Faded (Rock Star Trilogy)

to it. Do they really think they've hidden it from me?
    “Is this your boyfriend?” I ask. I don't wait for a response. “I'm Scarlett Ryan, Stephanie's daughter…” I pause. “Well, I'm not really her daughter. I'm adopted.”
    I hear my mom suck in a surprised breath. She wasn't expecting that. I suppose she was hoping to keep it a secret from me. And maybe she would have if it weren’t for my search for Stacy.
    Just then I hear Bridgett and Stephan walking down the stairs.
    “Oh, and this is my twin sister, Bridgett Evans,” I tell the guy, who I think is named Jack. At least, I am pretty sure that's what Agnes told us when we first arrived. “You see my mother is a selfish bitch, and my father is an arrogant asshole, so they separated us. Oh, and they kicked my sister Stacy out at age seventeen because she was pregnant.”
    Bridgett puts her arm around me for support. Stephan is standing by Alec. I can tell he really wants to jump in and protect me from the hurt, but he knows I need to do this.
    I have to admit, it doesn't hurt as bad as I thought it would. In fact, it almost feels freeing.
    Maybe it's because I've been emotionally preparing for this moment my whole life.
    My mom doesn't say anything, so I continue. “What's wrong, Mother ? You have nothing to say for yourself?”
    She looks at me once more, and then at the camera. “I'm not saying anything in front of the camera.”
    Her boyfriend is still silent.
    “Okay, well, you have 24 hours to get your shit out of my house,” I tell her forcefully.
    She narrows her eyes at me. “You are going to leave your own mother homeless?”
    I roll my eyes. She's so dramatic. “I'm pretty sure you've been shacking up with Jack here for quite awhile now, so you may as well move in with him.” I turn to him. “You know she's still married to my dad, right?”
    “Scarlett, that is enough!” She scolds me like I'm a child.
    I remind myself that I'm on camera, and take a deep breath. “You don't get to tell me what to do. I haven't been a child in a long time. Actually, I never got to be a kid. You stole my childhood away from me.” I take another breath. “If Jack won't let you stay with him, which I totally wouldn't blame him if he didn't, Dad has a house in LA. It's big, and since you are married , it's half yours.”
    “You can't be serious,” she tempts me.
    “I am.” I step closer to her. “If I were you, I'd start packing. And don't even think of taking anything other than your clothes. Everything in this house was bought with my money , and it stays.”
    “My Italian leather couch,” she cries.
    I roll my eyes. “Did you not hear me? It's MY Italian leather couch.”
    She looks at me for a second, to see if I really am serious. She's hoping I will back down. But I don't. A look of defeat comes over her face.
    “Fine. If this is how you want it, I will be out of here, and out of your life. Just have Agnes send my things. She knows Jack’s address.” She turns towards Jack and walks out the door.
    When the door shuts, I lose it.
    She didn't even say goodbye.
    Stephan pulls me into his arms, and I have a complete meltdown. I sob into his chest.
    My chest hurts… It feels like a piece of my heart was ripped out and stomped on. I always knew she didn't care about me, but I never knew she was so heartless .
    Stephan caresses my hair, and keeps telling me how sorry he is over and over again. I know he doesn't know what to say, but right now, words won't help. I just need him to continue holding me.
    I will never regret what just happened. It should have happened long before now. I just wasn’t expecting it to hurt so much. My parents were supposed to love me and protect me. Instead they threw me to the sharks. My dad only stayed around to get ten percent of my money.
    “I don’t understand them,” I tell Stephan between sobs. “Everything I have could be theirs too. Why won’t they just love me?”
    “They are fucking crazy not to love you, Scar,” he says. “It’s their loss.”
    “Am I not good enough?” I wonder.
    “How can you even ask that? Of course you’re good enough. There is something seriously wrong with them if they can’t see how amazing you are.”
    “I pretend to be confident, but I’m not.” I wipe some of the tears from under my eye away. “I’m really just an insecure, broken, little girl.”
    “Don’t ever say that, Scarlett!” Stephan scolds me. “Don’t let your parents take away your