All Chapters of Don't Look For Me: Chapter 1 - Chapter 10

My phone screen suddenly lit up. It was a video call from my mother. I tapped to answer.The screen filled with blinding sunlight, and the sound of waves crashed loudly in the background. My mother was wearing a wide sun hat. She angled the camera toward herself and smiled. "Ingrid," she said, "don't be upset that we didn't bring you. The beaches in Chesroy Isles all require bikinis. Imagine scaring people with that face of yours."My father's voice came from off-screen. "It's Nelly's 18th birthday this time, so we're letting her have her way. We'll bring you too when it's your birthday next."I looked at the three of them huddled together on the screen. "No need. I don't plan on celebrating my birthday ever again."There was a brief silence on the other end. The smile vanished from my mother's face. "We just went out to have some fun without telling you in advance. It's your sister's birthday. What's wrong with letting her have her way?"My father snatched the phone. "Ingrid Sc

My aunt sized me up. "Well, Iggy, where are you off to with such a big suitcase? Running away from home?"Her children laughed along.My uncle walked in and set the fruit he brought onto the table. "Andrew, your daughter's got quite the temper these days."My father's face darkened. He strode over, grabbed my arm, and dragged me into the living room. "She's just throwing a tantrum. Sorry to let you all see this."My mother quickly ushered the relatives to sit. "Come, sit. Nelly, go pour your uncle and aunt some water."Natalie stood up obediently, her voice sweet and cheerful. "Uncle, Aunt, please have some water."My aunt took Natalie's hand, beaming. "Sensible as ever, Nelly—and so pretty, too. Not like a certain someone, always hiding behind a mask like she can't be seen."Her daughter leaned back on the sofa and glanced at me. "Iggy, you've been wearing that mask for over ten years, haven't you? Doesn't it feel suffocating? Take it off and let us see if you've gotten even ug

Sitting in the cab to the airport, I pulled the SIM card from my phone, snapped it in half, and tossed it into a trash can outside the window.Inside my bag was a kraft paper envelope containing my grandfather's will. He had left me the old townhouse in the city center. My parents had always thought the copy they burned in front of me was the original. What they did not know was that I had secretly made another copy and filed it with a notary office long ago.Before boarding, I scheduled an email to be sent—a lawsuit that would arrive in their inbox on time. They had taken my assets. Now, I was going to take everything back.The airport announcement echoed through the terminal. "Passengers traveling to Azlita, your flight is now boarding."At that, I threw the family photo into a trash bin outside the security checkpoint, and never looking back, even as I passed through security.…Ten hours later, I landed on the other side of the ocean. Using a new number, I logged into a backu

The cops arrived quickly. Natalie was handcuffed and taken into the patrol car.That evening, I was having dinner at home when the doorbell rang. I checked the monitor and saw my parents kneeling outside. Rain poured down around them, soaking them to the bone as they shivered uncontrollably.Once I opened the door, my mother shuffled forward on her knees and grabbed my legs. "Iggy, please spare Nelly! She'll be sentenced to years for assault! She's your sister!"I kicked her hand away. "Did she remember I was her sister when she threw sulfuric acid at me?"My father lifted his head, his face streaked with tears. "Iggy, everything was our fault. Astera Pharmaceuticals is bankrupt. The bank is repossessing the house tomorrow. We have nothing left. As long as you tell the police it was all a misunderstanding and that you weren't hurt, Nelly can be released."I looked at them. "Have you forgotten what you told the police the last time I nearly died from a peanut allergy? You said I wa

The recording was short—only twenty seconds—but every word rang clearly in Natalie's ears.She stood there with her mouth open, frozen.The love she had been so proud of, the family bond she had believed in without question—all of it was torn apart in less than half a minute."Ah!" A sharp, piercing scream tore out of her. She dropped the receiver and began slamming her head wildly against the reinforced glass. "It's fake! It's all fake! I'm the Scott heiress! I'm the lucky one!"The female officers rushed forward immediately and pinned her down.I set the receiver back in place, stood up, and smoothed the creases on my suit. "In that case, spend your lucky life in here for the next three years."I turned and walked out of the visitation room without sparing her another glance.…At a red light beneath the overpass on the way to the airport, I lowered the car window to let in some air.By a roadside trash can, an old man and an old woman were fighting over an empty plastic bot