IceK:An unexpected phonecall

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Two weeks after the release of Korina and Cube's collaboration, things were starting to pick up in a way she hadn't anticipated. The song was a guaranteed hit. It charted higher than expected, and the buzz surrounding it was unreal.

Everywhere she went, people were talking about it, from the club to the radio.

She couldn't remember the last time something like this had happened to her. This success was like a breath of fresh air for her-a reminder that maybe, just maybe, there was still hope in this messed-up world.

But even with the success, even with the praise, there was still something lingering, a heavy weight that wouldn't let her truly enjoy it.

The emotional rollercoaster she'd been on for the past few months made it impossible to relax fully.

Every high felt like it was followed by a low. But this? This song, this success, it was hers, and she had to embrace it, even if it wasn't perfect.

She spent the next few days in a whirlwind of interviews, photoshoots, and catching up with her son, Kory.

Her bond with him was everything, and seeing him smile made her feel like maybe she wasn't completely lost after everything that had happened.

Kory was the one good thing that had come from her relationship with Eric. He was the reason she fought every day to keep going, even when things seemed too much to handle.

Kory had grown so fast, and Korina was proud of him, despite everything going on. But she couldn't ignore the truth anymore.

.

She didn't want to go, but a part of her knew it was something she had to do for herself-something that wasn't tied to anyone else.

She needed this, even if it meant leaving Kory behind for a while.

But before she left, she decided to make sure Kory was with his father.

She wanted to do things right, at least for him. She remembered the words Ralph had said to her not long ago-about forgiveness and moving forward.

As hard as it was, she was determined to take his advice and give Eric the space he needed to be with their son. They were both hurting, but she didn't want to hold onto the pain anymore.

For a brief moment, she felt like maybe they could coexist without all the anger.

Maybe things would get better if they just let go of the past.

But the second she arrived, she could feel the tension in the air.

The scenery was the same, but everything felt different. Eazy was there, along with Tomica, Yella, and Ren, all talking quietly. The atmosphere was heavy.

It didn't take long for her to hear it-Eric's voice, low and bitter, cutting through the conversation.

"I hate Korina. I don't care what anyone thinks," Eric said, his voice thick with anger. "She doesn't deserve anything. I'll make sure she never gets anything again. She's the reason everything's messed up."

Korina froze, her heart shattering into pieces as she heard those words. She stood there for a moment, unsure of what to do. She wanted to turn and leave, but something in her snapped. She was tired of being the victim. Tired of taking all the blame. She couldn't stay silent anymore.

"Eric!" she shouted, stepping into the room. "What the hell did you just say?"

The moment she confronted him, everything seemed to freeze. The room fell silent, and everyone turned to look at her.

She could feel the sting of his words cutting through her, leaving marks deeper than any physical wound could ever do.

Eric didn't look surprised to see her. In fact, he looked almost... relieved, as if finally, she had walked into the storm he'd been brewing. "You heard me," he said, a sneer on his face.

"You're nothing but a burden. You think you can just walk away with everything? No chance. I'm taking what's mine, and that includes Kory."

Her breath caught in her throat as she fought back the tears. "What happened to us, Eric?

What happened to the man I loved? What happened to Kory's father?" Her voice wavered as the tears threatened to spill. "You're not making this easier. You're just making it worse."

Eric's eyes softened for a split second, but then he quickly turned away, crossing his arms. "You think I care about your sob story?" He scoffed. "Get the hell out of here, Korina. You've made your choices, and I've made mine."

Korina's chest felt tight, like there was no air left in her lungs. She had endured so much from Eric, so much pain, so much heartache.

But hearing him say those words? Hearing him tell her that he hated her, that he wanted to take Kory away, was the final blow. The one thing she'd been holding onto-the hope that maybe one day things could be okay-was gone.

And in that moment, standing there in front of him, she realized how far gone they were. There was no coming back from this. No fixing the brokenness between them. He hated her. He truly hated her.

The tears finally fell, hot and fast, as she turned and walked away, her heart breaking all over again.

She couldn't even look back at Kory, her son, the only person who made it all worth it. She couldn't stay in that toxic space any longer. As much as it hurt, she had to leave.

Korina made her way outside, tears streaming down her face as she struggled to breathe through the pain.

She couldn't do this anymore. All the emotional and mental abuse, the way Eric had torn her apart time and time again-it was too much.

t, she walked away, leaving her son behind with the one person who had hurt her the most. But even in that pain, she knew she had no other choice. It was time for her to heal. It was time for her to let go.

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Korina got to her car, her hands trembling as she gripped the steering wheel. The weight of what had just happened crushed her chest, and she fought to hold back the sobs that were threatening to break free. The pain in her heart was suffocating. Eric's words-those hateful, spiteful words-kept replaying in her mind, and no matter how hard she tried to push them out, they lingered, haunting her.

She was done. Done trying to keep herself on the right track. Done pretending like everything was going to be okay. She couldn't do it anymore. She couldn't keep fighting for something that wasn't worth it. For someone who didn't care.

Korina slammed her fist on the steering wheel, the tears finally spilling over. She wasn't strong enough for this anymore. She wasn't strong enough to pretend. She wasn't strong enough to keep going like everything was fine when it was falling apart at the seams. And as she sat there in her car, in the cold silence, all she wanted was for it all to stop-for the pain to stop, for the chaos to stop, for everything to just fade away.

Korina had been sitting in her car for nearly twenty minutes, eyes blank, radio off. Her makeup from earlier had smudged under her eyes, but she hadn't even noticed. She kept replaying the moment in her head-"I hate her." That one sentence from Eric echoing like a haunting melody.

The silence was deafening, until her phone buzzed in her lap, pulling her back to the present.

Unknown Caller.

She squinted at the screen, hesitated. Her gut told her to ignore it. But some numb part of her pressed accept anyway.

"Hello?"

There was a pause on the other end. Then a voice-smooth, calculated, too confident.

"Korina Monroe, right?" the man asked, like he already knew the answer.

She stiffened. "...Yeah. Who's this?"

"My name's Reese, I do artist relations and special visuals work for a few people. You know, Roc-A-Fella, Bad Boy... folks like that. I been watching your moves, shorty. That track you dropped with Cube? That ain't just hot-it's circulating. That's a comeback if I ever heard one."

Korina blinked slowly, a frown forming. "Okay... what do you want?"

Reese chuckled like they were old friends. "Straight to it. I like that. Listen-we got a video shoot happening in Miami, private location, exclusive invite only. This ain't no random gig. Think cinematic. Think high-level rollout. Puffy's name on the production list, maybe Jay sliding through if timing works. I ain't saying too much, but trust-it's the real deal."

Her stomach twisted. The names sounded major, but it didn't feel right. They were being thrown around too carelessly. No manager CC'd. No rep. No agency follow-up.

"You said it's for a music video?" she asked, her voice guarded.

"Mhm. Friday. Big visuals, rooftop shit, waves crashing in the background, all that dope energy. We need someone like you. You got the look, the story, and people already watching. The pain? That drama? It sells, baby. We gonna flip that pain into something legendary."

Korina's fingers tightened around the phone. Her lips parted, but no words came. Something in his tone was shifting-sliding from smooth to insistent.

"So, look," Reese continued, his voice dropping. "You gonna be on that plane or not? I already sent your name to the team. They think you're confirmed. This ain't something you just walk away from."

She blinked. "You-what? I never agreed to anything-"

"But you will," Reese cut in, this time no charm in his voice, just pressure. "You need this. You really think you can afford to be choosy right now? That lil' collab with Cube was cute, but it ain't enough. One hit ain't a comeback. This video? This could be your real one. So don't overthink it. You will be there."

"I don't know who the fuck you think you are," she snapped, sitting up in her seat now. "You don't talk to me like that."

"Relax, Korina," he said, calmly again, like she was the one being dramatic. "I'm just tryna help. But I'm not gonna chase you, neither. We already got your name tied to this. So if you back out now... it's gon' look like you flaky. Like you ain't serious about your career. You know how fast word spreads in this business."

She clenched her jaw. Her throat was tight. This didn't feel like an opportunity-it felt like a trap. But that part of her, the one that still craved the spotlight, still needed to win after all that loss... it hesitated.

"Do I even get details?" she muttered. "Contract, team, something?"

"You'll get what you need when you get there," Reese said casually. "Flight's booked. You either on that plane Friday morning or you not. Just know there's people watching, and they gon' remember whatever choice you make."

He hung up.

Korina stared at the phone like it was burning a hole in her hand.

No email. No confirmation. No address. Just a voice, some pressure, and the lingering taste of fear.

She sat there, heart pounding. Something in her told her to run. But something else whispered: maybe this is what comeback stories are made of-risks.

And she was already so far gone, already so deep into the mess... what was one more dangerous choice?

Still, the fear didn't leave.

It crawled under her skin and stayed there.