Chapter One
October 26, 2016
Lucy Hale sat quietly in her dressing room, processing the millions of emotions racing through her mind, trying to keep herself together for just one more day. After tonight, there would be no Pretty Little Liars or no Aria Montgomery. There would no longer be any hilarious moments on set, no more late nights just praying they could fix the lighting so they could go home and sleep, no more kisses to mess up. The obnoxious singing of Ian Harding at 6 am would no longer be something she looked forward to. Seeing his beautiful, charming face every day was the thing she was going to miss the most, as much as she hated to admit. Their story ended long ago, but the ache of what could have been stuck with her to this very day. She still loved him, but he moved on and she needed to as well, but it wasn't like the realization of not seeing his face every day didn't feel like a piece of her was being ripped away. It was as though when the filming stopped, so did her heart.
5 Years Later
A chilly gust of wind hit her face as she opened the door of her New York townhouse. Lucy had moved here after her second show had gotten cancelled after a one season run. She would've been lying if she said she wasn't disappointed, but the show never clicked for people. The cancellation order came as a surprise but also as an opportunity. She had been wanting to get out of Los Angeles for a while, and this was her moment. So, less than three months later, she bought a house and packed a suitcase, off to her next adventure.
"Morning, Ms. Hale." The local Starbucks employee said as she entered the shop. "The usual?"
"Yes. Thank you, George." She responded, turning to find a seat somewhere in the quiet, yet crowded coffee shop.
Opening her phone, she started mindlessly scrolling through her Instagram, seeing everything from adorable pictures of her nieces to quotes about doomed love. Just as she was about to exit out of the app, she saw something that caught her eye. It was from Ian, a post of him in New York City with his longtime girlfriend, Charlotte. He and his past girlfriend broke up after the wrap of Pretty Little Liars and being the charming man he is, he had no problem finding another suitable woman who made him feel complete.
"Ms. Hale, your order is ready." George said, pulling her attention away from the post.
"Thank you, have a nice day." She responded, taking her drink and heading back out into the fall chill of New York City.
The walk back to her townhouse was one of her favorite things to do. Despite the obnoxious paparazzi snapping pictures, it was where she did most of her thinking. She missed him. She hated feeling this way, it made her feel weak. Ian Harding didn't want Lucy Hale, why couldn't she get over the fact that no matter what she did, he'd never see her as the right woman for him.
Her phone went off in her pocket, pulling her out from the thought that plagued her every day for hours on end.
"How are you, sweetheart? I have another audition for you!" Olivia, her manager, said through the phone.
"I'm alright. What's the part?" She asked as she unlocked the door, being met with two white dogs jumping on her legs.
"It's a movie based in New York. It has a good crew and cast behind it, and they want you as the lead. It's about a powerful New York businesswoman falling in love with a man with a dark past."
"So, it's a New York twist on Fifty Shades of Grey? Oh joy!" Lucy responded, chuckling softly.
"Laugh all you want, but as soon as you see who they have casted as the lead, you'll be begging them to cast you."
"Alright, I'll look it over. Thank you." She said, hanging up the phone.
After sitting with her two pups for a few minutes, she grabbed her laptop off the kitchen counter and pulled up her email, finding Olivia's most recent message and opening the attachment, waiting for it to open. She got up and poured herself a glass of white wine before returning to the couch, seeing the bolded words across the script.
Broken Silence, Revision II.
Screenplay by Robert Stevens and Louisa Farris
Lucy flipped to the next page, listing the current cast. Her breathing hitched and her heart raced at what she saw on the page.
Cast
Brooke Wilson [Female Protagonist] - TBD
Jacob Black [Male Protagonist] - Ian Harding
Steven Morris [Business Partner of Jacob] - Chris Williams
Lizzy [Best Friend of Brooke] - Sofia Carter
Paul Wilson [Father of Brooke] - TBD
Kate Wilson [Mother of Brooke] - TBD
Bethany Black [Mother of Jacob] - TBD
Subject to change before pre-production.
"Ian." She said breathlessly.
She knew she had a choice to make, but would she take risk to see him one more time and have her heart broken all over again? Or would she just pass it up and pray another audition would follow?
After sitting with her thoughts for a while, she dialed her agent's number and waited as the dial tone droned on.
"Olivia? Tell them I'll be at the audition."
"That's great! I'll tell them you'll be there on Friday, ready to blow them away!"
"Thank you, Olivia." Lucy said, hanging up the phone.
She knew her life was about to change by making that phone call, but nothing could've ever prepared her for what was coming.