I gave the unit number to the man at the desk, who pointed me to a tiny unit the size of a shower. Boxes upon boxes lay on the floor. Clothes, books, sketch pads, shoes, all spilling out onto the floor. He could at least have packed them nicely! I pulled open the nearest box. “What the actual fuck!” I pulled out a handful of shredded cloth. Someone took a knife and sliced through every single item. I threw the box to one side and opened the next. It was exactly the same, every single box was. Shredded clothes, shoes covered in what smelled and looked like bleach. The books fared no better, piles of torn or burnt paper. Every single thing in the room was ruined. Everything that I owned my whole life, destroyed. Making sure I had nothing at all left.
I’m not sure how long I sat there staring at the mess that was left of my life before I thought to document the damage in photos on Adrian’s phone. Before I locked the door and got a taxi back to the hotel. I felt empty, I could not believe even as much as that man hated me, that he would do such a thing. It was unthinkable.
I slipped quietly into the meal the band was having, taking a plateful from the buffet table. I ate it quietly as the conversations flew around me. It was easy not to talk when everyone else was so animated.
Rose noticed, trying to engage me a few times. “Are you okay?” she asked as I cleaned my plate, having followed me. “You haven’t really said anything all meal.”
“Just some bad personal stuff today, it’s nothing. Can you give Adrian back his phone please and tell him I will see him in the morning?”
“Yeah sure, but don’t you want to talk or something? To me, him? One of the others?” she asked, taking it.
I shook my head. “I just want to sleep before we set off tomorrow. I’m fine, don’t worry.”
Adrian caught up with me before I even got to the lift. “Come for a walk and tell me what’s happened. I won’t take no for an answer.”
We walked along the water for a while, until we found a quiet little bar where we could talk in semi privacy. Ordering a pitcher of cocktails, politely waiting for me to get through my second glass before asking again. “Where did ye go today?”
“My ex, he put my stuff in storage, so I wanted to pick up a few things for tour. I didn’t want to have to ask you to buy me anything else.”
“Oh, good point, ye need clothes for Scotland. I’ll get youse a credit card charging to my account.”
“Not the point I was making,” I snapped.
Adrian nodded. “Sorry.” He put the card back in his wallet. “What happened?”
“Check your phone.”
He pulled it out, flicking through the photo roll. “Fucking asshole.”
“Yes, everything I have ever owned is now gone.”
“A. I will buy you anything you need, no arguments or insecurity. B. I am going to kill him,” he snapped.
“No, he isn’t worth it. I will deal with it somehow.”
Adrian’s POV
I walked Lily back to her door, “Get some sleep, we leave early tomorrow.”
Soon as she was gone, I rang that dreaded ex. “What the fuck did you do to all of Lily’s belongings?”
“What? My baby boxed it all nice for her, more than she deserved.”
“Oh really? Did you know your ‘baby’ slashed, burned, bleached and ruined everything she owns?”
“Oh, whatever, I don’t care of her or your lives. My baby would never do such a thing.” He dropped the call.
How is this fake you dumb fuck??! I texted, along with a few of the more graphic images.
“Bitch did it herself to blame my baby, told you she is insane. Get her locked up before I do!”
“No, youse are the insane one.”
I rang my manager. “Release the pictures.”
“Are you sure?”
“Yes.”
Time to play dirty, no one messes with someone I consider to be mine.
Chapter 16
Lily’s POV
I set my alarm for early, to hit the shops before the tour bus left. I needed basics; we would be in Scotland for weeks. A few bags of jeans, shirts, pjs and underwear later along with dragging a fresh suitcase I shoved it all inside of. I was about done. It was gutting to have nothing of my own, but at least I had something until this blew over and I had time to take stock of my life again or what was left of it. There were days I regretted not jumping that first night. To have nothing but the contents of two suitcases was a surreal emotion. I got to the tour buses just in time, throwing my cases inside.
“Get everything you needed, Lil?” Adrian asked, sipping his coffee, trying to wake up.
I shrugged. “I grabbed all I could in half an hour, it will do.”
“He will get his comeuppance, karma always kicks in eventually.” He smiled to himself. “Shelly has youse a phone waiting in the hotel. She, Rose and Brad went ahead late last night to make sure everything is in play for the teaser pre tour tour.”
“Pre tour-tour. I really do not understand all of this,” I muttered following him inside the bus, laughing as he banged his head. “Not such a bad thing to be short now, huh?”
“Fuck you,” he muttered.
“Not in
