Chapter 6 - Ten Million Views

I was ruined.

By the next morning, the video of Amahle's speech had been viewed ten million times. #AmahleDlamini was trending worldwide. #KayCeeNkosiIsTrash was right behind it.

My label called. My publicist quit. Three venues cancelled upcoming shows. Palesa dropped off the tour.

And Amahle was gone.

She'd checked into a hotel under a fake name, hired an attorney who made Attila the Hun look reasonable, and filed for divorce citing irretrievable breakdown — with enough evidence of adultery to bury me twice.

I tried calling her. WhatsApping. Emailing. She blocked me on everything.

I tried going to the hotel. Security wouldn't let me up.

I tried talking to Themba. He looked at me like I was something he'd scraped off his shoe.

"You need to leave her alone," he said coldly. "You've done enough damage."

"I need to explain—"

"Explain what? That you're a selfish piece of shit who threw away the best thing in his life for a quick fuck? She already knows, Kagiso. The whole world knows."

"I love her—"

"You don't love her. You love what she did for you. You love how she made you look good, how she made your music better, how she supported your dreams while giving up her own." Themba stepped closer, his voice dropping to something dangerous. "You used her. And now you're going to pay for it."

"Are you in love with her?" The question came out before I could stop it.

Themba's expression didn't change. "That's none of your business. Not anymore."

He walked away, leaving me standing in the hotel lobby like the pathetic arsehole I was.