Chapter 3

"Get out," I whispered and shut my eyes.

"Charlotte..." Andrew tried to say something more.

"Get out."

Quiet hung in the air for a short moment. Then I felt the shift of the mattress as he rose to his feet.

He fixed his sleeve cuffs and slipped back into the flawless poise he kept as Starlight Entertainment's top executive.

"Rest well. I will come see you later tonight," he said before walking away.

His footsteps softened as he moved toward the door. The hospital door clicked shut gently behind him.

Stillness settled over the hospital room once more. The steady beep of the heart monitor became the only sound around me.

I opened my eyes and stared blankly at the ceiling. Silent tears slipped down my cheeks and rolled slowly into my ears with a cold, damp touch.

I didn't cry because of Andrew. He would never deserve any sorrow from me.

I cried for my own broken self. I grieved the version of me that would never sing again and the bright, shining performer who once ruled every stage.

I mourned the trust that had been broken apart and the genuine love that had crumbled to nothing. I mourned five long years of my youth thrown away without a second thought.

I lifted one hand and gently pressed it to my throat. This part of me once carried powerful high notes that rang through massive arenas and let thousands of fans sing along together.

It won loud applause from the pickiest music critics. It made Andrew cry when he proposed and said my voice was the most beautiful thing he had ever heard.

That special gift is gone forever.

All I had left in its place was empty broken silence.

My screen lit up once more with a new text from my assistant, Jenny Hunter. [Charlotte, how are you holding up? I made some fresh soup and will bring it by tomorrow. Stay strong. I will stand with you through anything that comes.]

Jenny had been there that day in the practice room. She watched me collapse to the ground, writhing in pain and completely unable to speak.

She was the only person in my darkest moment who didn't rush to capture the scene for social media or run to report the incident to Andrew for favor.

She had rushed straight to my side, held me close, and begged for someone to call emergency help through her tears.

My fingers trembled over the screen as I slowly typed out a reply. [Jenny, I need you to do something for me.]

Jenny: [Of course. Tell me what you need.]

[I need you to get in touch with someone for me.] Then I typed out a name and sent it to her.

She went quiet for a long time. I began to think she wouldn't answer at all before a new message appeared.

Jenny: [Charlotte, are you certain about this? You have not spoken to this person in many years.]

I typed back: [I'm certain.]

Jenny: [Okay, I'll track him down for you.]

I set my phone aside and shut my eyes again.

A crow let out a rough, hoarse cry outside the window. Its harsh sound mirrored the broken state I was trapped in. A faint bitter curve tugged at my lips as I listened to the lonely noise.

Andrew believed a voice in exchange for room and board at Starlight Entertainment for the rest of my life was more than I deserved.

But he didn't know I was never the kind of person who would quietly accept a life handed down by others.

My father, David Summers, taught me a vital lesson long before I learned to master singing or breath work. He raised me to never let another person define my identity or my future.

*****

Jenny acted quicker than I'd thought she would.

The next afternoon, she came to my room, claiming she was bringing soup. She slipped inside quietly, shut the door behind her, and pulled a second phone from the inner pocket of her coat.

"Charlotte, this phone runs on a brand-new, unregistered line. No one can trace it so you can use it without worry." She slipped the device beneath my blanket and kept her voice low. "I found the man you asked about.

"He lives in Shaviston now and works as a senior leader at a major finance firm. A mutual friend with shared school connections helped me reach his assistant. They are willing to arrange a private call, but you will need to verify your identity first."

I took the phone and brushed my fingers slowly over its cold screen.

The man I wanted to track down was Ethan Brooks. I hadn't thought of that name in many long years.

I buried it deep inside my memories alongside worn music sheets, faded performance clothes, and the weak look of my father's hands in his final days. All those pieces of my past sat locked away, forgotten and covered in dust.

Ethan and I attended the same arts high school for music. He studied music composition while I trained for vocal performance.

Our relationship was complicated. We weren't lovers, but we were much closer than friends. He only paused his piano playing for me alone. I only felt fully at ease practicing my singing with him playing accompaniment.

My father always held him in high regard. He often spoke of Ethan's raw talent and natural gift and said he understood music on a genuine, heartfelt level.

"Ethan will go on to do extraordinary things one day." My father had said those words to me from his hospital bed while holding Ethan's hand. Light lingered in his tired eyes back then. "Promise me you will always look after one another."

Time moved forward and everything changed.

That was when Andrew entered my life. As the young heir of Starlight Entertainment, he carried refined charm and endless wealth.

He held powerful industry connections and unlimited professional resources. He swept into my quiet everyday life fast and bright, shifting everything I knew.

He spared no effort while chasing after me. He rented out an entire concert hall to play piano only for me. He handed me flowers on stage in front of thirty thousand concert attendees.

He even stayed at my father's grave for two full hours and vowed to care for me for the rest of my life.

Ethan faded out of my life soon after Andrew arrived.

He never fought to stay or voiced any hurt. He didn't argue or press me for answers.

One quiet ordinary afternoon, he sent a short message and stepped away without another word. [Charlotte, I hope your life is full of joy. You can turn to me anytime you need help.]

He disappeared after that, much like an incomplete song cut off mid-melody.

I truly believed I would never contact him again.

"Charlotte." Jenny's soft voice pulled me back to the moment. "What are you planning to do?"

I looked straight at her.

She had worked by my side for three years, managing my daily schedule and small tasks since I first signed as a new artist.

She could be shy and sensitive, and often acted clumsy in daily work. Still, she held a pure, sincere heart that rarely survived in the entertainment industry.

"Do you trust me?" I asked.

She paused for a second before giving a steady nod. "I do."

"Keep your questions to yourself then. Simply help me get in touch with him."

She agreed without hesitation.