I went back to my room. Closed the door. Locked it again.
Then I slid down the wall until I was sitting on the floor. Knees up. Head in my hands.
The full weight landed then. Heavy. Crushing.
I married a girl I barely knew.
I ruined her life in one drunken night.
I let my oldest friend call her trash while I held her.
I let my band watch.
I let my manager talk about profiting off it like she was merchandise.
And now she was asleep on my couch with a kid who hated my guts, hiding from cameras because of me.
I had no idea how to be anything but the asshole who runs.
My phone buzzed again. Mom. I didn’t look.
I lifted my left hand. Stared at the ring. Same cheap band. Same fake shine.
“What the fuck did I do?” I whispered.
The words echoed in the empty room.
No one answered.
Chapter 10
Hadley
The suite kitchen was narrow, all stainless steel and marble that looked expensive but felt cold under my bare feet. I’d come in here to get water for Eli, he’d finally fallen asleep in the bedroom with his noise-canceling headphones on, the tablet still playing that same endless loop of bullet trains crossing bridges in slow motion. His breathing had gone deep and even about twenty minutes ago. I needed something to do with my hands, something normal, so I filled a glass at the sink and stood there watching the water swirl down the drain before I turned it off.
Footsteps behind me. Light. Purposeful.
I turned.
Sydney.
She leaned in the doorway, arms crossed loose, head tilted like we were old friends catching up. No hoodie today, just a soft gray sweater that probably cost more than my monthly rent, hair pulled into a perfect low ponytail. She smiled. Small. Sweet.
“Hey,” she said. Voice soft. “You okay? You look wiped.”
I set the glass down. “I’m fine.”
She stepped inside, let the door swing mostly shut behind her. Not all the way. Just enough that the hallway noise faded.“The guys are downstairs with Ron. Some big strategy meeting. Thought I’d check on you. And the little one.”
“Eli’s sleeping.”
“Good. He seemed… overwhelmed earlier.” She walked to the fridge, opened it like she owned the place, pulled out a bottle of sparkling water. “Want one? It’s the good stuff. No sugar.”
“I’m good.”
She cracked it open anyway. Took a sip. Leaned against the counter opposite me. “You know, I get it. This is a lot. Overnight your whole life flips. Cameras. Headlines. People judging. It’s scary.”
I didn’t answer. Just watched her.
