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Tom pushed himself up from the sofa, his face pale. “Where the hell have you been?” His hands shook as he reached for me,but Nicholas didn’t let go.

“I crashed the car, out in the Peaks—” My legs gave out mid-sentence. Nicholas caught me as I swayed, one arm wrapping firmly around my waist while the other steadied my shoulder. Even through my confusion and exhaustion, my body responded to his touch, desperate to lean further into his strength. Isabel wheeled the desk chair over without a word.

I gripped the armrests, steadying myself. “I was coming back from Adam’s. I needed to think – I was heading to the hilltop bench…”

Adam shifted forward, his usually neat appearance decidedly rumpled, his hair unkempt.

“Stop, Erin.” My mother’s knuckles were white where they gripped her necklace. “That’s enough.”

“Look Mum, I don’t know what you’re doing here—”

“I called them yesterday. After the police were here.” Tom wouldn’t meet my eye.

“The police?” His words sank in. “Wait, what do you mean, yesterday?”

Isabel’s voice was quiet as she explained. “You have been missing for three days. They declared you dead at the scene.”

The room tilted sideways. I must have misheard.

“You’ve done some foolish things in the past, Erin, but this is too far.” My mother pressed her hands against her mouth, her shoulders shaking. “We thought we’d lost you!”

“You thinkIhad something to do with this?” The words scraped in my throat. “What the fuck would I have to gain from that, Mum?”

“Language, Erin,” my dad murmured, but his hand trembled as he reached for my mother.

“There was a body.” Isabel rapped her fingers against the desk. “The vehicle was burned beyond recognition, though they recovered your possessions. The body bore remnants of your clothing.”

“Well it wasn’t my body, Isabel!” My voice was shrill, even to me. This was too strange. My pulse roared in my ears. Nicholas’s fingers interlaced with mine, anchoring me as the implications crashed over me.

“We know. We can see that,” Adam said softly. “The police told Tom yesterday that they couldn’t find a dental or DNA match, but given the circumstances…” His voice trailed off. “We were told we should prepare for the worst.”

I couldn’t breathe properly. Nicholas squeezed my hand tight, kneeling beside the chair.

“They mean to unsettle you, love,” he murmured.

“They’ve damn well succeeded,” I answered under my breath. “This is… too far.”

“The authorities should be informed of your safe return,” Isabel said, straightening from her position at my desk. “They will wish to pursue other avenues regarding the body’s identity.” Her voice was unnecessarily loud, distracting Tom, who had watched my exchange with Nicholas through narrowed eyes.

“Yes,” my dad agreed. My mother crossed to stand with him by the fireplace, his arm sliding around her shoulders. They both stared at me, and I dropped my gaze. It was the only time either of them had ever been here, in my home. That’s what it took toget them here; I had to die. Even Jonathan’s death hadn’t merited a phone call.

I glanced up at them. They were beginning to look old. My mother’s usually pristine bun was coming loose, wisps of grey framing her face. My dad’s unshaven jaw showed more silver than red.

“I’m sorry,” I said, staring at the worn wooden floorboards beneath my feet. My boots were creating a puddle, but I didn’t care anymore.

“We’re glad you’re safe, Erin,” my mother said, her voice carefully controlled. “But I don’t understand. How can they have found your car, your belongings, but you’re here?”

“I don’t know, Mum. I woke up in the river under the bridge. My car and my stuff were gone. It was dark…” The words felt inadequate.

“It’s all a misunderstanding,” Tom said without conviction. “Someone must have stolen Erin’s car and crashed it, that’s all.”

I hoped Tom wouldn’t try to come up with a perfectly normal explanation for all this – my parents’ tolerance for my so-called bullshit was already at its limit. Even my dad wouldn’t believe what had really happened. Or what I suspected had happened, anyway.

But he did.

As Tom wove an increasingly improbable explanation over my head, my eyelids grew heavy. Despite apparently losing three days, physical and mental exhaustion dragged at me. I looked to Nicholas, the only thing keeping me upright – and there was something beyond concern in his gaze. An understandingbetween us: someone had taken me, staged my death, and returned me. This wasn’t over; it was only the beginning.

I didn’t have the strength to think beyond that. My head dropped to my chest, and I passed out.