"I Woke Up in a Life That Wasn’t Mine"
Waking Up in a Stranger’s Life
I opened my eyes to sunlight streaming through a window I didn’t recognize. The bed was too soft. The air smelled like lavender. And someone had called me Emily.
I shot up in bed, panic clawing at my chest. My heart raced. I wasn’t Emily. My name was Sarah. I remembered the job I hated, the apartment I could barely afford, the friends who’d drifted away. I didn’t have a perfect life. But this… This life wasn’t mine.
Confusion and Fear
I stood, my legs unsteady as I stumbled to the window. Outside, a sprawling garden stretched into the horizon. The house was massive, more like a mansion, with tall columns and ivy creeping up the stone walls. I squinted, looking down at my hands. They were smooth, delicate. These aren’t my hands.
I barely had time to process the thought when the door opened behind me.
The Stranger Who Called Me “Emily”
“Good morning, Emily,” a man’s voice said softly.
I turned, my breath caught in my throat. He looked familiar, like someone I should know, but I couldn’t place him. His features were sharp, his eyes a piercing blue. His smile was warm, almost too warm.
“You slept well,” he added, walking toward me. “I’ll have breakfast ready in a few minutes.”
I blinked, trying to focus on his face. “Who are you?”
He raised an eyebrow, a flicker of concern crossing his expression. “Come on, Emily. You’ve been through a lot the last few days. But you’re home now. Everything’s going to be okay.”
My mind raced, and I stepped back instinctively. This wasn’t my home. I wasn’t Emily. I needed to get out of here, figure out what was happening.
The Frustrating Truth
“Wait!” I managed, voice trembling. “I’m not Emily. I don’t know who you are.”
The man’s smile faltered, but only for a second. He looked at me as though I were a puzzle he couldn’t quite solve. “Emily, you’re just—” He stopped mid-sentence. The worry in his eyes deepened. “You don’t remember, do you?”
I shook my head, backing away from him. “I’m not Emily,” I repeated, louder this time, my voice shaking with fear and confusion.
The man’s gaze softened, and he stepped closer, reaching out as though to comfort me. “I’m sorry. I thought… You must be so confused. It’s all right. You’ve been through a lot. But I’m here. We’re together now.”
His words were gentle, but they felt wrong. My heart pounded, a knot tightening in my stomach. This isn’t my life. I need to get out of here.
The Unsettling Phone Call
I grabbed my phone from the nightstand, desperate to call someone, but when I unlocked it, the screen displayed a picture of the two of us—Emily and the man, smiling at the camera In what looked like a vacation photo. The name on the contact list read “Liam – Husband.”
My throat went dry. Husband? I looked back at the man, my mind racing. This wasn’t real. This couldn’t be real.
Breaking Free
“I—I need some air,” I stammered, making my way toward the door.
“Emily, please,” Liam’s voice softened. “I know this is overwhelming, but you need to rest. You need time to adjust.”
His voice had a calming effect, but it didn’t ease the storm of questions swirling in my head. How could I be Emily? How had I ended up here?
I stepped into the hallway, the luxury of the house surrounding me, feeling more like a stranger in a foreign land. The staircase at the end of the hall caught my attention. It led down to what looked like a grand entrance. I was drawn toward it, unable to shake the feeling that something was off—something deep inside me was pulling me to the unknown.
The Final Push
I hesitated before I reached for the door handle. “I’m not Emily,” I whispered to myself, barely hearing my voice over the rising panic. “Who am I? What happened to me?”
As I opened the door, a chill ran through me. Outside, the world looked too perfect. The sun was too bright, the air too still. Was this a dream? Or had I lost my mind?
“Emily, wait!” Liam called from behind me. But I didn’t stop. I couldn’t stop.
The answer I was searching for was out there—beyond the garden, beyond the perfect house, beyond this life that wasn’t mine.
I had to find it.
End.
