BETHANY BEGS LARRY NOT TO DIVORCE HER

A Marriage Reaches Its Breaking Point

SCENE 1 — THE QUIET HOUSE

The house is unusually quiet.

Bethany walks slowly through the living room, glancing toward Larry, who is sitting on the couch with his phone in his hand. She takes a deep breath and gathers the courage to approach him.

BETHANY
Larry, what are you doing?

Larry barely looks up.

LARRY
Nothing. Just sitting here.

Bethany smiles softly and sits near him.

BETHANY
Well, since we’re both here alone, I thought maybe we could spend some time together.

Larry looks at her with a serious expression.

LARRY
For what?

Bethany’s smile fades slightly.

BETHANY
Because you’re my husband.

She pauses before continuing.

BETHANY
I feel like we’ve been so distant lately. I just want us to talk, laugh, and remember why we fell in love in the first place.

Larry remains quiet.

Bethany moves a little closer.

BETHANY
I want us to make our relationship stronger. Maybe one day we can even start thinking about having a baby together and building our family.

Larry puts his phone down.

LARRY
Bethany, I don’t want to do this right now.

BETHANY
Do what?

LARRY
Spend time together.

The words hit Bethany harder than she expected.

SCENE 2 — LARRY’S FRUSTRATION

Bethany sits quietly for a moment.

BETHANY
Why are you pushing me away?

Larry stands up and walks toward the other side of the room.

LARRY
Because every time I tell you something, you do what you want anyway.

Bethany slowly stands.

BETHANY
That’s not fair.

Larry turns around.

LARRY
Not fair? I have told you so many times that I feel like you don’t listen to me.

He takes a deep breath.

LARRY
I told you I didn’t want you to get that surgery. You knew exactly how I felt about it.

Bethany looks down.

BETHANY
Larry, I understand that you were against it, but it was still my decision.

Larry shakes his head.

LARRY
And that’s exactly what I’m talking about.

He looks directly at her.

LARRY
You make your decisions, and then afterward you expect me to just act like everything is fine.

Bethany’s eyes begin to water.

BETHANY
I never wanted to hurt you.

LARRY
But you did.

Silence fills the room.

SCENE 3 — THE DIVORCE

Larry walks toward the window. Bethany watches him carefully.

BETHANY
So what are you saying?

Larry doesn’t answer immediately.

Finally, he turns around.

LARRY
I’m saying I don’t think this marriage is working anymore.

BETHANY FREEZES.

BETHANY
What?

LARRY
I don’t want to keep pretending everything is okay.

Bethany takes a step toward him.

BETHANY
Larry, please don’t say that.

LARRY
Bethany, I’ve thought about this.

BETHANY
Are you saying you want a divorce?

Larry looks directly at her.

LARRY: Yes.

Bethany’s breathing becomes shaky.

BETHANY
No… Please don’t tell me that.

LARRY
I want to move on.

Bethany stares at him.

LARRY
I want to be with Lanty again.

Bethany’s eyes fill with tears.

SCENE 4 — BETHANY BREAKS DOWN

Bethany slowly walks toward Larry.

BETHANY
After everything we’ve been through?

Larry doesn’t answer.

BETHANY
You really want to throw our marriage away?

Larry looks down.

LARRY
I don’t know what else to do.

Bethany suddenly drops to her knees.

LARRY
Bethany, get up.

But she doesn’t.

She holds onto his legs, crying.

BETHANY:
Please! I’m sorry!

Her voice breaks.

BETHANY
I’m sorry for not listening to you. I’m sorry for making decisions without thinking about how they would affect you.

BETHANY
Please don’t leave me.

Larry looks away.

SCENE 5 — ONE LAST CHANCE

Bethany continues crying.

BETHANY
You want me to listen to you? Then I will.

Larry looks at her.

BETHANY
You want me to change the way I handle things? I’ll try.

She wipes her tears.

BETHANY: Just please don’t divorce me.

Larry takes a deep breath.

LARRY
Bethany, this isn’t about one argument.

BETHANY
I know.

LARRY
It’s about everything that’s happened between us.

Bethany nods.

BETHANY
Then let me fix it. Give me one more chance.

A long silence follows.

SCENE 6 — LARRY REMEMBERS

Larry sits down on the couch. Bethany remains nearby, still emotional.

Larry looks toward the floor.

Memories of their relationship seem to weigh on him — the arguments, the disagreements, and the moments when they failed to understand each other.

Larry closes his eyes for a moment.

Bethany watches him carefully.

BETHANY
I know I’ve made mistakes.

Larry doesn’t respond.

BETHANY
But I still love you.

Larry finally looks at her.

BETHANY
I don’t want another man. I don’t want another life. I want my husband.

Larry’s expression softens slightly, but he still looks uncertain.

LARRY
You can’t promise me everything will change overnight.

BETHANY
I know.

LARRY
And you can’t just say you’ll listen because you’re scared of losing me.

Bethany nods.

BETHANY
Then I’ll prove it with my actions.

Larry looks at her for several seconds.

SCENE 7 — THE DECISION

The room becomes completely silent.

Bethany waits for Larry’s answer.

Finally, Larry stands and walks toward her.

LARRY
I don’t have an answer for you right now.

Bethany’s heart sinks.

BETHANY
What does that mean?

LARRY
It means I need time.

Bethany nods slowly.

BETHANY
Does that mean you’re still going to divorce me?

Larry looks at her.

LARRY: I haven’t made my final decision.

Bethany takes a shaky breath.

BETHANY
So there’s still a chance?

Larry doesn’t promise anything.

LARRY
There’s a chance.

Bethany begins crying again, but this time the tears are mixed with relief.

BETHANY
Thank you.

Larry walks toward the doorway, then stops.

LARRY
Bethany.

She looks up.

BETHANY
Yes?

LARRY
If you really want to save this marriage, don’t just tell me.

LARRY: Show me.

Bethany nods.

BETHANY
I will.

SCENE 8 — A MARRIAGE ON THE EDGE

Later that night, Bethany sits alone.

She thinks about everything Larry said. For the first time, she realizes that apologizing may not be enough.

She knows she has to rebuild Larry’s trust.

Meanwhile, Larry stands alone in another room, thinking about his future.

His decision isn’t made.

The divorce is still possible.

But Bethany’s emotional plea has made him hesitate.

The future of their marriage now hangs in the balance.

Bethany looks toward the door.

BETHANY
Please don’t give up on us, Larry.

She takes a deep breath.

BETHANY
I’ll show you that I can change.

The camera slowly pulls away from Bethany.

Larry remains somewhere in the house, still uncertain about what comes next.

One marriage.
Two broken hearts.
One final decision that could change everything.

FADE OUT.

THE STORY CONTINUES…

Will Larry give Bethany another chance, or will he move forward with his plans to end their marriage?