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My head felt fuzzy as my eyes flicker open, slowly stirring awake. What happened? I look around the room, unaware of my surroundings. The room is clean, with standard furniture but it's very dark. I could hardly see the walls. I had no idea where I was.

I can feel a comforter below me and thankfully I am still dressed. I don't remember getting here.

I attempt to clear my mind, trying to remember something, anything.

How did I get here? Who brought me here?

Little pieces of my memory come back like a jigsaw puzzle connecting.

I was watching Reese's band play at the club. The guy at the bar approached me, he talked to me and I felt uncomfortable. When he left, I started to feel unwell and decided to walk to the bathroom. At the restroom I... and then... did I leave by myself? No, I wouldn't do that.

Why can't I remember anything after that?

My thoughts are cut short when I hear the door rattling and then a moment later, I see someone entering the room. My heart picks up its pace and I grab a fistful of the comforter, bringing my knees to my chest.

A silhouette steps inside, making no noise at first. He walks to the other side of the room as I hear scraping and then a click.

The room fills with light and a tall man sits opposite the bed, staring at me.

I freeze, looking back at the man with wide eyes. His face. I've seen it before.

He looks sort of familiar. Where do I know this guy?

He's young, no older than twenty, with light curly brown hair and dark brown eyes. His jaw is squared, his skin is a light beige and he has wide, broad shoulders. He looks tough and mysterious. I should be terrified by this man but for some strange reason, I feel I know him.

I've certainly seen this guy before but my slightly dazed state has made my brain stop working.

Oh God, I hope I haven't been kidnapped for sex trafficking. I've seen too many documentaries and read a few too many books about it.

The boy watches me warily and then opens his mouth to speak. "Marnie? Are you okay?"

His voice is deep, gravelly. I freeze, feeling a cold chill brush up my spine. How does he know my name?

Of course, he knows who you are, Marnie. Wait! Was I kidnapped because I'm the child of two rockstars? Shit, maybe they want me for money. Would my mom pay them to get me back?

"You look terrified. Don't worry, Marnie. I'm not gonna hurt you, you're safe here."

I narrow my eyes at the stranger as he sits with his elbows resting on his knees and his hands clasped together, his intense gaze fixed on me.

"How can I be sure?" I stutter.

He looks down at the floor and then up at me, looking torn before he begins to explain why I am here. "I live here with a few of my friends. Sometimes they bring some friends over and others bring... company with them. I was on my way out when this asshole had his arm around you. I recognised you and I could see you were hardly conscious. I got into a fight with the guy, I knew his intentions so I managed to pull you away from him and brought you in here. You've been sleeping for hours."

I still don't feel completely convinced with his story, but what could I do right now? He could be dangerous. Would he let me go home? Could I call Reese or Sky to help me?

Staring at the man who claims to be my saviour, I let my curiosity get the better of me.

"How do you know my name?" I whisper and his eyes soften slightly. I could see the tiniest gleam in them.

"You're Marnie Love, the daughter of Mason Love. How could I not know who you are." he smiles at me and I blink. What does he mean by that? Who is this guy?

He chuckles and I stare at him in a daze. Is he crazy? Is he a stalker fan?

"You have no idea who I am, do you?" I shake my head, unable to speak.

He sighs, leaning back in his chair, pinching his eyebrows together. "I knew Mariah wouldn't tell you."

What wouldn't my mom tell me?

"Tell me what?"

He studies me for several seconds before he starts talking again. "I assume you've heard of someone called Veronica Stone," The name rings a bell and it takes me a good minute to remember her.

She was in my father's band back in the day. The band had split ways before I was born but I had heard of her. I remember looking at pictures and music videos of her. I recall how pretty she was with her long, silky dark hair, breathtaking smile, caramel skin and stunning cat-like eyes. Every guy had a crush on Veronica. You could say she was a sex icon. My mother and Veronica were best friends and shared similar personalities. They are strong-minded, confident and intelligent. I don't know what happened to her after the band went their separate ways.

I nod my head once although I don't understand where he's going with this. Why is he asking me about Veronica Stone? I've never met her before.

"Did you know what happened in the band all those years ago? I'm sure there must be an autobiography or documentary about your father's life somewhere." I couldn't move, not even my voice could work at this point.

The mysterious man's dark eyes turned vacant, distant as he spoke. "Mason dated Veronica before your mother. One day they had a big fight and Veronica decided to leave your father and the band. That's when Mason started dating Mariah. Everyone thinks Veronica left the band because she was heartbroken over Mason -- that's what she told the media. But that wasn't the real truth..."

My heart picks up its pace when his brown orbs connect with me. "She was trying to hide her pregnancy from the world and from Mason. She did it for many years. However, two years later, Veronica was struggling with finances -- jumping from job to job. One day she went to Mason for help. He was shocked to learn he had another child. A son. Of course, Mariah was furious when she found out. She tried everything to keep Mason away from Veronica and even their son. Although Mason agreed to help Veronica, they decided to keep me a secret..."

I gasp and the man stays calm and impassive, his voice unwavering. And then he says the few words I never thought were possible. "I'm your half-brother Marnie."

What?

Brother?

My jaw hung open, I wouldn't be surprised if a bug decided to fly into my mouth and not know about it. The boy who claimed he was my brother smiled softly which unbelievably resembled my father's smile. "I'm Theo by the way, we met briefly at the music store a week ago. I was a little star-struck when I realised it was you," he chuckles lightly, "It's so good to finally meet you, Marnie."

Of course! He was the guy working at the music store. That's where I recognised him. What a small world.

I clear my throat. "Wait, so you knew this whole time?"

Theo shakes his head. "No, I found out last year when I turned eighteen. My mother told me everything. Of course, I was shocked. I mean, I knew who you were and I wanted to find you so I could tell you the truth, but I had no way to contact you. When I saw you walk into my apartment tonight, I could hardly believe it."

"So, you're nineteen? Do you go to college?"

"No, I work to help my mom out. Money is tight, so I help her when I can."

I try and piece everything together. This is insane. If my father knew he had another child, wouldn't he have provided for him? Wouldn't he have helped Veronica bring up their son? "Didn't my father leave you any money? Or help your mom raise you?"

"Yeah, he did. I guess things are a little more complicated to explain," he stares at the wall behind me for some time as I try to make sense of everything. "Anyway, let's get you home. I bet your mom is worried sick about you right now."

Ha, I wish my mom cared that much.

"Okay."

About an hour later, Theo drives me home and we talked about our lives growing up. While my head is still spinning with the revelation that I have a half-brother, I was trying to understand why my mother kept this a secret.

Didn't I deserve to know I had a brother out there somewhere? How could she keep this from me? What is she hiding?

We pull up to the driveway of my home and I jump out of the rusty old Ford truck. I turn to see Theo gazing at the house in curiosity.

"Hey, do you want to come inside? There are a few things of dads that I would like you to see."

He looks up at the house, his lips pursed. "Oh no it's okay--"

"You're fine, come on." I tip my head towards the front door, smiling hopefully.

He reluctantly gets out of the car and follows me up the steps. I invite Theo inside my home and although he was hesitant at first, he seemed amazed at the interior of the hallways. I wanted to show him a few things that belonged to our father.

He deserves to know more about him.

Theo looked around the house with wide eyes, he seemed so out of place. My heart bleeds as I come to understand that Theo must not be used to being in a house like this. What kind of place did he grow up in?

I hardly know much about Veronica Stone and I don't know what she did after she left my father's band.

When we step inside the living room, my breath catches in my throat. I see my mother sitting on the sofa, holding a fancy glass of expensive red wine in her hand. She watches me with fire in her eyes, and then she curls her lip when Theo walks into the room.

"You have some nerve coming here." she announces bitterly.

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