SCENE 1: THE ANNOUNCEMENT THAT CHANGED EVERYTHING

INT. LARRY AND BETHANY’S HOUSE — DAY. Bethany hoped the trip would give her and Larry a chance to reconnect. Their marriage had been struggling, and their counselor had suggested spending quality time together.

LARRY

Bethany, I need to tell you something about the trip. Brooke is going to come with us, and Purnell is coming too.

Bethany stared at him, unable to believe what she was hearing.

BETHANY

Wait a minute. Did you just say Brooke and Purnell are coming with us? Larry, please tell me you’re joking.

LARRY

What’s the big deal? They’re coming along, and we’re all going to have a good time.

BETHANY

Larry, our marriage counselor specifically recommended this trip so we could get closer to each other. We were supposed to spend time together, work on our problems, and figure out whether we could fix this marriage.

And now you’re bringing Brooke and Purnell? How exactly are we supposed to reconnect when we’re going to be surrounded by other people the entire time?

LARRY

You’re making this into something it doesn’t need to be. Brooke is coming, Purnell is coming, and that’s the end of it.

BETHANY

No, Larry. That’s not the end of it. You don’t get to make every decision without considering how I feel. This is supposed to be our trip, not a family reunion.

LARRY

Here we go again. Every time I try to do something, you find a reason to complain.

BETHANY

I’m complaining because you aren’t listening! We went to counseling because our marriage was in trouble. You begged me to keep trying, and now that we’re finally doing something to help ourselves, you’re turning it into something completely different.

Larry turned away, refusing to acknowledge her point. Then a voice came from the front door.

SCENE 2: PURNELL ARRIVES

INT. LARRY AND BETHANY’S HOUSE — CONTINUOUS. Purnell had arrived, ready to leave immediately.

PURNELL

Larry! You ready? I’m here.

LARRY

What’s up, bro? Come on in.

PURNELL

Everything good? We need to get moving if we’re going to make it on time.

LARRY

Yeah, everything’s good. Just get yourself ready, and we’ll head out.

Bethany stood behind them, feeling increasingly disrespected. Neither man seemed concerned about the reason for the trip.

BETHANY

Purnell, do you even know why we’re taking this trip?

PURNELL

What are you talking about?

BETHANY

This trip was supposed to help Larry and me work on our marriage. Our counselor suggested that we spend time alone together, but somehow you’ve managed to become part of the plan.

PURNELL

You need to take that up with Larry. I didn’t force anybody to invite me.

BETHANY

But you had no problem accepting the invitation, did you?

PURNELL

Listen, Bethany, I came here because Larry asked me to come. If you’ve got a problem with that, talk to your husband.

LARRY

That’s enough, Bethany. Don’t start an argument with my brother.

BETHANY

Your brother? Larry, that’s all you seem to care about! You can listen to him, make plans with him, and defend him every single time, but when it comes to your wife, suddenly I’m the problem!

LARRY

Watch how you talk to me.

BETHANY

Or what? You’re going to tell me I have no right to speak in my own house?

Bethany’s anger had been building for too long. She turned toward Purnell, ready to confront him directly.

SCENE 3: BETHANY CONFRONTS PURNELL

INT. LARRY AND BETHANY’S HOUSE — MOMENTS LATER. Bethany grabbed Purnell by the collar before Larry could stop her.

BETHANY

Purnell, aren’t you ashamed of yourself?

PURNELL

Get your hands off me!

BETHANY

Not until you hear what I have to say! You still haven’t managed to put your own family situation together, and now you’re getting involved in mine!

PURNELL

You don’t know anything about my life, so don’t stand there acting like you do!

BETHANY

Then explain it! Where is your wife? Where is your child? Have you even taken responsibility for your own family? Or are you too busy involving yourself in everybody else’s problems?

Purnell’s face tightened with anger.

PURNELL

You better be careful what comes out of your mouth.

BETHANY

Why? Because the truth hurts? You don’t seem to care whether your presence creates problems for other people. You’re perfectly happy to come between a husband and wife as long as you get what you want!

LARRY

Bethany! Let him go!

She released Purnell but continued speaking.

BETHANY

And another thing, Purnell. I don’t trust you. You act like you’re everybody’s friend, but I believe you can be bought with money. You’re willing to go along with anything as long as somebody offers you something in return.

PURNELL

You have completely lost your mind!

BETHANY

No, I’ve finally opened my eyes! You and Larry can take this trip if you want, but don’t pretend it’s going to help my marriage. How can I build a relationship with my husband when he keeps choosing everybody else over me?

LARRY

That’s it! You are not going to stand here and disrespect my brother!

BETHANY

Your brother is not the only person in this house who deserves respect, Larry! I’m your wife! What about me?

For a moment, nobody spoke. Then Larry’s expression changed. His pride and loyalty to Purnell took over, and he stopped listening to Bethany’s side.

SCENE 4: THE ARGUMENT TURNS VIOLENT

INT. LARRY AND BETHANY’S HOUSE — CONTINUOUS. Larry looked toward Purnell, who was still visibly angry.

LARRY

Bro, don’t even listen to her. She thinks she can talk to anybody any kind of way.

PURNELL

I’m not about to let her disrespect me like that.

Bethany took a step backward as the two men moved away from her.

BETHANY

Larry, stop. I said what I had to say. Just let this go.

Larry and Purnell grabbed hockey sticks that were nearby and turned toward Bethany. Her expression changed instantly.

BETHANY

Larry, what are you doing? Put that down!

LARRY

Now you’re scared? You had plenty to say when you were running your mouth about my brother!

BETHANY

I wasn’t trying to hurt anybody! I was angry, and I shouldn’t have grabbed him. But please, don’t do this!

PURNELL

You should have thought about that before you started disrespecting me.

Bethany raised her hands defensively, trying to keep her distance from both men.

BETHANY

Please! I made a mistake! I’m sorry! Just put the sticks down!

LARRY

Who do you think you are to talk about my brother like that? Do you know what that man means to me?

BETHANY

Larry, you’re my husband! I’m the woman who is supposed to be building a life with you! Why can’t you understand that I’m hurt?

LARRY

My brother is my backbone! He has stood beside me when I needed him, and I will never let anybody disrespect him!

BETHANY

And what about the promises you made to me? What happened to protecting our marriage?

For a brief moment, Larry hesitated. Bethany hoped the man she had married would come through.

BETHANY

Larry, please. Think about what you’re doing. We can talk about this. We can call the counselor. We can fix this without anybody getting hurt.

But the moment passed. The confrontation escalated, and Larry and Purnell attacked Bethany with the hockey sticks. She screamed and tried desperately to protect herself.

BETHANY

Stop! Please, stop! I can’t take this anymore!

Eventually, the violence stopped. Larry and Purnell stood over Bethany, who was badly hurt and struggling to recover. The argument had become something far more serious.

SCENE 5: LARRY MAKES HIS FINAL WARNING

INT. LARRY AND BETHANY’S HOUSE — MOMENTS LATER. Bethany looked up at Larry, tears running down her face.

BETHANY

How could you do this to me? I’m your wife, Larry. I never thought you would treat me like this.

LARRY

Maybe now you’ll understand that you can’t say whatever you want about my family.

BETHANY

I was trying to save our marriage! I wanted us to spend time together because I thought you still cared about me!

LARRY

And I told you to leave my brother alone!

BETHANY

You cared more about defending him than you cared about whether I was safe!

Purnell stood nearby, saying nothing. Bethany struggled to move, wincing in pain.

BETHANY

I can’t believe this is happening. I can’t believe the man I married would let things go this far.

LARRY

The trip is canceled. Nobody is going anywhere until this mess is dealt with.

BETHANY

You think canceling the trip is the biggest problem here? Look at what you’ve done!

Larry did not respond. The trip meant to repair their marriage had been destroyed before it even began, and Bethany was the one paying the price.

SCENE 6: BETHANY IS RUSHED TO THE HOSPITAL

INT. HOSPITAL EMERGENCY DEPARTMENT — LATER. Bethany was taken to the hospital for urgent medical treatment. Staff assessed her injuries and began treating her while she struggled to understand how everything had changed so quickly.

NURSE

Bethany, you’re at the hospital now. We’re going to take care of you. I need you to stay as calm as you can while the doctors examine you.

BETHANY

I just want to understand why he did this. He was supposed to be my husband.

NURSE

Right now, your safety and recovery are what matter most. We’ll make sure you receive the care you need.

Bethany turned toward the window, tears slipping down her cheeks. She remembered the hope she had felt when the counselor first suggested the trip.

BETHANY

I tried to tell him how I felt. I just wanted him to listen to me.

BETHANY

Was I wrong to ask my own husband to put our marriage first?

The nurse gently reassured her that she deserved to be safe and treated with respect. As Bethany continued receiving treatment, questions remained unanswered. Could she ever trust Larry again? Could their marriage survive? Would Larry take responsibility for his actions?

SCENE 7: THE SILENCE AFTER THE STORM

INT. LARRY AND BETHANY’S HOUSE — EVENING. Larry sat in the living room, staring at his phone. The bags were still packed, but the excitement surrounding the trip had disappeared.

PURNELL

So, what happens now?

LARRY

I don’t know, bro. Everything got out of hand.

PURNELL

She shouldn’t have said those things about me.

LARRY

I know. But this has become bigger than the argument. Bethany is in the hospital.

PURNELL

You think she’s going to forgive you?

Larry remembered Bethany begging him to put the hockey stick down. For the first time, he could not convince himself that he had simply been defending his brother.

LARRY

I don’t know what she’s going to do.

PURNELL

You know I’ve always had your back.

LARRY

That’s exactly why I defended you. You’re my brother, and you’ve always been there for me.

PURNELL

Then don’t let this come between us.

Larry remained silent. He had insisted that Purnell was his backbone, but he had failed to consider whether loyalty meant supporting every action—or recognizing when someone was wrong.

Suddenly, Larry’s phone rang. The caller ID showed the hospital.

LARRY

Hello? This is Larry.

A medical professional spoke on the other end. Larry listened without interrupting, and his face gradually lost its color.

LARRY

Wait. What do you mean? Can you explain