My Husband Doesn’t Exist Chapter 02
I got out of bed seething.
I checked the hallway through the digital peephole.
Derek. Again.
“What is it?”
I didn’t open the door. I spoke through the intercom.
Derek exploded.
“Lady, can you and your husband show some goddamn consideration? It’s the middle of the night!”
“Your bed’s been slamming nonstop. It’s so loud my ceiling’s about to cave in! You think anyone can sleep through that?”
I kept my voice steady and explained.
“That’s not possible. My husband and I went to bed hours ago.”
“You’re hearing things.”
I’m the only person in this apartment. Where would bed-rocking come from?
Waking me up in the middle of the night to throw accusations at me. I was furious.
“Denying it? Fine. I’ve got proof.”
Derek pulled up a video on his phone, cranked the volume all the way up, and held it in front of the peephole.
The camera was pointed at his ceiling.
Through the reinforced door, I heard the audio from his phone, loud and clear.
The heavy, violent sound of a bed frame slamming against a wall.
Crystal clear. Ear-splitting.
“See the timestamp? Ten minutes ago, you two were still going at it!”
Derek jabbed his finger at the recording time.
I was completely stunned.
How is this possible?
I live here alone.
I was sound asleep.
How could there be sounds like that coming from my apartment?
I didn’t hear a thing.
Derek was getting more worked up by the second. If this kept going, he’d wake the whole floor.
To keep things from escalating, I had no choice but to bow my head and apologize.
“I’m sorry, Derek. I wasn’t being honest with you.”
“My husband was having a nightmare. Sleep paralysis. He was thrashing around in bed, that’s what caused all the noise.”
“I’ll go wake him up right now. I’m really, truly sorry.”
Before Derek left, he threw two last remarks over his shoulder.
“Your husband’s a real piece of work. Can’t even come out and face me himself.”
“Next time this happens, I’m calling the cops.”
I didn’t dare say a word. Cold sweat had soaked through the back of my shirt.
After Derek was gone, I immediately pulled up the bedroom camera footage and scrubbed to ten minutes ago.
On screen, the bedroom was perfectly still. I was alone in bed, sleeping soundly.
The full ten minutes. No one else.
The bed hadn’t moved an inch.
My breathing was even, my sleep deep. No sleepwalking. No movement whatsoever.
How could the bed have been rocking?
Jenna’s voice came through the phone.
“Mara, what happened?”
“The guy from downstairs came up again. Said my bed was shaking. But I checked the camera. There’s nothing.”
“Mara, listen to me! You need to be careful around that guy!”
Jenna’s tone turned urgent.
“He’s testing you. He’s trying to figure out if you live alone!”
“Good thing you didn’t open the door. Do not let him inside your apartment.”
“Give me a day to pack. I’m going to move in with you. I’m worried.”
Jenna talked me down for a long time.
She told me not to be afraid. That she’d always be there.
Wrapped in the warmth of her company, I fell back asleep and made it through the rest of the night. The next day, I went to work as usual.
That evening, walking into the building after my shift, I ran into Derek again.
Remembering Jenna’s warning, my skin prickled. I dropped my gaze and tried to walk past him.
But Derek stepped in front of me. And this time, he was smiling.
“Hey, sorry about last night. I was out of line. Don’t hold it against me.”
“Listen, I just had a good talk with your husband. We’re all good now. Neighbors should get along, right?”
I froze.
“My husband? What do you mean, my husband?”
“Your man. We just met.”
