The Wife's Murder Loop

I was lying in bed, scrolling on my phone with my pregnant belly heavy in front of me, when a local news alert popped up.

'Wife killed in suburban murder case. Husband stabbed her to death after she refused intimacy during pregnancy.'

I clicked it open, only to realize the article was dated for tomorrow.

And the killer's name? My husband's.

At first, I thought it was some sick prank or a glitch on the site. But then I saw the photo attached to the piece: our wedding picture.

My face had been completely blurred out.

The moment my heart seized, the bedroom door creaked open.

My husband stood there, licking his lips, his smile so chilling it made my blood run cold.

"Honey, I want you tonight."

The News for Tomorrow

"Julian, I-I'm not feeling well. The baby's been restless."

My voice trembled. My mind replayed the news alert I'd just seen.

When I said that, Julian Lawson's smile fell away, and impatience hardened his tone. "Again with not feeling well? What are you crying over this time?"

I froze. Julian never spoke to me like that. He'd never raised his voice before.

I opened my mouth to protest, but he lunged forward and gripped my wrist hard. "Are you seeing someone else? Is that why you keep finding excuses so I can't touch you?"

A cold breath of panic hit me.

A creeping dread rose inside me. Could that news story actually be real?

I tried to pull away and climb out of bed, but he was frighteningly strong. He yanked me back and slammed me down.

Pain stabbed through my belly.

He scanned the room and grabbed the kitchen knife from the nightstand—the one I used to peel apples.

The blade pressed against the side of my neck, cold and bright.

"If you're that unwilling, I'll send you and your bastard on your way."

Pain exploded. Blood poured out.

I watched his face contort into something I didn't recognize as mine to keep loving, and then the world tilted into darkness.

I jerked awake, sitting bolt upright, gasping.

I looked down. My body was unhurt. My phone screen still glowed. The clock showed I'd jumped back ten minutes.

The same bloody news alert had just popped up again.

The bedroom door clicked and opened. The same familiar face stepped in and repeated that phrase that had chilled me to the bone.

"Honey, I want you tonight."

This time, I didn't meet force with force.

I steadied myself, pulled up a smile, and softened my voice. "Darling, the baby's been so fussy today. I'm exhausted. Maybe another night?"

I thought that gentle dodge would buy me time.

His impatience flared faster than before. "That line again? Elena, do you think I'm stupid?"

He closed the distance between us; his obsession looked darker this time.

"Elena, do you not love me anymore?"

Before I could answer, he attacked like a furious animal.

But I was ready. I rolled to the other side of the bed, and he missed.

Flushed with anger, he snatched up the knife. I thought it was over.

As he raised the blade, my eyes caught the back of his hand. There, near the base of his thumb, was a pale brown birthmark.

My pupils contracted. Julian didn't have a birthmark.

The one with that mark was his twin brother, Jayden.

Julian and Jayden were identical in looks but nothing alike in temperament.

Julian had always been gentle; Jayden was brooding and withdrawn, someone I'd always been wary of.

Because our in-laws were superstitious, believing twins could harm each other, Jayden had been sent to the countryside to be raised by elders and only came home when he went to college.

He had never been close to us, and his relationship with Julian was distant at best.

Why would Jayden pretend to be Julian and come here to kill me? Where was the real Julian?

A thousand terrifying thoughts flashed through my head. Survival instinct surged, and I fought to get up again.