I wasn’t crazy.
Then something inside me whispered: kitchen.
I don’t know why.
I just knew.
I turned toward the hallway.
Marcus’ laughter stopped.
“Lauren,” he said sharply. “Where are you going?”
His tone had changed.
I didn’t answer.
I walked to the kitchen.
Each step felt like walking into deep water.
I reached the doorway.
And froze.
Standing by the sink… was the woman.
Her back was to me.
Red robe.
Long dark hair.
Water running.
She was washing the red cup.
My throat closed.
“Marcus…” I whispered.
Slowly, she turned.
And my entire body went numb.
It was me.
Not exactly.
But close enough.
Same eyes.
Same nose.
Same mouth.
Like a distorted reflection.
She smiled.
Not kindly.
Marcus stepped behind me.
“You weren’t supposed to see her,” he murmured.
My blood ran cold.
“Who is she?”
He exhaled slowly, like someone tired of explaining something simple.
“She’s what keeps us together.”
My mind couldn’t process it.
“What does that even mean?”
He looked at the woman—at my double—with something almost like reverence.
“I met her years ago,” he said quietly. “Before you. She told me that to keep love from fading… a man must give something of himself. Something raw. Something humiliating. Something powerful.”
My stomach churned.