Page 53 of One More Song

“How do you know about that?”

“I told you I had someone looking into Mitch, into your case.” He brushes my hair away from my face. “Tell me what happened.”

I let out an uneven breath. “It was nothing, really.”

“Is that the truth? Or what he told you to say? You don’t have to protect him anymore.”

I close my eyes. It happened so long ago, I’ve almost come to believe the lie that Mitch made me tell. That I’d fallen down the stairs. “He’d been drunk or high,” I finally say. “He didn’t even know he hurt me until he woke up in the morning. Then he took me to the hospital.”

When I open my eyes, Ash’s expression is hard, his jaw clenched. “Was that the only time he hurt you?”

I look away, hating how weak I’d been. “It didn’t happen often. And that was the only time he’d really hurt me enough that I’d needed to get checked out.”

“Motherfucker,” Ash growls out. “He needs to pay for the things he did.”

“It was so long ago. No one will believe me now.”

He cups my jaw. “I believe you.”

“Thank you.” Tears burn the back of my eyes. “But it wasn’t just me I was protecting… he is Cadence’s father. I don’t want her to think ...” I close my eyes, my fingertips gripping the counter. “I want her to believe that she was born out of love. That her parents are good people. I don’t want her—”

Ash pulls me to him, and I wrap my arms around him, breathing him in. He cups my face with both his hands and wipes my tears away with his thumbs. “Listen to me, Ember, Cadence came into this world with plenty of love. Anyone who sees you with her would know that. And that’s why Mitch won’t win. Eventually the truth will come out, we won’t stop until it does.”

“I want to believe you,” I say. “I’m just so scared.”

His lips press against my forehead, lingering there for a moment. “It’s going to be alright. I’m going to make sure of it.”

I shake my head. “You’re leaving.”

“You know I don’t want to go. Once we get this album done—”

My phone starts ringing, and I take a step back. I can get lost in his touch, and I’m not sure I want to hear any promises from his lips. Because I know that once he’s back in L.A., once he’s surrounded by his old life, he’ll quickly forget about me.

“I should get that.”

He nods, and I answer the phone.

“Ember?” It’s Principal Verona and she sounds panicked. “Is Cadence with you?”

My stomach drops. “No. Millie dropped her off at the bus stop this morning.”

“She got here safely. But after lunch recess, she didn’t come back inside. I was hoping you picked her up and forgot to inform the office—”

“You lost her.” I’m trembling, my hands ice cold.

“We think she may have run off.”

“She would never do that.”

“A few of the girls said she was upset, that she’d been crying and fighting with one of the other children—”

“Have you called her father?”

“The vice principal is on the phone with him now.” There’s a muffling sound, but I can hear her talking to someone in the background.

I glance at Ash, who’s beside me now, worry drawing his brows down. I’m trying not to panic, but my words come out as a sob when I tell him, “Cadence isn’t at school.”

“Ember?” the principal says, coming back on the line. “Your husband—”

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