At first Ethan thought it was a dream The apartment felt too vivid The faint hum of air conditioning the soft vibration of a phone on the table everything was real He picked up the phone The lock opened with a thumbprint that was not his Messages popped up instantly Morning Ryan You’re late for the studio again

Ryan That was the name on the phone background A man smiling with sunglasses posing next to a sleek red car The same car from Ethan’s dream

He opened the closet and found suits leather jackets designer shoes all tailored for someone who lived far above his old salary He checked the bathroom mirror again The reflection showed the same stranger’s face perfectly animated as if his brain had accepted it as truth The device hadn’t lied This was total identity immersion

Outside the window the city glittered in warm sunlight He stepped onto the balcony and watched traffic move below The sense of power the absence of failure it was intoxicating For the first time in months he didn’t feel small

Then the phone rang A woman’s voice half impatient half amused “Ryan where are you The producer’s waiting We have the shoot in thirty minutes”

Ethan froze He hadn’t thought about what this life required “Uh I’m on my way” he said His voice even sounded like Ryan’s He found the car keys followed the navigation and arrived at a recording studio downtown

People greeted him with smiles cameras flashing microphones testing “You’re looking good today Ryan” one man said “Just remember your lines and keep that smile”

The day unfolded like a performance he didn’t understand He was surrounded by fame by luxury by the easy confidence of someone who had never worried about bills It was thrilling but exhausting He played along laughed when they expected him to and discovered that Ryan was an actor a famous one apparently shooting an advertisement for a luxury brand

By evening Ethan sat alone in Ryan’s apartment scrolling through the phone There were photos of parties women expensive dinners a schedule filled with travel He felt envy but also sadness beneath it because none of it belonged to him

He whispered “Return”

Nothing happened

He tried again louder The lights flickered but the world didn’t fade Instead his phone buzzed A new message appeared from Substitute Life Inc Thank you for choosing the premium immersive package Early termination is not available during this session Enjoy your borrowed life

His stomach tightened He tried calling the company number No one answered The automated voice kept looping Our offices are closed please visit your nearest service center during business hours

He didn’t sleep that night He kept checking the mirror half expecting to see his own face again The city outside glowed with false calm and he wondered if the real Ryan was somewhere living his life in Chicago maybe drinking his coffee using his name

By morning a chilling thought grew in him What if someone had rented his life the same way he had rented Ryan’s What if he had become a substitute himself

He needed to get back He needed to know who was living as Ethan Cole