Chapter 32 Open Mic
Bianca pranced towards the stage manager before Darya could say no.
‘Well, it has been a long time.‘ Darya looked at the stage.
“Time to be yourself,‘ Harley said meaningfully.
She knew her friend had run away from home and changed her name when she married Micah Cavanaugh.
Bianca often called Harley to complain about Micah’s treatment of Darya, who seemed to have changed more
than just her name.
In Bianca’s words, Darya had taken on an entirely different personality–Darya the Docile.
It was hard for Harley to imagine that Darya, who used to climb the wall at her boarding school after midnight just to watch a meteor shower, would obey something as ridiculous as a curfew.
Like Bianca, Harley agreed that divorce was a good thing for Darya.
She had sacrificed enough for her marriage.
It was time to be true to herself.
Darya understood Harley’s unspoken words.
She took a sip of her wine, then set down the glass. ‘All right.‘
Singing was one of her hobbies.
Since she’d promised herself to have fun tonight, why not loosen up and grab the mic?
Timothy hooted, ‘Go, Dolly!‘
Standing in front of the stage, Bianca was already waving excitedly at her. ‘You are up next!‘
At Bianca’s request, the volume of the club music had been turned down.
Darya stood on the front centre of the raised stage, backlit by a spotlight.
When the upbeat rhythm started playing, Winfred smiled and raised his glass at Darya.
‘What?‘ Timothy didn’t understand.
“The song she picked.‘
‘What about it?‘
‘It’s “Thank U, Next,” Harley chipped in.
‘So?‘ Timothy looked from his brother to his friend.
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‘It means she has moved on,‘ Winfred said. ‘Stop talking just listen
Thought I’d end up with Sean, but he wasn’t a match. Wrote some songs about Ricky Darys sang
She had the bright timbre of a soprano, with an airy voice perfectly suited for this particular song,
Timothy switched on the flashlight function on his phone and used it as a light stick
‘Come on!‘ He urged Bianca, who obliged by doing the same.
The two of them waved their phones like fans at a pop concert.
Darya smiled at them. “”One taught me love. One taught me patience. And one taught me pain…”
Soon, a crowd had gathered in front of her stage.
Darya sang with the confidence of someone used to the limelight.
The song was her way of saying goodbye to the past.
“I’ve learned from the pain. I turned out amazing. I’ve loved and I’ve lost…” Darya didn’t look at Micah, but she knew he got the message.
The crowd joined in the chorus. ““Thank you, next. Thank you, next. I’m so grateful for my ex…”
The applause was thunderous the music ended.
Timothy whistled. ‘Encore! Encore!‘
‘You slayed it!‘ Bianca shouted.
The stage manager gauged the crowd’s reaction, then invited Darya to sing another song.
She whipped the crowd into a frenzy with Beyoncé’s ‘Me, Myself and I.‘““All the ladies, if you feel me, help me sing it out…”
Micah couldn’t take his eyes off her.
The stunning woman with the voice of an angel used to be his wife, yet he’d never heard her sing.
Why was she hiding her talent?
Or maybe she wasn’t hiding it.
He just hadn’t spent enough time with her to find out.
Micah thought bitterly as he poured himself another glass of whiskey.
He frowned when he realised he’d consumed more than his planned quota of alcohol tonight.
Darya’s presence had ruffled him more than he cared to admit.
Micah set down the glass.
It was time to go home.
He turned to his left. ‘Ryan, we should—‘
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Ryan wasn’t there.
Micah rose to his feet and scanned the crowd.
He swore under his breath when he spotted Ryan stumbling toollards Darya’s booth.
Darya got off the stage despite the manager’s plea for a third performance
She didn’t want to hog the mic.
Harley gave her a thumbs–up as she sat down. ‘You totally rocked it
‘Amazing, Dolly!‘ Bianca threw an arm around her shoulder.
Winfred poured a drink for her.
Timothy’s body was vibrating with excitement. ‘I’m in love with…with your singing
Darya took the single stem of rose offered by Timothy. “Thanks. Where did you get this?”
‘Bought it from a guy in the club. He struck out with his date tonight.”
Darya smelled the rose. ‘I think I know why.‘
‘Why?‘
‘The flower’s fake.‘
‘What?‘ Timothy snatched the rose from her, took a whiff, then squeezed the stem. ‘Hell, I didn’t notice.‘
He tossed it onto the floor. ‘Damn. That’s a hundred bucks down the drain.‘
He turned to Darya. ‘I’ll buy you a bunch of real ones.‘
“There’s no need. It’s the thought that counts.‘ Darya smiled.
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