Part 1The Roommate's Identity Crisis

My boyfriend's roommate suffered a traumatic brain injury in a car accident and developed a severe case of identity dysmorphia.

He spends his days staring into the mirror, calling himself "Arthur."

But Arthur is my boyfriend's name.

He genuinely believes he is Arthur, which means he also believes I am his girlfriend, and he constantly sends me highly inappropriate messages.

I awkwardly showed my boyfriend a shirtless mirror selfie his roommate just sent me.

But he just begged me to endure it a little longer:

"Julian only got into that accident because of me. I can't afford the legal settlement if his family sues. Just play along and humor him for me, please?"

Later, separated only by a single door.

Enduring it became incredibly difficult.

Even my muffled cries were completely shattered by Julian.

* * *

Waiting outside the emergency room with Arthur, his hands were ice-cold with fear.

He kept muttering frantically under his breath:

"I didn't mean to, I swear. I was just replying to a text..."

I didn't catch everything he said, but I tried my best to comfort him:

"I heard the injuries aren't life-threatening. Don't worry, if there's a financial settlement, I'll help you figure it out."

However, my words did absolutely nothing to calm Arthur down.

It wasn't until the surgery was over and his roommate finally opened his eyes in the recovery room.

Arthur snapped out of his daze and sprinted to the bedside.

"Julian! You're awake!"

"Thank God you're okay!"

But Julian's reaction was incredibly bizarre.

He frowned, tilting his head as he scrutinized my boyfriend.

After a long, tense silence, he finally spoke, his voice dripping with an oppressive, chilling authority:

"Who are you?"

My boyfriend froze in shock:

"Me? I'm your roommate, Arthur."

A cold, uncanny smile spread across Julian's face.

His eyes flashed with pure mockery:

"Where did this pathetic imposter come from?"

"I am Arthur."