Chereads / The Aphrodite’s Curse / Chapter 4 - A New Reality I

Chapter 4 - A New Reality I

Grey's POV

Waking up that morning, everything felt off, like a fog had settled over my brain. But the real shock hit me when I stumbled into the bathroom and saw my reflection. My heart skipped a beat—no no no. That face, that body—it wasn't me. My breath caught in my throat as I blinked, hoping the image would shift back into something familiar. 

But it didn't. 

I ran to my bed, yanking the covers over my head like a child trying to hide from a monster. "This isn't real. This is just some bizarre dream," I told myself over and over, clinging to the absurd hope that I'd wake up any second now, back in my old life, back in my body.

Minutes ticked by, but the nightmare didn't fade. I hesitated before going back to the mirror, but I had to see it again, to make sure I wasn't hallucinating. I lifted my shirt, staring at the undeniable proof. "OMG... I have boobs!" My voice, my new voice, sounded alien even to me. 

I reached out to touch them, my hands trembling. "They're so soft... warm." A laugh almost escaped me, but it came out strangled. This wasn't just some prank. It was real. My fingers fumbled down, trying to grasp at something familiar, only to find that part of me was missing. The next thing I knew, darkness overtook me as I passed out.

***

When I woke up, the panic hit me all over again. My chest heaved, and I fumbled for my phone, texting Blue with shaky hands.

"Help! Please, come over. Now."

Minutes felt like hours, but eventually, Blue arrived, staring at me,her arms crossed, her eyes narrowed with suspicion. "You seriously expect me to believe you're Grey?" She shook her head, clearly not buying it. "Okay, if you're really him, say something only Grey would know. Something only we would know."

I swallowed nervously. How was I supposed to prove this? I thought for a moment, then said, "Well, you bailed me out yesterday, remember? After that mess in the night club? I told you in the car not to tell anyone about it. And... Finn's terrified of you. He thinks you can whip his ass."

Blue froze for a moment, her expression still skeptical. But then, to my relief, she burst out laughing. "Oh my God, it is you!" She doubled over, laughing so hard tears started forming in her eyes. "Only Grey would know Finn's scared of me. I always wondered why he kept avoiding me!"

I sighed, a weight lifting off my shoulders. Finally, she believed me.

Wiping her eyes, Blue straightened up, still chuckling. "Okay, but seriously," she said, her voice dropping into a more curious tone. "How did this happen? Did you—did you get surgery or something? Like, is this some weird prank? What did you do?"

I scoffed, the absurdity of the question making my frustration bubble over. "Surgery? Overnight? Blue, I'm losing it over here, and you're asking if I scheduled an emergency gender switch surgery? I woke up like this. One minute, I was me—Grey—and the next, I'm... this." I gestured to my new body, still baffled by the whole situation.

Blue stared at me for a long moment, her eyes wide with disbelief. "This is insane. Like, really insane. Are you sure you're not messing with me?"

I gave her a serious look. "Blue, I wish I was."

"You've got to calm down, Grey. You're probably just stressed. We'll figure it out," she said, still chuckling, as if my entire world hadn't just been turned upside down.

I glared at her. "Stress? You think stress can make someone wake up like this? Something is seriously wrong. This has to be some kind of... voodoo, black magic, or maybe a curse. And you're telling me it's stress?"

Blue just waved a hand. "That's why I said we'll figure it out. But for now, relax. You're already late for work anyway."

"Work?" I echoed. "I can't go to work like this! Do you think Finn or anyone else would just... accept this?" I gestured to my new body, still unable to comprehend it.

Blue shrugged. "Look, I'll tell them you're sick. Don't worry about it. We'll handle today's meeting with Joe Hotels. Just rest. It's probably—"

"Don't say stress," I snapped, cutting her off mid-sentence. My voice was sharper than I intended. "If you say stress again, I swear…"

"Fine, fine," Blue raised her hands in surrender, a playful smirk tugging at her lips. "I won't say stress again. I promise."

"Thank you," I muttered, a little calmer now.

Blue blinked at me, her smirk fading into a look of surprise. "What did you just say?" She leaned in, inspecting me like I'd just grown a second head. "Did Mr. Grey just say 'thank you'?" She shook her head dramatically, fanning her face like she was in shock. "You never say thank you! I think I like this new you better," she teased, nudging me with her elbow.

I rolled my eyes, but even I couldn't deny the flicker of emotion that passed through me. Gratitude? Embarrassment? Fear? It was all tangled up in a confusing knot inside me, and I wasn't ready to untangle it just yet.

Hours dragged by as I sat, glued to the mirror. Every time I caught my reflection, I prayed—begged, even—that something had changed. Maybe, just maybe, if I stared hard enough, the universe would hit the undo button, and I'd go back to being the man I was.

But no. Each time I blinked, I was still the same. The new me. 

I shifted uncomfortably, trying to ignore the soft curves under my shirt. I tugged at the fabric, hoping it would somehow erase what was undeniably there. How could this be happening? This had to be a bad joke, right? But who would pull such a cruel prank?

By the time the next morning rolled around, my hope had dwindled. I opened my eyes with a pit in my stomach, daring to reach up and touch my chest. There it was again—the soft flesh, the undeniable evidence that this wasn't some passing dream.

"No, no, no!" I whispered, my frustration bubbling into full-blown panic. "This can't be happening!" My voice cracked as I faced the mirror again, desperation clawing at my chest. 

Without thinking, I slammed my fist into the glass, watching it shatter into a spiderweb of shards. Pain shot through my hand, but I barely noticed. My world was falling apart, and a few cuts weren't going to fix it. The broken reflection in the mirror felt like a reflection of my shattered life.