Ben sat at the edge of the bed, staring at the woman beside him.
She was Ellie. She had to be.
She had her voice. Her scent. Her smile.
But something in him screamed that she wasn't.
He ran a hand through his disheveled hair. It had been a month since Ellie disappeared. Two weeks since the nightmares stopped. The voices, the flickering shadows, the weight of a presence that had tormented him for so long—gone.
It should have been a relief.
But it wasn't.
Because something was missing.
Not just something—someone.
His chest tightened. His mind felt like a puzzle with missing pieces.
He couldn't remember who. Or what. But there was a hole inside him, something erased, scrubbed from existence.
And then there was Ellie.
She was different.
Her touch lingered too long.
Her gaze felt hungry, possessive.
She wasn't afraid of the dark anymore.
She didn't flinch at the sound of whispers in the night.
And the worst part?
She watched him like she knew. Like she could see the confusion in his eyes. Like she was waiting for him to figure it out.
"Ben…"
Her voice was soft, sultry. She moved closer, sliding a hand along his arm. The touch sent a chill through him.
"You're always so tense." Her lips curled into a slow, knowing smile. "Let me help with that."
Ben swallowed hard. He wanted to lean in. His body reacted like it always had to Ellie.
But then—that voice.
It wasn't just Ellie's. It had a hint of something else.
Something that didn't belong.
He pulled back.
"What's wrong?" she asked, tilting her head.
Wrong.
Everything.
But he couldn't say it.
Because he didn't remember.
His mind was blank. The name Victoria didn't exist to him. The haunting never happened. The betrayal, the rage, the regret—gone.
His memories were stitched together with holes, but every time he tried to focus on them, he felt a sharp, sickening headache—like something was forcing him to forget.
The thing in Ellie's body had made sure of it.
"You're different," he whispered, searching her face.
Ellie—not Ellie—smiled.
"You're just tired, love."
Her fingers trailed over his jaw, her lips brushing his ear.
"Come to bed."
Ben's stomach twisted.
His instincts screamed at him.
This wasn't Ellie.
Not anymore.
But if he didn't remember what was wrong…
How could he fight it?