Rumor Has It

Ben and Elizabeth are in the middle of talking when her phone buzzes with a text from a number she doesn’t know: someone claiming they saw him kissing another woman the night before. Elizabeth laughs it off—because she was with him all night. They shrug it off as a wrong number and get on with their day. The texts keep coming. Soon the sender starts dropping real names and specifics—her favorite restaurant, places they go—until blocking one number just means the messages pop up from another. Cops brush it off. Elizabeth gets furious and paranoid, storming out after demanding Ben confess. Left alone, he gets a visit from his best friend Allison. She admits she’s been into him for years. He admits the thought’s crossed his mind too, but he’s serious with Elizabeth now. Allison drops the bomb: she’s the one sending the messages. She figured if she stirred up enough doubt, Elizabeth would blow it and show she doesn’t deserve him. Ben’s stunned and pissed. Allison doubles down—she did it for him. She swears she’ll give him all the freedom he wants, no strings, while Elizabeth just wants to chain him down. The door’s wide open, she says. Take it.