Ethan Cole stood at the edge of a soaked street in downtown Chicago his coat clinging to him like old regrets The rain had been falling for hours turning the city into a gray reflection of itself He stared at the digital billboard flickering above the coffee shop window The bright letters cut through the drizzle like a promise

“Live Another Life — Just for a While.”

He blinked The slogan seemed to whisper directly into his thoughts Below the line glowed a company name he had never heard of before Substitute Life Inc The ad showed an image of a man sitting on a beach smiling with his face half hidden in sunlight The caption said Rent a Life Experience Someone Else’s Reality

Ethan had lost his job three weeks ago His savings were evaporating like morning mist He had sent dozens of applications but no replies His landlord was already hinting about the rent again and his girlfriend had stopped answering his calls He stood there wondering how a company could sell something like a borrowed life Yet he could not deny the pull of the idea

Inside the coffee shop the television repeated the ad A cheerful host said Substitute Life Inc was revolutionizing mental wellness and empathy by offering temporary identity transfers Safe legal and completely confidential The host’s voice was too bright for Ethan’s mood but the words stayed with him

He opened his phone and searched the name The website looked clean blue and professional “Experience Another Existence Choose from hundreds of real lives All memories are simulated yet authentic” There was even a free trial option His thumb hovered over the screen for a long moment

When he finally clicked it the page asked for basic data height weight emotional status consent signature He filled them all The last question made him pause “Do you agree that your own life data may be stored and mirrored for system balance” He didn’t really understand what it meant but he checked yes

That night he dreamed he was someone else He was driving a red sports car through the Pacific Coast Highway wind in his hair a woman laughing beside him He had never owned a car like that never known anyone who laughed like that But it felt real When he woke up the sound of the waves was still in his ears

The next day Substitute Life Inc sent him a message Welcome Ethan Your rental identity is ready Please arrive at our Chicago Experience Center at 10 AM tomorrow His heart pounded He didn’t tell anyone where he was going He just went

The building looked like an ordinary glass office in the Loop but inside it felt like another world White corridors soft lights no visible staff only screens that guided him forward A calm female voice greeted him by name and led him to a small room A reclining chair waited there connected to a smooth silver device shaped like a halo

“Please relax Mr Cole” the voice said “Your substitute session will begin shortly You will experience another person’s life for forty eight hours total memory immersion No harm will come to you You may end the session anytime by saying ‘Return’”

He hesitated then nodded The chair adjusted itself his pulse quickened The halo lowered around his head A soft hum filled the air and then everything faded

He opened his eyes and sunlight spilled across a marble floor He was standing in a luxury apartment overlooking Los Angeles The air smelled of citrus and money He walked to the mirror and gasped The face looking back wasn’t his

He was someone else