Amahle walks into her bedroom and sits in front of her mirror. For a moment, she looks at her reflection and sadness flashes across her face. She shakes off her gloomy mood, and begins applying her make-up. Just then, Boyz II Men’s “Can You Stand the Rain” plays full blast from downstairs. She rolls her eyes at the music then looks more determined as she continues to apply her lipstick with laser-like focus. Terrence creeps up the stairs and slowly walks into the bedroom. He stands at the door and admires his beautiful wife for a moment.

TERRENCE: You look so beautiful. If only you weren’t mad at me.

AMAHLE: (scoffing) I wish you wouldn’t make light of my feelings. I have every reason to be mad at you.

TERRENCE: I don’t want to fight. Can’t we just have a brief ceasefire?

Terrence slowly approaches his wife with his hands above his head. When he is standing in front of her, he pulls her out of her seat and into his arms.

TERRENCE: I just want to hold you in my arms and reassure you that I love you.

AMAHLE: Terrence, I don’t…

Terrence silences her with a kiss and she slowly melts into his arms. Then they begin to sway slowly to the rhythm of the song playing downstairs. Terrence dips Amahle low and she giggles loudly. He spins and twirls her all around the room making her squeal with laughter. The song ends and they slump on the bed. Terrence curls his arm around her waist and pulls her close as they lie on the bed facing one another. As she watches her husband breathe heavily, Amahle suddenly feels suffocated by his touch. She pulls away from him and rolls off the bed.

TERRENCE: Baby? What is it? Come here, please…

Terrence holds out a hand for her, and she shakes her head at him.

AMAHLE: I can’t…It’s still…I just can’t. Knowing that you slept with her in our bed while I clung to our vows cuts right through me like a knife.

TERRENCE: I want us to get past this. Tell me what I need to do to make this right? Please, I want to fix things between us.

He gets off the bed and walks over to her.

AMAHLE: I don’t know if I can get over how betrayed I feel.

She slowly backs away from the bed. Suddenly, she needs to get some distance.

TERRRENCE: How do I fix this? How do I fix us?

AMAHLE: Take it back! Erase the moment when we stood in our kitchen, and you looked as though someone had stolen your favourite toy. And then you turned my world inside out with your deceit.

Terrence slumps onto the bed again, defeated.

TERRENCE: I wish I could…

AMAHLE: (tearing up) How could you bring another woman into our house, into our bed? And then you tell me she is pregnant, how could you do this to us?

TERRENCE: I was weak, and stupid, I didn’t mean to hurt you. None of this was about you, I promise.

AMAHLE: Clearly, because I’m not good enough to carry your child, but some random woman gets to be the mother of your child! When you denied me a child for years, because that wasn’t what you wanted.

TERRENCE: This isn’t what I want, I’ve never wanted this. I just made a mistake, please don’t let this one mistake break us apart.

AMAHLE: This one mistake is hard to forgive.

Amahle sits in front of the mirror again and continues with her make-up.

AMAHLE: Could you please give me a moment, alone, to finish getting ready?

TERRENCE: You’re still coming to my brother’s engagement party?

AMAHLE: Yes, I won’t give your sister the satisfaction of being right about our marriage crashing and burning. Not yet, at least.

Realising he can’t get through to her, Terrence leaves her to it and walks out of the room.

Tell us: Do you believe in forgiving people? Why or why not?