I was scrolling through Reddit late one night when I stumbled upon a disturbing thread on r/AskReddit. [Serious] What is the most effective way to drive someone legally insane? The top-voted comment was chilling in its simplicity: > "Repeat the exact same routine as the day before. Wear the same clothes, say the same lines. If they notice, gaslight them. Tell them they are remembering it wrong." When I opened my eyes the next morning, my husband was buttoning his shirt. It was a charcoal pinstripe suit he rarely wore. "You're up," he said, checking his watch. "Big all-hands meeting today. I need to head in early." My ears began to ring. He wore that exact suit yesterday. He said those exact words yesterday. 1 David finished dressing and walked out of the bedroom. I shook my head, trying to clear the fog. Stop overthinking, Emily, I told myself. You were just doom-scrolling too late last night. I washed up and went to the kitchen. My mother-in-law, Barbara, placed breakfast on the island counter and waved at me with a bright smile. "Eat up, honey. Oatmeal with blueberries and scrambled eggs today." It was the exact same breakfast as yesterday. Is this a coincidence? Suppresing my unease, I sat down and started eating. Barbara handed a packed lunch bag to David. "David, don't forget to pick up my heating pad from CVS on your way home." My head snapped up. "Didn't he buy that yesterday?" Barbara turned around, looking confused. "No? You must be remembering it wrong, dear." David muttered a quick agreement, grabbed our daughter, Lily, and rushed out the door for school drop-off. I put down my spoon. "Mom, I remember clearly. You asked David for the heating pad yesterday. The gray one with the auto-shutoff." Barbara stared at me for a long moment, then shook her head with a pitying look. "Emily, you’re definitely confused." "I'll prove it." I walked into Barbara’s room and threw open her closet. Nothing. No heating pad. Did he really not buy it yesterday? "Emily, I'm going for my morning walk. Clean up the kitchen when you're done," Barbara called out. The front door slammed shut. I was alone. I walked back to the dining table. At Barbara's spot, a glass of water sat half-full. A fork lay on the floor. A spoon balanced precariously on the edge of her plate. Yesterday, I saw that spoon wobbling. I had reached out and moved it to stop it from falling. Clatter. The spoon fell to the floor. My heart hammered against my ribs. I pulled out my phone and tried to find that Reddit thread from last night. 2 The thread was still there. New comments had rolled in. > This isn't realistic. You can't replicate an entire day. > Yeah, people encounter too many random variables. They'd notice. > OP, can you give an example? I scrolled down. The original commenter had replied. > You don't need to replicate everything. You just need specific 'anchors.' Unease and panic will do the rest of the work. Wear the same outfit. Say a specific phrase. Drop an object at the same time. Once the target recognizes the pattern, their brain will break trying to rationalize it. The events of the morning weren't just coincidences. They were anchors. Did David see this post? Is he trying to break me? But... why? David and I have been together since college. We built a startup together, sold it, and started a new venture. We were successful. After Lily was born, I stepped back to manage the household while David ran the company. For six years, he had been the model husband and father. He always said, "A happy home is my shield." What motive could he possibly have? An affair? We have a prenup; he could just ask for a divorce. Custody? Lily prefers him anyway; she’d likely choose him in court. The company? He’s the majority shareholder. I’m no threat. There was no logical reason to drive me insane. I must be losing it, I thought, laughing nervously. But that night, David came home with a new heating pad. They had the exact same conversation as the night before. Barbara watched the exact same episode of Wheel of Fortune. David played "Rock, Paper, Scissors" with Lily. Best two out of three. David won. Again. I felt sick, but I swallowed the fear. It's just a routine. People have routines. The next morning, I opened my eyes. David was buttoning the charcoal pinstripe suit. "You're up," he said. "Big all-hands meeting today. I need to head in early." I sat up, cold sweat drenching my back. David never wore the same suit three days in a row. "David," I said, my voice trembling. "You've worn that suit for two days. You're wearing it again?" 3 "You're remembering it wrong, Em. This is the first time I've worn it this week." He answered casually, not breaking his rhythm, and walked out. I jumped out of bed. Breakfast: Oatmeal with blueberries. Scrambled eggs. The request: "Don't forget the heating pad." It was a carbon copy of yesterday. And the day before. I swallowed hard. "Mom... can we have pancakes tomorrow?" Barbara frowned. "I make something different every day, Emily. Why are you so picky? Sit down and eat." I stiffened, then turned and ran back to the bedroom. "I'm going for my walk," Barbara yelled. The door slammed. One minute later... Clatter. The spoon hit the floor. With every predictable sound, my sanity fractured a little more. I grabbed my phone to check the Reddit user. I couldn't find the post. It was deleted. But I followed the user. I clicked their profile. The account still existed. I forced myself to calm down. They were gaslighting me. I knew it. But why? I tore the house apart looking for clues. Lipstick on collars? Receipts? Burner phones? Nothing. I felt like the crazy wife in a Lifetime movie. I needed air. I put on my coat and stepped outside. My neighbor, Mr. Henderson, was walking his Golden Retriever. "Morning, Emily! Don't worry, Buster doesn't bite." I nodded mutely and followed him into the elevator. In the reflection of the elevator doors, I saw him grip the leash tightly with both hands. Just like yesterday. Buzz. My blood turned to ice. For the next three days, every time I left the house, Mr. Henderson was there. "Buster doesn't bite." The grip on the leash. Was it a coincidence? Or did David pay him off? I spent the days wandering the city, lurking near David’s office. I found nothing. I took a deep breath before entering my house. Ignore it, I told myself. If you react, you lose. 4 Day four. Day five. Day six. For two weeks, David wore the pinstripe suit. We ate oatmeal and eggs. He bought a heating pad every single night. I tried screaming at them. I flipped the dining table. I threw the suit in the trash. The next morning, the table was upright, the suit was back, and the loop reset. Even Lily looked at me with wide, fearful eyes. "Mommy, you're scaring me." I tried staying awake all night to catch them resetting the stage. I couldn't. Every night, a heavy drowsiness would take me, and I’d pass out. I was reaching my breaking point. I needed an anchor of my own. I called Sarah. Sarah used to be my assistant. Now she was the HR Director at our company. She was my closest friend. I was the one who promoted her. We met at a coffee shop near the office. Sarah looked polished and professional. But when she saw me, her brow furrowed. "Emily... you look... exhausted. Are you okay?" I grabbed her hand like a lifeline and spilled everything. The suit. The oatmeal. The spoon. Sarah listened, her expression shifting from concern to bewilderment. "Emily," she said gently. "Is it possible... you're under too much stress?" "What do you mean?" "I see David every day. He hasn't worn the same suit for two weeks. That would be insane. Look." She pulled out her phone and scrolled through the company’s Instagram feed. Photos from meetings over the last two weeks. David was wearing a navy suit. A grey blazer. A polo shirt. Never the pinstripe. My ears rang. I slumped back into my chair. Am I the problem? Maybe the Reddit thread never existed. Maybe I hallucinated it to justify my mental break. I felt small. Broken. A waiter brought our coffees. Sarah took a sip and frowned. "This is soy milk. I asked for oat. I'll be right back." She stood up and walked to the counter. I stared at her back. Sarah had beautiful, long wavy hair that cascaded down her back. It was distinctive. Wait. I pulled out my phone. I went to the Reddit user’s profile. The profile picture was a woman from behind. I held my phone up, comparing the photo to Sarah standing at the counter. My heart stopped. It was her. The pieces slammed into place. "Emily? You okay?" Sarah was back. She looked at me with deep concern. The concern you show a lunatic. I tucked a strand of hair behind my ear. "How's the family, Sarah?" A flash of panic darted through her eyes before she masked it with a smile. "Good! Just me and my cat. Single life, you know?" She was lying. I knew she was lying. And that lie was the key to everything. I left the coffee shop and drove straight to the one place that would confirm my theory. When I got home that night, the loop continued. Barbara watched TV. David played the game with Lily. But this time, I didn't feel fear. I felt a cold, sharp rage. David looked at me. "Honey, you’re shaking. I’m making an appointment with a psychiatrist for tomorrow. For your own good." So this was the endgame. I nodded. "Okay."
? Continue the story here ?? ? Download the "MotoNovel" app ? search for "389811", and watch the full series ✨! #MotoNovel