diff --git a/lsm/src/store/lsm_store_disk_read.c b/lsm/src/store/lsm_store_disk_read.c
index 17b91d7..8ce53c1 100644
--- a/lsm/src/store/lsm_store_disk_read.c
+++ b/lsm/src/store/lsm_store_disk_read.c
@@ -142,6 +142,7 @@ lsm_error lsm_store_load_db(lsm_store *store) {
   uint64_t db_dim[2];
   lsm_str *key;
   lsm_entry_handle *handle;
+  bool valid_entry;
 
   rewind(store->idx_file);
 
@@ -152,24 +153,43 @@ lsm_error lsm_store_load_db(lsm_store *store) {
   for (uint64_t i = 0; i < store->idx_file_block_count; i++) {
     uint64_t idx_file_offset = store->idx_file_size;
 
-    LSM_RES(lsm_entry_read_str(&key, &store->idx_file_size, store->idx_file));
-    LSM_RES(lsm_fread(&db_dim, &store->idx_file_size, store->idx_file,
-                      sizeof(uint64_t), 2));
-    LSM_RES(lsm_store_insert(&handle, store, key));
+    LSM_RES(lsm_fread(&valid_entry, &store->idx_file_size, store->idx_file,
+                      sizeof(bool), 1));
 
-    // Read attributes from database file
-    if (fseek(store->db_file, db_dim[0], SEEK_SET) != 0) {
-      return lsm_error_failed_io;
+    if (valid_entry) {
+      LSM_RES(lsm_entry_read_str(&key, &store->idx_file_size, store->idx_file));
+      LSM_RES(lsm_fread(&db_dim, &store->idx_file_size, store->idx_file,
+                        sizeof(uint64_t), 2));
+      LSM_RES(lsm_store_insert(&handle, store, key));
+
+      // Read attributes from database file
+      if (fseek(store->db_file, db_dim[0], SEEK_SET) != 0) {
+        return lsm_error_failed_io;
+      }
+
+      LSM_RES(lsm_fread(&handle->wrapper->entry->data_len, NULL, store->db_file,
+                        sizeof(uint64_t), 1));
+      LSM_RES(lsm_entry_read_attrs(NULL, handle, store->db_file));
+
+      handle->wrapper->entry->idx_file_offset = idx_file_offset;
+      lsm_entry_close(handle);
+
+      store->db_file_size += db_dim[1];
     }
+    // Simply skip the invalid entry
+    else {
+      uint64_t key_len;
+      LSM_RES(lsm_fread(&key_len, &store->idx_file_size, store->idx_file,
+                        sizeof(uint64_t), 1));
 
-    LSM_RES(lsm_fread(&handle->wrapper->entry->data_len, NULL, store->db_file,
-                      sizeof(uint64_t), 1));
-    LSM_RES(lsm_entry_read_attrs(NULL, handle, store->db_file));
+      uint64_t remaining = key_len + 2 * sizeof(uint64_t);
 
-    handle->wrapper->entry->idx_file_offset = idx_file_offset;
-    lsm_entry_close(handle);
+      if (fseek(store->idx_file, remaining, SEEK_CUR) != 0) {
+        return lsm_error_failed_io;
+      }
 
-    store->db_file_size += db_dim[1];
+      store->idx_file_size += remaining;
+    }
   }
 
   return lsm_error_ok;
diff --git a/lsm/src/store/lsm_store_disk_write.c b/lsm/src/store/lsm_store_disk_write.c
index 3482f53..3c9293d 100644
--- a/lsm/src/store/lsm_store_disk_write.c
+++ b/lsm/src/store/lsm_store_disk_write.c
@@ -65,6 +65,9 @@ lsm_error lsm_write_idx_entry(uint64_t *size, FILE *idx_file, lsm_entry *entry,
 
   LSM_RES(lsm_fseek(idx_file, pos));
 
+  bool valid_entry_marker = true;
+  LSM_RES(lsm_fwrite(size, idx_file, sizeof(bool), 1, &valid_entry_marker));
+
   LSM_RES(lsm_write_str(size, idx_file, entry->key));
   LSM_RES(lsm_fwrite(size, idx_file, sizeof(uint64_t), 1, &offset));
   LSM_RES(lsm_fwrite(size, idx_file, sizeof(uint64_t), 1, &len));