"Silent torment"
There she is, sitting alone in the table, waiting expectantly, anxious, and also annoyed. Now that she saw us coming, I can see that she's even more annoyed, as she's frowning. She had her reasons. It couldn't be helped: she expected to have dinner with her husband alone, and he just appeared with his assistant, Olivia, and me. He didn't even remove his fake beard and moustache.
She's also annoyed because of that aesthetical "detail", I know. It's because he's still in the skin of The Professor, and not in his role of Alfred, just her husband.
He claims that he had just finished another show, and that he brought us because he had just come up with another amazing act: he could be buried every night and would survive. Oh, yes, a fine idea... because he wasn't the one that had been actually buried alive. Bloody Angier... you have just inspired him. I bet I'll have to do the hard work... like always.
Sarah's upset. She just wants more time with her husband. To make matters worse, Olivia has just called him "Freddie". Good Lord, in what she's driving me into? Now Sarah's even angrier, she doesn't seem to understand anything... or understands too much.
I just want to get rid of everything and take her away from all this madness with me, but that would just spoil everything. He doesn't deserve her. He's only making her suffer...
No. I'm making her suffer. I'm also Borden, even if tonight I'm Fallon. I'm hurting her, greatly. If today she was to ask Borden if he loves her, she will say that tonight it isn't true. And that's because I'm not Borden tonight. And I'm hurting her now.
Instead, tomorrow I'll be Borden, and she'll believe me when I'll tell her that I love her. Because I do. He doesn't. He loves Olivia, but he's getting me into a big trouble. She doesn't mind being Borden's mistress, apparently, but Sarah's suffering now, because she's suspecting things.
And I can't do anything. The only thing I can do is to leave the restaurant with Olivia, while I want to tell my wife everything. Instead, I have to leave her behind with him. And I can't tell her anything, because we agreed not to let anyone know. That would break the magic. And without magic, there's no spell.
I was always the weak one, while he was strong for both of us. I couldn't stop him, and now he's the one that makes Borden's choices, while I have to stay behind, staring silently how things turn up... I'm just part of the audience, when I'm a key part of the act.
I can only stare at her suffering from afar, in silence, because tonight I'm not Borden, but his prestige in disguise.
End
Notes: well, I've had this typed in my PC for… forever. Been ages since I saw that movie (pretty cruel, I like The Illusionist better from those two movies with magicians that came in the same year…). Yet, The Prestige movie gave me this small moment in Sarah's face that triggered this drabble… Thanks for reading.