Episode two
Synopsis
The second of three detailed, exciting and emotional episodes
the one that helped Helen change her identity and run away. And that when Ethan was a teenager Chris could have busted him for identity fraud when he and his mother ran away from drug dealers, but he didn’t. So in return to Chris, he agreed to try to stop Lauren from finding her parents, so that Chris’s secret of illegally changing Helen’s identity wouldn’t be found out.
But he tells Lauren that he cares about her now, and that he truly wants to help from now on, he says she’s more important than his debt to Chris, and proves it by launching his phone into the air and down the street. Lauren is shocked, but believes his words. She admits to caring for him too, and they soon decide to get some sleep. Getting separate rooms at the hotel they say goodnight, but Lauren changes her mind. Knocking on Ethan’s door, he answers confused. Lauren lightly kisses him on the lips, then they continue to kiss and eventually sleep together, spending the night in his room. Ethan wakes up the next morning to see that Lauren isn’t beside him anymore, just a note saying goodbye.
Lauren sits on a bus, looking hopeful at Frank’s address on his phone. She arrives at the tall, pristine house and nervously approaches the front door. A young, attractive, yet scruffy-looking woman answers; Amanda. After going inside and building up courage through small talk, Lauren tells Amanda that she’s her sister. Amanda doesn’t believe her, but Lauren tells her what she’s learnt so far about their family and that she was stolen as an unborn baby. Amanda sits in silence, processing the information and clenching her fists, while Lauren looks at her, noticing that she looks of a similar age. She asks Amanda when she was born, and realises that her birthday is only a month after her own, meaning that Amanda can’t be her sister. Lauren begins to remember what she’s learnt; that Kathleen couldn’t carry a child, that no known investigation was ever made to find Julia Drennen or a stolen unborn baby from London, then her face turns pale as she realises. At that moment Frank and Kathleen enter the room, Lauren turns to them with devastation across her face and says “you replaced me”.
leaves his phone on the roof of the car and forgets about it as they walk into the house, arm in arm.
With the colour drained from her face, Lauren sees that Frank is cheating on her birth mother. Ethan appears sympathetic and places his hand on hers. He begins to suggest leaving, but Lauren suddenly bursts out of the door and snatches Frank’s phone from the car. She and Ethan look through Frank’s phone, finding messages from Kathleen, flirtatious messages from a woman named Sarah, and messages from someone named Amanda, addressing Frank as ‘dad’. Lauren’s eyes widen as she sits in shock for a moment, hit by the revelation that the family she’d been dreaming of are far from what she’d imagined; her father is cheating on her mother, and she has a sister that she’s never known. Lauren looks at a photo of Frank with what seems to be Kathleen and Amanda. She’s suddenly filled with emotion as she repeatedly hits the wheel of the car in anger and curses. Ethan grabs her and calms her down, they look at each other as a tear rolls down her cheek, and decide to leave.
Parking at a hotel, the pair decide to have a drink at a nearby bar. Under the low lights and depressing music, Lauren looks down at her second drink, with the hope drained from her eyes, she says that she doesn’t want to meet her family. Ethan agrees that nothing good can come from meeting them now, but Lauren looks at him with suspicion, finally realising that he’s seemed to be against this the whole time. Ethan goes to the bathroom, not noticing that his phone was left on his chair. Becoming rapidly suspicious, Lauren grabs the phone, finding the messages between him and the private number.
Lauren’s face becomes filled with rage, she drops the phone on the table, and runs out of the bar. Ethan catches sight of her leaving and sees his phone, making the connection. His eyes become panicked and he chases after her, managing to grab her in the street. She angrily pushes him away, shouting that he was trying to stop her instead of help her. Angry and emotional she demands to know who he really is. He looks down in shame, and tells her that Chris sent him, as he owed him. He goes on to tell her that Chris was
Lauren arrives in England, having told Ethan about her life’s secret and why she’s travelling to England on the plane, he stays by her side as they go through airport security checks, asking her questions and talking to her. Once they leave the airport Ethan offers to buy her breakfast, Lauren agrees. The pair sit in a busy café, talking over hot coffee, Ethan offers to help Lauren find her parents. Suspicious of his generosity, she asks him why he travelled to England, he tells her about a job interview in London and goes on to tell Lauren that she seems nice and that she’s interesting, so he wants to help. With his soft voice and gentle smile, he convinces her to accept.
The pair move on and decide to go to a public library and use a computer, as Lauren knows her parents’ names she decides to look them up and track them down. In a corner of the echoing, dusty library, they hunch over a computer together and search for Frank Porter, a number of results appear, but one important one. Lauren opens a social media page with Frank’s name, picture, workplace, and relationship status that says: ‘Married to Kathleen Porter’. Ethan expresses doubt that they’ll find him but Lauren excitedly prints his picture and work address, and the pair leave in a hurry.
Lauren hires a rental car and they drive through London, parking outside of Frank’s office. Ethan tells Lauren that they don’t have to do this, but with a determined look on her face, Lauren jumps out of the car, enters the reception and asks for Frank, but is refused. Meanwhile Ethan makes a phone call to the private number, telling them that he’s not sure this is going to work. Seeing Lauren, he quickly hangs up, Lauren returns and decides to wait for Frank to come out and follow him, she soon recognises Frank from his picture, getting into his car. Against Ethan’s judgement, Lauren starts the engine and follows Frank through London, seeing him stop at a shop and pick up a huge bouquet of flowers, then drive and park outside of a quiet, well preserved house. Lauren parks at a distance and watches Frank. He gets out of his car and answers his phone, the conversation seems to be with Kathleen. Frank hangs up as a young, blonde woman runs out of the house and lovingly wraps her arms around him. He