- 8 hours ago
His Forever, My Son's Grave
Category
🎥
Short filmTranscript
00:00I called my husband Steven 36 times the night our son was dying.
00:09He picked up once.
00:11In the background, I heard champagne glasses clinking and a woman laughing.
00:15Stop using Dave as an excuse to fish for attention.
00:18Then he hung up.
00:20At the funeral, Steven didn't show up.
00:22He didn't call.
00:23He didn't even know what had happened.
00:25That night, I found his comment under her Instagram post.
00:32You are my forever.
00:34Our son's portrait was still in the funeral hall smiling.
00:38I picked up my phone and typed back the only words I had left.
00:42Let's get a divorce.
00:44But Steven Lopez doesn't believe his son is dead.
00:47And the woman standing behind him is going to make sure he never does.
00:51On New Year's Eve, my son, David Lopez, was abducted by my husband Steven Lopez's arch nemesis.
01:00They strapped explosives all over his small body and demanded a ransom.
01:04As they threatened to kill him, I completely fell apart, frantically dialing Steven and begging him to deliver the money.
01:20But he never showed up.
01:22Watching David's tiny body collapse into a pool of blood, I dialed Steven again with trembling hands.
01:29My voice was desperate, humble to the point of humiliation.
01:35Please, please come save our son.
01:38His tone was thick with irritation.
01:44Liana, I'm in the middle of a massive deal.
01:47Stop using Dave as an excuse to fish for attention.
01:50From the other end of the line came the crisp clink of glasses and the flirtatious laughter of a woman.
01:55The moment the line went dead, the detonator triggered.
01:59David's crying stopped abruptly.
02:01Just like that, my baby boy died on his own birthday.
02:09Where is Steven?
02:11Dave is his own flesh and blood.
02:13How can he not show up at Dave's funeral?
02:16At the funeral home, my dad was shaking with rage.
02:19His eyes bloodshot.
02:20If I wasn't mistaken, Steven was probably celebrating the birthday of Jacqueline Schneider.
02:26His recently returned old flame.
02:31I opened my mouth, but no sound came out.
02:35After a long silence, I forced a bitter smile.
02:42Dad, maybe he got held up on the way.
02:44I'll call and check.
02:51I slipped into a corner and dialed the number I knew by heart.
02:55Again and again.
02:57We're sorry.
02:58The number you have dialed is currently busy.
03:01After hearing that mechanical voice repeat countless times,
03:05I finally lost the strength to keep trying.
03:08My hand slowly fell to my side.
03:10My gaze drifted to David's small black and white portrait at the center of the hall.
03:15He was smiling so sweetly, one of his little front teeth missing.
03:19His words still echoed in my ears.
03:22Mommy, once my new tooth grows in, I can eat way more of your buffalo wings.
03:28But that tooth would never grow in now.
03:33When the kidnappers took him, he had been trembling with terror.
03:37Yet he clenched his tiny fists and tried to comfort me.
03:40Don't cry, Mommy.
03:42Daddy's definitely coming to save me.
03:48But the superhero he believed in with all his heart never showed up.
03:52My tears finally spilled over.
03:56Even when the funeral ended and the last guest left, Stephen still hadn't appeared.
04:05Later, I saw an update from Jacqueline on Instagram.
04:10She posted nine photos.
04:12In the pictures, Stephen leaned in to light her birthday candles.
04:16The candlelight reflected across his handsome face, his eyes filled with tenderness.
04:21The caption read,
04:23May we always stay by each other's side.
04:26Below the post, Stephen's comments stabbed into my eyes.
04:30You are my forever.
04:34The irony was suffocating.
04:36Memories flooded back.
04:38For David's last birthday, the three of us had gone to an amusement park.
04:43Stephen had hoisted him high above his head while David grinned from ear to ear.
04:47That night, Stephen had held me close, whispering into my ear.
04:52Anna, I'm going to make you and Dave the happiest people in the world.
04:56We'll always be together.
04:58Looking back now, his promises felt like nothing but a cruel joke.
05:02I opened the comment section and, with every ounce of strength left in my body,
05:07typed out a single line.
05:09You two really disgust me.
05:11The second it was sent, my silent phone exploded with vibrations.
05:16Steven bombarded me with messages.
05:19Liana, have you lost your mind?
05:20What the hell are you talking about on Jackie's feed?
05:23Delete it now.
05:24It's Jackie's birthday.
05:26Can't you be mature for once and stop causing trouble on her big day?
05:29I'm warning you, delete that comment immediately or you'll regret it.
05:32I stared at those furious, protective messages for a long time.
05:37The final, faint ember of love in my chest quietly burned out.
05:41I replied with composure.
05:43Let's get a divorce.
05:44Then, I blocked his number.
05:52The next day, I signed the papers my lawyer had drafted long ago.
05:57I arranged for a courier to deliver them straight to his office.
06:01After that, I went to the church to see the candle I had lit for David.
06:04But just as I reached the entrance, a familiar, honey-sweet voice drifted out.
06:10Steve, will Liana be angry that I moved Dave's candle and put Max's here instead?
06:15It was Jacqueline.
06:17Steven's impatient voice followed.
06:19It's just a spot.
06:20What's there for her to be upset about?
06:22My feet froze to the floor, my blood turning to ice.
06:25When David was two, he had fallen gravely ill.
06:29Steven had come to this very church and prayed for him for three days straight, filling the prayer room with
06:34candles.
06:38I'll light a candle for him every time I come here.
06:41That way, our Dave will always be safe.
06:44Every month after that, he would come with me to light one for David.
06:48And now, the once-loving father had moved David's candle away for Jacqueline's dog.
06:56Don't you dare touch it!
06:59I lunged inside, shielding the candle with my body.
07:04Steven's brow furrowed even deeper.
07:07Liana, what are you doing here?
07:09You haven't even apologized for that Twitter post and here you are looking for more trouble.
07:14Apologize?
07:15I let out a jagged laugh, pointing at the candle, my voice trembling with pure rage.
07:20Steven, tell me, what exactly do I need to apologize for?
07:24Is it that I spoke the truth on Jacqueline's post?
07:28Or is it that I don't let you move Dave's candle for a damn dog?
07:34Jacqueline shrank behind Steven.
07:39Anna, I'm so sorry.
07:42I just thought this was a beautiful spot.
07:45I wanted Max to feel how much I miss him.
07:48I stepped toward her, a cold sneer on my face.
07:53And what about my son?
07:56What right do you have to let a dog take his place?
08:01Steven shoved Jacqueline protectively behind him and glared at me.
08:04Liana!
08:05Enough of this drama!
08:07It's just a candle.
08:08Is it really that important?
08:10Do you have to make such a scene here?
08:11Jacqueline immediately put on a performance, her eyes welling with tears.
08:18Anna, I know you're still angry because Steve stayed with me that day and that's why you're losing your temper
08:23now.
08:25But no matter how angry you are, you shouldn't make up lines about Dave being kidnapped.
08:32Steve was worried sick that day.
08:35Steven looked at me with nothing but disdain and disappointment.
08:39Liana, Dave is your son!
08:41You'd actually invent a lie like that just because you're jealous?
08:45Do you even deserve to call yourself a mother?
08:47I stared at him, breathless with disbelief.
08:50I looked at the man I had loved for ten years and whom I thought was my rock.
08:54Now, he felt like a terrifying stranger.
08:57I wanted more than anyone in the world for David's death to be a lie.
09:04Steven's tone softened slightly.
09:06Dave is perfectly fine.
09:08He doesn't even need this candle anymore.
09:12Jackie's dog just died and she's heartbroken.
09:14Can't you show a little compassion?
09:16So, she was using my son's light to comfort her dead pet.
09:20The copper taste of blood rose in my throat.
09:22My vision swam and the final thread of my sanity snapped.
09:28I grabbed a nearby burning canlabra.
09:31Scorchingly hot wax dripped onto the back of my hand.
09:34But I felt nothing.
09:36Get out!
09:37I held the flames toward them.
09:39If you dare touch my sons of the Spakesears, I will kill you myself!
09:44The people around us began to stare in shock.
09:47Steven hissed under his breath.
09:49Liana!
09:50Have you gone crazy?
09:51Jackie and I are just friends!
09:56She just returned to the country.
09:58What's wrong with me looking after her a little?
10:07The perfume clinging to his clothes grew more unfamiliar, and his attitude toward me and
10:13our sun grew colder by the day.
10:15For David's sake, for the sake of our little family, I had looked the other way.
10:19But now, there was no reason to keep pretending.
10:24Tears escaped my eyes uncontrollably.
10:28Steven blinked.
10:29Startled.
10:32I know you're just jealous.
10:35Look, once Jackie has settled in, I'll spend more time with you and Dave, okay?
10:40I promise.
10:42Just go home and talk to our son properly.
10:44Looking at Steven's nauseating face, I swung the canlobber at him.
10:50It's not necessary anymore!
10:53All I want is for you to get out!
10:55The scalding wax splashed onto Steven's arm.
10:59A flicker of surprise crossed his eyes then quickly twisted into deeper irritation and anger.
11:11Every time we fought, Steven used divorce as a threat.
11:15In the past, I had loved him so blindly that I would apologize first every time.
11:20But this time, I stared him straight in the eye and cut him off with a sneer.
11:25I couldn't ask for anything more!
11:27And just so you know, about the text and the divorce papers, I've already sent them to you yesterday.
11:34Steven froze.
11:35A flicker of doubt crossed his eyes, his voice betraying a faint, involuntary tremor.
11:42What are you talking about?
11:43What texts?
11:44What divorce papers?
11:47A shadow of fear crossed Jacqueline's face.
11:50She clutched his sleeve with a practiced fragility.
11:54Steve, maybe she's just angry and saying things she doesn't mean.
11:59Don't take it seriously.
12:01Looking at that pitiful, doll-like face of hers, my stomach churned with violent revulsion.
12:07The image of David's horrific death and Steven's betrayal surged into my mind.
12:12Every ounce of agony and resentment I'd suppressed surged to a breaking point.
12:16As she was still murmuring something.
12:19I summoned every bit of strength left in my body and caught her across the face with a resounding slap.
12:25The sharp sound echoed through the hallowed hall.
12:28Jacqueline gasped, clutching her cheek, staring at me in pure disbelief.
12:35Who do you think you are?
12:37My voice was cold as a winter grave.
12:40If you're going to be a mistress, learn some goddamn discretion.
12:44As long as Steven and I are married, you are nothing but a homewrecker lurking in the shadows.
12:50Jacqueline collapsed into Steven's arms, weeping piteously.
12:54Steven was momentarily stunned by my outburst.
12:57But then, a sickening glimmer of smugness sparked in his eyes.
13:01I knew it.
13:03You only said you wanted a divorce because you're jealous.
13:06His tone softened, almost as if he were offering charity.
13:10Tell you what.
13:11Go tell Dave that I'll come home tonight and have dinner with you too.
13:14It was delusional.
13:16He actually believed my breakdown was some desperate ploy for his affection.
13:20Oh, and Jackie's coming with us.
13:22She's craving clam chowder.
13:24Make sure you prepare a pot for her.
13:27Consider the soup an apology for the slap.
13:29As long as you behave yourself from now on, I promise our family will go back to the way it
13:33used to be.
13:38I don't need it.
13:40My voice was flat.
13:42And Dave certainly doesn't.
13:45Now, take your woman and get the hell out of my sight.
13:49Steven's patience finally evaporated.
13:51His face turned livid as he spat out a final warning.
13:55Lyanna, I hope you won't regret this.
14:00He wrapped an arm around the whimpering Jacqueline and walked away without a single backward glance.
14:05I watched their retreating figures, my body swaying.
14:08I almost collapsed, but I forced my legs to hold.
14:15I returned to the spot where David's candle had been and lit a fresh one.
14:20This time, I lit it in my own name as David's mother.
14:28I had brought a small portion of David's ashes with me.
14:34I asked the church staff to help me seal them into a pendant, a small weight I could wear against
14:40my heart.
14:42I'll always be with you.
14:44I traced the warm metal of the pendant, sitting before the candle for hours.
14:49Only when the sun began to sink did I finally stand and head home.
14:53All I wanted now was to gather David's belongings.
14:56After that, I would leave this disgusting place forever.
15:02But when I reached the front door, the key wouldn't turn.
15:05The lock had been changed.
15:07I knew this was Stephen's petty retaliation for Jacqueline.
15:10But David's drawings, his favorite Superman figure, and every photograph of the two of us were still inside.
15:17I had to get them back.
15:18So I pounded on the door again and again stubborn, frantic, and desperate.
15:24After what felt like an eternity, the door finally swung open.
15:30Jacqueline stood there, draped in my silk robe, her eyes gleaming with naked provocation.
15:37Oh, you're back.
15:39Steve mentioned these old things were just taking up space, so he asked me to clear them out.
15:46Look, I was just about to toss them in the trash.
15:50Her foot was planted firmly on David's favorite Superman pillow.
15:53It was already filthy, crushed under her weight.
15:56The sight was like a blade through my heart.
15:59Stephen and I had spent an entire afternoon picking that out for David's birthday.
16:05How dare you touch my things!
16:08My voice cracked.
16:09I lunged forward to grab the pillow.
16:12Jacqueline dodged me with effortless grace, intentionally grinding her heel into the pillow again.
16:17She let out a giggle.
16:19Anna?
16:20You aren't the lady of this house anymore.
16:24Steve said the house, and everything in it, belongs to me now.
16:31Honestly, your son really missed out.
16:34If he'd held on just a few more days he could've become my stepson.
16:38But it doesn't matter.
16:39Steve and I will have our own children soon enough.
16:44My eyes burned.
16:46The blood in my veins turning to fire.
16:50Shut up!
16:51Pushed beyond all endurance, I threw myself at her.
16:55We spiraled into a mess of limbs, scratching and tearing at one another.
17:00Jacqueline screamed, her nails raking across my skin.
17:04She suddenly shoved me away then took the opportunity to fall backward onto the floor.
17:10I stumbled, my bag hitting the hardwood.
17:13The contents spilled everywhere.
17:16Hurried footsteps sounded outside the door.
17:19Stephen had returned.
17:20He burst in and immediately saw Jacqueline on the floor in tears, while I stood there like a lunatic.
17:27Liana!
17:28His face was a mask of fury.
17:30He stormed toward me then froze as his foot struck something.
17:35He looked down.
17:37It was David's death certificate.
17:41I lunged for it in a frenzy.
17:44But it was still too late.
17:51Stephen snatched the paper and snapped it open.
17:54The color drained from his face.
17:57His hand trembled around the paper.
18:02What?
18:03What is this?
18:05What's happened to Dave?
18:12I let out a hollow, jagged laugh.
18:17Don't you see it?
18:19Dave is dead.
18:21He was kidnapped by your rival Ains...
18:26Lies!
18:29Jacqueline streaked, cutting me off.
18:33I saw Anna taking Dave to the park just yesterday.
18:36He was perfectly fine.
18:38He looked so happy.
18:40Stephen chose to believe her.
18:42His shock curdled into a blinding, white-hot rage.
18:48He grabbed me by the collar, his eyes bloodshot.
18:53Lyanna, you are truly demonic!
18:58You'd forge something this sick to curse your own son just to manipulate me into coming home?
19:08I told you I'd try to make it work.
19:10Why the hell would you sink this low?
19:18Go check for yourself!
19:21I let him shake me, my voice reaching a state of numb exhaustion.
19:26Call Ainsworth.
19:29Ask him yourself.
19:30Ask him what he did to our son on New Year's Eve!
19:34Jacqueline fanned the flames from the sidelines.
19:36Anna, how could you conspire with Steve's enemy?
19:41You may make Steve get hurt!
19:43Her words ignited Stephen's rage completely.
19:46Stephen flung me aside and kicked me viciously in the chest.
19:50Crazy woman!
19:52I crumpled to the floor, a sharp agony blooming in my lungs.
19:57The metallic taste of blood filled my mouth.
20:01The necklace snapped.
20:08The pendant containing David's ashes skittered across the floor.
20:13Ignoring the pain, I scrambled on my hands and knees to reach it.
20:19But a stiletto heel got there first, pinning the pendant to the floor.
20:25It was Jacqueline.
20:27She picked the pendant up, twirling it between her fingers with fake innocence.
20:34What's this?
20:36It's actually quite pretty.
20:40Give it back!
20:42I rushed forward to snatch it away, but Stephen grabbed my arm again.
20:47Give my son's ashes back to me!
20:51My voice was a raw, primordial wail.
20:54Ashes?
20:56Stephen let out a dark, mocking laugh.
21:00He snatched the pendant from Jacqueline and held it between his fingers.
21:06Liana, you are getting better at acting.
21:09Just to make me believe you, you even prepared something like this?
21:13Mockery burned in his glaze.
21:15Then he gripped my jaw, forcing my mouth open.
21:17This is what you get for cursing our son.
21:22I shook my head desperately, clenching my teeth so hard my draw hurt.
21:26My nails dug deep into my palms.
21:29That pendant carried David's last warmth.
21:32It was the only thing left keeping me alive.
21:35How dare he?
21:37How dare he?
22:04How could he?
22:05He looked for a heartbeat, but then a fresh wave of fury took him.
22:09He tore the death certificate into shreds.
22:18Where is my son?
22:20Liana, I'm asking you, where did you hide Dave?
22:24He glared down at me, eyes promising violence.
22:27I looked back at him and said nothing.
22:29The deepest sorrow in the world is not grief.
22:33It's the moment hope finally dies.
22:35My silence pushed him over the edge.
22:43He grabbed me roughly, dragging me like a sack of trash, and threw me out the front door.
22:50Liana, do you have any idea what you've done?
22:53So get out!
22:55Don't come back until you come to your senses and are ready to bring my son back!
23:03The door slammed shut in my face.
23:06The world went silent.
23:09Then, Steven's ringtone pinced the quiet from inside the house.
23:15I heard him answer.
23:18Who is this?
23:20I could never forget.
23:22The voice of a demon came clearly through the door.
23:29Steven, why was I not invited to your son's funeral?
23:33I went through so much trouble to rig those explosives, you know.
23:36Only because of me, your little boy, got to enjoy that big bang!
23:49Inside the room, the silence was deathly.
23:53Then came the dumb thud of a phone hitting the floor.
23:56Ainsherd's voice slithered through the crack in the door.
24:00It's a real shame you didn't see the grand blast.
24:04The little brat cried his eyes out.
24:07He kept screaming for his daddy, begging you to save him.
24:12His poor little face was a complete mess of tears.
24:16I leaned against the icy wooden panel, blood in my veins, turning to ice.
24:20I could hear the hurr, the hollow echo of my own pulse drumming in my chest.
24:28Every word he spoke dragged me back to that night.
24:32David's tiny voice calling for help.
24:35His small body trembling.
24:39The memory hit me like a blade twisting in an open wound.
24:43That was when I learned that, when a heart broke completely, one couldn't even let out a cry.
24:52Stop it! Shut up!
24:56Jacqueline's terrified shriek erupted from inside.
24:59On the other end of the line, Ainsworth let out a dry chuckle, curdled with pure malice.
25:08What's the matter, Jacqueline? Can't handle it now?
25:14You weren't so squeamish when you called me, were you?
25:19My mind went completely blank.
25:22Jacqueline had called Ainsworth?
25:30The air inside the room seemed to queneal.
25:34Even the sound of breathing vanished.
25:38After a long while, Stephen's voice finally broke the silence.
25:44Trembling.
25:45Lost.
25:46Edged with raw despair.
25:49You... you called him?
25:51Jacqueline's composure shattered into a violent sob.
26:00Retreating into her usual refuge of fragile victimism-ism.
26:07Steve, no.
26:09Please, let me explain.
26:10I just...
26:12I only did it because I love you so much.
26:18I was jealous!
26:19I was so jealous of Liana!
26:28Her voice was rising to a jacky, piercing pitch.
26:32Why does she get to have a son with you?
26:35Why does she get to be your wife?
26:39I'm the one who belongs by your side.
26:41I just didn't want you to go save that little brat.
26:47I wanted him dead.
26:50As long as he's gone, you're mine.
26:53All mine.
26:54I lied about seeing him in the park.
26:57Just so you'd believe she was making a scene over nothing.
27:01I wanted you to hate her.
27:05I wanted you to think she was some desperate, manipulative psycho who'd do anything for attention.
27:14Every word she spit was a poisoned blade, slicing deeper eemper into my flesh.
27:20So that was it.
27:24My son's agonizing screams and my own desperate pleas for mercy.
27:30All of it had been dismissed as petty domestic drama by this woman.
27:37And Stephen, my husband, the father of my child, he had simply believed her.
27:43I pulled myself upright away from the door.
27:50The last drop of strength had been drained from my body.
27:55I couldn't even summon the moisture for tears.
28:02I turned and began to walk.
28:05My movements were mechanical.
28:08Hollow.
28:09Behind me, the door burst open with a violent crash.
28:13Anna!
28:17Stephen's roar tore through the hallway.
28:19It was a sound of raw panic and total collapse.
28:22A voice I had never heard from him before.
28:25But I didn't look back.
28:26Behind me, Stephen's bellers, Jacqueline's hysterical weeping.
28:31And Ainsworth's mocking laughter still bleeding from the phone blurred into a cacophony of white noise.
28:35I couldn't process any of it anymore.
28:38All I could think about was David.
28:41My David.
28:44I used to think David's death was the penicill of my pain.
28:47But now I realized the world held even fouler truths.
28:52And even more sadistic agonies.
28:56I spent the next few days curled up in a corner of a dingy motel room.
29:00My phone had died long ago, and I had no desire to revive it.
29:05Eventually, my lawyer tracked me down.
29:10Mrs. Barrett, Stephen has lost his mind.
29:16My lawyer's voice sounded weary, with a tinge of horror in it.
29:22He's pulled every string he has.
29:23He went through the police records and the hospital files and even went to the scene himself.
29:27He saw Dave's death certificate in those horrible crime scene photos.
29:33Now he finally accepted that Dave is gone.
29:36My fingertips were ice, but my breath felt like fire.
29:43I knew.
29:45I had known all along.
29:47On New Year's Eve, Jacqueline called him, claiming she was ill to lure him over.
29:53She intentionally got him drunk.
29:56And turned off his phone.
29:59She made sure he missed every single one of your calls.
30:03I closed my eyes, and the memory of David's voice exploded in my ears again.
30:12Don't cry, Mommy.
30:13Daddy is definitely coming to save me.
30:20I opened my eyes, and stared out the window.
30:24The night was heavy and still, with not even a whisper of wind stirring the darkness.
30:31My lawyer continued to told me.
30:38Stephen has locked himself in Dave's room.
30:43He won't let anyone in.
30:47He's lined up all of Dave's toys.
30:51Under the bed, he found a box that had been hidden away by Dave.
31:00Inside was a drawing Dave made.
31:04In the picture, a little stick figure had a big word, Superman, written over its head.
31:10Next to it were a few cookie, childish words.
31:13My superhero, Daddy.
31:19My throat tightened, a sharp ache blocking my breath.
31:23That was the gift David had been preparing for Father's Day.
31:28He had drawn it in secret, hiding it away like a treasure.
31:32Waiting for the perfect moment to surprise his dad.
31:35He had always said his daddy was his superhero.
31:40But his superhero never showed up when the monsters actually came.
31:43Tears finally slid down my face.
31:46I wasn't weeping for Stephen's breakdown, or Jacqueline's cruelty.
31:55My heart was breaking only for my David.
31:58I wept for the little boy who would never eat another buffalo wing.
32:06Who would never get his new grown-up teeth, and who would never see the man he thought was his
32:11hero again.
32:16Stephen, you finally know the truth.
32:18But my baby can never come back.
32:28I lay in that motel bed for three days and three nights.
32:37On the fourth day, my door was kicked open with a violent crack.
32:41My best friend, Phoebe Walsh, stormed in.
32:44Her eyes were bloodshot as she hauled me upright and delivered a stinging slap across my face.
32:52Liana, snap out of it right now!
32:58If you let yourself die like this, what happens to Dave?
33:01Do you want him to be all alone and terrified in that cold world beyond?
33:09Don't forget that venomous bitch who killed him is still out there enjoying her life!
33:19She was right. I couldn't die yet. I had to get justice for my son.
33:32Phoebe put me in touch with the city's top private investigator and a ruthless attorney.
33:39I drained every cent of my savings to fund this legal war.
33:44I had only one demand for the detective.
33:49I want all the call logs between Jacqueline and Ainsfield.
33:57The detective was efficient.
34:00Three days later, a comprehensive report and a batch of audio files landed in my inbox.
34:08I clicked play on the recording.
34:10Jacqueline's voice came through, sickeningly sweet.
34:20Anx, you have to keep Steve away.
34:24Don't let him go save that little prat.
34:27Ansbraith laughed, his tone casual and cruel.
34:33Relax, sweetheart. Pay me enough and I promise he won't even get to say goodbye.
34:38Every word they uttered felt like a poisoned needle stitching itself into my flesh.
34:45I obtained the surveillance footage from the restaurant.
34:48It was the restaurant where Stephen and Jacqueline celebrated her birthday.
34:51The same day, the same day as David's funeral.
34:55And the tapes from the church showing how Jacqueline deliberately moved David's memorial candle.
35:05How she provoked my breakdown.
35:12The evidence was damning.
35:18I formally fired for divorce.
35:20I filed a lawsuit against Jacqueline.
35:23The lawsuit accused her of intentional withholding of kidnapping information and indirect homicide.
35:35Just as I finished signing the final documents and prepared to leave the law firm, a disheveled figure burst through
35:41the door.
35:42It was Stephen.
35:44In just a few days, he seemed to have aged a decade.
35:47This once polished, commanding man was now gaunt and unshaven.
35:52His eyes were bloodshot and the smell of alcohol clung to him.
35:56When he saw me, he lunged forward like a drowning man catching a lifeline.
36:01Anna.
36:03I took a cold step back, recoiling from his touch.
36:08Stephen dropped to his knees right there in front of me.
36:12This man, who had always been so full of himself, was now sobbing like a broken child.
36:19Anna, I'm so sorry.
36:22It's all my fault.
36:25I know I'm a bastard.
36:27I'm so sorry I failed to protect Dave and didn't believe you.
36:33He slapped himself again and again across the face.
36:39Please, just forgive me.
36:41We can start over.
36:42We can have another child.
36:44I watched him quietly.
36:45My eyes held no emotion at all.
36:49Stephen.
36:51Your repentance won't bring Dave back from the grave.
36:54And your tears?
36:57They're worthless.
37:01Disbelief was written across his tear-streaked face.
37:07I reached into my bag and pulled out a thick stack of papers.
37:13Copies of every piece of evidence I had gathered.
37:17Then I threw them straight at his face.
37:21The papers scattered across the floor.
37:24I only want one thing from you, Stephen.
37:27I want you to make the people who did this pay.
37:30My voice was low and cold.
37:32Make a choice.
37:33Will you keep protecting your mistress who got Dave killed?
37:38Or will you do one final thing for your son?
37:46Stephen's eyes traveled from the scattered papers back to my face.
37:50The color drained from his skin until he looked like a ghost.
37:54After a long silence, a single word forced its way out of his throat.
37:59Fine.
38:01What?
38:02What do I have to do?
38:05Looking at his pathetic face, I felt no pity.
38:10In fact, I felt nothing at all.
38:16I want you to go home.
38:18Go back to Jacqueline.
38:23My voice carried no warmth.
38:28I want you to treat her exactly like you used to.
38:34You must make her believe you've forgiven her and make her drop her guard completely.
38:38Stephen flinched, his eyes clouding with agony and physical revulsion.
38:46Then, you are going to get her to tell you, in her own words,
38:52how she and Ainsworth planned everything and killed our son.
39:00I slid a miniature recording device across the table toward him.
39:06I want the whole truth.
39:09Don't miss a single syllable.
39:15Stephen picked it up, clenching it in his palm.
39:21Over the following days, Stephen played the part.
39:25He bought Jacqueline her favorite jewelry.
39:27He took her to the most exclusive restaurants.
39:34He was tender, attentive, the perfect lover from a storybook.
39:39Jacqueline quickly fell completely under his spell.
39:45Late one night, nestled in Stephen's arms,
39:49Jacqueline finally let the truth slip.
39:53I just hated how arrogant Liana was.
39:58Why should she get to have your child?
40:00That idiot Ainsworth actually thought I loved him.
40:04I was just using him.
40:07Steve, everything's perfect now.
40:10Now that the little brat is dead,
40:12nothing can ever come between us again.
40:20When Stephen handed me the recording,
40:24his hand shook so violently that he could barely hold the phone.
40:30I listened to it with a calm heart,
40:33saved the file, and dialed the police.
40:36Almost simultaneously, a call came in from Ainsworth.
40:46Stephen, I'll give you one five million dollars
40:49for whatever your ex has on me,
40:51and for my freedom.
40:54If you don't agree,
40:57I'll happily leak a few interesting recordings to the press.
41:00Following my instructions, Stephen agreed.
41:03Oh yes, yes, of course, absolutely.
41:03The exchange was set at a defilade pier.
41:08The police moved in silently,
41:10forming a tight perimeter.
41:12I sat in the back of a surveillance van,
41:15watching the man on the screen
41:16who felt like a stranger now.
41:21Answerton appeared with a briefcase,
41:23a victor's smur slaped on his face.
41:30The moment the money changed hand is,
41:32the police swarmed.
41:34On the other side of town,
41:35Jacqueline was taken into custody.
41:41In the precinct interrogation room,
41:44I saw her again.
41:45She had been stripped of her designer labels
41:48and her meticulous makeup.
41:50She looked small and feral,
41:53like a cornered animal.
41:57When she saw me,
41:59she tried to lunge forward like a mad woman,
42:02but the handcuffs locked her firmly to the chair.
42:06Her eyes were blood red.
42:19And she burst into maniacal laughter.
42:22I stared at her,
42:23my expression perfectly still.
42:25I waited until she was gasping for air
42:27from her hysterical outburst.
42:30You will spend the rest of your life in prison.
42:35But I will go on living,
42:36and my love for him will accompany me
42:39through every day of my life to come.
42:45On the day of the trial,
42:47I stood in the witness box.
42:54My gaze sweat over the gallery of faces,
42:57some familiar,
42:58some strangers.
43:00No one knew the sheer force of hatred
43:02and resolve that had kept me standing here
43:05these past months.
43:06As I recounted David's death,
43:09my voice was unnervingly calm,
43:11without a single tremor.
43:13Every detail of that explosion,
43:15every roar of the blast,
43:20every jagged shard
43:22that tore through the air.
43:26It was all etched into my mind like a blade.
43:30Ainswithin's arrogance had evaporated,
43:32replaced by the ashen gray of utter despair.
43:36Jacqueline had to be restrained
43:37by the bailiff several times.
43:41She tried to deny it,
43:44tried to crawl for excuses,
43:46her voice rising in a strill,
43:49piercing noise.
43:50The courtroom doors creaked open,
43:55and Stephen walked in,
43:58clad in a black suit,
44:01his frame gone and diminished.
44:06His eyes sought mine,
44:08brimming with agony and guilt,
44:10but I looked away with cold indifference.
44:17Taking the stand as a witness,
44:20Stephen offered a public confession.
44:24His voice was raspy,
44:27every word breaking with a sob.
44:30He was wrong,
44:32devastatingly, irrevitably wrong.
44:39He had failed me,
44:40and more unforgivingly,
44:42he had failed David.
44:44I listened to his words
44:46without a flicker of emotion,
44:47as if none of it had anything to do with me.
44:52The judge delivered the verdict.
44:57Ansfield,
44:58convicted of intentional homicide and kidnapping,
45:01was sentenced to death.
45:10was sentenced to 15 years in prison.
45:18Only when I heard the ruling
45:20did the iron cords of tension in my chest
45:23began to slacken.
45:32The divorce decree also took effect.
45:36My marriage to Stephen came to an end.
45:39I was awarded all of the marital assets.
45:47But that wealth
45:48was nothing more than a string of cold digits.
45:54I donated the vast majority of it
45:56to a foundation for child protection.
46:05A few days later,
46:07I went alone to David's grave.
46:16In the photograph on the headstone,
46:18David was still wearing that sweet smile.
46:26His little dimples
46:27were just as they had always been.
46:32I gently laid down the drawing
46:34David had made with his own hands.
46:41I'm so sorry, baby.
46:44I let you down.
46:47I couldn't give you a real hero.
46:54But I will be my own hero now.
46:56And I will be yours.
46:57I reached out,
46:59my fingertips tracing the carved letters
47:01of David's name.
47:03Heavy footsteps approached from behind.
47:05I didn't need to turn around
47:07to know who it was.
47:09Stephen collapsed at David's grave,
47:11weeping in a state of total wretched collapse.
47:15I didn't give him a single glance.
47:18I simply turned and walked away,
47:21my steps heavy but resolute.
47:25Step by step,
47:27I walked toward a future without him.
47:30A future that belonged only to me and David.
47:40I fled that city
47:42and sought refuge in a remote village
47:44to work as a teacher.
47:47The air here carried the scent
47:49of soil and wild grass.
47:52And for a while,
47:53it helped me forget
47:54the blood-stained past.
47:57In the classroom,
47:58the children's clear.
48:01Eagola!
48:03I'm Tristan!
48:05Eager voices reciting lessons
48:07were the sweetest sound
48:08I had ever known.
48:10One day,
48:11while handing out workbooks,
48:13a slight figure darted
48:15into my line of sight.
48:20He looked up at me.
48:22Those eyes,
48:25clear as spring water,
48:28looked so much like my Davids.
48:30My breath stalled.
48:33The books in my hands
48:35scattered across the floor.
48:38He scrambled down to help me,
48:40his small hands,
48:42clumsy and frantic.
48:46Miss Barrett,
48:48I'm so sorry.
48:52I knelt down,
48:54looking at his small face
48:55smudged with a bit of dust.
48:59What?
49:00What is your name?
49:03My name is Xander Wild.
49:07I don't have a mommy
49:08or a daddy anymore.
49:10My heart was wrenched
49:11by a sudden,
49:12violent ache.
49:16I later learned then
49:18that Xander's parents
49:19had both died
49:20in a landslide
49:21while trying to save him.
49:22From that day on,
49:24I found myself
49:25instinctively watching over him.
49:28I would bring him treats
49:30and tell him stories.
49:32And when his handwriting wavered,
49:35I would wrap my hand
49:36around his,
49:37teaching him stroke by stroke.
49:40He was gentle
49:41and sensitive
49:42beyond his years.
49:44He always stayed close to me,
49:47watching me cautiously
49:49with those eyes
49:50that looked so much
49:52like David's.
49:53Sometimes,
49:55I would tell him about David,
49:58about the little boy
49:59who loved Superman
50:01and Buffalo Winks.
50:03One day after class,
50:06he tugged at my sleeve.
50:10his eyes were brimming
50:12with longing
50:13and unease.
50:14Miss Barrett,
50:16will you love me
50:18like a mommy does?
50:21My eyes blurred,
50:22instantly,
50:23the world dissolving
50:24into a watery haze.
50:30There were so many words
50:31I wanted to say to him,
50:33but I couldn't force
50:34a single one out.
50:35I could only nod,
50:37fiercely,
50:38again and again.
50:46As the sun dipped low,
50:52I walked with Zandon
50:53along the narrow country path,
50:56the evening breeze
50:57playing with my hair.
50:59His hand was warm,
51:01gripping my fingers tightly.
51:11Mrs. Barrett,
51:12do people become stars
51:14in the sky when they die?
51:16My footsteps faltered.
51:22I looked up
51:23at the vast,
51:24shimmering canopy above
51:27and in that endless sea of light.
51:32I thought I saw David
51:34standing beside his favorite star,
51:36smiling and winking at me.
51:40I smiled,
51:41my voice soft but certain.
51:44They do,
51:47be Kim and Dakarately.
51:49They would become
51:50the brightest star
51:52in the night,
51:53always watching over
51:54the people they love.
51:56Zander nodded solemnly,
51:58as if committing
51:59the promise to memory,
52:01then leaned his head
52:03against my arm.
52:04Then my mommy
52:06and daddy
52:07and Dave,
52:08they're all up there
52:10watching me, right?
52:12Warmth bloomed in my chest,
52:15steady and real.
52:18I squeezed his hand.
52:21Yes.
52:22They're all there.
52:23They are watching us
52:25and they are keeping us safe.
52:28I leaned down
52:30and kissed Zayn's forehead,
52:34feeling a sense of peace
52:36and strength
52:36I hadn't known in a lifetime.
52:40The stars above us
52:42shimmered like
52:42a thousand candles,
52:44each one burning
52:46with the quiet promise
52:48of someone
52:49who had loved
52:50and been loved.
52:53Zander and I
52:54and David
52:54up there among the stars
52:56would always be together.
53:02We would watch
53:03over one another
53:04and guard this
53:06hard-won warmth
53:07with everything we had.
53:08I leaned down
53:09and I knelt
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