Chapter 21: The Rebooked Party

Joanna's POV

The rebooked party was held in the same venue, on the same stage, under the same chandeliers.

The only difference was that I wore my own dress.

It was dark blue, plain, with sleeves, and I had bought it myself with money from my own account.

Four hundred guests sat at round tables with their phones already out.

Nobody here had been invited by Dax.

Gold Line had sent the invitations, because Jude had asked the new distributor to, and the old one had walked away exactly as he had promised.

He sat on my left with his hand under the tablecloth around mine.

Tilda sat on my right, holding a glass of champagne in a fist, ready to throw it.

"Hold the glass," I said.

"I'm holding it."

"Hold it like you plan to drink it."

"You're no fun."

At eight the lights dropped.

A spotlight found the microphone stand in the middle of the stage, and Dax walked into it alone.

He wore a black suit with no tie.

The applause was thin, scattered, mean.

Someone near the back whistled with two fingers, and it was not a friendly sound.

Dax took the microphone from the stand.

His hand was trembling so hard the cord shook.

"Thank you for coming," he said.

"Refunds!" a man called out, and the room laughed.

Dax closed his eyes.

"I'm not here to sing," he said. "I'm here to tell you what happened in this room a month ago."

The laughter thinned.

"I didn't write Paper Sparrow."

He said it fast, before he could stop himself.

The room went still, because everyone knew it and nobody had ever heard him say it.

Keep reading free with an account. Start Every Song He Stole Was Mine from Chapter 1, then sign up free to read the rest of this chapter.