Home / Their Deaths Were Faked, But Not Mine / Chapter 1 - Chapter 10

All Chapters of Their Deaths Were Faked, But Not Mine: Chapter 1 - Chapter 10

10 Chapters

Chapter 1

My younger brother, Nick Sutton, pushed the door to our villa open while raising his camera. "We're home, Chuck!" When I heard his voice, I headed straight to the door. It was a sight I had imagined numerous times before I died, that they would return safely and tell me that what happened at the beach was just a misunderstanding. As long as they were still alive, they could blame me or make me beg for forgiveness, and I would never be mad at them for it. However, my outstretched hand went through the shoulder of my mother, Mary Lester.I could no longer hug them.The living room was dark, and only a few white candles, which had been almost burned out, were left. Four funeral portraits were placed on the table along with a birthday cake that had gone moldy. The cream on it had melted, and there were five names written on it along with the words 'Family will always be together'.Nick was not frightened by the funeral parlor atmosphere in the house but laughed out loud instead. "

Chapter 2

Nick turned on his laptop to check the villa's security cameras. "We'll find out soon if Chuck is hiding somewhere."The footage ended on the day I went out to sea. It showed me with a bandaged leg and a band-aid on my forehead. Since returning from the clinic on the island, all I did was sit at the pier, waiting from morning until night, but none of them returned—not even after the cake on the table was ruined from sitting out too long.Nick watched me through the footage and burst out laughing. "Chuck believed that we would go back for him. He wouldn't have waited so patiently on the island for his stitches if I hadn't pretended to fall into the water."Mom glared at him. "Do you have any idea how frightened I was when you were thrashing about in the sea?" "What could've happened to me when the captain was right there?" Nick replied nonchalantly. "Besides, Chuck would've definitely saved me."Dad added with indifference, "He's the older brother. It's his responsibility to take

Chapter 3

The security footage caught me spending a sleepless night. The next morning, I dragged myself out with my bandaged leg and came home only late at night.My clothes were soaked with seawater, and I was missing a shoe. My freshly bandaged wound started bleeding again, and the blood dripped all the way down my calf while I clutched the list of the volunteer search and rescue team. "I'll figure out the money. Please go out to sea first and search for them. I'll pay whatever you want as long as you can find them."Keira's face fell when she saw me take off the engagement ring and put it into a paper box. "What right does he have to sell the engagement ring that I gave to him?"Dad glanced at her. "He thought you were dead."Keira wanted to say something but kept silent in the end. I stared at the ring in her palm. The pawnshop owner had asked me before if I needed money and tried to talk me into reconsidering, since the ring was a highly memorable item, but I did not hesitate. All I

Chapter 4

It had been three days and three nights since the missing persons report had been lodged, and no survivors were found at sea. The police officer leading the investigation called me. "Mr. Sutton, we're only able to confirm that they're missing. The damage on the boat looks suspicious, and we're still investigating the cause, but please don't make the worst assumption."That was my closest brush with the truth.After I hung up, someone in the family group texted that the police did not dare to tell me that my family was dead because they were afraid I would be agitated. My aunt sent me a voice note, "It's all your fault that they can't even find the bodies. Why were you the one who came back alive?"I swiped off the family chat group and called Keira again, holding on to the last of my hope. "Keira, the police said that the accident looks suspicious. Tell me, are they still alive?"Keira knew the truth, but she was not willing to let this prank fail at such a crucial point. There w

Chapter 5

The police had completed the identification through my fingerprints in the records. They were not calling the family to identify my body but to claim it.When they arrived outside the morgue, Dad kept repeating, "They must have made a mistake. Something must have gone wrong somewhere."Mom kept clinging to the wall, refusing to take another step forward. "Chuck has always been afraid of the water, and refuses to take swimming lessons. Why would he walk into the sea?"The police said nothing and placed an evidence bag on the table, which contained a pair of leather shoes, a watch, and a family portrait that had been destroyed in the seawater.Keira stood by the table and reached into her pockets. She had taken the engagement ring from the altar and still had it on her.Nick kept shaking his head. "These things can be faked. Chuck must have left them by the beach and hid himself because he's trying to scare us."The lead officer of the investigation glanced at him and showed everyo

Chapter 6

The police reinvestigated the rock I had sat on for a long time before I walked into the sea, and they found a waterproof bag between the cracks of the rocks. It contained a recording pen.When Dad found it, he thought they finally had some hope. "He must be waiting for us to find him if he left that recording pen behind. He wasn't really trying to kill himself."The police said nothing and pressed on the play button. After a short static noise, my voice was heard. "I'm sorry, Dad."Dad flinched. "I shouldn't have suggested going out to see and forcing everyone to celebrate my birthday. You've always said that I'm not as obedient and understanding as Nick. I'm finally being obedient now. I'll never give you any more trouble."Dad wanted to turn off the recording, but the police stopped him and let the recording continue."Mom, I've called you so many times, not because I want to ask you to save me but because I just want to hear you call me 'Chuck' again."Mom immediately tried

Chapter 7

My death quickly became an open case. The police found the boat captain very soon. Dad thought that if he paid enough money, the captain would keep the prank a secret forever, but when the captain found out someone had really died, he immediately handed over all evidence of the transfer and chat histories.The so-called boat accident had been planned from the very start. The captain damaged the boat first and turned on the distress signal before commandeering another boat with its signal detection turned off to take everyone away.They even prepared bloodied clothes and life vests, doing all this with only one aim, which was to convince me that they died because of me.The police interrogated them separately. Dad tried to explain, "I was just trying to discipline my son. He always thought that we were playing favorites with Nick, and we wanted him to know what it felt like to lose his family."The officer pushed the money transaction records to him. "Is that why you created a fak

Chapter 8

My funeral was held three days later. Mom brought my favorite white shirt from when I was young and insisted on putting it on for me, but the staff did not take it from her. All they said was that I had died with regrets.The search and rescue team got a lawyer to hand my family documents consisting of the will I made the day before I walked into the sea. Every page had my signature and fingerprint. All of my properties, shares, and remaining savings would be donated to charities after paying the search and rescue team.Dad's name was listed as a donor in the first document. The money would be used for searching for missing persons at sea. The lawyer read, "Reputation has always been important to my father. If this money can save someone, I hope his name will be mentioned, and people will say that he did something good."Dad stared at his own name, and his back slowly bent lower. He used to teach me that the Suttons always had to be dignified, which was why I wanted him to be reputa

Chapter 9

My ashes were temporarily placed in the Maritime Public Charity Memorial Hall. Mom came by to visit me every day. She would bring me my favorite food, placing it in front of my ash urn and talking to me for long hours. "I made you your favorite ribs, Chuck. Nick isn't here, so no one is snatching anything from you. Don't be mad and come home with me, all right?"She would sit quietly for a long time after she was done talking, convincing herself that if she waited long enough, I would sigh helplessly as I did before and tell her everything was fine. Unfortunately, an urn would not be able to reply with anything.Dad was punished for creating a fake accident and obstructing the investigation. He even had to pay for the large amount of money used for the search and rescue. However, what destroyed him was not the punishment.Everyone found out that he faked his family's death to teach his son a lesson, and ended up killing his son instead. Sutton Enterprise crumbled quickly over this

Chapter 10

A year later, it was my death anniversary. All four of them came to the place where I had walked into the sea. Dad was no longer a CEO in a suit. His hair had turned gray, and his back was bent. Mom was carrying a chocolate cake she made, while Nick stood the furthest away, no longer acting spoiled because the entire family doted on him.Keira was still wearing the engagement ring around her neck.They placed five chairs on the beach, leaving the middle seat for me, and I went forward to sit on it. Mom put the cake down. "There are no peanuts in this cake, Chuck. I've made sure of it numerous times."She was smiling as she said this, but tears were falling from her eyes. She knew that I was allergic to peanuts, but used to make fun of me for being weak when Nick scattered crushed peanuts on my birthday cake. Now, she finally remembered not to put any on my cake, but I could no longer eat it.Dad lit the birthday candles, but the sea breeze quickly extinguished them. He did not

SCAN CODE TO READ ON APP