Chapter 4

"This is bad, Liam. Real bad."

Shane was driving us back to Nashville, his phone propped on the dash, displaying a stream of furious comments and speculative articles.

"The label is calling me nonstop. They' re saying this new scandal makes you look unstable. It' s hurting the brand."

"I' m not a brand, Shane. I' m a person."

"Tell them that," he grumbled. "All they see are dollar signs. And right now, you' re costing them money."

I stared out the window, the Tennessee landscape a green blur. "I' m going back. I' ll deal with it."

Harper had been mortified, apologizing over and over for getting dragged into my mess.

"It' s not your fault, Harp," I' d told her before she left. "You were just being a good friend. I' m sorry you' re a part of this."

"Don' t you worry about me," she' d said, giving me a wry smile. "I can handle a little gossip. You just take care of yourself. And call me if you need anything. Anything at all."

My phone buzzed with a text. It was from Cassidy.

"A hometown flame? Really, Liam? You couldn' t wait a single day before making this mess even worse? This is unprofessional."

Unprofessional. Not, "Are you okay?" Not, "Who is she?" Just a cold, business-like complaint about how my heartbreak was inconveniencing her.

I thought back to the early years. She used to be so possessive. She' d get jealous if I even looked at another woman. Now, she didn' t care who I was with, only how it affected her public image.

When I walked into the lobby of my apartment building, she was there, waiting for me. She looked perfect, as always, dressed in a sharp, black power suit, her expression impatient.

"We need to talk," she said, her tone leaving no room for argument.

"I' ve been trying to talk to you for days," I shot back. "You were a little busy finding your new sound in Aspen, weren' t you?"

"Don' t be childish, Liam," she snapped. "You' re acting like a jilted lover, and it' s embarrassing. For both of us."

I stared at her, really looked at her, and a profound sadness washed over me. The woman I loved was gone. In her place was this stranger, this cold, calculating machine. Who was she? When had she changed so completely?

[Affection is the most volatile of human currencies.]

The Guide' s voice echoed in my mind, a warning it had given me years ago, one I had foolishly ignored.

Cassidy' s expression hardened. "Your little stunt has caused a lot of problems. The label is reconsidering your opening slot on the tour."

My heart stopped. The opening slot for country legend Garth Brooks. It was the biggest opportunity of my career. A dream I' d been working toward for a decade.

"They wouldn' t pull me," I said, my voice barely a whisper. "We have a contract."

"Contracts can be broken," she said with a chilling smile. "Especially when an artist becomes a liability. The sponsors are getting nervous. They' re talking about replacing you."

She let that hang in the air for a moment.

"With Cal."

I remembered a night, years ago, when I' d first gotten the news about the Garth tour. We' d been in this very lobby. She' d jumped into my arms, laughing, her eyes sparkling with pride. "You did it, baby! You' re going to be a superstar!" She' d been more excited than I was.

Now, she was the one taking it away.

"So that' s it?" I asked, my voice hollow. "You' re just going to give everything we built to him?"

"It' s not personal, Liam. It' s just better for business."

"Then we' re done," I said, the words feeling strangely final. "You and me. Professionally, personally. Everything."

I finally understood. She hadn' t just fallen out of love with me. She had never been truly committed. It was always a partnership of convenience. Her convenience.