- 9 hours ago
Don't say I do
Category
🎥
Short filmTranscript
00:00When the wedding reached the exchange of vows, the entire Manhattan Art Museum fell silent.
00:04Guests sat on both sides of a corridor of white roses.
00:07Crystal lights hung from the vaulted ceiling like an upside-down frozen lake.
00:11On the enormous electronic screen, engagement photos of Ryan Hall and me played in a loop.
00:15As I walked toward Ryan, I raised my hand and touched the old pair of earphones by my ear.
00:20It was the last thing my parents had left me before their car accident.
00:24Today, before saying I do, I had planned to listen once to the wedding blessing
00:28they had recorded for me while they were alive.
00:30But the voice that rang out was my own.
00:33Ava, do not say I do.
00:36At that moment, Ryan was kneeling on one knee and holding my hand.
00:41In a low voice, he asked,
00:45Ava? Ava Lynn? Will you become my wife? Ryan Hall?
00:49The voice in the earphones continued,
00:51I am you from three years in the future.
00:53The man in front of you registered a marriage with your bridesmaid, Mia Chen, in Las Vegas last month.
00:59She is seven weeks pregnant.
01:01The child is his.
01:03Mia was my best friend.
01:05At that very moment, she stood behind me in her bridesmaid dress.
01:09Her eyes reddened.
01:11Everyone thought she was only sad to see me get married.
01:15But my future self said,
01:17Do not trust her.
01:18Her tears are an act for you.
01:21Ryan's smile stiffened, slightly.
01:24Ava, what is wrong?
01:25Ava, are you feeling unwell?
01:28Mia came closer and supported my arm.
01:30The me in the earphones said coldly,
01:33Do not let her touch you.
01:36Look at her left hand.
01:38On Mia's left ring thing was a thin diamond ring.
01:41I had seen that ring before.
01:43Ryan's mother, Grace, had once said it was the Hall family ring passed to daughters-in-laws.
01:48After the wedding, I will put it on you myself.
01:51At the time, she smiled at me and said,
01:53But now, it was on Mia's hand.
01:59I withdrew my hand.
02:01Ryan reminded me in a low voice.
02:05Ava, everyone is watching.
02:07The voice in my earphones also reminded me.
02:10Do not cry.
02:11Do not make a scene.
02:12In your last life, you broke down on the spot, and they edited you into a madwoman.
02:19Tonight, say nothing.
02:21Just remember, the wedding will not be completed.
02:26My breath stopped.
02:28Why?
02:29Because the crystal chandelier will fall.
02:31I jerked my head up.
02:32The huge crystal chandelier above us was swaying slightly.
02:36The next second, the sound of metal snapping pierced the entire art museum.
02:41The light fixture is loose!
02:44The guests instantly fell into chaos.
02:49Ryan was closest to me.
02:52But he barely looked at me.
02:54He threw himself toward Mia and protected her tightly in his arms.
02:58I was knocked down by the panicked crowd.
03:02My shoulder slammed into the champagne tower, and glass shattered across the floor.
03:08The crystal chandelier crashed down.
03:12As blood ran down my arm, I heard Ryan lower his voice and ask Mia,
03:17Was the baby hurt?
03:22When I woke, I was in the hospital.
03:25Snow light from New York before dawn fell by the window.
03:28White enough to hurt my eyes.
03:31Mia sat beside the bed, all ten of my fingers wrapped in sclaws.
03:35The moment she saw my eyes open, she rushed towards me.
03:38Ava, you finally woke up!
03:39Do you know how much blood you lost?
03:41I did not hug her.
03:44I only looked at her lower abdomen.
03:48She subconsciously shrunk back a little.
03:50That motion had answered every question for her.
03:55The door opened, and Ryan hurried in.
03:58His eyes were bloodshot, his suit jacket over his arm, as if he had not slept all night.
04:05The doctor says you have a mild concussion and twelve stitches in your shoulder.
04:11He sat by the bed and tried to hold my hand.
04:14Ava, I am sorry.
04:16Last night was too chaotic.
04:19I avoided his hand.
04:21His movement froze.
04:22Ava?
04:24I asked,
04:27Why did you save her first?
04:29The ward went quiet.
04:30Ryan quickly adjusted his expression.
04:33Because I know Mia is the person you care about most.
04:36If she had been hurt, it would have hurt you more than being hurt yourself.
04:41I looked at Ryan.
04:43What if I had been the one crushed to death last night?
04:46Ryan's face went pale.
04:50Do not say things like that.
04:52Mia suddenly stood.
04:54Ryan, stop lying to her!
04:56Ryan turned to look at her, his gaze frighteningly cold.
05:00Shut up.
05:02Let her speak.
05:04Mia began to cry.
05:05Ava!
05:07Actually, he and I...
05:09Mia!
05:10She just woke up!
05:12Do you have to upset her?
05:13I looked at Ryan.
05:15You are pregnant?
05:16At the door.
05:17The color drained from Maya's face.
05:20Ryan froze too.
05:21I laughed softly.
05:23So it is true.
05:25Mia covered her mouth, tears falling non-stop.
05:28I never meant for you to know.
05:29I really never meant to hurt you.
05:31Not wanting me to know and not wanting to hurt me are two different things.
05:36It's complicated.
05:37I looked at him.
05:38So complicated that you and she have already registered a marriage in Las Vegas.
05:43Ryan's pupils shrank.
05:45Mia froze too.
05:47How do you know?
05:49The me and the earbuds warned me.
05:51Do not explain the earphones.
05:53Let them be afraid.
05:55I did not answer.
05:58Ryan took a step closer.
06:00Ava, listen to me.
06:01I registered with Mia because she was pregnant.
06:04Her family was under a lot of pressure.
06:06I only wanted to stabilize the situation first.
06:08I asked back.
06:10Then what am I?
06:12Another part of the situation you needed to stabilize?
06:15He panicked.
06:16No.
06:17I love you.
06:20Mia cried.
06:21Ava, I told him to stop.
06:23I really did.
06:23I looked at her.
06:25Did you tell him to stop?
06:27Or tell him to lie more cleanly?
06:29Mia's face turned deathly pale.
06:33Ryan finally lost patience.
06:36You are emotionally unstable right now.
06:38We should not discuss this yet.
06:39The voice in my earphones said coldly,
06:42Do you hear that?
06:43The first step has begun.
06:45He will first say you are emotionally unstable,
06:47then say you need help
06:48and finally send you to a 72-hour
06:51involuntary psychiatric evaluation.
06:54I raised my hand and pressed the nurse call button.
06:57Ryan frowned.
06:58What are you doing?
07:00Please leave.
07:01I said, I need to rest.
07:03He wanted to come closer,
07:05but a nurse stopped him.
07:08At the door,
07:09Mia turned back, crying.
07:11Ava, I really did not do it on purpose.
07:13I asked her,
07:15Then how did you get pregnant?
07:17Did you walk into the wrong room?
07:19She looked as if she had been slapped in public
07:21and could not say a word.
07:25After the door closed,
07:26I finally spoke to the person in my earphones.
07:30Me from three years later.
07:32What happened after this in the last life?
07:34The other side was silence for a long time.
07:37Then she said,
07:38You married him.
07:40Or rather,
07:41you thought you married him.
07:43That wedding
07:44never completed the legal procedure.
07:48Afterward,
07:49he coaxed you into signing supplemental documents.
07:53What you received
07:54was only a ceremonial certificate.
07:57Two months later,
07:58Mia gave birth.
07:59She went on a show holding the baby
08:01and said you used the fact
08:03that you saved her life to control her.
08:07Ryan said you had suffered a mental collapse.
08:09The Hall family used edited videos
08:11and doctor's statements
08:13to send you into compulsory treatment evaluation.
08:17My fingers slowly clenched the bed sheet.
08:19Then,
08:21You lost your job.
08:22The trust your parents left you
08:24was taken from you by Ryan
08:25through premarital authorization documents.
08:28Three years later,
08:29I have just come out of that hospital.
08:34I closed my eyes.
08:38When I opened them again,
08:40I asked,
08:42What should I do?
08:44Don't cry.
08:45Don't make a scene.
08:46Don't give them footage to edit.
08:50Collect evidence
08:51and find a lawyer.
08:53When they arrange
08:54the supplementary signing ceremony,
08:56make them lie in front of the camera.
08:58I did not cancel
09:00the follow-up signing ceremony.
09:01After the chandelier fell,
09:04last night's wedding
09:05was forced to stop.
09:06Ryan quickly explained
09:07to the outside world
09:08that I need to rest
09:09because my injuries
09:10and the official documents
09:12would be signed
09:12after I recovered.
09:14He thought I did not know.
09:15That so-called official document
09:18would never be submitted
09:19to the county clerk.
09:21The next afternoon,
09:23Ryan came to the hospital again.
09:25He carried the Thai food
09:27I usually ate,
09:29sat by my bed,
09:31and spoke carefully.
09:33You did not eat last night.
09:35Have a little.
09:36The instant he opened the container,
09:39the smell of peanut sauce
09:40rushed out.
09:41I was allergic to peanut,
09:43as Ryan knew.
09:44When we first got together,
09:46I had been sent to the emergency room
09:48because a restaurant
09:49served the wrong dish.
09:52He carried me into the hospital,
09:55his hands shaking so badly
09:56he could barely sign the forms.
10:00After that day,
10:01he cleared out everything
10:03containing peanuts
10:04from his home.
10:05He had said,
10:06Ava,
10:07I will remember
10:08every small thing about you.
10:10Now,
10:11with his own hands,
10:13he placed peanut cold noodles
10:15in front of me.
10:18Ryan's face changed.
10:19The restaurant packed
10:20the wrong order.
10:21I will change it right away.
10:23The me in the ear bug said,
10:24It was not packed wrong.
10:27That portion is Mia's.
10:29Peanut cold noodles
10:30from this place
10:31are her favorite.
10:32I looked at him.
10:34You just said you bought this.
10:36He stiffened.
10:37I asked my assistant
10:38to pick it up.
10:39There may have been
10:40a communication mistake.
10:46So you can confuse
10:47my allergy
10:48with her preference?
10:49Ryan said in a low voice.
10:53Ava,
10:54things have been
10:55too chaotic lately.
10:56Mia happened to be
10:57standing in the doorway
10:58and heard that sentence
10:59when she saw
11:00the peanut cold noodles
11:02hirked worse than mine.
11:04You even forgot her allergy?
11:06Ryan turned irritably.
11:08What right do you have
11:09to criticize me?
11:10Mia sneered.
11:12At least I did not plan
11:13to make her wear
11:14a wedding dress
11:15to a fake wedding.
11:17Ryan's expression changed.
11:19I said,
11:19Both of you,
11:20get out.
11:21Ryan immediately
11:22softened his voice.
11:23Ava,
11:24we can postpone the signing.
11:25Your health matters most.
11:27I said,
11:28not postpone.
11:29Tomorrow,
11:30as planned.
11:31He froze.
11:32Are you sure?
11:33I nodded.
11:35I want to see
11:36with my own eyes
11:37how you marry me.
11:39Ryan thought
11:40I had softened.
11:41Even relief
11:42floated into his eyes.
11:43I knew you would
11:44not leave me.
11:46After they left,
11:47I called my lawyer,
11:48Jonathan.
11:50Jonathan was my
11:52university classmate
11:53and now worked
11:54at a Manhattan law firm.
11:56After hearing everything,
11:58he asked only,
11:59Do you want to settle
12:00privately
12:00or fight publicly?
12:02I looked at the peanut noodles
12:05publicly.
12:06I also contacted
12:08investigative journalist Claire.
12:10She was a friend
12:10of my parents
12:11and had investigated
12:13financial scandals
12:14and tech companies.
12:15Claire asked,
12:16Are you sure you want
12:17to drag the Hall family
12:18into this?
12:18I said,
12:19They already dragged me in.
12:22The me and the earbuds
12:23gave intermittent instructions.
12:26Check Nevada marriage records.
12:28Ryan Hall,
12:29Mia Chen,
12:30also his private email
12:31keyword ceremony packet.
12:33Be careful,
12:34the signal is unstable.
12:36I cannot stay online forever.
12:38Every time you change
12:40one piece of the future,
12:41I will lose a piece of memory.
12:43My heart tightened.
12:45Will you disappear?
12:46If you win,
12:48I will no longer need to exist.
12:5020 minutes later,
12:52Jonathan sent the documents.
12:57Ryan Hall and Mia Chen
12:59had registered a marriage
13:00in Las Vegas
13:01one month earlier.
13:03Marital status,
13:04valid.
13:05The second document
13:06was the signing procedure packet
13:07from Ryan's private email.
13:10It stated,
13:12Use a ceremonial certificate
13:13on site.
13:15Do not file with the county clerk.
13:17The officiant serves
13:18only as ceremony witness.
13:20Tell the bride
13:20that the marriage license
13:21has already been processed
13:22by the team.
13:24In other words,
13:25tomorrow's signing
13:26was only a performance
13:27staged for me.
13:29I asked the version
13:31of myself
13:31in the earphones.
13:34What did I do
13:35after I discovered it
13:36in my last life?
13:37You rushed to hit Mia
13:39and smashed Ryan's car.
13:42The media filmed you
13:44losing control.
13:45The Hall family said
13:47you had violent contendence.
13:49And this time?
13:50Play the recording
13:51on the big screen.
13:53Have someone from the county clerk
13:54verify the license
13:55on the spot.
13:56Let Claire live stream.
13:58Make Ryan admit it
13:59with his own mouth.
14:00I backed up every document
14:02to three cloud accounts
14:03in St. Jonathan and Claire.
14:11That night,
14:11Ryan sent me a message.
14:13Tomorrow I will pick you up.
14:14I will give you back
14:16the wedding that was interrupted.
14:17I replied,
14:19Okay.
14:19I will be there on time.
14:21Ryan,
14:22you think tomorrow
14:23is the signing for my wedding?
14:24No.
14:26Tomorrow is your public execution.
14:28The signing ceremony
14:29was set in the same
14:30Manhattan Art Museum.
14:31The chandelier that fell last night
14:33had been removed.
14:34The carpet was new
14:35and the champagne tower
14:36had been arranged again.
14:38Ryan said,
14:38Yesterday was only an accident.
14:40Today,
14:41we finish
14:42what should have been.
14:44I stood in the lounge
14:45wearing my repaired wedding dress.
14:48My parents' earphones
14:50hidden beneath my veil.
14:52My future self said,
14:54Do not be afraid.
14:56Jonathan is here.
14:57Claire is here.
14:58The county clerk staff
14:59are here too.
15:00Wait until the officiator
15:02asks whether you are
15:03willing to sign,
15:04then speak.
15:08The door opened.
15:09Mia walked in.
15:11She wore her bridesmaid's dress,
15:13her face pale,
15:14one hand constantly pressing
15:16her lower upment.
15:17She said softly,
15:19Ava,
15:21there is still time to leave.
15:23I looked at her.
15:25Are you advising me
15:26to run from the wedding
15:27or leaving yourself a line
15:28that says you warned me?
15:30No.
15:31Mia's tears fell instantly.
15:34You know everything,
15:35don't you?
15:36Know what?
15:37That you are carrying
15:39my fiancé's child
15:40or that you are already
15:41his legal wife?
15:43Her body swayed.
15:46Ava,
15:46I really did not mean
15:48to steal him.
15:50At first,
15:51I only wanted to test him
15:52for you.
15:54I was afraid
15:55you would be fooled
15:56by a man like him.
15:57I smiled.
15:59So you tested him
16:00for me all the way
16:01to pregnancy,
16:01to marriage
16:03and to a front row seat
16:05at my signing ceremony?
16:07Mia cried
16:08and grabbed my hand.
16:10We have been friends
16:11for ten years.
16:12You saved my life.
16:14How could I truly hurt you?
16:16I withdrew my hand.
16:19When you hurt me,
16:20you did not live
16:22one second less.
16:23In college,
16:24Mia's ex-boyfriend
16:26cornered her
16:26in a parking lot.
16:27When the knife
16:29came down towards her,
16:30I threw myself
16:31in front of her
16:32and took it.
16:33The doctor later told me
16:34the abdominal injury
16:35was severe
16:36and it would be difficult
16:38for me to carry
16:39a pregnancy
16:40safely in the future.
16:43Mia knelt
16:44beside my hospedad
16:45and sworn,
16:47Ava,
16:47I owe you my life.
16:49Now she held
16:50what I had lost
16:51and begged me
16:52to forgive
16:53what she had gained.
16:55Ryan's voice
16:55came from outside the door.
16:58Ava,
16:58are you ready?
17:00He pushed in
17:01and saw Mia.
17:02His expression
17:03chilled at once.
17:05Why are you still here?
17:06Mia wiped her tears.
17:09I am advising her
17:11not to marry you.
17:14Ryan sneered.
17:16What right do you have?
17:17I interrupted.
17:18Both of you,
17:19leave.
17:20I want to be alone
17:21for a while.
17:23After they left,
17:24my future self said,
17:26Ryan will go to the side hall
17:27to take a call.
17:29Mia will follow.
17:30Record it.
17:32I turned on my phone recorder.
17:34In the side hall,
17:36Mia lowered her voice.
17:37Ryan,
17:38stop.
17:39She already knows something.
17:41Ryan said,
17:42She will not have evidence.
17:44Are you really going to make her
17:46sign that thing?
17:48The ceremony is only form.
17:50Ryan said calmly,
17:51You are my legal wife.
17:53She only needs a stable ending.
17:57Then what about me?
17:59After the child is born,
18:00I will arrange it.
18:01Ryan paused.
18:03The trust left by Ava's parents
18:04and the shares in her hands
18:06are important to my company's listing.
18:08We cannot agitate her now.
18:12I pressed save.
18:15So it was not only betrayal.
18:17Even the things my parents left me
18:19had been calculated by him.
18:22The ceremony began.
18:24I walked into the Rose Corridor.
18:26Half the guests who had witnessed
18:28the chandelier fall last night
18:29were gone.
18:30The remaining guests
18:31were the people the Hall family
18:33most wanted to control.
18:35Ryan stood at the end,
18:37his eyes gentle,
18:39as if he were truly waiting
18:41for a perfect ending
18:42interrupted by an accident.
18:45The officiator picked up the document
18:47and asked,
18:49Ava Lynn,
18:50are you willing to confirm
18:52your marital commitment
18:53to Ryan Hall
18:54and sign this ceremonial certificate?
18:57I took the microphone.
18:59Ryan's smile stiffened.
19:00Ava?
19:01I looked at him.
19:02Before I answer,
19:04I want to confirm one thing.
19:05Ryan,
19:05you have no other legal spouse
19:07right now, correct?
19:08The whole room went quiet.
19:11I pressed play.
19:12You are my legal wife.
19:14She only needs a stable ending.
19:16His voice rang through the art museum.
19:18The audience area exploded.
19:23The next second,
19:24the screen changed.
19:26It no longer showed engagement photos.
19:28It showed Ryan and Mia's
19:30Las Vegas marriage registration record.
19:33Claire entered from the side door
19:34with a camera op-ert.
19:36Jonathan stood beside me
19:37holding documents.
19:38Two county clerk staff members
19:40showed their IDs
19:41and requested verification
19:42of the marriage license on site.
19:44Ryan rushed forward
19:45to snatch my phone.
19:46I stepped back,
19:47removed the ring from my finger,
19:49and threw it into the champagne tower
19:51beside me.
19:52Glasses crashed across the floor.
19:54I looked at him.
19:56Ryan Hall,
19:57you already have a wife,
19:58yet you made me put on a wedding dress
19:59and sign a fake document.
20:01Now explain it in front of everyone.
20:03The gentleness on Ryan's face
20:05finally shattered completely.
20:06Ryan's first reaction
20:08was not to apologize.
20:09He turned to Mia,
20:10his voice pressed with anger.
20:12Did you tell her?
20:13Mia shook her head.
20:14It was not me!
20:15If not you, then who?
20:16Ryan sneered.
20:17You always wanted to be
20:18the good person, didn't you?
20:19I held the microphone.
20:21Do not rush to divide the spoils.
20:23I found the evidence myself.
20:25Claire pushed the camera closer.
20:28Mr. Hall,
20:29do you admit that you have
20:30a valid marriage with Mia Chen?
20:32Ryan's face was ugly.
20:34That is a private matter.
20:35I said,
20:37the moment you used
20:38a fake marriage license
20:39to deceive me,
20:40it stopped being private.
20:41The county clerk staff
20:42opened the file.
20:43This number does not exist.
20:45The officiator has not filed
20:47any valid record.
20:48Someone in the guest seats
20:49muttered,
20:49Disgusting.
20:51Grace Hall sat in the first row.
20:52She was Ryan's mother
20:53and the chairwoman
20:54of the Hall group board.
20:55She did not look at Ryan,
20:56only at me,
20:57as though I were a contract
20:59that had gone out of control.
21:03Mia suddenly rushed over
21:04and grabbed my wedding dress.
21:06Ava,
21:06listen to me.
21:07At first,
21:08I really only wanted
21:09to help you test him.
21:10I knew you trusted him too much.
21:12I was afraid he would deceive you.
21:14I looked down at her hand.
21:16You tested him
21:16until you were pregnant?
21:18She stiffened.
21:19Ryan immediately
21:20stepped in front of her.
21:21Enough.
21:22She is pregnant.
21:23Do not upset her.
21:24The room fell silent
21:25for the third time.
21:26Mia whipped her head
21:27toward Ryan.
21:29Are you insane?
21:30I looked at his movements.
21:32When the chandelier fell,
21:34he protected her.
21:35When the truth was exposed,
21:36he protected her.
21:37When the child was exposed,
21:39he still protected her.
21:41And I was only the tool
21:42who needed a stable ending.
21:44The voice in my earphone said,
21:47Ava,
21:47in the last life,
21:48you hid her here.
21:49Do not give her edited footage.
21:51I raised my hand.
21:54Mia closed her eyes.
21:55Everyone thought
21:56I was going to slap her.
21:57But I only removed her hand
21:59from my wedding dress.
22:01Mia,
22:01you are not worth
22:02dirting my hands.
22:03She opened her eyes,
22:05and her face looked worse
22:06than if I had struck her.
22:08Ryan grunted his teeth.
22:10Ava,
22:11do not make yourself
22:11sound so innocent.
22:13I took care of you
22:14for three years.
22:15After your parents died,
22:17I helped you walk out of grief.
22:18Mia also cried.
22:20I stayed with you too.
22:22We are not bad people.
22:23We only made a mistake.
22:25I looked at them.
22:26If I had not found out today,
22:29how long were you planning
22:30to let me be wrong?
22:32Until the child was born?
22:34Until you held
22:35a one-month celebration?
22:36Or until the whole internet
22:38mocked me as the woman
22:39in a wedding dress
22:39attending someone else's marriage?
22:41Ryan finally panicked.
22:43I never wanted things
22:45to become like this.
22:45Things were already like this.
22:48I only turned on the light.
22:54Grace finally stood.
22:57She walked up to me,
22:58her tone cold.
23:00Ava,
23:01enough.
23:03Name your price.
23:05The room went quiet.
23:07I asked,
23:08Mrs. Hall,
23:09did you know they were married
23:10from the beginning?
23:12She did not answer.
23:16Silence was already an answer.
23:19Claire's camera turned toward her.
23:23Grace's face changed.
23:28Turn off the camera.
23:30Claire said,
23:31This is a ceremony venue
23:33where your family invited guests
23:35and media crews.
23:37We are merely recording facts.
23:40Grace stared at me.
23:42Your parents are gone.
23:44You are alone in New York.
23:46Do not ruin every road ahead of you
23:48over emotion.
23:49My future self said,
23:51In the last life,
23:52this was how she frightened you.
23:54You signed the NDA
23:55and deleted the videos.
23:57Three months later,
23:58Mia went on a show with the baby
24:00and you became the mad woman.
24:02I lifted my head.
24:04My road does not need to be built
24:06on your son's lies.
24:08Her eyes went completely cold.
24:13You will regret this.
24:15I said,
24:16I have already regretted once.
24:19This time,
24:20it is your turn.
24:22Grace took me into the art museum lounge.
24:26Her assistant closed the door
24:28and pushed an NBA in front of me.
24:31Three million dollars.
24:32Sign it,
24:33delete the videos
24:34and tell the public
24:35the ceremony was canceled
24:36for private reasons.
24:37Ryan will no longer bother you
24:39and neither will Mia.
24:40I did not touch the agreement.
24:42Do you people think
24:42everything can be priced?
24:44Grace frowned.
24:45Ava,
24:45you are not legally married.
24:47There is no shared property
24:49and no child.
24:50Your legal damages are limited.
24:52I looked at her.
24:53So tricking me into a wedding dress
24:55and putting me in front of everyone
24:56does not count as damage?
24:59Her tone cooled.
25:01Emotional hurt is common.
25:03Smart people take compensation
25:05instead of dragging themselves
25:06into scandal.
25:08My future self said,
25:09She will threaten your job
25:10and your parents' trust.
25:12Sure enough,
25:13Grace continued,
25:14Hall Group invested in projects
25:15at your current company.
25:17Your parents' trust also holds
25:19tech funds connected to us.
25:20If you sign today,
25:22you will still have dignity.
25:23If you do not,
25:24many doors will close.
25:28I picked up my phone
25:29and forwarded her the news link
25:32Claire had just sent me.
25:33The headline was already
25:35on the local news front page.
25:37Rising tech executive
25:38signing ceremony in clothes,
25:40suspected of concealing existing marriage
25:42and forging wedding documents.
25:47Grace's phone rang.
25:50She answered
25:51and her face dartened
25:52inch by inch.
25:54I stood.
25:55Mrs. Hall,
25:56you are right.
25:57Doors in this industry
25:58will close.
26:00But tonight,
26:01the boardroom door
26:02should close on your son first.
26:04She hung up
26:05and anger finally showed.
26:07Do you think you have won?
26:11No.
26:13I just finally did not lose.
26:21When I walked out of the lounge,
26:23Ryan was asked by investigators
26:25to cooperate with the questionnaire.
26:27When he saw me,
26:28he looked as if he had grasped
26:30the last rope.
26:32Ava,
26:33let us talk alone.
26:35I stopped.
26:38You had many chances
26:39to explain just now.
26:43I could not say it
26:44in front of so many people.
26:46He said horrorsly.
26:48I was afraid
26:48things would spiral
26:49out of control.
26:51I looked at him.
26:52You were not afraid
26:52of losing control.
26:53You were afraid
26:54of being exposed.
26:56Mia stood at the end
26:57of the hallway,
26:57leaning against the wall,
26:59pale-faced.
27:00She called me.
27:02Ava!
27:03I did not answer.
27:05She came closer
27:06and cried.
27:07If only one of you
27:09and Ryan can stay
27:10in my life,
27:11I choose you.
27:13I looked at her,
27:14too late.
27:19I can give up the child.
27:21She grabbed my hand.
27:23As long as you are willing
27:24to forgive me,
27:25I really can.
27:26I stared at her abdomen.
27:31Mia,
27:31I cannot safely
27:32have a child
27:33because I took
27:33a knife for you.
27:35And now you are
27:36using his child
27:37to bargain with me
27:38for compensation?
27:39Her whole body
27:40froze.
27:40I said,
27:41from today on,
27:42you no longer owe me.
27:44Hope appeared
27:45in her eyes.
27:45I continued,
27:47because you are not
27:48worthy of having
27:49any relationship
27:50with me.
27:51Mia slowly
27:52crouched
27:52against the wall.
27:53My future self
27:55was silent
27:55for a long time,
27:57then whispered,
27:58That sentence
27:59in the last life,
28:02I never managed
28:03to say before I died.
28:05The next morning,
28:07Paul Group suspended
28:08Ryan from his CEO position.
28:14At noon,
28:16Ryan's legal team
28:17issued a statement
28:18claiming that
28:19what happened
28:19at the ceremony
28:20was only a private
28:21emotional dispute
28:22and asking the public
28:23to stop spreading
28:24false information.
28:26Three hours later,
28:29Claire released
28:29the second recording.
28:33Ryan's voice
28:34was perfectly clear.
28:35The trust left
28:36by Ava's parents
28:37and the shares
28:38in her hands
28:39are important
28:40to my company's listing.
28:41We cannot agitate
28:42her now.
28:43The statement
28:43became a joke
28:44on the spot.
28:46That afternoon,
28:47Mia accepted
28:48online program interview.
28:51She wore a plain sweater
28:53and sat in front
28:54of the camera.
28:57Her eyes read,
28:59the host asked,
29:00Do you admit
29:01that you and Ryan
29:02were already married
29:03before Ava's wedding?
29:05Mia was silent
29:06for a few seconds
29:07before tears fell.
29:13I admit I was wrong,
29:16but during that time
29:17my mental state
29:18was very bad.
29:20Ryan told me
29:20Ava could not live
29:21without him.
29:22If she knew the truth,
29:23she might hurt herself.
29:24I was only too afraid.
29:27Mia wiped her tears.
29:29I do not want
29:30to say that.
29:31Ava once saved me
29:32and I have always
29:33been grateful.
29:35But sometimes
29:36that debt
29:37also made it hard
29:38for me to breathe.
29:40I watched the screen
29:41without speaking.
29:45Jonathan's face chilled.
29:47She is shaping you
29:48into a controlling friend.
29:50My future self said,
29:51This is how she won
29:53in the last life.
29:54She said you always
29:55used the life-saving debt
29:56to pressure her
29:57and that Ryan
29:58was only protecting her
29:59from you.
30:02Half an hour later,
30:03an edited video
30:05appeared online.
30:06It only showed me
30:08questioning Mia
30:08at the ceremony
30:09and saying
30:10she was not worth
30:11dirtying my hands.
30:13There was no Ryan
30:14recording,
30:15no fake documents,
30:17no Grace
30:18offering hush money.
30:19The headline read,
30:21Bride humiliates
30:22pregnant friend
30:23at ceremony,
30:24suspected of
30:25long-term
30:26emotional control.
30:27The comments
30:28began to split.
30:30Some sympathized
30:31with me,
30:32while others
30:32said I was too calm,
30:34as if I had planned it
30:35from the start.
30:37Release the full version now,
30:38I said.
30:39Wait.
30:39For what?
30:40For her to raise
30:41the knife higher.
30:42That night,
30:43Mia started a live stream.
30:44The location was
30:45outside the cemetery
30:46where my parents
30:46were buried.
30:48Holding a black umbrella
30:48in the rain,
30:49she cried into the camera.
30:51Uncle, Auntie,
30:52I am sorry.
30:53I did not protect Ava
30:54and I did not
30:55protect myself.
30:58If my existence
30:59only makes her
31:00suffer,
31:00I can disappear.
31:01Viewer numbers
31:02clanged wildly.
31:03She looked into
31:05the camera.
31:07Ava,
31:07if you are watching,
31:09I am willing
31:11to abort the child.
31:13I only beg you
31:14not to push me anymore.
31:16Jonathan cursed.
31:17She is insane.
31:19I did not curse.
31:21I told Claire.
31:27Release it now.
31:29The next second,
31:30Claire's news account
31:31pushed the complete
31:32evidence simultaneously.
31:34Mia saying,
31:35first I only wanted
31:36to test him for you.
31:37Ryan saying,
31:38you are my legal wife,
31:40had only need
31:40a stemble ending.
31:42Grace saying,
31:43three million dollars,
31:44sign it.
31:45Fall me though released.
31:47In the cemetery
31:48live stream,
31:50Mia's crying stopped.
31:51She stared at the screen
31:53and the softness
31:54on her face
31:55shattered completely.
31:57It is not like that.
31:59She shrieked.
32:00You have all been
32:01deceived by her.
32:02But this time,
32:03no one listened
32:04only to her tears.
32:06My future self said,
32:07in the last life,
32:09she dragged you
32:09into hell.
32:11In this life,
32:12she opened the door
32:13herself.
32:14Mia fainted
32:15during the live stream.
32:16Her assistant
32:17immediately shouted
32:19at the camera.
32:20Ava forced her!
32:22But the emergency
32:23record soon came out.
32:25Low blood sugar,
32:26hyperhenylation,
32:26no life-threatening danger.
32:28The topic claiming
32:29that I had forced her
32:30into a miscarriage
32:31had barely appeared
32:32before it was crushed
32:33by the emergency report.
32:35Ryan also began
32:36to bite back at her.
32:37His lawyer claimed
32:38Mia had approached
32:39him on her own,
32:40hidden the pregnancy,
32:41and used the child
32:42to force him
32:43into registration.
32:44After Mia woke,
32:45she immediately recorded
32:46a hospital video.
32:47Ryan promised to give
32:48me and the child a home.
32:49He told me to cooperate
32:50with that ceremony.
32:51He said Ava was
32:52emotionally fragile
32:53and could not be stimulated.
32:55At last,
32:56they no longer said
32:57everything had been for me.
32:58They began fighting
33:00to push each other down.
33:01I thought I would
33:02feel satisfied,
33:04but I only felt cold.
33:06Jonathan asked.
33:07Next step.
33:08I pushed the complaint
33:09materials towards him.
33:11Continue.
33:11Ryan used company
33:12legal staff
33:13to handle fake documents,
33:15company security
33:16to block media,
33:16and company accounts
33:17to pay private expenses.
33:19This is not
33:20a relationship dispute.
33:21It is a corporate
33:22governance scandal.
33:23After reading,
33:24Jonathan looked up.
33:26You want to burn this
33:27all the way to the board?
33:29I said,
33:31I did not light
33:32the fire.
33:34I only opened the door.
33:36Three days later,
33:37Hall Group announced
33:38it would accept
33:39an external audit.
33:40One week later,
33:41Grace did not sit still.
33:43She had the trust administrator
33:44notified me of an
33:45emergency asset
33:46eligibility hearing.
33:48The location was
33:49Hall Group Headquarters.
33:51On paper,
33:52it was to evaluate
33:53whether I was still fit
33:54to exercise the voting rights
33:56in my parents' trust.
33:57In reality,
33:58they wanted to pin me back
34:00into the position
34:01of mentally unstable.
34:02After reading the notice,
34:04Jonathan's expression
34:05was poor.
34:06They want to use
34:08the assets
34:08your parents left you
34:09to control you
34:10in reverse.
34:11The earphones
34:12suddenly lit.
34:14My future self's voice
34:15was weak.
34:17Go.
34:17I frowned.
34:18They have obviously
34:19set a trap.
34:20That is why you must go,
34:22she said.
34:22In the last life,
34:23you did not.
34:24Grace used edited videos
34:26and a psychological
34:27evaluation request
34:28to suspend
34:29your trust voting rights.
34:30That was the first step
34:31for Hall Group
34:32to swallow the influence
34:33of your parents' assets.
34:34I asked,
34:35Can I win?
34:37The earphones were quiet
34:38for several seconds.
34:39In your parents' earphones,
34:41there is an encrypted backup.
34:43The password
34:44is your 16th birthday.
34:46They are not
34:46ordinary earphones.
34:48They are the security key
34:49your parents left
34:50from when they participated
34:51in Hall's early
34:52technology project.
34:54My heart shook.
34:55I opened the hidden storage
34:56in the earphones.
34:57Inside was an encrypted file.
35:00After Jonathan read it,
35:01his eyes changed.
35:02Ava, your parents
35:03were not ordinary investors.
35:05They were early
35:06core technical consultants
35:07and equity trust agents
35:08for Hall Group.
35:09There is a major
35:10risk trigger clause here.
35:13I asked,
35:14What does that mean?
35:15If Hall Group's
35:16core management
35:17is involved in fraud,
35:19coercion,
35:19forged documents,
35:20or major ethical risk,
35:22you, as the trust benefary,
35:24have the right to trigger
35:25a mandatory external audit
35:26and freeze voting
35:27on the next listing.
35:31I looked down
35:32at the old earphones.
35:34My parents had not only
35:35left me memories,
35:37they had left me a blade.
35:39The top floor conference room
35:41of Hall Group headquarters
35:42looked out through glass walls
35:44over all Manhattan.
35:45The moment I entered,
35:46I saw Ryan, Mia,
35:47and Grace all present.
35:49Grace sat at the head
35:50of the table,
35:51board members sitting beside her.
35:53Ryan sat to her right,
35:55his face pale.
35:56Mia wore a loose,
35:58light-colored coat
35:59and looked like a victim
36:00who might collapse
36:01at any time.
36:03Grace went straight
36:03to the point.
36:05Ava,
36:06today is not about
36:07judging Ryan.
36:09Today we are discussing
36:10whether you are fit
36:11to continue managing
36:13the voting rights
36:14in your parents' trust.
36:16I sat down.
36:19You stole a marriage,
36:20deceived me into
36:21a fake wedding,
36:22forged documents,
36:23and now you are
36:25evaluating my fitness?
36:27Grace pushed a file forward.
36:30Recently,
36:31your emotions
36:31have fluctuated severely.
36:33You publicly humiliated
36:35a pregnant woman
36:36at the ceremony
36:37and the internet
36:38is filled with controversy.
36:40We have reason to worry
36:41that you will let
36:42personal emotions
36:43affect company governance.
36:44Mia whispered,
36:46Ava,
36:46I really did not want
36:47things to reach this point,
36:49but you have pushed everyone
36:51until there is no way back.
36:52I looked at her.
36:53There you go again.
36:55Her tears immediately fell.
36:57See?
36:58You are always like this.
37:00Whenever I speak,
37:02you think I am acting.
37:04Ryan finally spoke.
37:05Ava,
37:06I know you hate me,
37:08but you cannot destroy
37:09the whole group
37:10because you hate me.
37:12If your parents
37:12were still alive,
37:13they would not want this.
37:14For the first time,
37:16I laughed aloud
37:17when I heard those words.
37:19You are worthy
37:20to mention my parents?
37:23Grace signaled
37:24her assistant
37:25to play a video.
37:26The big screen
37:27showed edited footage.
37:28Me questioning Mia
37:29at the signing ceremony,
37:31throwing the ring
37:32into the champagne tower
37:33and coldly ending
37:34the ceremony.
37:35There was no Ryan
37:36admitting the fake document.
37:38No Las Vegas registration.
37:41No Grace offering
37:42hush money.
37:43Grace said,
37:44Board members,
37:46this is why I am concerned.
37:48Ava is driven by emotion
37:50and is not suitable
37:51to hold critical voting rights.
37:53Mia held her abdomen
37:54and sobbed.
37:55I admit I was wrong,
37:57but I have already
37:57lost too much.
37:59I only hope Ava
38:00will not hurt more people.
38:02Ryan looked at me
38:03with a heavy voice.
38:04I held that ceremony
38:05to help her stabilize.
38:06After her parents died,
38:08she was always fragile.
38:09I only wanted
38:10to protect her.
38:13Good.
38:14They had finally said
38:15everything to the end.
38:19Jonathan looked at me.
38:21I nodded.
38:23The next second,
38:25Claire's complete
38:26livestream footage
38:27connected to the screen.
38:29Ryan's voice sounded.
38:31You are my legal wife.
38:32She only needs
38:33a stable ending.
38:35Mia's voice sounded.
38:37At first,
38:38I only wanted
38:38to test him for you.
38:40Grace's voice sounded.
38:41Three million dollars.
38:43Sign it.
38:45Every board member's
38:45expression changed.
38:47Grace snapped.
38:48Who allowed you
38:48to connect an external signal?
38:50I placed my parents' earphones
38:52on the table.
38:53You wanted to use
38:53the trust my parents
38:54left to control me,
38:55but you forgot
38:56this was something
38:57they left me
38:58to protect myself.
38:59Jonathan stood
39:00and opened
39:01the second document.
39:03Under Article 14
39:04of the Lynn Trust
39:05and Hall Group
39:06Early Technology
39:07Investment Agreement,
39:08if core management
39:09is involved in fraud,
39:10coercion,
39:11forged documents,
39:12or major ethical risk,
39:13the trust beneficiary
39:14has the right
39:15to trigger a mandatory
39:16external audit
39:16and freeze all votes
39:17related to the next
39:18listing round.
39:21Grace's expression
39:22finally changed.
39:23I looked at her.
39:24You say I am unfit
39:26to exercise voting rights?
39:27Now I formally exercised them.
39:30Word by word,
39:31I said,
39:33I request the immediate
39:34suspension of all
39:36Ryan Hall's
39:36management authority,
39:38Grace Hall's reclusion
39:39from all related
39:40board decisions,
39:41and an independent
39:42audit of Hall Group.
39:44Until the audit ends,
39:46every listing support vote
39:48under my parents' trust
39:49is frozen.
39:50Ryan shot to his feet.
39:52Ava!
39:52I looked at him.
39:54You said my parents
39:55would not want this?
39:56Wrong.
39:57They had long feared
39:58I would meet people
39:59like you.
40:00The board held
40:01a temporary vote.
40:03Ryan was suspended
40:04from all duties.
40:05Grace was required
40:06to recuse herself.
40:09The external audit passed.
40:11Hall Group's listing plan
40:13was delayed.
40:14When the hearing ended,
40:15Ryan sat in his chair
40:17as if he had finally
40:18been hollowed out.
40:20Mia looked at me,
40:21and for the first time
40:23there were no tears
40:23in her eyes,
40:24only hatred.
40:32As I walked out
40:33of the conference room,
40:34the ear bones suddenly
40:36let out a harsh
40:37electric current.
40:39My future self said,
40:41broken and intermittent,
40:43Ava, be careful of Mia.
40:46I stopped.
40:47Her voice grew more
40:48and more distant.
40:50In the last life,
40:51it was not Ryan
40:52who pushed you
40:52through the final door.
40:54It was her.
40:56Mia disappeared
40:57for two days.
40:58During those two days,
41:00Ryan's legal team
41:01began blaming one another.
41:04Grace refused to respond
41:05to media questions
41:06about the board investigation.
41:08Hall Group's stock price
41:09for us fluctuated,
41:10and the listing plan
41:12was postponed indefinitely.
41:13I thought Mia
41:15had finally gone quiet
41:16until the third night
41:18she sent me a photo.
41:21In the photo
41:22were a bottle
41:23of sleeping pills
41:24and a note
41:24in front of my parents' tombstone.
41:27The note read,
41:28Ava, if I die,
41:30will you forgive me?
41:33When Jonathan saw the message,
41:36he immediately said,
41:37Call the police.
41:39Do not go alone.
41:40I had already called 911.
41:45But Mia's second message
41:47arrived quickly.
41:48If you bring the police,
41:50I will let the whole internet know
41:52you drove your pregnant friend to death.
41:55Do not go alone.
41:57She is recording.
41:59She wants you to say
42:01even one cruel sentence.
42:03I called Claire.
42:04Bring a camera to the cemetery.
42:06Do not get close.
42:07Film the wide shot first.
42:08Claire understood immediately.
42:11She is playing the victim again?
42:15This time,
42:16she wants to play the corpse.
42:17When I reached the cemetery,
42:19the rain was heavy.
42:20Mia sat before the tombstone,
42:22wearing only a thin coat,
42:24her face frighteningly.
42:29You came after all.
42:31I stood three meters away.
42:33The ambulance is on its way.
42:35Her eyes changed.
42:38You called the police?
42:40You threatened self-harm.
42:42Of course I called the police.
42:44Mia laughed
42:45until the laugh became sobs.
42:47Ava, when did you become so cold?
42:49From the moment you started
42:51editing my pain into evidence
42:52that you were the victim?
42:54She stood,
42:55holding the bottle of pills.
42:58If I swallow these now,
43:00who do you think
43:00everyone will believe?
43:02The terrifyingly calm you?
43:05Or a pregnant woman
43:06pushed to the end by you?
43:08I looked at her.
43:09Didn't you already lose the child?
43:11Mia's face stiffened.
43:13I continued.
43:14You forgot.
43:15You said it yourself
43:16in the hospital video.
43:19Mia, you cannot even
43:20keep your lies straight.
43:22The fragile look
43:23vanished from her eyes.
43:25Why?
43:26She screamed.
43:27Why can you avoid everything?
43:28Why does everyone
43:30always end up on your side?
43:32I asked calmly.
43:35Because I no longer
43:36give you the chance
43:36to edit me.
43:40At last,
43:41she stopped acting.
43:44Yes, I am jealous of you.
43:46Mia said
43:46through clenched teeth.
43:47You have the money
43:48your parents left.
43:49A good job
43:51and everyone's sympathy.
43:52You saved me once
43:53and ever since then
43:55you stood above me forever.
43:57Ryan loves me.
43:58The child was mine.
44:00What right did you have
44:01to take him from me?
44:02I said softly.
44:04You finally told the truth.
44:07Mia suddenly realized
44:08what had happened.
44:09In the distance,
44:10Claire's camera light
44:11came on.
44:12The lights of police cars
44:13and ambulances
44:14also shone in
44:15from the cemetery entrance.
44:17Mia's face changed.
44:20You recorded me?
44:22I said.
44:23You taught me.
44:25Do not cry.
44:26Do not make a scene.
44:28Keep evidence.
44:29She rushed toward me
44:30to snatch my phone
44:31but the police stopped her.
44:33She screamed.
44:34AVA!
44:35You destroyed me!
44:37I looked at her.
44:40No, Mia.
44:41You only finally failed
44:43to put the knife in my hand.
44:44When the police took her away,
44:46she was still crying
44:47and calling my name.
44:49But this time,
44:50the camera captured everything.
44:53No editing.
44:54No frame-up.
44:55No version of me
44:57dragged into the mud
44:58by her.
44:58In the earphones,
45:00my future self whispered,
45:02The last door is closed.
45:04Ryan asked to see me
45:05in the third week
45:06after the lawsuit began.
45:08The meeting took place
45:09in the mediation room
45:10beside the courthouse.
45:11He had lost a lot of weight.
45:13His jaw was covered in stubble
45:14and his eyes were dark.
45:16When he saw me enter,
45:18something in his gaze
45:20actually lit.
45:21Ava.
45:22He said.
45:24You came.
45:25I sat beside Jonathan.
45:29If this is about settlement,
45:30let the lawyer speak.
45:32Ryan smiled bitterly.
45:34I only wanted to apologize
45:35to you in person.
45:36I looked at him.
45:38Say it.
45:39He lowered his head,
45:41his voice terribly horsey.
45:44That time with Mia
45:45really was an accident.
45:47On your parents' Memorial Day,
45:48you were drunk
45:49and kept crying.
45:51I sent you home, Mia.
45:53Neither of us was
45:54clear-headed.
45:58I asked.
45:59Not clear-headed enough
46:00to keep meeting the next day?
46:02Not clear-headed enough
46:04to go to Las Vegas
46:05after she got pregnant?
46:07Not clear-headed enough
46:09to make me wear a wedding dress
46:10and sign a fake document?
46:12His lips moved,
46:14but he could not speak.
46:16I continued.
46:17You did not make one mistake.
46:20Every time you had the chance
46:22to stop.
46:23You chose to keep
46:24lying to me.
46:27Ryan's eyes redded.
46:28Because I was afraid
46:30of losing you!
46:31My future self said,
46:33In the last life,
46:35he said the same thing.
46:36You believed him.
46:38Later,
46:38he signed the treatment
46:40evaluation papers
46:41and said it was
46:41for your own good.
46:43I looked at Ryan.
46:44You were afraid
46:45of losing me,
46:46so you prepared
46:47to make me lose myself?
46:48His face went white.
46:50Ava,
46:50I really did love you.
46:53Having loved me
46:54is not a pardon.
46:56He suddenly broke down.
46:59Then what do you want from me?
47:01The company is gone,
47:03my reputation is gone,
47:04and Mia has torn things apart
47:06with me too.
47:06What more do you want?
47:08I said calmly,
47:10I want you to admit
47:10that you were not seduced
47:11by Mia,
47:12not forced by the child,
47:13and not protecting me.
47:15You were simply greedy.
47:17Ryan's lawyer
47:17immediately warned,
47:19Mr. Hall,
47:19do not answer.
47:20But Ryan looked at me
47:22as if he had finally
47:23been forced
47:23to the end of the road.
47:25Yes,
47:26I was greedy.
47:27I wanted the child
47:28in Mia's belly,
47:29and I wanted you
47:29to keep loving me.
47:30I wanted the network
47:31and trust support
47:32your founds left
47:33to help my company list.
47:35I thought that
47:36as long as I arranged
47:37it well enough,
47:38neither of you would leave.
47:40I nodded
47:40and looked at Jonathan.
47:44Recorded?
47:46Jonathan said.
47:48Recorded.
47:49Ryan refroze.
47:53Ava?
47:56I stood.
47:58Thank you for your apology.
48:00It came too late,
48:01but it is very useful
48:02for my case.
48:03He shot to his feet.
48:05You calculated even this?
48:06I looked at him.
48:07Ryan,
48:08I have only learned
48:10what all of you taught me.
48:12At the door,
48:14he called after me.
48:16If not for those earphones,
48:18would you have married me?
48:20I stopped.
48:24Yes.
48:25Painful hope
48:26flashed in his eyes.
48:28That is why I am grateful
48:29I was the one
48:30who put them on.
48:32Before the door closed,
48:34I heard his
48:35respressed sobs.
48:37At the end of the corridor,
48:39Mia stood there.
48:40Being after released
48:42on bail,
48:43she had become.
48:44The first thing
48:45she said was,
48:47The child is gone.
48:49I said nothing.
48:51She smiled bitterly.
48:53The doctor said
48:54my body and stress
48:55were both problems.
48:57Ava,
48:57are you satisfied?
48:58I looked at her.
48:59What do you want me to say?
49:01Congratulations?
49:02Or sorry?
49:03Mia's tears fell.
49:05Can we really never go back?
49:07I asked.
49:08When you and Ryan
49:09went to Las Vegas
49:10to register,
49:11did you think about that question?
49:13She covered her face.
49:14I regret it.
49:16Regret is your business.
49:18Forgiveness
49:19is not my obligation.
49:21Mia raised her head,
49:22the last trace of resentment
49:24in her eyes.
49:26If that knife
49:27in the parking spot
49:28had not hit you,
49:29would we be different?
49:30I looked at her
49:31and finally smiled.
49:35Yes.
49:36I said,
49:37if that knife
49:37had not hit me,
49:38perhaps I would have seen you
49:40much earlier.
49:41She froze where she stood.
49:44My future self
49:46whispered in the earphones.
49:48This time,
49:49we did not hurt for her.
49:50Half a year later,
49:52Ryan accepted a plea deal.
49:54He admitted marriage fraud,
49:56document forgery,
49:57and misuse of company resources
49:59in exchange for some charges
50:01being rewashed.
50:03Hall Group erased him completely.
50:06Grace no longer appeared in public.
50:11Mia moved back to New Jersey.
50:13The last thing she sent me
50:15was an email.
50:16Sorry.
50:16Can you forgive me?
50:19I did not reply.
50:21Some people are not looking
50:23for an answer.
50:24She only wanted me
50:26to remember once again
50:27that I had bled for her.
50:30I did not want to bleed anymore.
50:32On the day I received
50:34the civil settlement,
50:35I also received an offer
50:36from a streaming company
50:37in Los Angeles.
50:38The position was
50:39brand strategy director
50:41for global content projects,
50:42and the salary
50:43was triple my old one.
50:45Claire invited me
50:46for drinks and laughed.
50:47That wedding gave me
50:48the biggest story of my career.
50:50Jonathan raised his glass
50:52and taught certain people
50:53not to casually deceive
50:54a woman who backs up evidence.
50:56I clinked glasses
50:57to backups
50:58and to not softening.
51:02Before leaving for the airport,
51:04I returned to my old apartment.
51:05There had once been
51:06Ryan's coffee mug,
51:07the pillow Mia had given me,
51:09and wedding photos
51:10I had believed
51:11belonged to the future.
51:12Now they were all gone.
51:15In the deepest drawer,
51:17only the earphones
51:18my parents left me remained.
51:20When I picked them up,
51:22they lit automatically.
51:24The me from three years later
51:26appeared again.
51:27This time,
51:29her voice was no longer tense
51:30or cold.
51:31Ava,
51:32I whispered,
51:33you are still here.
51:35She laughed.
51:36Almost not.
51:37I sat in the empty living room.
51:39What is the new future like?
51:41She said,
51:42you go to Los Angeles.
51:44You do not marry Ryan.
51:45You do not enter
51:46compulsional treatment evaluation.
51:48No one defines you as crazy.
51:50You did well,
51:50I asked.
51:51And you?
51:52I was always your worst ending.
51:54She said,
51:55now that ending is gone,
51:56so I should disappear too.
51:58My throat tightened.
52:04She said softly,
52:05do not thank me.
52:07The earphones were left
52:08by your parents,
52:09but you were the one
52:10who put them on.
52:11You were the one
52:12who did not take them off.
52:14You were also the one
52:15who walked out
52:15step by step.
52:18After you disappear,
52:20where will you go?
52:20She was silent for a moment,
52:22then smiled lightly.
52:24Maybe I will become a sentence
52:25you remember sometimes.
52:27Do not look back.
52:27Do not make excuses
52:29for people who hurt you.
52:30Do not hand them
52:31your collapse as evidence.
52:35The boarding announcement sounded.
52:37I was already at the airport.
52:39I took off the earphones
52:40and held them in my palm
52:41for a long time.
52:43They were the last thing
52:44my parents left me
52:45and their final way
52:46of protecting me.
52:47I did not throw them
52:48in the trash.
52:48I placed them
52:50in the deepest pocket
52:51of my carry-on bag.
52:53My future self
52:54said one last time,
52:56Ava, move forward.
52:59Okay.
53:00The light on the earphones
53:02went out.
53:05The world finally
53:06became quiet.
53:08When the plane rushed
53:09into the clouds,
53:10New York's lights
53:12shrank with me
53:12into a golden net.
53:14I had once thought
53:15that losing my fiancé
53:16and my best friend
53:17would leave me with nothing.
53:18Only later did I understand
53:19that it was not loss.
53:21It was clearing the room.
53:22After they left my life,
53:23I finally heard
53:24my own voice.
53:26If I could go back
53:27to the wedding,
53:28back to the version
53:29of myself who was
53:30about to say I do,
53:31wearing my parents'
53:32keepsake and trembling,
53:34I would tell her,
53:35Do not be afraid.
53:36You have not been
53:37abandoned by fate.
53:38You were caught
53:39by your future self.
53:40From that day on,
53:41I no longer waited
53:42for anyone to save me.
53:44Because with my own hands,
53:46I had already saved
53:47my three years later self
53:49back from hell.
53:49I love you.
53:51You
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