The lake house hadn't changed.
Same ivy-covered porch. Same rusted wind chime that Jay once insisted brought good luck. Lena hadn't been back since their last summer there before the accident, before the lies.
Now, she returned with the real Jay.
They sat on the steps in silence, watching the sun dip beneath the water's edge.
"I still remember the first night here," Jay said, voice low. "You tripped on the porch and swore the house hated you."
Lena smiled faintly. "It was the wine."
Jay looked at her. "You okay?"
She hesitated. "I don't know. I thought finding you would give me closure. But now\... all I feel is guilt."
Jay reached for her hand. "You don't need to. You loved what you thought was me. That means something."
"But I loved him too," she admitted. "Even if he wasn't real... he felt real to me."
Jay didn't flinch. He just nodded, quietly accepting the weight of her truth.
A sudden creak came from inside the house.
They both turned.
"Probably the wind," Jay said, rising slowly.
But Lena wasn't so sure.
They entered cautiously. Dust clung to the floorboards. Cobwebs shimmered in the corners.
Then a soft melody.
The old record player in the living room was spinning. Unplugged.
Lena froze. "We didn't turn that on."
Jay reached for the needle, stopping the song. But before he could speak, the mirror above the fireplace cracked splitting straight down the middle.
Then they heard it.
A whisper.
From upstairs.
"Lena…"
She gripped Jay's arm. "Tell me you heard that."
He nodded grimly. "I did."
They climbed the steps, every creak of the wood like a warning. The bedroom door at the end of the hall was slightly ajar.
Inside, on the bed, was a single item.
A black notebook.
Lena picked it up.
The cover read: "Property of J.D."
Jay frowned. "That's not mine."
She opened it.
*Page 1:*
"They told me I was him. They gave me his memories. But something doesn't fit…"
*Page 12:*
"She loves me. But I don't know if I'm allowed to love her back. Is it even real?"
*Page 24:*
"I saw the original today. He doesn't know I'm watching. I don't know what I'll do if she chooses him."
Lena's throat went dry. "It's his journal. The clone."
Jay stepped back. "Then he was here. Recently."
Suddenly, from downstairs a crash.
Jay ran ahead. Lena followed.
The front door was wide open. A trail of wet footprints led away from the porch.
No rain. No water near.
Jay looked out into the woods. "He was watching us. From the moment we arrived."
Lena clutched the notebook. "He's not done."
And deep down, she wasn't sure if that terrified her… or broke her heart.