I never thought pretending to have a job would change my life — but it did.

Last year, I was fired by email. No warning, no severance, not even a call. Just gone. But the strangest part? They never removed me from Slack, email, or meetings. So I kept showing up like nothing happened.

At first, it was denial. Then it became survival. For two months, I logged into Zoom, gave updates on projects I wasn’t assigned to, even walked into the office once or twice. Nobody questioned it.

Then one day, the CEO messaged me: “I liked your ideas in the last meeting. Want to head our new project?”

My heart stopped. I told him the truth — I’d been fired weeks ago but kept showing up because I believed in the work. Instead of anger, he was impressed. Turns out HR had cut me without even telling him. A day later, he officially offered me the lead role.

So yes, I got my job back — better than before — all because I refused to disappear.

Sometimes, showing up when no one expects you to can change everything.