𝐚𝐥𝐥 𝐧𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭.
｡°⚠︎°｡ : when y/n realises she’ll never be able to compare with the woman that has always been in her husband’s life.
｡°⚠︎°｡ : angst, mention of diana ross.
｡°⚠︎°｡ : wc is 7.2k!
this is what happens when i listen to “all night” by beyoncé on repeat. 💔
────୨ৎ────
you and michael dominated the music industry together, you were a beautiful force that commanded every chart and every awards stage. being married only increased the madness; the press loved it, turning your relationship into a public fairy tale, an empire built on music and true love where the world watched your every move with admiration.
you laid with your head resting against his shoulder, his shirt brushing against your skin as your fingers traced lazy patterns over his chest. he kept one arm looped around your waist, pulling you into his side so you could keep warm.
“we should take a break from touring.” michael hummed as his fingers tangled gently in your hair with a slow tenderness. “start a family, start really building our future.”
you smiled against his skin, turning your face upward to meet his deeply expressive eyes in the lamp light. “that's all i ever wanted, michael.”
“i love you.” he whispered, a soft smile tracing his lips as he leaned down to press a warm kiss to your forehead, his arm tightening around your waist as if he was holding you into the beautiful future you were sketching out in the dark.
the telephone on the nightstand ruined the quiet, cutting through the warmth of the room as you felt his muscles lock beneath you, the relaxation disappearing from his posture before he reached across the mattress, lifting the heavy receiver to his ear with a sleepy grunt.
you couldn't hear the voice on the other end, the muffled static offering nothing but a faint hum, but you watched his face closely in the light. within seconds, the heavy exhaustion melted from his features as a gentle smile perked up the corners of his lips. a cold weight dropped into the pit of your stomach, your heart sinking with the certainty that you already knew exactly who was calling.
“hey.” michael said into the receiver, his tone softening into that careful cadence he always reserved for one person. “no, no, you didn't wake me. what's wrong, diana?”
the name slipped from his lips effortlessly, sending a shiver down your spine as he slowly began to ease his body out from under the covers. the absence of his warmth left you freezing as he swung his legs over the bed, never breaking the conversation as he stood up and reached for his discarded button down on the nearby chair.
he leaned back over the mattress, pressing a distracted peck to your cheek while his mind drifted miles away from the room, his eyes fixed on the floor as he listened intently to the voice in his ear.
you sat up against the pillows, pulling the sheets tight against your chest to keep yourself warm, your eyebrows furrowing in a mix of hurt and frustration as you watched him button his shirt with ease. you caught his eye through the shadows, refusing to let him just walk out without looking at you, and mouthed the words “where are you going?”
michael paused, pulling the phone away from his ear and muffling the receiver against his chest to cut off the sound from the other end. he offered you an apologetic look that didn't reach his eyes, his voice dropping to a soothing whisper. “something came up with diana, i'll be home later on, my love.”
you bit the inside of your cheek as you forced down the bitter words threatening to spill over. you nodded slowly, offering no verbal reply because you knew it would only start an argument if you tried spoke up. turning your back on him, you pulled the blanket up to your shoulders and stared blankly at the wall, listening to the soft rustle of his clothes as he moved toward the door.
it wasn't unusual for him to pull something like this, but every single time he did, it ate away at your sanity. it killed you knowing how much power one woman held over his mind, how easily one phone call from her could break the perfect moment. you laid there in the quiet, the public image of your flawless musical empire feeling like a cruel joke compared to the reality of lying in an empty bed, wondering if you he would ever choose you over her.
˚˖𓍢ִ໋❀
a few weeks had passed in stretch of time, and you found yourself buried in the studio again, melting into your music. it was the one place you loved unconditionally, the only place you knew you could always run to when the world became too much to handle.
you stood in the booth, listening to the instrumental track with quincy, your mind drifting through the heavy heartbeat of the bass line. you nodded your head slowly to the music as quincy adjusted the faders, his experienced eyes watching you with a knowing concern from across the mixing board.
closing your eyes against the glare of the booth lights, you let out a quiet breath, your voice a whisper as you began humming along to the rise of the keys. the unreleased words slipped out of you in a low mumble, a private confession meant only for the space of the booth. “trade your broken wings for mine...” you sang, exposing your genuine love to sacrifice yourself to anything he would go through. you swallowed back a rush of emotion, whispering the bitter truth of a love that made you question your own place in his life. “i've seen your scars and kissed your crimes...”
“so many people that i know, they just tryna touch ya.” you sang into the microphone, your voice a raspy register laced with the exhaustion of diana. you paused as the bitter image of his easy departure that one night flashed behind your eyes, a spike of resentment hitting your throat before you leaned back slightly and kissed your teeth with a quiet hiss. “kiss up, and rub up.. kiss up, and rub up and feel up on ya.”
you were only thinking of michael, the memory of how easily he had let diana rub up against his life, leaving you to bleed your heartbreak into a microphone while he remained busy with his own life.
the instrumental swelled through your headphones, filling your head until the dark studio walls dissolved around you. your voice shifting from that bitter bite into something sweet that poured directly into the microphone.
“sweet love, all night long..” you cooed softly, the melody stretching out with a overwhelming wave of nostalgia that hit you in the chest as you watched quincy nod in slow approval from behind the control room console.
as the notes vibrated in your throat, your mind betrayed you, dragging you into the golden memories of the good parts of your marriage, the version of michael that belonged entirely to you. you were suddenly reminiscing about the early days, before diana became too comfortable and her late night phone calls cracked your foundation. you remembered the quiet mornings in the kitchen when he would spin you around, his laughter bright enough to make your whole day. you remembered the protective way he used to hold you backstage after a show, burying his face in your neck as if you were the only person who mattered.
“all i wanna, ain't no other..” you sang, your eyes closing tighter as the truth of the lyric tore through you, your voice carrying beautifully over the track. there really was no one else who could compare to the depth of him, no one else who truly understood the craziness of your shared fame.
you let your fingers trace your arm reassuringly, the rhythm carrying you deeper into the past, into the certainty of what you had built together before the shadow of diana became stronger. “we together, i remember... sweet love all night long.”
every word was a reminder of his perfection, of the beautiful reality that made his current absence hurt even more. you stood there singing to the ghost of the man who had promised you a quiet future, desperately trying to reconcile the loving husband who used to hold you all night long with the man who only became more comfortable catering to diana's needs.
quincy paused, his hands freezing over the mixing board as the final echo of the instrumental faded into the monitors, leaving a heavy silence in the room. he looked up his sharp eyes catching the subtle tremor in your shoulders before you could pull yourself together. hitting the talkback button, his voice cut through your headphones, sounding genuinely concerned against the static. “you okay in there?”
you quickly swept the back of your hand across your cheek, wiping away the stray tears that had fell during the chorus, and immediately put on a face. drawing a deep breath to steady your posture, you locked eyes with him through the glass and flashed a practiced smile that you had perfected for the cameras. “yes.. always.” you said back into the microphone, your voice coming through the room speakers clear and stable, masking the ache in your heart.
quincy stared at you for a long moment, seeing right through the fragile mask but choosing to respect your boundaries as an artist. he shook his head in awe, a wide smile finally spreading across his face as he leaned back in his chair. “always is right. m’ telling you, this track is.. is somethin’ else. we're looking at a historic number one record, straight to the top of the charts!”
✮⋆˙
a week later, the grand auditorium hosting the soul train awards required both yours and michael's presence as you sat at a premier vip table right near the edge of the stage. michael sat right beside you, his hand was resting protectively over yours on the white tablecloth, his thumb rubbing your knuckles as he leaned in close to your ear.
“you look so beautiful, y/n.” he whispered, a genuine smile illuminating his features as he squeezed your fingers. “m' so lucky to have such a pretty wife..”
you turned your head slightly, meeting his brown eyes and feeling a swell of comfort from his touch. “thank you, baby.. feels like forever since we could just sit down.. and watch instead of performing.”
“i know...” he frowned, his expression softening with a hint of quiet regret as he tilted his head closer, his breath brushing your cheek. “things have been so much lately, too much...”
he cut himself off as the main lights suddenly slammed down into a dramatic darkness, the shift causing the entire crowd to erupt into eager cheers. michael gave your hand one affectionate squeeze before turning his attention toward the main stage.
under the flash of the stage lights, diana glided out onto the center stage in a glittering silver gown, holding the microphone elegantly to her lips. seeing her step into the spotlight, you quietly let out a tired sigh, shifting in your seat as you braced yourself for a performance you didn't want to watch.
diana flashed a dazzling smile to the crowd, bringing the microphone closer as the audience fell into anticipation. “tonight, i want to give you all a little surprise..” she exclaimed, her voice laced with mischief. “m' going to be performing a song i haven't released yet!”
the synthesizers instantly wailed over an upbeat pop track, and the crowd immediately began to roar, clapping along to the high energy groove that vibrated right through the room. up on stage, diana commanded the spotlight with practiced glamour, her silver gown shining as she strutted down the runway.
at first, she mindlessly sang, her vocals gliding through an unfamiliar intro, making you barely pay any attention to the performance. you simply stared blankly ahead, the words washing over you as background noise while you tried to emotionally check out, until the rhythm shifted, forcing you to actually listen to what she was singing.
you suddenly froze as your heart dropped to your stomach as you realized she was singing your private lyrics.
“so many people that i know, they just tryna touch ya!” she belted out, tossing her hair back with a smile that had the entire front row cheering.
at the vip table, your breath caught completely in your throat. your jaw dropped, shock paralyzing your entire face as the private words you had sang to quincy just days ago echoed back at you through the room. you sat still, staring at the stage in disbelief, your mind spinning as you tried to process how your private heartbreak had been turned into diana's song and a pop song.
diana leaned into the microphone to deliver the soaring chorus directly down toward your section of the audience. “sweet love, all night long!” she sang out, and the words felt like it had hit you physically, fuelling the rage building inside you.
you slowly turned your head to look at michael, hoping to find some shred of shared confusion or defense but your heart shattered at the sight. he was leaning forward slightly, his eyes locked onto the stage while his face was lit up with a genuine smile of admiration. he was nodding along to the stolen beat, captivated by her performance, his expression filled with the kind of awe he reserved only for the greatest artists.
he had no idea the song belonged to you, and seeing him smile with such pride at diana while she sang the soundtrack of your crumbling marriage left you frozen before your breath hitched in frustration.
the hot rage pushed you out of your seat before you could even think about the cameras, the public eye, or the rows of hollywood elite surrounding your table. you got up abruptly, the sharp sound of your chair against the floor cutting straight through the music and drawing michael's attention away from the stage instantly.
“baby?” michael called out, his voice laced with confusion as his hand caught empty air where yours had just been a second before. he looked up at your tight posture, catching the frustrated on your face, and immediately stood up, his own chair shifting as he quickly followed after you into the crowded aisle.
you pressed forward into the dark, your steps heavy as you fled down the backstage hallways, blindly pushing past security guards and stagehands while diana's voice melted through the walls from the main auditorium.
you moved with a fierce purpose, the fabric of your gown rustling while your heels clicked against the cold floor before you stopped right by the dark wings of the stage, tucked away in the shadows where the spotlights couldn't reach you.
you leaned your back against a cold storage crate, crossing your arms tightly over your chest as you tried you regulate what you were feeling. from this angle, you could see diana clearly, moving effortlessly while singing your deepest heartbreak to the crowd.
the final applause erupted through the thick walls as the curtains closed, cutting off the blinding shine of the lights. diana turned around, letting out in a breathless laugh as she glided into the backstage wings yet the moment her eyes adjusted to the darkness, she spotted you and michael standing there.
without a trace of shame or hesitation, a wide smile spread across her face despite the reality of what she had just stolen from you. “michael!” she exclaimed, her voice smooth and dripping with sweetness as she stepped closer, completely bypassing you. “oh, i am so glad you were out there to see that. it was magical, wasn't it?”
the audacity of her smile made the blood boil in your veins, the rage finally snapping your emotions as you took a step forward. “what the fuck, diana? those were my lyrics, my song. why would you do this?”
diana stopped in her tracks, her hands coming up to her chest as her face shifted into a flawless display of innocence. she blinked rapidly, her head tilting in confusion as she looked at you, acting clueless. “y/n, what are you talking about? your lyrics? my label brought this track to me days ago, fully written. there's truly no need to make a scene over this, honey.”
hearing her lie so effortlessly to your face made you laugh in disbelief, turning your head to look at your husband, expecting him to defend you.
but michael stood paralyzed between the two of you, his chest heaving as a deep conflict tore him apart from the inside out. he looked over at diana, the woman he had been profoundly infatuated with since forever, the idol who still held an untouchable grip over his mind; seeing her look so innocent made it impossible for him to believe she could do something so evil.
yet, his breath hitched as his gaze dropped down to his own hand, his brown eyes locking onto the polished gold of his wedding ring. that ring belonged to you, his wife, the woman who he wanted to build a future with, and he could see the genuine anger burning in your eyes.
he looked back up at diana, then back down at the ring, trapped in the middle of his lifelong idol and his real life marriage, unable to speak a single word.
diana noticed the suffocating silence stretching between the three of you, her eyes darting from your furious glare down to where michael stared helplessly at his wedding ring.
a subtle gleam flashed in her eyes before she instantly softened her expression, taking a step closer to michael and reaching out to brush her fingers gently against his arm. “michael, please tell her.” diana pouted, her voice dropping into a comforting tone she knew always worked on him, her eyes wide. “you know me. you've known me your whole life. you know i would never, ever steal a song from anyone, let alone your.. wife.”
the touch seemed to snap michael out of his trance, his shoulders tensing as he looked from her hand on his arm straight into her eyes, the familiarity of his infatuation pulling hard at his chest. but the moment he looked over at you and saw the betrayal and hot tears glossing over your eyes, he flinched, pulling his arm back just enough to break her grip.
“i... i don't know what to say.” michael choked out, his voice cracking slightly as his fingers nervously traced the edge of his wedding ring again. he looked back and forth between the two of you, his breath hitching under the pressure of the backstage corridor. “y/n, baby, the lyrics... diana... diana, the label gave it to you? there has to be a mistake somewhere. we should.. we should talk to the label about this.” he said, his voice pleading as he looked at you, desperately trying to offer a reassuring glance but it only felt like a betrayal.
even though he was trying to play the peacemaker, the shift in his posture and the defensive tilt of his head toward diana made it obvious where his deeper loyalties were pulling him; he was trying to remain neutral, but the lifelong worship of his idol was winning, filtering his words with a gentle bias that shielded her from blame.
“there's no talking that needs to be done, michael.” you spat out, the words freezing the air between you as your voice rang with a dangerous finality. your breath hitched as you took a step closer to the woman who had stolen your work. “diana stole that song. she knew.”
you slowly squinted your eyes at diana, your gaze narrowing into a sharp dagger of accusation that pierced right through her mask of innocence. “you knew.”
diana caught the moment michael's defenses began to waver towards her name, and she didn’t waste a second. she tilted her head back, her eyes wide and welling with a perfect gloss as she looked up helplessly at him, creating the image that she was fragile and wrongly accused.
michael looked down into her face, his expression melting from panic into a look of affection which immediately took over his features, his eyes locking onto hers with a captivated devotion that erased the rest of the backstage wing.
watching the two of them look at each other like that, clarity washed over you, cutting through the fury in your veins until you were left numb. the realization hit you, settling deep into your chest as you realised you were never going to compete. it didn't matter that you were his wife, or that you had built an empire together; the painful truth was that your husband would always melt under diana's words, powerless against her presence and the hold she had on his heart.
it broke your heart into pieces, an ache blooming where your love used to be as you realized you were just a second option to his grand obsession. you were over it, the title of the public fairy tale crumbling to dust in an instant.
“fuck the both of you.” you snapped, your voice dropping into a deadly hiss that cut straight through the suffocating tension between them. without a second of hesitation, you tore the polished gold wedding ring off your finger and threw it onto the floor, the heavy ring clinking sharply before rolling to a stop at michael's shoes.
you turned your back on both of them, your gown rustling furiously in the dark as you walked off down the hallway, leaving them behind in the shadows without looking back once.
𓏲⋆ ִֶָ 𓂃 ⋆
you sat huddled on the edge of the sofa in the living room, a half empty glass of red liquid resting between your hands, a bottle sitting on the coffee table. you had intended to pack your bags, to march upstairs, drag the heavy suitcases out of the closet, and erase yourself from this house entirely.
but as the drink settled into your veins, it brought a fragile hope with it. the sizzle of the wine made you believe, or at least pray, that your husband would walk through that door, drop to his knees, and tell you that he had finally cut her off for good.
you sat there drinking as the night only grew longer, the clock ticking away the hours, the hope slowly disappearing until the front door clicked open at midnight.
michael stepped into the living room, looking entirely drained as the edges of his suit jacket hung loosely from his slumped shoulders while he exhaled a long breath.
“where have you been, michael?” you asked, your voice audible against the silence, your eyes tired with smudged mascara from the hours of weeping and waiting in the dark.
you paused, a heavy wave of the suspicion suffocating the air in the room as you swallowed down the lump in your throat. you stared at the guilt written all over his face before you whispered. “you were with diana, weren't you?”
michael froze, his brown eyes landing on you with a mixture of anxiety and guilt as he took a slow step forward. “y/n, baby, please... she was upset after you left-“
“m’ your wife, michael.” you interrupted, standing up from the sofa as the raw reality of the night broke through the numbness of the alcohol. you took a step towards him, your voice trembling with heartbreak you gestured between the two of you. “your wife. what is diana?”
“she's... family.” he whispered softly, trying to play the peacemaker while defending her from your wrath. “she would never do anything intentional to hurt you, i know her, please believe me, baby.”
the soft tone of his voice only fueled the fire building in your chest, the absurdity of his excuses snapping at your sanity. your vision blurred as a wave of hot tears spilled over your lashes, tracking through the dried mascara staining your cheeks.
“why the fuck do you always defend her?!” you snapped, your voice cracking with a painful sob that tore straight from your chest. you took another step forward, your hands trembling at your sides as you glared at him through your waterfall of tears. “she stole from me, michael. you don't understand, i poured my soul into that song, my life.. it meant.. that song meant everything.”
michael flinched slightly, his expression twisting into a look of hurt as he stepped closer, his hands rising in that desperate gesture to try and soothe you, his voice remaining quiet but stubborn. “y/n, please.. diana.. she doesn't need to steal melodies. the industry is messy, and things get copied by accident all the time. you're just hurt right now, baby, and you're letting your anger blind you to how the business works-“
your chest heaved, a broken whimper escaping your lips as you looked at him, really looked at him, and saw the painful truth. he was never going to see her flaws and he was never going to protect you. you felt entirely small, exhausted, and defeated by the realization that your husband would always choose to defend her over saving you.
the tears kept falling until a cold certainty suddenly washed over you, freezing the sorrow into resolution. you closed your eyes for a brief second, drawing in a shaky breath as you wiped your tears. “m’ done, michael. i can't keep doing this.” you shook your head, forcing your eyes open as you prepared to give him the ultimatum.
“you can't keep choosing the both of us anymore.. it's either.. me or diana.”
michael froze as his eyes widened with panic, overtaking his features as he stared at your tear stained face and the trace of your ruined mascara. his gaze flicked down to the bare skin of your left hand, then to his own hand where his wedding ring hugged his finger perfectly, before snapping back up to lock onto your eyes.
he opened his mouth to speak, his lips parting as if to instantly shout your name but no sound came out. he choked on the air, his throat tightening, paralyzed by the choice you had laid in front of him.
“y-y/n...” he stammered, taking an unstable step toward you, his hands rising into the space between you, his fingers twitching helplessly as if he could physically grasp the dissolving pieces of your marriage before they disappeared. “baby, please... don't do this. don't-don't make me choose like this.”
he was pleading with teary eyes but the words themselves said enough, he hadn't chosen you, he hadn't spoken your name without a second thought. in the one moment of resolvement, when your broken heart laid, he had hesitated. he balanced your soul against the lifelong hold diana possessed over him, and it was obvious he couldn't let her go.
the last spark of hope inside you died a quiet death, leaving behind nothing but hollow numbness as the tears stopped falling. you turned away from him with a slow grace, walking straight toward the front door as michael's footsteps followed closely behind you, his breath hitching once you reached the door and gripped the handle.
you pulled it open, letting the chill of the night air rush into the warm house before turning your head slightly to look back at him over your shoulder one last time.
“when i walk out of this door michael, i.. i won’t come back.” you said, your voice dropping into a quiet whisper as your eyes, locked onto his face.
michael stood paralyzed, the harsh light catching the tears spilling down his cheeks as he bit his lip, his entire body shook yet he remained trapped in the deafening silence of his own hesitation.
seeing everything you ever needed to see in his panic, you stepped out onto the porch, leaving him behind. you pulled the door shut, the thud echoing through the quiet house as you shut him out and walked into the dark.
ᥫ᭡.ִֶָ𓂃
the months that followed were a long blur of crowds, stage lights, and silence the moment the curtains fell. you knew you couldn't suffer alone with the company of alcohol so you threw yourself into the madness of your own solo tour, traveling from city to city across the country.
you lived out of hotel rooms and tour buses, melting into your work because it was the only way to keep from losing your mind. you wrote music constantly, filling notebooks with raw lyrics about betrayal and the shadow of another woman.
on stage, you were a beautiful figure, singing your heart out to thousands of screaming fans every single night. but beneath the title of a successful tour, you were still heartbroken, the applause of the crowd did nothing to fill the void he left. every single night, after the lights went out and the arenas emptied, you would return to a lonely hotel room and stare at the telephone on the nightstand, quietly hoping it would ring. but it never did. despite everything you still missed him, and you hated yourself for it.
it didn’t help you couldn't escape the ghost of him. even while touring the country, the media shoved him back into your face at every airport newsstand and hotel lobby. the tabloids were merciless, their covers splashed with photographs of him attending industry galas. and right beside him, always stood diana.
the columns fed on the mystery of your separate lives, paparazzi shots of you leaving hotels alone were always compared with recent pictures of him and diana at other shows.
MR. AND MRS. JACKSON SEPARATION?
the articles screamed in heavy black ink, printing beautiful photos of your joint empire right alongside your solo tour dates.
THE KING AND QUEEN OF POP NO LONGER TOGETHER?
the tabloids openly speculated that your marriage was decaying while others cruelly hinted that diana had finally taken her place as his true partner, leaving you to bleed your heartbreak into a microphone every night.
but you were tired of bleeding in secret, you were tired of letting diana wear your crown, parading around in the spotlight and embracing the spot you left as if it was some kind of celebration. so, against the panicked warnings of your management team and the heavy restrictions of the label, you made a choice, caring less whether it brought issues or not.
you finalized ‘all night’, you no longer cared that she had performed it first, you were going to take back what was yours, and you were going to do it on the most visible stage the industry had to offer.
𓇢𓆸
the opportunity arrived a month later at the grammys, an auditorium crawling with hollywood celebrities. backstage, the atmosphere was suffocating with a performative tension that made it hard to draw air. with the seating arrangements, you knew the organizers had created the perfect trap, intentionally seating michael and diana together in the center of the front row, directly in the line of the main stage.
standing in the shadows of the wings, your dress felt heavy, dragging against the floor as the overwhelming rush of the past threatened to ruin the composure you had spent months piecing together.
your mind dragged you into the memories of michael, the early days when you were enveloped in his arms, your head resting against the rise of his chest while the noise outside faded into nothing. you remembered the warmth of his sheets, the lazy patterns his fingers traced over your skin, and the tender tone of his voice planning out your shared future of a family.
desperate to stop the painful memories, you reached out with a shaking hand and grabbed a glass of amber liquid from the catering cart nearby. you threw your head back and took a burning shot, closing your eyes as the raw spike of it tore down your throat to scorch away the weakness, numbing the ache in your chest just enough to give you the confidence you needed.
the curtains parted to reveal your silhouette standing alone beneath a white spotlight that cut through the darkness, capturing the mournful sweep of your black dress. your fingers gripped the cold metal of the microphone stand with a desperate hold, your eyes scanning the room until they locked directly onto the beloved face of your husband.
the original instrumental swelled through the stadium monitors, causing a stunned gasp to ripple through the rows. michael’s eyes widened as his breath hitched, realizing just how much he had missed you. beside him, diana’s practiced smile dropped as she realized the stolen soundtrack of your marriage was about to be reclaimed by its true creator.
you closed your eyes for a second, letting the dark memories of the studio and the isolation you had felt for months lift your voice into a raw tone that was laced with heartbreak, holding thousands of people captive with your singing.
but as the instrumental built, swelling toward the emotional transition of the song, the rage and sorrow you had hidden from the public for months tore through the surface.
hot tears spilled over your lashes, tracking through your makeup and catching the glare of the spotlight as they stained your skin. your breath hitched, a quiet sob threatening to break your pitch but you fought through the tightness in your throat, opening your eyes to lock a devastating gaze onto michael, singing directly to his soul as if the rest of the crowd did not exsit.
“they say true love’s the greatest weapon..” you sang out, your voice cracking with power that echoed beautifully through the room, carrying the weight of every lonely night you had survived. “to win the war caused by pain…”
“but every diamond has imperfections..” you cooed as you found your lyrics somewhat defending him, your heart aching at the thought of you being back in his arms. “but my loves too pure to watch it chip away…”
beside him, diana shifted uncomfortably in her seat, her gaze dropping to the floor as the rows began to whisper in a frenzy, realizing the correlation echoing from the stage. but you didn't look at her once, you kept your heavy eyes fixed on your michael, forcing him to witness the depth his hesitation had caused.
“boy, nothing real can be threatened.” you belted out, the melody stretching with a wave of vulnerability, exposing the truth right in front of him, nothing and no one could break real love between two individuals. “true love breathes salvation back into me..”
with the final notes approaching, a shaky breath escaped your lips as your tears blurred your vision into a haze of white. you gathered every piece of dignity you possessed, singing the final line like a prayer of release.
“with every tear came redemption... and my torturer became my remedy…”
the moment those lyrics slipped from your lips, the devastating paradox of him being labeled both the “torturer” and the “remedy” for your suffering, his heart swelled with an aggressive warmth that threatened to suffocate him.
he heard the bleeding testament of a love so deep that it had survived the worst of his actions, a love that was still calling out to him through the ruin of his silence. he felt it within his soul as he realised he would dismantle his reputation, his career, and his very name if it meant he still had a chance at being the medicine to heal the woman he had broken.
⋆˚𝜗𝜚˚⋆
the next evening, the quiet inside your hotel room was filled with the exhausting aftermath of your grammy performance. your relief, a bottle of red liquid, sat on the nightstand and the scattering of morning papers laid across the covers of your bed.
your drink left dark smudges on the cheap newsprint as you mindlessly flipped through the pages, your body aching from the physical and emotional toll of the night before, your eyes still raw from the tears you had cried beneath the spotlights.
you expected the usual media circus, the speculation about the tears flowing through your makeup and the visible, suffocating distance between the king and queen of pop yet instead, a massive headline in the entertainment section caught your eye, the dark ink stark against the page.
MICHAEL JACKSON PROFESSIONALLY CUTS ALL TIES WITH DIANA ROSS.
your fingers froze against the paper, your breath catching in your chest as your eyes scanned the print beneath the title. the columnists detailed a corporate warfare that had taken place in the early morning hours, detailing a ruthless dismantling of management teams and the binding extraction of his name from every project associated with her.
before your mind could even process the words on the page, the small television set on the dresser across the room flickered, drawing your attention away from the paper.
an entertainment news anchor appeared on the screen, their voice laced with urgency that broke the silence of the room. “we interrupt our scheduled broadcast to bring you the first footage from a live press conference held earlier today, where michael jackson expresses the truth following last night's historic grammy performance.”
the screen cut sharply to a chaotic room packed with reporters, the constant flash of cameras overwhelming the tv as michael stepped into the frame, the sight of him making your heart tighten with a familiar ache.
his slender frame appeared fragile beneath his black button down long sleeve, his curls falling around a face that carried the heavy exhaustion of a man who had finally came to the right realisation.
when he spoke, the raw tone of his voice vibrated through the television speaker, filling your quiet hotel room with an honesty that made you bite your lip in.. hope.
“m’ not here to talk about records, or tours, or business.” michael began, his voice cracking before he drew a deep breath, his eyes rising to look into the camera lens, looking straight through the screen. “last night, i sat in the front row of the grammy awards and i watched my wife weep on stage. i listened to her sing the words that were born from her own heartbreak.. words that were stolen from her soul by someone i trusted blindly.”
a collective silence seemed to fall over the crowded press room on the screen, the reporters freezing as the king of pop stripped his private life bare before the world.
“diana ross did not release that track by accident.” michael continued, the quiet anger and regret in his chest pushing through his voice. “she took what belonged to my wife, and instead of protecting the woman i swore my life to, i hesitated. i let my admiration for an idol cloud my judgment, and i allowed my own cowardice to leave my wife alone while i defended a lie.”
he paused, his fingers nervously tracing the gold wedding ring that still clung tightly to his finger before taking a deep breath.
“as of this morning, i have legally severed every professional and personal connection to diana ross. i have terminated the contracts of the executives who allowed this theft to happen..”
the broadcast cut back to the stunned news anchors, but you couldn't hear their voices over the rush of your own blood. your hands flew to your face, the glass of wine slipping from your fingers and spilling across the sheets as a choked sob tore straight from your chest, the raw magnitude of his public appearance and words melting you completely.
the echoes of his televised confession still replayed through your head when a sudden knock resounded against the wooden frame of your hotel door.
your breath hitched, your heart jumping as you stumbled up from the bed, struggling to walk straight as you threw the door open, the latch clicking loudly in the quiet corridor.
michael stood in the lighting of the hallway, his white shirt rumpled and damp from the rain outside, as his shoulders shook under the weight of his own breath. he looked vulnerable, his face plastered with fresh tears as he stared at you through the open doorway.
the overwhelming sight of him caused a sharp wave of adrenaline to slam into your chest, the months of suffocating isolation and the bitter memories of his betrayal rushing to the surface all at once.
“why are you here, michael?” you choked out, your voice a trembling whisper but before he could even part his lips to answer, the weight of your heartbreak spilled over into action.
you stepped towards him, your fingers curling into tight fists as you brought them down against his chest. you hit his shirt once, a push meant to punish him for the silence, for the empty hotel rooms, and for the agony of choosing diana over you.
he stood there, his chest heaving under your touch, his dark brown eyes wide and overflowing with remorse that watched you with devotion.
seeing the absence of defense in his posture only made your anger increase as you hit him again, yet the momentum was slowly dying, your fists turning into weak thuds against him as the rage quickly turned into a deep sorrow.
“how could you leave me alone like that?” you sobbed openly, your knuckles resting helplessly against the heartbeat behind his shirt as the strength drained from your arms. “why did you take so long to choose me?”
your knees buckled beneath the realization that he was finally here, the anger burning out and leaving behind nothing but a desperate exhaustion.
he lunged forward, closing the remaining distance in a blur to catch your waist before you could hit the floor. he gathered your shaking frame against his chest with strength that lifted you right off your feet, his long arms wrapping around you so tightly it felt as if he were trying to fuse your broken souls back together.
“m’ sorry, m’ so sorry, baby.” michael wept into your hair as he buried his face deep into the warm crook of your neck, his voice a fragile tone. “m’ here, right here.. never gonna leave you alone again, i promise you...”
you buried your face deep into his shirt, your fingers tangling in the soft curls at the nape of his neck as the coldness of the last months melted into the healing warmth of his embrace.
he rocked you gently in the space behind the closed door, his hands rubbing soothing circles into the small of your back as he planted tender kisses over your forehead, neck, and the wet skin of your cheeks, reassuring you over and over until the trembling in your body finally began to ease.
you pulled back an inch, your hands rising to cup the angles of his jaw, your thumbs gently sweeping away the dampness tracking down his cheeks.
michael leaned into your touch immediately, his long fingers wrapping over your wrists to hold your hands against his skin, terrified that if he let go, you would disappear.
he looked down into your eyes, his gaze shining with a vulnerability so raw it left only the truth of how much he still belonged to you. he leaned down, pressing his forehead gently against yours, his breath shaky and warm against your lips as he whispered.
“how i missed you, my love.”
