Lina in Berlin

At 29, Lina has allowed Max to become part of her late-night routine over the past several weeks.
They speak by video almost every evening, sometimes briefly and sometimes until long after midnight.
Max looks 33 and lives in Berlin, but they have never met in person.
Even so, Lina feels surprisingly close to him.

As Lina packs her suitcase, her friend reminds her that Berlin is a long way away.
Her friend knows all about the trip, and Lina understands why she is concerned.
However, Lina has already made her decision.
She carefully places the red dress inside, closes the suitcase and smiles with determined excitement.

On the plane, Lina tries to relax, but she keeps turning towards the window and the sunset clouds.
The closer she gets to Berlin, the faster her heart beats.
Until now, Max has only been a face on a screen.
Soon she will discover how it feels to stand beside him for the first time.

Lina recognises Max immediately in the airport's arrivals area, where he is waiting with a bunch of flowers.
His familiar smile makes her relax, and she crosses the room with her suitcase.
When they hug, she notices an old silver signet ring on his right hand.
For the moment, she thinks nothing of it.

Later, Lina stands in her red dress beside the window of Max's warm flat.
When he moves closer, desire passes between them, but Max pauses before touching her.
“Can I kiss you?” he asks softly.
Lina gives him a clear yes, then smiles and pulls him towards her.
They spend the night together because they both want to.

The next morning, Lina notices an aged photograph in Max's flat and picks it up.
It shows a man standing at the Berlin Wall, and the date written on the back is 1989.
For several seconds, she struggles to understand what she is seeing.
The man is identical to Max, down to the silver signet ring.
Holding his coffee, Max watches her with sudden care.

When Lina asks about the photograph, Max claims that the man is his father.
She almost accepts his explanation, but then she recognises the distinctive ring.
It is identical to the old silver signet ring on Max's right hand.
Lina no longer believes him.
As Max watches her carefully, she quietly reaches for her phone and photographs the evidence.