Chapter 2: When the Lies Began
Riven was ten years old when he first felt it.
At first, it was just a dull ache—a strange tightness in his chest, like something wasn’t right. But then, as his mother spoke, it sharpened into a piercing pain that made him wince.
STELLA HALE/ELLA/MC'S MOTHER
Riven, sweetheart, I’ll be home tonight. I promise
He believed her.
That night, he sat at the grand dining table, his legs swinging beneath the chair, waiting. The clock ticked. His food grew cold. The ache in his chest remained.
Midnight came.
His mother never did.
The next morning, when she finally returned—her silk dress wrinkled, her lipstick faded—she kissed his forehead and smiled.
STELLA HALE/ELLA/MC'S MOTHER
I missed you, my love
The pain stabbed through him so suddenly he gasped.
It wasn’t confusion. It wasn’t sadness. It was something deeper—something he couldn’t understand yet.
But he knew, somehow, that she wasn’t telling the truth.
That was the first time. But it wasn’t the last.
> "Your father is in a meeting, sweetheart. He wanted to be here."
Lie.
> "Your friends like you for who you are, not because of your name."
Lie.
> "I'll always be here for you."
Lie. Lie. Lie.
At twelve, he stopped asking questions. It was easier that way. If he didn’t ask, he wouldn’t have to feel the pain of knowing.
At thirteen, he tried telling himself it didn’t matter.
> "Everyone lies. That doesn’t mean they don’t love you."
But when he told himself that, the pain came.
And that was when he realized—
Even he couldn’t lie to himself.
---
At fourteen, he decided to test it.
He asked his best friend, Oliver, a simple question.
> "Would you still be my friend if I wasn’t a Hale?”
Oliver laughed. “Obviously, man. You’re like my brother.”
The pain hit him instantly.
Riven smiled, nodded, and walked away. That was the last time they ever spoke.
By fifteen, he had mastered the art of silence. He stopped asking, stopped hoping, stopped believing in people altogether.
By sixteen, he realized something else.
Love was just another kind of lie.
Present Day – Age 28
Riven stood at the floor-to-ceiling windows of his penthouse, staring down at the city. It was a view most people would envy—the endless skyline, the bright lights of success.
But to him, it was just a reminder.
He had built this empire on cold, hard truth. He didn’t let people close. He didn’t trust. He didn’t love.
And he didn’t need to.
Because love was a lie. And lies burned.
And Riven Hale refused to burn for anyone ever again.
Comments
❤️ Lily 💙
waiting for next update 😄😄
2025-03-25
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