The Rehearsal(First write, just a draft)

The Rehearsal

Elliot never believed in soulmates until he met Anna. She was everything he had ever wanted--kind, intelligent, beautiful. She knew him better than he knew himself, everything felt... effortless. She knew his favorite author before he mentioned it. She laughed at his dumb jokes before he finished them. Every moment with her felt like deja vu, as if they had lived this love story a hundred times before. He moved into her house within six months. It was a charming old place on the outskirts of town, filled with antique furniture and warm, golden light. Perfect. Just like her.

Perfect. Too perfect.

One evening, as he searched for a misplaced sweater, he noticed a door in the hallway he had never seen before. It blended seamlessly into the wallpaper, nearly invisible, as if it wasn't meant to be found. His heartbeat quickened as when he turned the knob, it opened without resistance.

Inside, a rush of stale air hit him. The room beyond was small and windowless swirling under the dim light of a single dangling bulb. Shelves lined the walls, stacked with old VHS tapes.

His breath hitched.

Each tape was labeled with a name. Ben - Attempt #3. Lucas - Attempt #6. Daniel - Attempt #2.

Then, at the bottom of the shelf, his own name.

Elliot - Attempt #7.

His fingers trembled as he pulled one out and fed it into the VHS player sitting in the corner. The screen buzzed to life, static giving way to something worse. It was him. Sitting at the dinner table, smiling. Anna poured wine, her laughter warm and familiar. It was their second date. The one where she first told him she loved him. He fast-forwarded. The days blurred together. Kisses. Dinners. His birthday. Every moment he remembered, playing out exactly as he had lived it.

As he kept fast forwarding, the footage changed.

A shift in the lighting. A different night. He was strapped to a chair in the basement. His face was swollen, his mouth gagged, his face tear stained. He was sobbing, shaking his head.

Anna stood in front of him, calm. Loving. Her hand stroking his hair tenderly. A knife gleamed in her other hand. She leaned in, pressing her lips to his cooling forehead. "You tried so hard this time," she whispered, stroking his cheek. "But you still weren't perfect."

She stepped back, raising a knife. Stabbing him relentlessly. Blood pooled beneath him, seeping into the cracks of the wooden floor.

He watched himself choke on his screams. Watched as the light drained from his own eyes. The tape kept rolling long after he was dead. Anna, dragging his lifeless body away. The room being scrubbed clean. The camera being turned off. Elliot staggered back, bile rising in his throat. His hands fumbled for another tape. Ben - Attempt #3 He shoved it in. Same love story. Same ending. He ripped out another. Daniel - Attempt #2 The pattern was clear. Every time, she found a lover. Every time, she loved him. Every time, she killed him. A floorboard creaked behind him.

His breath caught in his throat.

Elliot felt something cold touch his spine. He turned, dread pooling in his stomach.

Anna stood in the doorway.

She tilted her head, she held a fresh tape in her hands. The label was blank.

Her smile was soft. Loving. The way it always was.

"I was really hoping you wouldn't find this," she murmured. "Not yet."

She stepped inside, shutting the door behind her.

Click. Lock.

"I guess we have to start over."