Chapter 268

Pearl woke up the next morning and felt an emptiness she hadn't felt before. She felt alone and completely vulnerable.

"Hey. How are you?" Dylan asked, rubbing his eyes. Pearl had called him after Erik left and he had stayed with her. He knew she was in no position to be left alone.

"I don't know how I am. I need to get up and get myself together for the show tonight." Pearl said, walking to the bathroom. Erik had called non stop the night before but Pearl couldn't answer yet. She wasn't ready to talk to him or anyone for that matter. She turned on the water in the shower and let it run down her face and body. She felt numb. Erik should have told her about this. How awful for those poor girls, she thought. And Rhys knew about it and would be a fear regarding the press. Another mess she had put herself unknowingly into. She not only felt bad for the women but for herself. She couldn't help but be angry with her situation and for being a fool once again. She was too trusting, too honest. If the prince of England had secrets and lies, were no men immune? And then there was the fear. Would he hurt her?

"Pearl, room service is here." Dylan said. Pearl turned off the shower and wrapped a robe around herself. Dylan poured her a cup of coffee and Pearl drank it, expressionless.

"Are you going to able to perform tonight?" Dylan asked.

"I have to, so yes." Pearl said, matter-of-factly.

Dylan was at a loss. Since the moment he had met Pearl, all he had watched her deal with was pain. So much pain. She just couldn't catch a break. She was a good person, a kind person. And real. And for some reason, men took advantage of that. He knew of all the men in her life, he had the least to offer her, but in the end, he also knew he was the only one to truly love her for who she was, without motive or gain. It broke his heart seeing her so defeated. It also confirmed his belief that fairy tales don't exist, no matter how much you want to believe in they do.

"I'll be back here at two to pick you up for soundcheck. Are you going to be alright for a couple of hours?" Dylan asked.

"Yes. I'm going to get ready and I'll be waiting for you." Pearl said, barely picking at her toast.

Dylan nodded and got up, walking out of the the room. Pearl looked down at her phone. 17 missed calls, all Erik. She scrolled through her numbers and pressed send.

"Bash. It's Pearl. Can you fly to the states? I need you." She said, shakily.

"Where are you?" He asked.

"Chicago. I'm here tonight for a show at the United Center at nine and tomorrow we drive out at four, heading to Detroit." She said.

"I'll be there tonight." He said and hung up.

Pearl put her phone down. She wanted to ask Sebastian if he knew and what he knew. And if he knew, he'd better have a damn good reason for not telling her.

****************

Soundcheck went well but Pearl wasn't there mentally. It was all a numb blur. John had tried to talk to her but she was still not ready to discuss it.

They all had dinner and then went back to the stadium for hair and makeup. Nico tried to cheer her up but it didn't work.

"Just put it up tonight. I don't care what it looks like." Pearl said about her hair.

Ian came in and sat next to her. "I don't know what's going on, but I want you to know that I'm here, what good that can do." He said. Pearl nodded and thanked him.

Not long before they were set to begin, a knock on the dressing room door startled her. She got up and opened the door to see Sebastian standing there. He looked at her and saw that something was seriously wrong and pulled her into his arms. Pearl broke down completely, sobbing as he held her. She finally pulled back from him and asked, "Did you know?"

He looked at her, puzzled. "Know what? What is going on, Pearl? Where is Erik?" He asked.

"Samantha Kramer and Melissa Bradford. Sebastian, did you know?" She asked, wiping the tears and mascara from her eyes.

"Who? Pearl. You need to tell me what you are talking about." Bash asked, beginning to sound angered.

"He murdered one of them and almost killed the other one." She said. "Four years ago. Did you know?"

His face changed. His clear grey eyes became almost black. His jaw clenched like Erik's, only more prominent because of his jawline. He had a slight beard now, as black as his hair. "He did what?" He asked through gritted teeth.

"He accidentally killed a woman in some sex accident. I don't know. I just found out, from my ex! Can you believe that? I didn't even find out from Erik. What is wrong with me? Why do I fall for all this shit? Now I'm married, and the whole world knows. And I'm expecting his child! Oh god. What have I done to deserve this? What did those poor women do?" She sat down on a couch and put her head in her hands and sobbed. She felt guilty for feeling sorry for herself but she couldn't help it. Her trust had been destroyed yet again and she didn't know what to do or feel.

"I didn't know." Sebastian whispered. He looked away and out his hands on his hips. "How the fuck would I not know about this? I intend to find out more, now that I do. Did he say my uncle knew? Did they cover for him?" He was getting increasingly more angry.

"I don't know." She said. "It sounded like it but he didn't say. I was too upset to ask more questions and I didn't know if he would be honest with me if I did. That's why I called you." She said, looking up at him. She saw care and sadness in his face along with the rage brewing.

"I'm sorry I don't know more to tell you. I'm also sorry my visit is so short. I have to go." He said, bowing.

"No! No. You can't leave. Not now. Please stay. I need you here more than I think I've ever needed anyone. You can't leave." She pleaded.

The desire he had to leave and find Erik was lessened seeing her like that. He nodded and told her he would stay.

"I have to go on stage in a few minutes. Please stay and after, we can talk. Is that ok?" She asked.

"Of course it is." He walked to her and sat beside her, pulling her into his arms again. He smelled of sandalwood and soap. She clung to him tightly and didn't even care that she might be ruining his pale blue shirt with her makeup.

"Pearl, we need you side stage." John said at the closed door. He didn't bother coming in. He knew she wasn't in a good place.

"Where should I go?" Sebastian asked.

Pearl stood up and fixed her makeup.

"Come with me. Might as well watch the show." She said, taking his hand and leading him side stage.

The arena was sold out. The sound of the crowd was a wave of voices and cheers and claps blended together to form a steady wall of sound. Sebastian had never experienced anything like it. The band was announced and the stadium went dark. Lights from phones lit up the crowd of thousands. Pearl began to sing and the crowd went wild.

Then the first drum hit and guitar riff happened and the lights went up. Sebastian watched Pearl become a completely different person. She sang and moved to the music and became a musical shaman. He was reminded of William Butler Yeats, a poet that was read to him at bedtime every night by his uncle when he was growing up at Kensington.

"THAT crazed girl improvising her music.

Her poetry, dancing upon the shore,

Her soul in division from itself

Climbing, falling She knew not where,

Hiding amid the cargo of a steamship,

Her knee-cap broken, that girl I declare

A beautiful lofty thing, or a thing

Heroically lost, heroically found.

No matter what disaster occurred

She stood in desperate music wound,

Wound, wound, and she made in her triumph

Where the bales and the baskets lay

No common intelligible sound

But sang, 'O sea-starved, hungry sea."

He smiled and was glad he remembered the poem. More importantly, he was glad he was there for her. And nothing was going to change that again. Not this time. He warned Erik, and he meant it. And if this was true, what Pearl was saying that he did, Sebastian was going to make damn sure Erik never hurt another woman again. If he lived long enough to even try, that is.