Daniel stood on the sidewalk, taking in the quiet residential street. Music drifted from a house two doors down, and he could hear the sound of children playing in a backyard somewhere behind the row of homes. A dog barked from across the street, followed by a woman's voice calling it inside. The neighborhood felt peaceful, the kind of place where people knew each other's names and waved from their front porches.
Cassandra looked at him, her eyes searching his face. "Don't you like it?"
Daniel stared at the modest two-story house in front of them, with its small front garden and white picket fence. The way she asked the question, so hopeful yet certain, made something twist in his stomach. "It's... nice."
Laughter came from the house next door, where he could see people moving around through the kitchen window.
"Those are the Hendersons," Cassandra said, following his gaze. "They have dinner parties every Friday night."
"When you say 'we,'" Daniel said slowly, "you mean we'll both live here? Together?"
"Yes," she said simply, as if it were the most natural thing in the world.
Cassandra reached into her purse and pulled out a set of keys. "Shall we go inside?"
They walked up the concrete path to the front door, their hands still joined. As Cassandra put the key in the lock, she spoke thoughtfully.
"I know it might seem strange, the idea of a wife buying a house for her husband. Most people expect it to be the other way around. But I thought you needed somewhere stable, somewhere that could truly be home."
'Where did that come from?' Daniel thought, caught off guard by the sudden shift in conversation. 'Why is she talking like we've been married for years?'
Daniel felt uncomfortable. "It's not like that. I mean, it's not about who buys what for who."
The door opened, and Cassandra turned to face him, her expression suddenly vulnerable.
"Don't you want us to live here together? I can find another place if you'd prefer. Something different."
Daniel's mind raced. 'How can I say no when she can easily hurt me again? When she's already marked me once?' The thought of refusing her made his skin crawl.
"So?" she asked softly.
Daniel forced a smile. "I like it. It's perfect."
Cassandra's face lit up with genuine pleasure. "I'm so glad. Come, let me show you inside."
She stepped through the doorway, and Daniel followed. They entered a small hallway with a coat closet and mirror. The house smelled faintly of vanilla candles.
"The living room is through here," Cassandra said, leading him forward.
Daniel pulled out his phone and quickly typed with one hand: *She's here with me now. I'm confused. Don't even know what to do.*
He stared at the screen, waiting. 'Come on, come on, reply to me.'
They entered a medium-sized living room. A large television sat against one wall, with a comfortable couch facing it. Everything was tastefully decorated, warm and inviting.
But what caught Daniel's attention were the framed photographs on the walls.
Pictures of him and Cassandra together.
Daniel's breath caught in his throat, his entire body going rigid. There they were, smiling like any normal couple. At restaurants he'd never been to. At events he couldn't remember. In what looked like this very living room, his arm around her shoulders.
His vision blurred at the edges. 'Jesus Christ... what the fuck is this?'
Cassandra noticed his expression and moved closer to him, following his gaze to the photos.
"Do you like them?" she asked softly. "I made them from our separate photos. Digital editing is amazing now, isn't it? I thought it would make the house feel more like home for a married couple."
Her voice was calm, matter-of-fact, as if photo-editing fake relationship pictures was the most reasonable thing in the world.
Daniel's hands were shaking now. "This is insane. This is completely insane."
Before Daniel could say more, Cassandra's phone began ringing. She pulled it from her purse and glanced at the screen.
"Excuse me, darling. I need to take this," she said, already heading toward the stairs. "Make yourself comfortable. I'll just be a moment."
Daniel watched her disappear up the staircase, her heels clicking against the wooden steps. A few seconds later, he heard her voice drifting down from upstairs.
"Hello? Yes, I'm here now... I'm with my husband, actually... No, everything's going perfectly..."
Her voice grew fainter as she moved deeper into the upstairs area, but the words 'my husband' echoed in Daniel's mind.
Alone in the living room, Daniel quickly pulled out his phone. His hands were shaking as he scrolled to Noah's number and pressed call.
The phone rang once. Twice. Three times.
"Come on, pick up," Daniel whispered urgently.
The call went to voicemail. Daniel's chest tightened with panic.
The sound of heels on the stairs made him quickly end the call and shove his phone back in his pocket. Cassandra appeared at the bottom of the staircase, her expression serene.
"Let me show you the bedroom," she said, gesturing for him to follow her upstairs.
Daniel's legs felt heavy as he climbed the stairs behind her. The master bedroom was large and bright, with big windows and a king-sized bed with white linens.
"It's big enough for both of us," she said, turning to smile at him. "Plenty of room to be comfortable."
She moved closer, close enough that he could hear her heartbeat, steady and calm. Close enough that she could hear his, racing frantically.
Cassandra reached up and brought his head down toward hers, threading her fingers through his hair. Before he could react, her lips were on his.
She kissed him slowly, deliberately. Daniel stood frozen, his mind screaming at him to pull away, but he couldn't make himself move.
She kept kissing him, her hand resting against his chest. For a moment, Daniel felt himself getting lost in it, in the warmth and the way she seemed to fit against him.
Then reality crashed back.
Daniel broke away, breathing hard. "Uh, I have to get my clothes from the hotel."
'I have to get to Noah,' he thought desperately. 'I have to get out of here.'
Cassandra smiled that same patient smile. "I brought them for you."
"What do you mean?"
She walked to a large wardrobe and opened it. "I figured today being Friday, you'd be stressed about the weekend, going back and forth to get your things. So I went to the hotel and got your clothes and luggage."
Daniel's mouth went dry. Ice flooded his veins. "How did you get inside the hotel? How did you know where I was staying?"
His voice cracked with barely controlled panic.
Cassandra stepped closer, her tone gentle. "I know I overstepped, darling, but I was just trying to help you, so you wouldn't stress yourself."
Daniel saw what looked like genuine concern in her face. It made him feel like he was losing his mind.
"You should have told me before going there," he forced himself to say, his voice hollow.
'What the fuck am I saying? Am I acting like her husband now?'
"But how did you get into my room without my key?" Daniel asked. "How did the receptionist give you access?"
"The hotel manager is my best friend," Cassandra said easily. "She agreed I should help my husband with his things."
Daniel searched her face for any sign of lies. There was nothing. Just that same calm certainty.
"So do you forgive me?" she asked quietly.
Daniel looked at her for a long moment. "Yes, I forgive you."
Cassandra's smile was radiant.
She opened another section of the wardrobe, revealing expensive-looking clothes in his exact size.
"And I got you some new clothes too," she said with that same bright smile. "Do you like them?"
Daniel walked to the bed and sat down heavily. The mattress was more comfortable than anything he'd ever owned.
"They look good," he said.
Cassandra's smile never wavered. "I'll make some coffee in the kitchen," she said, her voice taking on that domestic tone that made everything feel both normal and completely insane.
Daniel watched her walk away. She paused in the doorway and looked back.
"Make yourself at home, darling. This is your house now too."
Then she was gone, leaving Daniel alone in the bedroom that was apparently his, surrounded by clothes that fit him perfectly and pictures of a life he couldn't remember living.
He pulled out his phone again, checking for Noah's response.
Nothing.
Daniel stared at the screen, then at the wardrobe, then at the doorway where Cassandra had disappeared.
'What the hell have I gotten myself into?' The question felt less like confusion now and more like the beginning of real, bone-deep terror.