I woke up to the faint sound of birds chirping, my face nestled into a pillow that smelled unfamiliar, like lavender and sandalwood. As I blinked sunlight streamed through a window I didn’t recognize. My heart skipped a beat as I turned my head and froze. This wasn’t my bed. And lying next to me wasn’t my wife, Erica, but her BEST FRIEND, Eliza…

Panic coursed through me.

“This has to be a dream,” I whispered to myself, my voice barely audible. I won’t lie, the worst thought also occurred to me, that I might’ve somehow cheated on my wife. But how could such a thing happen? I love Erica!

My mind raced through a fog of guilt and confusion. I stared at Eliza’s sleeping face, hoping for some sign that this was a mix-up, but nothing about the situation felt right. My heart pounded in my chest as I tried to piece together how I’d gotten here.

At that moment, Eliza stirred, her eyes fluttering open. She smiled warmly when she saw I was awake, leaned over, and kissed me lightly on the forehead. “Happy birthday, darling!” she said with a content sigh.

“Darling?” I repeated, my voice cracking. I froze momentarily, then sat up abruptly, clutching the sheets as if they were my only tether to reality! I did recall that it was my birthday, but I couldn’t understand why Eliza would call me her “darling!”

“Eliza, what’s going on?”

She laughed softly. “What’s wrong? You look like you’ve seen a ghost. Come on, Matt, don’t be weird, starting with your birthday shenanigans. You’re getting older, not amnesia or forgetfulness. I’ll get started on breakfast.”

She slipped out of bed, grabbing a silk robe from a nearby chair. As she walked out of the room and down the stairs, I was left staring at the space she’d just vacated. My gaze drifted to the nightstand, and that’s when I saw it: a framed photo of a wedding. My stomach dropped. But my bride wasn’t Erica. It was ELIZA!

“No, no, no,” I muttered, reaching for the picture. My hands trembled as I held it closer! There I was, grinning like an idiot in a tuxedo, with Eliza in a white gown beside ME! I fumbled for my phone, hoping it could provide some answers.

The lock screen was the same, thankfully, showing the same picture of me on my honeymoon in Maui. Relief washed over me for a split second. At least this was still my phone. I scrolled through my contacts and dialed Erica’s number, which I had saved under “Sweetheart.”

As the line rang, I heard a faint buzzing sound from downstairs. I started panicking. Then her voice answered.

“Hi, darling! Did you forget something? Or do you just miss me already? What should I make for breakfast?”

I couldn’t even respond! My throat felt dry as I hung up abruptly. This was wrong, so wrong! Desperate, I checked the number I had dialed and realized it wasn’t my wife’s, so I called her using her memorized number.

After ringing a few times, Erica finally picked up. “Matt! Happy birthday!” she sang into the phone.

I felt relief again as I exclaimed, “Sweetheart! Oh, thank God it’s you!”

Then there was silence. A long, awkward silence.

“Sweetheart?” she finally responded, laughing. “Matt, did you mix something up after all the heavy drinking you did last night at your birthday pre-party? Your sweetheart’s probably making you breakfast right now. Are you okay?”

Embarrassed, I hung up again, my hands trembling. I felt like I was LOSING my mind! Determined to get some answers, I stumbled out of the bedroom, down the stairs clutching the banister for support, and found two kids waiting for me: Eliza’s kids.

They ran up to me, hugging me tightly. “Happy birthday, Dad!” they shouted in unison.

“Dad?” I whispered, looking down at their eager faces. My knees threatened to buckle. I wasn’t their dad. I couldn’t be…

The smell of bacon and coffee filled the air. Eliza was in the kitchen, humming a tune I vaguely recognized. Her kids ran and sat at the dining table, their faces lighting up as they looked at me.

I forced a smile and tried pulling myself together.

“Thanks, kiddos,” I mumbled, my voice barely steady.

Eliza placed a plate of pancakes in front of me, her face glowing with pride. “Your favorite,” she said, kissing my cheek.

I sat down, staring at the perfectly arranged table. Gifts were stacked neatly in the corner, wrapped in bright paper. Family photos lined the walls, each one featuring me, Eliza, and the kids. In one, I was holding a toddler on my shoulders; in another, we were at the Grand Canyon, smiling as if this life had always been mine.

I couldn’t eat. My stomach churned with unease. After mumbling an excuse, I retreated to the bathroom and locked the door. I splashed cold water on my face, hoping to wake up from this nightmare.

I tried to rationalize everything happening, thinking maybe I’d hit my head. But no amount of reasoning worked. I figured one other person could clarify things and know the truth, so I called my mother.

“Happy birthday, Matt!” she greeted cheerfully.

“Thanks, Mom,” I said, my voice shaky. “But tell me, what’s my wife’s name?”

There was a pause, followed by a light laugh. “Eliza, of course. Why are you asking such a silly question?”

Her words hit me like a ton of bricks as I mumbled an apology and excused myself from the call. Was I losing my mind? I tried to steady my breathing, but the walls of the unfamiliar bathroom seemed to close in around me. I had to get out of there.

“This isn’t real,” I said to my reflection. “It can’t be.”

After pacing for several minutes, I decided I needed air. I stepped outside and took in the crisp morning breeze.

The neighborhood was eerily familiar, yet it felt wrong, too perfect, as if I’d stepped onto a movie set. Each house was meticulously maintained, the lawns trimmed with precision. I paced the driveway, my hands trembling as I clutched my phone.

When I returned home, Eliza was already planning the day. “We’ll have a little spa party tonight here at home,” she said. “Just us and a few friends. It’ll be nice and relaxing.”

Her words barely registered. I nodded absentmindedly, my thoughts racing. If this was some kind of alternate reality, maybe seeing Erica would snap me out of it. But how would I find her?

I didn’t have much time to entertain that thought as my “wife” kept me busy taking care of the children and doing other odd errands around the house. She seemed to be watching me like a hawk and kept me in her sights.

The answer to finding Erica came that evening at the party. Our friends, luckily my real friends, gathered at the house. Everything about the atmosphere felt familiar, except for the way they treated me. They laughed and joked as if this life with Eliza was the only one they’d ever known.

And then I saw her, Erica. MY Erica. She was standing with Eliza’s husband, Michael, laughing at some joke he’d made. They looked… happy.

Jealousy flared in me, hot and irrational. I clenched my fists, willing myself not to cause a scene. I wanted to march over to Erica, but my heart pounded in my chest at the thought of a messy confrontation.

But when I saw her removing a crumb from his beard, something inside me finally snapped, and I was ready to deal with the embarrassment of making a scene! I marched forward, determined to confront the truth, no matter how painful it might be. But as I walked past the cake, decorated with the words “Happy Birthday, Matt!” in bright frosting, everything changed.

Someone intercepted my path and led me to the cake, which was now being lit with colorful candles. My determination melted as I leaned into the hope that my birthday would come with positivity, making one wish: to go back to my real family.

I blew out the candles with my eyes closed, and then, to my shock, Erica walked up, kissed me square on the lips, and said, “Let me guess… you wished for this, didn’t you?”

And at that moment, everyone around started cheering, laughing, and yelling, “Surprise!”

Shocked, I realized what was happening. It was all a prank.

I stared at my wife, stunned wanting proper clarification that I wasn’t going crazy. “What… what is this?”

“It was a prank,” she confirmed, laughing. “A crazy, elaborate prank. You and Michael joked about swapping lives once, remember? Eliza and I overheard and couldn’t resist.”

“So, none of this is real? I didn’t hit my head and forget?”

“Nope, everything was planned, from you getting super drunk last night, to you ending up in bed with Eliza, to her children and husband getting involved, and even your mother!” Erica said with a smile.

Relief and disbelief washed over me as the truth sank in. I looked around at the grinning faces of my friends and family, and for the first time all day, I laughed.

“I hate you all,” I said, shaking my head. “But this… this is one birthday I’ll never forget!”

While the prank on Matt played out well in the following story it ended in heartbreak. A married woman tried playing a prank on her unsuspecting husband, but the joke ended up being on her and not him.

This work is inspired by real events and people, but it has been fictionalized for creative purposes. Names, characters, and details have been changed to protect privacy and enhance the narrative. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or actual events is purely coincidental and not intended by the author.

The author and publisher make no claims to the accuracy of events or the portrayal of characters and are not liable for any misinterpretation. This story is provided “as is,” and any opinions expressed are those of the characters and do not reflect the views of the author or publis