Chapter 5 Look Alike

"At last, I was beginning to feel comfortable here, wrapped in a fragile bubble of ease, still blissfully ignorant of the truth about who I really was. And yet,the edges of my mind, a part of my heart clung tightly to the illusion, desperate to believe it was real. A dream she never wants to leave. Katherine was lost deep in her thoughts.

No sooner had she headed towards the staircase than the sound of the doorbell rang through the house. Her foot had barely touched the first step.She paused, only the faint sound from the television and little noise in the kitchen was heard. But then it came again! "It had to be Damon!" her face shining with a smile, heart lifting with a rush of excitement, she turned around, her slippers hitting against the floor as she hurried toward the door.

Her hands shook slightly on the lock, a soft breath escaping her as she turned the handle and pulled the door open.

She stood still.

The cool evening air slipped past her, brushing against her skin, but she didn't move.The powerful smile she once wore faded away. Her hopes crushed to the ground, causing a sharp piercing pain within her. Her hand held the door knob tightly, revealing half of the view, her gaze fixed on the figure standing before her, she stood firm, unwilling to move.

The words she had planned, the cheerful greeting, the words lost in her mouth, leaving only a stunned, breathless silence in their wake.

None of them moved and for a split second they kept staring at each other like they were in some sort of competition.

The evening carried with it a faint scent of something old, familiar, yet laced with a strong sense that caused every hair in her body to stand. .

She held the knob of the door tightly, causing the blood in her knuckles to cease and turning white.

Still, the figure said nothing.

No greeting.

No movement except that careful, measured step closer, as if testing her boundaries... or mocking her hesitation.

A thousand questions raced through her mind, but they all tangled into one suffocating realization, whoever stood there wasn't a stranger.

Somewhere, deep within her, her soul recoiled with recognition before her mind could catch up.

She forced herself to finally whisper, her voice dry and cracking at the edges.

"Who... who are you?"

For a moment longer, the silence dragged out, thick, heavy, electric, before a voice, low and unsettlingly calm, slipped through the gap between them.

"You already know."

The word heavy echoed in her head causing her to be paralyzed for a brief moment.

The figure moved again, stepping forward with deliberate slowness, letting the dying light catch just enough of their outline, enough to see a coat, dark and heavy, clinging to a tall frame. Still, its face remained hidden, tucked in the shadows where the last strands of daylight couldn't reach.

There was something achingly familiar in the way the person. moved, the way the person lingered. A ghost of a memory clawed at her, blurred faces, lost voices, but she couldn't reach it. Not yet.

Just then as the flickering street light brightened for a moment,she could see the figure clearly. Standing right in front of her but a few meters away was someone who looked exactly like her - the same dark hair, the same sharp eyes, even the slight tilt of the mouth she often caught in the mirror. This was real, it wasn't an illusion. Before her was really a living reflection of her. A loud thud hit her heart.

Who is she? she thought wildly, her mind racing. How is this even possible? The rate of heartbeat seemed to drop. She wasn't sure what to expect from all this.

The lady walked past her without acknowledging her presence,only the soft rustle of her dress touched Katherine's skin leaving an impression as the sign of her passing. Katherine, watching in disbelief, stood still as the woman swept into the living room completely ignoring her like she was a pin that couldn't be seen nor found.

"This is my house! And for this reason, you can't just walk in without being welcomed. I didn't acknowledge you passing through!" Katherine's voice cut through the air, firm and unyielding, as she spoke with an authority that demanded attention.

"Your house?" The lady let out a soft chuckle, her lips pouted into a smirk and she laughed as she said, "is that so?" Amusement was seen all over her, as if the very idea of resistance entertained her.

" Damon wouldn't dare chase me out of this house not to talk of you calling it yours?" This house is mine and not yours Katherine.

Amusement flickered in Katherine's eyes as the lady casually uttered both her and Damon's names. A thousand quests looked into her mind, where did such audacity come from? What really caused fear and displeasure within her was the confidence with which the woman spoke, like she knew them, like she had all the answers.

"As of now, Damon isn't here yet and this house is mine! I don't give a fuck of who you are! All I know is this is my husband's house."

"Husband! Really now! The chance to call him that would have been equivalent to winning a trophy, if I hadn't left!" The lady yelled at the top of her voice, displeasure flickered across her face, tightening her fist and stomping her feet.

Katherine could no longer withstand the displeasure and irritating behavior of the lady. "Get out of my house!" Her words carried the weight of command, making it clear she expected to be obeyed."

She stood stiffly, expecting her to turn and leave without a word. But instead, the woman laughed, cold and defiant. Her breaths became uneven as the thudding in her chest increased. Her tongue tied, she couldn't find a single word and for a moment she was utterly speechless.

"Who the hell is she?" Katherine remained puzzled.