Anson?
Kate never expected Anson to be the first person she would confide in. Even more unexpected, once she opened up in front of him, her words spilled out uncontrollably, like a flood breaking through a dam.
All her worries, fears, and frustrations poured out, with no way to stop them—everything she should and shouldn't say came rushing out.
But how should Anson respond?
He had to admit, even with the experience of living two lifetimes, he had never encountered a situation like this. He had no idea how to solve it now.
Wait a minute, the child wasn't his, so why was he feeling so anxious?
In the end, Anson decided to keep quiet and play the role of a listener—no, more like a trash can. He let Kate vent all her emotions and thoughts, so at least she wouldn't bottle them up inside.
Blah, blah, blah.
When Kate finally finished, she was panting, her chest heaving. It wasn't so much panic as it was a mix of disappointment and anger directed at herself.
Anson noticed.
But he thought, this wasn't something Kate should bear all the responsibility for. After all, Kate wasn't the Virgin Mary; it wasn't possible for her to become pregnant all on her own.
Without anyone having to say anything, Kate was already harsher and more critical of herself than anyone else. She had trapped herself in her own emotions.
"Kate," Anson carefully weighed his tone and asked with concern, "Have you told the child's father?"
That simple sentence hit the mark.
Kate whipped her head around to look at Anson, not bothering to hide the sharpness in her eyes. "What do you think?"
Anson shrugged lightly. "What I mean is, this is a responsibility for both of you. You shouldn't bear it alone."
Kate responded, "Yes, I know. But this won't affect his work; it'll affect mine, even the filming happening right now."
"He can happily say, 'Hey, we're having a baby!' while I'm left to face a pile of problems. I don't think he'll be much help."
"At the very least, I need to sort out my own thoughts before I talk to him."
"I... uh, I have a lot on my mind right now."
If Anson remembered correctly, Kate was dating director Sam Mendes—
This genius director, who shot to fame with his debut film American Beauty, winning both Best Picture and Best Director at the Oscars, was without a doubt one of the hottest names in Hollywood.
Though Mendes never replicated the success of American Beauty throughout his career, fans of the James Bond series would certainly remember his unique contributions to Skyfall and Spectre.
Like Sam Raimi, Sam Mendes had carved out his own space in the industry.
According to what Anson knew from his previous life, Kate and Sam eventually got married; but the couple, ten years apart in age, didn't make it to old age together.
In fact, in 2008, Sam directed and reunited Kate Winslet with Leonardo DiCaprio, ten years after Titanic, to shoot Revolutionary Road, a film about marital problems.
After its release, audiences noted that if Jack and Rose had a happy ending, their married life might have looked like the one in Revolutionary Road. But in reality, the film seemed more like a reflection of Kate and Sam's marriage.
Two years later, in 2010, the couple divorced.
But that was a story for later. For now, they should still be in the honeymoon phase.
Reportedly, Sam fell for Kate during a performance of an experimental stage play. Despite Titanic's worldwide fame, the young and ambitious Sam had never paid much attention to the film. It wasn't until 2001, when he saw Kate in a small theater, that he fell in love.
Later, Sam pursued Kate aggressively, eventually winning her heart.
At present, they were still in the phase of mutual infatuation.
However, Kate's concerns were valid—
From Sam's perspective, whether as a man or as a director, a child wouldn't have a significant impact on him.
The real burden and challenges would fall on Kate.
Anson paused briefly before looking at Kate again. "So what do you think?"
Kate was puzzled.
Anson shrugged lightly. "Since you said you need to sort out your thoughts before discussing it with the man, what are your thoughts?"
"I mean, setting work aside for a moment, do you want this baby?"
Kate furrowed her brow. "The point is, it's not that simple. I can't set work and career aside. I have to consider everything as a whole."
Anson shook his head. "No, let's take it step by step. Do you want the baby?"
Kate was stunned. She looked down at her abdomen, and instinctively placed her right hand on it, gently touching her stomach through the thick down jacket. Even though she couldn't feel anything, her fingers trembled slightly.
"Actually... I do."
"I want to be a mother, but I also don't want to give up my career. Am I being too greedy?"
Kate turned to Anson with a bitter smile.
Anson shook his head. "I don't think so."
Kate was taken aback.
Anson said, "In traditional thinking, whether men or women, they face the same dilemma: choosing between family and career. People say you can't have both—a fish and a bear's paw. They believe it's nearly impossible to balance both."
"To some extent, they're right."
"Because with anything, if you want to succeed or break through, you have to put in 100% effort. Dividing your attention usually leads to failure, so people often have to choose and learn to give up."
"That's a fact."
"But at the same time, it's not a law. It's not a scientifically proven theorem. Every person and every family is different."
"In my family, my parents shared the household responsibilities, helping and supporting each other. They balanced both their careers and family life. We weren't rich, but my brother and I grew up in a healthy and happy environment."
"Being a bit greedy is fine, as long as you're prepared for the possibility that if things go wrong, you might lose it all."
Kate listened carefully at first, but the last line broke the mood.
She rolled her eyes. "Are you trying to encourage me or discourage me?"
Anson spread his hands. "I'm just absolving myself of any responsibility."
Kate couldn't help but smile at his helplessness.
But the lightness was fleeting. Her smile quickly faded.
"Words are weightless. It's easy to talk about, but reality is much more complicated. There are so many things I have to consider."
"My job, future plans, the reality of being a female actor in Hollywood, and so on. Hollywood is unfair, and everyone has their struggles. For an actress like me, whose youth is fading but hasn't yet found her place, it's especially tough."
"Not to mention the current project is already a mess."
"God, I really don't know what to do."
"Look at you, ha! I shouldn't have told you about this. Now you're going to be distracted during filming, making it even harder to focus on the role."
"I'm single-handedly ruining this project."