Chapter 2

"Ethan, don't be upset -- this really is just a prank!"

The atmosphere in the massive first-floor living room of the villa had reached a point of almost unbearable tension.

The giant hundred-inch projection screen, which should have been playing a comedy, was now frozen on a scene that made your blood run hot.

A dim bedroom. Tangled sheets.

A man and a woman, tangled together with nothing on.

The woman was my wife, Sophie -- the woman I had been with for five years and married for two.

The man was my best friend of ten years, the guy I trusted most in the world: Ryan.

Just thirty seconds ago, Sophie had connected her phone to the projector to play a movie, then got up to grab our pizza delivery at the front door.

Then her phone suddenly threw up a notification -- cloud sync complete. And just like that, with no warning whatsoever, the video from that hidden album appeared in stunning 4K clarity, with zero blind spots, right in front of all twenty-plus people at the party.

Silence.

A silence that stretched on for more than ten seconds.

Then the organizer of the party -- who also happened to be Ryan's girlfriend, Cassie -- suddenly lunged forward and yanked out the projector cable. She burst into an exaggerated, over-the-top fit of laughter.

"Oh my God! Holy shit! Sophie actually made that video!"

She was laughing and slapping her thigh, then looked over at me. "Ethan, you totally freaked out, didn't you? We made this a few days ago with that AI face-swap app -- just to mess with you and see that jealous look on your face!"

The moment she spoke up, the whole crowd of people who had been frozen stiff suddenly snapped back to life, like someone had hit play.

"Right, right! Ethan, don't take it seriously!"

"AI is insane these days, it can even fake bodies -- but look at the lighting, it's obviously fake!"

"Cassie, that prank was way too much. Look at Ethan, he's gone pale!"

Ryan was sitting diagonally across from me. His face was even paler than mine.

He had his jaw clenched tight, his eyes darting everywhere but at me, his hands rubbing nervously at his knees. His voice came out strained: "Ethan... don't be mad. This was all Cassie and them messing around. They kept pushing to use my photos with Sophie to run through the app..."

Just then, Sophie walked in through the entryway carrying two big bags of pizza.

She glanced at the now-dark screen, then scanned the faces in the room, and seemed to understand everything in an instant.

She rushed over in three quick strides and shoved her phone into her pocket, then wrapped her arms tightly around my shoulders.

"Ethan, I'm so sorry, I'm so sorry -- they insisted on doing this prank and I didn't really want to go along with it." Sophie's voice carried just the right amount of panic and appeasement, her breath warm against my ear. "Don't be upset. I'll delete that stupid app the second we get home."

Her embrace was tight, carrying that familiar, faint floral scent of her perfume.

But all I felt in that moment was my stomach churning, a nausea I could barely keep down.

I lifted my head and looked around the room.

Cassie's exaggerated grin. Ryan's carefully performed composure. The eyes of our friends -- seemingly concerned but actually evasive.

They were all so good at this.

The whole performance was flawless.

If my eyesight weren't as sharp as it was, I might have actually bought the whole "AI face swap" story.

In the last frozen frame of that video, I had clearly, unmistakably, caught a detail in the background.

That was our master bedroom.

On the rug at the foot of the bed, our golden retriever was lying there, watching the two people on the bed with curious eyes.

Around the dog's neck was a bright orange custom collar.

That collar -- I had bought it just last Sunday. Three days ago. From a pet expo.

Could an AI deepfake really be accurate enough to include a dog collar I bought three days ago?

I looked at Sophie's face, so full of what she wanted me to read as sincerity, and I suddenly smiled.

I gently pushed her away, let out a long breath, and patted my chest like I was still recovering from a scare.

"You nearly gave me a heart attack! You people are seriously something else -- what kind of prank is that?"

I reached over and grabbed a throw pillow off the couch, then lobbed it at Cassie. "Cassie, that was genuinely evil. I'm cutting your beer allocation for tonight."

The moment those words left my mouth, the entire living room seemed to exhale. Everyone visibly relaxed, like a weight had been lifted off the whole room.

"I knew Ethan was the most laid-back one here!" Cassie immediately ran with it, holding up a can of beer. "My bad, my bad -- I'll take the penalty! Let's get the party back on track!"

Sophie clearly relaxed too. She leaned in and gave me a quick kiss on the forehead. "Best husband ever. I'll go grill those chicken wings you love."

Ryan sidled over and punched me on the shoulder. "Ethan, you're not actually mad at me, are you? I thought I was gonna have a heart attack."

"Idiot, what would I even be mad at you for." I patted him on the shoulder and gave him a wide, easy grin. "We're best friends, man."

I watched his expression melt into visible relief, and felt something cold begin to spread through me -- quiet and slow, like venom, creeping up inch by inch.

Best friends.

My beloved wife.

The circle of people I trusted most.

All this time, I had been living inside a real-life Truman Show.