Page 104 of Shattered Melodies

I couldn’t go back to New York. Couldn’t give up my music, my freedom, everything I’d worked so hard for. But if my father went public with my identity, it would change everything. The press would have a field day.

Caleb. The thought of him made my chest ache. We were just starting to reconnect, to explore the possibility of something. I don’t know what will happen or how he will react If he found out about Corey King from some tabloid headline.

“Shit,” I muttered, running my hands through my hair. “Shit, shit, shit.”

I was so lost in my spiral of panic that I barely registered the sound of the front door opening. Jimmy’s voice cut through the haze of my thoughts.

“Liam? You home?”

“In the kitchen,” I called back, already reaching for the whiskey bottle again. My hand was shaking as I poured another glass. Fuck it. If there was ever a time for drinking, it was now.

Jimmy appeared in the doorway, his brow furrowing as he took in the scene before him. Me, disheveled and wild-eyed, surrounded by empty glasses and a half-empty bottle of whiskey. Real classy, Liam.

“Jesus, what happened?” Jimmy asked, his voice laced with concern. “You look like you’ve seen a ghost.”

I let out a bitter laugh, raising my glass in a mock toast. “Oh, you know. Just another day in the life of Liam fucking Denison. How was your day, Jimmy? Bet it was a real picnic compared to mine.”

Jimmy approached cautiously, like he was afraid I might bolt if he moved too quickly. “My day was fine. Boring, even. Want to tell me what’s going on with you?”

I took a long swig of whiskey, relishing the burn as it went down. “Well, let’s see. It started off great. Caleb took me on a date. The Grove, if you can believe it. We had apple pie and everything. It was nice. Really nice.”

“That sounds good,” Jimmy said, his tone encouraging. “So what went wrong?”

I slammed the glass down on the counter, harder than I’d intended. “What went wrong? Oh, I don’t know. Maybe the fact that the fucking vultures showed up? Yeah, that’s right. Paparazzi. Here. In Oakwood fucking Grove.”

Jimmy’s eyes widened in shock. “What? How? They must have followed me here somehow. Liam, I’m so sorry. I should have been more careful-”

“More careful?” I cut him off, my voice rising. “How could you have been so careless in the first place, Jimmy? This was supposed to be my safe haven, my escape. And now it’s all going to shit!”

As soon as the words left my mouth, I regretted them. Jimmy looked stricken, his face pale and his eyes wide with hurt. Guilt washed over me, momentarily drowning out the anger and fear.

“Fuck, Jimmy, I’m sorry,” I said, deflating. “I didn’t mean to snap at you. It’s not your fault. I just… I have all this anger, and I don’t know what to do with it.”

Before Jimmy could respond, a fresh wave of rage hit me. Without thinking, I grabbed my glass and hurled it at the wall. It shattered spectacularly, shards of glass and drops of whiskey exploding outward.

“Liam!” Jimmy exclaimed, jumping back. “What the hell?”

But I was beyond reason at this point. A manic laugh bubbled up from my chest, harsh and uncontrolled. “Oh, but wait! There’s more! You want to know the cherry on top of this shit sundae?”

Jimmy just stared at me, his expression a mix of concern and wariness. “What?”

“My dear old dad called,” I spat, pacing the kitchen like a caged animal. “Turns out he hired a private investigator to dig into my life. He knows, Jimmy. He knows I’m Corey King.”

“Oh, fuck,” Jimmy breathed, the color draining from his face. “Liam, I’m so sorry. What did he say?”

I laughed again, but it sounded more like a sob. “He gave me an ultimatum. Come back to New York, take over the family business or he’ll reveal my identity to the world. Can you believe that? My own father, threatening to destroy everything I’ve built.”

Jimmy was quiet for a long moment, processing. When he finally spoke, his voice was gentle. “What are you going to do?”

I slumped against the counter, suddenly exhausted. “I don’t know, Jimmy. I honestly don’t fucking know. Part of me just wants to run away again, disappear somewhere where no one can find me. But…”

“But you don’t want to leave Caleb,” Jimmy finished for me, understanding dawning in his eyes.

I nodded, feeling tears prick at the corners of my eyes. “Yeah. And I’m tired, you know? Tired of running, tired of hiding. I don’t want to let him dictate my life anymore. But if he goes public with this…”

“It’ll change everything,” Jimmy said softly.

“Exactly.” I ran a hand over my face, feeling the stubble that had grown in over the course of the day. “God, Jimmy. What am I going to do?”

---