Faded (Rock Star Trilogy)

truth in person. I had plans on telling you after you turned 18. But really, there is NO good time to tell you.
    I am in love with another man who is not your father. His name is Steven Montgomery, and he is the true love of my life. But Steven is married to another woman, and I knew he would never leave her for me, so I married your father. Your father is a good man. He loves me, and he has been so good to you.
    The truth is, Steven Montgomery is your real father. You see your father couldn't have children. It was such a surprise to him when I got pregnant. But I wasn't surprised. I knew the truth.
    I told Steven. I begged him to leave his wife and marry me, but his wife was also pregnant. He wouldn't leave her, and he knew that my husband would take care of us. So I lied to your dad. Even now, he doesn't know the truth. You can tell him if that is what you want, but I leave it up to you, Mona.
    I tried to break it off with Steven, but I couldn't. Every time I looked in your eyes, I saw him. I missed him. So we have been seeing each other in secret.
    This must seem silly to you, but what Steven and I have is REAL, TRUE love. I hope one day you can experience a love like ours. I only hope that your love doesn't have to be kept a secret.
    Know that I love you forever.
     
    —Mom
     
    As I hand the letter back to Mona, I realize that my hands are shaking.
    “Stephan is your brother.” As the words leave my mouth, I can hardly believe them.
    She nods, as a tear starts to escape her eyes.
    “Have you told your father?” I ask.
    She shakes her head. “I'm afraid he won't love me anymore if I tell him,” she whispers.
    “How long have you known?”
    “Three and a half years.” Her voice quivers as she tells me.
    Suddenly, I feel mad at her mom. She should not have put this burden on Mona... She was only fourteen when her mom died. That's way too young to carry it alone.
    “I'm sorry.”
    After reading this letter, I feel like I understand Mona better. I do see why she hates Stephan. In her mind, he is just a representation of everything that is screwed up in her life. She feels like she’s continuing the lie by not telling her father, yet she’s scared to tell him. Maybe he wouldn’t love her anymore if he knew the truth.
    “But you know,” I continue. “It's not Stephan's fault. And if you gave him a chance, he would love you, Mona. You're his sister . How could he not love you?”
    “I've been so mean to him.” I can hear repentance in her voice.
    “He would understand why. If you just showed him this letter, and you apologized...”
    She cuts me off. “NO! I will NEVER tell him.”
    With that she walks out of the bathroom slamming the door behind her.
    Crap.
    Now what am I supposed to do?
     
    3:01 PM
    Lies
     
    I spend the rest of the afternoon getting chewed out by my director, Peter. Once he wires me back up, he explains how important it was to catch everything that goes on. I pretend that what Mona told me isn't a big deal, and I apologize profoundly. He seems to buy it. Once they wire my microphone back on, I go back to school to pick up Stephan.
    When Stephan gets into the car, I immediately feel awkward. I know this mind-blowing secret about him, yet I can't say a word. I want to, but it's not my place to — it's Mona's.
    “Are you okay?” he asks me.
    “I'm fine,” I manage to choke out… Crap, I've got to do better than that. “I just wasn't feeling well, so I left after lunch.”
    “Oh no. I hope you're not getting sick.” He's concerned, and I officially feel like the worst girlfriend ever.
    “Nothing a nap couldn't fix.” I lie so easily, that it scares me. I hate lying.
    Why did Mona have to put me in this situation? She doesn’t even know me. Why would she trust me with this huge secret?
    Maybe she wanted me to tell Stephan? I mean, why else would she tell ME. But then, after I read the letter, maybe she chickened out. If I told him, her whole life would change.
    BUT… maybe I could talk her into it. I am a pretty persuasive person. Though Stephan seems immune to my powers, maybe she is too... They are family .
    “You're really quiet,” I barely hear Stephan say. “And you're driving the speed limit. Something is definitely wrong.”
    Well, maybe I'm not as good of a liar as I thought. “Um...” What do I say?
    My phone starts ringing. It's Alec. Oh, thank God.
    “Hello,” I answer, a little too cheerful.
    “I'm going to text you the address of the studio. Be