Page 102 of The Perfect Melody

Austin comes forward from his spot by the door. “It’s time for you to leave.”

“Who the hell are you?” Miranda snarls, her composure well and truly a thing of the past.

“I’m the man who’s going to make sure your daughter knows how fucking incredible she is for the rest of her life.”

Austin and Ant share a look while I’m still busy processing Austin’s declaration.

“Time to go.” Ant hooks one arm through Miranda’s and Austin does the same on her other side.

“Wait,” I call out. The three of them freeze. “Miranda, just in case it wasn’t clear—you’re fired.” She screeches in outrage, and I give her a little finger wave while Austin and Ant march her out of the B&B.

“Oh my God,” Bailey says, staring at Liam in shock.

“Did you know he was filming?”

She shakes her head. “I had no idea.”

I turn to Liam. “You’re an evil genius.”

He ruffles his floppy chocolate-brown hair. “I have my moments.”

Bailey smacks a kiss on his cheek. “You’re brilliant—and mildly terrifying.” She grins up at him.

“For sure. I’m glad you’re on our side,” I half joke. Truthfully, I’m beyond grateful for everything Liam’s done for me over the years, especially this.

“Always,” he solemnly replies.

“Can I say something to the viewers before you end the live?”

“Sure.” Liam points the camera at me. “Go ahead.”

“Hi everyone.” I wave awkwardly. “You’ve probably got a lot of questions for me. While I understand that, I’m not in the right headspace to answer them right now, so I’ll do another live soon where we can get into all that. For the time being, I’d like to say thank you for the support you’ve shown me over the years. I wouldn’t be where I am today without all of you. A few things are going to change. I’m not the person I was at sixteen. As you’ve probably gathered, there are a lot of people who didn’t want me to grow up. That’s why I took some time away.”

Shoving my hands into the front pockets of my shorts so I’m not tempted to wring them nervously, I clear my throat. “You can absolutely expect more music from me, but it will sound a little different to what you’re used to. Some of you will love it, some of you will hate it—hopefully not too many of you,” I joke. “Music is an enormous part of who I am, and I know how lucky I am to do this for a living. While I don’t regret releasing any of the songs in my back catalogue, it’s time for my writing to evolve. I’ve changed a lot in the past eight years. Honestly, I’ve changed a lot in the last few months. Whatever music I release next is going to reflect that.”

I take a shaky breath. “Alright, I’m going to sign off. I’ll schedule that live soon, but for now I’m going to take some time to be with the people closest to me. Remember, if you’re ever struggling with your mental health, you can always ask for help. Later today I’ll share a post listing free resources available in the UK and US. Thanks for listening.”

Liam ends the live, slipping his phone back into the pocket of his navy shorts. “It’s done.”

My shoulders slump with relief. “I don’t know how I can ever repay you for this, but I’m going to try.”

He’s already shaking his head no before I finish speaking. “You don’t have to repay me. We’ve had each other’s backs since we met—just keep being the kind of friend you’ve always been.”

My throat clogs with emotion. “I love you—both of you.”

Bailey gives me a fond smile. “We love you too, now get over here.” She waves me closer, and the three of us fall into a group hug.

* * *

Austin

Ant and I watch on like silent sentinels as Miranda’s car drives away until it fades into the distance. I’m sorry Cassie had to go through all that, but I can’t deny I’m happy that wretched woman is out of her life for good.

I’m about to open the door to head back inside the B&B when Ant clears his throat. Curious about what he has to say, I turn to look at him.

“Did you mean what you said? About making sure Cassie knows how special she is for the rest of her life?”

“Yes.”