My Mother Faked Her Disappearance to Steal My Husband

Three days after my mother disappeared, I found an application for an involuntary psychiatric hold in my husband's study. The patient listed was me. Under the doctor's assessment, it read: Severe self-harm tendencies triggered by mother's disappearance. Requires immediate mandatory institutionalization. I followed the address listed on the document. The front door wasn't fully closed. Inside the living room, my mother, who had been "missing" for three days, was sitting comfortably on the sofa, peeling an apple for my adopted sister. Gently resting her hand on Chloe's slightly swollen belly, she smiled and said to Julian. "Avery has always been desperate for affection. In times like this, you can't push her too hard." "Keep humoring her. Make her believe you still care." "Wait until she feels completely dependent on you and this home. Then, slowly break the news that Chloe is carrying your baby." "By then, no matter how bitter she is, she'll have no choice but to accept it." Julian stayed silent for a second, then took Chloe's hand into his. "Mom, I won't let Chloe or our baby suffer." In that instant, my entire world went dead silent. My mother's disappearance had been a setup all along. She had staged the whole thing just to steal my husband for the daughter she had raised for over twenty years. This time, I didn't storm in to confront them. I didn't cry, and I didn't throw a tantrum. It wasn't until Chloe returned from her prenatal checkup, weeping that she didn't want her child to be born a bastard, that I calmly signed the divorce papers and shoved them right into her hands. "Then don't wait." "Go ahead and get married. Give the baby a real home." Julian stared at the divorce agreement in my hands, his face darkening second by second. He snatched the papers from me and, without even glancing at them, tore them straight down the middle. "Avery, what kind of sick game are you playing now?" Shredded paper fluttered to the floor. I looked down at the pieces, my voice unnervingly calm. "I want a divorce." "Doesn't Chloe's baby deserve a legitimate father?" "I'm stepping aside for you two." "Stepping aside?" Julian looked at me as if I'd just told the most ridiculous joke on earth. "Avery, haven't you thrown enough tantrums?" I bent down and picked up the torn scraps. "Since we're splitting up, we should divide the assets cleanly." "Though honestly, this division seems a bit unfair to you." "Your baby is on the way, after all. How about I leave you a bit more..." "Avery! That is enough!" Julian cut me off through gritted teeth, his eyes bloodshot as he closed the distance between us. "Three months ago, when your mom first vanished, have you forgotten what a wreck you were?" "You spent every waking minute paranoid, accusing everyone in sight." He sneered, glaring down at me. "She's only been gone for three months, and now you've suddenly had an epiphany?" "What, you're done acting crazy and decided to play the generous saint instead?" Three months ago, my mother vanished into thin air. Back then, I completely unraveled. I searched every corner of the city she might have visited, filed missing persons reports, and tore through her belongings over and over again. Julian stayed by my side the entire time, pretending to worry that I might hurt myself. Only now did I realize the truth. From the very beginning, he was simply waiting to paint me as an "unstable, mentally ill" wife. He stared at me, his gaze full of cold judgment. "Avery, think about your mother. Stop making a scene." "Her life is hanging in the balance, and you're here causing drama over a divorce?" "Stop acting up. We'll talk once you get your head on straight." In the end, his so-called love was reduced to using my mother's life as leverage against me. I pulled off my wedding band, my voice flat. "It's precisely because I've thought it through that I'm stepping down." Julian's fists clenched tightly, his eyes wide in sheer disbelief as I slipped the ring onto Chloe's finger. "Avery! That's the Vance family heirloom!" "You've worn it against your skin for five whole years." "When I gave it to you, you swore you'd wear it for the rest of your life." "And now you're just giving it away?" Chloe gripped the ring, tears streaming down her face. She dropped to her knees in front of me and slapped herself across the cheek. "This belongs to you, Avery! How could I possibly take it?" "It's all my fault. I shouldn't have seduced Julian. I made you sick... I should just die!" With that, she grabbed a fruit knife from the coffee table and pressed the blade against her wrist. Julian lunged forward, wrestled the knife away, and pulled her tightly into his arms, cooing soft reassurances. "It's not your fault. We were both drunk that night." "Don't you dare hurt yourself. Think about our baby." Then, he turned his chilling glare toward me. "Avery, apologize to Chloe!" "It was an accident. Neither of us meant to hurt you." "Your own mother is missing, and now you want to drive your sister to suicide too?" Even now, they were still putting on a show. Weaponized guilt really was a masterpiece. It didn't just wash the cheaters clean; it turned the victim into the villain. A twisted smile touched my lips, my voice cracking slightly. "Julian, is my mom really missing?" His expression froze for a fraction of a second. "You... know?" I let out a hollow laugh, staring directly into his eyes, enunciating every word. "Know what?" "Know that while I was tearing the city apart, nearly losing my mind with grief, she was comfortably helping you and Chloe plan your bright little future together?" Panic flashed across Julian's face, but he quickly masked it behind a cold frown. "Avery, Chloe is carrying my child. I can't just abandon her." "What I owe Chloe is responsibility." "You've been a mother before. Do you really have the heart to let a child grow up without a father?" There it was again. Ripping open my deepest wound, over and over. On the anniversary of my baby's death, my husband had crawled into bed with my sister. Someone had leaked my photos online, photoshopping them with vile captions, painting me as the heartless monster who drove her mother away. My company suspended me due to public outcry, and friends who used to be close avoided me like the plague. When I went to the police precinct to beg for updates, a stranger literally pointed in my face outside the station and yelled. "You drove your own flesh and blood away! How do you have the nerve to show your face here?" In utter despair, I dialed Julian's number twenty-seven times. He didn't pick up once. Covered in cuts and limping from a sprain, I hauled myself to the hospital, only to spot Julian with Chloe at her ultrasound, my "missing" mother standing right beside them. Watching his back as he walked away, I suddenly felt... None of it mattered anymore. I accepted a transfer offer to our European branch and booked a flight for three days later. Then, I reached out to the county courthouse to file for divorce, only to hear the clerk's confused voice over the line. "Ms. Vance, there must be a mistake." "Our records show that your marital status is single."My eyes went wide. The blood in my veins turned to ice. "What about Julian Vance?" After a long pause, the clerk replied. "Mr. Vance is indeed legally married. It was registered five years ago." I collapsed onto the floor, clutching my head, frantically trying to piece together our wedding day. Five years ago, Julian and I had walked into city hall side by side. How could the bride on the marriage certificate possibly be Chloe? I tore through the house like a madwoman, ripping open every drawer for our marriage documents. All these years, I had never doubted the paperwork. Julian had told me everything was filed and official. After the ceremony, he locked the documents away in the safe, claiming he was terrified of losing them. Back then, I was so drunk on happiness that I never thought twice. It wasn't until today that I finally read the words carefully. My name wasn't on the license at all. Printed clearly in black ink was Chloe. Staring at the paper that had deceived me for five long years, my vision went black. The marriage I had fought tooth and nail to preserve was nothing more than a fraud from day one. While my entire body trembled with cold dread, the attorney I hired to handle asset division called me back. His tone carried unmistakable pity. "Ms. Avery, you are not legally Mr. Vance's spouse." My fingernails dug deep into my palms. I remembered how Mom had insisted on handling all the paperwork for me back then. She had claimed I was too busy helping Julian get his startup off the ground to worry about tedious bureaucracy. From the marriage license documents to the deeds, company equity, and joint accounts, she promised she would review every single detail on my behalf. "Focus on your career, sweetie. Leave the paperwork to Mom." I hadn't suspected a thing. After all, she was the person I trusted most in this world. Once everything was filed, Mom had even made a point of telling me. "Every place that needed your name, I made sure it was taken care of." So all these years, I never once verified it. Looking back now... The name she had "taken care of" was never mine. It was Chloe's. I stared at the files the lawyer sent over, my fingers shaking uncontrollably. I rasped out a thank-you. But just as I went to transfer his retainer fee via PayPal, a notification popped up: all my bank accounts were frozen. The only debit card I had left showed a balance of less than fifteen dollars. Before I could even call the bank, cheerful laughter echoed from the front entryway. My mother was smiling warmly, helping Chloe inside after her appointment, with Julian trailing close behind holding the ultrasound scans. Surrounded by both of them, Chloe spoke with soft hesitation. "Mom, even though Avery almost drove me to slit my wrists today..." "Do you think having Julian freeze all her cards was a bit too harsh?" Without a shred of guilt for faking her death, my mother peeled another apple for Chloe and scoffed. "She only acts up because she's got too much money sitting in her pockets." "Now you've got the baby on the way, and your name is on the marriage certificate." "Besides, if you hadn't been so sweet and generous back then, she would never have had the chance to step between you two." Julian went quiet for a moment, then gave a faint nod. He gently stroked Chloe's hair, telling her not to overthink things. He would handle everything. My nails cut so deep into my flesh that blood began to seep out. It was all a lie. The ten years since I had been welcomed back into this family... Ten years of supposed happiness. It was all an elaborate charade staged just to give Chloe a life of luxury. Chloe was the one legally married to Julian. Chloe was the one who owned all the marital assets. Suffocation clamped down around my throat. My knees gave out, and I stumbled, knocking over a crystal vase on the console table. The loud crash shattered the quiet in the living room. Julian was the first to rush over. Seeing the blood dripping from my palm, he instinctively reached for the first-aid kit to bandage me up. Then, his eyes caught the frozen-account alert on my phone screen, and his brows furrowed with irritation. "Avery, are you seriously throwing a fit over a credit card?" "All you have to do is apologize to Chloe to her face, and I'll restore your limits." Ten years of devotion. And even at this point, I couldn't get a single shred of honesty from him. A ragged laugh ripped from my chest, tears blurring my vision. I shoved the documents I had uncovered right into his chest. "Julian, the marriage was fake. My assets are completely wiped out." "Ten years of love was nothing but a sham." "You two teamed up to play me for a fool. Was it fun?"The room instantly dropped to absolute zero. Tears welled in Chloe's eyes as she stepped toward me, looking completely miserable. "Julian only signed the papers with me back then out of pity, and Mom arranged the assets because she was worried about my future." "Avery, it's my fault. It's all my fault." Before I could even react, Julian yanked Chloe behind him, watching me with sharp hostility. "Avery, if you're angry, take it out on me. Don't touch Chloe." Mom slammed her hand against the table, glaring at me with raw impatience. "Avery, Chloe is carrying Julian's child!" "You've been playing the spoiled rich wife for years. It's not like you're starving." "You've occupied Chloe's rightful place for a decade. Isn't it time you gave it back?" Right then, something inside me snapped completely. I locked eyes with my mother, tears spilling freely down my cheeks. "Mom, you're handing everything that belongs to me over to Chloe, but have you ever stopped to think about what I gave up over the last ten years?!" "When Julian's startup was crashing and burning, I was the one who dragged him through the dirt! I worked myself into a raging fever just to close deals for him!" "Now that we finally made it, you're telling me Chloe is the one who needs all this?" "And you? To clear a path for them, you faked your own disappearance, watching me tear myself apart with worry!" Looking at her, my mind flashed back to three months ago. That day, she had called me, her voice trembling in frantic panic. "Avery, don't look for me." "Someone is watching me. I can't come home." A chill had struck me to the bone. I desperately demanded to know what was going on. All I heard on the other end was a scuffle of chaotic noise. Then, the line went dead. From that day on, she was gone. I called the police, hired private investigators, checked street cameras. I tried every possible avenue, but found nothing. I barely slept for days. On the fourth night, I finally got a lead and drove through the pouring rain to check it out. Halfway there, my car was t-boned. When I woke up in the hospital, the doctor told me that my baby was gone. The baby I had prayed for, tried for, for eight whole years. Lying in that hospital bed, staring at the ultrasound report, my soul felt hollowed out. And my mother was still nowhere to be found. I didn't even have time to grieve. I dragged my broken body out of bed to keep searching for her. On the day of my baby's memorial service, I carried the tiny urn of ashes back to our house. I pushed open the bedroom door, only to find Julian and Chloe tangled together in bed. They didn't even notice me standing in the doorway. Right on the nightstand was the framed ultrasound photo I had set out for my child. In that singular moment, I completely lost my mind. I had lost the baby I waited eight years for. My mother was missing, presumed dead. And my husband was rolling around in our sheets with my sister on the very day of our child's memorial. I grabbed the fruit knife from the counter, my hand shaking so violently I could barely hold it. Back then, Julian had dropped to his knees beside my hospital bed, swearing on our decade of love that it would never happen again, begging me through bloodshot eyes for one more chance. I gave it to him. God, I was so stupid. That suffocating agony rushed back in full force, making my lips quiver uncontrollably. "Theo died two years ago! What's the point of constantly digging up the past?" Mom slammed a plate down on the counter, her face full of disgust. "I think the nursery you decorated for Theo looks lovely. Let Chloe use it." "Her baby will be here soon anyway." The blood in my veins ran ice-cold, my vision tinting red. "Never! That is Theo's room!" Chloe clutched her stomach, her eyes rimmed with red as she grabbed my arm. "Avery, it's just for a few months." "Your kid died young, and I haven't even complained about the bad luck in that room." Her sharp acrylic nails dug brutally into my skin. On instinct, I shoved her away. Chloe instantly tumbled onto the hardwood floor, clutching her belly and screaming at the top of her lungs. "Mom! Julian! Save my baby!" "Avery is trying to kill my baby!" They were so terrified of Chloe getting hurt that before I could even speak, Julian shoved me violently to the floor, and Mom's palm cracked across my face with brutal force. "Chloe is pregnant, you vicious monster!" "I should have let you bleed out in that hospital bed!" She was referring to the time I slit my wrists after the miscarriage. Back then, Julian hadn't stopped me. He had simply smiled and cut his own wrist too. "Avery, without you, I don't want to live either." Yet now, his hands trembled as he cradled Chloe. As he carried her past me, his gaze lingered on my pale, blood-smeared face for a split second, but he didn't utter a single word of protest. In his silence, I read his true regret. He regretted stopping me back then. He regretted keeping me alive to hurt his precious Chloe. At that moment, I didn't even have the strength left to explain. Using the last few dollars in my account, I hailed a cab to Theo's columbarium. All I wanted was to take my baby's ashes and disappear forever. But when I arrived, Theo's urn was gone.A deafening buzz rang through my ears. I immediately dialed Julian's number, but the only response I got was Chloe's mocking giggle. "Avery, if you want your kid's ashes, get over to the hospital." "One second late, and you'll never see him again." I didn't dare hesitate. I drove like a maniac to the hospital. The second I shoved the door open, Julian hurled his phone directly at my head, his teeth clenched in rage. "Avery! Look at what you've done!" The heavy phone split my forehead open. Seeing the blood dripping down my face, Julian's expression stiffened, but he quickly looked away, his eyes softening only when he glanced back at Chloe. Chloe's eyes were swollen from crying. The moment she saw me, she shrieked, covered her head, and dropped to her knees. "Avery, I was wrong! I shouldn't have stolen Julian from you!" "People on Twitter have completely doxxed me! I can't even step out the front door!" I picked up the phone from the floor. On the screen was a trending topic. Social media users had finally connected the dots: while Julian and I had been publicly together for ten years, Chloe had secretly been his side piece the entire time. I casually wiped the blood from my brow and offered a cold smirk. "The internet did that. Don't look at me." "Besides, did they say a single thing that wasn't true?" "Avery!" My mother's eyes turned crimson. She grabbed a pair of surgical shears from the cart and charged straight at me. "How did I give birth to such a cold-blooded freak?!" "Chloe is so sweet, and you just can't stand seeing her happy!" "I should have never brought you back into this family! I should have left you to rot on the streets!" Julian suddenly moved, throwing his hand out to block her path. The sharp edge sliced right across his palm, blood dripping to the floor. I looked up in disbelief. His back was stiff, his voice heavy with exhaustion. "Avery, go live on TikTok and apologize." "Tell everyone that you were the mistress all along. Clear Chloe's name and say you made up all those lies." My eyes snapped wide, my voice trembling. "Julian... are you trying to destroy me?" Julian's eyes were red as he clamped his bloody hand around my wrist. "If you don't apologize, you will never see Theo's ashes again." "You already watched him die once. Do you really want to watch his remains get desecrated too?" I froze in place. Every ounce of my resolve shattered into dust. "Julian... are you even Theo's father?" With shaking hands, I opened the TikTok livestream, claiming all the blame as my own. The comment section exploded in seconds. Is this woman even human? Stealing her sister's man and then cyberbullying her? How is a ten-year homewrecker still walking around shameless? Disgusting. She ruined their relationship for ten years, and an apology is all she gives? Way too easy on her. Holding the urn, Chloe said with feigned helplessness. "Avery, everyone says this is way too easy on you." I bit down on my lower lip until I tasted iron. Then, under the gaze of over a hundred thousand viewers, I raised my hand and slapped myself hard across the face. Again. And again. I didn't stop until my legs gave out and I collapsed to the floor. Only then did Chloe smile and reach out to pull me up. As she handed the urn to me, she leaned close to my ear, her voice dripping with triumphant venom. "I scattered that little bastard's ashes in the sewer days ago." "This urn is completely empty." "All these years, and you haven't grown a single brain cell." "Still as pathetic and stupid as ever!" A bone-chilling frost swept through my entire body. Blinded by pure, unadulterated hatred, my hands locked around her throat. Chloe shrieked in terror. Julian's face paled, and he rushed forward to tear us apart. "Avery, stop it!" "There's a limit to your madness! Don't you dare hurt the baby in Chloe's belly..." I snatched the shears from my mother's hand and plunged them violently into his chest. Blood sprayed across both our faces. I gripped the handle with all my strength, smiling at him through a curtain of tears. I twisted the blade deeper. "Julian, go to hell!"