FLASHBACK( Years ago before she got to jail)

Selene was sitting on the couch in the mansion’s living room, holding her phone, her leg trembling slightly due to habit. She had been rehearsing a song.

Her phone suddenly rang.

She stared at the screen.

Unknown number... but from LA.

She replied promptly, and her heart was racing. "Hello?"

The voice of a man came through calm and professional. "Is this Selene Rivers?"

"Yes, this is Selene."

“This is Viktor Hale, the manager of A-list artist Kaelara Storm. We heard your demo. Kaelara loves your tone." He paused. "We want you to open her tour."

Selene's breath caught. Her hand fell over her mouth.

"Me?" she whispered.

"Yes. Very shortly, the tour begins, and we want to know whether you are interested. We will require you to come to our office today in case you are. And we will take care of paper work and rehearsal schedules.” The man said.

"Yes! I'm interested--absolutely!"

"Good. You can get in within an hour, that would be good.” He said.

“I will. Thank you very much for this great opportunity. I will be there.” Selene replied, using the last ounce of self control she had to stop herself from screaming into the phone.

"Great. See you soon."

The call ended.

“Yes!” She screamed, twirling around as soon as the man hung up the call. “I need to get ready! I have less than an hour.”

Selene rose to her feet and hastened to the bedroom. She took a plain yet nice dress, did her make-up sparingly, and attempted to relax her trembling hands.

This was it.

Her chance.

Her dream becoming real.

The front door flung open, and she was about to reach out to her bag, when she walked toward the door.

Garrick Thorne walked in.

Her husband.

Big and good-looking, in a suit, smelling of perfume and a costly life.

He halted at her all dressed up.

"Where are you going?" he asked, loosening his tie.

Selene smiled softly. "Garrick Thorne, I just got a call. From Kaelara Storm's team. They want me to open her tour. I ..I must now go and see the manager.”

Garrick Thorne blinked at her. His face changed to a neutral to an annoyed one within seconds.

"So you're leaving?" he asked.

"I have to go now. The manager…”

“I have just arrived at home,” he interrupted. "I want to sleep with my wife. And you are just running out of the house in that way? To go meet some man?”

Selene's smile faded. "Garrick Thorne... please. This is my dream. I've waited so long..”

He scoffed. "Dream? Selene, you should not embarrass yourself.”

Her shoulders tensed.

"This music thing again?" he continued. "You're my wife. I can afford any record label you choose, but I do not want a singer as my wife.”

Selene swallowed hard. “I do not want you to purchase anything. This is something I earned. You know I’ve always worked for anything related to my music, I am rejecting your help but please.”

He came nearer and caught her by the arm. "Call them. Tell them you're not coming."

She withdrew her arm tenderly. "Garrick Thorne, no. This is my future. Please don't do this."

"I said call them." His voice grew louder. "Reject the offer. Now."

Selene shook her head. "Please listen, just this once. This is what I have been striving to achieve.

Garrick Thorne gazed at her some time, his jaw set, anger in his face. “Fine! Have it your way.”

Then he took his keys and walked himself out of the door.

Selene stood there breathing shakily.

She closed her eyes.

She wasn't giving up.

She was ready, picked up her bag and walked out of the house. She was going to the office and her hands were clenching the steering wheel. She attempted to remain calm, attempted to concentrate on the future she had.

Midway there her phone rang once more.

She answered. "Hello?"

This time it was the voice of a woman. "Is this Selene Rivers?"

"Yes, I'm…”

"This is Kaelara Storm's office. This is to tell you that we are dropping you. The team revisited your profile and we found out that you are not a real artist. You don't write your songs."

That is not the case, Selene said hastily, and her panic grew. "I write everything myself. I can show…”

"We don't work with frauds."

The call cut off.

Selene was looking at her phone in disbelief.

Dropped.

Without meeting her.

Without letting her explain.

Saying she does not write her song?

Her chest tightened.

She pulled on the side of the road and parked. She shook with her breath trying to comprehend what had just occurred.

Then she saw figures coming to her window.

Four men.

Rough-looking. Hoodies. Hard faces.

One tapped on her window. "Hey," he said. "You're parked in our spot."

Selene opened the window a bit. "I--I'm sorry. I'll move now."

The man leaned closer. "You're already here. That means you owe us.”

"Owe you?" she whispered.

Another man approached her door and banged it open. "She is a pretty one fellas. Get out."

Selene got out slowly and her hands were trembling. I am simply trying to go, please.

One of the men touched her at the waist. "Relax, pretty."

She pushed his hand away. "Don't touch me."

His eyes narrowed. "What did you say?"

"I said don't..”

He struck her violently on the face. “You don’t tell us what to do!”

Her head jerked.

The others moved in.

A punch hit her shoulder.

Another hit her stomach.

She attempted to defend herself, but the number of hands, the number of blows were too many.

"Stop, please,” she begged.

They pushed her to the ground, with one kicking her stomach. “This aint personal, it’s business honey.”

She scrambled up to her feetand ran away, despite the throbbing ache in her body.

"Hey! Come back here!" one shouted.

She ran across the road, without looking.

A loud truck horn horned.

She turned around and looked in the direction of the noise.

The headlights were too near.

Too fast.

She froze.

And then...

"Garrick!" She screamed when the bright lights of the truck were nearer to her and the very next moment she was raised high in the air and dropped flat and the next moment and the truck driver made a u-turn with his truck, running away leaving Selene in her pool of blood.