Stolen Melodies and Poisoned Rings

Summary

The moment my retirement statement hit the wires, the industry exhaled a collective sigh of relief. The comment sections were a bloodbath of "good riddance" and "finally."

Only one person staged a protest: Dominic Blackwood, the industry’s new "it-boy" singer-songwriter and the man my girlfriend was rumored to be sleeping with. He stood before a sea of cameras, his face a mask of performative grief.

"It’s all a tragic misunderstanding," Dominic told the reporters, his voice dripping with faux-sincerity. "Nathan West is an indispensable titan of the music world.