Notes Between Us

The world knew Avril Lavigne for her voice - sharp, soulful, sometimes rebellious, sometimes heartbreakingly soft. But when the lights dimmed and the crowd faded, silence was all she had left.

It had been months since the divorce. The press called it "mutual," but the truth was messier. They didn't fall out of love - they just couldn't stop fighting. Two artists, both stubborn, both passionate, burning each other out one argument at a time until there was nothing left but ashes.

Now, Avril lives alone in California, far from the cold lights of Toronto. Her days are quieter, slower - the kind of quiet that's supposed to be peaceful but never really is. Her once soft, brown, long, and thin hair is now blonde, a reflection of change she didn't ask for.

On the table beside her lies her guitar, collecting dust beside a small framed ultrasound photo. She'd found out a month after the papers were signed - when the nausea wouldn't stop, and the test in her trembling hands told her everything.

Chad didn't know. He couldn't.

The world sees a rockstar, a comeback, another record. But behind the curtain, Avril is just a woman learning to raise a child in the shadow of a love story that never truly ended.