When Jake first sees Emily at a theater performance, he just knows that he has to get to know her better. But Emily’s parents disapprove of their careers, claiming that an aspiring actress and a scriptwriter have no future. It’s only later, after the couple are married, that the parents try to pay Jake off.

“I’m Jake,” I said, feeling my heart pound in my chest. “You were incredible there.”

“Thank you,” she replied with a warm smile that reached her eyes. “I’m Emily.”

From that evening, we became inseparable. Emily, an aspiring actress, and I, a budding scriptwriter, bonded over our shared dreams.

“They’re very stuck in their ways,” Em said one day as she was cooking.

“I told them to keep away,” Emily said when we were walking along the beach one evening.

Months passed, and Em and I built a life together. We went through her lines together before auditions, and I read out my writing for her whenever I was working on something new.

“That night, I returned home to Em, needing to tell her everything.”

“I met with your parents tonight,” I began, watching her expression change. “They offered me money to divorce you. They want me to tell you that I cheated and then leave you.”

“Yes. We’re going to expose their manipulation,” I said. “We’ll show them that love and creativity can’t be bought or controlled.”

As the ending scene arrived, Emily appeared on screen. The real Emily, not the actress who had been playing her. She looked into the camera, her eyes full of emotion, and began to speak. “This is our story,” she said. “Jake and I never divorced. We’ve been together through all of this. We devised this plan to expose the truth.”