Athena Tyler is an Italian-American musician who rose to fame as the lead singer of a girl band with her sisters, called 'Sorelle'. She has amassed millions of dollars and now lives alone in a luxurious mansion. Although she no longer sings, she has...
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Athena was sitting on her bed when Michael came into the room, "Hey, baby? Can we talk?"
"Uh, yeah," Athena nodded, closing the book she keeps all her songs in and setting it to the side before scooting to the edge of the bed, "You have my undivided attention."
"I just wanted to talk about what your sister said the other day," Michael said as he came over and stood between her legs, "About you making a solo album."
"Listen, I know that everyone wants me to make this album happen, but I just don't know if I have it in me anymore," Athena sighed, "I stopped singing for a reason."
"You never told me why you stopped," Michael realized as he sat down next to her and grabbed onto her hands.
"There were a lot of reasons," Athena shrugged, her fingers moving around to play with his, "I just don't like to dwell too much on them."
"Please," Micheal said softly, "You know you can trust me."
Athena hesitated for a moment, her gaze fixed on the intertwining of their fingers. The weight of Michael's words and his unwavering support tugged at her heart, urging her to trust him with the painful truth that had laid buried for far too long. Would he truly understand the turmoil that had consumed her during the time of her departure from her singing career? It went far beyond the surface-level reasons she had shared with others. It was a complex web of emotions, tangled with insecurities and fears that had grown from a seed planted in the earliest days of her life.
"I, um...when I left Sorelle," Athena began, her voice soft, "I had been a part of the band since I was four years old, singing alongside my sisters, and it was all I had ever known. But as the years went by, something inside me began to shift. I don't know how to explain this," she said as she took a moment to gather her thoughts, "I was known as the youngest half-sister, the shy one, the one who followed instead of leading. I'm the only Tyler, and the other girls are Madden. Despite being the 'face' of the band, I was the little girl who just stood there and looked pretty until it was time to blow the roof off the place."
Athena's voice quivered with a mix of vulnerability and determination as she continued to weave the intricate threads of her past for Michael's understanding. "As time went on, the pressure to be a perfect performer, to meet the expectations of the industry and our fans, weighed heavily on me. I began to question my place in the spotlight, whether I was truly meant to be on that stage or if I was simply driven by the expectations placed upon me by others."
Michael's grip on her hands tightened, a silent gesture of reassurance and support, urging her to keep sharing her truth.
Athena took a deep breath, gathering the strength to reveal a deeper layer of her struggle. "Another reason I stopped singing," she confessed, her voice tinged with a hint of pain, "It was the constant comparison of me to my sisters. I was the, as they called me, the 'effortlessly talented' one who could hit any high note and entertain any crowd. They always felt like they were playing catch-up to me, trying to prove themselves to our mother, that they could be just as great, but somehow falling short." she revealed, "I can't tell you how many times I heard comments like, 'Athena is the real talent,' or 'The other sisters are good, but Athena is exceptional.' It felt like a constant comparison, a never-ending competition that I could never escape. Instead of feeling proud and confident in my abilities, it only served to intensify my self-doubt. I guess at some point, some part of me said 'If you're no longer in the bad and actively singing, they can't compare you to them and they won't have anything to complain about.' So I just....stopped."
Athena's admission hung heavy in the air, as the layers of her past unfolded before Michael's compassionate gaze. He knew that behind the guise of the confident, talented performer Athena had always been, lay a fragile heart burdened with insecurities and toxic comparisons. The weight she carried on her shoulders, not only as a member of the band but as the embodiment of a seemingly unattainable standard of perfection, was immense.
Michael squeezed her hands comfortingly, his eyes reflecting a mix of empathy, understanding, and unwavering love. With each word she shared, he felt the immense privilege of being trusted with such raw vulnerability. It was an honor he did not take lightly, as he knew the importance of creating a safe space for Athena to confront the demons that had haunted her for so long.
Gently, he brushed a strand of hair behind her ear, his touch tender and reassuring. "Athena," he whispered, his voice laced with genuine concern, "I can't even begin to imagine how much pressure you must have felt all those years. The weight of expectations, the comparisons, the feeling of never being enough. I want you to know that I see you, not just as Athena Tyler, the performer, but as the extraordinary woman you are, with or without the spotlight."
"You know I was forced to wear wigs?" Athena suddenly added, "It was a decision by our mother. I had to be blonde to....match, with my sisters."
Athena's revelation hung in the silence for a moment, the weight of her words palpable in the room. Michael's heart ached as he took in the full extent of her struggles, the layers upon layers of pain and insecurity that had been festering beneath the surface. He couldn't help but be overwhelmed by a mix of emotions—compassion, anger at the industry that had inflicted this upon her, and an overwhelming determination to be there for her, to give her solace and support.
Gently, he lifted her chin, his eyes meeting hers with an unwavering intensity. "Athena," he said, his voice steady and filled with conviction, "You are so much more than the expectations placed upon you, so much more than the labels they've given you. Your talent, your passion, your unique voice—it's all yours, and it's exceptional in its own right."
A small smile tugged at the corners of Athena's lips, a flicker of hope amidst the darkness that had plagued her for far too long. With Michael's unwavering support and understanding, she felt the walls of doubt and self-doubt begin to crumble. Slowly, she allowed herself to believe that she was deserving of the agency to make decisions that were truly hers, free from the shackles of comparison and expectation.
"And you know what?" Michael continued, his voice filled with conviction, "If making a solo album is something that truly brings you joy, that helps you reclaim your identity and voice, then I believe in you. Because this—your journey, your music—is about so much more than proving yourself to anyone else. It's about finding your own truth, your own path, and creating something that resonates with your soul."
"I don't want to hide anymore," Athena sighed, "It's getting exhausting staying in my house just to avoid getting caught in public," she added, "But I've realized that I can't stop people from saying things about me. I can't stop them from saying what they say. Some people are just naturally cruel. I don't want to hide. I want to make music that defines who I am. I want people to know who the real me is, not this carefully crafted image of me that Nicole forced me to be. I don't want her to define me anymore," she said, "But I don't want to make that album if those comparisons are going to start all over again."
Michael listened attentively, his heart swelling with admiration for Athena's resilience and determination. The depth of her pain and the insidious grip that comparison and public scrutiny had held on her was now laid bare before him. His love for her burned brighter than ever as he vowed to be the unwavering pillar of support, shielding her from the cruelty of the world.
Gently, he squeezed her hands, his voice filled with a newfound sense of purpose, his words deliberate and resolute, "We live in a world where people will always have something to say, where comparisons and judgments are all too common."
"I know, but when I dissappeared from the spotlight," Athena paused, "Everything finally....stopped. The noise and the fighting faded. It was finally quiet."
