51

The long awaited opening night arrived. Armand, who was in his dressing room, was extremely nervous, it was the first time something like this had happened to him, his legs were shaking and his hands were sweating. He could not understand why those symptoms, because although it was not the first time he performed in front of thousands of people, he walked from one side to another, inhaling and exhaling, for moments he closed his eyes and tried to visualize a quiet place, so that he could transmit peace, he felt like a rookie, not even when it had been his first presentation he felt like that, and now, now, he needed to calm down, he told himself that he could, that tonight, like all the previous ones, would be a total success, for an instant, doubts tormented him, it was as if his greatest fear wanted to play a bad trick on him, he only prayed that he would not forget his dialogues, because he did not want to ruin the first day of Othello's premiere.

‘Come on, Armand, you can do it, it's not the first time you've done this,’ he said to himself, putting both hands to his face. You have to calm down, you're behaving like a frightened little boy, you're not like that, he inhaled and exhaled again, for a few brief seconds, he felt suffocated, his forehead looked pearly, due to the sweat, with great care, he took a wipe and wiped himself and made himself up again, when he looked at himself in the mirror, he could see that there was no longer any residue of that lathered, uncomfortable finish, he adjusted the collar of his shirt again and let out a long sigh. In the distance and almost audibly, he could hear the first call, that meant that he was about to go on stage and face the wolves. One step, then another, an inhale and then an exhale, he paced back and forth, like a caged lion, and he couldn't stop trembling.

‘Come on, Armand. Try to calm down. Tonight, it's yours, it's what you've been waiting for, you've got the leading role you've worked so hard for, tonight, you'll once again make your worth very clear, you'll be consecrated as the best young actor of all time. This is your dream and you are fulfilling it,’ he said to himself again, ’Why can't I stop shaking? I can almost hear my heart beating wildly, I wish I could have more self-control. You can do it, you can do it, he repeated over and over in his mind, while closing his eyes. Suddenly, the second call came again, making him suddenly open his eyes and try to calm down, the moment for him to go on stage was getting closer and closer.

‘Almost there, almost there. You must do your best, for tonight, she will be watching you, make her and your baby proud of you,’ he said to himself once more, and let out another sigh, until finally the third call was announced. This is for you,’ he said in a whisper, referring to Juliet and the child growing in her womb, he adjusted his costume one last time and letting out a big sigh, went on stage, where as soon as they saw him appear, thousands of applauses were heard, giving the sensation that the building was vibrating. As he recited his lines, he searched rapidly through the crowd for his beloved, hoping to find her, and for a moment he felt a certain disappointment at not having found her, but in another of his attempts, his eyes fell on one of the boxes, It was there when his heart began to beat strongly, because just a few meters away, there was his beautiful angel with blond and curly hair, those precious emeralds were also watching him, they shone with great intensity, it was like this as sapphires and emeralds once again met. Juliet looked beautiful sheathed in a beautiful navy blue dress, which highlighted her sensual figure, she looked at him with love, it was there, when he forgot about everyone and began to recite for his beautiful muse, this time his performance was different from all the others, because this time, he did it with so much love and passion, making his performance not only perfect but also very emotional, achieving this way, Some ladies were already crying, while some gentlemen were paying attention to every movement and word that the brown man said, on the other hand, Maxwell, could not be more than pleased with his young star, without a doubt he had made a very good choice, having given an opportunity to that young man, who with dreams and hopes had decided to audition to belong to his theatre company. While everything was emotional, Amber, who was already next to him, reciting his dialogues, couldn't help but feel jealous, because when she noticed Armand's drastic change on stage, she felt an immense desire to go to that box where that insipid blonde was. There was no doubt, she hated her with all her being, she couldn't believe that that spoiled young woman was the muse of the man she loved so much, even though she had done everything she could to make him love her, even though she had done everything she could to make him love her.

Armand had noticed her, every effort had been in vain, the only thing she had got were rudeness and rudeness from the brown, and that would pay dearly, with that evil thought she felt satisfied for the moment, because it was like the incentive she needed to feel calm and to be able to act as magnificent as her companion.

Meanwhile, Juliet, who was seated, accompanied by her relatives, was in tears, due to the magnificent performance of her beloved, now that she remembered it was the second time that she attended a performance of his, the first had been on that winter night, that same day in which that tragic accident happened, that forced her to give up the man she loved so much, even though she didn't want to open old wounds, inevitably, she evoked that tragic night, Thomas, who almost being able to read the blonde's mind, held her hand tightly, to transmit strength to her, he for his part reproached himself again and again for not having been able to be by her side, when she needed someone the most, He remembered with great pain, how she had locked herself in her room for almost two weeks, she had stopped smiling, making the huge residence feel sad, because she was something like the soul of the house, if she was well, it was a fact that everyone there was well, The servants were worried about her, and felt helpless not knowing how to help the young girl who always played jokes on them, or with whom they always laughed until their stomachs ached, even Alex was very emaciated, due to the worry he felt at seeing his little sister in such a deplorable state.

It's the present that matters, isn't it? he dared to ask, just as he cleared his throat.

That's right, she replied in a whisper.

Life rewards the righteous, he said with conviction. It would be best if we didn't open old wounds that we had worked so hard to heal.

It was unavoidable, I confessed. But I give you my word that I won't do it again, I don't want to ruin my happiness.

That's the way to talk, he said warmly, giving her hand a final squeeze, before withdrawing his own and returning his attention to the play.

Julieta, erased that expression of pain and replaced it with one of joy and happiness, because she felt so proud and happy for Armand, it was the first time she could enjoy a performance without interruption, although she felt it would be the first of many, because if there was one thing she was convinced of once they were both married, she would accompany him on each of his tours, no matter the place, she would always be there for him, just as she had longed for him, She left her thoughts, just when she heard the applause and saw how the audience that was already standing, cheered the name of her fiancé, for his magnificent performance, the reporters who were in the place, were taking pictures, while others gave their good reviews and assured that for the next day, the name of Armand, would monopolize each of the headlines, and his face would occupy with dignity for a few weeks each of the front pages. Once the play was over, people slowly left their seats and calmly made their way to the two exits at the sides, while the Thompsons, on the other hand, decided to wait a little longer in their boxes, as the last thing they wanted was to expose their blond angel, They were still sitting and talking about Armand's performance, while Juliet just listened and smiled, while Patrick and Thomas talked about the attitude of that redhead who didn't look good at all.