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“Hey,” the girl said gently. “Did you hear what I said?”
“Sorry.” Alice forced a smile. “I was daydreaming.”
The pretty blonde held up a pair of earrings. “How about these?”
Alice looked at the jewels and froze.
“Don’t you like them?”
The earrings were lovely. There was nothing wrong with them, except that they looked exactly like the ones her mom had worn for Nabucco. She touched her throat, a sense of suffocation making it hard to breathe.
“Are you all right, honey?”
“Yes.” Alice got to her feet. “I just remembered I have another appointment.” She rushed to the door.
“What about the jewelry?” the girl called after her.
“Anything will do. You choose.”
The closer it came to the premiere, the more she felt singing was a huge mistake. If she didn’t pull it off, she’d never live down the shame. Would a bad performance make them lose sales? What if the reviews were so negative that the concert failed and they all lost their jobs? Would she be able to face everyone afterward? If she screwed up, the only one left standing would be Ivan Kray.
Later in the afternoon, Alice climbed up to the bridge and looked down at the stage, trying to imagine herself on it. It was a place she’d only been once, when Ivan had fucked her under the spotlight. Bummer, she hoped she wasn’t going to think about that tomorrow night when she faced an audience. That will definitely make her voice dry up. Her gut twisted at the thought of performing. Her mom had loved it. Ivan was a natural. For her, it felt like a punishment. Maybe she wasn’t meant to do it, but it was too late to back out.
Footsteps drew her attention.
She smiled up at Zach. “I was hoping you’d come.”
He gave her a dark stare. “Why?”
“I could do with encouraging company, maybe even a laugh.”
Zach didn’t laugh. “If you’re so tense about it, why do it?”
“Do what?”
“Sing with him tomorrow night.”
“It was hard to say no.” At least that wasn’t a lie. It was hard to say no when you were blackmailed.
Zach leaned an elbow on the rail. “Why would he do that?”
“Want me to sing with him?” Ivan had said it was payback time, but she couldn’t tell Zach that, so she simply shrugged.
“He’s the one, isn’t he?”
Her body went cold. She didn’t want Zach, or anyone for that matter, to know. She twisted her ring around her finger. “The one what?”
“The one you loved deeply long ago.”
She couldn’t lie to him in his face. “How did you guess?”
“It’s the way he reacts when your name is mentioned.”
“How does he react?”
“Uptight.”
Her shoulders slouched. “Can we keep it between us?”
“You said you loved him, but he left because of your family.”
“Yes.”
“May I ask why?”
She frowned.
“I’m only trying to make sense of the situation,” Zach said.
“He said my dad told him he wasn’t good enough for me.”
“Ivan was very poor at that time.”
“How do you know that?”
“I read the papers. I know about his past.”
“What does that have to do with anything?”
“Think about it. He was poor. You were rich. Your dad threw him out. He left. Now he wants you to sing with him when you haven’t sung a note in seven years. Why do you think that is?”
She shook her head. “What are you getting at?”
He lifted an eyebrow. “He said he couldn’t love you, but he’s all over you. The way he clings to you, I’m surprised you even have space to breathe. He’s got a strong physical hold on you, spinning you into a web so tightly, before you know what’s happening, he’ll swallow you whole.”
“Ivan is many things, but he’s not like that. He’s just being honest about what he can’t give.”
“Is he? Think about what I said and tell me again why he wants you to sing with him.”
“Are you implying he’s doing this for revenge?” Even if the same thought had crossed her mind, she didn’t want to hear it from someone else. It made the probability too real.
“I’m sorry, but I wouldn’t be a friend if I didn’t point out the obvious.”
“Thanks for pointing out the obvious.” She didn’t meet Zach’s eyes. “It doesn’t mean it’s true.” She turned for the steps.
“Don’t go. You need a friend.”
She stopped but didn’t face him. “You’re kind, but I have somewhere to be.” Anywhere alone.
She fled down the hallway into an empty dressing room and locked the door. Leaning on the wood, she tried to even her breathing. Damn, Zach’s words hurt. What he’d said made her feel used. To be fair, she should confront Ivan before coming to any conclusions. Then again, was it worth the confrontation? Ivan would be gone in a few weeks. As for making an idiot of herself in front of the whole world, that was a battle she’d taken on, forced or not, and she should at least try to win.
