He found Emily curled up on a bench in the waiting area, her skin pale, eyes sunken, and body frail. He noticed a slight swelling in her stomach that he hadn’t seen before.

 “Emily,” Edward whispered, kneeling beside her and gently touching her shoulder. “The doctor wants to see you.”

 Emily stirred, her eyes fluttering open slowly. She looked up at Edward with exhaustion and confusion. He helped her to her feet and guided her back to Dr. Carter’s office.

 As they entered, Dr. Carter stood up, offering a reassuring smile, though concern was evident in her eyes. “Emily, I’d like to speak with you alone, if that’s okay,” he said gently.

 Edward hesitated, but saw the earnestness in Dr. Carter’s gaze. With a heavy heart, he nodded and stepped out, closing the door softly behind him.

 Dr. Carter sat back in his chair, trying to project confidence, even as the atmosphere in the room grew heavier. He had dealt with troubled patients before, and though the weight of Edward’s story pressed on his mind, he was determined to remain composed. I can handle this, he thought. I’ve been trained for this.

 Emily, pale and trembling, sat across from him, hands clenched in her lap. Her eyes darted around the room, barely resting on Dr. Carter for more than a second. She looked as if she hadn’t slept in days, her breath shallow and uneven.

 “Emily,” Dr. Carter began softly, leaning forward slightly. “I’m here to help you. I need you to tell me what’s been happening. I want to understand what you’re going through.” He smiled, feeling sure of his ability to handle whatever came next. I’ve seen disturbed patients. This won’t be any different.

 Emily’s lips quivered as she struggled to speak, her voice so soft it was almost lost in the stillness of the room. “I don’t… I don’t remember things anymore,” she whispered, her eyes wide with fear. “There are moments… entire days that just… vanish.”

 Dr. Carter’s brows furrowed slightly, but he maintained his composed demeanor. “It’s okay, Emily. Memory lapses can happen when you’re under a lot of stress.”

 But Emily shook her head violently, her breath growing ragged. “No, it’s not just that. It’s… it’s more. I see things, Doctor. I see them everywhere I go. And there’s this… this feeling, like someone’s always… always watching me.” Her voice wavered, tears welling in her eyes. “They… they make me do things… terrible things… things I don’t want to do. I can’t stop them.”

 Dr. Carter felt a slight chill creep up his spine, but he pushed it aside, still confident in his abilities. “Emily,” he said firmly, “there are explanations for this. Stress, trauma—these can play tricks on your mind. We can figure this out together.”

 But Emily wasn’t listening. She hunched forward, gripping her knees so tightly her knuckles turned white. “I can’t remember my name anymore,” she whispered, her voice trembling. “I… I don’t even know if I’m real. I feel like I’m disappearing… but I can’t die. I want to die, Doctor. I just want it all to stop, but… it won’t let me.”

 The lights in the room flickered, and the air seemed to thicken, as if the very atmosphere was responding to Emily’s fear. Dr. Carter shifted in his seat, his confidence faltering for the first time. He cleared his throat, trying to shake the unease building inside him. It’s just her emotions affecting me, he reasoned. I’m still in control.

 “I know it feels overwhelming right now, but we can work through this. You’re safe here,” Dr. Carter said, though his own voice had grown quieter. The room felt too still, and the shadows seemed to stretch just a little longer than they should.

 Emily’s eyes darted behind Dr. Carter, her breath quickening again. “He’s here,” she muttered under her breath, her voice barely audible.

 Dr. Carter frowned, the hairs on the back of his neck standing up. “Who’s here, Emily?” he asked, trying to keep his voice steady. But he couldn’t help but glance over his shoulder, even though he knew no one else was in the room.

 Emily’s face twisted with terror. “I see him… standing behind you,” she whispered, her eyes locked on a point just past Dr. Carter’s shoulder. “He’s watching us… he’s always watching.”

 Dr. Carter’s heart began to pound in his chest. He was about to dismiss Emily’s words when he felt something cold hit the top of his head. His breath caught in his throat as the sensation traveled down his scalp, slipping down his face and onto his lap.

 He glanced down, and his blood ran cold. A dark red drop had landed on his thigh. Blood.

 Dr. Carter’s gaze shot upward, his overconfidence shattering in an instant. Above him, a dark stain spread across the ceiling, thick and crimson, as more drops of blood began to drip down, landing on his skin. Panic seized him, and he pushed his chair back violently, stumbling to his feet. The air felt thick, oppressive, like something dark was closing in around him.

 “Emily—” he choked, but the words died in his throat. He couldn’t breathe. The walls seemed to close in, the shadows shifting unnaturally. The room felt alive, malevolent.

 Without thinking, Dr. Carter turned and bolted for the door, his heart hammering in his chest as he threw it open and rushed out into the hallway, gasping for air.

He slammed the door behind him, his hands shaking violently as he leaned against the wall, struggling to catch his breath.

 His mind raced. What… what was that?

 He could still feel the sensation of the blood, cold and thick, dripping down his skin. But when he glanced down again, his clothes were clean. There was no blood. No stain. Nothing.

 As Dr. Carter lay on the ground, trying to make sense of what had just happened, he heard the soft click of the office door behind him. His heart skipped a beat, and he instinctively tensed, his breath still unsteady.

 Emily stepped out of the room, her movements slow and deliberate. Her face was pale, her eyes hollow and distant, as if she were caught in some trance-like state. She didn’t even glance at Dr. Carter lying on the floor. It was as though he no longer existed in her reality.

 Edward, who had been pacing nervously nearby, rushed over. “Emily!” he called out, concern lacing his voice. “Are you okay? What did the doctor say?”

 Emily looked up at him, her expression eerily calm, though her voice carried a faint tremor. “Take me home, Edward,” she said quietly, her gaze distant. “I just… I want to go home.”

 Edward’s brow furrowed in confusion. “But… did you talk to Dr. Carter? What did he—”

 “Please,” Emily whispered, cutting him off. “Take me home.”

 Edward, still unsure, nodded slowly, glancing at Dr. Carter on the floor, who was trying to compose himself, but his attention quickly returned to Emily. Gently, he took her arm and guided her toward the exit. Emily moved as though in a daze, her body frail and weak.

 As they walked away, Dr. Carter remained on the ground, staring after them. His mind raced, still grappling with the bizarre and terrifying experience that had just unfolded. The air around him felt normal again, but something had shifted—something he couldn’t quite explain.

 The door swung shut behind Edward and Emily, leaving the hallway eerily quiet once more. After reaching home, Edward sent Lilly to her room to do her homework. Emily, without a word, drifted into the kitchen, her movements slower than usual, as if she were in a trance. After taking a brief rest, she began preparing dinner, her actions mechanical, her eyes vacant.

 A few minutes later, Edward walked into the kitchen, the tension from earlier still hanging in the air. He leaned against the counter, watching her closely. “Hey, honey,” he asked carefully, “how did the counseling go? Was it effective?”

 Emily didn’t look at him right away, continuing to chop vegetables with a strange precision. “It went well,” she finally said in a low, flat voice. “He was a nice doctor.” Edward’s brows furrowed. Something wasn’t right. “Emily,” he said, his voice soft but firm, “why are you lying?”

 She stopped chopping, her hands going still. Slowly, she turned to face him, her expression blank, her eyes distant. “What are you talking about?” she asked, her voice eerily calm, almost as if she didn’t recognize him.

 Edward felt a chill run down his spine. “Emily, do you really not know?” he asked, his voice shaking slightly. “Or are you pretending?” His heart pounded in his chest. “What’s going on, Emily? Hey, talk to me.”

 She tilted her head, staring at him as though she were seeing him for the first time. “What are you talking about, Edward?” she asked in that same monotone voice. “Why would I lie to you? You were there. You saw everything, didn’t you?”

 Edward stepped closer, his frustration bubbling over. “Then why the hell was the doctor so scared of you? Why did he leave the room after just three minutes with you, Emily?” His voice rose, panic creeping in. “What happened in there?”

 Suddenly, Emily’s face twisted, her eyes darkening with something unfamiliar, something terrifying. “I don’t know,” she hissed, her voice suddenly venomous, not her own. Her expression contorted, and her lips curled into a cruel, unnatural smile. “I don’t know, you fucking scum!”

 Before Edward could react, she grabbed the knife she’d been using and slashed his hand, blood spilling onto the floor. Edward recoiled in shock and pain, but Emily didn’t stop. She lunged at him, her movements unnaturally fast, the knife raised to strike again.

“Emily, stop!” Edward screamed, barely dodging as she came at him with terrifying force. She wasn’t his wife anymore—her eyes, her face, everything about her had changed. It was like something else was looking at him through her.

 With desperation, he grabbed her wrists, his blood-slick hands struggling to hold her back. “EMILY!” he shouted, his voice breaking as he tried to shake her out of whatever dark state she was in. But she didn’t respond—her eyes were wild, unrecognizing, filled with a cold, eerie rage.

 She bit down on his arm, sinking her teeth into his flesh until he howled in pain and released her. Suddenly, Lilly appeared at the door, drawn by the noise. Edward’s heart lurched in terror as Emily turned, her eyes locking onto their daughter with a predatory gaze.

 “Lilly!” Edward shouted, rushing toward Emily just as she bolted for their daughter. Without thinking, he grabbed the nearest object, a heavy pan, and swung it with all his strength. The impact hit Emily square on the head, and she collapsed to the floor, unconscious.

Edward stood over her, panting, blood dripping from his hand, his mind spinning in disbelief. Lilly, wide-eyed and shaking, clutched the doorway, too terrified to move. The house was silent except for the sound of Edward’s ragged breathing and the steady drip of blood onto the kitchen floor.