When Angelina Jolie and Billy Bob Thornton both booked their respective directing efforts at this year’s Berlin Film Festival, the tabloids must have thanked their lucky stars that they’d finally be able to branch out past the Bermuda triangle love stories that have persisted for so many years. Now this week’s issue of The Enquirer has a story about how “cruel” Angelina Jolie made poor Brad Pitt cry in the middle of a restaurant when she “laughed in his face” after announcing that she planned to hang out with Billy Bob after their films premiered at the festival. Whatever. Like we’re supposed to believe that Angelina would give up life with Brad and their six children after staring into Billy Bob’s amazing Botox face and realizing what she gave up all those years ago. So ridiculous.

Of course, Billy Bob and Angelina often flaunted their steamy romance during their short marriage. But that’s all in the past, and it seems like theirs was mostly a relationship based upon sex. Jolie herself famously stated that she and Billy Bob really had “nothing in common,” so Brad has nothing to worry about where the living Madame Taussads waxwork is concerned. Still, The Enquirer’s account is slightly amusing to read as a work of fiction:

Brad Pitt stormed out of a Berlin restaurant in tears after a bitter fight with Angelina Jolie over her plans to reunite with ex-husband Billy Bob Thornton.

The handsome Moneyball actor had flown to Germany to be by Angelina’s side at the Feb. 11 premiere of her critically acclaimed directorial debut, In the Land of Blood and Honey, at the Berlin International Film Festival. But Brad blew up when he learned that Angelina was planning to meet up with Billy Bob, whose film Jayne Mansfield’s Car was also debuting at the event.

According to sources, Angelina had contacted Billy Bob — her second husband — under the pretext of congratulating him on the film, but then asked if they could get together. He agreed to meet, and the two “began talking on the phone and e-mailing behind Brad’s back,” revealed the insider. After the premiere of her movie, Angelina and Brad dined at Berlin’s Zosimo restaurant, where she admitted how excited she was about seeing Billy Bob again, revealed a friend.

“Brad flipped out,” the friend continued. “First he said, ‘No, you can’t!’ But then Angie laughed in his face and said, ‘Oh, yes I can…and I am.’ Brad is shattered and feels totally betrayed. He had flown to Berlin specifically to be by Angie’s side to support her and her film. He was so upset and caught off guard that she could be so cruel that he ran off in tears.”

The actor quickly packed his bags and hightailed it to London, said the friend, where he attended the BAFTA Awards alone.

Angelina, 36, has long had a double standard when it comes to maintaining relationships with exes. While she flaunts her friendly relations with former flames like Billy Bob and first husband Jonny lee Miller, the actress “freaks out” if Brad so much mentions any of his past romantic partners — particularly his ex-wife Jennifer Aniston.

“It’s completely unfair,” said the source. “Brad has always put up with it because he loves her, but he’s not willing to do it anymore.”

Billy Bob, 56, whose three-year marriage to Angelina crumbled in 2003, twisted the knife even further when he raved about Angelina during a press conference in Berlin. “Angelina’s a wonderful woman and one of my best friends in the world,” he told reporters. “I’ll love her until the end of my life, and she’ll love me.”

Meanwhile, Angelina has admitted in the past that she still harbors feelings for Billy Bob. “I still love him dearly and think the world of him,” she said in 2008. “I’m proud to have been his wife for a time.”

According to the friend, Brad, 48, has always been threatened by Angelina’s undeniable chemistry with Billy Bob. And although he was back in Berlin for another red carpet appearance with Angelina on Feb. 13, “Brad warned her that there will be consequences if she really goes through with seeing Billy Bob. He’s not going to put up with her ignoring his feelings anymore.”

[From Enquirer, print edition, February 27, 2012]

See how they still managed to work in Aniston’s name into this story? How crafty. Naturally, The Enquirer strategically left out that Billy Bob was saying that he and Jolie would always love each other “as friends.” So we’re supposed to believe that Brad ran out of the Berlin restaurant with tears streaming down his face even though no one got a photo of it, and you know that if Brad and Angelina fought in public that at least some random bystander would’ve taken a cell phone snap of the event. But no.

Also, here’s more about the speculation that Billy Bob has written a movie that’s inspired by his relationship with Angelina. Billy Bob told Vulture, “No! Not in the least!” when asked if this movie, which will be titled And Then We Drove, has anything to do with Angelina at all. Billy Bob seems awfully surprised that anyone even knows about this film at all, but someone must have said something if Vulture already knew the title, right? Well, the Variety reporter who wrote the original article tells HuffPo that “I stand by my article and reporting 100%” and that neither Billy Bob nor his people are demanding a retraction.

Back to the main story though — it’s rather obvious that Brad has anything to fear when it comes to Angelina and Billy Bob. Still, it’s fun for us to look back at these vintage photos, isn’t it?

Photos courtesy of WENN