Chapter 1

Living alone, I kept feeling like there was a second person in my home.

This morning, I'd just finished making breakfast. The moment I turned around, the fried egg was gone.

Freshly washed clothes hung in the closet suddenly had stains on the collar.

I turned the house upside down and installed security cameras, but found nothing.

Just when I let my guard down, my boyfriend smiled and pulled me close—

"You were so passionate last night. The moment I walked through your door, you threw yourself at me."

My blood ran cold.

But last night, I wasn't even home.

My boyfriend McMenaman's fingers were still brushing against my waist. Seeing my face turn ghost-white, he paused and leaned in to touch my face, his tone teasing:

"What's wrong, babe? Embarrassed? You sure didn't act like this when you were holding onto my neck last night, refusing to let go."

Every muscle in my body tensed. The pain of my nails digging into my palms barely brought me back to my senses.

I stared into his eyes, my voice shaking:

"You're saying... you saw me in my room last night?"

McMenaman nodded, the smile still on his face.

He reached out to put his arm around my waist, but I instinctively dodged.

He froze, confused:

"Yeah, wasn't there a power outage? I was worried you'd be scared, so I came over to keep you company."

"When I came in, before I could even turn on the lights, you threw yourself at me. Your hair was in those new big waves you got permed. I'd recognize those curls anywhere."

Every word he spoke was like an ice pick stabbing into my bones.

I grabbed his arm hard enough to make him wince:

"I'm not joking, McMenaman. I really wasn't home last night."

"I told you last week—Dottie just went through a breakup. I stayed with her for a couple days. Last night I slept at her place the whole time. I never came back."

The smile slowly froze on McMenaman's face.

He reached out to feel my forehead, panic creeping into his voice:

"Stop messing around. This isn't funny."

"Only you and I have keys to your place. We just changed to that high-security lock last month. Who else could it be but you?"

"Besides, we've been together three years. You think I'd mistake your body, your voice?"

"Last night you sounded exactly like you always do. Even the perfume was the same!"

I didn't argue with him. With trembling hands, I pulled out my phone and called Dottie on speaker.

The phone rang twice before she picked up, her voice hoarse from just waking up:

"What's up, honey? You left your cartoon bathrobe here when you left this morning. When are you coming to get it?"

I took a deep breath:

"Dottie, tell me the truth. Did I sleep at your place last night?"

"Duh, where else would you be?"

Dottie yawned, her tone teasing.

"We stayed up until three watching horror movies. You were so scared you cried while hugging my arm, and you made me get you an ice-cold Coke. Don't tell me you forgot already?"

"Or is McMenaman checking up on you? Want me to vouch for you?"

"No need, thanks Dottie."

I hung up and looked up to see McMenaman's face white as paper, sweat beading on his forehead.

He staggered back a step and bumped into the dining table behind him.

The glass I'd just set there wobbled and crashed to the floor, shattering.

"That's impossible... how can this be?"

He muttered to himself for a moment, then suddenly rushed toward the bedroom like a madman.

I heard the loud bang of the closet doors being flung open, clothes being torn down in heaps.

Then the sound of him crouching down to search under the bed, the storage boxes on the balcony being turned upside down.

The whole place looked like it had been ransacked by thieves.

Ten minutes later, he emerged covered in dust, shaking his head with vacant eyes:

"Nothing... there's nothing."

I leaned against the wall, my legs so weak I could barely stand, and finally fumbled for my phone with shaking hands to dial 911.