In the frozen heart of Chicago, the Baker family is drowning in debt, secrets, and silence. Desperate to avoid eviction, they create an unusual business: pretending to be the perfect family for lonely strangers.Need a supportive father for a corporate dinner?A caring mother for a wedding fitting?A warm family to fill an empty birthday table?For the right price, the Bakers can become anyone.But as their fake relationships grow more intimate, the line between performance and reality begins to disappear. Behind every rented smile lies real grief, hidden loneliness, and the terrifying question of whether human connection can ever truly be bought.Fake Relatives for Hire is a haunting, emotional novel about survival, identity, and the quiet loneliness hidden inside modern life.