MR. NEWBURGER CONFRONTS LARRY OVER BETHANY’S DIVORCE
INT. MR. NEWBURGER’S HOUSE – LIVING ROOM – EVENING
The front door slowly opens. Bethany steps inside, crying uncontrollably.
Her hands are shaking as she clutches a set of divorce papers against her chest.
Mr. Newburger looks up from his chair. The moment he sees his daughter’s
devastated face, his expression changes. He immediately stands and walks toward her.
MR. NEWBURGER
Bethany?
Bethany tries to speak, but her voice breaks. She walks toward him and suddenly
breaks down in tears.
MR. NEWBURGER
What happened? Why are you crying like this?
Bethany wipes her tears, but more continue to fall. She slowly hands him the papers.
Mr. Newburger looks down at the first page.
MR. NEWBURGER
What are these?
BETHANY
Larry gave them to me.
MR. NEWBURGER
Divorce papers?
Bethany nods slowly. Her face is filled with pain.
BETHANY
Yes. Larry was so angry with me, Dad. I’ve never seen him like that before.
MR. NEWBURGER
Why was he angry?
Bethany looks down at the floor, struggling to explain everything.
BETHANY
Everything that happened with Brooke became too much. Larry blamed me for
everything. He said he couldn’t keep living like this.
Bethany takes a shaky breath.
BETHANY
Then he told me to leave. He kicked me out of the house.
Mr. Newburger’s expression suddenly turns cold. His anger rises as he realizes
that his daughter was not only given divorce papers but also forced to leave her home.
MR. NEWBURGER
He kicked you out?
BETHANY
Yes, Dad. I didn’t know where else to go, so I came here.
Mr. Newburger places the divorce papers on the table. He takes a deep breath,
trying to control his emotions.
MR. NEWBURGER
You did the right thing by coming home.
BETHANY
Dad, please don’t make this worse. I don’t want another fight.
MR. NEWBURGER
I’m not going there to make things worse. I’m going there to make sure Larry
understands something.
BETHANY
What?
MR. NEWBURGER
My daughter is not someone he can simply throw away whenever he’s angry.
Mr. Newburger grabs his jacket and heads toward the door. Bethany follows him anxiously.
BETHANY
Dad, promise me you won’t do anything crazy.
MR. NEWBURGER
I promise I’ll talk to him.
EXT. LARRY’S HOUSE – NIGHT
A car pulls up outside Larry’s house. Mr. Newburger steps out and walks toward
the front door with determination.
He knocks once. There is no answer. He knocks again, harder.
The door finally opens. Larry stands there, surprised to see him.
LARRY
Mr. Newburger? What are you doing here?
MR. NEWBURGER
We need to talk.
LARRY
If this is about Bethany—
MR. NEWBURGER
It is.
Mr. Newburger holds up the divorce papers. Larry’s face becomes tense.
MR. NEWBURGER
You gave my daughter these?
LARRY
Yes.
MR. NEWBURGER
And you threw her out?
LARRY
I didn’t want to hurt her. I was angry, and I needed space.
MR. NEWBURGER
Space? You gave her divorce papers and sent her out of the house!
Larry becomes defensive.
LARRY
You don’t know everything that happened.
MR. NEWBURGER
Then tell me.
LARRY
I’ve been dealing with one problem after another. Every time I think things
are finally getting better, something else happens.
MR. NEWBURGER
That still doesn’t give you the right to destroy my daughter’s life.
Larry looks away, frustrated.
LARRY
Bethany made choices too.
MR. NEWBURGER
And if you’re angry with her, you talk to her. You don’t use divorce papers as a weapon.
The tension between them becomes intense. Mr. Newburger steps closer, grabs Larry
by the collar, and pulls him forward. Larry is startled by the sudden confrontation.
LARRY
Hey! Let go of me!
Mr. Newburger stares directly into Larry’s eyes, furious and protective of his daughter.
MR. NEWBURGER
Listen to me very carefully. You can be angry. You can be frustrated.
You can disagree with Bethany.
MR. NEWBURGER
But if you even think about divorcing her while you’re acting out of anger,
you’re going to have a serious problem with me.
Mr. Newburger releases Larry’s collar. Larry immediately straightens his shirt
and takes a deep breath.
MR. NEWBURGER
I’m warning you, Larry. My daughter came to me crying because of what you did.
LARRY
She was crying?
MR. NEWBURGER
She was devastated.
Larry’s anger begins to disappear. His expression changes as guilt starts to
replace his frustration.
MR. NEWBURGER
You may think you’re punishing her, but you’re hurting everyone around you.
LARRY
I never wanted things to get this far.
MR. NEWBURGER
Then stop them from going further.
A long silence follows. Larry looks down at the divorce papers.
LARRY
I need time.
MR. NEWBURGER
Take your time. But don’t make a permanent decision while you’re angry.
LARRY
I’ll think about it.
MR. NEWBURGER
You better.
INT. MR. NEWBURGER’S HOUSE – LATER THAT NIGHT
Bethany sits quietly on the couch. Her eyes are swollen from crying.
The front door opens, and Mr. Newburger walks inside.
BETHANY
Dad?
MR. NEWBURGER
I talked to Larry.
BETHANY
Did you fight with him?
MR. NEWBURGER
Things got heated, but I made one thing clear. He needs to stop making decisions out of anger.
BETHANY
What if he still wants a divorce?
Mr. Newburger sits beside Bethany and gently takes her hand.
MR. NEWBURGER
Then we’ll deal with it together.
BETHANY
I just wanted my marriage to work.
MR. NEWBURGER
Then don’t lose hope tonight.
Bethany rests her head against her father’s shoulder. He holds her tightly,
silently promising that she will not face the situation alone.
Across town, Larry stands alone in his living room. The divorce papers sit on the table.
He stares at them for a long moment before slowly picking them up.
His anger is gone. Now there is only doubt, regret, and uncertainty.
LARRY
What have I done?
The camera slowly pulls away as Larry continues staring at the divorce papers.
For the first time, he realizes that one decision made in anger could change
Bethany’s life—and his own—forever.
FADE OUT.
FADE OUT.