Chapter 2

My hands shook, but my mind was surprisingly clear.

This was a second chance. A horrible, terrifying second chance.

I fumbled for my secure, offline-synced phone. The one the project allowed for occasional, approved communication.

"Husband," the contact read. David.

I scrolled through years of photos. Us on our honeymoon, laughing. Us on the couch, his arm around me. Loving messages sent before my assignment, and the few carefully worded ones during.

My David.

My fingers flew, taking screenshots of everything. Every photo, every message.

I plugged in the encrypted drive I always carried, a tiny sliver of metal, and backed it all up.

A small measure of control. Proof.

The plane doors opened. I took a deep breath and walked out, bracing myself.

The airport terminal. The noise. The people.

And then, him.

Kevin.

Greasy, overweight, that same stained shirt.

"Honey, you're finally back!" he wheezed, reaching for me.

I sidestepped his attempted kiss. "Don't touch me."

My voice was cold, hard.

He looked theatrically wounded. "Sarah? After three years?"

David and Jessica appeared, right on cue. David with that same look of pity, Jessica with her false concern.

"Sarah, what's wrong with you?" David asked, his voice laced with disappointment. "This is Kevin. Your husband."

"No," I said, my voice louder this time. "My husband is David. And I have proof."

I held up my phone, ready to show the screenshots.

My heart stopped.

The images. They were changing.

Right before my eyes, David's face in the photos morphed, shifted, became Kevin's.

The loving messages now addressed "My dearest Kevin."

It was happening in real-time. A digital nightmare unfolding in my hand.

Kevin pulled out a marriage certificate, laminated and official-looking. "See? Sarah Miller and Kevin Brewer. Married five years ago."

He sniffled, tears welling in his eyes. "She always gets like this after a long trip. Confused."

The onlookers, initially wary of Kevin's approach, now softened towards him.

He was the wronged husband. I was the unstable wife.

"She's denying me," Kevin sobbed, "after I waited three long years."

David put a comforting arm around Kevin. "It's okay, man. She's just tired."

Jessica nodded sadly. "She needs rest. Maybe a doctor."

They were painting me as delusional. Unhinged.

I remembered the first life. The attack. The end.

This was a conspiracy, deeper and more insidious than I could imagine.

I couldn't fight them here. Not like this.

"I... I don't feel well," I stammered, clutching my chest. "I need some air."

I let my eyes roll back a little, feigned a gasp.

A panic attack. My only way out.

Before anyone could react, I grabbed my luggage and pushed through the crowd, running for the exit.

I had to get away. I had to think.