Chapter 1
Dad sacrificed Mom’s Best Actress award just to please his old flame, Sutton. The industry mocked Mom, saying she was just a plaything. Heartbroken, Mom attempted suicide by slitting her wrists. All she received from Dad was a dismissive, “It’s pathetic to attempt suicide over an award.”
That night, Mom’s eyes were swollen from crying. Exhausted, she said, “I’m tired. Adelyn, why don’t we leave all this behind together?”
As she spoke, a message from my fiancé, Creed, appeared on my phone. “It’s just a pretend marriage. Can’t you stop taking it so seriously?” I replied with a simple “okay” and immediately arranged for a staged disappearance. On our wedding day, Mom and I vanished in a country house fire.
***
When I reached the hospital, Mom lay quietly on the bed.
“Mom,” I said, taking her hand as tears streamed silently down her pale cheeks.
“Adelyn, I’m tired. Please, let’s walk away from it all.”
Before I could respond, the door flew open with a bang.
“Leighton, isn’t your drama enough on its own? Now you want to drag your daughter into it?” Dad stormed in, visibly angry. I tried to explain, but Mom stopped me with a gentle shake of her head, refusing to engage with him.
“I’ve never seen anyone as petty as you. Can’t you be more gracious like Sutton?” Dad sneered.
Mom remained silent, her lips set in a firm line, unwilling to communicate with him.
“Not jumping off bridges now, just faking your death instead?” Dad said as he yanked her up roughly by her delicate wrist, causing the old wound to bleed again.
I pushed him back urgently. “Can’t you see the wound is reopening?”
A flicker of guilt crossed Dad’s eyes, but he insisted, “You’ll have plenty of opportunities in the future, but Sutton doesn’t. She’s leaving the limelight soon. Are you really that hung up on a title?”
I looked at him, this man who only defended another woman, and said mockingly, “Hung up on a title? If losing what she’s earned and being mocked as nothing more than a toy is your idea of obsession, then maybe it’s you who doesn’t get it.”
Smack! A harsh slap landed across my face.
“How dare you speak to your father like that!” Dad shouted.
Mom pulled me back, her eyes full of concern. “Xavier, you hit Adelyn for someone else! What did she say that was so wrong?”
Guilt resurfaced in Dad’s eyes, but before he could say anything, his phone rang. The room was so quiet we could hear Sutton’s anxious and frail voice.
“Xavier, where are you? There’s so much backlash online, everyone’s accusing me of stealing. I’m really scared. Can you come here?”
Dad’s voice softened. “Don’t worry, I’ll be there soon. Just hang tight.”
His face turned stern again as he whipped back towards Mom, accusing her, “Leighton, did you spread rumors on purpose? If anything happens to Sutton, I won’t let it slide.”
With that, he stormed out.
Mom’s tears fell like a string of broken pearls, one after another.
“Your father doesn’t love me anymore. I want to leave.”
After twenty years of marriage, everything changed when Dad’s old flame returned. He started involving Sutton in everything, even giving her roles and defending her against directors who questioned her place. Some people even thought she was Mrs. Fox.
Mom tried to explain, but Dad silenced her, blaming her for interfering.
I replied softly, “Alright, we’ll leave together. I won’t marry Creed.”
Mom looked surprised, but when I showed her Creed’s recent message, her chest heaved with anger.
“How dare Creed treat you like this! He wants a pretend marriage with Dulce?”
Dulce was Sutton’s daughter, who had a congenital heart condition. Her only wish was to marry Creed. Despite my protests, it never mattered; Creed always saw me as mean-spirited and jealous.
“It’s all my fault. I’m sorry you couldn’t have a normal romance,” Mom sobbed, holding me tight.
I comforted her, but tears escaped my eyes too. “I don’t care anymore. Since his heart is elsewhere, I’ll just let go.”
“Alright.”
Without hesitation, I called to arrange the staged disappearance, setting it for the eve of Creed’s wedding.