My wife has been peeking at me from around corners and behind furniture. It's gone from weird to terrifying

We’ve been married five years and everything about her is perfect. I’ve loved her since the moment I met her. She’s the type of person who leaves a room brighter than when she entered. She can make friends with anyone and everyone adores her. She’s the gold standard for wives and I’m the happiest man alive whenever she’s around. <br><br>That evening, she was in the kitchen making dinner. I walked past her on my way to the fridge and nonchalently gave her a peck on the cheek. It’s something I’ve done a thousand times before. But this time, just as I was about to pull away, a second face joined hers. <br><br>Her skin was gray and rotten. Her eyes were black as coal and crumbled a little as she smiled. She seemed to be grinning at me but it was so wide it looked agonizing. Her face was only inches from mine. I could smell her breath; it smelled like mold. I shrieked at the top of my lungs. My wife looked at me befuddled. “What? What happened? What’s wrong?” she asked. But I couldn’t manage to answer her, my voice caught in my throat. I slowly backed away from her until I reached the dining room table. Then I turned and ran up the stairs and into the bedroom. My heart was pounding, my hands were shaking and I couldn’t take a deep breath for love or money. <br><br>I sat on the bed for a while before my wife came up to see me. “Hey, are you okay? What happened? You gonna tell me or just leave me in suspense?” She was sitting next to me now with her hand on my knee. I still hadn’t managed a word. “Hey, I love you. You okay? You can tell me anything.” I finally managed to speak but all that came out was a sob. My wife pulled me into a hug. “I think you need some rest. How about we get to bed and talk in the morning?” she suggested. <br><br>I nodded and we went to sleep. In the morning I was sure it had all been a dream. That is, until I saw her again. This time she was standing in the hallway just outside our bedroom. She was wearing the same grin and the same black eyes. She didn’t move. She just stood there watching me. I shrieked again, waking up my wife. “What’s wrong?” She asked. This time I managed an answer. “Who is that? How are you doing this? Why are you scaring me like this? Stop it.” My wife had no idea what I was talking about. No one was there.<br><br>My wife suggested I take the day off work. She said it would be good for us to go out on a date. She wanted to get some attention from me; she said I’d been preoccupied with work lately. I agreed. We went to an Italian restaurant. Over the main course my wife excused herself to the restroom. When she stood up, the woman from the kitchen stood up from the other side of the table. She was wearing my wife’s smile and my wife’s face. But her skin was gray and decaying and her eyes were still black as coal. She watched me as I trembled. The people at the next table must have thought I was having some kind of seizure.<br><br>My wife came back from the bathroom. “You okay? You look a little pale.” She asked. I wasn’t okay. I still hadn’t managed to say a word to her since the whole thing started. How could I? What could I say? My wife started to get frustrated and a little scared herself, I think. But we still finished the meal. Over desert, my wife tried to make small talk. But from my perspective, it wasn’t her talking. It was the other woman. The decayed woman with my wife’s face. Every time she opened her mouth, I saw maggoty flesh writhing inside. <br><br>We skipped getting the bill and I dragged my wife out the restaurant in a full panic. My wife was crying when we reached the car. She kept asking what was wrong but I couldn’t answer her. I just kept telling her everything was okay and to stop worrying. She didn’t believe me but she stopped pushing the issue. I think she knew I was barely holding on. When we got home, I immediately went back to bed and tucked myself beneath the covers. My wife sat next to me on the bed. “I love you. If you’re not up to talking about it, that’s fine. Just please don’t shut me out, okay?” I grunted in agreement and we both fell asleep. <br><br>When I woke up, I felt a little better. I figured it had all been a hallucination brought on by stress. So I decided to go make some coffee. That’s when I saw her again. But this time, she wasn’t my wife. This time she was a little girl. A little girl with black eyes and gray skin. She was peeking at me from behind the kitchen island, just her eyes visible. She didn’t move. She didn’t say anything. She just watched me. I screamed and fell to the ground. My wife came running down the stairs. “What is wrong with you?” She screamed. <br><br>We both sat on the couch. She held my hand and looked me dead in the eye. “I think you need to tell me what’s going on.” She said. I trembled as I spoke but I managed to explain what I was seeing. When I was finished, my wife laughed. “You mean like when you were a kid and you thought you saw your shadow following you?” She asked. I wasn’t joking. “No. This woman. She keeps changing. At first, she looked like you. Then she looked like you but with black eyes and gray skin. Then she looked like a little girl.” I said. <br><br>My wife laughed again. “That sounds scary I guess.” She said. “But it’s okay. It’s just your imagination run a little wild.” I wanted to believe her but I couldn’t stop thinking about the little girl. The woman. Whatever it was. My wife suggested we go for a walk to clear my head. But on our way to the car, I saw the little girl again. This time she was hiding behind the trash can in our driveway. When she saw me, she peeked around the corner and smiled. I tugged on my wife’s arm. “There! See? Right there.” I said. <br><br>My wife looked in the direction I was pointing. “See who?” She asked. “That little girl over there. The one with gray skin and black eyes. She’s right there. Can’t you see her?” I said. My wife shrugged. “Nope. Sorry.” <br><br>We didn’t go for the walk. I couldn’t leave the house. Every inch of our property, inside and out, was filled with the little girl. She was hiding behind every bush, every tree, every corner, every piece of furniture. She was everywhere. Watching me. She never moved. Just watched me. I couldn’t look anywhere without seeing her and every time I did, she smiled. My wife stayed with me. She held me and told me everything was going to be okay but it wasn’t okay. <br><br>The little girl had gone from weird, to terrifying. I couldn’t sleep. I couldn’t eat. I couldn’t move. Every time I closed my eyes, I saw the little girl. Every time I opened them, I saw the little girl. My wife couldn’t take it anymore. She called 911 and they took me to the hospital. Now I’m writing this from my bed in the psych ward. They locked me in here because of my wife. They say she’s not real. They say I’m suffering from delusions. They won’t listen to me. They won’t listen. <br><br>I’m so scared and I’m alone. I wish my wife was here. I miss her so much. They won’t even let me call her. They say it’s not possible because she doesn’t exist. But I know she does. I know because I can see her. She’s standing just inside the door to my room, smiling at me. She’s so beautiful. She’s the gold standard for wives and I’m the happiest man alive whenever she’s around.