SHAYLA recive mail from court about Kai DNA test😱 

Scene: Shayla’s living room, early evening. Shayla holds an envelope from the court in her hands, visibly shaken. She dials Kai’s number and he answers after a few rings.

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Kai:
(cheerful)
Hey, Shay. What’s up?

Shayla:
(coldly)
I got a letter today.

Kai:
Uh... okay? From who?

Shayla:
The court. About you. About a DNA test.

Kai:
(silence)
...Oh.

Shayla:
That’s all you have to say? “Oh”? Kai, what the hell is going on?

Kai:
Look, I didn’t want to drag this out like this. I meant to tell you before it got to this point...

Shayla:
You meant to tell me? Kai, how could you let it get this far without saying a word? A court-ordered DNA test? For what? For who?

Kai:
There’s this woman—Tasha. We were... seeing each other, before you and I ever got serious. She says I might be the father of her son.

Shayla:
You “might” be the father?

Kai:
She filed for child support. The court’s asking for a test to prove it. I didn’t even know the kid existed until a month ago.

Shayla:
(sarcastic)
Oh, how convenient.

Kai:
Come on, Shayla. I’m being honest now. I was scared to tell you. I didn’t know how to handle it.

Shayla:
So you thought lying by omission was better? You thought letting me find out through an official envelope with a court seal would soften the blow?

Kai:
I didn’t mean for you to find out like that.

Shayla:
Then how did you expect me to find out, Kai? When the results come back and some kid shows up at the door calling you “Dad”?

Kai:
No! I just... I didn’t know if it was true, and I didn’t want to bring chaos into our life if it wasn’t even real.

Shayla:
You already brought chaos. With your silence. I’ve been here, giving you loyalty, time, everything—and you’ve been hiding this?

Kai:
I was trying to protect us. Maybe that was stupid. But I didn’t want to lose you over a maybe.

Shayla:
You should’ve trusted me enough to handle the truth. I’m not mad that you have a past, Kai. I’m mad that you thought I couldn’t handle reality.

Kai:
You’re right. I messed up. I should’ve come clean the second I found out.

Shayla:
(sighs deeply)
So what now? When’s the test?

Kai:
Next Friday. I didn’t sign anything until I knew how to tell you. But the court went ahead anyway. I guess Tasha pushed it forward.

Shayla:
Are you going?

Kai:
Yeah. I have to. If it’s my child... I’ll do what I need to do.

Shayla:
Good. That’s the least you can do. But Kai... I need space. I don’t know how to feel about this yet. About you.

Kai:
Shayla, please don’t shut me out.

Shayla:
I’m not shutting you out. I’m setting a boundary. You broke my trust. And until I figure out if I can rebuild it... we need space.

Kai:
I get it. I hate it, but I get it. I’ll keep you updated. About everything.

Shayla:
You’d better. And don’t let me find out anything else from the damn court.

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[Shayla hangs up, her hands shaking slightly. She stares out the window, heart heavy with confusion and betrayal.]