- 18 minutes ago
Category
🎥
Short filmTranscript
00:00Every night before going to sleep, the woman would hang a huge python on the ceiling.
00:03She let the python lick her navel.
00:05This was because her husband wanted her to have a strong-willed child.
00:08But a few days before giving birth, the woman was pushed down the stairs by the vicious stepmother.
00:13The woman thus had a miscarriage.
00:15However, the husband showed no concern at all, because the one he truly loved was another woman.
00:19In despair, the woman decided to leave this home.
00:22Why? Are you blaming me for not punishing Miles?
00:25He's my only child. He's young.
00:27He thinks you tore me and Selina apart, hating you. It's only natural.
00:31Don't overthink it. I truly don't care anymore.
00:34Or do you want me to act like before?
00:35Wail and scream? Get your parents involved?
00:38Give them another excuse to strike my name from the family trust?
00:41Go to sleep. I'm tired.
00:47Nick, the power went out at the mountain villa. I'm so scared. Can you come be with me?
00:52I'm married. Do you really think it's appropriate, calling me out late at night?
00:55I'm sorry, Nick. I'm just... I'm just so frightened.
01:01I need to step out. She's Miles' mother. If something happens to her...
01:05Go ahead. I understand.
01:11Dammit. How could she be this indifferent?
01:14The door clicked shut. I sat up in the darkness. I guess when disappointment finally bottoms out,
01:18the tears just stopped coming. My phone screen lit up. A message from Professor Lin, my PhD advisor
01:23at Cambridge.
01:24The university has approved your doctor application. Your visa should be ready in a month.
01:27I'm thrilled you're returning to academia, but will your husband be on board with this?
01:31Don't worry. I won't have a husband much longer.
01:33My advisor fell silent for a few beats. Then my phone rang.
01:37What's going on? Haven't you been in love with him for years?
01:40I froze. The question dragged me under, deep into the undertow of memory. The walkers and the hearts
01:44were old family friends. My parents, wanderlust addicts, would dump me on Nick whenever they
01:49jetted off to some far-flung corner of the world. Nick always pulled up at the school gates straight
01:52from board meetings. He would lean casually against his sleek, obsidian Maybach, still dressed
01:57in his immaculate bespoke suit. The razor-sharp, lethal contours of his face captured the breathless
02:01attention of everyone walking past the gates. One girl, practically drooling, whispered to me.
02:06Is that, is that your boyfriend? I nearly choked.
02:10I'm not stop making things up. But later, after he'd driven me back to his place,
02:13I couldn't help myself. I poked my head around the door and asked,
02:16Nick, can I marry you someday?
02:20I've never had a crush on you, girl. He snorted, stubbed out his cigarette,
02:24and pinched my cheek, tugging hard. And don't say shit like that. My girlfriend would lose her mind.
02:28Everything inside me went still. It was only at that exact moment that the crushing reality hit
02:32me. Behind the backs of the strict family elders, Nick had been deeply entangled in a fierce,
02:37deeply passionate romance. The woman was a stunning, high-profile influencer. She possessed a fiery,
02:41fiercely proud personality, radiating a vibrant, blinding confidence that I could never match.
02:46So I buried my feelings. Drowned myself in textbooks. I graduated college. Nick went to war with his
02:51parents, stormed out, and married Selena anyway.An oprenup. No blessing. I started my master's.
02:56They had miles. The heart parents finally surrender. Accepted marriage. Moved on. And
03:00then be divorced. After burning down the sky for Selena, Nick was exhausted. Hollowed out. He
03:05agreed to the arranged marriage his parents had been pushing for years. One condition. His new wife
03:09had to take good care of miles. I didn't hesitate. I volunteered. The hearts demand a perfect wife,
03:14and Nick already has a child. That house will eat you alive. Our family doesn't need you to marry
03:19for alliances. Why are you doing this? Because I love him. I never said it out loud. I just looked
03:24at
03:24her. Eyes bright. If I give him and his son everything I have, they'll accept me eventually.
03:29Three years of marriage. Miles hated me. Viscerally. When Nick told him to call me mom,
03:33he threw himself on the floor, thrashing, wailing. She's not my mother! She's the mistress!
03:39She's the evil witch! I don't want her! I could only swallow the humiliation,
03:43desperately comforting myself with the lie that he was just an ignorant, immature child. Hurting,
03:48I would win him over with patience. He's just a kid. It's mine. With love. I poured everything
03:51into that boy. He poured every meal I made straight into the trash. Screamed and sobbed whenever I said
03:55no to junk food. Started telling people at school I was the housekeeper and at Mrs. Hart. Just help.
03:59Once, his teacher called. Miles was not in the campus. My heart was seized. I ran through every
04:04place I could think of. Phone pressed to my ear. Hands shakinji with seconds from calling the police
04:08when Selena's rolled up, hand in hand with Miles. Mommy took me out for a playdate. Why are you acting
04:13like a psycho? I dragged in a breath, forcing the anger down. You could have told me all you had
04:19to
04:19do was let me know. So what? I'd have freaked out! He stuck his tongue out, grinning. Selena, poised as
04:24ever, played peacekeeper. So sorry, Mrs. Hart. I told Nick. He must have forgotten to mention it to
04:29you. Nick had known, and he just let me spiral into panic. Something inside me snapped. The tether of
04:34reason. I yelled at Miles for the first time. Do you think watching me suffer is a game? Do you
04:38have any
04:39idea how terrified I was? Miles froze. Just for a second. And his mouth opened, and out came the
04:44wailing. The kind of scream no one could soothe. Eventually, the hearts were summoned. His
04:48grandparents. They cradled their precious grandson, faces carved from ice, and ordered me to the
04:52reflection room. I refused. They had their security drag me in anyway. The study doors locked. The
04:57lights off. Pitch black. Freezing cold. I have claustrophobia. My chest started caving in. Breathing
05:02turned to shallow gasps. I fumbled at my phone, fingers trembling, and dialed Nick. Nick, please help me.
05:08He paused at the name. A beat along. Baby, for my birthday this year, let's take Miles to Hawaii.
05:13Just the three of us? Nick murmured something back to her. When he finally spoke to me,
05:16his voice was laced with impatience. All right, enough. Stop making a scene. I heard about what
05:20happened to Miles. You were out of line. Stay there and reflect on your behavior. Be good. I'll let you
05:24out when I'm back. He didn't come back that day. The walls closed in. I couldn't breathe. Couldn't think.
05:30Pain tore through my abdomen, sharp, blinding. I pounded on the door until my fists bruised. No one came,
05:34and then the world went black. I woke up in a hospital bed. A doctor told me gently,
05:38carefully, that I'd lost my first child. Nick held me, his voice cracking.
05:42Ella, we'll have another baby. We will. My lips parted, but no sound came out. I wanted to ask
05:48why he'd stayed with Selena instead of coming home. I wanted to ask if he still loved her,
05:52but what came out was, really? Really, I swear. I'll protect our next child with everything I have.
05:58He sounded so sincere, and I was weak. I let myself believe him. The second time I got pregnant,
06:03he was careful. Attentive, he swore he'd never let anyone hurt me. But when the one who hurt me was
06:07Miles, suddenly the promises didn't hold. You only love a child when you love the person who gave them
06:12to you. That truth hit me like a freight train. Even divorced, Nick still loved Selena. He always
06:16would. I was never his partner. I was merely a convenient, low-cost option he settled for when
06:21he grew ex-hostie to live in Mrs. Hart whose sole purpose was to act as an unpaid nanny for
06:25his son.
06:25If it wasn't Selena sitting in the seat, then anyone else in the world could be Mrs. Hart.
06:29I was done. It's time to end it. The next morning, I was up at dawn, packing my things.
06:34There was a time I treated this mansion like a home. Every corner held pieces of many lab notes,
06:38my pressed botanical specimens carefully arranged. Nick used to stumble over my potted plants and
06:42grumble nuisance under his breath. Then, the moment I traveled for a conference, he'd order the
06:46housekeeper to water them on schedule. Those small details seduced me into a dangerous illusion.
06:50Maybe, somewhere beneath the ice, Nick cared. Now I see it for what it was of sentimented reflex.
06:55Clinging to scraps of nothing, desperate to stitch together proof that I was loved,
06:58pathetic. And now that I'm leaving, I'm taking every last trace of me with me.
07:02Ella Walker! Why didn't you make my breakfast? What is this?
07:06Miles's shriek detonated from the living room. I frowned and stepped out. The dining table was a
07:10war zone. Oatmeal pooling on the mahogany. The boy stood there, faced thunder. The housekeeper
07:14cowered beside him, his head bowed. Miles. Basic decency. If you won't call me mom,
07:20you'll address me as Miss Ella. God, you're so annoying! I asked why you didn't make my breakfast!
07:24I glanced at the overturned oatmeal bowl on the table. I'd gotten a goddamn nutritionist
07:29certification for that kind every breakfast calibrated, macro balanced, designed to keep
07:32him healthy. He'd always sneer at it. Drink half. Dump half. I'm too tired. Ask Felina to cook for you.
07:38And I won't be doing it anymore. Ever.
07:41You promised dad you'd take care of me. You can't just stop!
07:44Oh. That was then. But now? Whoever. I'm done.
07:48Being a stepmotherhood is a rigged game. I'd poured lifetimes of patience into Miles playing
07:52his silly games, reading him bedtime stories, killing myself to earn a crumb of affection.
07:56Everyone forgot. I'm a walker. I was raised dotted on, cherished, and coddled. My temper isn't sweet.
08:01I just buried it. Miles had never been on the receiving end of this. Coldness. He froze,
08:05completely disarmed. His eyes reddened. Right then, the front door slung open.
08:09Nick Strode in. Selina at his heels.
08:11Ah! Daddy! Mommy! She's so mean to me! She starved me! She's abusing me!
08:18Mrs. Hart, I step away for one moment and this is how you treat my son?
08:22What can I say? This is my house, not yours.
08:26Ella, you... Forget it. Just rest. Don't leave.
08:29That's who he is. Always taking the path of least resistance.
08:32If it weren't for this father blindly enabling the boy without a shred of justice,
08:36how could Miles have grown into such a tyrannical, arrogant little demon?
08:39Exhaustion washed over me. Not the physical kind. The soul-deep depletion of screaming into a void.
08:44Wordlessly, I turned and walked away. Nick's frown deepened. This wasn't my script.
08:48I now should be red-eyed and trembling, accusing him of blatant favoritism.
08:51Maybe I'm still too frail to fight, he reasoned. He looked down and gave Miles a gentle pat.
08:56I'll say it one more time, son. Ella is my wife. Your mother. You will respect her.
09:01Miles didn't dare talk back to his father. But his fists curled into tight, white-knuckled knots.
09:06Dead of night. A rustling sound threaded through the darkness. I've always been a...
09:09Light sleeper. The noise yanked me awake immediately. I opened my eyes and there he was.
09:13Miles. His young face hovering above me in the thick shadows.
09:16Details smudged, blurry. Something in his hand catching the thin moonlight.
09:20Miles, what are you doing?
09:21This is your fault. Dad yelled at me because of you.
09:25You. You. Once you're ugly, dad won't want you anymore. And I can have my mommy back.
09:37What did you do, Miles?
09:38I didn't. Mom said the water would just make her ugly. She didn't say it would hurt like this.
09:43Nick didn't spare him another glance. He scooped me into his arms and bolted for the garage.
09:48The ambulance siren ripped through the night, somewhere in the jolting chaos.
09:51The doctors worked for what felt like. Hours before the pain was brought to heal.
09:54Burns across my body. Skin ulcerated. Layers up and layers of gauze wrapped around me like a shroud.
09:59Nick sat beside the bed, his jaw clamped tight. I've always been meticulous about my appearance.
10:03Clothes pressed to perfection. Hairstyled with care. I flexed my fingers. Forced my eyes open.
10:08Nick's gaze snapped at me, relief flickering across his face. The first words out of my mouth were ice
10:13water. Selina incited Miles to assault me. I'm pressing charges.
10:17No.
10:17Nick didn't hesitate. The word came out like a door slamming shut.
10:20I just watched him. Silent. He avoided my gaze.
10:23Selina would never do something like this. The kid's just talking nonsense.
10:26I'll deal with Miles when I get home. Set him straight. Don't make a scene.
10:30Push this too far and it won't look good for the walkers either.
10:33There it was. A threat. Thinly veiled. But unmistakable. He was warning me.
10:36My fingers curled into a fist. Then slowly uncurled. A dry laugh scraped its way out of my throat.
10:41I shut my eyes and said nothing. Nick waited. His missus heart wasn't magnanimous.
10:45Selina would never do something like this.
10:46The old Ella would have bristled the moment those words left his mouth.
10:48You just believe Selina over me? Do you still love her?
10:51It had always annoyed him before. Now, he would have gladly soothed my jealousy. But the silence
10:54stretched. I didn't bite. Finally, he couldn't stand it. His voice came out parched.
10:59You have nothing to say?
11:01You's just threatened my family. What would you like me to say?
11:05What's wrong with you?
11:09Nick, don't forget. You're escorting me to the gala this afternoon. Don't leave me hanging.
11:13Just as I thought. She's bound to get upset hearing from Serena. Selina's in the influencer
11:17world. It's brutal. People take advantage. Me accompanying her to the gala is simply a
11:21public warning to keep the wolves at bay. She's not like you. You just take care of the house.
11:25She's out there grinding on her own. It's hard. Don't read into it. But, if you're not feeling
11:29well, I could always-
11:31Go. Don't keep her waiting.
11:34What did you say?
11:35I said go. I want to rest.
11:40Fine. Fine, Ella Walker. Don't regret this.
11:44Wait.
11:46If you want me to stay, just say it. Stop hiding behind-
11:48I was just going to say, you forgot your car keys.
11:51He stood frozen in the doorway. Waiting, hopping, and take it back. I didn't. The silence stretched
11:56mercilessly. Finally, he grabbed the keys from then I'd stand and stormed out. I watched his
12:00silhouette disappear. Placed a hand over my chest. So this is what it feels like. Not caring anymore.
12:04The following days were peaceful. I lay in my hospital bed, quietly recovering inside my
12:09sterile hospital room. Every time the housekeeper called.
12:12Miles is throwing a tantrum. Won't eat. Needs help with his science project.
12:15I had exactly one response.
12:16Call his parents. He's not my concern.
12:19The housekeeper fumbled for words. In the background, through the receiver, I heard it.
12:22A small boy's muffled sobs.
12:24She's still mad at me? I didn't mean it. I didn't know. Why is she so petty?
12:29I hung up. Peace. At last. Until Selena showed up. She swept into the hospital room in a scarlet
12:34dress. Makeup flawless. Carrying a fruit basket like she was attending a garden party. She set
12:38it down. Settled herself into the chair beside my bed. And smiled. That slow, venomous curve.
12:43Mrs. Hart. Must be hell, isn't it? Cooped up in here.
12:48What's it to you? I just feel sorry for you. No career. Hated by the Hart family. Ignored by your
12:55husband. Even the son you poured yourself into. His heart belongs to someone else. Must be
13:01excruciating. Why not just give me back the title of Mrs. Hart? Nick and Miles, they both
13:07prefer me anyway.
13:14Talk to Nick. If he wants to remarry you, I have no objections.
13:18Selena's smile cracked. Her lovely face contorted, poison seeping through the mask.
13:21You honestly think he chews you? Ella Walker, you're delusional. You're nothing but a dog
13:25at his heel. My honesty seemed to enrage her further. Nick will divorce you eventually.
13:29Mark my words.
13:34You want to see who matters more to him? Let me show you. Right now.
13:38A jolt of ice threw my chest. Acrid smoke curled under the door. Then heat. Roaring.
13:42Clawing heat. Voices shrieked from the hallway. Fire. Fire. She set the ward on fire.
13:48We have to get out. Nick. My ankle. I think it's broken.
13:59Don't worry about me. Take your wife. If I don't make it, just tell Miles I went abroad.
14:04Don't let him- Shut up! Don't talk like that!
14:06Ella! Just wait! I'll come right back for you! I promise!
14:09My hand shot out. A reflex and the movement tore across my wounds. A blade of pain sliced
14:13through the fog. My mind went razor sharp. What was I doing? Still expecting Nick to
14:17choose me. No, I couldn't depend on him. Not anymore. I clenched my jaw. Bit down against
14:22the agony. And hurled myself off the bed. My body hit the floor. The bandages split open
14:26wounds. Ripped fresh. White hot pain blinded me. But the smoke was coiling in now. Thick
14:31and black. And I couldn't afford to stop. Couldn't stop. I clawed at the floor with my bare hands
14:35and dragged myself toward the window. Inch by excruciating inch. Down below. Nick finally carried
14:40Selena to safety. The second her feet touched ground, he spun around and lunged toward the
14:44building. A firefighter grabbed him. Arms locked around his chest. The fire's spreading! It's
14:49too dangerous! Names of Nick's forehead gulped. A rage he'd never shown before without him.
14:52My wife is still in there! I need to get her out! Sir, please calm down! Look! At the window!
14:58Nick froze. His head snapped up. A figure wrapped head to toe in gauze was. Struggling through the
15:02window frame. Blood seeping through the bandages. Broken. Desperate. Arrest. It was me.
15:06I didn't glance in his direction. Not once. Without hesitation, I threw myself out my frail
15:10body tumbling through the air like a torn butterfly wing and plunged into the pool on
15:14the ground floor. When I opened my eyes again, I saw the same blank white ceiling. I turned
15:18my head. Nick sat beside me. Staring. His eyes were shot through with red veins. Exhaustion
15:23carved. Deep lines into his face. He hadn't slept. That much was obvious.
15:27I told you to wait for me. Why did you jump? Do you have any idea how close you came
15:31to dying?
15:33I didn't believe you. What did you say? I said I didn't believe you. I didn't believe
15:41you'd come to back for me. And I didn't want to die, so I saved myself. Nick stared at me,
15:47searched my face for something, anything soft. There was. Nothing there. It wasn't like this
15:51before. When Miles tormented me slipped cockroaches into. My water glass I burst into tears and bury
15:56myself in Nick's chest. When the heart elder looked down on me, calling me a barren, useless
16:00womb who couldn't even provide an heir. I'd shoot him a pleading look. Desperate and hopeful. And
16:05when he said, don't be scared. I'll protect you. My eyes will light up. Right. Don't be scared.
16:09Full of trust. When did I stop looking at him that way? Nick couldn't follow that bread. He
16:13didn't dare. He dropped a brittle get some rest and fled out the door like a man running from a
16:17fire
16:18of his own. I welcomed the quiet. I spent several more days in the hospital. Let my body stitch
16:22itself back together. When I finally returned to the villa, I hadn't even crossed the threshold.
16:26Before the sounds hit me. Laughter. Shrieks of joy. Selena was playing with Miles in the living
16:31room. Snack wrappers scattered across the playmats like confetti. The scene of a happy family. My
16:35eyes landed on an open bag of shrimp chips. Miles, you're allergic to shellfish. You can't eat those.
16:40It's a snack, not seafood. Miles's face curdled the instant he saw me. God, you're so annoying.
16:47Nagging about everything. Wish you'd stayed in the hospital for a few more days. Don't worry,
16:52Mrs. Hart. I know how to take care of my son. Right. Her son. I stood there for a long
16:56moment.
16:57Then a bitter, mirthless smile pulled at my lips. I didn't argue. Didn't fight. Just walked upstairs
17:01and slept. Evening. Noise jolted me awake. I went downstairs. And there he was. Miles' face.
17:07Covered in angry red welts. Wailing in the arms of old Madam Hart. Selena and Nick stood to the side.
17:12Both stiff. Both silent. Oh my poor grandson. What heartless, monstrous demon fed you seafood?
17:18Did they not know it could kill you? You! Was it you, Selena? I always knew you were a worthless
17:25tramp. Old Madam Hart rounded on her. Selena's mouth opened. A flash of panic and then her finger
17:30shot toward me. It wasn't me. It was Ella Walker! Ella Walker! Have you lost your mind? Can't birth
17:36your own child so you come after my grandson? It wasn't me. Miles, tell them. Who gave you the chips?
17:43Miles' wails faltered. His had drooped. He couldn't lift his eyes. Go on, sweetheart.
17:47Tell grandma. I'll make it right. Whoever hurt you, I'll skin them alive.
17:51Old Madam Hart kept pushing. Kept prodding. Miles bit. His lip. The pressure finally crushed him.
17:56He looked up at me. The meaning couldn't have. Been clearer. I wasn't surprised. Not really.
18:00Just hollow. Soul tired. A cold, sinking grief. All desires. I truly treated Miles like my own son.
18:07And despite his cruelty, despite everything, the ice had been thawing slowly. I actually believed
18:11once that we could become family.
18:13The living room has security cameras. Check the footage.
18:20What's that supposed to mean? Are you implying my Miles is a liar? Fine! Let's check! I'll
18:25make sure you have no excuse left!
18:27The cameras are broken. Never got fixed.
18:32Ella, when you've done something wrong, you need to own it. You're the one who prepares Miles'
18:36meals. This was clearly your negligence.
18:41I was locked in the dark study. Again. Kneeling on the ice-cold marble floor. A bitter laugh choked
18:45in my throat. I was so incredibly naive. I'd known Nick would protect Selena. I just hadn't realized
18:49he'd go this far framing me. Manufacturing evidence. Erasing the truth like it was nothing. Lost in the
18:54bitter haze, I heard it. A soft, slithering whisper against the floorboards. My eyes blew wide. I stopped
19:00breathing. Didn't move. Didn't blink. And then cold. Wept. Quailing. Wrapping itself around my
19:04cast. Snake. There was a snake in here. Someone put a snake in here. But I couldn't fight it
19:10forever. I bolted upright. Threw myself at the door. And pounded until my fists throbbed.
19:16Help! There's a snake in here! Silence. Nothing. Not a footstep. Not a voice. I ground my teeth.
19:22Scanned the darkness. My eyes landed on a brass paperweight. I grabbed it and swung it in and
19:26the game bashing it against the lock. The skin on. My hands split. Blood slicked my
19:30paws. I didn't stop. I couldn't.
19:36What the hell are you doing? Miles is right there. Is this what you want him to see?
19:43Miles? You know what Miles just told me? He said he felt sorry for Ella Walker.
19:47Said he wanted to apologize to her.
19:51My husband belongs to someone else. And now? Now my son is turning towards her
19:56too.
19:58You're the one who left us.
20:00Yes! I did! I couldn't stand the Hart family back then. All your suffocating rules!
20:05But I regret it now! But you've both got someone else in your hearts now! How? You all said
20:12you'd love me forever! Ella Walker acted like a pathetic, obedient dog at your heels for a
20:18few years that you suddenly can't bear to throw her away?
20:21Fine. I'm in the way. I'll leave. Go find some pretty young boy who actually wants me.
20:33Ella Walker is my wife. But she is only my wife. You're the only one I've ever loved.
20:50Days passed. Nick tried to corner me. To explain. To spin it. I was never there. I locked myself in
20:55my room. Packed. Sorted. Erased every trace. And then Miles slipped through my door. He stood there,
21:00head hanging low. Voice smaller than I'd ever heard.
21:02Auntie Ella. I'm sorry. No need to apologize. Was there something else?
21:13Can you... can you do my mom a favor? Someone took photos of mom and dad. Now the whole internet
21:19is calling her a homewrecker. So could you divorce dad first? Just so mom can clear her name? It would
21:24be a fake divorce. You can remarry right after. No, right. Forget it. You're always clinging to dad.
21:30You want to be my mom so bad. There's no way you'd ever agree to. Okay. What? I said okay.
21:38The divorce certificate came fast. Signatures. Stamps. Done. Selina posted on Instagram
21:43immediate clinic was legally single again. And she was simply reconnecting with her ex-husband.
21:49Mrs. Hart. Thank you so much. Without you, my career would have been destroyed.
21:57Enough, Selina. This is the last time I clean up your mess. Don't come looking for me again.
22:01You took the hit this time. I know that. Don't worry. We'll remarry in a few days. What do you
22:06want?
22:06Name it. I'll make it right. No need. I'm happy I could help Miss Selina.
22:13You've been very... mature lately. If you'd been like this from the start,
22:16Miles wouldn't hate you so much.
22:19And the pack were exploded inward.
22:21Selina!
22:22Ice bloodshot. Wild.
22:23You whore! You said you only loved your fans!
22:27How could you be with someone else?
22:31Nick's pupils contracted.
22:32Run.
22:33He lunged towards Selina. Stealed it into his arm.
22:35Blood sprayed across the table.
22:39More fans were surging.
22:40Nick backed Selina and Bolton for the exit.
22:42We were noticing. Never seen me knocked to the ground.
22:44The fans, frenzied, panicked, started smashing tables when they couldn't catch their prey.
22:49A shard of ceramic flue lodged itself deep in my leg.
22:51I had no idea who had reached Selina's private schedule.
22:53But the alleyway outside the pack was already swarming with a rabid mob of her paparazzi and fans.
22:58I think that's Ella Walker.
22:59Selina said she divorced Nick ages ago but still won't stop throwing herself at him.
23:03Pathetic.
23:04Shameless.
23:06A certain set of judgment sat in my face.
23:08I stumbled. Caught off balance.
23:10Hit the ground hard gravel tearing a gash across my cheek.
23:12The fans froze.
23:13A flash of uncertainty rippled through them.
23:15They were young.
23:16This had gone further than they planned.
23:19Let me leave.
23:19Unless you all want a lawsuit.
23:21That word worked.
23:22They scattered on shore.
23:23Parting just enough for me to limp through.
23:27I hobbled back to the villa.
23:29Nick, Miles, and Selina were already in the living room.
23:32Someone dug up photos of you and Ella together.
23:34They're saying the timeline proves I'm the mistress.
23:36Nick, what do I do?
23:36My career isn't over?
23:39I might as well just die!
23:44Don't talk like that.
23:46I'll release a statement.
23:47Clear your name.
23:48Prove you never broke up our marriage.
23:50And what about Ella Walker?
23:53If you put out that statement, she'll take all the hate.
23:58That's fine.
23:59I'll send her abroad.
24:00Let things cool off.
24:01When it blows over, I'll make it up to her.
24:03Compensate her properly.
24:05Yeah.
24:05She's just a housewife anyway.
24:07A little online hate won't kill her.
24:09It's not like she'll lose anything.
24:10You too.
24:11You're so good to me.
24:13Oh, Mrs. Hart, you're back.
24:17What happened to you?
24:19You look wrecked.
24:24Anyway, we were saying you should take a vacation.
24:26Go abroad for a while.
24:29Okay.
24:29Nick hesitated.
24:30Something flickered behind his eyes.
24:32He walked over, took my hand.
24:33You come back.
24:34I have a gift for you.
24:37Ella, go have fun for a few days.
24:39When you're back, you can do my parent-teacher conference.
24:42A bitter smile tugged at my lips.
24:43This new attitude, this sudden softness, all build on guilt.
24:47I said nothing.
24:47Turn.
24:48Went upstairs.
24:50Next morning.
24:51The airport.
24:52I trashed the ticket Nick had prepared.
24:53Walked straight past his gate.
24:55Headed for another.
24:55I was leaving, yes, but not on his leash.
24:58Not to a vacation, he deranged.
24:59I was going to England.
25:00The plane lifted off.
25:01Punctual.
25:02Surging into the clouds.
25:03I watched the white drift past the window and inhaled.
25:06Slow, filling my lungs to the brim.
25:07Ahead of me.
25:08Open road.
25:09No storms.
25:10No chains.
25:10I was finally free.
25:12Night fell.
25:12Nick sat in his study.
25:14The house felt hollow.
25:15Echoing.
25:15Like someone had scooped out its center.
25:18I really want Ella's cooking.
25:20She hasn't made me anything in forever.
25:24And whose fault is that?
25:25You kept provoking her.
25:26When she's back, you apologize properly.
25:29We'll be a family again.
25:30But for once, he didn't argue.
25:32Sir, the plane...
25:35Mrs. Hart's flight crashed.
25:40What did you say?
25:42Download and watch more on Netshort.
Comments