My Stepbrother Wants Me-Chapter 114: A Well Calculated Lie

Catherine’s POV

Night had officially arrived, and with it, an army of stylists, tailors, and campaign advisors had filled the Vaughn mansion.

Everywhere I looked, someone was adjusting a hem, steam-pressing a tuxedo, or whispering into a headset about "optics" and "narratives."

I stood in the center of the ladies’ dressing room, ignored by the stylists who were busy draping a thousand-dollar silk gown over a mannequin. My eyes were locked on my mother.

Lisa sat before a massive vanity, while a professional makeup artist hovered over her. Mother waved her off a few minutes ago, insisting she could handle the "final touches" herself.

"I can take it from here, thank you," I said to the remaining stylist. "I want to help my mother get ready. Family time, right?"

The woman hesitated, then nodded and retreated toward the walk-in closet where the campaign advisors were arguing over Richard’s tie color.

I stepped closer to the vanity. My mother didn’t see me at first. She was leaning in close to the mirror, a sponge in her hand, dabbing a thick, brown corrective powder over her left eye. Suddenly, she let out a sharp, involuntary hiss. Her hand flew to her eye, her fingers hovering just over the bruise, her shoulders shaking with the effort to stay silent.

"Mom?" I whispered.

She jumped, her hand dropping instantly. She grabbed a brush and began swirling it into a palette. "Oh! Catherine. You startled me, honey. I’m almost done. Just trying to get the blending right. Richard said the lighting at the Sterling estate is notoriously unforgiving."

I didn’t answer. I walked up behind her and placed my hands on her shoulders. In the mirror, our eyes met. She looked terrified. I leaned down and wrapped my arms around her, hugging her from behind.

"It still hurts, doesn’t it?" I asked, my voice low so the staff in the other room wouldn’t hear. "The bruise. It’s not just a ’little sensitive’."

Lisa stiffened in my arms. "It’s fine. I just moved too fast with the brush. The swelling is down significantly."

"Mom, look at me," I said, pulling back so I could see her face directly. "It’s purple. If you fell down the stairs, you might have a fracture or an infection. We should skip the Gala. I’ll tell Richard you’re ill, and we can go to a private clinic or call the family doctor to get an ointment or some real pain relief."

Lisa’s eyes went wide with a flash of genuine panic. She grabbed my wrists, her grip surprisingly strong. "No! No, Catherine, don’t you dare say that to him. Richard has been very clear. This Gala is everything. The ’United Vaughns.’ If we are not there, it looks like a crack in the foundation."

"But you’re in pain!"

"I’ll survive," she snapped, her voice trembling as she turned back to the mirror and began feverishly layering more powder. "I’ll be fine. I’ll take some aspirin."

I stood there, my heart aching with pity and a growing, restless anger. She was so deep in the "Vaughn" spell that she couldn’t even admit she was suffering. She was becoming a ghost in her own life, haunting this house and catering to a selfish man.

I thought of Julian and his untold pains. My mother thought she was protecting the family, but she had no idea what kind of monster was sitting at the head of the table.

"Mom," I said, my voice turning solemn. "There’s something you should know. Something about Julian."

Lisa paused, her brush hovering over her cheek. "Julian? What about him?"

"Mother, Julian has been through a lot," I said, choosing my words carefully. I couldn’t tell her I’d seen the scars in his bedroom, so I framed it as something I’d ’heard’ or ’noticed’ over time. "Julian has scars, Mom. Real ones. On his back. They look like deep burns."

She turned to me, her expression one of profound shock, her eyes searching mine. "Scars? On his back? Who told you that?"

I nodded. "Forget about who told me. The scars aren’t from an accident. They look like they were... inflicted. Like someone hurt him. A long time ago."

Lisa stared at me for a long beat, her mind clearly racing. Then, slowly, she let out a long, heavy sigh and shook her head.

"Oh, I think I remember. Richard told me about that," she whispered, her voice dropping into a comforting, maternal tone. "He didn’t want to bring it up because it’s so painful, but Julian was... a very troubled child. After his mother left, he went through a very dark period. He was self-harming, honey. He did those things to himself in fits of madness. That’s why he had to stay in that facility for a while. It was for his own protection."

I felt the air leave my lungs. Self-harming. Richard had also told my mom the lies he had been feeding everyone? 𝑓𝘳𝘦𝑒𝑤𝑒𝘣𝘯ℴ𝘷𝘦𝓁.𝑐𝑜𝑚

And my mother had swallowed it whole. She truly believed that Julian was the ’broken’ one and Richard was the ’burdened’ father trying to save him.

"You really believe that?" I asked, my voice barely a whisper. "You think Julian burned his own back?"

"Richard was devastated by it," Lisa said, turning back to the mirror, her voice regaining its artificial strength as she applied a final layer of setting spray. "He did everything he could to help that boy. It’s why he’s so hard on Julian now. He’s terrified Julian will slip back into that darkness. He just wants Julian to be strong. To be a man."

I watched her as she stood up, the silk robe falling away to reveal a breathtaking emerald-green gown. She looked like a perfect queen. With the heavy makeup and the strategic lighting, the bruise was almost invisible, just a slight puffiness that could be attributed to a lack of sleep.

The mask was complete.

"There," Lisa said, checking her reflection one last time. "See? No one will know a thing. I am the picture of health and happiness."

She turned to me and smoothed my hair, her touch light and loving. "Don’t worry about Julian, sweetheart. And don’t worry about me. We are Vaughns now. We handle our problems behind closed doors, and we present a united front to the world. Now, go put on your dress. Richard will be ready to leave soon, and you know how he hates to be kept waiting."

I nodded, my tongue feeling like lead in my mouth. I walked toward my own room with dread.