Page 89 of The Sound of Harmony

She grabbed her bag and her jacket and stood, half tripping over feet as she stumbled into the aisle. Once she was free, she tore up the aisle into the lobby, her sobs catching in her throat.

In the auditorium, her body had clamped down, her disbelief crushing her. Now, everything released at once. Air gusted out of her and her heart sped up along with her footsteps. She had to get out of here.

Kendrick had hidden his composition from her, all the while claiming that she inspired him. She couldn’t believe it. This man, whom she had grown to trust, whom she had grown to love, thought it was somehow okay to use her like this. But wasn’t that always the way? Men in the arts had been taking credit for women’s work forever, and they’d continue to do it as long as they got away with it.

“Emma.” Kendrick was behind her. “Emma, wait.”

She kept walking.

“Emma, please.” Kendrick put on a burst of speed and somehow got in front of her, standing in the worst possible place—between her and the door. Emma froze, her throat constricting and her neck sweating. She tried to get air.

“Please talk to me,” Kendrick said. “What’s wrong?”

“How could you?” she forced out.

“What do you mean?” Kendrick asked. “I thought it was brilliant. Truly the best part of our composition was the part you wrote.”

“I should have known,” Emma said. She spotted a side door and edged toward it. “You are exactly like Jonah Dalton.”

Kendrick folded as if she’d punched him. “That is quite possibly the worst thing anyone has ever said to me.”

“But you are.” Emma snuffled back tears. “You both tried to further your career on my back, to take something I wrote and claim it as your own.”

“I didn’t claim it,” Kendrick said. He took a step toward her, keeping up with her as she moved closer to the side door. Would she have to make a run for it? The auditorium doors opened, flooding the lobby with music. They closed again, cutting it off. Had more people followed them out? Emma didn’t look to see.

“Why didn’t you tell me you wanted to keep the song for yourself?” Kendrick asked.

Emma glared at him. Was he even listening to himself? Did he hear what he was saying? There was no way to justify this, and yet, here he was, trying anyway.

“Did you want to keep complete control of it?” Kendrick asked. “I guess I should have known that. You’re all about control.”

She silently shook her head and walked toward the side door. She tried her mantra. This too shall pass. It didn’t help.

“Talk to me, Emma,” Kendrick demanded. “Your silence isn’t fair. I ask you a question, you don’t answer. You expect me to read your mind and then get mad when I get it wrong. How can I live like that?”

“My silence?” Emma whirled on him. “Mine? You’re the one shutting me out.”

“Me?” Kendrick staggered backward. “I tell you everything.”

“You won’t talk to me about what really matters. You never tell me anything about your ear. You never once let me drive you to an appointment at the clinic or take care of you when you weren’t feeling well. You cut me off from that whole part of your life.”

Kendrick scoffed. “Is that what you wanted? To play nursemaid? To wait in the waiting room? To hear bad news? You want to deal with my shitty moods all the way back to Cannondale? I was protecting you, Emma.”

“From what?” She threw out her arms. “From your disease? It can’t be done. Your disease is part of you. You’re a mess. But you know what? We all are. And until this moment, I thought you were the kind of mess I could fall in love with.”

She stared at him, completely out of words. And for once, Kendrick didn’t have a comeback. They were both breathing heavily, both on the edge of tears, both standing with the kind of resolute posture that said I’m done.

The auditorium doors opened again, and this time they both looked back as applause flooded the lobby. Mitch stood in the doorway, a confused look on his face. Gwendolyn, Brooke, and Theo stood a few steps away.

“Go.” Emma pointed toward the auditorium. “Go take your bow. Go accept your applause.”

“Not without you.” Kendrick reached for her hand. She shook him off. “You should be by my side,” he said.

Emma didn’t dignify that with an answer. She wasn’t his arm candy, his validation, his prize for success. He had his audience to love him. He didn’t need her.

“Emma…”

“No.” She held up a hand as Brooke and Gwendolyn took up a position on either side of her. She felt stronger with them at her back. “I’m done talking to you,” she said. “Forever.”