Chapter Twelve: Putting it to rest

The next morning

Miranda had been up since 6 am. Which wasn't saying much, since she really only tossed and turned all night. She couldn't stop obsessing over the interview. She was afraid they'd ask too many personal questions and she'd shut down. Or walk out and make the situation worse. When the alarm started buzzing at 6 am she was grateful. She spent the next 2 hours showering, eating breakfast and talking to Emily and Jaq' for support. The time had arrived for her to head to the TV station and Emily offered to drop her off.

Emily: "You'll be fine." She reassured for the billionth time. Miranda quit fidgeting with her nails long enough to flash her a small smile.
Miranda: "I know. Thank you." She said. She was happy Emily was with her after all, now if only she could do the interview for her she thought. They had reached their destination and Miranda headed inside. Emily followed her, but she could only go so far.



Emily: "Good luck!" She yelled from behind. Miranda nodded and continued on to her dressing room.

Makeup Artist: "Oh my god! Hey, I'm Abby" Abby gushed as soon as Miranda entered the room. Miranda was a bit caught off guard. She was used to stylist that could compose themselves better, but she also loved meeting a fan.
Miranda: "Hello" She replied back with a genuine smile.
Abby: "I am so happy to meet you and to be able to do your makeup and hair! It's a real honor."
Miranda: "Well I'm glad to hear that." Miranda said.
Abby: "So do you have a particular look you're going for today Ma'am?" She said once she had calmed down and realized she was behaving inappropriate. Miranda thought for a moment, she didn't want to give the girl full control but at the same time she didn't want her to feel bad about her skills. It wasn't hard to notice that she was Abby's first celebrity client after all. She decided to take the risk and let the girl run free.
Miranda: "My face is your canvas." She joked and took a seat.
Abby: "Really? Oh thank you! You'll look fabulous I promise." Abby said and began to grab her makeup palette and brushes.

"What do you think?" Abby asked nervously. Miranda inspected her face and was completely pleased with the results.

"Abby it's wonderful, you did great!" Miranda said enthusiastically.
"Really?" Abby asked in disbelief.
"Yes and don't ever doubt yourself okay?" Miranda said. Abby nodded.
"Thank you Mrs. Griffin." Abby said and blushed. Miranda was brought back to reality with her slip up. She was not a misses. It seemed like Abby realized her mistake too and covered her mouth with her hands.
"I am so sorry! that-- She began to apologize but Miranda silenced her.
"It was an honest mistake I'm sure." Miranda said. "How about you give your information to my publicist? I'd like to book you again." Miranda said before heading out the door.
"Sure thing Sky." Abby wasn't going to make the same mistake twice so she opted for using her stage name.


The cameraman pointed Miranda to the direction of stage and walked out to greet the interviewer.

After receiving the OK to start, the interviewer, Paige, began.
"Darling we are so happy that you decided to grace us with your presence. Everyone at the studio are big fans of yours."
"That's really good to hear." Miranda replied. Paige motioned for her to sit down and took her seat opposite of her.

"So Sky tell us how are you holding up?"
"Well honestly I've had better days Paige."
''Oh honey I know! I feel so bad for you."
"Thank you..I guess."
"What do you think is worse, the affair or knowing everyone knows?" Miranda sighed softly. Here's where it gets personal She thought.
"Well the affair. Having everyone know is just icing on the shit cake you know? But the affair is definitely worse."  Paige nodded sympathetically.
"I can imagine hon. Did you have any idea it was going on? Miranda shook her head.
"Not one clue, but it was a busy time for me I barely had time to think"
"What was going on? Besides the norm of course."
"Well..that's not really what I'm here to discuss" Miranda shot a look at Emily who was watching from afar. Emily said she'd given Paige strict orders to only talk about the affair and her feelings around it. She didn't want Paige forcing her to spill anything else, especially about her family issues. The cameraman signaled for commercial break.
"We'll be right back with our special guest, Sky, and hear more about this heart breaking time for her."
"I'm sorry" Paige said in a whisper. She knew the producer was going to have her ass if she messed this up. Miranda only nodded while she waited for the break to be over. The break was over and they started up again.

"And we're back with Sky." Paige started. "Sky how did you react when you found out?"
"Well Joshua wasn't home, so I had to wait of course." Miranda wasn't revealing that his father was the bearer of bad news.
"Where was he exactly?"
"At work and considering that I'm a public figure I didn't want to cause a scene there."
"I see I see, so when he got home did you let him have it?"
"I asked him, he admitted to it. I told him to leave, but I ended up leaving."
"You left your own house?" Miranda shrugged.
"Yes I needed to get my head clear and I couldn't think properly if he was begging for forgiveness and I was yelling. Wouldn't you agree?" Paige wasn't expecting that.
"I suppose so.." She looked over to her producer and noticed she was signalling for her to get juicier information.
"Sky if you don't mind we'd like to read some tweets and have you answer some of your fan's questions."
"Alright go for it."

" @solive99 tweets "Sky and Joshua were my favorite couple, they gave me hope", "@teamsky tweets: "Mimi and Joshua were freeloaders, sky's better off without em'!" , @HannahB tweets "Where's Mimi been? I bet she leaked all of this. Sky do you have any responses?"

 "Solive, thank you sweetheart, but you shouldn't wish for anyone's life or relationship. You'll have your own fairy tale. She laughed before addressing the next tweet, TeamSky I really appreciate the support. And Hannah, I don't know where Mimi is and I asked that you don't accuse her. I am not her biggest fan at the moment, but don't let your anger cause you to judge anyone wrongly."

"Wow so you would defend Mimi after everything she's done?"
"Paige I'm not defending anyone, but I can't support someone damaging another's image."
"Well has she tried to apologize since this happened?"
"No I haven't spoken to her since she moved out."
"And how did that make you feel?"
"At the time I didn't know about the affair so I was confused and hurt. She was my best friend and it didn't make any sense for her to up and leave, but I figured when she wanted to tell me then she would."

"That's understandable. Would you mind addressing some rumors in the magazines?" Paige asked.
"Such as what?"
"Well there was an article in Sims in Hollywood magazine that stated the three of you were into threesomes."

Miranda closed her eyes for a second. Is this woman out of her mind? She wanted to ask.
"Paige I can assure you, the only person I laid down with was my fiance'" Paige nodded.
"Another article in Celebs exposed suggested that you were pregnant and that's why you changed the wedding date. Any comments?" Miranda took a deep breathe.
"No that wasn't the reason for our wedding plans moving up. We decided we wanted something more intimate and at our home." Miranda explained. Is this over yet?! She thought.
"So you aren't expecting?"
"Does it look like it?" Miranda snapped.

Paige blushed from the embarrassment. My boss is totally having my ass today, damn it She thought.
"Let's go back to twitter shall we?"

"@Angieisme says: Go Miranda!!", @leggonation says: "Joshua is a dumb***", "@Chocolatecup33 tweets: "Sky is the wedding still on??" Well Sky, is it?
"No unfortunately. We've decided to end things for good."

Paige touched her heart, as if she was deeply sadden for Miranda.
"We are so sorry to hear that. I personally was cheering for team Mosh as your fans called you."
"Thank you, but it's better this way."
"Well Sky we appreciate you doing this interview with us. As a special treat you're going to leave us with a performance correct?"
"Correct Paige. I think it's a very fitting song." She said with a smile. Miranda headed for the microphone and Paige stood to watch.

"This is a song by the lovely Nicole Scherzinger, entitled Happily never after"

I don't think I want this anymoreAs she drops the ring to the floorShe says to herself, "You've left before"This time you will stay gone, that's for sure"

And he shouted something as

she drug her suitcase down the path,

To the driveway.

She had never gone that far.

Normally this would be the time 

that she would let him talk her out of leaving,

But this time, without crying,

as she got into her car, she said,

No happily never after,

that just aint for me, because finally

I know I deserve better after all,

I'll never let another teardrop fall.

She finished up the song and it wasn't a dry eye in front of her. Paige was wiping away tears and so were the camera crew and Emily. Through the tears, Emily smiled and nodded her way. Miranda returned her smile.

"While I'm here, I'd like to also announce that I will be taking a small break from show business. Rest assured, I'll be back, but I need time to find Miranda. I was too busy letting Sky live her dreams and I couldn't see how it was truly affecting me, Miranda. Thank you Paige and the network." She stated and stepped off the small platform. As she left that day she felt like a ton of bricks were lifted off of her shoulders. 

Later that evening, Miranda has went to celebrate with Emily and Jaq'. Although, none of them knew exactly what they were celebrating. Jaq' had tried and failed to convince Miranda to re-think her decision to leave. He knew even a small break could hurt someone's career and didn't want Miranda to have to fight to climb the ladder again.

"Emily it's getting late, and I'm tired of having you know who take pictures of me" She said and snapped her head in the direction of the paparazzi who'd been watching all night. Emily nodded her head understandingly."Get some rest." Emily replied.

Miranda surprised Emily by pulling her into a hug."Thank you..for everything, for being there."
"It's all apart of the job." Emily whispered back. Miranda headed to her awaiting limo and was home bound.

. 
Louis, who was filling in for Alice, saw a strange man awaiting them as he pulled up.
"Ms. Griffin, do I need to call the police?" He asked reaching for his phone. Confused, Miranda turned around to see Toby sitting on her steps looking half sleep.
"No that won't be necessary." She said and began to open her door.
"Are you sure?" He asked.
"Yes, I know him. Good night Louis." She said as she stepped out of the limo.

"Toby?" Toby looked up and stood to meet her.

He rolled his shoulders as he stood.
"Hi..I would have called but I didn't know your number." He said.
"How long have you been here?" Toby looked up to see the sun starting to come up.
"A while." He said and smiled. Miranda would have smiled back, but it was borderline creepy.
"Why?" She said suddenly feeling tensed.
"I just wanted to see you and then you never responded back. You didn't like the flowers?"
"No they were lovely, I was just busy."
"Yeah I heard..sorry to hear about that." He replied referring to her rocky relationship.
"It's not your fault."
"I guess I should leave. Sorry for coming, I just..I don't know. I wanted to see if you were okay I guess." He said suddenly feeling unsure of himself. Miranda smiled. It was a bit creepy, and she wasn't sure why he cared so much but it was still nice.
"Thank you. And I'll make sure to call you ok?"

As Toby was about to leave, Miranda hugged him. It was spontaneous and probably a mistake but she didn't care.
"Thank you for caring." He gave her a little squeeze.
"Anytime." He replied.

Chapter Eleven: Solution

Somewhere in Riverview

Franny picked up the phone just in time before the caller hung up.
"Hello?" She spoke into the receiver.
"Franny what have you done?!" Carol screamed into the phone.
"What are you talking about?" Franny asked genuinely confused.
"You know exactly what I'm talking about Franny! You opened your big mouth." Carol screamed yet again. Franny tried to think about what her sister could be referring too, but came up lost.
"Honestly I don't know what I did." Franny replied at last.
"I told you about Joshua's predicament and you blab to the media. How could you do that? Do you have any idea what your thoughtless actions did to him? our family? their relationship?" Carol chastised.
Franny knew at last what she was referring to, only she hadn't leaked the information. But a light bulb went off and she knew who had, Gina, her daughter.
"Damn her." She thought. She should have known her daughter wouldn't keep her mouth shut.
"Carol you have to believe me, I didn't do it." She begged. "It was Gina! And I will speak to her at once." She said.
"Gina?! How did she know?" Carol yelled. But Franny didn't bother answering her, she hung up. Furious with her daughter, she set out to find her.

"Gina! What did you do?" She yelled once she spotted her outside. Gina rolled her eyes as she lowered her cigarette.
"I don't know what you're talking about Ma." She said with a hint of humor in her voice.
"Don't play silly with me girl. You have really gone and done it now." Franny said.
Gina was starting to get fed up with her mother by now so she'd spun around to face her.

"Look Ma, what's done is done now lay off." She spit out.
"Do not take that tone with me!" Franny threatened. "I am the mother here."

Gina put her cigarette out and reached out to grab her mother's arm.
"Look I'm going to be famous now. And no one is going to get in my way, got it?" She said as she squeezed down.
Suddenly too afraid to speak, Franny nodded.
"Good" Gina said and let go.

Back to Starlight Shores

Miranda was debating rather or not to leave her house. She hated feeling trapped, but she also didn't want to get caught by the leaching paparazzi. Her burning question was answered when she got a call from Emily, asking her to come to her office so they could discuss her situation. Luckily, it wasn't too hard to dodge the paparazzi. She had opted for her own car, instead of the usual limo so they didn't notice her until it was too late to catch her. No doubt, they'd be waiting outside her home once she returned though.

She was in for a surprise once she opened the door.
"I should have knocked" She thought as she saw the sight before her. She guessed Jaq' was into Emily, but she never expected anymore than a little flirting here or there. She watched Emily's eyes open with shock as she entered the office. Emily tried to push Jaq' away. That only caused him to kiss her more passionately. She slapped his arm gently and he stepped back.
"What?" He asked. As on cue, Miranda cleared her throat while looking at the floor that had suddenly became more interesting. He jumped a little and Emily stepped around him.

Jaq' held Emily's waist and kept her close to him.
"Oh you want to join?" He asked playfully. Shaking her head, and putting her hands on her hips like a mother disapproving of her child's actions.
"No thank you, but I would like you to leave so I could talk to my publicist. Alone." She replied with a smile.
"Ah why didn't you say so?" He joked. He kissed Emily once more and said good-bye to both ladies before he departed. Miranda wasn't sure if she was comfortable with Jaq' and Emily being professionally involved, but she figured it was no reason to bring it up as long as it wasn't negatively affecting their jobs.

Emily pushed her slight embarrassment aside and motioned for Miranda to have a seat.
"How bad is it?" Miranda asked. She figured it must have gotten worse since she wanted to talk face to face.
"Well it's no worse than before, but I haven't had any luck finding out who leaked it." She said and threw her hands up apologetically. Miranda nodded.
"So there's nothing we can do?" She asked. She hated feeling helpless and allowing this mysterious person having this lead on her.
"Well Jaq' had a great idea, we're just not sure if you'll do it." She said.

"Why not?" She asked.
"Well we both know how you hate doing interviews that aren't work related. Miranda nodded and motioned for her to continue.
"But we think if you could do an interview before they reveal their source it'll discredit her. The producers will probably ask her not to come on anymore and your fans will get to hear it from your mouth." Emily explained.
"You can think about it, but remember that it's a time sensitive solution." Emily said when she saw the blank expression on her client's face. Miranda really didn't want to go along with this, but she was ready to put this ordeal behind her.
"I'll do it..I guess." She answered. Emily shot a smile her way and picked up her phone. Immediately, she began scheduling an interview for tomorrow evening.

**In case there was any confusion, Franny is Carol's sister (Joshua's mother). And Carol told her sister about her son's infidelity who told her daughter, Gina. Gina saw it as an opportunity to get on TV and get her 15 minutes of fame, so she leaked their story.

Chapter Ten: Exposed

Miranda's POV

As I watched Joshua pack his things and load them into his car, it felt like an out-of-body experience. I saw everything, but at the same time it was all a blur. It felt so unreal. The whole process took about an hour considering we weren't in our new home that long and he didn't fully unpack everything. As he put the last box in his trunk he glanced back with sadness and regret in his eyes. I watched from the front door and shut it shortly afterwards.

"This was not suppose to be my life!" I cried as a banged on the door. I was so sick of my roller coaster life. The ups and downs, the happiness and the the heart break. It was becoming too much for me to take. Shortly after I finished my breakdown at the door. I made my way to my bookcase and grabbed my photo albums off the shelf. I flipped through page after page. Starting with the most recent, Pictures of Joshua and I at our engagement party. We were so happy, I was so happy then. I quickly bypassed the pictures of me and Mimi. Her and Joshua were equally to blame, but he had the balls to face me unlike her. After I shoved that album aside I picked up one I hadn't seen in forever. It was my mom's old album. I opened it at last and the first thing I noticed was a picture of me and her when I was about 5 years old. I smiled sadly as I looked at us. I was wearing a hideous Christmas sweater and sitting on Santa's lap while she was standing beside me. I smiled a bit. Then reality hit.

"Oh mom, why can't you be here?" I cried to myself. I rarely thought of her because it brought back too many painful memories. But what else could go wrong now? Sure I was a well-known singer and I guess I "made it" but what's the point when I have no one to share it with? No family, no partner, no friends..hell I could count my friends with one finger, Jaq', and that's just sad. My crying increased as I allowed myself to process everything. My mom's death and the feelings I felt surrounding it. Sadness, abandonment, anger. Then I thought back to my first serious relationship with Mithun, the first guy I really loved. I should have known better to fall for someone in the industry, especially an athlete and I should never have given my virginity to him. And Mimi..she was my first friend here! She seemed so nice and genuine, I guess I was wrong. And Joshua. The sweet kinda nerdy guy who loved computers and had a huge desire to make it big in the world of Science. We had met at the gym and kept bumping into each other there. Soon we started going out for coffee, and then we really started dating. It was hard at first with my unwillingness to fully let him in, but I let my walls down for him. And now because of his betrayal they were probably up permanently. I continued to process all the tragic things in my life and cry at the same time. I cried harder than I ever had before. I began to shake from crying and small hiccups escaped from my throat.
"This isn't my life!" I screamed out to no one.
"I deserve to be happy. I deserved to be loved!" I continued.

Jaq's POV

I had just walked into my living room and found the TV on. I didn't watch much television so I was about to turn it off when something caught my attention.

Reporter: "And in recent news, sources are saying Sky's relationship with Joshua Thomas has hit a snag. The usually private singer has been spotted without her engagement ring and refuses to open up about her wedding plans."

"What the fuck?" I thought as I processed what I heard. I took a moment to think about Miranda and if I remembered her wearing her ring or not. I didn't remember seeing it on her finger at her last performance actually, but that didn't mean anything right?"
"Reporters aren't shit." I said to myself. They were constantly prying themselves in people's privates life and it  was sick. Just because someone was famous didn't mean their lives had to be under a microscope.

A picture of Miranda and I popped up shortly. I hoped they weren't insinuating anything with it, it was no harm for a manager to meet with his client.

"The source who provided us with the information won't be disclosed at this time, but she will meet us for a exclusive interview later this week. So sit back folks and wait for more news to come." The reported closed.

I shook my head just processing this. This had to be complete BS. Surely I would have noticed a change in her if she was battling all this.
"She did take a small break..." I started as I thought about it. "No no. It's not true. She was just tired or something." I excused. Annoyed and fed up with what I just watched and heard I headed to my bathroom to shower and change. I would find out from Miranda herself instead of some asshole behind a camera.

I hopped in my truck and sped to her house. I prayed that she hadn't heard anything about this. I also prayed that this wasn't true. On the way I also called Emily, her publicist, to tell her to get on top of this story ASAP.

Miranda's POV

I had somehow managed to fall asleep on my floor. I woke up and looked out my window. I couldn't believe what I saw. What was Jaq' doing here? I didn't want to see anyone today. Before I could rush upstairs and pretend I wasn't home he spotted me and pointed to the door. I suppressed the urge to scream and went to let him in.

Before I could ask what he wanted, he began to talk. And what he said took me by surprise. I expected it to be something work related, but instead what he said made my heart drop all over again. Not only did everyone now know about my failed engagement and relationship but someone was doing an interview about it.
"Who?" I asked once he finished. He said he didn't know and that the source wasn't given publicly. But he assured me Emily would be on it and soon. I nodded although it didn't matter what she did now. The damage as done and she couldn't erase it.
"Let me get dressed and meet me out back." I told him. He agreed as I headed for my bathroom to change my attire.

When I was done I found him sitting on the stairs looking like a scared 7 year old. I smiled at him before I sat down.

"So it's all true isn't it?" He asked once I sat down. I nodded my head.
"Why didn't you tell me?" He asked. I shrugged at first, but he gave me a look that let me know I wasn't getting away from this conversation. And it was rightfully so, I should have told him.
"I..was scared I guess and embarrassed. And in denial just a little." I confessed. He gave me a sympathetic nod.
"Still you can tell me anything." He said.
"I know Jaq' it's just a lot you know? I'm sorry." I said.
"It's okay. I really don't blame you I would have done the same thing probably. But hopefully you'll be more trusting of me now." He replied.
"Is that what you think? That I don't trust you? We'll you're wrong! I do trust you Jaq' and this has nothing to do with rather I trust you or not." I said defensively. He sighed and said nothing. No longer wanting to sit next to him, I walked towards the pool.

"I'm sorry" Came the voice behind me. I could tell he was walking towards me. I shrugged it off.
"So how long do you think we have before the leeches come out?" I asked.
"Leeches?" He asked out of confusion. I laughed for a second.
"Yes the paparazzi, they suck you dry just to make headlines." I replied with a shake of my head.
"Oh" He stated. "I wish I knew."

Before I had time to react, Jaq' had approached me and spun me around. He pulled me closer to him and planted a gentle kiss on my forehead.
"It'll all be okay." He promised. I allowed him to comfort me and wrapped my arms around him in return. Although earlier I wanted to wallow in misery and throw myself a pity party, I was now glad he was here.

"Thank you" I replied gratefully.
"No problem." He said.

*Side note Miranda has been tattoo-less recently. During the photo shoot the makeup artist "covered" it up and I forgot to replace it, but it's back now! (In case anyone noticed)

Chapter 9: It gets worse Cont'd

Mimi: "Shit." Mimi cussed as she dropped to her knees. She couldn't believe her eyes, could she really be pregnant? She had been on the pill, but after the break-up she pretty much forgotten to take them.
"This can not be good." She said to herself, she had dropped the test along with herself. She kneeled in her room with a dozen questions swirling around her head. She decided it was pointless to remain on the floor so she stood on her two feet and made her way into the living room. With shaking hands, she pulled her phone out of her pocket.

She slowly dialed the numbers before putting the phone to her ear.
Mimi: "Please pick up." She said as she listened to the phone ring.

When she was about to hang up, he finally answered.
Mimi: "Hello" She said nervously.
Joshua: "Mimi?" He replied.
Mimi: "Yeah..it's me." She started.
Joshua: "Uh how are you?" He asked feeling confused. He hadn't spoken to her since their "affair" and now she was calling him out of the blue.
Mimi: "I need to talk to you. In person." She said.
Joshua: "Why?" He asked, still confused.
Mimi: "I can't say over the phone, please just trust me on this." She begged. She didn't want to tell him, but she had to. And if she was going to do it, she was going to do it the right way, face to face. Joshua was silent for a second but agreed. She said she would text him her address and they hung up.

Matt: "That was Miranda right?" He guessed. Joshua shook his head.
Joshua: "It was Mimi."

Matt: "Dude what are you doing? You're still messing around with her?" He asked.
Joshua: "What?! No. It was one time! I told you that and it was a mistake." He said defensively. Matt shrugged.
Matt: "Why is she calling you then?" He further inquired. Joshua was his best friend and he'd always have his back, but not when he was wrong. And lately he wasn't a fan of Joshua's actions.
Joshua: "I don't know." He said flatly. And that was the truth. He really had no idea what she wanted.
Matt: "Better go see." Matt replied and flipped the channel to the game." Joshua sighed beside him. He got up and changed his clothes in the guest room and fixed his hair back.
Joshua: "Be back." He called as he shut the door behind him.

Joshua stood in front of the small house. He had just arrived, but was hesitant to ring the doorbell. What did she have to tell him? Did he really want to know? He didn't. But he was here now so he might as well get it over with.
Joshua: "This better be important." He muttered before heading up the steps. Mimi answered and said a quick hello before inviting him in.

Joshua: "So what is it?" He asked. Mimi laughed nervously.
Joshua: "What's so funny?" He asked.
Mimi: "You will not believe this..I'm pregnant." She said.

Joshua: "WHAT?!" He exploded. "What does this have to do with me? It's not mines. It can't be." He said. Mimi took a few steps back. 

Mimi: "Calm down Joshua." She said in an effort to relax him. "It's a shock to me too." 

Joshua: "What the fuck do you want from me? A congratulations?!" Well Congrats. I'm leaving now." He said. He started to turn, and this is when Mimi got upset. How dare he? She thought. 

She started to lurch for him, but he caught her by the arms just in time. Despite being held down, she still yelled.

Mimi: "What are you implying?!" She screamed. "I am pregnant rather you like it or not. And you are the father." She fumed. Joshua sighed. He was screwing up big time.

Joshua: "I'm sorry Mimi...I just have a lot going on. I shouldn't have taken it out on you." He said. 

Mimi came back to her senses. She couldn't blame him for being upset, she was too. 

Joshua: "It'll be okay." He said, trying to soothe her. She nodded. She allowed him to hold her hands for a while and she closed her eyes. She took a few deep breaths. 

Mimi: "Can you sit down please?" She asked. He nodded and headed towards her couch. 

He sat down and she stood with her arms crossed. They were silent for a long time. They were both wondering how their lives would be changed with the new addition. One thing they both agreed on was it wouldn't be good news for Miranda. 

Back at home..

Miranda made her way to her feet and towards her window. She was idly staring outside when her phone vibrated in her pocket. She jumped a bit before reaching for it. 

She let out a small sigh of relief. Thank God it isn't him. She thought in reference to Joshua. She slide her thumb to the right and answered the call. 

Jaq': "Sweetheart it's about time you answered." He said jokingly. 

Miranda: "Hi Jaq'" She said.

Jaq': "Not to be a nag but you do have a concert today." He said. Miranda actually had forgotten. She silently cursed herself before answering him.

Miranda: "You know what Jaq' I forgot all about it. I have a lot of stuff going on and that just didn't cross my mind." She replied truthfully. 

Jaq': "What's going on?" He asked with genuine concern. Manager mode was off and he was in full friend mode. He was her manager, but he was also her friend and he did care about her.

Miranda: "I really don't want to get into that right now, but I'll be there soon." She said. She hung up before he pushed her to spill her guts. 

Jaq': "Hello? Hello?" He just knew she didn't hang up on him, but she did. He shook his head and hung up his phone. 

After the Concert...

Miranda just shut the door to her limo and was walking towards her front door when she spotted roses. She immediately thought they were from Joshua and planned on throwing them in the trash.

She saw a small white card sticking out of the side. Out of curiosity she picked it up.
It read:  

(Excuses my typo, I meant apologize**)
She was so taken back that she almost dropped the card. When she recovered she picked up the flowers and placed them on the kitchen table.

So what do I do know? She thought as she stared at the flowers. She decided that it was too much to think about tonight. She grabbed the card and headed for her bedroom.

The next morning..

Joshua had planned on staying at Matt's a little while longer, but fate would have it another way. He came to the conclusion that he couldn't keep this new found information to himself. He knew Mimi had wanted to break the news to Miranda, but he had to. 

Mimi will give over it. He thought as he stepped inside his home. 

Joshua: "Miranda" He called. She dropped the card in her hand. She was still debating on rather or not to put it in her phone or just throw it away. She turned around to see Joshua. She was so focused on the number she didn't hear him come in. 

She raised her brow as if to ask what he was doing there, but he spoke before she could get the question out.
Joshua: "I have something to tell you. And I am really sorry about yesterday." He said.
Miranda: "What is it?" She asked.

He didn't answer her right away but instead sat down.
Joshua: "Please sit down first." He said. She hesitated a bit before complying.

Miranda: "Go on" She urged. Joshua shared the unexpected news of the baby with her. When he was done she spoke at last.
Miranda: "So..you are having a baby with Mimi?" She asked surprisingly calm. He nodded. "Why are you telling me this?" She asked.
Joshua: "Because I messed up before by withholding information from you and I didn't want to make the same mistake. Miranda I do love you and it was really hard to come tell you this. I didn't want to break your heart again." He explained. She was silent so he continued.
Joshua: "I would want nothing more than to spend the rest of my life with you, but I've come to realize that may be impossible to do now. We could have gotten over the affair. It would have taken awhile but we could have overcome it. But this Miranda..even if you wanted to work through it, I wouldn't allow you to. It would be selfish of me to expect you to put your love life on hold for the next 18 years for me and so i'm not asking you to. Instead I came her to say good-bye." He said.
Miranda: "Bye as in?.." She started but didn't finish. Out of all the people she loved, Joshua probably hurt her the most, but she was taking the news well. Deep-down she knew that their relationship had reached the point of no return but she wouldn't admit it.
Joshua: "I love you enough to let you go Miranda. You deserve to be with someone who loves you 100% and someone faithful. You also deserve a fairy tale wedding and you will get it one day. I wish you all the best and I'm sorry I couldn't be that man for you." He said and looked down. He finally did the right thing. He had been honest, but he wasn't proud of himself. He still did something he said he would never do. He broken her heart. twice. Without saying a word, Miranda walked over to him. He stood up too. She smiled and pulled him into a friendly hug.

Miranda: "Thank you Joshua." She replied finally. He nodded into her hair and held her for a little while longer. He also breathed in her scent one final time.