Broken Records | Tayley

Chapter 22: Facing the past

Hayley's POV

The next morning, I woke up early, dressed carefully, choosing an outfit that made me feel strong—something that would remind me of who I was now, not who I used to be.

As I sipped my coffee, my mind kept drifting back to the day before, to the way Taylor had held me before I left. His reassurance, the way he said, "I miss you already," still echoed in my ears. The ride to my lawyer's office was a blur of nerves and determination. The LA traffic, usually a source of annoyance, barely registered as I went over everything I needed to discuss.

When I entered my lawyer's office, she greeted me with a warm smile, her demeanor calm and professional. "Hayley, it's good to see you."

"You too," I replied, taking a seat across from her.

She quickly got down to business, laying out the final details of the divorce. As we went over the terms, I felt a strange sense of detachment, like I was watching it all happen to someone else. The legal jargon washed over me, but one clause caught my attention: Chad had insisted on preventing me from publicly discussing the reasons for our divorce—especially anything that might paint him in a negative light. I rolled my eyes at that. I wasn't planning on airing our dirty laundry to the world, but it irked me that he felt the need to control the narrative.

I almost laughed at the irony of it. Did he really think a piece of paper would stop me from expressing myself through my music? I could say everything I needed to say without ever mentioning his name. It was my story, and I would tell it however I pleased.

Another clause caught my eye, and this one made my blood run cold. Chad wanted visitation rights for Alf. He agreed that Alf would stay with me, but wanted to be able to take him whenever he pleased, as if Alf were just another possession to be divided up in the divorce.

I clenched my fists, anger bubbling up inside me. There was no way in hell I was agreeing to that. Alf was my dog, my companion, the one bright spot in all the darkness Chad had brought into my life. I wasn't going to let him take that from me too.

My lawyer must have noticed the shift in my expression because she paused, looking at me with concern. "Hayley, we can negotiate this. You don't have to agree to anything you're not comfortable with."

I nodded, trying to calm the storm brewing inside me. "I know. Let's just... get through today."

The meeting with Chad and his lawyer took place in a small, sterile conference room in a downtown office building. The air was thick with tension as we went over the final terms of the divorce. Chad looked the same as always—calm, collected, like this was just another business deal for him. It made my skin crawl.

We went over the documents in silence, our lawyers handling most of the conversation. I barely looked at him, focusing instead on the papers in front of me, on the signatures that would finally sever the last ties between us.

But when it was all done, and the lawyers were gathering their things, Chad turned to me, his voice low. "Hayley, can we talk for a minute?"

I stiffened, glancing at my lawyer, who gave me a questioning look. I shook my head slightly, signaling that I didn't need her to stay. She nodded and stepped out with Chad's lawyer, leaving us alone in the room.

"What do you want, Chad?" I asked, my voice flat.

He hesitated, his gaze softening in a way that used to make me feel safe but now only made me uneasy. "I just... I wanted to see how you're doing."

I blinked, caught off guard by the question. "I'm fine," I said shortly, not wanting to give him any more of my time or energy.

"It's good to see you," he continued, his tone almost wistful. "Even under these circumstances."

"I guess," I replied, my voice clipped. I didn't want to engage in this conversation. I didn't want to give him the satisfaction of thinking he still had any kind of hold on me.

He cleared his throat, glancing down at the papers on the table. "If you need anything, you know you can always—"

"I don't," I cut him off, my patience wearing thin. "I'm good, Chad. Really."

He nodded slowly, looking like he wanted to say more, but I wasn't interested. I stood up, gathering my things. "I've got to go."

"Wait," he said quickly, standing as well. "You can stay at the house if you want. I mean, if you need somewhere to crash while you're in town. I haven't changed anything... it's all still the same, just like you left it."

His words sent a shiver down my spine, a reminder of everything I was leaving behind. "No, thanks," I said, my voice cold. "I'm staying at a hotel. And I'm coming by tomorrow to pick up the last of my things."

He looked like he wanted to argue, but I didn't give him the chance. I turned and walked out of the room, my heart pounding in my chest. I could feel his eyes on me as I left, but I didn't look back.

That evening, I sat in my hotel room, going over the terms of the divorce one last time.
I sighed, leaning back against the pillows. This was it. The end of everything we had been, everything we had built. And while there was a part of me that felt relieved, there was also a part that felt... lost.

I picked up my phone and called Taylor, needing the comfort of his voice, his presence, even if it was just through a screen. He answered almost immediately, his face lighting up my screen.

"Hey, you," he said, his voice warm and soothing. "How did it go?"

"It's done," I replied, my voice barely above a whisper.

He nodded, his eyes soft with understanding. "You okay?"

"Yeah," I said, though I wasn't sure if it was the truth. "I just... I don't know. It feels weird."

"I can only imagine," he said gently. "But it's over now. You're free."

"Yeah," I repeated, the word hanging heavy in the air between us. "I'm free."

We talked for a while longer, Taylor doing his best to distract me with stories about Alf's antics and what he had been working on while I was gone. But when we hung up, the silence of the hotel room felt oppressive again.

I glanced at the clock, knowing I needed to sleep, but my mind was racing. I couldn't stop thinking about Chad's absurd offer to stay at the house, about the possibility of "sharing" Alf, about the future that was now wide open and terrifyingly uncertain.

Tomorrow, I would go to the house one last time. I would pack up the last of my things, close the door on that chapter of my life, and move forward. But tonight, all I could do was try to quiet the storm inside me and find some semblance of peace.