Stars on Broadway - Morgan Wallen

Chapter 88 - Processing the Pain

The weeks following Georgie's public breakdown had been a whirlwind of emotions, rehearsals, and silence between her and Morgan. Though she hadn't spoken to him much, the constant stream of texts from him never stopped. They were always filled with regret, confusion, and desperation for her to call him back, but Georgie wasn't ready. She needed time. And in that time, she found herself channeling her anger, her heartbreak, and her hurt into something more powerful: music.

Georgie sat alone in her hotel room in Australia, the sound of the waves crashing outside her window doing little to calm her racing mind. The song had come to her one night, during a restless few hours where she couldn't stop thinking about what Morgan had done. He hadn't physically cheated—at least that's what he kept saying—but the betrayal felt just as real. He had gotten close to another woman, emotionally, and that hurt just as much. In her mind, that was cheating.

It was during one of these sleepless nights that the words to "Before He Cheats" began to flow, sharp and angry, a reflection of everything she had been holding in. She didn't stop to think. She let the lyrics pour out, raw and cathartic:

"Before He Cheats"
Right now,
He's probably slow dancing with a bleach blonde tramp
And she's probably getting frisky
Right now,
He's probably buying her some fruity little drink
'Cause she can't shoot whiskey

Right now,
He's probably up behind her with a pool stick showing
Her how to shoot a combo
And he don't know...

I dug my key into the side of his pretty
little suped-up four-wheel drive
Carved my name into his leather seats
Took a Louisville slugger to both headlights
Slashed a hole in all four tires
Maybe next time he'll think before he cheats

As the words filled the page, Georgie felt a release of the anger and frustration that had been building inside her for weeks. She hadn't been able to say these things to Morgan—hadn't been able to confront him fully—but writing the song made her feel a little less powerless.

For the next two weeks, Georgie and her band rehearsed "Before He Cheats" during sound checks. Every time she sang the words, it felt like she was reclaiming a piece of herself. The anger was real, and with each rehearsal, the song became more than just a way to express her frustration—it became a symbol of her strength, of her decision to stand up for herself.

Her band had noticed the change in her, too. Sam, her guitarist, had pulled her aside after one of their rehearsals.

"You okay, G?" he had asked, his tone gentle but concerned.

Georgie had smiled, though it didn't reach her eyes. "I'm getting there. This song... it's helping."

Sam had nodded, giving her a supportive pat on the shoulder. "Good. It's a hell of a song, by the way."

Now, in Australia, Georgie was about to take the stage for her first sold-out stadium show. The nerves she usually felt before a performance were buzzing, but they were different this time. Australia had become special to her after her time there, and being back—performing in front of such a massive audience—meant more than she could put into words. But there was something else weighing on her mind: the decision to debut "Before He Cheats" tonight.

She hadn't fully processed how the fans would react to it. The song was angry, raw, and real, and it was the first time she would be performing something so personal, so directly tied to her relationship with Morgan. But she had to do it. It felt like part of her healing.

She was reunited with Brad Cox and Lane Pittman, her opening acts for this leg of the tour. Their energy had been contagious, and the banter backstage had been a welcome distraction from the emotional weight she was carrying.