When I Stopped Singing for Her

For three years, Julian Payne sang love songs for Lena Mitchell, his voice standing in for her on-screen boyfriend, Liam Parker, while fans believed the pure vocals were Liam's own. On the night of her anniversary concert, Lena promised Julian his chance in the spotlight, then pulled him back at the last moment, telling him it was safer for him to stay behind the scenes. Liam took the stage, and the two stood hand in hand as thousands sang along.

Afterward, Julian sat at the sound console in his silver-gray suit, his name engraved on in-ear monitors he quietly put away. Danson Moore praised him as the most reliable, and Liam thanked him for the high notes while insisting Lena had made the decision. A producer at an independent label in Norvale has invited Julian to record an album of his own, and a password-protected folder holds screenshots of songs credited to Liam.

When Lena tells him not to make a simple matter complicated, Julian must decide whether to keep lending his voice to someone else's name.