I Wanna Sing You a Sunrise

Chapter 16: Tough Love

A/N: I hope I didn't cause too many heart palpitations with the last chapter... Worry not, I did mention in the beginning of this story that I'm a hopeless romantic:)

This is another two-parter, the second one will be out later in the week. Thank you for reading as always! Love you all.

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September 2018

Stefani stared moodily at the New York Times, an article about the movie premiere, featuring two images: one of herself and Bradley holding hands while returning to the hotel after their late-night meal in Venice, another of him and Irina at the airport after landing at LAX. He was holding her hand this time and she was smiling at him, her face happy; it certainly didn't look like they had broken up. The comments the article made about the movie were glowing, like all of them had been so far, but Stefani couldn't focus on that, could only stare at his face.

"Stef?" Natali handed her a mug of coffee, sitting down cross-legged in front of her sister; she was still a little sick but had regardless traveled across the country as soon as possible when Stefani had called her in tears after escaping Venice and landing at New York three days ago. They were in the blonde's penthouse apartment, overlooking Central Park and Manhattan; it was early September and the trees already showed a hint of fall colours.

"Stef, could you maybe talk to me a little bit now?" Natali glanced at the paper, touched her older sister's hand gently. "I'm worried. What happened? Last time we talked, you were on cloud nine after the premiere and now..."

"I... uh..." Stefani took a deep breath, tried to get her brain organized. "We had a party, afterwards. Christian and I had an argument, he got completely drunk and then... then he told me that... that some waitress had told him that... um... Bradley and Irina broke up at the party earlier."

"What?" Natali was clearly able to make sense of her nonsensical blabbering, her eyes widening into saucers; she grasped the blonde's hand tightly.

"Oh my God, Stef. Is it true?"

"Well, I doubt it now, looking at that photo," she scoffed, took a tiny sip of coffee, the hot liquid calming her, its familiar warmth coursing through her. "Anyway, Christian saw it fit to break the news to me, and I ran. After I told him and Bradley both to go to hell. And now it's just all... a huge mess."

"Oh honey." Natali leaned her forehead against her sister's knee for a moment. "Why did you tell them that?"

"Because I was so freaking angry at Christian for always being drunk and as for Bradley..." She swallowed. "I just got so... I mean, earlier we... we spent most of the evening together, we went to dinner and all that time... he didn't tell me and when he did confirm it, he looked so... he couldn't even look at me properly. I did this, Natali. I did this to them; if they really did break up, then it's my fault that Lea doesn't have a family anymore."

She burst into tears, hiding her face; Natali wrapped her arms tightly around her, rocked her soothingly. "Stef, you fell in love. That is all you did. Lea will always have a family because they both love her so much; they don't have to be together to give her a family."

"I did far more than just falling in love; I slept with him, and not just once either. I knew it was wrong, but still I let it happen again and again, couldn't keep my hands off him. How am I any better than some kind of a... slut?"

"Stefani Joanne Angelina Germanotta, you do not call yourself that, do you hear me? Not ever." Natali shook her head, eyes flashing anger. "You slept with the man you love and who loves you. That does not make you a slut."

She wiped tears from her face, shook her head, growling as her phone lit up, buzzing on the couch table. "Oh, for fuck's sake."

Natali sighed. "Christian?"