42:48She looked up,
42:49a glimmer of light
42:50finally flickering back
42:51into her eyes.
42:52I don't want a coach.
42:54I want you.
42:55I stayed silent
42:56for a few seconds.
42:58I don't skate anymore.
43:00Then can you just skate
43:01with me for a little while?
43:02Just for a moment.
43:03I looked into her eyes.
43:05Those eyes,
43:06just like mine,
43:07were looking back
43:08at me right now
43:08with a vulnerability
43:09and sincerity
43:10I had never seen
43:11at eight,
43:12sixteen,
43:12or even in our past life.
43:15I took off my coat
43:17and set it on the boards.
43:18Then I grabbed
43:19a pair of rental skates
43:20from the nearby shelf
43:21and sat on the bench
43:22to change into them.
43:25She skated over,
43:26leaned on the boards,
43:28and watched me lace up.
43:30Tie them tighter
43:31or your ankles will wobble.
43:33I know.
43:34You sure?
43:35You haven't skated
43:36in ten years.
43:37I tied the last lace,
43:39stood up,
43:40pushed open the rink door,
43:41and stepped onto the ice.
43:43The moment the blade
43:44touched the ice,
43:46the entire world
43:47went quiet.
43:48That feeling came back.
43:49It wasn't memory
43:51nor muscle memory,
43:52but something deeper,
43:54like an instinct
43:55coursing through my veins.
43:56The ice was my second ground
43:57and the blades
43:58were my second pair of feet.
44:00I pushed off,
44:01accelerated,
44:02did a simple crossover,
44:04and then performed
44:05a forward outside three turn.
44:07Ariana's eyes went wide.
44:08You're lying.
44:09You haven't forgotten at all.
44:11I turned on the ice
44:12to face her
44:12and skated backward
44:13a few strides.
44:16I haven't forgotten,
44:17but I don't compete anymore.
44:19Jennifer.
44:20She still wanted to say something.
44:22I cut her off just in time.
44:24No more getting into fights
44:25with people from now on.
44:28The rink lights went out
44:29one by one.
44:30We stepped off the ice,
44:31changed our shoes,
44:32and walked out.
44:33Ariana walked beside me,
44:34hands in her pockets.
44:35Her breath puffed out
44:36in the cold air,
44:37disappearing under
44:38the street lights.
44:39Jennifer,
44:40do you have any regrets?
44:43About what?
44:45Do you regret
44:46not choosing mom?
44:48I thought about it.
44:49In my past life,
44:51I chose mom
44:52and became an Olympic champion.
44:53In this life,
44:55I chose dad,
44:56becoming a stepdaughter
44:57to the Thompsons,
44:58with a stepmother
44:59who can supposedly
45:00give me free reign
45:01among Washington's elite.
45:03Two different paths,
45:05yet I don't regret
45:06a single thing.
45:10No regrets.
45:13Jennifer,
45:14I'm sorry.
45:15I was the one
45:16who played dirty first.
45:18Good to know.
45:19Just don't do it again.
45:21I promise.
45:24Keep going, okay?
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