The Heartbreak Factor - Part Four

Chapter Ninety-Eight.

"Pretty, pretty please, don't you ever, ever feel like you're less than, less than perfect," we both began to sing as the backing track took over my role of playing the guitar. "Pretty, pretty please, if you ever, ever feel like you're nothing, you are perfect to me."

Katy looked at me with complete bafflement as it got to the 'high speed singing' or 'rapping' bit so I took over as she hugged me as tight as possible, casing another chorus of 'aww's from the audience.

Once the rap bit was over, I looked at Katy and grinned. "So Katy, what do I say to you?"

"I love you, Katy."

I shook my head. "Well, I do. But what does mummy say that you should always remember?"

"Oh!" Katy smiled as she turned to the microphone and looked out at all the faces watching her. "I'm perfect and I will always be perfect to my mummy."

"Pretty, pretty please, don't you ever, ever feel like you're less than, less than perfect. Pretty, pretty please, if you ever, ever feel like you're nothing, you are perfect to me," I smiled, finishing the song on a high.

*

Sitting on the floor of my dressing room with Katy opposite me and Ollie asleep in my arms, I grinned at both my children. I couldn't believe how blessed I had been with them both. As we waited for Lisa to finish up her mini press conference with the various media outlets to promote the album, I watched Katy as she dug through my make-up bag and emptied out the contents onto the floor.

"Mummy, what's this?" she asked, holding up my mascara.

"That's mascara and makes mummy's eyelashes look longer," I replied, knowing she wouldn't understand but I replied honestly regardless.

"And this?" she asked, holding up my lip stick.

"That's lip stick and makes mummy's lips look like she's drank cherryade," I joked - a joke that was obviously wasted on Katy as she looked at me in confusion.

"And this?" she asked, holding up a tampon.

"Never mind," I laughed, grabbing it off her and shoving all the items back into the make-up bag before slotting it into my performance suitcase that would need to be renamed soon. "Why don't you sing some songs to Ollie?"

Just as Katy was about to sing some songs to Ollie, who was still fast asleep on my arm, Lisa made a return.

"They're vultures," she sighed, referring to the press.

"Tell me about it," I smiled.

"Right, are you two ready to go?" Lisa asked, looking at Katy specifically.

"Yes!" Katy beamed as she jumped up like a Bull in a China shop and darted across the room to stand beside Lisa.

"Thank-you for taking them," I smiled. "I just don't think it's the right place for them to be."

"It's okay," Lisa reassured me. "Call me when you've done it."

I nodded as I reluctantly handed Ollie over, making sure I didn't wake him up. "I fed Ollie just before he fell asleep half an hour ago so he probably won't need a feed until 6pm and then another one at 10pm, but if he gets hungry after his final feed, he'll wake up and cry for hours so just sing him a bit of Katy Perry or One Direction and that should do the trick. Katy is allowed to stay up until a time you think is reasonable but she knows that once you say it's bedtime, it's bedtime and if she misbehaves, threaten her with the Santa's naughty list because it always works with me and God only knows what I'll do when she realises I'll never carry it out so I'm making the most of it now."

Lisa nodded. "Anything else I should know?"

I shook my head. "I think that's about it."

"Right. 6pm. 10pm. Katy Perry. One Direction. Bedtime. Bedtime. Naughty list. Got it."

Once Lisa left with my children, I grabbed all my stuff in the dressing room, shoving it into my case and then followed them out but going in an opposite direction to the car park.

*

Straightening out my dress, I walked down the corridor, holding onto my phone and a file of papers in another hand. "Ms Jones?" a man, dressed in a suit, smiled to me as he held out his hand for me to shake.

I nodded, holding out my hand and shaking his.

"I'm Simon Kettering," the man replied. "I'm your husband's representation."

"Is he here? I just need to show him something before we go in," I asked.

"He's just gone to the bathroom. I'm sure he won't be too long though."

Sitting down beside the strange man, I put the file of papers on my lap and began flicking through my phone in search of the video Lisa sent me earlier of Katy and I on stage during my final performance at the album launch.

"Hey," George smiled.

Standing up, he kissed me on the cheek and gave me a quick, friendly hug. "You have to see this," I grinned, shoving my phone towards him.

"Is this from today?" he asked.

I nodded. "Katy got on stage with me and started singing 'Perfect' with me and it was so cute. You should have been there."

"I'll get her to sing it for me at the weekend," George smiled. "Are they okay stopping at Lisa's tonight?"

"Yeah, they'll be fine," I replied.

"It's Lisa I'm worried about to be honest," George joked, causing me to laugh.

"Are we ready to go in?" Moira, my lawyer, asked as she approached us in the hallway, appearing out of nowhere.

Both George and I nodded.

I followed George in and sat down on the large oak table at the opposite side to him, just like Moira had instructed me to do. Moira sat down beside me, taking out a file that was about ten times as big as mine. Simon did the same, only sitting down on the opposite side to me beside George.

George rolled his eyes at me and I smiled back at him.

"So, Simon, this is the list that my client had put forward regarding the custody and ownership of the property they share together. Does your client agree with these?" Moira asked.

Simon took hold of the paper, scanning through it himself before passing it to George. George glanced down at the paper, eyeing it for a few second before nodding.

"That's settled then. My client will care for their two children, Katy-May Shelley and Ollie Kevin Shelley, Tuesday afternoon to Saturday morning and pass them over to be cared for by your client Saturday morning until Tuesday afternoon. My client will also get sole ownership of the house they both currently share."

"Now, if you could both just sign these papers, everything will be finalised," Simon instructed, passing a bunch of paper to me.

Once I had signed it, I passed it over to George, who also signed it.

"Well, congratulations on your divorce," Moira laughed awkwardly.