Chapter Quote:
"Sometimes the loudest truth is the one wrapped in the quietest lie." — Unknown
SCENE: INTERIOR – NINA'S APARTMENT – NIGHT
Lights dim. An amber hue from the city flickers across the blinds. Nina sits at her desk, the torn note from earlier now flattened beneath a glass of wine.
NINA (internal monologue)
(voice trembling, almost afraid to admit it)
He said… the girl is among us. Me. Zara. Amara. But it's more than that. His eyes didn't just scan us — they searched.
For what? For someone familiar? Or someone forgotten?
No… It's not just about who he loves anymore.
It's about who he doesn't want to love… and why.
She runs her fingers through her hair, restless. Her laptop glows faintly. A tab is open to a genealogy search engine. She hesitates… then slams it shut.
NINA
"No. I'm not going to chase ghosts."
SCENE: EXTERIOR – AMARA'S BALCONY – SAME NIGHT
The wind whistles softly. Amara leans on the railing, arms crossed, her phone screen lit with Leo's last message.
AMARA (internal monologue)
He was going to tell us the truth. But he didn't.
Instead, he gave us riddles. Memories. Fears. And a girl who might not even exist.
But if she does? If she's one of us?
She sighs. Her voice suddenly sharpens with self-directed scorn.
AMARA
"Why do I feel guilty… like I already know?"
A knock on her door interrupts the silence.
AMARA (startled)
"Leo?"
She opens it. No one's there. Just the empty hallway. But taped to the floor: a photo. Blurry. A woman and a child. Dated 1999.
SCENE: INTERIOR – ZARA'S ROOM – EARLY MORNING
Zara is curled up with a sketchbook. She's drawn Leo's face over and over, but each one morphs — one with tears, another angry, the next hollow-eyed.
ZARA (talking aloud to herself)
"Do I even know who you are anymore?"
Her phone buzzes. A voice memo from Leo.
LEO (voice only)
(quiet, hesitant, recorded at 3:12 AM)
"I'm sorry, Zara. You deserved an answer long before now. I just didn't know… who I was supposed to be to you. Or to her. Or to myself."
Zara stares at the screen, not breathing.
ZARA (softly)
"You're not just losing yourself, Leo. You're unraveling all of us with you."
SCENE: FLASHBACK – INTERIOR – UNKNOWN WOMAN'S ROOM – NIGHT (1999)
The woman from the photo. Long dark hair. She's holding a baby, weeping.
WOMAN (writing)
"You don't know me, but I once loved your father. I left because I feared what the truth would do to you…"
She seals the note. She turns to the child.
WOMAN
"I hope he never finds you. Or worse… falls in love with you."
Lightning cracks outside. Cut to black.
SCENE: INTERIOR – LEO'S ROOM – PRESENT DAY – 7:00 AM
Leo lies awake, the paper still on his desk. His eyes are red. A soft knock on the door. He doesn't move.
LEO (internal monologue)
I asked them: Do you love me, or who you think I am?
I didn't ask it for their answers. I asked it because I don't know mine.
There's a girl. She's among them. She's the reason my father's voice lives inside a letter and not in my memory.
And if I love her… it will ruin everything.
He gets up, walks to the mirror, and whispers to his reflection:
LEO
"Who are you in love with, Leo? The girl… or the ghost of who she might be?"
FADES OUT