LOGINAt the label showcase, Lily Monroe pointed at the second microphone beside Adrian Vale and asked, "Is this where Mira usually sings with you?" The room went quiet. That mic had been mine for seven years. From dive bars with sticky floors to sold-out theaters, I had stood to Adrian's left for every acoustic closer. I wrote the lyrics, arranged the harmonies, booked the early gigs, and talked club owners into paying us when Adrian was too proud to ask. Everyone in the band knew that final song was ours. Adrian had once promised me that when we sold out our first arena, we would sing it together before he announced our engagement. But Lily only tilted her head and smiled, all nervous charm and pretty innocence. "Can I try her part?" Adrian looked at me for half a second. Then he handed her the spare in-ear monitor. "Go ahead." The rehearsal room went silent in the way people go silent when they know they have just watched someone get replaced. Lily stepped up to my microphone. Adrian leaned close to adjust the stand for her height, his hand lingering at her waist as he showed her where to come in on the chorus. The band looked anywhere but at me. That was the moment I realized Adrian Vale and I were over.
View MoreThe music began after that.At first, he did not recognize the song. There was no dramatic guitar opening, no arrangement built around his voice, no pause designed for applause. The hall filled instead with an old recording, fragile with age but warm enough to quiet the room.Evelyn Lane was humming.Then a child's voice followed, missing the note and laughing.Mira.Adrian knew that tape.Years ago, in their first apartment, she had played it for him at the kitchen table. The fridge had been almost empty, rain had leaked through the window frame, and Mira had sat beside him with her knees pulled up, nervous in a way she almost never allowed herself to be."This is where the melody started," she had told him. "My mom used to sing it in laundromats when we had nowhere else to go."He had reached for her hand and promised he would keep it safe.At the time, he had meant it.That was the cruelest part. He had meant many things when he said them. He had simply expected Mira to survive the
Nathaniel Reed sent the invitation to Adrian himself.A private ceremony at Royal Albert Hall. Adrian and Lily were welcome to attend.The message sat in Adrian's inbox for two days.He opened it more times than he wanted to admit, but every time he saw Mira's name beside Nathaniel's, disbelief came first.It had to be a statement.A very expensive way of telling him she was done waiting.Mira had always been stubborn when she was hurt. She could pack a bag, block a number, disappear into work for days, and still come back when he finally said the right thing. For seven years, there had always been a way back: a late apology, a song left on her desk, a hand on her waist before a show, a promise made in the dark where no one else could hear it.So even when he boarded the flight to London with Lily beside him, Adrian told himself he was not walking into a wedding.He was walking into a performance.Mira was angry. Mira was grieving. Mira wanted him to know what it felt like to be replac
Adrian's question hung in the studio.Lily's smile froze for a second."What?" she asked.Adrian looked at her. "Who said we were moving forward?"The room went quiet.Claire stood by the door, pretending not to listen. The pianist kept his eyes on the sheet music.Lily gave a small laugh. "Adrian, don't be like that. I meant the performance. The label wants people to understand the new acoustic direction.""The label doesn't decide who I'm with."Her face flushed.I almost felt sorry for her.Almost.Lily looked at me, then back at him. "But Grant said Saturday would be a good time to make things clear. After San Vicente, everyone is confused.""Then tell Grant no."It was the first time I had ever seen Adrian cut her off.Lily's eyes widened. For a moment, she looked less like the sweet new girl everyone protected and more like someone who had just found out the role she wanted had not been locked."Adrian," she said softly, "I'm only trying to help.""I know."He sounded tired, not
I looked at Adrian for a moment, then picked up my bag from the chair."It has nothing to do with you."He let out a short breath, almost a laugh. "You called him the night you left me.""Yes.""And now you're flying to London to marry him?""Yes.""Listen to yourself.""I am.""No, you're angry." His voice dropped, careful now, as if he were talking me down from a ledge. "You're grieving, and you're angry, and Reed happened to answer the phone at the right time."The way he said Nathaniel's name made it sound like an accusation.I turned toward the door. "We're done."Adrian moved before I could leave, stepping into my path. He did not touch me, but the room suddenly felt smaller."Mira, come on. You don't know that world."I looked up at him. "What world?""Reed's world." His jaw tightened. "London money, old venues, people who buy careers over lunch and call it patronage. You think a man like that is going to marry you because of one phone call?"The words were not loud, but they la


















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