Chapter 1I was packing up what was left of my parents' and little sister's things—three years gone without a word.
My fiancé Jake's laptop sat open on the table, suddenly lighting up with message after message.
CrazyForCandy:
[Mom, Dad, Candy—one month till the IPO. Time to come home and cash in.]
Hubby's Little Secret:
[We cleaned out everything three years ago and bailed when the company was tanking. Now Lily's paid off every debt and somehow saved the whole thing. If we get some work done and just show up, she won't recognize us, right?]
DadDavidson:
[She'll know. That girl lives for family. She's been a mess without us. We could look like different people entirely and she'd still figure it out. She'll hand over the company the second we ask.]
MomDavidson:
[Jake honey, these three years must've been rough. Once we're back, we'll break off your engagement to Lily so you can marry Candy like you two wanted. We'll finally be a real family.]
My hands went cold instantly.
I could barely move the mouse as I clicked on their profiles—the same accounts I'd messaged for three years straight. Nothing but silence.
I was about to fire something back when my sister's message popped up.
Hubby's Little Secret:
[Jake, whatever you do, don't let Lily near our documents. I heard she's been asking about declaring us dead. Don't let her file anything.]
CrazyForCandy:
[Relax babe, she still thinks you're all alive somewhere. She talks about you guys constantly. And even if she tries, I've got a guy at the county office. He'll bury any paperwork she files.]
I pulled back from the keyboard immediately.
A cold smile crept across my face right then and there.
You want to play dead?
Well, I'll make it official—starting NOW.
...
The group chat started the day they disappeared.
I scrolled through the messages, feeling colder with every line.
While I was losing my mind with worry, the four of them were laughing at me.
[She's ugly crying right now. If she knew we were on a beach in the Maldives, oh my God—]
[Good. That's what she gets for taking Jake from you. Never listened to us anyway. Hope she cries herself sick.]
[She challenged me in front of the entire board. Disrespected her Dad completely. Let's see her handle millions in debt now.]
[Mom, Dad, Candy—enjoy the trip. Lily's too stubborn to let our name fail. She'll kill herself fixing this. When you get bored traveling, just come back and take everything.]
Each message hit like a slap. Everything went numb.
Three years ago, their car went off a cliff into the ocean.
Over a thousand people searched for three days. Nothing.
I stayed in that water for seventy-two hours straight. My body swelled so badly I looked ready to burst.
I screamed until I had no voice, cried until I couldn't see, refused to leave.
Then everything fell apart—company bankrupt, millions in debt overnight.
Creditors spray-painted our building: PAY UP.
Employees I couldn't pay cornered me in the parking lot. Threw paint on me. Beat me down. Broken ribs, broken arm. They ripped out a chunk of my scalp. There's still a bald spot.
I begged strangers for money on my knees.
Days, I chased clients.
Nights, I delivered food, drove drunks, worked bottle service until I blacked out.
Three years. Four hours of sleep a night. My hair falling out in clumps. Severe depression.
I couldn't go home. Couldn't face their things, their smell, the thought they might never come back.
Three years in hell.
Just because my sister wanted my fiancé.
Because I didn't step aside when my parents hinted.
Because I disagreed with my father once.
So they destroyed me. And Jake helped.
I stared at his message: [Don't worry, I'll start hinting you're alive. She'll come around.]
Almost laughed at how pathetic I'd been.
I screenshot everything, saved it.
The lock clicked. I yanked the cord out.
Jake rushed in, froze.
Looked at the laptop. Then looked at me.
"Did you use my laptop?"
I kept my face soft.
"Sorry, I knocked the cord loose going through my parents' stuff. Did I mess anything up?"
Relief flooded his face. He pulled me close, voice gentle.
"Nah, you're fine. Thinking about them again?"
"Lily, listen—maybe they're still—"
"Jake."
I looked him in the eye.
"It's been three years. I'm done waiting. Tomorrow I'm filing to have them declared dead."
Chapter 2
Jake froze completely.
"Lily—you've spent three years telling everyone they're still out there. What happens when they come back and find out you declared them dead?"
The irony hit me hard.
He'd spent three years saying the opposite:
"Lily, nobody survives that kind of fall. It's been three years—if they were alive, they'd be home. File the paperwork and stop torturing yourself."
First time he'd ever pushed back this hard.
I let my face crumple, threw his own logic back at him.
"You're right. Three years. If they were coming back, they'd be here."
"I know you don't want me to get hurt, but I can't keep doing this. I can't leave them floating out there like ghosts. Next week I'm holding a memorial. Everyone should get to say goodbye."
His whole body went tense. He grabbed my shoulders hard enough to bruise.
"Lily, no—just wait. Maybe they're already trying to get home. And we're days away from the IPO. If you announce this now, investors will panic. The whole thing could collapse."
I actually laughed at that.
"I'm the CEO. Their legal status doesn't affect anything. If I'd done this three years ago, I wouldn't have buried myself paying off their debts..."
God, I'd been such an idiot. Refused to accept they were gone. Shouldered every dollar of debt because I couldn't stand the thought of them coming home to financial ruin.
I'd wanted to protect them. Give them back the life they'd had.
I'd been so desperate for my family that I'd worked myself into the ground for three years.
Sharp pain shot through my ribs. I looked straight at him.
"Jake, you're acting weird. What's wrong?"
His eyes darted away.
"Nothing... We've already waited this long—a few more weeks won't hurt. Just hold off until after the IPO closes."
He pulled me against his chest, voice dropping into that gentle tone he used when he wanted something.
"Lily, watching you destroy yourself over this kills me. You and Candy were inseparable. I know you're not ready to let go. As long as they're listed as missing, you have something to hold onto. Don't take that away from yourself yet."
Ten years I'd fallen for that voice. That look.
Now it turned my stomach.
When did he and Candy even start? Before the accident? During? How long had I been the joke?
Didn't matter anymore.
I pushed away from him, managed a weak smile.
"I've held on long enough. Three years is plenty."
He stood there, mouth working like he wanted to argue but couldn't find the words.
Once he was asleep, I grabbed his phone off the nightstand.
The second account practically jumped out at me.
I transferred it to my device and pulled up the most recent conversation.
CrazyForCandy:
[Lily's losing it. She wants to file death certificates tomorrow. Talking about holding a full memorial service for all of you.]
Hubby's Little Secret:
[Oh God Jake—two days ago was your anniversary with her and you came to see me instead. Did she figure something out?]
CrazyForCandy:
[Relax. She doesn't pay attention to that stuff. Last year I spent her birthday with you and she just felt bad I was "working so hard."]
MomDavidson:
[Your sister thinks Jake walks on water. She'd believe anything he tells her. That's the only reason she hasn't caught on to you two.]
DadDavidson:
[She does whatever Jake suggests. Just convince her to wait. We're not dead—she can't throw us a funeral.]
CrazyForCandy:
[Already handled. If she tries to file anything, my guy at the registrar's office will make sure the paperwork gets "lost."]
I kept scrolling. Message after message of them laughing about me. Planning around me.
Every birthday I'd spent alone. Every holiday. Every anniversary.
He'd been with Candy.
There was a recent family photo near the bottom.
My parents looked ten years younger, faces I barely recognized.
Candy looked like a completely different person. Prettier. Polished. Like a stranger.
I smiled.
Even luck was working in my favor.
Want to play dead?
I'll make sure it sticks.
Chapter 3
Jake came with me to file the paperwork the next morning.
His contact at the registrar's office rushed us through—we had death certificates in hand before lunch.
Then Jake started burning through every connection he had to accelerate the IPO timeline. The memorial could wait.
He was back in the group chat before we even left the building.
CrazyForCandy:
[Paperwork's done—fake, obviously. IPO's moved up, memorial's off the table. I'll grab you guys tomorrow. Ring's already bought. The second we announce the IPO, I'm getting down on one knee for Candy.]
Hubby's Little Secret:
[OMG! I love you! Watching my sister's face when she realizes what happened is going to be the highlight of my year.]
MomDavidson:
[She's been a walking punchline this whole time. Thought she could steal Jake from you—please. We're running low on cash anyway, so the timing works perfectly. Your dad takes the company back, and Candy goes right back to being Davidson elite where she belongs.]
DadDavidson:
[That's the plan. Candy inherits everything eventually. Lily's too unstable to lead anything—she can answer to her little sister from now on.]
I picked up my phone and called the contractor.
"I need the house stripped down to the studs. Everything goes. You have until tomorrow."
...
The IPO event drew half the business press in the city.
Jake showed up looking like he'd stepped out of a magazine spread, shoulders back, grinning at nothing.
He kept glancing toward the entrance like he was expecting his lottery numbers to walk through the door.
Then the screens went black mid-loop through the company timeline.
Three memorial portraits replaced them.
Gray fabric rolled out over the red carpet.
Mourning wreaths appeared flanking the entrance.
The energy in the room dropped like someone had cut the power.
Jake wheeled on me, anger already bleeding into his tone.
"Lily—what is this? We postponed the memorial. What are you doing?"
The board didn't waste time turning on me.
"Lily, an IPO is a celebration. What possessed you to turn it into a funeral?"
"She's too young for this kind of pressure. Doesn't have her father's steadiness. This is completely irresponsible."
"We backed you for CEO because we believed in your judgment. Now you're sabotaging the biggest moment in this company's history? Shut this down immediately."
I let my eyes move slowly across their faces before landing on the three portraits behind me.
"I know how this looks. But my parents and sister vanished exactly three years ago today..."
My throat tightened and I felt tears spill over.
"My father built this company from nothing. The IPO falling on this exact date—I don't think that's random. I think somehow he knew. So I want to say goodbye to them here, in front of everyone who helped him build what we're celebrating. Please let me do this for him."
I dropped my head.
The room went quiet. Then low voices started filtering through.
"Wait, today's the anniversary—that's why she's doing this. God, that's loyalty."
"She spent over ten million trying to find them. Paid off their debts when she didn't have to. Most people would've walked."
"She's holding a memorial at her own IPO because she can't forget her family. That's the kind of person you want running a company."
The board's hostility melted into something softer—understanding, even respect. Nobody pushed back anymore.
I started to speak.
Jake grabbed my wrist, voice going sharp and desperate.
"Lily stop—you can't do this. Your parents aren't dead. Candy's not dead. They're alive and they're walking through that door any second now."
Every conversation in the room cut off at once.
I stared at him like he'd just told me the earth was flat.
"Jake, you're starting to scare me. If they were alive, they wouldn't have abandoned me for three years. They wouldn't have put me through that."
"You need to let go of whatever false hope you're holding onto. My parents and sister are gone—"
"Actually, we're not."
The entrance doors swung wide.
An older couple stepped through, a stunning young woman walking between them.
