Chapter 1

Matthew slammed the bathroom door behind him and gripped the edges of the sink. The mirror above Rose’s vanity did not show his own twenty-year-old face but Rose’s-sharp features frozen in a startled expression, blond hair twisted into her familiar tight bun. The black floral dress hugged curves that were not his, and when he lifted a trembling hand to his cheek, a gold wedding ring flashed under the lights. The faint scent of her perfume surrounded him. His heart pounded as he realized the reflection was moving exactly as he did.

He swallowed hard and looked down. The dress fit perfectly-because it was hers. The bra pressed snugly against his chest, straps biting slightly at his shoulders, supporting weight that made him instinctively hunch. Beneath the dress, stiff shapewear constrained his hips and waist, unfamiliar and claustrophobic. Every shift of his stance felt wrong, the balance different, the center of gravity subtly altered. He pressed a palm flat against the counter to steady himself.

Rose had always hated him. She’d barely tolerated him at dinner, her smiles thin and her questions pointed. And now he was standing in her bathroom, in her body, while somewhere-presumably-she occupied his. The thought made his stomach twist. Was she panicking too? Or was she already using his voice to call his girlfriend?

He squeezed his eyes shut, trying to remember what he had been thinking before this happened. He’d been driving to see his girlfriend, hands on the wheel, music playing softly. He hadn’t been thinking about Rose at all-just about what movie they might watch. There had been a flash of dizziness, a blink-and then he was here, staring at a stranger’s reflection that moved like a puppet on his strings.

A knock sounded faintly from somewhere beyond the bathroom door. Matthew-no, Rose-straightened instinctively, smoothing the floral dress over unfamiliar curves. If Rose truly was in his body, then she might already be out there, wearing his face. And if she hated him before, what would she do now that she had the upper hand?

Chapter 2

The phone on the counter shrilled, making him jump. He stared at the screen-Andrea’s name glowing there. Relief flooded him. He snatched it up. “Andrea-”

But the voice that answered wasn’t hers. It was his. Calm. Steady. Unmistakably Matthew’s voice. For one dizzy second he thought Rose was calling to fix this, to scream or demand answers. Instead, his own voice said coolly, “Rose.”

“I-this isn’t-” he stammered, but the voice continued. “I’m leaving with Andrea. We love each other. We’re tired of being under your thumb.” The words hit like blows. His mind raced. “Don’t try to find us,” his former voice added. “You never will. And even if you do, they’ll have you arrested for violating the restraining order.” A restraining order. Matthew remembered standing beside Andrea at the courthouse, filing it against Rose after months of tension and arguments.

His grip tightened on the phone. “Rose, listen, I’m not-”

“Andrea has something to say to you.”

A rustle, then Andrea’s voice, raw with anger: “GOODBYE MOM FOREVER!”