Page 156 of The Jaded Notes

As we make our way through the maze of equipment and crew, I catch fragments of conversations around us. Everyone’s still buzzing about the show, about the moment I pulled her onstage.

“Dude, that was legendary,” one of the sound techs calls out. “Best Coachella moment in years.”

“Cash finally grew some balls,” another voice adds, earning laughs from the group.

Livianna squeezes my hand. “Do you regret it? Making such a public statement?”

I stop mid-stride and turn to face her fully. “The only thing I regret is waiting so long to do it. I should’ve fought for you years ago instead of drowning in my own bullshit.”

Her blue eyes search my face. “Things were…”

“I know it’s not that simple. I fucked up more times than either of us can count.” My thumb runs across her soft skin. “But I’m not the same guy who let drugs and ego destroy us. I wanna prove that to you.”

“How?”

Around us, the backstage chaos continues, but we’re in our own galaxy again.

“However long it takes. However many chances you’re willing to give me.” I step closer. “I know you’re scared. Hell, I’m terrified. But what if we could get it right this time?”

She’s quiet for a long moment, studying our joined hands. When she peeks up, something shifts in her expression.

“Callum, the media is going to be relentless. They’ll dig up every mistake, every nasty detail from before.”

“Let ’em. I’ve got nothing left to hide.”

“And when they start analyzing why I was in Paris… Who I’ve been spending time with and where I’ve been… They won’t let up, and I want that part of my life to myself. It’s nobody’s business.”

My jaw tightens. The mysterious man she won’t name. The one who left her hanging while he jet-sets around the globe on “important business.”

“Then, Lily, we’ll deal with it together like we used to.”

“Will we? Or will you revert and spiral again when things get hard?”

The questions shoot deep because they’re fair. It’s the fear I see lurking behind her eyes—that I’m still the same broken boy who bowed to manipulation over love and who she thinks cheated on her years ago.

“Lily, I can’t promise perfection. But I can promise I’llfight for us instead of letting people get between us this time.” I lift her hand to my lips, pressing a soft kiss to the top of it.

She shivers at the contact, and hope explodes in my chest.

My love for her takes over. “I’m curious, vixen. Would I be pushing my luck if I asked you to come home with me tonight?”

Chapter Thirty-Four

LIVIANNA/LILY

A Week & A Half Before Now

Headline Hazards & Letters Lost In The Past

The articles blur together like wounds that won’t stop bleeding.

“Jesus, they’re all over the place.” I stare at my laptop screen while sitting at the kitchen island, scrolling through endless notifications flooding my inbox.

ROCKER’S PUBLIC LOVE CONFESSION: LIVIANNA HEMINGS AND CASH MAYZE TOGETHER AGAIN?

“Fucking fabulous. My parents will have a heyday with this.”

The Malibu house is too quiet around me, like it’s holding its breath. It’s like it knows I was with Callum tonight while I’m staying in Jaxon’s dream beach home.