THE MARKS ON HIS NECK

SCENE 1 — HOTEL ROOM — NIGHT

Rain taps softly against the hotel window.

The room is quiet, illuminated by the warm glow of a bedside lamp. BROOKE sits on the edge of the bed, looking calmer than she has in days.

Across from her, ISAIAH watches her carefully.

For a moment, there is no arguing.

No accusations.

No Cameron.

No Mariah.

Just the two of them.

Isaiah sits beside Brooke.

ISAIAH
I feel like we haven’t had a normal night together in forever.

Brooke gives him a small smile.

BROOKE
Maybe because everything between us has been complicated lately.

Isaiah nods.

He reaches for her hand.

Brooke allows him to hold it.

For a few moments, they simply sit together, remembering what things used to feel like.

Isaiah leans closer and kisses Brooke.

Brooke is surprised, but she doesn’t immediately pull away.

For a brief moment, she believes they might actually be finding their way back to each other.

Then Isaiah tries to move the relationship further.

Brooke immediately pulls back.

Her expression becomes serious.

BROOKE
Isaiah, no.

Isaiah looks confused.

ISAIAH
Why?

BROOKE
Because I’m not comfortable with that.

She moves slightly farther away.

BROOKE
I said no. I need you to respect that.

Isaiah’s expression changes.

His disappointment turns into frustration.

ISAIAH
So you can be with Cameron, but when I ask you for something, suddenly you don’t want to?

Brooke stares at him.

She cannot believe what she just heard.

BROOKE
What does Cameron have to do with this?

Isaiah stands and begins pacing.

ISAIAH
You know exactly what I’m talking about.

BROOKE
No, I don’t.

ISAIAH
Sometimes I wonder if you actually care about me anymore.

Brooke stands too.

BROOKE
You don’t get to accuse me just because I told you no.

Isaiah looks toward her.

ISAIAH
That’s not what I’m doing.

BROOKE
It is exactly what you’re doing.

A tense silence fills the room.

Brooke’s eyes become emotional, but she refuses to look away.

BROOKE
Being with someone doesn’t mean they owe you anything.

Isaiah becomes quiet.

Her words clearly hit him.

BROOKE
If I say I’m not comfortable, you should respect that instead of making me feel guilty.

Isaiah looks down.

But his frustration returns.

ISAIAH
I just want to know that you’re serious about me.

BROOKE
Then talk to me. Don’t accuse me.

Neither of them speaks.

The argument has changed everything.

SCENE 2 — THE SECRET

Isaiah sits alone for a moment.

His expression reveals something Brooke doesn’t know.

There is a secret he has been keeping from her.

The previous day, MARIAH had spent time with Isaiah.

He had never told Brooke.

Instead, he continued behaving as though Brooke was the only person he was focused on.

Brooke knows nothing about Mariah’s involvement.

Isaiah looks toward Brooke.

For a second, guilt crosses his face.

Brooke doesn’t notice.

SCENE 3 — HOTEL ROOM — LATER THAT NIGHT

The argument slowly fades.

Neither Brooke nor Isaiah wants to continue fighting.

Brooke sits quietly near the window.

Isaiah remains across the room.

The distance between them feels larger than the physical space.

ISAIAH
I don’t want us to keep fighting.

Brooke takes a breath.

BROOKE
Neither do I.

ISAIAH
Can we just forget tonight?

Brooke looks at him.

BROOKE
We can try.

Isaiah nods.

The room becomes quiet again.

But Brooke’s mind is still filled with questions.

She wonders why Isaiah became so angry.

She wonders why Cameron’s name suddenly became part of their argument.

And she wonders whether Isaiah is hiding something from her.

SCENE 4 — THE NEXT DAY — HOTEL LIVING AREA

Morning sunlight fills the room.

The atmosphere is completely different.

Brooke and Isaiah sit together on a sofa.

They appear calmer.

Brooke laughs at something Isaiah says.

Isaiah smiles.

For a few minutes, everything feels normal again.

ISAIAH
See? We can actually have a peaceful conversation.

Brooke smiles.

BROOKE
Don’t ruin it.

Isaiah laughs.

They continue talking.

The tension from the previous night seems to disappear.

Brooke relaxes against the sofa.

Isaiah looks comfortable.

But then Brooke’s eyes move toward his neck.

Her smile slowly disappears.

She notices something.

Brooke leans slightly forward.

Her eyes narrow.

BROOKE
Wait.

Isaiah looks at her.

ISAIAH
What?

Brooke keeps staring.

There are visible marks on his neck.

They do not look like ordinary scratches.

Brooke’s expression changes immediately.

BROOKE
What is that?

Isaiah instinctively touches his neck.

His face becomes uncomfortable.

ISAIAH
What?

BROOKE
Your neck.

Isaiah looks away.

That reaction makes Brooke even more suspicious.

She points toward the marks.

BROOKE
What happened there?

Isaiah tries to remain calm.

ISAIAH
It’s nothing.

Brooke shakes her head.

BROOKE
That doesn’t look like nothing.

Isaiah shifts on the sofa.

Brooke watches him carefully.

BROOKE
Isaiah, look at me.

He slowly turns toward her.

BROOKE
Who left those marks?

Isaiah doesn’t answer.

The room suddenly feels silent.

Brooke’s expression becomes more serious.

BROOKE
Why aren’t you answering me?

Isaiah takes a breath.

ISAIAH
Brooke, you’re misunderstanding what happened.

BROOKE
Then explain it.

Isaiah remains silent.

Brooke looks at his neck again.

Her mind immediately returns to the argument from the night before.

Isaiah had questioned her loyalty.

He had mentioned Cameron.

He had made her feel guilty for setting a boundary.

And now she was sitting beside him, looking at unexplained marks on his neck.

BROOKE
Yesterday, you were questioning me.

Isaiah looks down.

BROOKE
You were accusing me because I told you I wasn’t comfortable.

She shakes her head.

BROOKE
And now you’re sitting here refusing to tell me where those marks came from.

Isaiah finally looks at her.

ISAIAH
It’s not what you think.

BROOKE
Then tell me what it is.

SCENE 5 — QUESTIONS

Brooke moves slightly closer.

Her voice remains controlled, but the hurt in her expression is obvious.

BROOKE
When did this happen?

Isaiah doesn’t respond.

BROOKE
Isaiah.

Nothing.

BROOKE
Who were you with?

Isaiah looks toward the floor.

Brooke notices.

Her suspicion grows.

BROOKE
Why are you avoiding the question?

Isaiah finally speaks.

ISAIAH
I didn’t want to make things worse.

Brooke freezes.

BROOKE
Make what worse?

Isaiah realizes he has said too much.

He looks away again.

Brooke studies his face.

BROOKE
You are hiding something.

ISAIAH
I’m not trying to hurt you.

BROOKE
Then stop hiding things from me.

Isaiah remains silent.

Brooke’s eyes become emotional.

BROOKE
You asked me to be honest with you.

She pauses.

BROOKE
So I’m asking you to give me the same honesty.

Isaiah looks at her.

Neither speaks.

SCENE 6 — THE MEMORY

Brooke’s mind begins replaying the previous few days.

Isaiah’s sudden mood changes.

The strange way he had been behaving.

The questions about Cameron.

The argument in the hotel room.

And now the marks on his neck.

Everything begins connecting in her mind.

Brooke slowly shakes her head.

BROOKE
There was something different about you yesterday.

Isaiah says nothing.

BROOKE
You weren’t acting like yourself.

Isaiah looks nervous.

BROOKE
And now I find this.

She points toward his neck.

BROOKE
You expect me to believe there is nothing behind it?

Isaiah takes a deep breath.

ISAIAH
Brooke, please.

BROOKE
Please what?

Isaiah doesn’t answer.

BROOKE
Please stop asking questions?

She looks directly into his eyes.

BROOKE
Or please don’t discover the truth?

Isaiah’s expression changes.

Brooke notices immediately.

Her heart sinks.

SCENE 7 — THE REVELATION

Brooke suddenly remembers something.

Her eyes widen.

BROOKE
Wait.

Isaiah looks at her.

BROOKE
Yesterday…

She pauses.

BROOKE
You were with someone, weren’t you?

Isaiah says nothing.

Brooke’s voice becomes quieter.

BROOKE
Who was it?

Silence.

She watches Isaiah’s face.

Then another thought enters her mind.

A name.

A person who has been connected to Isaiah before.

BROOKE
Mariah?

Isaiah looks away.

Brooke’s expression completely changes.

She sits back slowly.

BROOKE
It was Mariah.

Isaiah remains silent.

That silence feels like an answer.

Brooke looks devastated.

BROOKE
You were with her yesterday.

Isaiah finally speaks.

ISAIAH
Brooke, let me explain.

BROOKE
You should have told me.

Isaiah tries to move closer.

Brooke raises her hand, stopping him.

BROOKE
No.

She takes a breath.

BROOKE
You don’t get to question my loyalty while keeping secrets from me.

Isaiah looks ashamed.

ISAIAH
I was afraid you’d leave.

Brooke looks at him sadly.

BROOKE
And you thought hiding the truth would make me stay?

Isaiah has no answer.

Brooke stands.

She looks toward the door.

BROOKE
Yesterday, you made me feel guilty for saying no.

She turns back toward him.

BROOKE
Today, I find out you weren’t honest with me.

Isaiah stands.

ISAIAH
Brooke, I never wanted to hurt you.

BROOKE
But you did.

A long silence follows.

Brooke looks at him one last time.

BROOKE
I don’t know what to believe anymore.

She walks toward the door.

Isaiah remains standing beside the sofa.

His secret is no longer a secret.

And Brooke is left with a painful question:

Was Isaiah ever truly being honest with her?

The door slowly closes.

Isaiah stands alone in the quiet room.

FADE OUT.