Page 81 of Chasing Lyric
My gaze drops to his hand like it’s made of poison.
“No!” I growl like a woman possessed. The word escapes before I can stop it, my body trembling, panic clawing at my throat.
No, no, no.
“No? I haven’t even said anything yet.” He chuckles, oozing charm like I’m just another contract waiting to be signed.
Folding my arms across my chest, I scowl at him. “I’m not signing with you. I amnota singer. That’snotwho I am.”
He tilts his head, amused. “I think my executive vice president would disagree.”
My blood runs cold.
I look at Chase.
My Chase.
He won’t meet my eyes.
And in that second,everythingshatters.
The truth detonates inside me, and the blast leaves me hollow.
“You think you can change her mind, son?”
Son.
The word rips through me while my knees nearly buckle.
Chase’s face, my anchor these past four months, morphs into something unfamiliar. My stomach churns, my chest caves in, and I stumble back, shaking my head, my heart splintering into a million sharp pieces. “You,” I whisper, my voice so hoarse I barely recognize it. “You’re Chase Covington Jr.?Youlied to me!Youlied abouteverything.”
He steps forward. “Lyri, please—”
“Don’t you dare. Don’t youfuckingdare!” I shove him, my hands trembling with fury and betrayal. “You told me you worked for a detective agency. That Soren guy, was that a lie too? Wasanyof it real? Or was I just your pet project, your fucking assignment for Daddy’s company?” My tone is more than a little accusatory.
“Soren’s real,” Chase says, his voice cracking as he steps toward me. “He’s a PI. He did work for someone I know. I borrowed his name, just like I borrowed Dax’s last name to keep mine hidden. I didn’t want you to see me ashim… as a Covington. I wanted you to see me as me.”
I snort out a laugh, rolling my eyes. “And you thought the best way to do that was to lie to my face for four straight months?”
He slumps his shoulders, his eyes drooping with defeat. “I didn’t want to lose you!”
“You never had me!” The words explode from my throat, soaked in heartbreak.
Chase looks like I’ve punched him. Like the wind’s been knocked from his lungs. He reaches out in desperation. “Lyri, please—”
“Don’t touch me.” I slap his hand away like it burns. “You used me. You wanted me to sing tonight so your father could hear me. So you could reel me in and present me like a goddamn trophy.”
He shakes his head furiously. “No. God, no. It wasneverabout that. It wasneverabout the label. It wasyou. I fell foryou.I fucking loveyou, Starlight.”
I scoff, my chest heaving. My eyes blur with tears I refuse to let fall.
Not here.
Not in front ofhim.
“Youloveme? You don’t even know me. You watched me fall for you, knowing I wouldneverwant this. You manipulatedeverything.”
“I didn’t mean to. Lyri, I swear, I didn’t plan for this. I didn’t plan for us. I thought I could keep the truth from you until the right time—”
