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I stood up and walked toward him. I had a few inches on Kurt, so I looked down at him.
“Don’t you dare say anything like that again. You realize that’s exactly how most people get started, right? That’s howIstarted, remember? I started on the level you’re calling the mud. With Thalia.”
“And I did everything in my power to pull you out of that mud, you ungrateful bastard. I even…”
“You manipulated me into letting you take over my career so you could push me in the spotlight while you let Thalia drown in the mud. Because I was your favorite.”
Suddenly, behind Kurt, I saw Thalia. Her eyes burned into Kurt and it was the angriest I’d ever seen her.
Kurt must have felt the energy in the room shift, too, because he looked behind him to find Thalia, fists clenched tightly by her side.
Thalia
I heard everything Kurt told Damian. I’d heard their raised voices from down the hall. I wasn’t going to let Kurt manipulate the truth and the past, as he’d done with me.
“You knew I was pregnant,” I said, voice low and calm when Kurt turned to look at me. “And you know how hard that would make it for me to reach stardom, even after a big, successful gig. You had all of your money set on Damian, and you just wanted me out of the way.”
Kurt’s nostrils flared, but he didn’t say anything.
“I admit, I was tired of not being picked. I was always coming in second. But I was willing to keep working, keep grinding to get to the top, even if it was at a slower pace. But you didn’t even give me the chance. You didn’t let me because, to you, I was a lost cause. Worthless.”
Kurt fully turned around, and I could see him glance toward the door, but he was cornered. In his eyes, I could see he knew he wasn’t going to weasel himself out of this one.
“Was I wrong?” Kurt’s shout boomed through the space. “Your song didn’t even hit the top twenty.”
I just shook my head.
“That was on you. You chose to promote Damian’s song ten times more than mine. Everything that happened to me was all a part of your plan to make sure there was a reason for you to drop me. You never believed in me or my talent, and when I got pregnant, you took advantage of my vulnerability to drive me out of the scene.“
I tried to relax my fists, but they clenched tightly at how my younger self was gaslit into thinking that I was the problem. It wasn’t fair, and I wasn’t gonna let it happen to anyone.
Kurt couldn’t come up with a response.
“I… what are you… that’s ridiculous!”
Damian stepped in.
“You never viewed us as people with dreams. We were just dollar signs to you. It took me a lot longer to catch on to who you really are, but you better bet your loud mouth that I see everything about you now. I see right through you.”
“And I willneverallow you to manipulate anyone the same way you manipulated me.” I finally took a stance against the man who almost ruined my dreams, and it felt freeing.
“Thalia, you want to do the honors?” Damian asked, dropping back to his couch and allowing me to take care of business by myself.
Kurt looked between me and Damian, utterly scared about what was going to happen next.
“W-What do you mean? Wait, we can talk about this! I was just being passionate, that’s all! I’ll keep it in next time!”
I walked toward him, looking at the man who manipulated me directly into his cowardly eyes.
“Leave. We never want to see you in this building again. And if I ever see your face again or find out that you’re out there manipulating young artists for your gain, you’ll never hear the end of it.” My tone, like my body language, was rock-hard and unmoving.
Kurt tried to open his mouth again, but my unwavering glare made him step out of the room and rush down the hall.
After a few seconds, I let out a breath I didn’t know I was holding as I felt a heavy burden in my heart starting to lift off.
“My God, you have no idea how hard it was to avoid him at work every day,” I said to Damian, trying to lighten the mood, but his expression remained serious.
He looked at me with his blue eyes glistening under the lights.
