Act Fast: Free Bonus Time is Running Out! Claim X 117 TAMPERED TRUTH LUKE’S POV With my phone pressed against my ears, I stood still in shock, right outside Andre’s mansion. My head was trying to process the voice I heard. I was still trying to grasp the situation. This could have been a dream, or maybe it was only reality. But me hearing my mother’s voice? Was I starting to go crazy, or what? Not just that the person’s voice on the phone was the same as hers, the caller also addressed me as Pushki. It was a name that only my mother used to call me. Times of fun, times of happiness. Joyful times at the park, intense moments of laughter. Their deaths had hit me hard, and they were gone from me for so many years. There was not a voice heard from any one of them, and I was in complete loneliness. Little me back then. I had to live my life with my grandfather, letting the memories wash all over me. Now this voice had to come from nowhere. It was really crazy, and I could just hope this was a dream, an illusion, or something. “Mom?” I vocalized, my mouth opening, as I was in awe of what was going on here. “Yes, Pushki?” The caller spoke in return, and my phone fell from my hands. I was still open–mouthed, trying to process the whole situation. “Pick up the phone, Pushki!” “I glanced down at my phone after what I just heard. It was clear to me that this person was somewhere nearby, watching my every move at the moment. But was 2/6 It really my mother talking, or had this person come to play mind games with me? No doubt, this was exceedingly absurd. It was about to make me go bananas. “Push!” The caller said it loudly. I sat on my heels and slowly took my phone from the ground. “Now that’s a good boy.” “Who are you?” I slowly asked. “You can’t be my mother. She’s dead! She died a long time ago.” No, she left your life a long time ago.” “What do you mean by that?” “Let’s just say she got tired of her husband and her son and decided to do something crazy.” I wore a puzzled face. “What are you saying? I don’t get you.” “I’m just trying to make things clear to you,” she answered. “Hold on a minute. You’re saying my mom got tired of me and my father?” “Are you surprised?” “This news is crap!” I snarled. “It’s complete bullshit. There is no way my mom could ever get tired of us! She loved the both of us so much and would always do anything to see us happy.” “Was that what she told you? Oh, she was one badass.” “I don’t get any of this. What are you trying to say? Who the hell are you? Please make all this clear to me.” “I was trying to make it clear to you, but you just had to raise your voice, Pushki.” “Will you stop calling me that? How in the world do you have knowledge of that name? You are not my mother.” ‘Are you that stupid? You heard my voice. I called you the beautiful name I gave you when you were still a little boy, and you’re still telling me that I’m not your mother. I never knew my son was this dumb.” “Wha… what the…” I spoke underneath my breath. “How is this possible? My mom died years ago.” “And yet she’s talking to you right now. How astonishing is that?” “Wait, so you weren’t dead all these years?” “If I’m dead, will I be talking to you right now?” I took a deep breath, driving my hands through my hair. “Okay, this doesn’t make any sense. I visit your grave almost every time, and I pay my respects to you and dad every single year. So, please, what’s going on? You both had a car accident, and the two of you were declared dead. So, how are you still alive? Like, this doesn’t make sense one bit.” “Aren’t you happy that I’m alive?” “Don’t ask me that. Just make things clear to me. Cause right now, I’m going nuts.” She suspired. “Look, my son, I have never loved your father since day one.” “Say what now?” I couldn’t believe my ears. “Have you ever bothered to ask yourself why your grandfather hated me so much?” “But…I thought it was just a feeling.” She laughed. “A feeling indeed. Yeah, that’s nonsense. The great Sir Reynold had always known my true intentions. But your father was so dumb that he got blinded by my beauty. And of course, I had to act nice to him.” “What are you saying?” I asked in hushed tones. “I’m trying to say that I never loved your father. I only became his wife because of his money. He and his father were on bad terms, all because of me. I convinced him to take his share out of the company. It wasn’t an easy task, but he had to do it anyway. That was when I knew I had to make a move.” “Wait a minute. What the hell are you saying? What’s all this nonsense you are talking about?” “I’m only making things clear to you, just as you requested.” “But this is just nonsense!” I spat. “This is the truth, son.” 117 TAMPERED TRUTH “So now you’re telling me that you’ve never loved my father, and all the moments spent with him were nothing but pretense?” “You got that one right,” she told me. “Hold on, we’ll get down to there. But first, tell me where you’ve been all these years. If you weren’t dead, why did you have to leave me alone?” “If I didn’t love your father, what made you think I loved you?” “Are you trying to say that of all the lovely times we spent together, playing and laughing like crazy, you have never loved me?” “Yes, Pushki. You’re an image of your father, and since I didn’t love him, I don’t love you either.” I was silent for a moment. “Are you serious?” “Of course I am. You just even need to ask yourself, who was the responsible for his death?” person “Who was the person responsible for his death?” I repeated inaudibly. “It was just an accident.” “Yes, but who tampered with the brakes?” Her question made something sort of clear to me. “Don’t tell me you…” “Yes, it was me. I’m the one tampered with the brakes. I was behind the accident, and it’s actually a good thing that he’s no more.” HIS TAMPERED TRUTH. “But weren’t you in the car with him?” “I wasn’t. But most people don’t know that. They thought I was also in the car when the accident took place.” “What the heck? A lady was also found in there.” “But her body was scattered into pieces. I knew an accident like that was going to rip their bodies apart. That was why I had to make that friend of mine sit in the car with that worthless father of yours.” I shook my head, hearing this. “You have got to be kidding me.”