The room was quiet, illuminated by a soft bedside lamp. Bethany sat beside Larry, watching him with a mixture of affection and frustration.

BETHANY
Larry, can you please tell me what is happening between us? Every time I try to get closer to you, you find another reason to push me away.

LARRY
Bethany, please. I don’t want to argue with you tonight.

Bethany looked at him, desperate for an honest answer. Larry looked away, unable to explain the secret controlling his decisions.

BETHANY
I miss the way we used to be. I miss feeling like you actually wanted to be around me. Why do you keep rejecting me?

LARRY
This isn’t about you being unattractive or doing something wrong. You need to understand that.

BETHANY
Then tell me what is wrong! I deserve the truth.

Larry remained silent. Bethany had no idea that Sharra had already forbidden him from becoming intimate with her.

Larry sat inside his car late at night, staring at his phone. A message appeared on the screen.

SHARRA
Are you coming tonight?

SHARRA — SECOND MESSAGE
Don’t forget what I told you. You know what I said about Bethany.

LARRY WAS REJECTING BETHANY WHILE SECRETLY SPENDING HIS NIGHTS WITH SHARRA.

Sharra opened the door before Larry could knock again. She had expected him.

SHARRA
You’re late. Bethany again?

LARRY
She thinks I’m hiding something. She deserves an explanation.

SHARRA
You’re not going to tell her about us. You promised me.

The following morning, Bethany received a photograph. She opened it and immediately recognized Larry standing outside Sharra’s house.

She enlarged the image and noticed Sharra standing beside him, holding his hand.

BETHANY
What have you been hiding from me, Larry?

For the first time, Bethany began to suspect that Larry’s rejection had a secret explanation.

Bethany confronted Larry at his office and placed the photograph on his desk.

BETHANY
Are you involved with Sharra?

LARRY
She told me not to have that kind of relationship with you. I’ve been seeing her secretly.

BETHANY REALIZED THAT SHARRA HAD BEEN INFLUENCING LARRY’S CHOICES ALL ALONG.

That evening, Sharra handed Larry an old envelope. She warned him that opening it could change everything.

LARRY
Why are you so determined to keep me away from Bethany?

SHARRA
Because I know something about Bethany that you don’t.

Larry opened the envelope. One look at the photograph inside made his face turn pale.

LARRY
No… this can’t be true.

SHARRA
If Bethany discovers what is written in that letter, she will realize that everything she believed about her past was a lie.

Suddenly, Larry’s phone rang. Bethany was calling, and a mysterious man was standing beside her.

WHO WAS THIS MAN, AND WHAT TERRIBLE SECRET CONNECTED HIM TO BETHANY AND SHARRA?