Cole’s grip on the microphone tightens. “I’d like to y a new song for you.”
The first row of people standing by the stage go wild, along with my heart. After spending thest month on the road with him, I should be used to watching him enchant a crowd, but here I am, acting starstruck again from my hidden corner backstage.
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He continues, “See, I made a new friend this summer.”
A few girls shout that they love him, which earns them a deep, raspy chuckle.
“And she and I have been working on an amazing album together.”
Traveling around Europe while writing music has been one of the best things that’s happened to me. Although I haven’t been able to go sightseeing as much as I thought<span id="page_575">I would, I’ve been enjoying myself with Cole and his team. They’re professional, creative, and push me to step out of my musicalfort zone and test new kinds of sounds. I’ve even been learning how to y the banjo and mandolin, much to Nico’s excitement and Burt’s surprise.
If it weren’t for Nico, I’m not sure I would be in this position to begin with. Bing his nanny and music teacher not only gave me a renewed purpose but also the courage to chase after my dreams once more.
Together, Nico and I fell in love with music again and formed an evesting bond in the process, and not a day goes by when I don’t miss him. He video calls me daily to catch up on what he calls myEuropean adventure. I make sure to prioritize at least a few minutes each day for him, whether I’m out and about trying to get inspired or holed up in my hotel room, feeling heartsick over how much I miss him and his dad. Rafael and I talk every day too, which makes me happy and incredibly homesick.
If Rafael hadn’t surprised me two weeks ago, I might not have made it through the full five weeks without running home, although he assures me that I would have.
“Is she your girlfriend?” a random person in the second row shouts.
“Oh, no. Definitely not.” Cole points at something. “She is happily in a rtionship with a decent guy who wouldn’t hesitate to kick my ass.”
I cover my mouth to stifle myugh. Rafael has slightly warmed up to Cole, solely because he sees how much this<span id="page_576">whole tour has meant to me, but that doesn’t mean they will ever be friendly.
“I’d love for you to let me know what you think of the song when I’m done. Perhaps we can even convince the songwriter toe out here and introduce herself.” He nces over at my concealed spot in the wings, and I take a step back as if the spotlight can find me if he stares long enough.
Yesterday, Cole asked me if he could y one of the new songs we wrote together because he wanted to see how people would react. I was surprised, especially since he hasn’t even recorded it in a studio yet, but he told me to trust him.
So here I am, about to listen to a crowd react to my songlive.
Cole readjusts his fingers on the guitar chords. “This song is called ‘Shades of Blue,’ written by yours truly and the wonderful Ellie Sinir.”
The volume of the crowd goes up by about twenty decibels.
I suck in a breath. “Oh my God. He said my name. Out loud.”
A crew member chuckles behind me before saying, “Better get used to it because,e tomorrow, everyone will know it.”
I didn’t think it was possible for the crowd to get louder, but somehow it does.
Cole begins ying the first few chords of a songIwrote to a crowd made up of thousands of people. I knew it would make me emotional, but I didn’t expect to get teary-eyed within the first ten seconds<span id="page_577">.
Picturing a future without you
was like looking through a lens tinted blue.
Shades of navy bled to ck
until I could no longer remember
what my life was like before you came back and threw it off-center.
I saw Ava’s live concert videos. Listened to her ymysong after she won the Album of the Year award that I should have also been there to ept. I watched from the sidelines as all my aplishments were stolen by someone else—as my dreams of ever writing songs again were crushed into a thousand pieces, only to be rebuilt into something far better.
I swipe at my cheeks. Cole’s assistant passes me a tissue at one point, which only makes me cry harder.
He gives me a one-armed hug above the waist that makes me wish Rafael were here to share this moment with me. To see me shine from my little backstage corner while the world hears my song.
I push the thought aside and enjoy the moment.
The song goes by too fast, and it makes me wish we’d added another verse solely so I could bask in the glow for a little longer. I’m so caught up in the buzz that I don’t notice the silence of the crowd until Cole turns to face the wings of the stage with a smile. “Hey, Ellie. I think they love your song.”
My chest clenches as the stadium agrees.
“Do you want toe out here and let them tell you themselves?”
Cole sure has the ability to rile up a crowd. Laughing.<span id="page_578">Screaming.Crying. The man is a true star, and it’s obvious why his shows sell out.
The roar of the people attending tonight’s show hits me like a shot of adrenaline, and before the voice in the back of my head speaks out, I step onto the stage and wave.
Cole beckons me forward before holding out the mic for me. “Say hi.”
“Hi,” I croak.
People break out inughter in the first row, and my cheeks warm, both from the bright lights and my slight embarrassment.
Cole turns to the crowd. “So what do we all think of Ellie’s song?”
It’s electric, the way the crowd gets louder as Cole points the mic and spins it in a circle, and I find myself breaking out into a smile as I finally let go of the hurt I held on to for over a year because of Ava and Darius.
What they did doesn’t matter anymore because I’m choosing to move forward and pave my own way. Song by song and day by day, Iwillbuild a name for myself.
And all that starts today.? 2024 N?v/el/Dram/a.Org.
“I know you were most likely hoping for a better alternative…” Mywyer lets her sentence hang.
With all the packing I need to do before heading back to Lake Wisteria, thest thing I need is to spend time on a video call with mywyer and Rafael, but Ms. Copper said it was urgent.
ording to her team, Ava’s legal counsel is looking<span id="page_579">to settle before the end of the week, so I’m faced with an impossible choice: either ept Ava’s settlement money and sign a non-disclosure agreement or have my case heard in court and risk walking away with nothing.
“So no one would know what really happened?”
Ms. Copper shakes her head. “No.”
“But Ellie would receive full credit?” Rafael asks.
I look at his spot on the video call while simultaneously wishing he were here, holding my hand while Ms. Copper delivered the news.
Ms. Copper’s legal aid reviews something on their tablet. “Ms. Sinir will be listed in the credits of each song she helped write.”
“But Ava will remain in the public’s good graces.” Rafael frowns.
“There is another alternative.” Ms. Copper clears her throat. “We could go to trial and present our case to a judge.”
“They may believe her.”
“But they could also believe you,” Rafael challenges with an arched brow.
I scoff. “Right.”
“I don’t expect you to make a decision about the settlement today.” That’s a relief. “Although Ava’swyers did set a hard deadline for the end of the week.”
“Why?” Rafael asks when I remain quiet.
“They most likely want to clear this up before Ava’s next album drops.”
“God forbid America’s sweetheart gets any bad press,” I mutter under my breath, earning a deep scowl from Rafael<span id="page_580">.
Ms. Copper’s lips thin. “As it is, her PR team is working overtime after everything that happened with Darius.”
Rafael looks rather smug at that bit of news.
“Do you rmend I take the money?” I ask. If I did, I’d be set for life without ever needing to step in front of a judge, and my name would be listed in the song credits, but no one would ever know what really happened between Ava and me. What will stop her from doing this again to someone else one day?
Ms. Copper looks directly into her camera, her piercing stare pinning me in ce. “I don’t like making rmendations.”
“Okay. Fine. But if you were in my position—”
Her lips twitch. “Good try.”
I sigh.
“Icantell you that I didn’t choose this line of work to hide behind settlement paperwork and NDAs.”
When I started this legal process, the idea of silently settling with Ava sounded appealing, especially if it avoided any kind of confrontation, but now that I’m presented with the opportunity to do just that, it feels…
Cowardly.
A judge could rule in her favor, and I could never see a dime for my work, but at least I stand a chance of people hearing my side of the story, even if it solidifies my ce as the viin in Ava’s.
“You can give me an answer by five p.m. this Friday.”
I shake my head. “No.”
“Are you sure?” Rafael asks with raised brows.
“I don’t want to wait until then.<span id="page_581">”
Ms. Copper leans forward on her elbows, making her designer tweed jacket shift with the movement. “Would you like to settle, then?”
“Actually, no. I want to go to court.”
All hell breaks loose less than twenty-four hours after mywyer files my case with the California courts. National news outlets won’t stop talking about Ava and me, and while their facts are limited, it doesn’t stop people from specting all about our case. The inte sleuths are actively picking apart my life, and I had to set all my social media ounts to private to stop random people from learning more about me.
If it weren’t for Rafael and Willow, I would have given up on the idea of taking Ava to court. My best friend spends hours handling my PR, reaching out to journalists to give them my side of the story, while Rafael does everything in his power to keep me calm, including limiting my inte and phone ess.
His attempts at distracting me range from mind-numbing sex to watching him care for all the animals in the barn, including braiding Penelope’s hair.
Seeing him not only check on the cats but also all his other animals fills me with so much warmth. Willow used me of having a caretaker kink, and it’s all his fault.
“What are you looking at?” He tugs at the bow he just finished tying around Penelope’s hair and restarts.
“You’d be a great girl dad.”
He smiles to himself. “You think so?<span id="page_582">”
“I know so.” I check out his handiwork. For someone with hair too short to braid, he sure knows what he is doing. “Where did you learn to braid hair like that?”
“Dahlia and Lily made us y with their dolls growing up.”
“They did?”
His cheeks flush. “Yup.”
“Well, it worked. You’re better than I am at that.”
He fidgets with the bow. “I doubt that.”
“I’m being serious. Good thing you had a boy, or else you’d be braiding your daughter’s hair every single day.”
He clears his throat. “Would you want one?”
“What?”
“A daughter.”
His questionpletely catches me off guard. “Um…”
My anxiety grows as I consider telling the truth.
Of course I would want one, but I also understand Rafael may nevere around to having kids, so—
“Having a girl may kill me in the process, but I’d want one…in the future.”
My heart jolts. “You do?”
“Yup. And I’d be the best girl dad in the world, just so no one else would everpare.”
Iugh before pulling him into a kiss. “Does that mean you’reing around to the idea of adopting?”
“One day, yes. But for now, I just want to keep you all to myself.”
Likewise.