Suffocation.
He felt suffocated, as if an invisible hand was tightly gripping his throat, making it impossible to breathe or make a sound. The world was roaring, spinning, and... falling apart. Every face, every image in his vision was crumbling away.
Where was his father? Silent. He was avoiding his pleas for help, avoiding his questions, trying to cover up the truth, but now it was clear that peace had already been shattered.
Where was his mother? Single-mindedly focused on getting him to sign his name, without even taking the time to explain what was happening. There was no space to breathe.
So, what should he do?
What could he do?
"...Write down your father or mother's name. There's no need to rush, but when you return to this room, I want to see a name on that line."
"Frank, just write down one name, and this will all be over. Haha, everything will be fine."
Escape.
He just wanted to run away, far, far away from here.
If he could just get far enough, everything that happened here would be left behind, paused. His parents wouldn't be able to divorce until he found a way to fix everything, like a superhero solving all the problems.
He would find a way to save it all. He would.
But, but...
What should he do?
Suddenly, he was struck with confusion.
He looked up, staring ahead, frozen in place. He forgot to think, to move, even to breathe, just staring blankly at the scene in front of him.
Silent. Motionless.
But he could clearly see the world reflected in those deep blue eyes falling apart, piece by piece, like watching a slow-motion replay, even seeing the bricks, the dust, the fragments peeling away. The clear and deep blue reflected every detail of the action.
So, they really could see the destruction of a world, just like the ending of "Fight Club," quietly witnessing everything unfold.
No anger, no fear, no rage. Nothing.
Only silence. A deathly silence.
And then, the surrounding noise and clamor gradually faded away until it completely disappeared.
The entire set was completely stunned.
After all, no one cared about this scene. Divorce had become so common in today's world, just another ordinary part of daily life. There was no need to make a fuss; both spouses and children should be more accepting.
But in reality, it wasn't like that.
Some people don't care, but others do. Just because something happens frequently doesn't mean it hurts any less. For some, it's still a deep wound, slicing to the bone and slow to heal.
A family is a world unto itself.
At least, for little Frank Abagnale, it was still like that. All those beautiful, happy, and magnificent dreams had just turned to dust.
He didn't scream, didn't cry out, didn't even shed a tear.
He just froze, as if you could see the light in those blue eyes slowly dimming, the whole world plunging into darkness.
Yet there was a force capable of destroying everything.
He stared at the camera as if he were staring at each and every person ahead—
One by one, they couldn't help but avert their gaze.
Just two minutes ago, they were complaining, their minds only on getting off work; but now, they were witnessing a child's world being torn apart, a pang of guilt gripping their hearts.
They held their breath.
And then.
He caught his father's voice amidst the clamor and noise. He turned his head, looking around, his eyes unfocused, searching the void, "Dad, whose name?"
He didn't get an answer, at least not from his father.
Christopher once again avoided his gaze. Even though that gaze wasn't directed at him this time, he couldn't face Anson's eyes and awkwardly lowered his own.
The lawyer intervened, performing his duties, "Your mother or your father, just write a name there. It's that simple."
"Don't be afraid; this isn't a test. There's no wrong answer."
The lawyer raised the ballpoint pen in his hand and placed it in front of little Frank.
He hesitated for a moment—
Afraid?
Afraid!
Up until that moment, fear suddenly gripped his heart, squeezing it fiercely, harder and harder, almost as if it was going to crush his heart into pieces.
Huh.
Anson took a sharp breath and held it.
The nightmare was back.
No tension, no anxiety, no fear. Instead, his features gradually relaxed, becoming exceptionally calm. Even the trembling in his pupils had ceased.
Everything was perfectly still.
It was like the calm before the storm—a kind of unnatural, extreme calm.
In his eyes, there was nothing but ruins, an utter silence, a deathly stillness.
For a brief moment, the entire world seemed to press the pause button. Time and space halted, even the sound of breathing and the heartbeat vanished.
And then—
Huh.
He breathed again.
It was just a single breath, but it unleashed all the energy at once, causing a roaring sound in his eardrums, with waves of energy continuing to surge.
The explosion happened just like that. Even without seeing it, one could imagine the scenes of the earth shattering, the mountains roaring, and the seas raging. A wave of sorrow and bitterness clutched at his ankles, holding them firmly, and then—
The fall.
A free fall, plunging into an infinite abyss, swallowed by darkness, seemingly never able to reach the bottom.
In that instant, everything froze, becoming eternal.
The camera was locked onto his face, capturing a close-up, a focus, with the light and shadow delicately capturing every detail on that face and in those eyes, making the light seem soft and gentle, breaking and scattering between his brows.
At that moment, everyone was deeply immersed in that emotion, unable to extricate themselves.
Not just the audience, but even the seasoned actors Christopher and Natalie were no exception. They were completely drawn in, as if they were really going through a divorce, as if they were truly destroying young Frank's world with their own hands.
Christopher tried to speak, but found that everything felt too weak, too pale. He awkwardly turned his head to avoid the gaze.
Natalie had the words on the tip of her tongue—"write me"—but couldn't say them. The worst part was that she wasn't sure if she wanted young Frank to write her name.
Suddenly, Natalie recalled what Anson had said to her before the shoot.
"You know?"
"In real life, young Frank never saw old Frank again. Their last moment together was when old Frank avoided his eyes, refusing to give any answers."
"And young Frank only saw Paula once more. Paula remarried and had other children. They didn't stay in touch."
Reality broke through the fourth wall and invaded the film.
Natalie stared at the face and the gaze in front of her, completely stunned—
So this is what the collapse of a world truly looks like, something that can never be undone.
One second. Two seconds.
No one spoke, no one dared to break the momentary silence, fearing that any sound would shatter the fragile world before them into pieces, until the roar echoed in their ears.
"Cut!"
However, there was no sigh of relief. Instead, hearts sank heavily, plunging into darkness.