Silent Murmur (2025) Movie Script
Helen, I saw the story.
What happened?
It's a long story Margaret.
One that still haunts me every single day.
We have all afternoon my dear, sometimes
sharing it, it helps.
It was Emily, my sweet lively granddaughter.
She was, she was everything to me.
You remember her, don't you?
Of course I remember her.
That infectious laughter, those bright eyes.
Emily was a ray of sunshine.
Yes she was.
But behind that sunshine, there was a
storm brewing and I failed to see it.
Helen, you could not have known.
We all saw her smile, her joy.
Could not have known.
I should have known.
The signs were there.
For a smile, the subtle changes.
She hid so much pain behind that smile.
What happened?
What brought her to this?
It was Ryan.
He was near perfect at first.
Charming, attentive,
but behind closed doors.
That man was a monster.
The things he did to her, the things she endured.
Helen, I'm so sorry.
She tried to protect us to hide the pain.
But the bruises, they were all
cries for help and, and, and.
I didn't listen.
She thought he could change.
She thought that their
love would conquer his demons.
But Margaret, love shouldn't hurt like that.
Love shouldn't leave scars.
No, it should not.
And her story needs to be told to prevent
this from happening to anyone else.
Yes.
Her story will be heard.
Emily's voice will not be silenced, not anymore.
Helen, I never knew she seemed so happy.
Margaret, happiness was a mask.
A mask that she wore to hide the torment.
And I should have seen through it.
Sometimes the brightest
smile hide the darkest secrets.
Well, her story will help others.
We'll make sure that.
It will.
No one should suffer in silence like she did.
It won't, and it will not.
It's all right, Helen, take your time.
Thank you, Margaret.
It's just talking about Emily brings back so
many memories and so much pain.
I understand, but sometimes sharing it,
you can lighten the burden.
Yeah, you're right.
I heard they met at the gym.
He was one of the instructors there.
Ryan?
Yeah, Ryan.
He was so confident.
She was immediately drawn to him.
She thought that she had
found someone who understood her.
And at first, everything seemed perfect.
More than perfect.
They were inseparable.
She'd come home talking about the
adventures and their plans.
It was like she was living in a fairy tale.
Helen, you know, fairy tale often have dark sides.
Yes, they do.
He would be jealous of the
men she talked to, her friends.
At first, she thought it was
sweet that he cared so much.
Jealousy can be a dangerous thing.
Yes, it can.
Yeah, it was subtle at first.
You wanted to know where she was all the
time and who she was with.
Then it escalated.
He started isolating her.
From her friends and from us.
And then she became more
withdrawn and less vibrant.
And nobody noticed it?
Well, we noticed, but we didn't understand.
We thought it was just
stress from work, feeling tired.
We wanted to believe her.
I wanted to believe her.
Helen, she was protecting you in her own way.
Yes, protecting us while she was being destroyed.
All the bruises, the change in plans.
I regret every moment that I didn't push
harder and ask more questions.
She was slipping away right before our eyes.
And her story will open eyes to help
others see the signs that we missed.
Yes, Emily's story will not be in vain.
It will not.
Girl, it will not.
It's okay.
It's okay.
You always say that, but then...
from Ryan, from work, it's just a lot.
It's good to see you as well.
I'm so happy we came together.
Hello, hello.
She come bearing pies.
Yes, I do.
Think it looks delicious.
Margret, you always bring the best pies.
I can't wait to try a slice.
And I cannot wait to see
that smile light up the room.
You always bring such joy, Emily.
You know, who else gonna
keep the party live around here?
Yeah, you know.
We gotta do what we gotta do.
That's my granddaughter.
Always the life of the party.
Okay.
Thank you, thank you.
Yeah, thank you.
Okay, okay, well, there you go.
Thank you, darling.
You're very welcome.
Wow.
Good, doesn't it?
Good.
I like this.
I'm missing some ice cream, but that's okay.
We don't need ice cream, yeah.
You definitely don't need any ice cream.
Yeah, thank you.
I could eat the whole thing, you know.
I know.
You outdid yourself on this.
Thank you.
This is great.
I do need more ice cream, but this works.
Okay.
Thanks for the pie.
I know.
Great job.
Okay, well, thank you.
She really loved this.
If she was here, yes.
I just, you know.
She really is something special, isn't she?
Yes, Margaret.
She had a light that just shines so bright.
I just... Helen, are you all right?
Yeah, yeah, just lost in thought.
Just wish she was here.
Grandma's supposedly taught you this, Dad,
so you got this, right?
Yeah.
You sure?
Yeah. I'm really good at this.
Let's see what we're gonna do.
Yeah.
Okay.
Diving.
A bubble of fish.
See?
Okay, okay.
See, you do that.
I told you.
Okay, let me do something harder,
because that was easy.
That was easy.
Okay.
A bird?
A plane?
Grandma, come help us, please,
because you know, we need your expertise
and wisdom on this thing.
All right, all right.
What gave me y'all a plan now?
Charades, of course.
And you know you're the reigning champion.
I don't know if that's
because you always let me win.
No, don't, Grandma.
See, I told you.
You're just too good.
Okay, but your son?
What happened, Grandma?
I don't know.
All right, you ready?
Learn from the best.
Let's do this again.
Okay.
You don't sit over there.
I don't know, but I just don't want to
knock you out, Grandma, because it's a hard one.
Okay.
Okay.
It's a... Ummmm...
But...
Skier.
A skier? Skier.
Skier.
Yeah.
A ballet.
A bird.
A plane?
Superman.
Yes, yes, yes.
Finally!
Finally, someone gets it.
You know what, okay.
See, Grandma, we need your expertise.
Grandma, we need your expertise.
Okay, okay.
Show us how it's done, because...
You're in for an treat now.
Yeah, definitely.
Here we go.
Get it down.
Soul Train.
I don't even know... All right, break it down now.
Drop it like it's hot, mama.
Come on now.
We forgot it's a game.
Let's see if she loves it,
cause the time is long.
Soul Train.
I said he got it!
Now you wanna get it when girl got here?
Yeah, that's right.
You couldn't get it when I was doing it.
She's my favorite.
All right, yeah, we cheated.
Right, right, ma?
Well, hey, hey.
Must've been what y'all learned.
Yeah, it's okay.
Those whipper snappers don't know anything.
Goodness, that was harsh.
Woo!
She was the heart of the family.
The light that kept us all together.
Helen, and that light would never fade.
She will always be with you in every laugh,
every memory.
She will always be with you.
I wish I had known.
I wish I had seen the darkness
that was stealing her light away.
Hey there.
Could help and notice your form.
You're a natural runner.
Well, thanks.
I've been trying to improve.
A running is my escape from everything.
You're definitely doing a good job.
My name's Ryan, by the way.
I'm one of the trainers here.
Hi, Ryan.
My name is Emily.
Nice to meet you.
So, Mr. Trainer, do you have any advice
on how to become a better runner?
Any tips?
Cause I could use it.
Consistency.
Okay.
Passion.
Looks like you've got both
of those in spades though.
Thank you, thank you.
Well, I'd love to give you
some tips after your run, if you're interested.
Okay, that'll be good.
Thanks.
See you around.
Thanks.
What's up, girl?
Yeah.
Hi down here.
How are you?
Your laugh is so infectious, honestly.
It's lighting up the entire gym.
You know, someone must
keep things lively around here.
Don't mind if I do.
Yeah, but you do it so effortlessly.
So, what do you get into when you're not
dazzling everyone around the gym?
Well, I work at marketing.
Okay.
I'm very busy.
I love it, though.
What about yourself?
How long have you been a trainer for?
A few years now.
Okay.
Why are you looking at me?
Something special about seeing somebody
reach their potential.
Like, the look on someone's face
and they achieve a goal they
never really thought possible.
It's special.
That's amazing.
Must be so rewarding.
It is.
But the reward is getting
to meet someone like you.
You must be a charmer.
Or you're quite the charmer.
You're just trying to charm me.
Is it working?
A little bit.
Well, how about a celebratory smoothie?
My treat.
Now you talk my language.
Come on.
Yeah.
You know, I usually don't take smoothie dates
from guys that just met at the gym.
Glad I could break the mold.
So, tell me, what is it that makes Emily tick?
What makes me happy is my family.
I love them.
Very passionate about them.
Passion.
I love my job.
It's stressful, but I enjoy what I do.
And I'm always looking for a new adventures.
What about yourself?
What about you?
Family's important to me too.
And I'm always down for an adventure.
Life's a little too short
to be stuck in one place, don't you think?
You know, you seem like someone that gets it.
Seem like someone worth
getting to know a bit better.
Whenever Ryan.
Truth or dare?
Sure.
Okay.
You gonna go first?
Do I go first?
Yeah.
Hi, are you from Blue Line Enterprise?
Yeah.
Okay, follow me.
All right.
If we could take a look ahead.
And with this approach,
we project the 35% increase
within the first quarter.
So as you can see, our
focus is to build brand loyalty,
through a personalized experience,
targeting key demographics identified
in your initial market research.
So we developed a
multi-tiered approach to acquisition,
focusing heavily on organic growth
through target content,
marketing and referral programs,
which helps keep costs low.
This is fantastic Emily, but I am curious,
how will you ensure this level of engagement
is sustained beyond the first few months,
especially as market trends shift?
Great question.
We'll be leveraging real-time data analytics
to track customer behavior continuously.
And what about customer acquisition?
How are you planning to scale without increasing
acquisition costs significantly?
So we've developed a multi-tiered
approach to acquisition,
focusing heavily on organic growth.
Honestly, you covered everything
that we were concerned about.
Great work Emily.
And that's what I like to hear.
Emily and her team have worked tirelessly
to ensure that this plan not only meets,
but exceeds expectations.
It's clear you put a lot of thought into this.
We'll definitely be moving forward
with their recommendations.
Looking forward to working with you.
You really nailed it.
We'll be in touch to finalize everything soon.
We look forward to starting
this journey with you guys.
Thank you so much.
Great presentation.
Great presentation Emily.
Thank you.
Thank you so much.
You absolutely nailed it.
Jess.
You worked so hard and it shows.
Well, thanks.
They asked all the right questions.
Thank goodness we had all the answers.
It feels good.
It feels real good.
That was exceptional Emily.
You handled all their questions like a pro
and the way you presented the scalability plan
was spot on.
I couldn't be prouder of how you
represented the team.
Thank you so much.
The team and I work long and hard.
Jess put in long hours, long nights.
Hey.
It paid off and it shows.
Great teamwork.
Thank you.
Now take a moment and enjoy it
before diving into this next project.
Only you.
Thank you so much.
Thank you.
Dinner after work?
Yes, Jess.
Let's go.
Right now.
We coming after you guys.
We're going for drinks.
Yes ma'am.
Hey babe.
Hey.
So I was thinking,
how'd you feel about just
having a couple friends over?
It's been a while.
You know, next week.
Which friends?
You know, the normal regular people.
Jessica, Mike, Sam.
You know, everybody.
Jess?
Yeah.
Jess, why?
She's a bad influence on you.
A bad influence how, Ryan?
She's always around.
Always in our business.
Honestly babe, don't you think it's time
to give up on childish friendships?
That's not fair, Ryan.
Jessica is really important to me
and you know she's like my family.
Family can hold you back too.
I mean, come on.
Don't you see that?
Hold me back, Ryan.
Really?
Hold me back how, Ryan?
By keeping you from focusing on us.
Focusing on our future.
She is constantly filling making you doubt us.
Ryan, that's not true.
Jess is very supportive and she cares about me.
Wow, how is she supportive?
Seriously, how is she supportive?
By constantly needing your attention?
Is that how she's supportive?
You're overreacting.
Wait, no, no, no.
By always being around.
It's just one night with friends.
You're overreacting.
This is too much.
One night?
Are you kidding me?
You are constantly out there,
running behind these people,
leaving me at the house.
That's not fair, Ryan.
I'm allowed to have a life outside of us.
I'm allowed to have friends.
And what about our life?
Seriously.
Ryan?
Is our life not important?
Ryan, let me go.
Why?
You're hurting me.
Let me go.
Sorry.
Just want us to be a priority.
Is that so bad?
That makes me the bad guy?
No, it doesn't.
But it also doesn't mean to cut the
people that I care about.
Cut them out of my life.
Really?
I'm sorry, okay?
But sometimes I get scared of losing you.
Lose me, Ryan?
How?
You will not lose me,
but you have to trust me
and believe that I could balance us both.
I got this.
Okay.
I will.
But I want you to do something for me.
What?
No, Jessica.
Just for a little bit
so that we can focus on us.
Okay, I promise.
Sure, okay.
Listen, babe, I just want what's best for us.
Yeah, I know.
Bring your fine ass here.
Sorry for the late call.
It's okay,
Look at that line right
there, is that what you want?
Perfect.
Okay, who do I send it to?
You can send it to Jess please.
Okay, yeah?
Anything else?
No, you nailed it.
Thank you so much, Tim.
Thank you.
Have a great day.
You too.
Thank you.
Morning, Em.
Brought you your favorite, vanilla latte.
Aw, thanks, Jess, you don't have to.
You look exhausted.
Everything okay?
Yeah, just, I didn't sleep well last night.
There's a lot on my mind.
I mean, is it work, or is it Ryan?
Everything with work's been crazy, as you know.
Things were Ryan, they have been a bit tense.
Tense how?
Is he treating you okay?
Yeah, of course.
You know how relationships can be crazy.
Yeah, well, I'm here if you
wanna talk about anything.
Thanks, thanks, Jess.
I appreciate it, really.
Of course. I do.
I love you. I love you, girl.
Thanks for the latte.
No problem. Have a good day too.
We need to make sure that...
Good morning, Mr. Thompson.
Good morning, Emily.
How's that marketing campaign coming along?
It's coming along.
Just need a little bit more time to
finalize everything.
Is everything okay?
You seemed a little bit off lately.
Yeah, just doing some personal stuff,
but I'll have that
campaign done on time, I promise.
Hey, take care of yourself, Emily.
We all have rough patches.
If you need any help or time off,
just let me know.
Thank you, Mr. Thompson.
I'll be okay.
Hey, hey, hey.
Hey, Mr. Thompson, how you doing, man?
Just the guy I needed to see.
Yes, I need to show you the presentation.
Great.
Get a signal here...
Come on.
Pick up.
You wanna live in California?
Not really, so many forest fires.
Hold on, Dad's calling.
Hey, Dad.
Emily, this is Dad.
My truck broke down and I'm on Highway 77.
Down near the Micro Hotel.
Gosh.
Can you get Ryan to come pick me up?
Okay, let me ask.
Okay, thank you, I'll be waiting for him.
Hey, Dad wants to know if he can pick him up.
My brother's not answering his phone.
Pick him up?
Right now.
Girl, it's 11 o'clock.
But it's my dad.
Listen, I don't really understand
why he decided to call me this late to
come and pick him up.
What?
You told him I'm a chauffeur.
Did I drive Uber?
Ryan, you know it's not like that.
His car broke down.
My brother was supposed to help him.
His phone is off.
This is disrespectful.
Calling me in the middle of the night to do what?
Really, Ryan?
To go and pick up behind him?
Disrespectful, Ryan?
Yes, disrespectful.
Really?
All of this is about respect, Emily.
You know what the problem is?
You and your family love putting your problems
at my doorstep.
My family, my family.
Guess what, Emily?
I'm not doing this.
Watch your mouth, Ryan.
That's my father.
You're blowing this out of proportion.
He doesn't even ask for much.
You know why he doesn't ask for anything?
Because he knows that you
are gonna push me into it.
So why are you acting like this then?
Tell him I'm on the way.
Gosh.
No, they won't know.
It's covered.
So why are you acting like this then?
Okay, we're ready.
We'll just get together.
Okay.
Okay, let's put it together.
Okay.
Emily.
Hello, girl.
How are you?
It's going, it's going.
Nothing, just another busy day.
You know how marketing can be.
Yes.
Hectic, hectic presentation.
Marketing is the best part.
I'm just gonna take a seat.
Yeah, sure.
Come on, how's it been?
It's been pretty good.
Good.
You've been so quiet lately.
I know, just work, you know, life.
Yeah, are you okay?
Yeah, day by day, but it's getting better.
Just a lot of pressure from work.
I get it, you know, with
the quarter coming to an end and everything just
warming and getting new clients
every day, I get it.
It's gonna be okay.
Thank you, Sarah.
Yeah, I appreciate it.
Of course.
Enjoy lunch.
Em, wait.
Hey, what's up?
Before you go, I just wanna ask one more time.
Are you sure of things, okay?
You were late this morning
and you just seemed so different.
Yeah, Ryan's been having a challenge time
and he needs me right now.
It's just been a lot.
Just don't lose yourself in the process, okay?
We miss the old Emily, the one who was
always so full of life.
I know Jess, I miss her too.
We'll find her though, right?
You will, and we're here for you, always.
Thank you so much.
Of course.
Let's go.
She started pulling away.
We all saw it, but we didn't understand.
We thought she was just stressed.
Helen, it's hard to see signs
when they are hidden behind a smile.
It's hard.
I kept thinking.
If only I had done more.
If only I had asked more questions.
Helen, you did what you could.
It's not your fault.
It's not your fault.
This is good, Grandma.
You've outdone yourself again.
Well, I'm glad you like it.
But,
not eating much, is everything all right?
Yeah, just not very hungry tonight.
I'm okay, that's good though.
Been awful quiet lately.
You know you can talk to me about anything, right?
Yeah, just not very hungry tonight.
But it's good though.
If something's bothering you,
we are here to help.
You're gonna have to carry this alone.
No, thanks dad.
I really appreciate it.
But I promise, it's just work.
I'm fine.
Well, stress is one thing.
But, you're a little different,
quieter, and that worries me.
I don't need to worry, Grandma.
I'm fine.
Work's just crazy.
But I'm here, lets enjoy.
So,
how's Ryan?
You haven't mentioned him lately.
He's great.
He's busy with work, you know.
I'm just trying to manage everything.
That's it.
Are you sure he's treating you well?
Of course, Grandma.
Yes, he is.
If you ever want to talk about anything,
we are here to help.
No judgment, just love.
Thank you.
Remember that.
Not alone, and we love you no matter what.
I love you too.
I really do.
You okay, Grandma?
I'm fine, really, I am.
This is good, eat up.
Actually, Dad, can you pass
me a piece of bread, please?
Thank you.
We all sensed that something was wrong,
but she kept insisting she was fine.
I should have seen through it.
Helen, it's hard to see the truth
when someone is determined to hide it.
But I should have said more, did more.
Helen, you loved her, and
sometimes love is not enough.
The break through the wall,
people build up around their pain.
Only one bruise.
He didn't mean it.
He didn't mean it.
I just have to cover it up.
I can cover it up, I can cover it up, I can do it.
Talk.
I couldn't even get a call?
You just gonna treat me like I don't exist?
Ryan, please.
You're gonna ignore me?
I didn't mean to hurt you, I'm sorry.
You didn't mean to. I am so sorry.
That is all you ever say. Ryan, stop!
You don't get to apologize anymore.
Please, stop!
Ryan, stop!
Ryan, no, stop!
You're gonna learn to listen.
You are nothing without... I didn't mean to hurt
you, I'm sorry, please!
Please, Ryan, please.
No, don't, don't.
You think you can defy me?
No.
You think you're strong?
No, Ryan, I just want it to be okay.
I just want things to be okay.
No, please, don't.
I can promise you.
No, Ryan, please, no!
No, no, no!
Ryan, no!
Really, honey?
I love you.
But I love me more.
You will not break me.
But I will build us up.
If you let me.
I saw the bruises, but she always made excuses.
So I wanted to believe her and trust her
that everything was okay.
Helen, it's hard to face the truth
when it's someone you love.
I should have asked more
questions and pushed harder.
Then maybe she would have...
No, you did what you could.
Don't blame yourself for not seeing
what she was determined to hide.
Don't blame yourself.
Emily, I don't know what to say.
Sorry for what happened the other night.
I lost control and I regret
it more than you can imagine.
I don't know if I can believe you.
What you did was so terrifying.
I know.
I don't.
I know, I'm not asking you to forget.
I'm just asking you to understand
that I'm not this person.
That's not who I am.
I just want you to
believe that I can change, babe.
For you, for us.
Well, how can I just,
but how can I believe that's just not
another empty promise?
Because I am willing to do anything for you.
Come here.
I'm seeing a therapist.
Trying to solve some of the problems.
Look, I know I hurt you.
And honestly, that's something
that I'll never forgive myself for.
But I need you to give me a chance
to believe that I can be better.
Ryan, I want to believe you.
I really do.
Every time I see the bruises,
every time I think about what happened.
Emily.
It's just, it's just too hard to see past that.
Look at me.
It really is.
Look at me.
Look at me.
I love you more than anything.
You're my everything.
And I know I've been a monster,
but I want to fight this.
I want to change for you, for us.
Ryan, I've always seen the good in you.
I've always seen the man that you can be,
not just the man that you have been.
It's just, it's so hard to reconcile that.
Baby I want to fight this fear with you.
I want to change.
I want to prove to you that I'm worth the fight.
Just please, Emily.
Don't give up on us.
What if you don't change?
What if things just get worse, Ryan?
Then what?
Then I'll leave.
I'll go.
But I need you to give me the chance to prove
that I'm the man you deserve.
I'll try.
I'll try, Ryan, I guess.
But if you do not change for the better,
if you do not, if you just... I understand.
If things get worse... I understand.
You just don't hurt me again, please.
Please.
I'll accept whatever consequences come.
But baby, I need you to give me that
chance to make a change.
I love you, Ryan.
I really love you.
I love you so much.
Love you too.
But please, please, I beg of you, honey,
please do not make me regret this.
I love you too, Emily.
And I won't.
So, sushi?
I'll think about it.
Wine first.
Cheers. I guess.
Margaret, I wanted so desperately
for things to be better for her.
She believed in him, even
though the signs were there.
Hell, and sometimes love
make us see what we wanna see,
but not what is there.
I should have done more, said more,
but she was so convinced that he could change.
Sometimes believing in someone
is not enough to make them change.
Thank you Margret.
Thank you.
Thank you.
Margaret.
Well, finally, we're gonna come together.
I'm glad we were able to do this.
Great.
Emily, I just gotta say,
you absolutely nailed that last meeting.
Every time I watch you work, girl,
I learn something new.
I promise you, I do.
I'm on, guys.
I really thought we were here to eat.
Not talk about work.
Hello.
I mean, work or not.
Lets face it Em.
You should be a manager, okay?
You should.
How do you do it?
Like, it's amazing.
Guys, you're horrible.
You know, okay.
I'm begging.
No office talk.
I appreciate it.
Okay, we just enjoy.
Can we just eat?
Can we just, you know?
That's it, please.
No board meetings, nothing.
Well, what do you want, Emily?
You gotta give credit to who it's due.
God, you're terrible, Tim.
But, okay.
Hey, I'm just saying, it's the crown of fits.
Exactly, wear it queen Emily!
Hey honey, sorry I was late.
Traffic was crazy.
But I had a good time.
Did you have a good time?
Did you miss me while I was gone?
How are you?
Did you check the time?
Ryan, why?
You know I was out with my friends.
I know the game that you're playing.
Don't pretend that you don't know.
What game, Ryan?
You know what, I'm not even playing the game.
You're overreacting.
Where are you going?
I'm talking to you.
Come back here.
Ryan, stop.
No, no, no, I know you hear me talking to you.
It is actually paranoid.
You better stop ignoring me.
So what?
You just ignore me?
Pretend like I don't exist?
Ryan, please.
Ryan, what?
I'm exhausted.
Can we talk calmly?
Calmly?
You think you deserve calmness for me
after everything you put me through?
Ryan, my love, I'm not trying to hurt you.
Just trying to get through the day.
Get through the day?
Please, please, my love.
So you're caught up in your own damn misery.
That you completely forgot about mine.
Ryan.
What?
Ryan, please.
Where you going?
Where you going?
Stop.
Please, Ryan, stop.
Stop.
You really think you can tell me to stop?
You think you got some kind of control here?
Is that what you're trying to do?
I just want to be safe, Ryan.
I just want to feel safe again.
I don't feel safe.
I gave you everything.
You took everything from me,
and this is how you repay me?
I never wanted to hurt you.
I never wanted anything.
But you did.
You can't keep living like this.
Wow.
I can't.
So you're just gonna leave?
You think it's that easy?
I don't know.
I don't know what to do.
I just...
I just feel so broken.
You are broken.
Get down.
My...
No.
No.
Come on, baby.
Look at you.
You're nothing without me.
My God.
Come on, look at me, look at me.
It's all your fault, baby.
I just so want...
I'm just so lost... Lost?
Lost.
You should've thought about that
before you decided to make
me the villain in your life.
Ryan.
I did not want this.
Ryan, I didn't want any of this.
I didn't want to be scared in my own home.
I didn't want to be this scared person.
You're weak.
You've always been weak and now.
No.
Right?
Now you get to place
blame on me for your weakness.
Ryan, no, that's not the case.
I just wanted us to be happy.
Can't you see that?
I just wanted us to be different.
Different.
Please, please, baby.
It's too late for that.
Get off of me.
It's too late for that now.
You made your choice.
God.
How did it come to this?
You made your choice.
You're gonna learn what it means to be alone.
I don't want to.
No.
How did it come to this?
I don't know who's myself.
After all these years.
I just really believed.
I just really believed.
I really believed that we could be happy.
What do I do?
I just wanted to be happy.
Sorry.
What did I do to deserve this?
I saw her spirit break.
Piece by piece.
She was so lost and so broken.
And I couldn't reach her.
Helen, sometimes despite of our love,
we cannot reach the one we care about the most.
Maybe if I had known I
could have done something.
Anything.
Helen, you did everything you could
with the knowledge you knew.
Don't blame yourself for the
darkness she could not escape.
You look like you could use some tea.
It's been a long time since we had a good chat.
No, thank you, Grandma.
I had tea earlier though.
So,
How's it going?
Been a little distant lately.
I mean, I just.
It's been rough, you know.
Work's just been very stressful.
Yeah, I get that.
Sometimes life just piles up, doesn't it?
But remember, you can talk to me.
I'm here.
Grandma, I don't even know where to start.
It's just so hard to even put in words.
Well, just start wherever you want.
Sometimes saying things
out loud just clears the fog.
I know.
I just been feeling so overwhelmed.
Like, like, like the world is just closing in on me.
I feel so overwhelmed.
Overwhelmed by what, dear?
Everything.
Just feels like I'm drowning
and I can't find a way out.
Just hard trying to just keep everything together.
Sounds like you're carrying a heavy load,
but you don't have to face it alone.
I just, I don't know if I can explain.
It's just, I don't even know
if I can even share, Grandma, honestly.
It's all right.
You don't have to force yourself to say anything
that you're not ready to.
Just by you being here, that's a start.
I just, you know,
I feel like the world is just
falling apart.
My world is falling apart and no one can see it.
And...
I just don't know what's happening, Grandma.
I'm scared.
I don't know what's happening to me.
Scared of what, dear?
You know, you can tell me anything.
I want to help you.
I'm afraid.
I'm afraid that if I tell you,
it would just make it all real, Grandma.
And I don't want you to worry
no more than you already do.
It's okay to be afraid,
but not talking about it won't make it go away.
I know.
I just feel like.
I want to reach out.
I really just don't know how anymore.
You know, you don't have to have all the answers.
Sometimes reaching out is just enough.
And it's all right to share,
even if it's just a little bit at a time.
You're right.
You're right, Grandma.
I just need to figure it out.
I just, okay.
I just need to get it all together,
to figure out how to handle it.
I got this.
That's a start.
And remember, it's all right to lean on others
while you're trying to figure it out.
I needed this.
We'll definitely talk soon.
We will.
Okay.
And I'm here for you,
whenever you're ready.
I'm just so grateful to be
somewhere where I feel safe.
You are safe,
and you are loved.
No matter what.
Thank you.
This is great.
The steak was amazing.
I'm ready for dessert.
Gosh, Ryan.
Surprise!
Gosh, Jess, you really pulled this off.
Everyone, you made it.
And Grandma, look at you.
I can't believe you made it.
Happy birthday, darling, you look gorgeous.
Jess, you're the best.
You know I couldn't let your birthday go by
after the proper celebration.
I know.
What would I do without you?
Gosh, you guys.
Thank you.
Em, you look so gorgeous.
Thank you.
It's well deserved.
Ryan, I hope you don't mind the surprise.
I thought it would be fun.
Sure, just unexpected.
Yeah, I just want her to be happy.
She's like a sister to me, you know?
Yeah.
Her happiness is the only
thing that matters, right?
Have fun.
You too.
What would I do with out you guys?
Hey, man, it looks like a great night.
Yeah, it does.
Jessica can throw party.
She definitely outdid herself with this one.
She did, she did.
I'm gonna go mingle.
All right, fun.
Yeah, it was nice meeting you.
Nice to meet you, man.
You too.
Margaret.
I could sense that she was holding back.
I wanted her to talk,
but I wanted her to find her own way.
Sometimes just being present
is the best support we can offer.
Yeah, I wish I had pushed harder.
Maybe she wouldn't have felt so alone.
Helen, you did the best you could
with the knowledge you knew.
And sometimes that is enough.
Yeah, you're right.
Please, you're right, you're right.
You think it's perfectly fine
to be out with another man in public.
I'm talking.
That's what we're doing now?
Ryan.
What?
It was just coffee with an old friend.
I've known him for years.
There's nothing more to it.
Nothing more to it?
I saw the way he looked at you.
I saw the way you laughed.
What, now I'm blind?
No, but you're overreacting.
Overreacting?
It was innocent, Ryan.
I have told you before about him.
I told you he's like a brother to me.
Like a brother?
It's the oldest trick in the book.
I saw when he touched you.
I saw the look on your face when you smiled back.
So what, now I'm supposed to have amnesia?
I'm supposed to forget?
Ryan, please.
Pretend it didn't happen?
Ryan, please.
What?
It's not what you think.
I was just catching up with an old friend.
I don't understand why you have to make this
a bigger deal than what it is.
A bigger deal than it is.
You don't get to decide how big of a deal it is.
I'm the one that got screwed over.
I'm the one that got pushed aside!
That's not true!
I've been trying to make this work.
I've been trying to be here for you.
I just don't know what it would take for me
to get you to see that.
See what?
That you're running around the town
with other men in public!
Well, I'm sitting on the
couch waiting for you?
Ryan, Ryan, stop.
What?
I'm not with anyone else.
I'm with you, Ryan.
Could you please just listen?
Listen to me.
Listen to me?
Please.
I'm done listening to you, Emily.
Your words mean nothing.
Your actions have shown where your loyalties lie.
Just please, calm down.
Think about what you're doing.
How do you expect me to calm down?
After everything!
Calm down.
Ryan.
You think I can calm down?
Ryan, don't do it!
This is what you wanted, isn't it?
No!
This is what you wanted?
Don't do this!
Stop, please, Ryan!
I'm sorry!
You're okay.
Shut up!
I'm sorry, please stop!
I'm sorry!
No!
Shut up.
Your so beautiful.
I love you, Emily.
That night.
That night was the night everything changed.
Emily was never the same again.
Her spirit was broken and I was powerless to help.
This is hard to hear,
but it's important that her story be told.
I wish I could've done something,
anything to stop it.
Sometimes we cannot change the past,
but we can honor her memory
when making sure her story is told
and others do not suffer in silence.
Miss Evans, can you tell us about.
Emily's relationship with Ryan?
She always seemed so happy with him
and he was charming and attentive.
I never suspected that...
Did she ever mention any problems?
Any signs of distress?
Changes.
Was quieter.
She stopped coming to the family dinners.
I just thought she was stressed.
We found evidence of severe abuse.
Bruises, fractures.
Emily suffered for a very long time.
I should've seen it coming.
I should've asked more questions,
but she kept everything hidden.
She was just so private.
I understand.
I'll be right back.
How did we not see this?
She was in so much pain,
and we didn't even notice.
We should've done something.
Anything!
It's too late now.
She trusted us.
She trusted me.
I should've known.
Miss Evans?
We spoke to Ryan,
and he's being charged with homicide.
We have evidence of the abuse,
and he's confessed to the violence.
I knew he was dangerous,
but I didn't think it would come to this.
I know this is difficult, Miss Evans,
but sometime knowing the truth
can bring a sense of closure.
Closure?
How is that possible?
How do you close a chapter on a life
that's so full of potential.
We will do everything we can
to ensure justice for Emily.
Her story, it won't be forgotten.
It's not about justice.
It's about making sure that no one else
must suffer in silence.
Understand, you can come with me Ms. Evans.
What now?
Well, we are going to
remember her for who she was.
We're gonna tell her story,
and we're gonna make sure that her
suffering was not in vain.
We'll make sure her voice is heard.
We will fight for those who
cannot fight for themselves.
Yes, we will prevent this
from happening to anyone else.
Emily's story will be a beacon of change.
Yes.
And that's how it all ended.
Emily's story was cut short
because we did not see the
signs and we did not listen.
Sometimes even when we try our hardest,
things don't turn out the way we hope.
No, Margaret, I should have done more.
I should have been braver.
I should have been more vigilant.
I should have seen past the smile
and asked the right questions.
Helen, you loved her,
and love can do so much.
We are only human.
We can't predict every tragedy.
No, but we can prevent them.
We can make a difference.
Emily's voice was silenced,
but hers doesn't have to be the only one.
We need to amplify the whispers
that are drowned out by fear.
What are you thinking about doing?
I'm gonna raise awareness.
Gonna start a foundation in Emily's name
where people can get help, speak up, and be heard.
Wow, that is a powerful way to honor her memory
and is something that will help so many others.
I just wanna make sure that no one else
has to suffer in silence.
That's the only way I can find peace.
If Emily's pain can save others,
then her death might mean something.
And it will.
Your resolve is turning this tragedy
into a beacon of hope for others.
You are turning grief into action,
and that is incredibly brave.
I hope so.
I hope her story will inspire others
to seek help, speak up,
and silence the abuse.
Helen, I will be with you every step of the way.
Emily's story will be heard,
and it will make a difference.
Thank you, Margaret.
I don't know if I could
have done this without you.
You're not alone.
We would do this together.
For Emily and for everyone that needs a voice.
For Emily.
And for every voice that's silenced.
It's okay.
It's gonna be all right.
Thank you all for being here tonight.
I know it's not easy to confront
the darker aspects of our lives,
but I stand here because silence is not an option.
My granddaughter, Emily, was full of life.
She had love and dreams,
and a smile that could
brighten up the darkest room.
But behind that smile was a life hidden with pain.
A life taken far too soon
by someone who should have cherished her.
Ryan, the man who claimed to love her,
was a nightmare she could not escape.
He hid behind a mask of charm
while slowly tearing her apart.
She thought that she could fix him.
She thought that love would change him.
But instead,
love became a prison.
So we need to recognize the signs.
They're not always obvious.
They're not always loud.
Sometimes it's the quieter moment.
Sometimes it's the withdrawn smile.
And sometimes it's the bruises hidden by makeup.
Now I'm not here to paint a perfect picture.
But I am here to tell you that
silence is not an option,
and that abuse is all around us.
Emily's voice was a whisper,
a cry that we did not hear until it's too late.
But it doesn't have to end like that.
If you see something, say something.
If you hear something, speak up.
Challenge the perpetrator,
support the victim,
and break the chains of silence.
This tragedy can be a beacon of hope.
We can create a community
where no one has to suffer in silence.
Where every whisper is
heard and every voice is valued.
So tonight, let us stand.
Let us stand with Emily
and everyone whose voice is silenced.
Let us promise to act, to listen,
and never let another story end in the dark.
For Emily, for everyone,
and for a future where
silence is no longer an option.
Thank you.
What happened?
It's a long story Margaret.
One that still haunts me every single day.
We have all afternoon my dear, sometimes
sharing it, it helps.
It was Emily, my sweet lively granddaughter.
She was, she was everything to me.
You remember her, don't you?
Of course I remember her.
That infectious laughter, those bright eyes.
Emily was a ray of sunshine.
Yes she was.
But behind that sunshine, there was a
storm brewing and I failed to see it.
Helen, you could not have known.
We all saw her smile, her joy.
Could not have known.
I should have known.
The signs were there.
For a smile, the subtle changes.
She hid so much pain behind that smile.
What happened?
What brought her to this?
It was Ryan.
He was near perfect at first.
Charming, attentive,
but behind closed doors.
That man was a monster.
The things he did to her, the things she endured.
Helen, I'm so sorry.
She tried to protect us to hide the pain.
But the bruises, they were all
cries for help and, and, and.
I didn't listen.
She thought he could change.
She thought that their
love would conquer his demons.
But Margaret, love shouldn't hurt like that.
Love shouldn't leave scars.
No, it should not.
And her story needs to be told to prevent
this from happening to anyone else.
Yes.
Her story will be heard.
Emily's voice will not be silenced, not anymore.
Helen, I never knew she seemed so happy.
Margaret, happiness was a mask.
A mask that she wore to hide the torment.
And I should have seen through it.
Sometimes the brightest
smile hide the darkest secrets.
Well, her story will help others.
We'll make sure that.
It will.
No one should suffer in silence like she did.
It won't, and it will not.
It's all right, Helen, take your time.
Thank you, Margaret.
It's just talking about Emily brings back so
many memories and so much pain.
I understand, but sometimes sharing it,
you can lighten the burden.
Yeah, you're right.
I heard they met at the gym.
He was one of the instructors there.
Ryan?
Yeah, Ryan.
He was so confident.
She was immediately drawn to him.
She thought that she had
found someone who understood her.
And at first, everything seemed perfect.
More than perfect.
They were inseparable.
She'd come home talking about the
adventures and their plans.
It was like she was living in a fairy tale.
Helen, you know, fairy tale often have dark sides.
Yes, they do.
He would be jealous of the
men she talked to, her friends.
At first, she thought it was
sweet that he cared so much.
Jealousy can be a dangerous thing.
Yes, it can.
Yeah, it was subtle at first.
You wanted to know where she was all the
time and who she was with.
Then it escalated.
He started isolating her.
From her friends and from us.
And then she became more
withdrawn and less vibrant.
And nobody noticed it?
Well, we noticed, but we didn't understand.
We thought it was just
stress from work, feeling tired.
We wanted to believe her.
I wanted to believe her.
Helen, she was protecting you in her own way.
Yes, protecting us while she was being destroyed.
All the bruises, the change in plans.
I regret every moment that I didn't push
harder and ask more questions.
She was slipping away right before our eyes.
And her story will open eyes to help
others see the signs that we missed.
Yes, Emily's story will not be in vain.
It will not.
Girl, it will not.
It's okay.
It's okay.
You always say that, but then...
from Ryan, from work, it's just a lot.
It's good to see you as well.
I'm so happy we came together.
Hello, hello.
She come bearing pies.
Yes, I do.
Think it looks delicious.
Margret, you always bring the best pies.
I can't wait to try a slice.
And I cannot wait to see
that smile light up the room.
You always bring such joy, Emily.
You know, who else gonna
keep the party live around here?
Yeah, you know.
We gotta do what we gotta do.
That's my granddaughter.
Always the life of the party.
Okay.
Thank you, thank you.
Yeah, thank you.
Okay, okay, well, there you go.
Thank you, darling.
You're very welcome.
Wow.
Good, doesn't it?
Good.
I like this.
I'm missing some ice cream, but that's okay.
We don't need ice cream, yeah.
You definitely don't need any ice cream.
Yeah, thank you.
I could eat the whole thing, you know.
I know.
You outdid yourself on this.
Thank you.
This is great.
I do need more ice cream, but this works.
Okay.
Thanks for the pie.
I know.
Great job.
Okay, well, thank you.
She really loved this.
If she was here, yes.
I just, you know.
She really is something special, isn't she?
Yes, Margaret.
She had a light that just shines so bright.
I just... Helen, are you all right?
Yeah, yeah, just lost in thought.
Just wish she was here.
Grandma's supposedly taught you this, Dad,
so you got this, right?
Yeah.
You sure?
Yeah. I'm really good at this.
Let's see what we're gonna do.
Yeah.
Okay.
Diving.
A bubble of fish.
See?
Okay, okay.
See, you do that.
I told you.
Okay, let me do something harder,
because that was easy.
That was easy.
Okay.
A bird?
A plane?
Grandma, come help us, please,
because you know, we need your expertise
and wisdom on this thing.
All right, all right.
What gave me y'all a plan now?
Charades, of course.
And you know you're the reigning champion.
I don't know if that's
because you always let me win.
No, don't, Grandma.
See, I told you.
You're just too good.
Okay, but your son?
What happened, Grandma?
I don't know.
All right, you ready?
Learn from the best.
Let's do this again.
Okay.
You don't sit over there.
I don't know, but I just don't want to
knock you out, Grandma, because it's a hard one.
Okay.
Okay.
It's a... Ummmm...
But...
Skier.
A skier? Skier.
Skier.
Yeah.
A ballet.
A bird.
A plane?
Superman.
Yes, yes, yes.
Finally!
Finally, someone gets it.
You know what, okay.
See, Grandma, we need your expertise.
Grandma, we need your expertise.
Okay, okay.
Show us how it's done, because...
You're in for an treat now.
Yeah, definitely.
Here we go.
Get it down.
Soul Train.
I don't even know... All right, break it down now.
Drop it like it's hot, mama.
Come on now.
We forgot it's a game.
Let's see if she loves it,
cause the time is long.
Soul Train.
I said he got it!
Now you wanna get it when girl got here?
Yeah, that's right.
You couldn't get it when I was doing it.
She's my favorite.
All right, yeah, we cheated.
Right, right, ma?
Well, hey, hey.
Must've been what y'all learned.
Yeah, it's okay.
Those whipper snappers don't know anything.
Goodness, that was harsh.
Woo!
She was the heart of the family.
The light that kept us all together.
Helen, and that light would never fade.
She will always be with you in every laugh,
every memory.
She will always be with you.
I wish I had known.
I wish I had seen the darkness
that was stealing her light away.
Hey there.
Could help and notice your form.
You're a natural runner.
Well, thanks.
I've been trying to improve.
A running is my escape from everything.
You're definitely doing a good job.
My name's Ryan, by the way.
I'm one of the trainers here.
Hi, Ryan.
My name is Emily.
Nice to meet you.
So, Mr. Trainer, do you have any advice
on how to become a better runner?
Any tips?
Cause I could use it.
Consistency.
Okay.
Passion.
Looks like you've got both
of those in spades though.
Thank you, thank you.
Well, I'd love to give you
some tips after your run, if you're interested.
Okay, that'll be good.
Thanks.
See you around.
Thanks.
What's up, girl?
Yeah.
Hi down here.
How are you?
Your laugh is so infectious, honestly.
It's lighting up the entire gym.
You know, someone must
keep things lively around here.
Don't mind if I do.
Yeah, but you do it so effortlessly.
So, what do you get into when you're not
dazzling everyone around the gym?
Well, I work at marketing.
Okay.
I'm very busy.
I love it, though.
What about yourself?
How long have you been a trainer for?
A few years now.
Okay.
Why are you looking at me?
Something special about seeing somebody
reach their potential.
Like, the look on someone's face
and they achieve a goal they
never really thought possible.
It's special.
That's amazing.
Must be so rewarding.
It is.
But the reward is getting
to meet someone like you.
You must be a charmer.
Or you're quite the charmer.
You're just trying to charm me.
Is it working?
A little bit.
Well, how about a celebratory smoothie?
My treat.
Now you talk my language.
Come on.
Yeah.
You know, I usually don't take smoothie dates
from guys that just met at the gym.
Glad I could break the mold.
So, tell me, what is it that makes Emily tick?
What makes me happy is my family.
I love them.
Very passionate about them.
Passion.
I love my job.
It's stressful, but I enjoy what I do.
And I'm always looking for a new adventures.
What about yourself?
What about you?
Family's important to me too.
And I'm always down for an adventure.
Life's a little too short
to be stuck in one place, don't you think?
You know, you seem like someone that gets it.
Seem like someone worth
getting to know a bit better.
Whenever Ryan.
Truth or dare?
Sure.
Okay.
You gonna go first?
Do I go first?
Yeah.
Hi, are you from Blue Line Enterprise?
Yeah.
Okay, follow me.
All right.
If we could take a look ahead.
And with this approach,
we project the 35% increase
within the first quarter.
So as you can see, our
focus is to build brand loyalty,
through a personalized experience,
targeting key demographics identified
in your initial market research.
So we developed a
multi-tiered approach to acquisition,
focusing heavily on organic growth
through target content,
marketing and referral programs,
which helps keep costs low.
This is fantastic Emily, but I am curious,
how will you ensure this level of engagement
is sustained beyond the first few months,
especially as market trends shift?
Great question.
We'll be leveraging real-time data analytics
to track customer behavior continuously.
And what about customer acquisition?
How are you planning to scale without increasing
acquisition costs significantly?
So we've developed a multi-tiered
approach to acquisition,
focusing heavily on organic growth.
Honestly, you covered everything
that we were concerned about.
Great work Emily.
And that's what I like to hear.
Emily and her team have worked tirelessly
to ensure that this plan not only meets,
but exceeds expectations.
It's clear you put a lot of thought into this.
We'll definitely be moving forward
with their recommendations.
Looking forward to working with you.
You really nailed it.
We'll be in touch to finalize everything soon.
We look forward to starting
this journey with you guys.
Thank you so much.
Great presentation.
Great presentation Emily.
Thank you.
Thank you so much.
You absolutely nailed it.
Jess.
You worked so hard and it shows.
Well, thanks.
They asked all the right questions.
Thank goodness we had all the answers.
It feels good.
It feels real good.
That was exceptional Emily.
You handled all their questions like a pro
and the way you presented the scalability plan
was spot on.
I couldn't be prouder of how you
represented the team.
Thank you so much.
The team and I work long and hard.
Jess put in long hours, long nights.
Hey.
It paid off and it shows.
Great teamwork.
Thank you.
Now take a moment and enjoy it
before diving into this next project.
Only you.
Thank you so much.
Thank you.
Dinner after work?
Yes, Jess.
Let's go.
Right now.
We coming after you guys.
We're going for drinks.
Yes ma'am.
Hey babe.
Hey.
So I was thinking,
how'd you feel about just
having a couple friends over?
It's been a while.
You know, next week.
Which friends?
You know, the normal regular people.
Jessica, Mike, Sam.
You know, everybody.
Jess?
Yeah.
Jess, why?
She's a bad influence on you.
A bad influence how, Ryan?
She's always around.
Always in our business.
Honestly babe, don't you think it's time
to give up on childish friendships?
That's not fair, Ryan.
Jessica is really important to me
and you know she's like my family.
Family can hold you back too.
I mean, come on.
Don't you see that?
Hold me back, Ryan.
Really?
Hold me back how, Ryan?
By keeping you from focusing on us.
Focusing on our future.
She is constantly filling making you doubt us.
Ryan, that's not true.
Jess is very supportive and she cares about me.
Wow, how is she supportive?
Seriously, how is she supportive?
By constantly needing your attention?
Is that how she's supportive?
You're overreacting.
Wait, no, no, no.
By always being around.
It's just one night with friends.
You're overreacting.
This is too much.
One night?
Are you kidding me?
You are constantly out there,
running behind these people,
leaving me at the house.
That's not fair, Ryan.
I'm allowed to have a life outside of us.
I'm allowed to have friends.
And what about our life?
Seriously.
Ryan?
Is our life not important?
Ryan, let me go.
Why?
You're hurting me.
Let me go.
Sorry.
Just want us to be a priority.
Is that so bad?
That makes me the bad guy?
No, it doesn't.
But it also doesn't mean to cut the
people that I care about.
Cut them out of my life.
Really?
I'm sorry, okay?
But sometimes I get scared of losing you.
Lose me, Ryan?
How?
You will not lose me,
but you have to trust me
and believe that I could balance us both.
I got this.
Okay.
I will.
But I want you to do something for me.
What?
No, Jessica.
Just for a little bit
so that we can focus on us.
Okay, I promise.
Sure, okay.
Listen, babe, I just want what's best for us.
Yeah, I know.
Bring your fine ass here.
Sorry for the late call.
It's okay,
Look at that line right
there, is that what you want?
Perfect.
Okay, who do I send it to?
You can send it to Jess please.
Okay, yeah?
Anything else?
No, you nailed it.
Thank you so much, Tim.
Thank you.
Have a great day.
You too.
Thank you.
Morning, Em.
Brought you your favorite, vanilla latte.
Aw, thanks, Jess, you don't have to.
You look exhausted.
Everything okay?
Yeah, just, I didn't sleep well last night.
There's a lot on my mind.
I mean, is it work, or is it Ryan?
Everything with work's been crazy, as you know.
Things were Ryan, they have been a bit tense.
Tense how?
Is he treating you okay?
Yeah, of course.
You know how relationships can be crazy.
Yeah, well, I'm here if you
wanna talk about anything.
Thanks, thanks, Jess.
I appreciate it, really.
Of course. I do.
I love you. I love you, girl.
Thanks for the latte.
No problem. Have a good day too.
We need to make sure that...
Good morning, Mr. Thompson.
Good morning, Emily.
How's that marketing campaign coming along?
It's coming along.
Just need a little bit more time to
finalize everything.
Is everything okay?
You seemed a little bit off lately.
Yeah, just doing some personal stuff,
but I'll have that
campaign done on time, I promise.
Hey, take care of yourself, Emily.
We all have rough patches.
If you need any help or time off,
just let me know.
Thank you, Mr. Thompson.
I'll be okay.
Hey, hey, hey.
Hey, Mr. Thompson, how you doing, man?
Just the guy I needed to see.
Yes, I need to show you the presentation.
Great.
Get a signal here...
Come on.
Pick up.
You wanna live in California?
Not really, so many forest fires.
Hold on, Dad's calling.
Hey, Dad.
Emily, this is Dad.
My truck broke down and I'm on Highway 77.
Down near the Micro Hotel.
Gosh.
Can you get Ryan to come pick me up?
Okay, let me ask.
Okay, thank you, I'll be waiting for him.
Hey, Dad wants to know if he can pick him up.
My brother's not answering his phone.
Pick him up?
Right now.
Girl, it's 11 o'clock.
But it's my dad.
Listen, I don't really understand
why he decided to call me this late to
come and pick him up.
What?
You told him I'm a chauffeur.
Did I drive Uber?
Ryan, you know it's not like that.
His car broke down.
My brother was supposed to help him.
His phone is off.
This is disrespectful.
Calling me in the middle of the night to do what?
Really, Ryan?
To go and pick up behind him?
Disrespectful, Ryan?
Yes, disrespectful.
Really?
All of this is about respect, Emily.
You know what the problem is?
You and your family love putting your problems
at my doorstep.
My family, my family.
Guess what, Emily?
I'm not doing this.
Watch your mouth, Ryan.
That's my father.
You're blowing this out of proportion.
He doesn't even ask for much.
You know why he doesn't ask for anything?
Because he knows that you
are gonna push me into it.
So why are you acting like this then?
Tell him I'm on the way.
Gosh.
No, they won't know.
It's covered.
So why are you acting like this then?
Okay, we're ready.
We'll just get together.
Okay.
Okay, let's put it together.
Okay.
Emily.
Hello, girl.
How are you?
It's going, it's going.
Nothing, just another busy day.
You know how marketing can be.
Yes.
Hectic, hectic presentation.
Marketing is the best part.
I'm just gonna take a seat.
Yeah, sure.
Come on, how's it been?
It's been pretty good.
Good.
You've been so quiet lately.
I know, just work, you know, life.
Yeah, are you okay?
Yeah, day by day, but it's getting better.
Just a lot of pressure from work.
I get it, you know, with
the quarter coming to an end and everything just
warming and getting new clients
every day, I get it.
It's gonna be okay.
Thank you, Sarah.
Yeah, I appreciate it.
Of course.
Enjoy lunch.
Em, wait.
Hey, what's up?
Before you go, I just wanna ask one more time.
Are you sure of things, okay?
You were late this morning
and you just seemed so different.
Yeah, Ryan's been having a challenge time
and he needs me right now.
It's just been a lot.
Just don't lose yourself in the process, okay?
We miss the old Emily, the one who was
always so full of life.
I know Jess, I miss her too.
We'll find her though, right?
You will, and we're here for you, always.
Thank you so much.
Of course.
Let's go.
She started pulling away.
We all saw it, but we didn't understand.
We thought she was just stressed.
Helen, it's hard to see signs
when they are hidden behind a smile.
It's hard.
I kept thinking.
If only I had done more.
If only I had asked more questions.
Helen, you did what you could.
It's not your fault.
It's not your fault.
This is good, Grandma.
You've outdone yourself again.
Well, I'm glad you like it.
But,
not eating much, is everything all right?
Yeah, just not very hungry tonight.
I'm okay, that's good though.
Been awful quiet lately.
You know you can talk to me about anything, right?
Yeah, just not very hungry tonight.
But it's good though.
If something's bothering you,
we are here to help.
You're gonna have to carry this alone.
No, thanks dad.
I really appreciate it.
But I promise, it's just work.
I'm fine.
Well, stress is one thing.
But, you're a little different,
quieter, and that worries me.
I don't need to worry, Grandma.
I'm fine.
Work's just crazy.
But I'm here, lets enjoy.
So,
how's Ryan?
You haven't mentioned him lately.
He's great.
He's busy with work, you know.
I'm just trying to manage everything.
That's it.
Are you sure he's treating you well?
Of course, Grandma.
Yes, he is.
If you ever want to talk about anything,
we are here to help.
No judgment, just love.
Thank you.
Remember that.
Not alone, and we love you no matter what.
I love you too.
I really do.
You okay, Grandma?
I'm fine, really, I am.
This is good, eat up.
Actually, Dad, can you pass
me a piece of bread, please?
Thank you.
We all sensed that something was wrong,
but she kept insisting she was fine.
I should have seen through it.
Helen, it's hard to see the truth
when someone is determined to hide it.
But I should have said more, did more.
Helen, you loved her, and
sometimes love is not enough.
The break through the wall,
people build up around their pain.
Only one bruise.
He didn't mean it.
He didn't mean it.
I just have to cover it up.
I can cover it up, I can cover it up, I can do it.
Talk.
I couldn't even get a call?
You just gonna treat me like I don't exist?
Ryan, please.
You're gonna ignore me?
I didn't mean to hurt you, I'm sorry.
You didn't mean to. I am so sorry.
That is all you ever say. Ryan, stop!
You don't get to apologize anymore.
Please, stop!
Ryan, stop!
Ryan, no, stop!
You're gonna learn to listen.
You are nothing without... I didn't mean to hurt
you, I'm sorry, please!
Please, Ryan, please.
No, don't, don't.
You think you can defy me?
No.
You think you're strong?
No, Ryan, I just want it to be okay.
I just want things to be okay.
No, please, don't.
I can promise you.
No, Ryan, please, no!
No, no, no!
Ryan, no!
Really, honey?
I love you.
But I love me more.
You will not break me.
But I will build us up.
If you let me.
I saw the bruises, but she always made excuses.
So I wanted to believe her and trust her
that everything was okay.
Helen, it's hard to face the truth
when it's someone you love.
I should have asked more
questions and pushed harder.
Then maybe she would have...
No, you did what you could.
Don't blame yourself for not seeing
what she was determined to hide.
Don't blame yourself.
Emily, I don't know what to say.
Sorry for what happened the other night.
I lost control and I regret
it more than you can imagine.
I don't know if I can believe you.
What you did was so terrifying.
I know.
I don't.
I know, I'm not asking you to forget.
I'm just asking you to understand
that I'm not this person.
That's not who I am.
I just want you to
believe that I can change, babe.
For you, for us.
Well, how can I just,
but how can I believe that's just not
another empty promise?
Because I am willing to do anything for you.
Come here.
I'm seeing a therapist.
Trying to solve some of the problems.
Look, I know I hurt you.
And honestly, that's something
that I'll never forgive myself for.
But I need you to give me a chance
to believe that I can be better.
Ryan, I want to believe you.
I really do.
Every time I see the bruises,
every time I think about what happened.
Emily.
It's just, it's just too hard to see past that.
Look at me.
It really is.
Look at me.
Look at me.
I love you more than anything.
You're my everything.
And I know I've been a monster,
but I want to fight this.
I want to change for you, for us.
Ryan, I've always seen the good in you.
I've always seen the man that you can be,
not just the man that you have been.
It's just, it's so hard to reconcile that.
Baby I want to fight this fear with you.
I want to change.
I want to prove to you that I'm worth the fight.
Just please, Emily.
Don't give up on us.
What if you don't change?
What if things just get worse, Ryan?
Then what?
Then I'll leave.
I'll go.
But I need you to give me the chance to prove
that I'm the man you deserve.
I'll try.
I'll try, Ryan, I guess.
But if you do not change for the better,
if you do not, if you just... I understand.
If things get worse... I understand.
You just don't hurt me again, please.
Please.
I'll accept whatever consequences come.
But baby, I need you to give me that
chance to make a change.
I love you, Ryan.
I really love you.
I love you so much.
Love you too.
But please, please, I beg of you, honey,
please do not make me regret this.
I love you too, Emily.
And I won't.
So, sushi?
I'll think about it.
Wine first.
Cheers. I guess.
Margaret, I wanted so desperately
for things to be better for her.
She believed in him, even
though the signs were there.
Hell, and sometimes love
make us see what we wanna see,
but not what is there.
I should have done more, said more,
but she was so convinced that he could change.
Sometimes believing in someone
is not enough to make them change.
Thank you Margret.
Thank you.
Thank you.
Margaret.
Well, finally, we're gonna come together.
I'm glad we were able to do this.
Great.
Emily, I just gotta say,
you absolutely nailed that last meeting.
Every time I watch you work, girl,
I learn something new.
I promise you, I do.
I'm on, guys.
I really thought we were here to eat.
Not talk about work.
Hello.
I mean, work or not.
Lets face it Em.
You should be a manager, okay?
You should.
How do you do it?
Like, it's amazing.
Guys, you're horrible.
You know, okay.
I'm begging.
No office talk.
I appreciate it.
Okay, we just enjoy.
Can we just eat?
Can we just, you know?
That's it, please.
No board meetings, nothing.
Well, what do you want, Emily?
You gotta give credit to who it's due.
God, you're terrible, Tim.
But, okay.
Hey, I'm just saying, it's the crown of fits.
Exactly, wear it queen Emily!
Hey honey, sorry I was late.
Traffic was crazy.
But I had a good time.
Did you have a good time?
Did you miss me while I was gone?
How are you?
Did you check the time?
Ryan, why?
You know I was out with my friends.
I know the game that you're playing.
Don't pretend that you don't know.
What game, Ryan?
You know what, I'm not even playing the game.
You're overreacting.
Where are you going?
I'm talking to you.
Come back here.
Ryan, stop.
No, no, no, I know you hear me talking to you.
It is actually paranoid.
You better stop ignoring me.
So what?
You just ignore me?
Pretend like I don't exist?
Ryan, please.
Ryan, what?
I'm exhausted.
Can we talk calmly?
Calmly?
You think you deserve calmness for me
after everything you put me through?
Ryan, my love, I'm not trying to hurt you.
Just trying to get through the day.
Get through the day?
Please, please, my love.
So you're caught up in your own damn misery.
That you completely forgot about mine.
Ryan.
What?
Ryan, please.
Where you going?
Where you going?
Stop.
Please, Ryan, stop.
Stop.
You really think you can tell me to stop?
You think you got some kind of control here?
Is that what you're trying to do?
I just want to be safe, Ryan.
I just want to feel safe again.
I don't feel safe.
I gave you everything.
You took everything from me,
and this is how you repay me?
I never wanted to hurt you.
I never wanted anything.
But you did.
You can't keep living like this.
Wow.
I can't.
So you're just gonna leave?
You think it's that easy?
I don't know.
I don't know what to do.
I just...
I just feel so broken.
You are broken.
Get down.
My...
No.
No.
Come on, baby.
Look at you.
You're nothing without me.
My God.
Come on, look at me, look at me.
It's all your fault, baby.
I just so want...
I'm just so lost... Lost?
Lost.
You should've thought about that
before you decided to make
me the villain in your life.
Ryan.
I did not want this.
Ryan, I didn't want any of this.
I didn't want to be scared in my own home.
I didn't want to be this scared person.
You're weak.
You've always been weak and now.
No.
Right?
Now you get to place
blame on me for your weakness.
Ryan, no, that's not the case.
I just wanted us to be happy.
Can't you see that?
I just wanted us to be different.
Different.
Please, please, baby.
It's too late for that.
Get off of me.
It's too late for that now.
You made your choice.
God.
How did it come to this?
You made your choice.
You're gonna learn what it means to be alone.
I don't want to.
No.
How did it come to this?
I don't know who's myself.
After all these years.
I just really believed.
I just really believed.
I really believed that we could be happy.
What do I do?
I just wanted to be happy.
Sorry.
What did I do to deserve this?
I saw her spirit break.
Piece by piece.
She was so lost and so broken.
And I couldn't reach her.
Helen, sometimes despite of our love,
we cannot reach the one we care about the most.
Maybe if I had known I
could have done something.
Anything.
Helen, you did everything you could
with the knowledge you knew.
Don't blame yourself for the
darkness she could not escape.
You look like you could use some tea.
It's been a long time since we had a good chat.
No, thank you, Grandma.
I had tea earlier though.
So,
How's it going?
Been a little distant lately.
I mean, I just.
It's been rough, you know.
Work's just been very stressful.
Yeah, I get that.
Sometimes life just piles up, doesn't it?
But remember, you can talk to me.
I'm here.
Grandma, I don't even know where to start.
It's just so hard to even put in words.
Well, just start wherever you want.
Sometimes saying things
out loud just clears the fog.
I know.
I just been feeling so overwhelmed.
Like, like, like the world is just closing in on me.
I feel so overwhelmed.
Overwhelmed by what, dear?
Everything.
Just feels like I'm drowning
and I can't find a way out.
Just hard trying to just keep everything together.
Sounds like you're carrying a heavy load,
but you don't have to face it alone.
I just, I don't know if I can explain.
It's just, I don't even know
if I can even share, Grandma, honestly.
It's all right.
You don't have to force yourself to say anything
that you're not ready to.
Just by you being here, that's a start.
I just, you know,
I feel like the world is just
falling apart.
My world is falling apart and no one can see it.
And...
I just don't know what's happening, Grandma.
I'm scared.
I don't know what's happening to me.
Scared of what, dear?
You know, you can tell me anything.
I want to help you.
I'm afraid.
I'm afraid that if I tell you,
it would just make it all real, Grandma.
And I don't want you to worry
no more than you already do.
It's okay to be afraid,
but not talking about it won't make it go away.
I know.
I just feel like.
I want to reach out.
I really just don't know how anymore.
You know, you don't have to have all the answers.
Sometimes reaching out is just enough.
And it's all right to share,
even if it's just a little bit at a time.
You're right.
You're right, Grandma.
I just need to figure it out.
I just, okay.
I just need to get it all together,
to figure out how to handle it.
I got this.
That's a start.
And remember, it's all right to lean on others
while you're trying to figure it out.
I needed this.
We'll definitely talk soon.
We will.
Okay.
And I'm here for you,
whenever you're ready.
I'm just so grateful to be
somewhere where I feel safe.
You are safe,
and you are loved.
No matter what.
Thank you.
This is great.
The steak was amazing.
I'm ready for dessert.
Gosh, Ryan.
Surprise!
Gosh, Jess, you really pulled this off.
Everyone, you made it.
And Grandma, look at you.
I can't believe you made it.
Happy birthday, darling, you look gorgeous.
Jess, you're the best.
You know I couldn't let your birthday go by
after the proper celebration.
I know.
What would I do without you?
Gosh, you guys.
Thank you.
Em, you look so gorgeous.
Thank you.
It's well deserved.
Ryan, I hope you don't mind the surprise.
I thought it would be fun.
Sure, just unexpected.
Yeah, I just want her to be happy.
She's like a sister to me, you know?
Yeah.
Her happiness is the only
thing that matters, right?
Have fun.
You too.
What would I do with out you guys?
Hey, man, it looks like a great night.
Yeah, it does.
Jessica can throw party.
She definitely outdid herself with this one.
She did, she did.
I'm gonna go mingle.
All right, fun.
Yeah, it was nice meeting you.
Nice to meet you, man.
You too.
Margaret.
I could sense that she was holding back.
I wanted her to talk,
but I wanted her to find her own way.
Sometimes just being present
is the best support we can offer.
Yeah, I wish I had pushed harder.
Maybe she wouldn't have felt so alone.
Helen, you did the best you could
with the knowledge you knew.
And sometimes that is enough.
Yeah, you're right.
Please, you're right, you're right.
You think it's perfectly fine
to be out with another man in public.
I'm talking.
That's what we're doing now?
Ryan.
What?
It was just coffee with an old friend.
I've known him for years.
There's nothing more to it.
Nothing more to it?
I saw the way he looked at you.
I saw the way you laughed.
What, now I'm blind?
No, but you're overreacting.
Overreacting?
It was innocent, Ryan.
I have told you before about him.
I told you he's like a brother to me.
Like a brother?
It's the oldest trick in the book.
I saw when he touched you.
I saw the look on your face when you smiled back.
So what, now I'm supposed to have amnesia?
I'm supposed to forget?
Ryan, please.
Pretend it didn't happen?
Ryan, please.
What?
It's not what you think.
I was just catching up with an old friend.
I don't understand why you have to make this
a bigger deal than what it is.
A bigger deal than it is.
You don't get to decide how big of a deal it is.
I'm the one that got screwed over.
I'm the one that got pushed aside!
That's not true!
I've been trying to make this work.
I've been trying to be here for you.
I just don't know what it would take for me
to get you to see that.
See what?
That you're running around the town
with other men in public!
Well, I'm sitting on the
couch waiting for you?
Ryan, Ryan, stop.
What?
I'm not with anyone else.
I'm with you, Ryan.
Could you please just listen?
Listen to me.
Listen to me?
Please.
I'm done listening to you, Emily.
Your words mean nothing.
Your actions have shown where your loyalties lie.
Just please, calm down.
Think about what you're doing.
How do you expect me to calm down?
After everything!
Calm down.
Ryan.
You think I can calm down?
Ryan, don't do it!
This is what you wanted, isn't it?
No!
This is what you wanted?
Don't do this!
Stop, please, Ryan!
I'm sorry!
You're okay.
Shut up!
I'm sorry, please stop!
I'm sorry!
No!
Shut up.
Your so beautiful.
I love you, Emily.
That night.
That night was the night everything changed.
Emily was never the same again.
Her spirit was broken and I was powerless to help.
This is hard to hear,
but it's important that her story be told.
I wish I could've done something,
anything to stop it.
Sometimes we cannot change the past,
but we can honor her memory
when making sure her story is told
and others do not suffer in silence.
Miss Evans, can you tell us about.
Emily's relationship with Ryan?
She always seemed so happy with him
and he was charming and attentive.
I never suspected that...
Did she ever mention any problems?
Any signs of distress?
Changes.
Was quieter.
She stopped coming to the family dinners.
I just thought she was stressed.
We found evidence of severe abuse.
Bruises, fractures.
Emily suffered for a very long time.
I should've seen it coming.
I should've asked more questions,
but she kept everything hidden.
She was just so private.
I understand.
I'll be right back.
How did we not see this?
She was in so much pain,
and we didn't even notice.
We should've done something.
Anything!
It's too late now.
She trusted us.
She trusted me.
I should've known.
Miss Evans?
We spoke to Ryan,
and he's being charged with homicide.
We have evidence of the abuse,
and he's confessed to the violence.
I knew he was dangerous,
but I didn't think it would come to this.
I know this is difficult, Miss Evans,
but sometime knowing the truth
can bring a sense of closure.
Closure?
How is that possible?
How do you close a chapter on a life
that's so full of potential.
We will do everything we can
to ensure justice for Emily.
Her story, it won't be forgotten.
It's not about justice.
It's about making sure that no one else
must suffer in silence.
Understand, you can come with me Ms. Evans.
What now?
Well, we are going to
remember her for who she was.
We're gonna tell her story,
and we're gonna make sure that her
suffering was not in vain.
We'll make sure her voice is heard.
We will fight for those who
cannot fight for themselves.
Yes, we will prevent this
from happening to anyone else.
Emily's story will be a beacon of change.
Yes.
And that's how it all ended.
Emily's story was cut short
because we did not see the
signs and we did not listen.
Sometimes even when we try our hardest,
things don't turn out the way we hope.
No, Margaret, I should have done more.
I should have been braver.
I should have been more vigilant.
I should have seen past the smile
and asked the right questions.
Helen, you loved her,
and love can do so much.
We are only human.
We can't predict every tragedy.
No, but we can prevent them.
We can make a difference.
Emily's voice was silenced,
but hers doesn't have to be the only one.
We need to amplify the whispers
that are drowned out by fear.
What are you thinking about doing?
I'm gonna raise awareness.
Gonna start a foundation in Emily's name
where people can get help, speak up, and be heard.
Wow, that is a powerful way to honor her memory
and is something that will help so many others.
I just wanna make sure that no one else
has to suffer in silence.
That's the only way I can find peace.
If Emily's pain can save others,
then her death might mean something.
And it will.
Your resolve is turning this tragedy
into a beacon of hope for others.
You are turning grief into action,
and that is incredibly brave.
I hope so.
I hope her story will inspire others
to seek help, speak up,
and silence the abuse.
Helen, I will be with you every step of the way.
Emily's story will be heard,
and it will make a difference.
Thank you, Margaret.
I don't know if I could
have done this without you.
You're not alone.
We would do this together.
For Emily and for everyone that needs a voice.
For Emily.
And for every voice that's silenced.
It's okay.
It's gonna be all right.
Thank you all for being here tonight.
I know it's not easy to confront
the darker aspects of our lives,
but I stand here because silence is not an option.
My granddaughter, Emily, was full of life.
She had love and dreams,
and a smile that could
brighten up the darkest room.
But behind that smile was a life hidden with pain.
A life taken far too soon
by someone who should have cherished her.
Ryan, the man who claimed to love her,
was a nightmare she could not escape.
He hid behind a mask of charm
while slowly tearing her apart.
She thought that she could fix him.
She thought that love would change him.
But instead,
love became a prison.
So we need to recognize the signs.
They're not always obvious.
They're not always loud.
Sometimes it's the quieter moment.
Sometimes it's the withdrawn smile.
And sometimes it's the bruises hidden by makeup.
Now I'm not here to paint a perfect picture.
But I am here to tell you that
silence is not an option,
and that abuse is all around us.
Emily's voice was a whisper,
a cry that we did not hear until it's too late.
But it doesn't have to end like that.
If you see something, say something.
If you hear something, speak up.
Challenge the perpetrator,
support the victim,
and break the chains of silence.
This tragedy can be a beacon of hope.
We can create a community
where no one has to suffer in silence.
Where every whisper is
heard and every voice is valued.
So tonight, let us stand.
Let us stand with Emily
and everyone whose voice is silenced.
Let us promise to act, to listen,
and never let another story end in the dark.
For Emily, for everyone,
and for a future where
silence is no longer an option.
Thank you.