''If the shadow is me…"
That thought didn't just stay—
it rooted itself inside my mind.
The library looked normal again.
Voices. Pages. Movement.
Everything… exactly the same.
Except me.
Inside—
everything had gone silent.
Riya stood a few steps away.
Her eyes locked on mine.
Confusion… slowly turning into fear.
"Who were you talking to?" she asked again.
Her voice softer this time.
Careful.
Like she wasn't sure she wanted the answer.
I opened my mouth—
then stopped.
Because how do you explain something…
that sounds insane even in your own head?
"…no one."
The lie slipped out quietly.
But it didn't feel like mine.
Riya didn't argue.
Didn't question further.
But her silence—
said everything.
Because somewhere deep down…
she felt it too.
That something wasn't right.
That night—
sleep never came.
Every time I closed my eyes—
I saw it.
That face.
My face.
But not me.
Cracked.
Exhausted.
Empty.
Like it had lived through something—
I hadn't.
"Why do you look like me…?" I whispered into the dark.
Silence answered.
For a moment.
Then—
"You already know."
My body went cold.
I sat up instantly.
Heart racing.
And there—
in the corner of my room—
it stood.
Not just a shadow anymore.
Not just a blur.
Clear.
Defined.
Real.
Me.
Same face.
Same eyes.
But where mine held fear—
its held something heavier.
Regret.
The kind that doesn't fade.
The kind that stays.
Forever.
"What are you…?" my voice shook.
It didn't answer immediately.
It just looked at me.
Like it had been waiting…
for this exact moment.
Then—
a faint smile.
"I'm what you left behind."
My breath caught.
"What does that even mean?"
It stepped forward.
Slow.
Measured.
Deliberate.
"Every time you tried to change what was meant to happen…"
its voice was calm—
too calm—
"…you created a path where you survived."
My mind struggled to keep up.
"But not every version of you did."
A pause.
Heavy.
"You lived…"
it said—
looking straight into my eyes—
"…and I didn't."
The words didn't hit—
they shattered.
Something inside me broke.
"…no."
I shook my head.
Stepping back.
"This isn't real…"
But my memories—
they weren't listening.
The accident.
The impact.
The blood.
The moment everything went dark.
I grabbed my head—
as if I could stop it.
Erase it.
"It is real."
Its voice cut through everything.
Sharp.
Unavoidable.
"You escaped the cycle…"
It came closer.
Closer than before.
Now—
there was no distance left.
Only truth.
⚡
"…but I was left inside it."
Tears blurred my vision.
My voice barely came out.
"So all this time…"
"…you were watching me?"
A slow nod.
"Waiting."
"For what…?" I whispered.
It leaned closer.
So close—
I could feel its breath.
Or maybe—
my own.
And then—
it spoke.
😱
"For you to understand…"
a pause—
long enough to hurt—
"…that you didn't break the cycle…"
Its eyes darkened.
"…you abandoned it."
Silence.
No—
not silence.
Something worse.
Realization.
Because this was never just about escaping.
It was about leaving something behind.
Someone behind.
Me.
A version of me—
still trapped.
Still suffering.
Still reliving the same ending—
again…
and again…
and again.
And the worst part?
I chose this.