I finally look up, and to my surprise there’s no anger or shock on Sam’s face. No judgement or criticism. Instead, her eyes well with sympathy, a deep pain for me, and emotion blooms in my chest. Our gazes lock in an understanding I didn’t know we shared until this moment. Until I was brave enough to let myself step off the cliff. It’s all so much, touching and painful, freeing and heavy with regret. Tears spring to my eyes, and soon I’m being pulled into sturdy warmth. Oliver strokes my arm as I nestle against him and absorb his strength like I have so many times before.
“I don’t know what I want to do next,” I manage finally, my voice confident despite the filter of tears. “But I know I can’t continue on this path. It’s killing me. I want to start over. To figure out who I am, not what I was sculpted to be. I need you to help me walk away.”
I’m not surprised by the silence when I finish my speech and wipe my sleeve across my eyes. Sam still hasn’t said anything, studying each of us with a strange expression I can’t read. Oliver kisses my hair and pulls me tighter.
“She’s amazing,” he says. “She’s fucking amazing. That’s who she is.”
My heart. A sob rushes to my throat. I swallow it back and tilt my head to find him. “So are you,” I whisper. “I’d still be so lost without you.”
When I finally focus back on Sam, I’m shocked at the sheen in her eyes. I’ve never seen her cry. Ever. She’s the toughest woman I know, and I blink back more of my own tears as she clears her throat.
“But this isn’t about him,” I rush out to Sam. “What my mom and Selena tried to do, spinning this into some B.S. about Oliver has to stop. This has nothing to do with him. This is, and always has been, about me. About who I am and what I want for my life. Oliver just supported my journey to find it.”
Sam doesn’t react at first, just continues observing us with a slight smile on her face. “Can I show you something?” she asks finally.
I nod, straightening from Oliver as she pulls a laptop from her bag. She fires it up, and after a few clicks, flips the screen to face me. I almost choke when I see the document. There, staring back at us is a spreadsheet entitled “Genevieve Fox – Exit Strategy.” At least twenty tabs line up in a neat row at the bottom: dates and timelines, people and organizations—I can’t even read them all as I stare in numb silence. Tears gather in my eyes, relief so intense I feel myself dissolving into the air around me.
“You… This is… How?”
Her smile grows as she takes in my startled reaction. “Gen, I’ve sensed this was coming for over a year now. I deal with artists at all levels all day every day. I got into this business because nothing brings me greater joy than helping others achieve their dreams. I thrive on their happiness, being a part of their journeys and making their dreams come true. But with you… it broke my heart. You never smiled when you should have, never got excited about the things I work my butt off to give my clients. I’ve been silently begging you to discover this for yourself. All I want is for you to be happy, and it was so clear you weren’t.”
I nod, sucking in a ragged breath as I stare at the remarkable document and my more remarkable manager. “Thanks, Sam. I…” I shake my head, speechless.
“We’re going to figure this out, okay?” She smiles. “In fact, I kind of already have.”
We spend the rest of the meeting walking through Sam’s notes. She really has thought through everything, bringing up points that I hadn’t considered. There are countless details to sort out, but most importantly, we will be positioning my retirement as a golden opportunity for White Flame and all of those involved in my career up to this point. The tour will continue as planned, only now it will be a Farewell Tour. The album will release as my finale. Strangely, for the first time in years, I’m excited for both. A Farewell Tour sounds so much different than the marathon I’d been dreading. I love the idea of saying goodbye to my fans in a way that’s worthy of the support they’ve shown me over the years. We even discuss how I can take my appreciation a step further by setting up charities and scholarships to help others achieve their own dreams. Genevieve Fox’s legacy will live on as a beacon of hope.
The longer we talk, the more I realize how limited my scope has been. For someone who’s traveled the world, I’ve seen very little of it. It took an injured hockey player to show me how much I was missing.
“So what’s next?” Sam asks, settling back in her chair once our plan feels solid.
I sip my water and cast a glance at Oliver who smiles. “I don’t know yet. Right now, I just want to focus on saying goodbye and taking full legal and financial control of my career. Then we can talk about what’s next. Just… Sam? Please don’t involve my parents in any of this. I know we have a few legal loose ends to tie up, but I’ve let them run my life enough. I need to move forward on my own.”
“Of course. I work for you, Gen. Never forget that.”
I nod, believing her. It feels good to have an army behind me as well. “Hopefully, one day I can repair things with my mom, but right now, distance is key. Please make sure White Flame and everyone else understands that as well. She doesn’t speak for me and should have
