Hiding Behind My Mask

"Cut!" A loud voice boomed in the whole set. Jacob, the director of the movie, suddenly halted the shooting of the scene. He was in his thirties, not handsome in a typical way, but still pleasing to the eyes. He was tall, medium built, and had long, black hair, which he kept in a tight ponytail.

They were filming in one of the mansions owned by the studio, commonly used for this scene. It was an old, massive house with Victorian architecture. They set up in one of the large rooms acting as the master bedroom.

Everybody that scattered around the room stopped whatever they were doing. Sabrina paused in her place as she took a peek in his direction, feeling disappointed with her performance.

Jacob went to her side, scratching his head as frustration showed on his face, "Sabrina, you need to show me that you are excited about the news you are about to receive, but your facial expression was not exactly giving me that impression."

Sabrina could only lower her head, knowing that Jacob was right. "Your eyes lacked the spark that I needed in the scene. You're supposed to be jumping with happiness," Jacob continued.

"I'm sorry, Jacob. Can we try again?" Sabrina asked Jacob. "I'm sorry. If I kept messing up. I'll try to do it better this time," shifting her gaze at Nick on the sideline where he sat in his chair waiting for his turn.

"No problem. Just concentrate," Nick said supportively. He was her leading man, acting as her husband in this movie, a typical actor, handsome, great body and quite a ladies man.

Nick was waiting for them to shoot the next scene with Sabrina. Now, he had to wait patiently a little longer until she got it right. He did not mind since he also experienced a similar situation on occasion.

Nodding in acknowledgment, Sabrina went back to her original place and composed herself for her upcoming scene again. Lina, one of the makeup artists, tried her best to put some final retouched on her beautiful face, checked her long soft curls, which was dyed brunette for this part.

"From the top," Jacob announced to each crewmember as they took their designated spot once again. The cameramen refocused their lenses and adjusted to their assigned position on the set.

Another crew snapped the clapboard in his hand when he heard the director shouted, "Action," signaling to begin rolling the film. Then, they waited for Sabrina to begin her part.

She came out of the bathroom, moving to her bedside while holding on to the stick in her hand. She sat down on the edge of the four-poster bed, anticipating the result of what could be the best news she could ever receive.

A few seconds to go as per instruction, she would find out her faith. Then the white surface was supposed to show two lines in the middle of the stick. That could only mean one thing. She was finally pregnant.

The director signal for one of the cameras to focus on her face, then that was her cue. She was supposed to be ecstatic with the discovery. After their long wait, she was going to have a child. Her dream was finally coming true.

Instead, her hands began trembling as she stared at the stick on her hand while her face dropped down. Her reaction was not exactly giving a happy and over-the-moon impression, which entirely contradicted what the director wanted.

Once again, she found herself lost in her thoughts. She prided herself on her professionalism, but today was an exception. She was having difficulty focusing on her task. Her mind kept wandering somewhere else, beyond her control.

"Cut! Again, Sabrina. Tell me. What has got into you today." His voice reverberated throughout the set, which snapped her out of her trance. This time, the whole crew was becoming exasperated.

"What is wrong with you today, Sabrina?" Jacob tried to say as calmly as possible, although he was far from it. They had repeatedly shot this scene for the tenth time. Yet, Sabrina was not giving him the right vibe that he needed.

Jacob was directing the latest motion picture of Sabrina and Nick. This movie was not the first time that Jacob and Sabrina had work together. They had already filmed three movies together and some commercial shoots. Outside of this stage, they were friends.

Although they were quite close, they still maintained a professional relationship when they were on the set.

"I'm sorry, Jacob. I'm just not feeling well." She responded with her sincerest apology. "I'm sorry, everyone," addressing all the crew present in the room.

She knew saying sorry was not enough, but she tried to push herself today, yet she still failed miserably.

With a sigh, Jacob decided to give her an hour break. She was the star, after all, and her well-being was his utmost priority. The entire movie was almost ending anyway, so a few more delays would not affect the production cost and released date. He wanted to make sure that she was ok to tape the remaining few scenes before anything else.

Besides, Sabrina was well-known to be a professional artist. She would not put on hold any of her projects unless she had a good reason for it. The exact rationale behind why she was one of the most seek female stars in the industry, leading in her category in Hollywood.

When they reached outside the studio, Jacob confronted his friend. "Is there a problem? I can sense that something is bothering you. You know you can tell me." Jacob stated as he assisted her back to her trailer.

Jacob had noticed that lately, she was not acting like herself. He tried to pry her for information, but she refused to tell him what was the reason for her woes. She just kept denying that something was wrong, giving him lame excuses.

After the scandalous incident in her life, Jacob thought she had finally recovered when she returned to the scene. Her career was picking up again. Her fans continued to be supportive. As far as he knew, her life was back on track.

"Nothing is wrong with me, except for the headache I'm experiencing. Maybe it was the fatigue of the long nights of filming you had put me up with." She reasoned with a teasing smile. Jacob did not take offense with that statement since they knew that she was getting him riled up to lighten the mood and get him off her back.

He placed his arm around her shoulder and hugged her. "Go get some rest. I want you to be ready for the next shoot in an hour. This time, no more excuses. Understood," he warned in return, placing a kiss on the top of her head.

Back to her trailer, Amy, Sabrina's assistant, immediately gave her a glass of water. "Do you want something else?" Amy went back to the built-in kitchen, checking her stock of food. "What about some snacks?"

"No, thanks. I'm not hungry," Sabrina said, walking to the back of the trailer and laying down on the bed. Amy was a very reliable assistant, a real lifesaver when it came to her needs.

"Do you like a pain medication for your headache instead?" Amy offered as she rummaged her bag for the medicine.

Sabrina twisted her head, indicating no. "Not now. All I want to do is lay down for a while." Closing her eyes in the process.

"Are you sure?" Amy asked with concern. "I'm gonna put this here just in case you change your mind," leaving the medicine on top of the side table.

Amy was one of her devoted fans. When they met in a meet and greet event, they immediately clicked. Sabrina decided to make Amy her assistant. For years, Amy was there as she steadily climbed the ladder to her success.

She rubbed her temples with her fingers, massaging them to relieve the slight headache that was starting to cause her queasiness. "Yes. I think all I need is some time to be alone and rest my eyes."

"Ok, but if you need me, just give me a call." Amy moved towards the door of the trailer and exited, leaving Sabrina to herself.

Lying silently and staring at the roof of the trailer, she contemplated on her condition. Her body was off for a few days now. Each day that passed, she could feel that it was getting worse. She had an idea of what was wrong with her, but she still needed proof. Was she ready to find out the truth?