BETHANY CATCHES JADE BURNING HER FAVORITE DRESS — A FURIOUS FIGHT ERUPTS!

Bethany stopped in the doorway when she noticed smoke rising from the backyard. At first, she thought someone was burning rubbish, but then she recognized the familiar yellow fabric lying near the flames. Her heart dropped as she realized it was her favorite dress, the beautiful outfit she had carefully chosen and treasured for a special occasion. Before she could even process what she was seeing, Jade stepped back from the fire, holding the remaining piece of fabric in her hand.

BETHANY: “Jade! What are you doing? Is that my dress?”

Jade turned around abruptly. Her expression changed when she saw Bethany standing behind her, but instead of apologizing, she tried to hide the fabric behind her back.

JADE: “Bethany, I can explain.”

BETHANY: “Explain what? Why are you burning my clothes? That is my favorite dress! What is wrong with you?”

Bethany rushed closer, staring at the yellow fabric as the flames consumed it. She could hardly believe that someone would deliberately destroy something that belonged to her, especially inside her own home. Jade had always admired the dress whenever Bethany wore it, but Bethany had never imagined that admiration would turn into something so ugly.

BETHANY: “You were looking at this dress yesterday. You kept telling me how beautiful it was. And now you’ve decided to destroy it?”

JADE: “I said I liked it. I never said you were the only person who could wear something like that!”

Bethany stared at her in disbelief.

BETHANY: “What does that even mean? It’s my dress, Jade! You had absolutely no right to touch it!”

Jade threw the last piece of fabric toward the fire, as if she wanted to make sure nothing could be saved. That single action pushed Bethany’s anger beyond what she could control.

BETHANY: “You deliberately burned it! You knew exactly what you were doing!”

JADE: “Maybe you shouldn’t leave your expensive things lying around where everyone can see them!”

Bethany’s mouth fell open. She had expected an excuse, perhaps even a weak apology, but Jade was acting as though Bethany were the one who had done something wrong.

BETHANY: “Are you seriously blaming me for what you just did?”

JADE: “I’m tired of you acting like everything in this house belongs only to you!”

BETHANY: “This dress belongs to me because I bought it! You don’t get to destroy my belongings just because you’re jealous!”

Jade’s face tightened at the accusation.

JADE: “Jealous? You think everything is about you, don’t you? You walk around wearing beautiful clothes, expecting everyone to admire you. I liked that dress, Bethany, and I hated knowing that you would wear it and everybody would compliment you!”

For a moment, Bethany simply stared at her. Jade had finally admitted what Bethany suspected. This had never been an accident. Jade had wanted the dress for herself, and when she couldn’t have it, she had decided that Bethany shouldn’t have it either.

BETHANY: “So you destroyed my dress because you couldn’t stand seeing me wear it?”

JADE: “Believe whatever you want!”

BETHANY: “No, Jade! You’re going to listen to me. You cannot walk into my room, take my things, and destroy them whenever you feel like it!”

Jade tried to walk past her, but Bethany stepped into her path.

JADE: “Move out of my way.”

BETHANY: “Not until you tell me why you thought you could get away with this!”

JADE: “I don’t owe you anything!”

Jade shoved past Bethany’s shoulder. Bethany stumbled a step backward, caught herself, and immediately turned around. Her anger was now mixed with humiliation and disbelief. She had trusted Jade enough to share her home, yet Jade had repaid that trust by deliberately destroying something valuable to her.

BETHANY: “Don’t you dare push me!”

JADE: “Then stop standing in front of me!”

Bethany grabbed Jade’s arm as Jade attempted to leave. Jade pulled away sharply, and the two began arguing over each other, neither willing to back down. In the heat of the confrontation, Bethany struck Jade in anger, and Jade reacted by pushing her away. The argument quickly turned into a physical struggle as both women grabbed at each other and fought to break free.

JADE: “Get your hands off me!”

BETHANY: “You burned my dress! You think you’re just going to walk away?”

JADE: “You’re acting crazy!”

BETHANY: “You haven’t seen crazy yet!”

Bethany lunged forward again, and the two women stumbled against a nearby table. A flower vase toppled to the ground and shattered. Jade tried to escape toward the back door, but Bethany followed her, shouting furiously.

BETHANY: “Look at what you’ve done! You destroyed my property, and now you’re trying to run away like a coward!”

JADE: “Because I don’t want to stand here while you attack me!”

BETHANY: “Then you should have thought about that before you touched my things!”

Jade finally managed to move away from Bethany. She straightened her clothes and looked at her with an expression that was part anger and part disbelief.

JADE: “You really think hitting me is going to bring your dress back?”

Bethany froze for a moment. Her breathing was heavy, and her hands trembled with frustration. She looked toward the dying flames outside, where the last recognizable pieces of her dress had begun to disappear. Jade was right about one thing: nothing Bethany did now could undo what had happened.

But that did not make Jade’s actions any less unforgivable.

BETHANY: “You had so many chances to stop. You could have put the dress down. You could have apologized. Instead, you watched it burn.”

Jade looked away.

BETHANY: “Look at me when I’m talking to you!”

Jade reluctantly raised her eyes.

BETHANY: “I want you to understand something. This wasn’t just about a dress. It’s about respect. You came into my space, took something that wasn’t yours, and destroyed it because you couldn’t handle the fact that I owned something you liked.”

JADE: “You don’t understand how you make people feel.”

BETHANY: “And you think burning my clothes makes you a better person?”

Jade had no immediate answer. For the first time, the confidence she had displayed beside the fire began to disappear. Bethany could see that Jade knew she had crossed a line, even if her pride wouldn’t allow her to admit it.

Then Jade reached for her handbag.

BETHANY: “Where are you going?”

JADE: “I’m leaving before this gets any worse.”

BETHANY: “You’re not going anywhere until we settle this!”

JADE: “You don’t get to control me!”

Jade headed toward the front door. Bethany followed, still furious, demanding that Jade pay for the dress and apologize for what she had done. Neither woman noticed the front door opening until a familiar voice suddenly interrupted them.

LARRY: “What on earth is going on in here?”

Both women turned.

Larry stood in the doorway, looking from the broken vase to Bethany’s furious expression and Jade’s disheveled appearance. His eyes then moved toward the backyard, where a thin trail of smoke was still rising.

LARRY: “Why does it smell like something is burning? And why are you two fighting?”

Bethany immediately pointed toward Jade.

BETHANY: “Ask her! She took my yellow dress and burned it because she wanted it for herself!”

Larry looked at Jade, waiting for her response.

JADE: “That’s not the whole story. Bethany attacked me before she even let me explain!”

BETHANY: “Explain what? You admitted you burned it because you were jealous!”

Larry raised his hand, trying to stop them from shouting over each other.

LARRY: “Both of you, calm down. Jade, did you burn Bethany’s dress?”

Jade hesitated. Her eyes flickered toward Bethany before returning to Larry.

JADE: “I did what I did because I was tired of being treated like I don’t matter in this house.”

Bethany stared at her, stunned by the attempt to change the subject.

BETHANY: “This has nothing to do with being important! You destroyed something that belonged to me!”

Larry’s expression hardened as he waited for Jade to answer the question directly. Jade tightened her grip on her handbag, then looked straight at him.

JADE: “Fine. Yes, I burned the dress. But if you want to know why, Larry, you should ask Bethany what she said to me before you came home.”

Bethany’s anger suddenly gave way to alarm.

BETHANY: “What are you talking about, Jade?”

Jade stepped closer to Larry, her eyes never leaving Bethany’s face.

JADE: “Tell him, Bethany. Tell him what you said when you thought nobody else was listening.”

Larry slowly turned toward his wife.

LARRY: “Bethany, what is she talking about?”

Bethany opened her mouth, but no words came out. Jade had a strange, determined look on her face, as though she had been waiting for this exact moment.

Then Jade reached into her handbag and pulled out her phone.

JADE: “If Bethany refuses to tell you the truth, Larry, I’ll let you hear it for yourself.”

She tapped the screen and held the phone up.

Bethany’s face went pale as she recognized what Jade was about to play.

BETHANY: “Jade, don’t you dare!”

Larry looked between them, his confusion turning into suspicion as Jade pressed the play button. The first sound that came from the phone made Bethany rush forward.

And Larry heard a voice he instantly recognized.

TO BE CONTINUED…