Page 158 of Fame & Rhythm

Mum brushes my hair back from my face, wiping away my tears with gentle fingers. “He doesn’t know,” she says quietly. “And I haven’t decided if I’m going to tell him yet.”

I blink at her. “You wouldn’t tell him?”

Her expression tightens. “I’m not keeping this from him for you, Annie. I’m doing it for your father. This would devastate him… especially with his past. I don’t want to see him like that unless I absolutely have to.” She glances toward Ella. “For now, this stays between us. Do you understand?”

Ella nods, her arms wrapped around herself. “Yeah.”

“I’m sorry, Ella,” I say softly.

She shakes her head immediately, tears spilling over as she steps closer to the bed. “No, I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have left you there. I was angry, and I let it get the better of me.” She takes my hand, gripping it tightly. “If I’d made you come home, none of this would’ve happened.”

“It’s not your fault,” I whisper, though the guilt still sits heavy in my chest.

“I’m just glad you made it here,” she says, her voice breaking.

A flicker of memory cuts through me. The back seat of a car. I frown, trying to grab hold of it.

“What is it?” Mum asks, watching me closely.

“I… I think he brought me here,” I say slowly, closing my eyes as the fragments start to piece together. “I remember being in a car. I couldn’t move… everything was black.” My stomach twists. “I think he dumped me at the entrance and left.”

Mum shudders, her grip on my hand tightening.

“And my bag… my phone… they’re gone,” I add, the realization settling in. “The nurse said I didn’t have anything with me.”

A heavy silence fills the room.

“I hate that you were with some stranger like that,” Mum says finally, her voice tight with anger. “God knows what he could have done.”

“I know,” I whisper. “I’m so sorry. I swear… this won’t happen again.”

“It better not,” she replies, her tone firm now. “Because I can’t keep covering for you like this. And what if he knew who you were?”

“I didn’t tell him my name,” I say quickly—

And then another memory slams into me. ‘Let me fuck you, Annie,’ I remember him saying.

Shit, he knew my name even though I never told him.

“Crap! I think he knew who I was,” I say.

Mum shakes her head, her lips pressing into a thin line.

“He called me Annie… but I never told him my name.” My stomach drops. “Shit,” I mutter, dragging a hand through my tangled hair.

“For God’s sake, Annie,” Mum snaps, her composure slipping. “Let’s hope he keeps his mouth shut. If this gets to the tabloids, can you even imagine the headlines?”

“And he has my phone,” I add quietly, the frustration settling in.

“It’s all right,” she says, forcing a calmer tone. “We’ll disconnect it first thing in the morning and get you a new one.” Then her gaze sharpens again. “But this cannot happen again. Ever.”

I nod quickly.

“I mean it, Annie,” she continues, her voice firm. “If you scare me like this again, I will tell your father. And I won’t stand in the way of whatever he decides. You may be an adult, but you’re still living under our roof, and that means you follow our rules. Do you understand?”

“I understand,” I whisper. “It won’t happen again. I feel sick just thinking about it… how close I came to something worse.” My throat tightens. “And I feel… wrong. Being with someone like that. It wasn’t even…” I shake my head. “I don’t know why I did it.”

Mum’s expression softens, just slightly. “You’re hurting,” she says quietly. “And sometimes when people are hurting, they make choices they wouldn’t normally make.”