Double Deception

Chapter 12: A Fragile Proposal

 

The knock came just after nine in the morning.

Three sharp taps — steady, deliberate — the kind of rhythm that sounded rehearsed.

For a moment, I thought it was the echo from the video I'd watched hours earlier. The whisper still clung to the walls of my apartment like residue.

"You're finally seeing me."

I hadn't slept. Every time I closed my eyes, I saw that reflection — the one that moved when I didn't, that smiled like it had been waiting for me to look long enough to notice.

When the knock came again, louder this time, I forced myself to the door.

"Alex?"

Emily's voice.

I froze.

Her tone was strained — softer than usual, but not quite fragile. I hesitated, my hand hovering over the handle. If the thing I saw in that recording was real, then the woman on the other side of the door could be anyone.

Finally, I opened it.

Emily stood in the hallway, pale and trembling. Her eyes were rimmed red, makeup smudged from crying or lack of sleep. She looked human — too human — and that almost frightened me more.

"I need to talk to you," she said quietly.

I didn't answer right away. I looked at her face, searching for the subtle differences I'd trained myself to recognize: the shift in posture, the spark of mischief behind her eyes, the shadow of Emma.

"Please," she whispered.

Against my better judgment, I stepped aside.

The Visit

She perched on the edge of the couch, twisting her fingers in her lap the way she always did when she was nervous. The morning light filtered through the blinds, cutting her into stripes of gold and shadow. For a brief moment, I could almost pretend this was normal — another morning after another argument. But then I remembered the reflection, the video, the whisper in the dark.

"I've been thinking," she began, her voice trembling. "About us. About everything I've done."

I stayed standing, leaning against the wall. "You'll have to be more specific."

She winced, but didn't look away. "I know I've hurt you, Alex. More than I can ever make up for. But I want to try. I need to."

I folded my arms. "Try how, exactly? Another confession? Another explanation that doesn't make sense?"

She shook her head quickly. "No. I'm done lying. I mean real help. Therapy. I've already booked my first session with Dr. Reiss again — and if you're willing, we can do couples therapy too."

Her words hit me like static — familiar, but off.

"Dr. Reiss?" I repeated. "The same therapist who—"

"She understands my case better than anyone," Emily interrupted. "She thinks we can work through this. Together."

Something about the way she said together made my skin crawl.

I didn't respond. She took a deep breath, voice cracking. "I know it's not enough, but I want to try. I can't lose you, Alex. I've already lost too much."

The Cracks Beneath Her Calm

Her plea might've worked once. But now, every word she spoke sounded like it had been fed to her — scripted, practiced.