Chapter 1I was taping up another missing person flyer for my sister when my husband stopped me.
"So... Josie never actually went missing five years ago."
"She's been living at my place. Had my twins."
I just stood there. "...What?"
"And your parents. They were NOT dead. "
"They just couldn't deal with you anymore, so they bailed. Overseas."
I couldn't make a sound.
When Josie first vanished, I gave up my EVERYTHING. Spent five years hunting for her—99 trips across the country.
After Mom and Dad "died" last year, I'd decided if I still couldn't find my sister, I'd just end myself.
Turns out... All of that... FAKE?!
My voice came out wrecked. "Why now? Why are you telling me this NOW?"
He calmly flicked a wedding invitation at me.
"OUR marriage certificate was fake too."
"And I'm marrying Josie tomorrow. Quit putting up these flyers—you're screwing with our lives."
I couldn't hold it in anymore. I laughed—tears pouring down my face.
Well. WELL.
My sister faked her disappearance. My parents faked their deaths.
My marriage was ALSO a fucking lie from day one!
Traitors. Liars...
You thought I'd stay your doormat forever?
From now on, I'M the one holding the knife!
...
I saw the guilt flash in Cade's eyes for half a second.
"Josie gave me two kids. Gotta make it official, you know?"
"But hey—your parents saw how hard you looked. They saw."
"They're flying back tonight. We'll do the whole family thing. Dinner. Whatever."
Then he reached up and started gently rubbing my temples.
Just like he used to on those endless sleepless nights,
holding me, whispering that I should stop blaming myself for Josie.
Now? It made my skin crawl.
I shoved him off. Hard.
"Family thing? What the HELL was I all these years?"
Cade's face went dark.
"You OWE Josie. You KNEW she couldn't handle stress. Knew it could wreck her."
"But you just HAD to fight her for that college spot. What kind of sister pulls that?"
WHAT?!
I stood there, frozen.
But five years ago, that university—I'd busted my ass for over a decade to get in!
Josie?
She spent high school doing whatever she wanted.
Partying. Blowing off everything.
But all she had to do was whine a little, and my parents made me GIVE HER my spot.
My whole life, everything went to HER first.
That one time, though? I didn't cave.
Move-in day, I was just signing in and when I turned around—
She vanished.
Five years.
Five years I thought I'd screwed up. That I lost her.
But the whole thing was a FUCKING LIE from day one.
A lie to destroy me.
I smiled. Couldn't help it. Tears already falling nonstop.
"Cade. We're done. And I'm DONE with that family."
SLAP!
He slapped me hard.
Cracked me right across the face.
All these years he'd been gentle. Sweet, even. Never so much as raised his voice at me.
Now? For Josie? He actually HIT me.
"Ava, I didn't think you were THIS heartless. You'd really just ditch your own family?"
"You're coming with me! If Josie has a breakdown over this, that's on YOU."
His hand shot out, fisted in my hair. I screamed. He didn't care.
He dragged me into this massive, gorgeous mansion.
Manicured garden outside.
I just stood there, numb.
My husband—who'd cried broke to me for YEARS—had been living like this the whole time.
He shoved the door open.
And there she was.
Josie. My "missing" sister.
Standing right in front of me. Alive. Healthy. Glowing.
Flawless skin. Designer gown. She looked like a damn magazine cover.
She had this huge pink rock on her finger. Very expensive jade necklace.
Me?
I looked like I'd been dragged through hell backward.
Skin dull and rough from years of killing myself searching HER. Clothes from clearance racks.
Standing next to her, we looked like different species.
For five years. I'd bled myself dry.
Worked five jobs till my stomach gave out and I ended up in the ER.
All to save up money to find HER.
Josie looked up at me and laughed. Loud.
"Wait, THIS is my sister? Girl looks like somebody's grandma!"
She whipped out her phone, snapped a pic of me looking like trash, and posted it.
We had mutual friends. The group chat blew up instantly.
"FINALLY Josie drops the act! I was enjoying the crazy-sister-missing-person-poster show."
"Holy shit, isn't that Ava from State? She used to be gorgeous. Now she looks worse than my MOM."
Everyone was talking.
Turns out they ALL knew Josie faked it.
I was the only one in the dark.
I shut my eyes. Took a breath.
"Enough. Delete those. NOW."
I lunged for her phone.
Cade kicked me to the floor.
"What the hell's your problem? You look psycho right now—what if you scare Josie?"
"She wanted a damn picture. Why you gotta be such a bitch about it?"
I clutched my stomach, gasping.
Guilt flickered across Cade's face.
His hand froze mid-air.
"Shit—Ava, I didn't mean—"
I used every bit of strength I had left and shoved him off me.
"Don't. You. Fucking. Touch. Me."
"I NEVER wanna see you disgusting people again!"
Chapter 2
Cade stepped back, face going white.
"Ava, your sister's here now. What more do you WANT?"
"You spent YEARS putting up those flyers. Didn't you wanna see Josie again?"
I let out this bitter laugh.
"I couldn't SLEEP for years 'cause I was worried about her!"
"Turns out she's been living in some mansion, screwing my husband who gave me a FAKE marriage certificate!"
Josie stepped forward, putting on that innocent act.
"Ava, I mean... you can't even have kids, so—"
"Cade just wanted a family. We're all family anyway, right? Does it really matter?"
Hearing her twist everything like that made my stomach turn.
I'm not infertile.
First time I got pregnant, my parents locked me up.
No food. No water. All because I "lost" Josie.
Starved till I miscarried.
They just stood there. Cold. "You OWE her this. You DESERVE it."
Back then, Cade held me, whispering, "We lost the baby, but we can try again. We will."
Second time I got pregnant, Mom dragged me to the hospital without a word.
Screamed at me in front of everyone:
"Josie's still out there, could be DEAD for all we know! Some creep could've trafficked her!"
"And you have the NERVE to be having a baby?!"
She held me down while they did it.
Later, doctor told me: after multiple miscarriages, I'd NEVER have kids again.
Cried for days after that. Cade stayed the whole time.
"Ava, even if you can't have kids, I'll always be here for you."
My whole life got destroyed by the sister standing in front of me.
And now I gotta watch my husband all cozy with Josie.
I pulled the ring off and threw it on the floor.
Turned toward the door.
Cade rushed forward, grabbed me hard.
"Your parents are flying back tonight. If they don't see you, they'll blame Josie!"
"You wanna leave? Fine. Wait till after the wedding tomorrow!"
Before I could fight back, he shoved me in a storage closet.
Dust. Mold. He KNOWS I have asthma.
I started coughing. Chest tight. Can't breathe.
Outside, Cade's voice—casual, unbothered:
"Ava, after the wedding tomorrow, I'll make it up to you. Promise."
Then Josie: "Ava, gonna need you as maid of honor tomorrow."
Door slams next room over.
Then... their sounds.
Her moans. His grunts. The headboard slamming against the wall.
Shut it out. Don't listen. Don't—
But I can still HEAR them.
I won't stop replaying everything.
All those years. His "kindness."
Warm soup when my stomach hurt. Rubbing my back at night. Staying when I was sick...
All fake. FAKE!
Fake certificate. Cheating with Josie. Letting my parents kill my babies twice!
Then I heard her voice again, breathy and smug:
"Cade... you're so bad. Making my sister listen like this."
Him, still catching his breath:
"What's the big deal? Twins got that psychic connection thing, right?
"So well... Satisfying you... kinda satisfies her too."
Chapter 3
Don't know how long I was stuck in that closet.
Finally, the door opened.
Josie stood there, looking down at me. Face still flushed.
"Seriously? All that coughing? You killed Cade's mood. Happy now?"
"You're sick? Go get it treated. Quit putting on this pathetic victim act."
I wiped my face. And laughed.
Not like I didn't know how to take care of myself.
But these past five years, I sold my blood. Part of my kidney.
All to scrape together travel money. Never spent a cent on myself.
And now I finally see how insane that was.
All for "family."
Turned myself from a healthy person into this wreck.
Josie tossed a dress at me, voice dripping contempt.
"This cost two hundred million. Don't get it dirty—I need it back."
"Mom and Dad are almost here. Wipe that look off your face."
Doorbell rang.
Next second, my parents—who I'd sobbed over at their funeral—walked in. Perfectly fine.
Dad didn't even look at me.
Walked right past. Scooped up Josie's twins.
His whole face smoothed out. Smile I'd never seen before.
"My precious grandbabies! Grandpa missed you SO much."
"Josie's kids are incredible. Way better than some useless hen who can't even lay eggs."
He looked straight at me when he said it. Zero warmth. Zero joy.
Guess the reunion was one-sided.
Mom walked over. Patted my shoulder. Tone flat.
"Ava, we saw how hard you looked for Josie all these years."
"But you can't have kids anyway. You've had Cade long enough. Time to move on, sweetie."
"We're all family. Better to keep it in the family, right?"
I just stood there.
She KNEW Josie never disappeared.
But she forced me to abort. Twice. Made sure I'd never have kids.
My stomach cramped. Hard.
Something in me snapped.
"YOU. You KILLED them! My babies—BOTH of them! Made it so I can NEVER be a MOM—"
The twins started screaming.
Dad's face went red. Jabbed a finger at me.
"Look at yourself! Acting like some psycho!"
"You got ZERO class! Maybe learn something from Josie—THAT'S what a daughter looks like!"
Josie immediately stepped up, linking arms with them. Voice all soft and sweet.
"Mom, Dad, don't be upset. Ava is just emotional seeing the kids."
"She can't have her own, so... yeah. She's bitter."
I tried to say something, but Cade stormed over and grabbed my wrist. Hard.
He turned to my parents, apologetic.
"Mom, Dad, sorry. I didn't keep her in line."
Then dragged me into a room. Irritation all over his face.
"Ava, are you DONE? Those are your PARENTS!"
"You used to be sweet. Understanding. When'd you turn into this... mess?"
Yeah. When DID I?
Looking at the husband I used to rely on. The family I'd torn myself apart searching for.
I was done.
When I didn't answer, he kept going.
"Josie only has you. If you pull this shit at the wedding tomorrow..."
"I'll have you committed."
He walked out.
Living room. The four of them sat around the twins. Laughing. Chatting.
THAT was a family.
Me? Start to finish. I was just the outsider.
