Rain tapped softly against the apartment windows.Tyler woke to darkness.For a moment she didn’t move.Her body felt heavy, tangled in cold sheets that smelled faintly like lavender and something metallic underneath. Her head throbbed.

Then panic hit.Sharp,Immediate.

She sat up too quickly, breathing hard as unfamiliar shadows stretched across the room.

“Where am I?”

A small lamp beside the bed flickered weakly. Beneath it sat a yellow sticky note.It says in a messy handwriting-

“Today is October 14. You loose your memory every night.Don’t panic(Tyler).”

She stared at that note for a miniute,silent. The words didn’t feel real.She threw the blanket aside and stumbled out of bed, pulse hammering. Notes covered parts of the apartment like wounds. Some of them werere about-

“Take your pills at 9 AM” name,address, a calendar marked and few people’s name in details.

Her breathing became uneven.The red notebook sat on the kitchen counter exactly where the note said it would be.Her fingers shook opening it.

The first page read:

If you’re reading this, it means you forgot again.

Hi, Tyler.I’m you.

Below it was a list written carefully.

You are 23 years old.Your short-term memory resets every morning.“Trust Alvaro”.You are safe.

“Safe.” She said.

Lina looked around the apartment.

The room felt lived in, but not hers. A gray sweater hung over a chair. Two mugs sat drying beside the sink.The notebook continued:“Alvaro will come by around 8:30. Don’t be afraid of him.”

A tiny pause existed before the next line, as if the pen hesitated.

“He loves you.”

Tyler stared at those words longer than the others.Outside, thunder rumbled faintly over the city.

She shut the notebook.Something felt wrong.Not obvious wrong.Not loud wrong.Quiet wrong.Like walking into a room moments after an argument ended.Tyler moved slowly through the apartment, studying everything like evidence.

Family photos were pinned beside the fridge.

There was also a boy standing beside her ‘Alvaro’. He looked at her like she was something fragile. Tyler’s eyes drifted lower. There was a bruise on her wrist.Dark purple fingerprints.She froze. A chill spread through her chest. She flipped through the pages again this time. Nothing about bruises.Nothing except routines and reminders and instructions written by someone trying desperately to stay sane.Then something slipped from between the pages.A folded piece of paper.Tyler frowned. She didn’t think it

belonged there.Slowly, she unfolded it.

Three words.

Written so hard the pen nearly tore through the paper. “DON’T TRUST HIM”.Her heart stopped.

She started sweating. Confused.A knock sounded at the apartment door.Tyler jumped violently.

Another knock.Soft this time.

Then a man’s voice through the door.

“Tyler?”

Her heart stopped.Then another knock, soft this time.The voice pierced through her ears as she listened carefully.Familiar in a way that made her skin prickle.

“It’s me.”

Then complete silence.She completely froze. Not moving an inch,processing.

It’s,him. Alvaro. She turned towards the door.Her head aching slightly. She placed the torn page on its place, looking at it for the last time, staring at the main door.