Waking Up in the Wrong Bed
I woke up on my birthday expecting a peaceful morning—maybe a warm cup of coffee from my wife, Erica, and a relaxing day ahead. Instead, I found myself in a bed that wasn’t mine, in a room I didn’t recognize, next to the wrong woman.
The unfamiliar scent of lavender and sandalwood filled my senses as I groggily opened my eyes. Sunlight streamed through curtains I didn’t own. My stomach twisted with unease as I turned my head—and froze.
Lying next to me wasn’t my wife. It was Eliza.
Eliza, Erica’s best friend.
Panic Sets In
I felt a rush of confusion and fear.
“This has to be a dream,” I muttered, my voice barely above a whisper. My pulse pounded, my breath came short, and a cold sweat broke out across my skin. What had I done?
That was when Eliza stirred, stretched, and smiled at me as if this was completely normal.
“Happy birthday, darling,” she said softly, pressing a kiss to my forehead.
Darling?! My stomach twisted in knots.
My Wedding Photo—But With the Wrong Bride
I bolted upright, gripping the sheets. “Eliza, what’s going on?” My voice cracked, and I sounded like a man barely holding onto his sanity.
She laughed lightly. “Oh, come on, Matt, don’t start with your birthday antics. You look like you’ve seen a ghost.”
She climbed out of bed, slipping into a silk robe draped over a nearby chair. “I’ll get breakfast started.”
As she walked out of the room, I sat there in shock.
Then, I saw it.
On the nightstand beside me was a framed wedding photo. My hands trembled as I picked it up. My heart stopped. It was me… standing next to Eliza… in a tuxedo, smiling.
A Desperate Call for Answers
Desperate for clarity, I grabbed my phone from the nightstand and unlocked it. The lock screen was the same as I remembered—a picture of me in Maui on my honeymoon.
That was a relief… but the relief was short-lived.
I scrolled through my contacts and called Erica, saved under “Sweetheart.” The line rang, and then—I heard a phone buzzing downstairs.
My chest tightened. My Sweetheart’s phone was here?
Then, a voice answered.
“Hi, darling! Did you forget something? Or do you just miss me already? What should I make for breakfast?”
It was Eliza. The name “Sweetheart” belonged to Eliza.
I nearly dropped the phone. My blood ran cold. What kind of twisted reality was this?
Frantic, I ended the call and dialed Erica’s number from memory.
She picked up almost immediately. “Matt! Happy birthday!”
My Erica. My real wife. Relief surged through me.
“Sweetheart! Oh, thank God, it’s you!”
Silence. A long, uncomfortable silence.
“Sweetheart?” Erica repeated, laughing awkwardly. “Matt, did you mix something up after all the heavy drinking you did last night at your birthday pre-party? Your sweetheart is probably making you breakfast right now. Are you okay?”
The Kids Who Called Me “Dad”
I stumbled out of the bedroom, my body moving on autopilot. The hallway was lined with family photos—except the woman in every picture was Eliza.
Then, I reached the living room, and two small figures ran toward me.
“Happy birthday, Dad!”
I looked down to find Eliza’s children hugging me.
“Dad?” I whispered, feeling like my soul was leaving my body. This was wrong.
I wasn’t their father.
Yet, they looked at me like I was.
The Final Test—Calling My Mother
Desperate for clarity, I called my mother.
“Happy birthday, Matt!” she greeted cheerfully.
“Thanks, Mom,” I said, my voice shaking. “Quick question—who’s my wife?”
A pause. Then a chuckle. “Eliza, of course. Are you okay, sweetheart?”
I dropped the phone.
This wasn’t real. It couldn’t be.
A Party Full of Familiar Faces—And One That Shattered Me
That evening, Eliza threw a birthday party at home. My real friends were there. But they all acted like Eliza had always been my wife.
And then, I saw Erica.
She was with Michael—Eliza’s husband. They stood close, laughing together. They looked happy.
Jealousy flared in my chest.
Then, I saw her brush a crumb from his beard.
Something inside me snapped.
I marched toward Erica, ready to confront her, ready to demand answers. But just as I passed the birthday cake, everything changed.
The candles were lit, the room quieted, and everyone looked at me expectantly.
“Make a wish,” someone said.
I stared at the cake, the words “Happy Birthday, Matt!” written in bright frosting.
I closed my eyes.
I wished to go back.
The Truth is Finally Revealed
When I opened them, Erica was standing in front of me.
And then—she kissed me.
“Let me guess,” she whispered. “You wished for this, didn’t you?”
The room erupted in laughter.
I blinked. Confused. Dazed.
Erica grinned. “Happy birthday, love. It was all a prank.”
It Was All a Prank!
I looked around. Everyone was laughing, cheering.
My mother. My friends. Even Eliza.
I stared at Erica. “What… What do you mean?”
She smirked. “You and Michael joked about swapping lives once, remember? Eliza and I overheard, and, well, we decided to take it a little further.”
I stood frozen. “So… none of this was real?”
“Nope,” Erica said, smiling. “From you getting super drunk last night, to waking up in Eliza’s bed, to her kids calling you ‘Dad’—we planned all of it.”
I exhaled sharply, a mix of relief and disbelief washing over me.
I laughed. A deep, exhausted, disbelieving laugh.
“I hate you all,” I said, shaking my head. “But this… this is a birthday I’ll never forget.”
A Birthday to Remember
The room burst into cheers.
As the night went on, I held Erica close, grateful for my real life.
One thing was certain… they got me good.
Leave a Reply