more Renee

At first, you told yourself it was harmless. One night. One small gathering. One moment of pretending so they could protect the secret.

The next few weeks flew by. Sarah spent the last few days of summer vacation continuing to immerse herself in the details of Renee's life. You were concerned at her almost obsessive behavior, but when you pressed her about it she dismissed your fears. She explained once more how critical it was for her to 'get everything right' since she was going to have to live as Renee. She even had to start calling her 'Renee' instead of 'Sarah' all the time, saying you both needed to get used to it. "We don't want to make any mistakes, so I should use Renee's name even in private," she explained.

Then another invitation came — coffee with Renee’s old volleyball team. And another — helping a friend shop for prom shoes. Every time, Sarah came to him with the same tight, anxious look and the same words: “I can’t do this without the hypnosis.”

You resisted. “The more we do it, the more you’ll depend on it.”

“Good,” she said. “That’s the point.”

From then on, Sarah asked for hypnosis sessions whenever she had to interact with anyone as Renee. Before phone calls, before going out with friends, before answering messages.

It became your ritual. Curtains closed. Lights low. Your voice slow and steady, guiding her deeper. Each time, you reinforced more details from Renee’s life. Her favorite seat in the movie theater. The way she doodled in the margins of her notebooks. Her grudge against a teacher who once embarrassed her in front of the class.

And each time Sarah emerged, she was a little more Renee. Her voice shifted upward. She stood differently — loose-hipped, impatient.

You watched, fascinated and frightened, as the lines blurred. Sometimes she was Sarah — warm, thoughtful, the woman he loved. Other times, she was Renee — sharp-tongued, impatient, full of restless teenage energy.

At home, the shift began to seep into your time together.

One evening, while watching a romantic comedy, Sarah cuddled close — but instead of her usual gentle touch, she was restless, fidgety, with a spark in her eye that wasn’t quite Sarah’s. She reacted to the humor with the quick, high-pitched laugh that belonged to Renee. She teased you more than usual, throwing popcorn at you during the sappy parts and calling you“old man” with a grin that echoed Renee’s old sarcasm.

The shift was subtle, but it hit you hard. You realized she wasn’t sliding back into Sarah’s habits, even in your most private moments.

The most disorienting moment came when they were intimate. It wasn’t that she acted like a teenager — she didn’t. But her energy was different. Playful, impulsive, unpredictable. She’d smile in the dim light with a sideways grin that you had seen in Renee’s videos.

Afterward, you lay there staring at the ceiling, unsure if you’d just been with your wife… or with Renee wearing your wife’s memories.