Chapter 1My fiancé. My parents. My sister. All gone in a car crash on their way home from MY birthday party.
For three years, I tried to end it. Over and over.
Every single time, my adopted sister Mara stopped me. Held me. Told me it would get better.
Then I collapsed again and woke up with stage four cancer.
Doctor said I had a month left. Maybe less.
Screw chemo. I grabbed my family's photos and went back to our old house one last time.
I was stumbling down the street, barely seeing straight, when some kid body-slammed me to the ground.
Then I heard it. HIS voice.
"Avery, slow down! Mommy and Daddy can't keep up!"
I froze.
Couldn't move. Couldn't breathe.
Turned around slow, and there he was—
Rowan Brennan. My dead fiancé. Very much alive.
Had a kid's hand in one of his. Mara's hand in the other.
When he looked up and saw me, he froze. Went white as a sheet.
---
Mara's face went white. She yanked her hand out of Rowan's grip like it burned.
"Jenna, wait—this isn't what it looks like. Just let me explain—"
Before she could finish, the kid tugged on her sleeve and pointed at me.
"Mommy, who's that?"
Dead silence.
I just stood there staring at them, brain totally blank.
One was supposed to be my childhood sweetheart, the guy who promised to grow old with me.
The other was Dad's war buddy's orphaned kid, the little sister I'd raised like my own.
I didn't get it.
Was I supposed to be happy Rowan wasn't dead? Or was I supposed to be pissed they both screwed me over?
When I didn't say anything, Rowan's face went cold. Calm. Too calm.
"Well, you saw us. No point hiding it now."
"I didn't actually die in that crash. I've been with Mara this whole time. We have a daughter."
My legs almost gave out. I had to suck in air just to stay upright.
"Why?"
He looked at me like I was some annoying kid throwing a tantrum. Totally matter-of-fact.
"Come on, you had to know Mara's always had a thing for me."
"That love letter I gave you back in high school? That was meant for Mara. I didn't think you'd actually say yes. Honestly, that was ballsy."
"I was gonna tell you the truth, but Mara was scared you'd lose it. So we just... didn't."
It felt like someone ripped my heart out and stomped on it.
I barely got the words out. "Why didn't you just lie to me forever?"
He sighed, like I was exhausting him.
"Look, you're a good person. You checked all the boxes for a decent wife. I was ready to spend my life with you."
"But the day we got engaged, Mara tried to kill herself. That's when I realized I couldn't let her go."
"So... yeah. We're done."
His words hit me like a knife to the gut.
I just stood there, freezing from the inside out.
Ever since the crash three years ago, I'd been a mess. Depression, insomnia, the works.
Spent every night staring at family photos, crying until I thought I'd go blind. My wrists were covered in scars from all the times I tried to end it.
And all that grief? It rotted me from the inside. Stomach cancer. At my age.
Now he was telling me it was all fake. All of it.
So what the hell was I suffering for? Was I just a joke to them?
I walked back to the old house like a zombie.
The place used to be empty and quiet. Now I could hear a little girl laughing inside.
My dad—who I'd buried with my own hands—was grinning, pulling Avery into a hug.
My mom—whose ashes I'd scattered—was smiling at her.
My sister—who I thought was dead—was making faces at the kid.
They all looked so happy.
Until someone brought me up. Then the mood shifted.
Mom's face twisted with guilt. "We shouldn't have done that three years ago."
"She thought we were dead. She's been a wreck ever since. I can't stand seeing her like this."
Dad let out this long sigh. "We gotta make this right. I don't know how, but we will."
My sister's eyes were all red and puffy. She grabbed Mara's hand and put it in Rowan's.
"Mara's parents got killed trying to save my dad. She had nobody left."
"I raised her myself. Gave her the best of everything. Hell, I even lied to my own sister for her."
"So don't you dare screw this up."
Rowan pulled Mara into his arms. Looked my sister and parents dead in the eye, and swore:
"I got her and Avery. Nobody's gonna mess with them."
My parents and sister blessed them.
Rowan slipped the ring—MY ring, the one he'd spent months picking out for me—onto Mara's finger.
I stood there, frozen, tears streaming down my face.
Not even finding out I had cancer felt this hopeless.
Turns out they all faked their deaths. For Mara.
Turns out no one in this world actually loved me.
Chapter 2
I sat outside in the yard for hours. Finally, Rowan and Mara left.
I dragged myself inside. My whole family was sitting in the living room, looking panicked.
Mom cracked first. "We didn't die in that crash, sweetie. We just couldn't get to you for a bit."
I nodded.
Dad saw I wasn't freaking out and kept going. "Rowan didn't die either. He and Mara got married. They have a kid."
I didn't say anything.
My sister snapped. She looked annoyed.
"Don't blame Mara. If it wasn't for her parents, Dad would've died on that battlefield."
"Our family owes her. So just let Rowan go, okay? I'll find you someone else later."
I stared at her. All I felt was disbelief.
Why should I pay for Dad's debt?
And later?
I had a month left. There was no "later."
When I didn't respond, my sister took it as agreement. She pushed further.
"Mara and Rowan have been bouncing around with Avery this whole time. No real place to crash. That's messed up for a kid."
"Just let 'em move back in."
I thought about the cancer diagnosis sitting in my bag. Thought about saying something.
Didn't.
"Fine."
I was dying anyway. They could do whatever the hell they wanted.
That night, Rowan, Mara, and Avery moved in.
My sister kept hauling Mara's stuff inside. To make room for Avery's princess bedroom, she gave away mine.
I watched Avery smash my jade bracelet on the floor. Tears slid down my face.
Avery looked at me, scared. "Did I do something wrong, Auntie?"
Before I could say anything, my sister snapped at me.
"It's a bracelet. Seriously? You're gonna throw a fit over this?"
"She's a kid. You're a grown adult. Get over it."
She scooped Avery up and walked off.
Didn't even notice that bracelet was a gift from my parents—for the baby Rowan and I were supposed to have.
After they all "died," that bracelet was the only thing I had left of that future.
Now it was in pieces.
I crouched down, trying to pick up the shards.
Then my chest seized up. I started coughing.
Blood splattered onto the floor.
Mara saw and rushed over to help me pick up the pieces. But she "accidentally" sliced her palm open and screamed.
"Ow! That hurts!"
Rowan came running. Saw all the blood. Turned on me, furious.
"Jenna, I'm the one who screwed you over. You got a problem? Take it up with me. Why the hell are you going after Mara?"
He took Mara away to bandage her hand.
My parents came in and started yelling at me too.
"Oh, so THAT'S what this was about! You were playing nice just to screw us over!"
"Yeah, Rowan lied three years ago. That sucked. But you went after Mara on PURPOSE. That's way worse!"
"You were a total mess back then. Mara's the one who stuck around. She's the one who got you through all that shit."
"And THIS is how you thank her? You're disgusting."
They didn't even wait for an answer. Just ran off to check on Mara.
Not one of them noticed the blood on my lips.
I felt like someone dumped a bucket of ice water over my head. Cold. Numb. Hopeless.
This place wasn't my home anymore.
I packed my stuff and headed for the door.
The second I opened it, Rowan and my sister were standing there.
They saw my suitcase. Their faces changed.
"Where do you think you're going?"
Chapter 3
I didn't answer. Just stared at them.
Rowan grabbed my wrist, frowning. "We finally came back. Can't we just move on and live like a normal family? Why are you running off now?"
My sister yanked the suitcase out of my hand and tried to shove me back inside.
"Okay, I was too harsh earlier. I get it, you're still upset. That's fair."
"I'll give you your room back. We'll build Avery a new one."
"Just drop it, okay?"
My parents came over and tried to talk me down too.
While we were all struggling, a paper slipped out of my suitcase.
I tried to grab it, but Rowan snatched it first.
He looked at the cancer diagnosis. His face went white.
"You're sick? Why didn't you tell us?"
Mom, Dad, and my sister froze like statues. Then they rushed me, talking over each other.
"Jenna, this is fake, right?"
"You were fine yesterday. What the hell happened?"
Before I could say a word, Mara started crying.
"Jenna, I know this is my fault. I got in the way. But come on—even if you can't stand me, you can't do THIS. Faking cancer? Seriously?"
"You know what this is gonna do to your family?"
Everyone's faces changed.
I went pale. Tried to explain. "I didn't—"
Rowan shoved me hard. I stumbled back.
"Are you kidding me right now? Three years, Jenna. Three years and you pull THIS? Faking cancer?"
"Mara's depressed because of what YOU. We never blamed you for that. And now you're faking a terminal illness to guilt me into marrying you?"
"Let me spell it out: even if you really were dying, I wouldn't marry you. Mara's my wife. Done."
My sister slapped me so hard I hit the floor.
"This is about three years ago, right? You're trying to get us back for lying?"
"How did you turn out like this? We raised you better than this selfish, disgusting bullshit."
"Say sorry to Mara. Now."
My chest and stomach were on fire. I could taste blood in my throat.
But it came anyway. Coughed up a mouthful of blood.
Dead silence.
My parents and sister looked panicked. Rowan froze, eyes wide.
They started toward me.
Then Avery giggled and pointed at me. "Mommy, Daddy, I've seen this before! That's not real blood. It's fake. Like in the movies!"
Rowan's face went dark.
My parents looked furious.
"You're pulling this crap in front of a kid? Lying straight to a three-year-old?"
"Where the hell did we go wrong with you?"
"Say sorry to Mara. Now. Or get out of my house."
Mara came forward, putting on this whole worried act.
"It's fine, really. Mom, Dad, don't get upset. This is on me."
"If Jenna can't stand me, I'll just go. Rowan and I will leave."
"I just... I feel awful for Avery. She's three years old and she's already seen way too much..."
She started crying.
Rowan pulled her into his arms. "Don't worry, babe. I'll protect you and Avery. No one's gonna hurt you."
My parents were shaking with rage. They hauled me up off the floor.
"Nobody's going anywhere. We're dealing with this brat TODAY."
My sister grabbed a wooden rod and swung it at my back.
"We gave you everything. Spoiled you rotten. And this is what you became?"
"You really think coughing up fake blood is gonna save your ass? Think we're gonna back down?"
"Get on your knees. You're staying down there till you own up to what you did and say sorry to Mara."
"Don't even think about getting up till you do."
The rod came down again and again. Blood soaked through my clothes.
Tears and blood blurred my vision.
Suddenly, I remembered being a kid. Failing one test. My parents raising that same rod to hit me.
My sister threw herself in front of me. Took the beating. Got covered in welts.
She told me she'd always protect me.
Guess that was a lie too.
Everything went dark.
