The only honest thing you did was worship me.

THALIA

Alex, please… I can’t go on without you. You have to—

ALEX

I have to what? Are you giving me a choice, or an ultimatum?

Thalia raises the syringe to her arm’s puffed-out vein.

THALIA

I’ll inject this so I can stop thinking about you.

ALEX

How tragic. What cocktail have you chosen to taunt me with?

THALIA

Procainamide.

ALEX

How appropriate. Something to stop that little heart from beating with so much love.

Taking her hand, Alex gently leads Thalia from the diving board.

ALEX (CONT’D)

Thalia, you’re not doing this. You’re confused and tired. You just need to sleep.

Her shoulders slump and she surrenders the syringe into his hand.

Alex pulls her into a kiss and holds the syringe at her neck.

ALEX (CONT’D)

(Between kisses)

Now, I want you to go home and rest. We can talk about this with a straight head tomorrow, alright?

Alex tosses the syringe in a nearby flower bed.

He grabs her breast and kisses her again, roughly.

Thalia’s eyes close, but Alex’s remain open as he kisses her, watching Drew retrieving the syringe from the flower bed.

He signals to Drew to remove her once again.

Drew escorts Thalia out of Alex’s arms and leads her around the house.

Alex pulls off his shorts, climbs the diving board, and dives into the pool. He tilts his head back and looks up into the star-filled sky, focusing on the moon.

ALEX (CONT’D)

You do make us all a little crazy in your fullness, don’t you?

Moonlight dances on the water.

INT. UPSTAIRS HALLWAY—NIGHT

BLACK SILK sways as Alex walks down the dimly lit hallway.

He is wearing a black silk robe and drying his hair with a towel.

INT. ALEX’S BEDROOM—NIGHT

JAKE & MARC are still strung up in chains. They turn at the sound of Alex entering the room and struggle to pull free.

They try to yell but it’s futile, as ball gags have been fitted neatly into their open jaws.

Alex saunters over and lifts their chins, tilting their bruised faces back and forth.

ALEX

Pity. Our last playtime left a few marks.

He walks behind the men and casually removes their blindfolds as he holds court.

ALEX (CONT’D)

You’re a very modern couple. I get that. What I don’t understand is why, if you supposedly love each other, you’re still always seeking to play with others.

He lets some of the slack in the chain out, which makes the men hang forward at a forty-five-degree angle.

ALEX (CONT’D)

My only conclusion is that neither of you has been or ever can be fully satisfied by the other. That in turn leads me to believe that an ideal form of love may not exist, and therefore I may never find it.