Page 86 of My Rockstar Ex's Broken Vows

"More idle threats. Get out of my face."

For a moment, we just stand there, locked in a silent standoff. Then he straightens, adjusting the lapels of his suit.

I glare at him, determined not to show any weakness. My hands shake with the effort it's taking to hold my ground. "You don’t scare me, Marcus. And you sure as hell won’t control me anymore."

I turn on my heel and walk away as my pulse hammers in my ears. As I push through the glass doors and step into the sunlight, I nearly lose it. Keep it together, Sienna, until you get to the car. Walk. Walk.

TWENTY-EIGHT

Callum

Through all the pain, we’ve come to know

Electric Lady Studios

11:14 AM

"Man,I’m telling you, it’s rigged," Jace says as we push through the studio doors, his voice rising over the faint hum of equipment. "There’s no way that claw machine actually lets people win the big prizes."

"Or," Mike shoots back, holding the door for us, "you’re just terrible at claw machines."

I snort, walking past them. "It’s a claw machine, not a casino."

Jace waves a hand, clearly not ready to drop it. "No, listen. There’s a whole algorithm?—"

Whatever he’s about to say dies on my deaf ears the second I see her. Sienna’s sitting on the couch by the far wall, her fingers going to town on her phone. She looks up, and the moment her eyes meet mine, I know something’s off.

"Hey," I say, cutting through whatever Mike’s about to add to the claw machine debate. "What did I do to deserve a beautiful woman waiting for me at the studio?"

Her voice is tight and controlled. "I just came from Trinity. I needed to see you. I'm so mad I could burst."

The shift in my chest is immediate, my whole focus narrowing in on her. "Mike, Jace—can you guys give us a minute? You can get the tracks set up and I'll be in there in a minute."

Jace glances between us, his usual humor dimming. "Yeah, sure. Hey, Sienna."

Mike claps me on the shoulder as they head toward the mixing board. As the door soft-closes behind them, their chatter falls away. I step closer to Sienna, already bracing myself for whatever’s weighing on her.

"You okay?"

"Where have you been? I thought you said y'all would be here all day finishing up. I texted you twice."

I glance at her again, then pull my phone out of my pocket. "You texted me? Shit! I'm so sorry. I didn't realize I'd missed you. We walked down to the Impeccable Pig for chicken and waffles."

She nods, brushing a strand of hair out of her face. "And you didn't bring me any? Double whammy."

"You want to walk down there right now? I'll buy you as many as you want."

"No, you're busy, and I have some things I have to do before Ollie gets home. Thank you, though. I was just messing with you. Do you have like five minutes? I can't wait to tell you this."

"Of course. Talk to me."

"I don’t even know where to start," she says finally, her voice tight. "That meeting was... it was a disaster."

"What happened?" I ask, my tone calm but firm.

She hesitates, her fingers fidgeting with the hem of her blazer. "I thought it was just going to be a chance to meet the headmaster, hear about the school, and ask questions. But when I got there, guess who showed up?"

I frown, leaning forward slightly. "He was there? Marcus? I thought y'all weren't talking to each other except through attorneys?"

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