Page 178 of Fame & Chaos

Dad frowns. “What?”

“I can go see her at work.” I shoot up from the couch. “She’ll be there.”

Dad immediately grabs my arm and hauls me to a stop. “Absolutely not.”

“Dad—”

“No. Terrible idea.” He points at me sternly. “You need to give her space. You know exactly what she’s like. If you corner her at work right now, she’ll bolt even harder.”

I drag my hands through my hair in frustration. “I can’t wait another God only knows how many years.”

“I don’t think you’ll have to,” he says calmly. “She’s older now. More mature. And she loves you.”

The words hit me square in the chest.

“Her love will bring her back eventually,” he continues. “But right now? She’s furious. Hurt. Humiliated. You need to let her process everything before you push.”

I drop back onto the couch heavily. “What if she never contacts me?”

Dad pauses for a second before answering honestly, “That’s always a possibility.” My stomach drops. “But…” he continues firmly, “… you can’t control this anymore. Indi holds all the power right now, son. The best thing you can do is focus your energy somewhere productive. Put it into the band. Keep busy. And for the love of God, don’t start drowning yourself in booze and random women.”

I swallow hard and nod once. “What if I never see her again?” I ask quietly. “What if the last image I ever have of her is her crying?”

Dad’s face softens. “Don’t torture yourself like that. Focus on the good memories instead.” He leans back with a heavy sigh. “When your mother left, I spent years destroying myself over it. Drugs, alcohol, women… I became someone I barely recognized. And I don’t want that life for you.”

His eyes lock onto mine seriously. “So promise me something. If you start spiraling, you come to me. You talk to me. You don’t need substances or hookups to survive heartbreak.”

I rub both hands down my face hard. “This is so monumentally fucked.”

“I know.” He pauses. “How did the press get all that information about Indi?”

A hollow laugh leaves me. “Because I’m a fucking idiot.” Dad raises an eyebrow. “I told Sasha everything,” I mutter. “Every detail about Indi and me. About her parents. About our history. I vented to her because I was confused, and she ran straight to the press with it.”

Dad winces. “Ahhh, one of those girls.”

“One of what girls?”

“The crazy ones.” He rolls his eyes. “The obsessive groupie types. Trust me, you haven’t seen the last of her.”

I groan and lean back. “If this is what fame looks like, I want out already.”

Dad laughs softly. “There’ll always be women like that. Comes with the territory. But music’s what matters. You can’t throw everything away because of one woman.”

I crack my neck to the side. “Indi wouldn’t want me to quit either.”

“Exactly.” Dad points at me. “So focus on the music. Work hard. Keep your head straight. And don’t become some cliché rockstar disaster.”

“You sound like a nagging wife.”

“That’s because I’m old now,” he deadpans.

A laugh finally escapes me, small but genuine.

Mum walks over then, resting her hand gently on my shoulder. “You okay, baby?”

“Not really,” I admit honestly before grimacing. “And stop calling me baby. I’m twenty-four.”

She smiles softly. “Well, I made bacon, and bacon fixes most things. Come eat with us for a bit.”