The lights came back on, but instead of the brightly lit white room of the photography studio, the light brightened the hospital room and bed where my body lay. Fresh vases of bright flowers accompanied the posters and pictures made by my fans.

Even the potent smell of roses filled my nostrils and flushed out any trace of the astringent sterile smell of the hospital.

I stood, tempted to walk toward my body, with tubes hooked up to it leading to machines and monitors, but as I stepped toward the scene, the entire room glided back as if on a conveyer belt. No matter how fast or slow I walked or ran, the entire room shifted, keeping one step out of my reach.

My body lay motionless on the hospital bed except for the steady rise and fall of the abdomen with each breath. The more I looked at it, the more I realized how translucent it had become. How much time had passed? How long has my body been lying there?

With the thought of being alone in the room, the door to the room opened. Beyond the open entry was still, quiet and the same blackness that constantly enveloped me. It was only when Joselyn walked through that I could make her out, appearing like a beautiful bridesmaid carrying a bouquet of red roses through the fog.

My heart skipped a beat in excitement, and I could have sworn the machine connected to my body spiked in rhythm, too.

"Jos?" I called out, but of course she didn't acknowledge me.

She shambled to the edge of the bed to sit. She didn't seem to notice how the wrinkled white sheets beneath were visible through the limbs of my body. With her head down, tears glistened on her cheek, and she stared at the monitor and the lines and numbers that scrolled across the screen. "Why, Rhea? Why you? Why now? You had such a wonderful future ahead. I can't believe that was taken from you."

I nodded, agreeing with her when she muttered, "He belongs in jail for what he did." She caressed a rose petal with her fingers, nearly plucking it off absentmindedly. "I know you probably can't hear me, but I want you to know that your fans miss you. Hell, I miss you. I'm sure Nolan misses you, too."

"No. Nolan can rot in hell." I sneered at her comment. Didn't she know? Hasn't what he's done made headlines by now? I searched my mind for an explanation, but couldn't come up with anything to explain why she would say such a thing.

"I hope they find the guy who hit you and shove his car up his ass for leaving the scene." She wiped the flowing tears from her rosy, red cheeks with her bare palm like a toddler. "This world is so fucked. But don't worry, I'm sure Nolan's looking down at you, giving you the strength to pull through and fully recover."

"Looking down on me? Are you kidding?" I couldn't stop my head from shaking in confusion and disappointment, even as she pulled a torn sliver of paper from her pocket and unfolded it. "So, Nolan is really dead?" I asked her, knowing she wouldn't respond but couldn't help speaking it aloud. "He died? How?" I had hoped she would've known the truth, or at least suspected it, but she seemed oblivious to the entire situation.

Distracted by the words on the piece of paper, she silently read over it, folded it back up, and stuffed it back in her rear pocket. Once secured in her pocket, her face twisted in emotional discomfort again, and she hurled herself over my body and sobbed uncontrollably.

Her abrupt actions took me aback, but I shook away my reservations. "Where is Nolan, Jos?" I asked again, hoping she would somehow hear me and answer. Was his body lying in a hospital bed, too? Was he barely hanging on like I was, or was he finished? "Is he dead? Jos, answer me?"

"I'm here." The bass in Nolan's voice rattled inches from my ear. Startled, I turned, leaving the false safety of the hospital room and Jos to fade to the blackness behind me. "I missed you, baby. I'm not going anywhere." His toes pointed toward the ground as he hovered. His sunken face emphasized his deep cheek dimples and chiseled jawline, making him appear like a typical movie villain and nothing like the healthy, athletically fit man I fell in love with.

"Are you dead? Did you die?" I backed away, but he drifted toward me, keeping pace with my steps.

He lifted his arms, showcasing the crimson wounds and the stains they left on his forearms. "I did it for you."

I brought my hand to my mouth to suppress my scream. "Why?" I spoke through my fingers, afraid to remove my hand and reveal my revolt.

"To be with you." His eyes held no personality, no charm like they used to. A void, only emptiness, stared back at me. "I've meant it when I said I'd die without you. I'd stop at nothing to keep you. You're mine."

"Oh, my god!" The realization of what was happening hit me and I turned to run. Again, not knowing where I was heading, but my aim was to put as much space between me and him as possible.

I didn't feel the impact of the ground beneath my feet, but I ran regardless, making headway, refusing to look behind me. Afraid that he would be on my heels and slow me if I dare attempted to glance.

But what caught my attention up ahead halted me on the spot.

Nolan, in all his naked glory, sprawled on the sofa of his apartment. A few years younger, possessing the handsome looks of any rock star or athlete I ever witnessed without the need to possess the talent. Perfect hair slicked back on his head, beautifully kept eyebrows that framed his robust face, yet completely hairless on every other part of his body. In the low light of the fireplace, he showcased the muscles and definition that would make anyone swoon.

In fact, I remembered him being in that exact position. It was after signing my first huge fashion deal. We were celebrating the achievement as it marked the first huge milestone in my career. The bottles of liquor sat on the coffee table arranged out of the way of the warm, crackling fire.

There I was, approaching him with a strawberry in one hand and a can of whipped cream in the other as he lay enticingly on the sofa. My bare breasts caught his attention first and then his eyes travelled to the pair of black lace panties that made up my entire ensemble. The yellow and orange light of the dancing flame flickered on her tanned skin.

From directly behind me in the darkness, Nolan's haunting voice whispered, "We were perfect, weren't we?"

I refused to turn and acknowledge him or to even run to get away. What was the point? But a chill crept down my spine, reminding me that in this space I wasn't alone. I kept my eyes glued to my past self as she straddled the man on the sofa. "You deserved better, Rhea." I shook my head, feeling the heaviness of sadness in my chest. Of course, that version of me didn't know what was destined for her in this relationship. She didn't know the pain, control, and lack of freedom she would encounter with the tantalizing man of her dreams.

The ghastly presence of Nolan remained at my back. "This was the first time we professed our love. Do you remember?" His voice sent an icy unease along the hairs at the back of my neck, but I still refused to turn or answer him.

In fact, I didn't want to see him at all. Just the thought of him floating inches above the ground with the lack of personality I grew accustomed to was bad enough. But the gruesome wounds on his arms, the blood, and the distant look on his face, void of any pleasantness, triggered my fight-or-flight response. The fact that he was the reason I was now in this dark and eerie realm—

A squeal of laughter brought my attention to the bliss on her face. The fun and pleasure she experienced, and then Nolan said it, "I love you." The man who had wrapped that Rhea in his arms whispered it in her ear just as the ghastly creature behind me whispered it I mine. "I love you, Rhea. You're mine forever."

Rhea tossed her head back in glee, red hair flung behind her as she moaned in pleasure, smiled in bliss, and rode the handsome beast. "I love you, forever."

An icy hand on my arm spun me around, forcing me to investigate the pale and sunken face of the man I used to know. "See? We belong together," he declared without moving his mouth.

I didn't have to look behind me to know the scene had dissipated. The light, warmth, and energy of that memory were long gone. Faded and possibly never to return.

"What's the point of this?" I finally asked, searching the two hollow holes on his face for some resemblance of a man. "Why am I here?"

"To surrender." He emphasized the S in the word, making it slither from his lips like a serpent, although his mouth remained closed. His icy palm crept up my arm, but no matter how much he tried to calm me, it did the opposite. "Submit."

"No." I pulled my arm from his grip.

His brow bone accentuated as he glared. "You're ill, Rhea." He shook his head, and as he did, the familiar handsome man looked back at me. "You're ill and now I must figure out what to do about that."

"What?" Confused, I backed away and only when my vision readjusted that I recognized the brightly lit studio and the other Rhea in the place I had just been standing.

"You're utterly insane to say what you said on a public platform," he continued, speaking to her. They both looked distressed and like they hadn't met sleep for some time. "I saw it all. Apparently, you never wanted to be the spokesperson for SSL? Well, that's news to me, especially since you signed the contract, Ms. Rhea Patel."

I moved to investigate the look on her face. "No, I didn't like how they implied only certain types of people could wear their clothes." Her voice raised as if she were finally releasing her unbridled frustrations. "I told you that, and you, yes you, Mr. Nolan Hudson, convinced me to sign the contract because it was 'a great financial move.' So, thank you for convincing me to sell my soul."

Oh no. I recognized this moment. I knew exactly what was happening and what would happen next. Panic rushed through me, causing me to freeze.

He chuckled. "So, now I forced your signature on that contract?"

"I had morals." She sneered at him in disgust, and I sensed the frustration in her voice.

This was it. This was the moment I dreaded, but all I could do was watch.

"What is morality when there's money involved?" He scoffed and stuffed his hands in his pant pockets.

Rhea shook her head, and from this perspective I could see in her face that she was finally done with his shit. Could he sense it, too? She went on, "You don't care about me. This whole relationship is based on padding your pockets. Just admit it."

"How dare you say that!" He placed his hand over the empty space in his chest where his heart should have been. "It's clear you have no idea how much I love you. Sure, the money is great, but I will literally lay down and die for you. After all these years, how can you not see it?"

They continued arguing, but from behind handsome Nolan appeared the gruesome ghoul who resembled him. The haunting figure leaned toward Nolan to press his lips to Nolan's ear and whispered things I could only imagine.

My body wouldn't move, my mouth wouldn't speak. I could only stare and watch, fully aware and not prepared for what was coming next.

~~~

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