Broken Records | Tayley

Chapter 7: Memories in the Making

Taylor's POV

I knew something was wrong the moment Hayley walked into the studio. She was quieter than usual, her eyes downcast, as if the weight of the world had settled on her shoulders overnight. We had been working so closely on her solo album, and I could tell when she wasn't fully present, when something was eating away at her.

"Hey," I said softly, setting my guitar down and walking over to her. "You okay?"

She looked up at me, her eyes clouded with something I couldn't quite place. "I got a message from Chad," she said, her voice barely above a whisper.

My heart sank. I had been hoping she was done with him, that she had finally put that chapter of her life behind her. But of course, he had to find a way to worm his way back in.

"What did he say?" I asked, keeping my voice steady, though inside I was seething. The last thing she needed was him messing with her head again.

"He wants to talk," she said, dropping her gaze to the floor. "He says he made a mistake."

"Hayley, you don't have to talk to him," I said, gently placing a hand on her shoulder. "You don't owe him anything."

"I know," she replied, her voice trembling slightly. "But it's hard, Taylor. It's so hard to just... let go."

We stood in silence for a moment, the tension thick in the air. I wanted to tell her that she deserved so much better, that she was strong enough to walk away from the pain he had caused. But I also knew that she needed to come to that realization on her own.

"He cheated on me, you know," she finally said, her voice quiet, almost as if she was confessing a secret she had been holding onto for too long. "And I knew about it, for a long time. But I stayed. I stayed because I thought... I thought I deserved it."

My heart broke hearing those words. I had known about the rumors, had seen the way she had clung to him even when it was clear he wasn't good for her. But hearing her say it out loud, admitting the pain she had carried with her all this time, it was almost too much to bear.

"Why would you think that?" I asked, struggling to keep the anger out of my voice—not at her, but at the situation, at him.

"Because I knew he had cheated on his first wife with me," she said, her voice barely above a whisper. "I thought it was karma, that I deserved to feel the same pain I had caused her."

"Hayley," I said, taking both her hands in mine, forcing her to look at me. "You didn't deserve that. You were young, and he took advantage of that. You were, like, 18, still just a kid. And he was a grown man. He should have known better."

She looked at me, her eyes filled with uncertainty, as if she was seeing the situation for the first time through a different lens. "Remember when we first met him and his band? When we were filming the 'Kiss Me' music video," she said, her voice soft, distant. "I was so young, so in awe of him. I didn't see the problem back then. But now... I don't know if it was love or if it was manipulation."

"It was manipulation," I said firmly. "He knew exactly what he was doing. And you were too young to see it. But that doesn't make any of this your fault. You didn't deserve what he did to you."

She let out a shaky breath, her shoulders sagging as if the weight of those words had finally lifted something off her. "I just... I don't know how to move on from this, Taylor. How do I let go of something that's been such a huge part of my life?"

"You take it one day at a time," I said, pulling her into a hug, holding her tightly. "And you lean on the people who love you, who have always loved you. You don't have to do this alone, Hayley."

She hugged me back, burying her face in my shoulder. For a long time, we just stood there, holding onto each other, the unspoken understanding between us growing stronger with each passing moment. It wasn't about fixing things or finding answers—it was about being there for each other, no matter what.