After much hesitation, Sharon finally followed Nara into the dark room, her heart beating loudly in her chest and anxiety consuming her with every step.
As they walked in, the light automatically turned on, illuminating the entire space. Let me tell you, the moment Sharon could see the entire room, shock was far from what she felt.
"God..." She gasped as she stared at everything in the room.
Nara stood there expressionless. She hated this room and always felt like burning it and everything inside to ashes. She had only been in this room once, well, twice if you count this moment.
"So he's obsessed with you. Is that what's wrong?" Sharon asked as she turned to face Nara, who was still standing at the entrance next to the door like the room was too repulsive to enter.
"It's funny you think that's me," Nara replied flatly, her eyes dead without any emotions.
"Who else could it be?" Sharon asked, confused as she turned around to inspect the room.
The room was spacious, its size almost overwhelming. But what truly shocked Sharon was its contents: a myriad of pictures and paintings of Nara adorned the walls.
Sketches, paintings, photographs—you name it. And what's worse was there was a huge statue. Yes, a statue of Nara at the center.
The entire place looked like a shrine.
"This is definitely you, Nara. Is Nathan like obsessed or something?"
"Why don't you take a closer look? And while you're at it, read out the initials on the paintings."
Sharon frowned as she turned to one of the large paintings on the wall. "R..S..? What's that?"
"Rebecca Snow," Nara replied flatly. "Nathan's first wife."
Sharon's jaw practically dropped as Nara delivered that shocking revelation.
"What the fuck? How's this even possible?" Sharon asked, freaking out. She took a step closer to one of the paintings and could finally see very few differences between Nara and this Rebecca Snow in the painting. Otherwise, they were practically identical.
"This is some messed up shit. I knew something was wrong with him the moment he proposed to you only after 3 months of dating."
Nara said nothing, she just stared into space, her expression emotionless.
"Let me guess, he was the one who asked you to dye your hair?"
"Dye your hair brown, It would look so good on you, he said. Do yoga, I'm certain you'll love it, he said. Hazel eyes are pretty, here are some contact lenses, he said," Nara replied, her eyes filling with tears but her face still emotionless.
"I said yes to everything because I loved him. I didn't know he was slowly turning me into her." A tear streamed down Nara's face as she stared at one of the paintings of Rebecca.
"And to think that all his family members knew, so did all his friends. And I'm still the crazy one," Nara said as she wiped the tears from her face. "I was humiliated when I found out."
"You have to leave him. Clearly, he only married you because you look like her."
"I can't leave him, Sharon."
"And why not? You're clearly miserable."
Nara sighed, her shoulders slumping in resignation.
"Because despite everything, I still love him. And leaving him means admitting that our entire relationship was built on a lie."
Sharon reached out and gently took Nara's hand, offering silent support. "It was. And staying with him means sacrificing your own happiness and identity," she said softly.
Nara nodded, tears welling up in her eyes again. "I know... I just don't know if I have the strength to walk away."
"You're not alone, Nara. I'm here for you. We'll figure this out together," Sharon reassured her, squeezing her hand.
"Still, I can't leave. I have to punish him first," Nara declared, her voice wild, thoroughly shocking Sharon.
"What?" Sharon asked, bewildered.
"He doesn't know me. So I'm going to show him who Nara Smith truly is every chance I get."
"And how are you planning on doing that?"
"By being me. The messed up, crazy bitch I was before I met him."
Sharon shook her head in disbelief.
"You're kidding, right? You're just going to hurt yourself, Nara, not him."
"We'll see."
"Then why did you call me here if you already had this plan in your messed up head?" Sharon asked, frustration evident in her voice.
"So you can be my friend, my anchor, to make sure I don't drift too far."
"Nara..."
"You're also here to remind me that I have something to live for," Nara said as she took Sharon's hand and placed it on her belly.
"Are you...?" Sharon trailed off, her eyes widening in surprise.
"Yes. Very early, though. Found out just last week."
"Does Nathan know?"
"No. No one knows but you. And I would like to keep it that way."
Sharon felt a mix of emotions swirling within her—surprise, concern, and a newfound sense of responsibility.