A stranger sat at her table, claiming to be her soulmate. A jolt of fear pulsed through her body. She had been warned about this but she had not taken the warning seriously and now her life was in danger. What was she supposed to do?

Trying to remain calm she focused on her breathing. In, out, in, out. She needed to appear calm and completely normal. She could not let her true feelings be revealed. 

“I’m your true soulmate,” the stranger blurted out again. 

She blinked quickly, forcing herself to focus on what was in front of her. She tried to temporarily push her fear away. 

“What makes you say that?” she asked.

“Because Elizabeth,” he started saying.

All of her fear flooded back. How did he know her name? She tried to focus as he continued speaking although she could feel the panic rising as it started to shut her body down. Still, he talked, seemingly unaware of the wave of panic building up in her.

“I know everything about you.” When she heard him say that a cold shudder ran down her spine.

The guy then turned to a passing waiter. “Could we please have two servings of chocolate cake.”

He smiled as the waiter hurried off. He turned back to Elizabeth. “See, your favourite dessert is chocolate cake and so is mine.”

This was getting too overwhelming and terrifying. She needed to get out of there immediately. “Wow, that’s so cool!” she said, full of false enthusiasm whilst also being surprised her words managed to escape her body amidst the increasingly rapid rate of her breathing. 

“I just need to pop to the loo but I promise I’ll be back before dessert comes.” She gave him a great big smile before quickly disappearing before he could protest. As soon as she was out of his sight she ran. 


She ran until she was far far away. She ran until she could barely breathe. Finally she reached the park. A quick scan let her know she was alone. So she collapsed onto a bench and then let it all out. Insanely fast breathing, rapid heart beat, her brain going all fuzzy and partially zoning out, her arms and legs simultaneously tingling and numb, tears streaming down her face, her body completely out of her control. She hated panic attacks.

She tried to calm herself down. Tried to focus on counting the trees, spotting five green items, and trying to ground herself in her surroundings. But instead her thoughts continued racing and all she could think about was the stranger and the warning she had received. 

This had happened to her best friend Alison. A stranger had said he was Alison’s soulmate. And then he stalked her and became obsessed with her and terrorised her. In Alison’s last conversation with Elizabeth she warned Elizabeth to run if a stranger ever said that to her. Elizabeth never saw Alison again as a day later Alison’s body was found and it was eventually discovered that her killer was the stranger who claimed that he was Alison’s soulmate.

Thinking about this caused Elizabeth’s panic attack to get even worse and soon every part of her body was in agony and she could barely breathe as the speed of her breathing didn’t allow any time for air to get to her lungs. She was gasping and gulping for air and felt sure that this was how she would die. 

As she was caught up in the desperate struggle for air she suddenly felt something. A drop of cold water on her head. And then another drop of water. And another. Soon she was soaked as she found herself caught in an outburst of insanely heavy rain. The shock of the water distracted her and soon her breaths gradually started to get slower. And slower, and slower. Until finally she was breathing at a normal pace. What seemed like ages later the feeling came back to her arms and legs and even later still her brain unfogged and her thinking was clear again.

Elizabeth let out a deep breath of relief. The panic attack was finally over. Whilst some part of her mind wanted to now think about the stranger and about Alison another part of her mind knew that was too dangerous to think about. She had only just managed to calm down from her panic attack. She wasn’t going to risk having another one.

Instead she made her way home and went to bed, hoping that she could forget everything that had happened that day. 


The next morning Elizabeth woke up to the feel of someone else getting into her bed. She kept her eyes closed desperately hoping that she could go back to sleep and everything was just a dream. Instead she heard a voice.

“Good morning Elizabeth.”

She tentatively opened her eyes. And froze in fear. The person staring down at her was the stranger who had sat at her table last night. He had said he was her soulmate. And now he was in her house! Was she going to be the next Alison?

The terror in her eyes must have been clear as the stranger gave her a look of concern.

“What's wrong honey?” he asked.

She just stared at him. Why was he acting like he knew her?

She took a deep breath. “Who are you?”

He gasped and looked wounded. “Elizabeth,” he said sadly. “Did you forget me? Again?”

He moved towards her. In a panic Elizabeth jumped out of bed and ran for the door. He reached it first and stood against it, blocking the pathway and barricading them both inside of the room. 

“I’m your husband Elizabeth.”

She let out a harsh laugh whilst staring in shock. She still felt scared although her fear was dying down as she looked at him. As he didn’t seem aggressive or angry. Instead he looked hurt and sad. 

He reached into his pocket and pulled out his phone. He swiped through it briefly before then passing it to her. It was open to a folder of photos. “Look through these,” he said.

Elizabeth decided to listen. The first photo was one of her and the stranger gazing into each other's eyes. The next photo had her and the stranger holding hands. In another photo they were kissing. In yet another photo he was in a suit and she was in a wedding dress. And in one of the final photos they were standing in front of a field of flowers surrounded by four kids, all of whom looked like a perfect combination of her and the stranger. 

Confusion flooded through Elizabeth. She passed the phone back to the stranger (her husband?) and slowly made her way to the bed. 

“I don’t understand,” she stammered.

The stranger gently made his way closer to her and sat down in a chair, leaving a safe distance between them. “A few months ago we were in a car crash on the way to pick up the kids from school. Ever since then you have had issues with your memory. Some days you remember me and the kids. Other days you don’t.”

Tears filled in her eyes. Even though the warning from Alison was still in her brain she knew in her heart that she believed him. She could tell by his manner and she could tell by the photos. Especially the one with the kids. She couldn’t even remember their names but when she looked at the photo of the kids she was filled with this motherly love and the sense that she would do anything to protect the people in that photo.

She looked up at the stranger. “You are my soulmate,” she whispered.

He nodded. “I am, and you are mine,” he said softly.

She smiled as 5 names came to her mind. “I love you Jacob.”

At the sound of his name coming from her lips tears welled up within Jacob’s eyes. “I love you too,” he replied.

The two of them gave each other a hug.

“Let’s go and wake up the kids,” Elizabeth said before she then paused.

Seeing the fear in her face Jacob reassured her. “It's alright honey. The kids understand. I have explained it to them. They will be happy to see you.”

Elizabeth gave a weak smile. “I remember them today but what if tomorrow I forget them and you?”

Jacob gave her a reassuring smile. “Then I will remind you again. I will always be here for you whether or not you remember who I am. I love you and I am your soulmate.”

Elizabeth let out a breath of relief. It didn’t matter if she temporarily forgot Jacob. He would always remember her and in the end so would she. After all, they were each other's soulmates.