Nikolas: The last thing I want is for you to look at me with fear and with anger in your eyes, but the fact is I look like Connor, which is part of the problem. I say let's make it part of the solution.
Emily: What are you saying?
Nikolas: Let me stand in for him. Confront me the way you would him.
Emily: No, I can't let you stand in for Connor.
Nikolas: If it could, Emily, then why not try?
Emily: I never want to hate you the way I hate Connor.
Nikolas: Dr. Winters said it would help if you confronted Connor.
Emily: Nikolas, he's dead.
Nikolas: Yeah, but I'm not. Use me, Emily. Tell me what a sick, twisted bastard he was. Tell me all the things that you didn't get to tell him.
Emily: Look, I can't do that to you.
Nikolas: You -- but you can do this? Huh? You can't even barely look at me. You can't stand it when I touch you. You asked me for a divorce while I was still in prison.
Emily: I didn't know what else to do, Nikolas.
Nikolas: I know, I know that, but I also know all the things that you've survived in your life. Huh? Are you going to let some dead psycho be the one who finally beats you?
Dr. Winters: Emily? Did you set up our next appointment?
Emily: I'll -- I'll be right back.
Nikolas: Look, you've told her that it would help if she confronted her attacker, right, to get her anger out, right?
Dr. Winters: Yeah, obviously, it would be the best, but she can't.
Nikolas: Okay, I know, but what about me? I mean, I look like the guy, so, I don't know, why not let me be him, let me let her take it all out on me?
Dr. Winters: Role-play?
Nikolas: Yeah, if that's what you call it.
Dr. Winters: Nikolas, that's a very generous offer, but it could turn incredibly painful.
Nikolas: Look, I don't want to cause Emily any more pain than I already have.
Dr. Winters: No, not Emily. It's for you. You're the one who could end up hurt.
Dr. Winters: I know you love Emily, but sometimes it's not enough.
Nikolas: Look, we're strong enough to make this work. I know we are.
Dr. Winters: Your husband is a very persuasive man, Emily.
Emily: No, I know.
Dr. Winters: Well, I've used role-playing in the past and I've had positive results overall.
Emily: What's the downside?
Dr. Winters: You both have to be sure it's what you want. Why don't you two discuss it. I'll be in my office.
Nikolas: Come here. This can work. Okay? Now, Connor did this to you while I was locked away in prison, and you've been dealing with this by yourself the whole time, but it's tearing you to pieces. And up until now all I've been able to do is just -- just stand and watch you suffer, but I can finally do something now. Okay?
Emily: Okay.
Nikolas: I couldn't stop what he did to you, but maybe now at least I can help fix it.
Emily: Okay, I'll do it, for you.
Dr. Winters: The idea is to give Emily a safe place to express herself. If I feel we're taking a wrong turn, I'll stop you.
Nikolas: Okay.
Emily: I'm not sure how to start.
Dr. Winters: Close your eyes, and when you open them, imagine you're facing the man who raped you.
Dr. Winters: What do you want to say to Connor?
Emily: He's not Connor.
Nikolas: I am when I try to kiss you. I am when I try to touch you. You don't see a difference then?
Emily: I don't want to hurt you.
Nikolas: Emily, I don't know any other way to get past this.
Dr. Winters: Emily, only if you want to.
Nikolas: It's okay. It's okay.
Dr. Winters: You are Connor Bishop. You hurt this woman deeply. Do you remember what he said to you, Emily, right before he attacked you?
Emily: Uh-uh.
Nikolas: Yes, you do. Yes, you do. You remember everything.
Emily: He said -- you said that you fantasized about me, about being with me.
Nikolas: I fantasize about you all the time, about making love to you.
Emily: Oh, no, he -- he wasn't kind. He was angry and ugly, and he didn't care about me. It was all about what he wanted.
Nikolas: I live with you 24/7, Emily. We pretend to everyone that I'm your husband.
Emily: You understood the boundaries. It was supposed to be a job, not real life.
Nikolas: I had a scar removed for you. I had tattoos put on my arms for you. You asked me to be Nikolas --
Emily: I didn't ask for this.
Nikolas: But you can't have it all your way. You wanted me to be your husband, and that's exactly what --
Emily: To pretend to be my husband.
Nikolas: Is that all I am to you? Is that all I am to you, is your pretend husband?
Emily: Let me go!
Nikolas: Not until I get what I want!
Emily: Shut up!
Nikolas: You know you want it, Emily!
Emily: Just shut up! You pig! You disgust me! I hate you! Do you hear me? I hate you!
Emily: I hate you for what you did to me. You took my whole life and my feelings, and you turned them into something terrifying. And I almost felt sorry for you, like you were all confused and you had a screwed-up life and like somehow this was all my fault and I brought it on myself. Well, I didn't. I didn't lead you on or ask for it. I didn't do anything wrong except mistake you for a human being. Well, you're not! You're just a filthy animal.
Dr. Winters: Good, Emily. Tell him.
Emily: I didn't want you. I begged you to stop, but you wouldn't. No, you hurt me! You son of a bitch! You took my body like it belonged to you! Like it didn't matter what I felt or what I wanted! This isn't just a body, Connor, just flesh and blood and muscle that you can abuse and use any way you want! Someone lives in here. I live in here! And I have a heart and a soul, and you had no right -- I did not give you permission to take that away! You raped me, Connor! You raped me, and you deserved to die! Oh, God -- Oh, God.
Nikolas: I made everything worse.
Elizabeth: No, you don't know that.
Nikolas: You didn't see her in there, Elizabeth. I finally understand why she can't stand for me to touch her. Oh, my God -- the things that he did to her. And I can't believe that I made her relive it. I'm as bad as he is.
Elizabeth: No, no. Nikolas, everything you did was out of love.
Nikolas: No.
Elizabeth: Don't doubt that.
Nikolas: No, you don't say the kind of things that I said to a person you love. I was terrible to her. She started hitting me, told me how much she hated me.
Elizabeth: Yeah, but it wasn't you. It was Connor.
Nikolas: But she doesn't see the difference, Elizabeth. She looks at me and goes right back to the pain she felt with him.
Elizabeth: You really, really need to talk to Dr. Winters again, okay?
Nikolas: No, I can't be a constant reminder of Emily's worst nightmare. Okay? She just needs peace. I have to let her go.
Elizabeth: No, Nikolas, don't.
Nikolas: She's curled up in there on the floor, and I did that to her.
Emily: You know, it felt good to say those things, like I could be in control again instead of Connor.
Dr. Winters: That's a great beginning, Emily.
Emily: You know, for the first time since I was raped, I actually believe that there's a way to get past this. You know, it's going to take time, but there's hope. Nikolas gave me that.
Elizabeth: Hey, Em.
Emily: Hey.
Elizabeth: Hi. Are you okay?
Emily: Yeah, yeah. I'm kind of -- kind of wrung out, but I'm good. Have you seen Nikolas? Didn't he wait?
Elizabeth: Em, it was really tough on him to see what it did to you and to hear all the things you said to him and --
Emily: But -- I was saying those things to Connor. I mean, Nikolas knew that. It was the whole point.
Elizabeth: I know, I know. But, you see, he realizes now that it was -- why it's so hard for you to be around him.
Emily: Oh, God, what Nikolas did was amazing. I have to tell him how much he helped me.
Phone ring. Answering machine beeps.
Emily: Nikolas, it's me. Nikolas, pick up, please. Listen, if you're there, I really need to talk to you. Nikolas, please pick up.