“But seriously, if I die—”
“Which you will,” I interrupt again.
“—can you do me a favour?”
I pause, pretending to consider his request. It’s only fair. I sigh dramatically for effect. “It better not be weird.”
“Take my camera. Get your arse back on that cruise. And make sure you have the time of your life.” He must feel my hesitation because he continues. “You do deserve it, Sara.”
I groan. “I’m trying to believe that. But I feel like the universe is telling me otherwise.”
“This life-threatening storm is purely coincidence.”
I actually laugh and he squeezes me a little tighter. “I hope so. Like I said, I think its mostly disappointment in myself now. I can’t believe I didn’t throw him out the second I found those messages. It makes me feel sick when I think about how I nearly married him.”
“Because you wanted to be wrong. Being right would alter your future, and because running meant letting people down.”
I push against him to make space between us, but our legs stay entwined underneath the table. “How do you know that?” I peer up at him.
“I guess that’s what the music industry felt like for me. You listen to the people around you and hope they have your best intentions at heart. And if you question them, test their loyalties, you’re the one who is difficult. The one they can’t work with anymore.”
“It’s horrible to have someone so close to you betray your trust,” I say.
“God, I know. Trust me. It completely destabilises your reality.” He blows out a breath. “I fear I never learnt fromit though. Because even knowing what I do, I still struggle with it.”
I frown. “Why’s that?”
“We had a two-year clause which meant we’d have to work with our production company to promote our music, do events, all that sort of stuff. We’re six months into it. And suddenly, I’m the only one left.”
Being that I negotiate contracts for a living, my ears prick up. “If we survive, I’d be happy to look at that contract with you.”
“And I would share it but—”
“But there’s a clause that prevents you,” I finish for him.
“You got it.”
“Well, there must be a loophole,” I say.
“My agent says there’s not.”
“Hmm.” I ponder on all the inevitabilities that may prevent someone from exiting a contract early when others have managed to terminate.
“Sara?”
“Mmm.”
“I hope you know that you did the right thing.”
I sniff, tipping my head back. “I know it in my heart. I lost all love for him the moment I saw those messages. It was like waking up from a long dream. Everything started to fall into place; my reality wasn’t what I thought it was.”
“Your heart is wise.”
“That better not be a line from one of your songs.”
He snorts. “See, if youwerea fan, you’d know. That’s all me.”
“Oh, so my wisdom is rubbing off on you. How annoying.”
