Everything Was Fake

Everything Was Fake
Slowly, Pearly dragged himself back toward the steel wall and leaned against it for support.
The faint light filtering through the barred window had dimmed once more.
Night again.
Cold air slipped through the small opening, brushing weakly against his skin.
“J-Jaden Gabe…”
The name escaped him like a prayer.
Or maybe a plea.
Where was he?
Jaden Gabe promised he would never leave him completely alone.
So why did Pearly suddenly feel abandoned?
Tears burned his eyes again as memories of their last argument resurfaced.
He pushed Jaden Gabe away without listening fully.
Without asking questions.
Because he was hurt.
Because betrayal hurt worse coming from people you trusted.
But now, inside this prison, certainty no longer existed.
Donovan claimed the Vox Vaughns were monsters.
Yet during the years Pearly lived with them, they never treated him cruelly.
Never once made him fear them.
So what was the truth?
And why did every answer seem buried beneath another lie?
Pearly closed his eyes tightly.
His thoughts felt exhausted.
Broken.
Maybe he really would die here without ever knowing what actually happened.
The possibility hollowed him out.
No.
Before anything happened,
He wanted to hear the truth from Jaden Gabe himself.
Even if it destroyed whatever remained inside him.
At least then…
he would stop drowning in uncertainty.
The steel door suddenly opened again.
Pearly immediately looked up, squinting against the harsh flashlight aimed toward him.
“Lucille?”
The light lowered slightly.
“Hi.”
Relief hit Pearly so fast it almost hurt.
Then his eyes locked onto the small bottle of mineral water in her hand.
His throat tightened instantly.
“Help me…”
Lucille crouched beside him quietly.
“Oh, drink first,” she murmured. “You’ll need your strength later.”
Something about the way she said later unsettled him deeply.
Still, Pearly grabbed the bottle immediately.
Jaden Gabe was sitting behind his desk when a familiar voice suddenly slithered into his mind.
His entire body stiffened instantly.
Then anger followed.
Lia.
Jaden Gabe’s jaw tightened hard enough to ache.
What did she want now?
The mental connection pressed harder against his mind.
Persistent.
Mocking.
After a few seconds, Jaden Gabe finally allowed it.
“Lia.”
A soft laugh echoed inside his head.
‘Glad you still remember your stepmother.’
Disgust crossed Jaden Gabe’s face immediately.
“You were never my father’s woman,” he said coldly. “So stop calling yourself my stepmom, slut.”
Lia laughed louder this time.
‘Oh, ruthless. Just like your daddy.’
Jaden Gabe leaned back slowly in his chair, though tension still pulled tightly through his shoulders.
Lia never contacted him without a reason.
And none of her reasons were ever good.
“What do you want?” he asked flatly.
Silence stretched for half a second.
Then Lia smiled inside his head.
Jaden Gabe could hear it in her voice.
And suddenly,
a terrible feeling settled into his chest.
The moment Lia’s voice entered his mind again, something cold tightened violently inside Jaden Gabe’s chest.
‘JUST WANNA TELL YOU THAT YOUR BITCH NEEDS YOU RIGHT NOW.’
His jaw hardened instantly.
Lia laughed softly inside his head before continuing.
‘I’M NOT TALKING ABOUT MY DAUGHTER. I MEAN YOUR OTHER BITCH. THE MORTAL ONE.’
Jaden Gabe stood so abruptly his chair rolled backward.
“Where is Pearly?” he snarled. “What did you do to him?!”
Lia only sounded amused.
‘OH, RELAX. YOUR LITTLE HUMAN IS BEING TAKEN CARE OF VERY WELL.’
The mocking sweetness in her voice nearly made him lose control.
“Don’t touch him,” Jaden Gabe hissed. “If you hurt him, I swear to God, ”
‘Of course I won’t, son.’
“I’m not your fucking son, slut.”
Lia laughed louder.
‘WHY NOT? SOON YOU’LL MARRY MY DAUGHTER. THEN I REALLY WILL BE YOUR STEPMOTHER.’
“Neither of those things will ever happen.”
‘We’ll see.’
“Dream on.”
Jaden Gabe cut the connection immediately.
The second the mental link disappeared, he stormed out of the study room.
His heartbeat had already become unstable.
Pearly was alive.
But something was wrong.
Very wrong.
He moved quickly through the mansion, heading straight for the main entrance.
“Do you two really enjoy hurting yourselves this much?”
Jaden Gabe stopped mid-step.
Criss stood near the foot of the staircase with both hands inside her pockets, watching him carefully.
For once, there was no teasing smile on her face.
Only frustration.
“Seriously, Twinnie?” she muttered. “If someone I loved tried to leave me like that, I wouldn’t just let them walk away.”
“Not now, Fourth.” Jaden Gabe kept walking. “I’m in a hurry.”
“Go get him back,” Criss said firmly behind him. “Break the mental lock if you have to. Pearly loves you anyway. Control his mind for one second, bring him home, and, ”
“Thanks, but no thanks.”
Jaden Gabe’s voice turned sharp enough to cut through the hallway.
He looked back at her slowly.
“I thought you hated our father for controlling Euria.”
Criss immediately stiffened.
“And now you’re suggesting I do the exact same thing?” His eyes darkened. “Guess you inherited more from them than you think.”
Criss clenched her jaw hard.
Jaden Gabe exhaled once.
Then added quietly:
“Now I understand why you hated Helios so much.”
Criss frowned.
“A thief always hates another thief.”
That one landed exactly where he intended.
Her eyes burned instantly.
But Jaden Gabe no longer stayed to argue.
He left before she could answer.
The night air felt unnaturally cold by the time Jaden Gabe reached the edge of their territory.
Moonlight spilled across the empty land.
And standing there,
waiting,
was Lia.
She smiled the second she saw him.
“I’m disappointed,” she said lazily. “I thought you’d bring Helios.”
Jaden Gabe stopped several feet away from her.
Every instinct inside him screamed not to trust a single word coming out of her mouth.
“I thought Lander killed you.”
Lia laughed softly.
“Oh, sweetheart.” She tilted her head. “I never actually died.”
Jaden Gabe’s expression darkened.
“And before you ask,  no, I never tortured Lucille either.” Her smile widened. “That was all pretend.”
For the first time since arriving, genuine surprise crossed Jaden Gabe’s face.
“She wanted your pity,” Lia continued casually. “Wanted the Vaughns to take her in.”
A sick feeling settled heavily inside his stomach.
Lucille.
The crying.
The fear.
The helpless act.
All fake.
Every bit of it.
Lia watched his expression carefully and smiled with satisfaction.
“She played her role beautifully, didn’t she?”
“For heaven’s sake, I don’t even like your daughter.”
Jaden Gabe’s voice came out sharp and exhausted.
Lia sighed dramatically, placing a hand over her chest as if wounded.
“I know that,” she replied. “But I’m a mother. Supporting my only daughter’s terrible decisions is practically part of the job.”
“I don’t have time for this.” His eyes burned dangerously. “Take me to Pearly.”
Lia’s playful expression faded slightly.