Page 1 of Fame & Chaos

Chapter One

Caleb

Growing up with a single mother was tough. I have no doubt Mum loved me with every fiber of her being, but loving your child doesn’t automatically make you a saint, or, for that matter, a good mother. My mum, Macy, was far from the angel she worked so hard to convince everyone she was.

I was seven years old when everything went to hell. I was sick—really sick. Terminally ill. And then Mum decided it was time for me to meet my father. You’d think something like that would have been all rainbows and heartfelt reunions, but Mum had no idea of the absolute shitstorm she was about to unleash when she went looking for Colter Slade.

So before I can tell you about my present, I need to tell you about my past.

Being terminally ill was something my mother never handled well. Seeing me sick all the time broke something inside her. Some days, she barely functioned at all. I was a quiet kid and had only one friend—Indica Malone. Indi was always there, even when I was at my worst.

I had kidney failure, and I was dying.

Mum wasn’t a match, so she had no choice but to find my father.

She never spoke about him when I was younger. All I knew was what she told me. That ‘we were better off without him while he lived the life he was supposed to have,’ and we struggled to survive. We barely had money, hardly any food some weeks, and once I got sick, things only became worse. Mum worked when she could, but most of the time she had to stay home and take care of me.

Even as a kid, I could see how badly it was wearing her down. Eventually, Mum contacted an old friend, Jessi, who also knew my father. From what little I overheard, Jessi was very interested in Mum finding him. A little too interested. Even back then, I remember thinking she sounded excited by the idea.

So Mum packed up the car and drove us from London to Oxfordshire.

For a healthy seven-year-old, a ninety-minute drive is boring. For a sick seven-year-old who spent half his life exhausted, it felt endless. But none of that mattered the second we pulled up outside the Slade manor.

The place was massive. Huge iron gates opened automatically, revealing this gigantic estate hidden behind high fences and sprawling grounds. I’d never seen anything so beautiful in my life. Our house back in London was tiny, dark, and falling apart in places, but this place looked like something out of a movie.

I remember thinking I never wanted to leave.

By the time Mum parked the car, I was weak and tired, but I still followed her up to the front door. She told me to stay close and let her do the talking.

A beautiful woman answered the door—her name was Dee.

Even at seven, I could tell she was uncomfortable the second she saw Mum standing there. The tension between them filled the entire doorway, though I didn’t fully understand why.

Then another car pulled into the driveway, and two men stepped out, but I only noticed one of them.

He looked terrified, but Mum smiled the second she saw him.

He walked toward us cautiously while the other guy hung back, watching everything unfold. I didn’t know it then, but the terrified man was Colter Slade—my father.

Mum told me to play with the little dog running around the front yard, so I did, but I stayed close enough to hear bits and pieces of the conversation.

Enough to understand one thing…

He had no idea I existed.

Dee started crying upstairs not long after. Loud enough that even I could hear her heartbreak echoing through the house, and I remember standing there beside the dog, feeling guilty without really understanding why. Like somehow I’d done something wrong just by being there.

Eventually, Mum called me inside.

Colt crouched down in front of me and smiled, even though sadness lingered all over his face. He kept glancing toward the staircase like part of him wanted to run upstairs after Dee, but he still tried to make me feel comfortable.

And somehow… he did.

I liked him instantly.

The house was incredible, and for the first time in my life, I remember wondering what it would be like to belong somewhere like this.

To belong with him.