Bailey
. . .
Thomas and Rose’s place smells like coffee, cinnamon and fresh bread. The curtains are pulled back, sunlight spilling across the kitchen table, catching dust in the air. Everything looks normal, like the world didn’t tilt off its axis a few days ago.
I sit at the table with my hands wrapped around a coffee mug, fingers laced so tightly my knuckles ache. Rachel is beside me, phone face down, posture calm and professional. She looks like she’s waiting for a meeting to start.
In a way, she is.
Sadie sits across from me, legs tucked under her chair, arms folded loosely over her stomach like she’s already practicing.
Cole stands behind her, one hand resting at her shoulder.
Noah leans against the counter, arms crossed, jaw tight.
He hasn’t sat down since we got here. He is the only one who knows why I asked everyone to meet me today.
I don’t know what story he told his parents about why Luke never showed up.
I managed to keep to myself since the wedding, telling them I was exhausted and just needed to catch up on my rest.
Rose moves around the kitchen, refilling mugs that don’t need refilling. Thomas stands near the sink, quiet, watching me like he already knows.
I clear my throat, trying to steady the riot of emotions fighting for dominance in me
“There’s no easy way to say this,” I begin, my voice steadier than I feel. “So I’m just going to say it.”
The room stills.
“Luke and I are getting divorced.”
The words land softly, the room quiet except for the whoosh of breath leaving bodies all at once.
Rose freezes mid-step, one hand gripping the edge of the counter. “No,” she says, shaking her head before I can even continue. “No, that’s… I don't understand.”
I catch the way Sadie’s eyes snap to my left hand, my bare ring finger, and the way her face changes like she’s watching a door close.
“I know this is a lot to process. This isn't something I am doing impulsively. I’ve been holding it together for a long time. This is just the first time I’m saying it out loud, ” I say gently.
“The papers have already been filed. Luke should be getting them within the week. I asked for them to be expedited, to avoid this being drawn out publicly.”
Thomas exhales slowly, eyes closing for a brief second like he’s bracing himself against a wall that’s giving way.
"I still don’t understand, Bailey. What's going on... what happened?" Rose cries out.
Sadie doesn’t speak, she just stares at me, something dark flickering behind her eyes.
“What did he do?” Thomas asks. Rose scowls at her husband and I immediately try to diffuse the tension. “It’s not...”
Noah cuts me off. “Bailey, Stop.” he says with an edge to his voice I am unfamiliar with.
I look at him, startled.
“You don’t have to do that,” he continues. “You don’t have to protect him anymore.”
Rose turns sharply toward him. “Noah...”
“No,” he says, firmer now. “Mom, you deserve to know. All of you do.”
I shake my head, panic fluttering in my chest. “This isn’t about blame.”
“It is,” Sadie says suddenly, her voice flat. “Because someone hurt my sister, and my money is on the person who is missing from this conversation being the cause of the divorce.”
Noah pulls his phone from his pocket.
“This is why she’s done,” he says. “This is what he chose instead of coming here. Instead of showing up, and this isn’t the first time he's pulled this kind of shit with her.”
He sets the phone on the table and turns it so everyone can see.
The video plays silently at first, Luke on stage, lights flashing, drink raised, Kacey pressed into his side like she belongs there. Laughing. Celebrating. Lit up in a way he hasn’t been with me in years.
Sadie’s chair scrapes back violently as she stands.
“Oh my God,” she whispers. Then louder, sharper, “Oh my God.”
Cole’s hand tightens at her waist as she leans forward, eyes locked on the screen.
“That was... That was why you were out in the orchard?” he asks.
“Yes,” Noah replies. “During the wedding.”
Rose presses a hand to her mouth, tears spilling freely now. “Why, I don't understand why he'd do this to you...” she whispers. “He promised.”
Thomas moves without thinking, hand on Rose’s shoulder, the same steady pressure he used to ground Luke and Noah when they were boys.
His eyes meet mine and there’s grief there, but also something like an apology.
Like he’s trying to figure out where he missed the moment his son broke something in us.
The silence that follows is thick and heavy.
Sadie turns to me, her face pale, fury barely contained. “So what, he is with that cheap knockoff of you? When did this all start... How long has he needed to have his ass kicked? He knew you would see that.... find out like that.”
I swallow. “Sadie...”
“No,” she snaps. “I don’t care what excuses he has. You don’t do this to someone you love.”
I don't argue, because I can't.
“I have been trying for a long time to make it work with us, and somewhere along the line, he stopped,” I say quietly. “I can’t stay with him anymore.”
Rose sinks into a chair, shoulders shaking. “Bailey, I’m so sorry. I didn’t know it was this bad.”
“I didn’t want you to,” I say. “And I need you to know something.”
I look at all of them now, one by one.
“This doesn’t change what we built here. This property, these homes... none of that was conditional. Everyone is on the deed because this was always about family. That hasn’t changed.”
Thomas lifts his head. “But Luke...”
“Is still your son,” I say. “And he always will be. I will never tell you he can’t come here.”
Sadie looks like she might argue, but I keep going.
“What I may ask for is privacy if he does. Space. Time. I need to heal. That’s the only boundary I’m setting.”
Thomas nods slowly. “That’s fair. But, Bailey, you are our daughter too. We... ”
"I know, Thomas, that won't change. I promise." I choke out.
Rachel finally speaks. “There’s also something you all need to be prepared for. This may become public very quickly.”
Rose stiffens. “Public how?”
“Speculation is already starting,” Rachel says. “With photos of Luke. Clips of him with Kacey, while Bailey was photographed and filmed at the wedding, with all of you. People are talking; it's trending on social media. We’re putting additional security in place as a precaution.”
I hate that I have to say this part.
“I don’t want people showing up here looking for a story,” I add. “This place is home. I won’t let it become a headline.”
Sadie reaches for my hand, gripping it hard. “You don’t have to leave,” she says suddenly. “You can cancel the rest of the tour. We’ll figure it out. We already have enough. You've already given enough, Bailey. Let us shield you from this.”
I squeeze her fingers. “I can’t.”
“Why not?” she demands.
The answer hurts too much to soften.
“I’m contracted to finish the tour,” I say. “And one more album.”
Silence.
“I thought…” I hesitate, then force myself to say it. “I hoped he'd show up. I thought if I gave him time, he’d catch up. Not professionally. Personally. I wanted him to want this life. The one we promised each other.”
The truth sits heavy in the room.
“I need to go back earlier than planned,” I continue. “I’m finishing the tour strong. Jackson Reed is joining me for part of it.”
Sadie’s eyes widened. “You’re working with him?”
“Yes.”
“When?”
“Soon,” I say. “We’re announcing it onstage, that's why I have to leave today.”
Rachel glances at her phone. “We tried to avoid it, but the announcement lands on Bailey’s birthday.”
“And your anniversary,” Sadie adds quietly.
Cole swears under his breath.
As the meeting breaks apart slowly, everyone lost in their own version of grief, I retreat upstairs to pack.
Rachel is already on calls, moving pieces into place.
I haven't asked for my phone back. I don't think I can handle seeing him with her, hearing what people are saying about my marriage, my life.
Sadie appears in the doorway, eyes soft now...
I know she is piecing together what happened during her wedding, and I don't want her guilt or questions right now. I want her to be happy and calm.
“You better keep me updated,” I say. “Every appointment. Every weird craving. I expect pictures.”
She smiles faintly. “Deal,” and pulls me into a familiar hug, her hand warm at my back.
“I’m sorry I’m leaving like this.”
“You’re not alone,” she whispers. "You do whatever you need to do and come home."
I hold onto that as long as I can.