The room is quiet.

Brooke sits on the edge of her bed, scrolling through her phone.

Suddenly, a message pops up.

Her expression changes.

She reads it twice.

Isaiah has been arrested.

Brooke’s heart begins racing.

Isaiah got arrested?

She quickly calls him.

No answer.

She tries again.

Still nothing.

Brooke stands up, grabbing her purse.

Her eyes fill with confusion and worry.

What happened to you, Isaiah?

She immediately heads for the door.

Brooke knows someone who might have the answers.

LACREESHA.

Brooke pulls up outside Lacreesha’s house.

She gets out of the car and walks quickly toward the front door.

She knocks hard.

A moment later, Lacreesha opens the door.

Brooke? What’s wrong?

Where is Isaiah?

Lacreesha pauses.

Her expression becomes serious.

I heard he got arrested.

Yeah…

Why?

Lacreesha looks away.

She knows this conversation is going to hurt Brooke.

Lacreesha, please. Just tell me what happened.

You sure you wanna know?

Yes.

Lacreesha takes a deep breath.

Isaiah got arrested because he was caught in his room with another girl.

Brooke freezes.

For a moment, she doesn’t even blink.

What?

He was caught with a girl in his room.

Brooke’s face drops.

No…

Brooke, I’m sorry.

No. Isaiah wouldn’t do that.

I wish I could tell you something different.

Who was she?

Lacreesha doesn’t answer immediately.

Who was the girl?

I don’t know her like that. But Isaiah was with her in his room when everything happened.

Brooke takes a step backward.

Her anger starts replacing the sadness.

So while I was sitting here thinking something happened to him…

She wipes a tear from her cheek.

…he was with another girl?

Brooke—

Don’t.

Brooke turns around.

Where are you going?

To see him.

She walks away.

Lacreesha watches her leave, worried.

Brooke gets into her car.

She slams the door.

Her hands shake as she starts the engine.

Tears roll down her cheeks.

But she isn’t crying because she misses Isaiah.

She’s crying because she feels betrayed.

I trusted you.

She grips the steering wheel.

I actually trusted you.

Brooke drives away.

Streetlights pass across Brooke’s face.

She keeps replaying Lacreesha’s words in her mind.

“Isaiah was caught with another girl.”

Brooke’s phone rings.

Isaiah’s name appears on the screen.

She stares at it.

The phone keeps ringing.

She finally answers.

Why?

Silence.

Brooke, listen—

No.

Her voice cracks.

You listen.

Brooke, it’s not what you think.

That’s always what people say when they get caught.

I can explain.

You don’t have to explain anything.

She ends the call.

Brooke tosses the phone onto the passenger seat.

Her eyes remain fixed on the road.

Brooke arrives outside the jail.

She parks the car.

For a moment, she sits silently.

She wipes her face.

Then she gets out.

Her expression is no longer emotional.

It’s determined.

Brooke sits alone at a visitation table.

A few moments later, Isaiah is brought into the room.

He looks nervous when he sees her.

Brooke…

I didn’t come because I missed you.

I came because I wanted to hear the truth from you.

I told you, it’s not what—

Stop.

Isaiah becomes silent.

Lacreesha told me.

Isaiah looks down.

That reaction tells Brooke everything.

So it’s true.

Brooke, I messed up.

You did.

But I never wanted to hurt you.

You should’ve thought about that before you brought another girl into your room.

I was stupid.

No.

You made a choice.

Don’t call it a mistake like it just happened to you.

You chose to do it.

Can you forgive me?

Brooke looks at him for a long moment.

She remembers every promise he made.

Every time he told her she was the only girl he wanted.

Every time she defended him.

Her heart breaks again.

I wanted to believe you.

Brooke…

Don’t touch me.

Isaiah lowers his hand.

The room becomes painfully quiet.

We’re done.

Brooke, please.

No.

Don’t leave me like this.

Brooke stands.

You left me long before I walked through that door.

I love you.

I loved you too.

But love isn’t enough when there’s no trust.

I’ll change.

Maybe you will.

But I’m not staying around to find out.

Brooke, please give me another chance.

I came here hoping you would prove everybody wrong.

Instead, you proved them right.

She walks away.

Isaiah watches her leave.

Brooke walks outside.

The cool night air hits her face.

She stops near her car.

For the first time, she allows herself to cry.

Why did you have to do this?

Her phone buzzes.

Another message from Isaiah.

She looks at it.

She doesn’t open it.

Instead, she blocks his number.

Brooke takes a deep breath.

Then she gets into her car.

Brooke sits behind the wheel.

Her eyes are red from crying.

But there’s strength in her expression now.

She starts the car.

I’m not going back.

She drives away from the jail.

The building slowly disappears behind her.

For Brooke, the relationship is over.

The pain is still there.

The memories are still there.

But for the first time, she understands something important.

Sometimes loving someone means knowing when to walk away.

Brooke drives through the city.

The lights reflect across her windshield.

She takes one final look at Isaiah’s old photos on her phone.

Then she deletes them.

One by one.

Her final tear falls.

She puts the phone down.

Her eyes return to the road.

Brooke keeps driving.

Behind her is Isaiah.
Ahead of her is a new chapter.

TO BE CONTINUED…