My Actor Husband's True Face

The Open Curtain [Part 1]

Maxime sat on a luxurious black leather sofa, tucked away in the quietest corner of the nightclub's private lounge. The dim glow of neon lights cast a dramatic hue on his cold, stoic face.

He was supposed to be happy. At least, that is what everyone expected. But the incident from earlier still echoed in his mind, stirring an unexplainable irritation.

The faint whispers in the corner, uttering his name with a tone of disdain, made his chest feel heavy.

Maxime lazily swirled his wine glass, his gaze fixed blankly on the crimson liquid swirling slowly within. The cheers and laughter of his friends felt like distant buzzing, not strong enough to pull him back to reality. His thoughts were consumed, trapped in a labyrinth of memories he was unwilling to face that night.

But suddenly, a louder burst of cheers shattered his reverie. Maxime lifted his head, his brows slightly raised as he noticed all attention was directed at one person: Katie.

“Ah, lost again, Katie!” one of his friends teased with a playful tone.

Katie, sitting across the room, covered her face with both hands, shy but not entirely opposed to the attention she was receiving.

“Alright, alright, what is the punishment this time?” she asked, trying to stifle her laughter, though the blush on her cheeks was evident even under the dim lighting of the room.

Someone enthusiastically shouted, “You have to kiss Maxime!”

The atmosphere immediately erupted with cheers and playful taunts. Katie looked up, her eyes widening slightly before slowly turning to Maxime, whose face remained unreadable, no smile, no protest. Just a blank expression that was hard to decipher.

“Oh my God, you’re serious?” Katie muttered, though she was already standing, stepping through the crowd toward Maxime.

Maxime did not move. He simply watched Katie approach, the cheers and whistles from his friends doing nothing to alter his expression. When Katie finally stopped in front of him, the room grew quieter, filled only with soft chuckles from a few onlookers eagerly waiting to see what would happen next.

"Max..." Katie took a breath, hesitation clear in her gaze, as if she was not entirely convinced this was a good idea.

“I am sorry in advance,” Katie said softly, a small, nervous smile appearing on her face.

Maxime stared at her for a moment before, with calm precision, setting his wine glass down on the table in front of them. The clink of glass against the table surface echoed in the silence.

He stood, his tall frame prompting Katie to tilt her head up to meet his gaze.

Maxime’s expression remained light, neutral, devoid of any readable emotion.

“Sorry, I have to go,” he said suddenly. His voice was calm but firm, enough to silence the crowd around them.

“I have an important shoot tomorrow,” he added, turning on his heel and walking away.

Katie stood frozen, her eyes following Maxime’s retreating figure. Cheers and playful teasing from their friends slowly resumed, attempting to break the awkward tension, but Katie did not respond.

Maxime did not look back. To him, this moment felt too cliché, too insignificant to take to heart. He did like Katie, but not in the way everyone else assumed.

Maxime exited the nightclub with a stride that seemed leisurely. The cool night air brushed against his face, offering a slight relief to the heaviness that had been lingering in his chest.

Without much thought, he opened his car door and slipped inside, letting the stillness of the interior envelop him. However instead of starting the engine, Maxime just sat there. His gaze was fixed on the empty street ahead, but his mind was elsewhere, wandering deeper than the faint reflections of city lights on the windshield.

There was something he could not ignore, a nagging thought that pulled him back to Shannon’s words from earlier.

“The divorce papers are there, waiting for your signature,” Shannon’s voice echoed in his mind.

He was not sure what bothered him more, the audacity of Shannon to file for divorce or the fact that he had let things get this far without truly caring.

For a few moments, he wrestled with his hesitation, until finally, Maxime started the engine.

The headlights swept over the city streets, now beginning to empty. The car glided smoothly, its direction clear, even though his heart hesitated: the villa he was supposed to share with Shannon, his wife.

When he arrived, the villa looked exactly as he had imagined, dark and empty. The grand building seemed colder than before, with the garden slightly overgrown and the outdoor lights no longer on.

Maxime turned off the engine and stepped out, standing before the closed gate. The air here felt colder, and the silence that enveloped the place made each of his steps echo clearly.

He pushed the gate open slowly, but did not enter immediately.

Maxime just stood there, letting old memories flood his mind. In the past, every time he returned to this place, the atmosphere had never been so cold and empty.

Shannon would always turn on one of the lights so that when Maxime came home, even if it was just for a few hours to check in with Grandpa Caldrich, the villa would never feel so desolate.

Now, the villa appeared like an empty building, still clean without dust, thanks to the occasional visits from the cleaning aunt. Maxime took a deep breath, trying to shake off the strange feeling that crept in his chest.

He felt frustrated, not just with Shannon but also with himself for feeling that frustration. He was not sure what bothered him more, the firm tone when Shannon spoke back to him, or the cold gaze that now replaced the admiration and devotion that had always been there before.

Even though he had often been indifferent during their marriage, he had never been blind. He had always known how Shannon looked at him, with love so deep, so real, that it made him believe the woman would always look at him that way, no matter how much he neglected her.

And that was what made the situation feel so strange. When they had met earlier, Shannon seemed different, bolder, more assertive, as if there was a spark within her that he had never seen before. Watching her slowly step out of the role she had always played, starting to rebel against the shadow she had lived in, made him feel like he was losing the control he had once thought was absolute.