As you 'study' you find yourself picking up Yulia's habits and mannerisms.

You couldn't help but be impressed by Victor's house. While perhaps not exactly a mansion, it was huge compared to your own modest home. It screamed 'new money' in style and decor - Victor clearly liked to demonstrate his wealth and success.

Victor allowed you to stay in one of the guest rooms for the time being. "After the wedding we will share a bed," he had told you firmly. "Until then, I give you privacy. You learn about Yulia's life, learn good Russian ... and enjoy new home. Okay?" he added more gently.

When you asked about clothing - you had nothing other than the leopard-print mini dress - he directed you to the master bedroom. That alone was as big an apartment. You were surprised to find an enormous closet full of clothes and shoes, and a vanity and dresser with makeup and jewelry. You looked at Victor in confusion and he grinned, proclaiming "I give you many nice things, yes?"

You nodded. The unbelievable events of the day were starting to overwhelm you, so you quietly begged off and headed back to your temporary bedroom. You stopped to quickly pick through the closet for something to sleep in. An attractive (and expensive looking) lacy black nightgown caught your eye for some reason. You started to pull it out of the closet but found yourself taking a matching flashy robe and mules as well. Without pausing to question your choice in sleepwear, you went back to your room, changed and quickly fell asleep.

The next few days were calmer but just as bizarre as the first. Victor was polite but barely spoke to you, seeing you only briefly in the morning and then late at night after returning from work. The house workers - two maids and a cook - left you mostly to yourself, so you spent some time looking over your new home and wardrobe. At first you thought it ostentatious. But after living there for only a couple days, you started to feel a sense of pride in your new home. Likewise, while you initially saw Yulia's clothing as garish - maybe even slutty - you quickly came to appreciate them, enjoying wearing the loud and revealing outfits.

Each morning Victor sent over a Russian girl from one of his shops to help you with your language and wardrobe/makeup skills. You don't know what Victor told her but she asked you no questions about why an newly arrival from Russian would need help with her own tongue or how to dress. To your amazement, you immediately picked up everything she went over. It was more like you were remembering rather than being taught for the first time. By the end of the week, you were able to converse with her like a native, and even read and write fluently! But there was an unexpected trade-off. As your proficiency with Russian grew, you found your English getting worse. You could still understand quite well, but your accent became very pronounced and you often had to struggle to find the English words you wanted to use.

That disturbed you to some extent. Moreover, you noticed that you WEREN'T really uncomfortable in your new body. You recognized the differences, but you felt surprisingly at ease as this young woman. You weren't certain what was going on, but you still felt like yourself - Steve Meadows - and, if you ever wanted to be with your family again, you were bound to this course of action. So you threw yourself into learning about Yulia as you had agreed, despite your **** at having to marry Victor.

You didn't have a diary or journal, so you were limited in what you could find. But Victor gave you hours and hours of recorded audio and video chats between them, along with hundreds of emails and instant messages. From their conversations you were able to glean quite a lot about Yulia's life and personality.

Yulia had been a simple - but not stupid - girl from a very small town in Russia. She had moved St Petersburg seeking a better life but with a limited education and only her looks, she fell into hard times. **** to avoid prostitution (or worse), she signed up for a matchmaking service. Victor was a godsend for her, offering her a way out. From their conversations you couldn't tell if she actually loved him or was just playing the good fiance. But she seemed to have genuine affection for him, so you guessed that she was at least sincerely planning to try to be a good wife.

It was weird. You did not have any memory of Yulia's life or experiences, but you felt a real connection to her. And there was definitely a sense of deja vu as you learned about her life. You unconsciously found yourself picking up her speech and mannerisms from the videos, as well as mimicking her makeup and style.

Your driving motivation through this was your desire to see your wife and kids. Finally, at the end of the week, Victor sat down to a leisurely dinner with you. He was clearly pleased at your progress, so you took the opportunity to ask him about visiting your wife.