SHATTERED ILLUSION:EVESWOOD SCANDALS

~CHAPTER ONE~

Ethan paced anxiously backstage, running his lines over and over in a desperate attempt to commit them to memory. But as the opening night quickly approached, his mind remained stubbornly blank. No matter how hard he tried, the words refused to stick.

Stepping on stage, he took a slow, deep breath and gazed out at the empty auditorium. This role was supposed to launch a comeback and regain the acclaim of his early years. So why couldn't he remember a single line?

A sudden flash transported Ethan back 10 years, to the height of his popularity and talent. Fans adored him, critics praised him, and the entire industry followed his every move. But most of all, he had Olivia by his side. His beautiful, supportive wife who shared in every success.

Yet the memories only made his current failure ache all the more. Because what the public didn't see were the darker shadows lurking beneath his perfect smile. The drunken late nights crammed with demons from his troubled youth. The addictions that slowly took hold, threatening to derail his promising career.

And now, those ghosts from the past haunted him anew. Any time he looked at his lines, indistinct images would rise up and scatter his thoughts. Scenes from rehab stints and Olivia begging him to get help. It was as if his mind itself had shattered under the strain of it all.

Frustrated, Ethan crumpled the page in his fist. How could he hope to rescue his reputation with this role if he couldn't even remember his lines? And with Opening night only a week away, the cracks in his facade were deepening by the day. Ethan wandered towards centre stage in a daze, his mind still lost in painful memories. As he gazed out at the empty seats, the auditorium suddenly melted away.

A flashback transported him to ten years earlier. Ethan was standing under a spotlight, soaking in the applause and adulation of a full house. This was his element - the thrill of a stunning performance that left the audience on their feet.

He glanced behind the curtain to see Olivia watching with a beaming smile, her eyes filled with love and pride. His beautiful wife, the one constant source of support through every success and failure. Later, they celebrated with close friends at their favourite restaurant.

There, Ethan felt untouchable. Charismatic and bursting with passion, firing off ideas for future roles as Olivia laughed beside him. She was his rock - the one who kept his dreams grounded and his ego in check with her gentle wit. They were a dazzling power couple adored by all.

But just as quickly as it came, the memory faded. Leaving Ethan alone once more in the empty theatre, a mere shadow of his former self. Now, he crept through each day withdrawn and haunted. Where there was once charm, only tired anxiety remained. The role he so desperately needed was quickly slipping through his fingers, as the ghosts of his past refused to release their hold. The scene dissolved again, and Ethan found himself watching from the shadows of the auditorium as another memory took shape.

Olivia glided through her elegant home, playing the gracious host at yet another glamorous fundraising gala. But as she mingled with guests, her smile didn't reach her eyes. Because behind closed doors, much had changed.

Now, it was Olivia's turn to dazzle. While Ethan faded from view, her own ambitions had only grown. And there was one major obstacle still holding her back - her increasingly unstable husband. 

As she freshened her lipstick, her assistant Lauren entered with an update on Ethan's wavering mental state. "It's only a matter of time before he causes a scene," Lauren said slyly.

A calculating look crossed Olivia's face. Finally, an opportunity to remove the anchor weighing down her meteoric rise. If only she could find a way to sabotage Ethan's big comeback and plunge his career back into freefall.