Episode 17
Part 79: Unraveled Truths
Jadon returned to the loft, where his protégés were deep in their work, guided by the engineers Malcolm had sent over. Nikki was by far the most intense, driven by sheer ambition. Marcus and Lyric, on the other hand, were more laid-back, relying on their effortless chemistry. Though not blood-related, they had chosen each other as brothers. Crystal, the quiet observer, sat on the sidelines, lost in thought as she scribbled on scraps of printer paper. Jadon found her detachment frustrating. He saw it as a missed opportunity to learn from the others.
Curiosity got the better of him, and he approached her. "What are you writing?"
She hesitated before answering. "A song."
"I didn’t know you wrote."
"I do, but just for me. I don’t share. But with everything that’s happened recently, I needed to put my thoughts down."
"Can I see?"
After a pause, she handed him the crumpled pages. Jadon started reading, but before he could finish, his breath caught. His eyes welled with tears, and he abruptly walked out of the studio. The music stopped. Roach and the engineers exchanged looks while Nikki, sensing something deeper, ran after him.
She found Jadon in his office, his back turned as he wiped his face. "Jesus, do you ever observe boundaries?" he rasped, trying to regain his composure.
"No, not when it comes to my friends. And I don’t have many of them. So, you’re stuck with me," she shot back. "Jadon, it’s going to get better. I feel awful that you’re going through this, but I got you. We all do."
Jadon exhaled sharply, rubbing his face. "Nikki, I can’t eat, I can’t sleep. All I do is worry. She either left voluntarily or she’s dead somewhere. And her cousin seems fine with it. I don’t get it."
Nikki hesitated before speaking. "That’s because they’re not cousins."
Jadon rolled his eyes. "Oh, not that shit again! Can you ever be serious?"
"Jadon, Barbados is a small place. Everybody knows everybody… and their business."
Jadon narrowed his eyes. "What’re you saying?"
"I’m saying there’s more to them than meets the eye. And if he’s not worried, she ain’t dead. Those two are closer than you think."
Jadon leaned against his desk, his jaw tightening.
Nikki folded her arms. "I knew something was off, but I hoped you were wrong. I really did… for your sake. Jadon, there have been rumors about those two for years. She’s been around him since she was a kid, and he was a grown-ass man. Something’s always been off. That’s why they insist they’re cousins. It’s a cover."
Jadon fell silent, absorbing her words.
"Nadia is a recluse," Nikki continued. "She’s not telling you everything. But if you’re trying to reinvent yourself, why would you?"
"Why would she reinvent herself?" Jadon asked warily.
Nikki sighed, running a hand through her hair. "Because that’s what she does. Screw it, you deserve to know. Did she ever tell you about the son she gave up?"
Jadon froze. "What son?"
"She has a nine-year-old boy. Not long after he was born, she left him with his father and never looked back. The guy’s raising the kid alone. The boy doesn’t even know her. And in a place as small as Barbados, there’s no way they haven’t crossed paths. She just acts like he doesn’t exist. That’s some kind of cold, don’t you think?"
Jadon shook his head. "No way… that can’t be true. Why are you telling me this now?"
Nikki stared at him, exasperated. "Because when some of us fall in love, we go stupid. And there’s no getting through to you."
Jadon sank into his chair, his mind racing. "So, what am I supposed to think? That this whole thing… us… was a joke?"
Nikki hesitated. "I don’t know what’s going on, but she always gave me the willies. They both do."
Jadon looked up at her. "How do you know all this?"
"Look, I’m not supposed to get involved, but I know her son’s father. We went to school together."
Jadon’s voice dropped. "So, you know the boy?"
"Yeah. I’ve met him a few times."
Jadon exhaled, rubbing his temples. "This is too much."
Nikki placed a hand on his shoulder. "Like I said, I got you."
Jadon let out a deep sigh, his fingers raking through his hair. "Nikki… I feel like I’m carrying the weight of the world. Reverie was supposed to be my salvation, but it turns out that Nadia had become just that. And now she’s gone."
Nikki studied him carefully. "You really love her, don’t you?"
He nodded, his voice barely above a whisper. "She was everything I dreamed of… everything I never knew I needed. But she vanished. Just like that."
Nikki sat across from him, her tone softer now. "Jadon, I get it. But you’ve been carrying too much for too long. This isn’t just about Nadia, is it?"
Jadon clenched his jaw. "No… it’s not. It’s my wife Roselyn. It’s the way I betrayed her. I never got to fix it, she died along with our son. And now, it haunts me all over again."
Nikki tilted her head. "Being with Nadia made the pain go away. Made me feel whole."
He let out a bitter chuckle. "I thought so. I thought she healed me. But now, I feel that same emptiness, like I don’t deserve happiness. I was too young to understand what love really was when I married Roz. I loved her, but I wasn’t in love with her. I owed her everything, but I also resented that feeling. And then I hurt her. God knows I didn’t want to."
Nikki didn’t say anything, letting him talk.
Jadon exhaled shakily. "And my lover? She left when everything fell apart. I was ready to die, Nikki. But I couldn’t even do that. Too much of a coward to take my own life."
Nikki shook her head. "Jay, you’re not a coward. You’re just… lost. And you saw Nadia, as your light?"
He nodded, his eyes raw with emotion. "She was. Everything about her…her mind, her body, the way we fit, I knew I had never really loved anyone before her. And now, she’s gone, and I have no idea what’s going on. That’s a whole new kind of agony I have to live with."
Nikki leaned forward, gripping his hand. "Then we find out what happened. Together."
With a reassuring glance, Nikki left his office. Jadon reopened the crumpled paper Crystal had scribbled on and read the lyrics.
Nobody Cares
Verse 1
Wandering in shadows, searching for a sign.
Every moment’s heavy, Just need some peace of mind
Longing for the comfort of your hand in mine.
Being with you was like heaven at one point in time
Watching you leave felt like a crime
If I can only go back and change the hands of time
You’d be right by my side
Now you’re gone forever
I’m empty inside
Chorus
And nobody cares that I feel lost without you Nobody cares that I’m crying inside,
I’ve got to reach in, dig deep for the courage,
Pull myself together, find my own light.
Verse 2
Memories surround me, like ghosts in the dark,
Echoes of your laughter, now pull me apart.
But I know there’s strength hidden deep in my heart,
I’ll rise from the ashes, can’t keep losing sleep
Chorus
‘Cause nobody cares that I feel lost without you Nobody cares that I’m crying inside,
I’ve got to reach in, dig deep for the courage,
Pull myself together, find my own light.
Bridge
I’ll break these chains, I’ll learn to be free,
Finding my way back to who I’m meant to be.
With every step forward, I’ll leave the past behind,
Searching for the peace that I need to find.
Chorus
Nobody cares that I feel lost without you,
Nobody cares that I’m crying inside,
I’ve got to reach in, dig deep for the courage,
Pull myself together, find my own light.
Outro
Goodbye my lover, my one true friend
I’ll do better, till we meet again
I promise I’ll find my way
Back to you in heaven, again
*****
Crystal sat on the edge of her bed, her fingers twisting anxiously as she whispered on the phone. The room felt smaller than usual, closing in on her as she replayed the moment:
Crystal (voice trembling): Mom, I… I don’t know what just happened.
Mom (concerned): Crystal? Honey, you sound shaken.
Crystal: I think… I think I upset him.
Mom: Who? Jadon? What did you say?
Crystal: Nothing. That’s the problem. He just… sat there. Silent. And his eyes… Mom, I think he was about to cry and he just walked out. Everybody was stunned.
Mom (softly): Oh, sweetheart.
Crystal: It wasn’t what I said, it was what I wrote. The lyrics… they hit him hard. Harder than I expected. And now, I don’t know if he’s angry, or embarrassed, or… what if he regrets giving me a chance?
Mom (gently): Crystal, listen to me. If your words moved him that much, that’s not a bad thing. That means they meant something.
Crystal (whispers): But what if it was too much? What if I ruined everything?
Before her mother could respond, a sudden knock at the door made Crystal jump.
Mom: Crystal? Are you still there?
Crystal (staring at the door, voice barely above a whisper): Mom… he’s here.
She hesitated. "Who is it?"
"It’s Jadon."
Her breath caught. She quickly ended the call without saying goodbye and stood, smoothing her clothes as if that could somehow steady her nerves.
"Come in," she said, her voice softer than she intended.
Jadon stepped inside, his usual composure slightly frayed. His eyes met hers, searching, as if trying to find the right words. Before he could speak, Crystal blurted out, "I’m sorry."
Jadon’s brow furrowed. "For what?"
"For… earlier," she stammered. "I… I didn’t mean to upset you. If I crossed a line, I…"
Jadon shook his head, cutting her off. "Crystal, stop." His voice was gentle but firm. "You didn’t upset me. Not at all."
She swallowed. "But you… you looked..." She trailed off, not knowing how to describe it.
Jadon let out a quiet sigh, rubbing the back of his neck. "I wasn’t expecting your lyrics to hit me like that," he admitted. "But they did. They stirred something in me I wasn’t ready to face. That’s not your fault. That’s… me."
Crystal blinked, her heart pounding. "So… you’re not mad?"
Jadon let out a soft chuckle. "Mad? No, Crystal. What you wrote, it’s profound. Honest. And that’s rare. I didn’t see it at first, but now? Now, I get it. You’re a brilliant writer."
Crystal’s lips parted slightly, but no words came out. She had spent the last hour convinced she had ruined everything. And now, Jadon was telling her the exact opposite.
"I don’t just want to keep you on this project," he continued, his voice steady. "I want to hear more. I want to build something around what you’ve written. You gave me a vision I didn’t even know I needed."
Crystal stared at him, her emotions a tangled mess of disbelief and relief. "I… I don’t know what to say."
Jadon smiled, a rare, genuine expression. "Then don’t say anything. Just keep writing." He hesitated, then added, "I also realize I haven’t really taken the time to get to know you. That needs to change."
Something inside Crystal warmed at his words. She had felt invisible for so long, like she was always fighting to prove herself. But right now, in this moment, Jadon saw her.
Without thinking, she stepped forward and hugged him. Jadon stiffened briefly, then relaxed, letting the moment be what it was.
When she pulled back, he gave her a small nod. "Get some rest. We’ve got an album to make."
Crystal watched as he left, the door clicking shut behind him. She sank onto her bed, pressing a hand to her chest, still feeling the weight of his words.
For the first time, she wasn’t just another songwriter trying to be heard.
She was a voice worth listening to.
*****
Jadon strode back into the studio, the air thick with unspoken tension. The room fell silent the moment they saw him, all eyes cautiously shifting in his direction. He exhaled, raking a hand through his hair before addressing them.
"Look, I just want to say, I’m sorry about earlier," he began, his voice steady but carrying the weight of exhaustion. "I know things have been intense lately, and that’s on me. It’s no secret that everything’s been crazy, and I haven’t exactly been handling it well." He let his gaze sweep across the room, acknowledging the quiet understanding on their faces.
"That said, I need to step away for a bit. Just for the weekend," he continued. "You guys keep doing your thing, hold it down while I’m gone. I just… I have some things I need to sort out."
A few nods of approval, murmurs of understanding, but no one pressed him for details. They all knew Jadon well enough to recognize when he needed space.
He turned toward Nikki. "Oh, Nikki… can you come up to my office for a minute?"
She blinked, caught off guard, but quickly nodded.
Without another word, Jadon turned and left the room, his departure leaving behind a lingering hush.
