Hello! I am updating early again (yay!) and I am excited that this story is finally going to start taking off (plot wise). As always, thank you for reading, and if you feel so inclined... please comment or hit the "star" button! 

You may start noticing a pattern here; I upload a lot of different music with this story. For this chapter, I've included Mercy Me's Even If.

Enjoy!

--VIVKELLER23

---------------------

Kaliah's POV

Life with Dimitri wasn't as uncomfortable as she had expected it to be. Dimitri was respectful, offering light conversation without attempting to pressure her into more. It was strange that he didn't try to pursue the intimate part of their relationship, but she was glad she wouldn't have to fend off his advances. Perhaps he'd wait until he could return to Sydney before he gave into his baser urges.

Or perhaps, Kaliah was just looking for a reason to keep Dimitri at arm's length?

For a man who'd been practically about to marry Sydney, he didn't act like he was dying of affection for her. As far as she knew, Sydney hadn't been allowed into Dimitri's room during Kaliah's "wedding night." A fact that Sydney seemed to feel was entirely Kaliah's fault though Kaliah had rejected Dimitri when he'd tried to enter her room.

Kaliah drew a heavy sigh. Had she really believed she could have Dimitri back into her life so suddenly and not be moved? She wasn't as indifferent as she'd first convinced herself she was. And if she were honest with herself, if with no one else, the thought of Sydney having had a claim on Dimitri over the eight years he'd been away made her shake with jealousy. They looked so good together with similar coloring; yet they were perfectly different. Why wouldn't the public want to see them together?

How would the devoted fans who'd shipped Dimitri and Sydney together react to finding Kaliah was the small town nobody who would keep them apart? At least for the next two years.

Funny how life had a way of twisting everything around so she was the one constantly getting burned. How could it be that she'd had Dimitri in the palm of her hand first, she'd loved him first, but the world would see her as the intruder?

Kaliah shook her head. What did it matter? How many ways did she need it spelled out for her? She had to stop setting herself up for heartbreak. All the people she'd ever cared about had left her at one point or another. How many ways did she need it spelled out for her before she grasped that no matter how hard she loved, no force on earth could make them stay?

But it was so hard to be alone when you'd had a glimpse of what life could be like with love.

The sound of the oven going off snapped her back to the present. She'd managed to salvage some of the tomatoes from the Farmer's Market incident to make her own salsa. Tonight, they'd be having lasagna for dinner. Dimitri had watched her while she worked in the kitchen, making her nervous and clumsy. The satisfaction was clear on his face with his smirking lips. He knew what his presence did to her and still he insisted on torturing her with his unwavering gaze.

Stupid, Popstar. "If you're done staring, you can help set the table," she threw over her shoulder as she felt the familiar sensation of piercing green eyes on the back of her head.

"Yes, Mrs. Hale," he replied, emphasizing her new last name.

Kaliah bit her tongue to keep from snapping. He'd probably enjoy getting her riled up. "Funny," she mumbled instead. She took the oven mit from the granite counter and used it to keep from burning herself as she pulled the finished dish out. "But you should recall that the legal name is Baker- Hale. Not just Hale because we both know there's an expiration date to my being your wife."

He muttered something under his breath that she didn't catch, but he was still watching her when she turned to set the lasagna on the counter. He didn't look amused. "For someone so set on being indifferent, you sure don't lose an opportunity to remind me, and anyone around, of our agreement." He cocked a brow, his eyes making her feel exposed. "Or maybe it's your defense mechanism? You have to constantly remind yourself of the terms to keep from admitting you might want more?"

His words cut deep, not because they were particularly cruel, but because they were so close to the truth she didn't want to face. She didn't want to face the answer to those questions. She was already struggling to keep from making a bigger fool of herself than she had the day Sydney had arrived. What did he care anyway? "It amazes me how you can be so full of yourself and still have room in your brain to come up with such twisted scenarios."

"You haven't answered the question, darling."

"That's because your question didn't even deserve a response."

"I think it does," he argued.

"And I thankfully live in an age in which I have the right to speak my own mind to tell you I don't care what you think!"

Ronan cleared his throat as he peeked his head into the kitchen. "Preach it, Sunshine."

"Beat it, Ronan!" Dimitri snapped, turning his glare to his friend.

"Nah. There's no way you're getting all the food while arguing with Kaliah." Ronan turned his dancing brown eyes to her and winked. "Feed me, Sunshine. I'd never question your superior intellect."

Kaliah felt a smile tugging at her lips. "You are such a moron," she told him.

Ronan took the pan she'd used to heat up the lasagna and walked it to the table.

Dimitri followed close behind with a pile of white plates in one hand and forks in the other. He stopped before turning into the dining room to glance at her through narrowed eyes that reminded her of an angered tiger. "I should have sent him on his way with Sydney," he growled.

"He's your friend," Kaliah began.

"And you're my wife, whether you like it or not." He hissed the words then strode out of the kitchen, leaving her to ponder over what he'd said.

What did Ronan have to do with any of this?

***

Kaliah found Sydney by complete accident. She would have preferred if Sydney had remained undiscovered for the rest of her life, but life wasn't fair.

She'd needed to clear her head and get out of the house. Dimitri refused to keep his distance despite never trying to touch her with anything but his eyes. His haunting green eyes followed her as if she was all he could stand to see. As if with his eyes alone he could have her imprinted into his soul.

That insane thought had been what drove her to visit her childhood church after nearly nine years.

The church was old, as was most of the buildings Reignville had to offer. It had been white once upon a time, but now it resembled something closer to a Dalmation's coat of fur. The white was faded and peeling off the dark wood. The big red doors that lead to the inside were still as grandiose and shiny as she remembered. Despite the deteriorating exterior of the building, Kaliah felt her heart squeeze at the sight. This church had been where her parents married, where her brother Jesse had been baptized, where she had run to after her mother's death had left her devastated.

Here she was again, seeking solace for her tattered heart.

The interior of the church was better kept. The pews were a glossy redwood color with red cushions that hadn't been there when Kaliah had attended services. The cushions would have saved her bottom a lot of discomfort back then. The windows lining the tan walls were tall and probably offered a lot of light in the summertime. The floor was a fine red carpet now rather than the old blue carpet she recalled having loathed as a teen.

Kaliah followed the narrow aisle between the pews to the front of the church. The altar was the only part she could see that hadn't changed at all. The three carpeted steps were the same, red this time, and the three wooden crosses nailed to the back wall were still slightly crooked. She loved the sight of them. They'd always made her feel like it didn't matter what she'd done or how far she'd traveled from the God she believed in; all her imperfections were made beautiful here.

Kaliah felt a freedom in these old church walls that she hadn't felt in her Mama's house for years after she'd had to bury her.

The church was blessedly empty this Monday evening though she figured the senior pastor wasn't too far away. She was glad to find that at least here she could give into the restlessness drumming a steady beat in her veins.

The magnificent black piano set off to the right of the altar drew her eyes. With a will of their own, her feet carried her to the slender bench beside it. Her hands touched the bright white keys and she was lost. Kaliah closed her eyes, willing her mind to take her far away from all the troubles that had plagued her the past few weeks. She needed to unwind the tight fist she held around her heart, to give way to the well that fought for release behind the eroding wall she'd placed to protect herself from more pain. She hadn't realized that wall had been built on shifting sand, that her emotions weren't cemented, they were simply hidden underneath stones of blissful ignorance.

Because ignoring how her heart bled was a desperate attempt to feign she was okay when she was holding herself together by a thread.

"I'll come back for you," Dimitri had promised her.

She'd been so bitter that he'd dared to utter such a lie when she'd been too vulnerable to understand he was tearing her from his life. She'd wanted to feel nothing at all when they finally crossed paths again. But despite everything she'd done to prepare herself to not feel a thing, her silly heart yearned for him. Eight years should have been enough to kill this weakness.

I won't want you, she'd vowed.

Her heart cried, Even if you do?

Somehow, in between all her musing, her fingers decided to play the beginning to her favorite Mercy Me song. Because what could she do when her mind said one thing and her heart shouted another? No matter how she tried to control the mess of love and losing someone you thought you never could, she wasn't carved in stone.

They say sometimes you win some, sometimes you lose some.

But right now, right now I'm losing bad.

Those words were a balm to her battered soul. It felt she'd never win in this life; felt like no matter how hard she tried to protect herself from more pain and sorrow, those emotions were the only ones she could be sure to count on. She'd never been able to separate herself from the words she sang which was part of the reason she'd been so successful the first two years she'd been in choir. Her voice had never been considered legendary, but it had been unique in its natural rasp. And after Dimitri had left for Hollywood to chase a dream they'd once shared, her voice had been all but buried except for the rare moments she couldn't contain it.

Moments like these...

Kaliah felt a chill run down her spine as she finished the first chorus and shivered. As her eyes flew open and clashed with stormy gray ones, Kaliah realized she just wouldn't catch a break!

Sydney grinned maliciously, resembling a crazed lunatic.

Was nowhere safe nowadays? "I didn't know the great Sydney Heard was still in Reignville," Kaliah murmured, raising a brow.

"I go where I want," she snapped. "Nobody tells me where I can and can't go!"

Kaliah bit back a reply that obviously someone should. She lowered the cover over the piano keys and turned to face Sydney head on. "Good for you, Miss Independence. But why are you still in a little town like Reignville when you could be back in Hollywood planning your next hit single?"

Sydney's gray eyes narrowed on Kaliah's face. "I have enough time to worry about that. I want to know why Dimitri hasn't introduced you to the world as his brand new wife?" Her pale pink lips curled as she said the last word, almost as if it was distasteful. "What hold do you have on him that he came back even after eight years?"

What business was it of hers anyway? Kaliah had never been fond of Sydney as a result of her link to Dimitri, but she'd been prepared to give the woman the benefit of the doubt. No more. "I think he appreciates that I didn't follow him when he left, as some unhinged people tend to do."

"Do you know what this will do to his image?" Sydney hissed, completely ignoring the jab Kaliah tossed at her. "He's supposed to be with me."

"Tell him that."

"He won't listen to me!" Sydney fumed. She was heaving, literally so angry that she couldn't breathe.

Or maybe it was the fact that her black corset top was cutting off her air supply? "Now there's a shock!" Kaliah gasped with fake surprise. She'd known Sydney for less than a day and she was already sure she wouldn't want the woman as a friend, no matter how famous she was. "Well, if he isn't listening to you, Miss Heard, what makes you think he'd listen to me?"

"I don't want you talking to him about this. He believes that I'll spill the details of his marriage as soon as I'm back in Hollywood, but that'll ruin my image, too!" The look on her face of utter disgust made Kaliah feel like a lowly bug. "Can you imagine what people would say? That Dimitri Hale threw me over for some orphaned little nobody? I'd never live down the shame!"

"And we wouldn't want that," Kaliah muttered. Honestly, the woman really did need to seek help.

"I have a business proposition for you," Sydney told her.

Kaliah frowned at the back of Sydney's head as the woman looked around the small church with disapproval. Are you listening, God? Kaliah mentally asked. What on earth am I going to do with two unwanted celebrities in my life? "Not that I'm particularly interested, but what did you have in mind?"

Sydney walked down the three steps of the altar and sat on the very front pew, crossing her legs in the tight leather pants she wore. The woman really didn't care about her blood circulation, did she? "I've heard you sing twice now," she began.

"I wasn't looking for an audience."

"You didn't completely suck," Sydney snapped.

Was that a compliment? "High praise coming from the woman who hasn't released a hit single in the last four years."

"I really don't like you." The words were forced through clenched teeth that Kaliah feared would chip if she wasn't careful. "But I have to admit you have potential. With the right coaching, you could make it in the industry."

Kaliah felt like a bucket of ice cold water had been thrown over her. Hadn't fame and dreaming of making it to Hollywood been the reason she'd landed in such misery to begin with? She hated the mere thought of standing on a stage now, of having people stare at her as she fell apart, of being analyzed by every wandering eye as if she were someone to piece together. No, she wasn't going to be that fool again.

"I'm not interested." There wasn't enough money in the world that could tempt her.

Sydney's smirking mouth fell open. "What do you mean, not interested?"

"Did I stutter?" Kaliah asked, rising from the bench because she couldn't take sitting there while Sydney watched her from cat-like eyes. "I mean I don't perform for anyone these days. I didn't for my brother when he all but begged me to, and I won't for anyone ever again."

"All because Dimitri left you behind?" the woman taunted.

Kaliah winced inwardly. Part of the reason she couldn't stand to perform as of late was due to how completely worthless she had felt after Dimitri left. But mostly, performing left her vulnerable to the eyes of others. She didn't think she could endure laying her emotions bare only to have to pretend like she wasn't breaking inside when the show was over. "Whatever my reasons, the fact remains the same. I don't sing."

Sydney pondered her answer, running her invading gaze over her ripped jeans and plaid shirt. She made Kaliah want to squirm under her inspection. "What if you weren't the one singing?" she asked.

Kaliah blinked. Had the sultry singer been dropped as a babe? "You aren't making sense, Miss Heard." Not sing? Then what in the heck did she want Kaliah on stage for?

A laugh erupted from her throat (and laugh was putting it mildly). The woman was breathtaking at first glance, but she really lost points once she started opening her mouth and making people wish they were deaf. Thankfully, she managed to catch herself and not sound life a croaking frog for too long. "I want to draw a contract with you. In exchange for my silence and ten grand per show you successfully pull off, I'd like to own your voice."

This was seriously starting to sound like some twisted fairytale. Like full on, Ursula stealing Ariel's voice twisted. Kaliah took a deep breath and bit her tongue. Ow! Okay, so not a dream. "I'm sorry, what?!"

"You, my little nobody, will sing for me, but no one will know it because I'll be the one on stage." She looked like an exasperated adult explaining to a child that fishes didn't go join the search to find Nemo when they were flushed down the toilet.

"Yeah, no, you definitely were dropped as a child," Kaliah murmured, shaking her head at the absurdity of what Sydney had suggested. "There's no way you weren't! You really think you could pull something like this off? No!" Kaliah wanted to laugh and cry and scream. Her life was turning into nothing more than a C rated chick flick. "You sing. I don't see why you need me."

"I had a procedure done in Rome," Sydney explained. She was focused on a dagger-pointed, red painted nail, as if staring at it would magically change its color. "About three months ago. I was told swelling in the vocal cords and hoarseness was to be expected, yet here I am months later, and I can't hold one fricking note!"

Her voice broke as she shouted the last, and the sound wasn't angelic at all. Kaliah made a mental note to carry a pair of earplugs if she decided to take Sydney up on her ridiculous offer. "You want me to be your Ariel?" Kaliah asked.

"I am not Ursula!" Sydney had a short fuse.

"Really? I thought you had the whole vibe down with the outfits and all, but whatever." Kaliah didn't want another screeching episode. "Let's say that by some crazy miracle this plan of yours works, what happens when your voice returns?" She really meant to say "if," but Sydney was like a ticking time bomb.

"I go back to my wonderful life as if I'd never met you."

Well, if nothing else, Ursula was honest. "Ten thousand per show and you won't say a thing about Dimitri's wedding to me?"

"Of course," Sydney snapped. "It's only a matter of time before I get my voice back and Dimitri realizes his mistake in choosing you. He'll be back to me before anyone even has reason to start snooping around this dump you call home."

Don't say it, don't say it, don't say it...

"Well, this dump has the misfortune of attracting irrelevant celebrities just trying to hide out, so you should fit right in, Sydney!"

At least there was nothing wrong with Sydney Heard's lungs, Kaliah thought as she hurried out of the church while the other woman screamed like a banshee.