The uninvited guest
## Chapter One: The Fall
When I looked down from the window, the world stopped. A man's bloodied corpse lay on the asphalt, people forming a circle around him. Some called police, others stared up at the building—searching for the window or whoever had thrown him.
I pulled back and shut the window. My hands trembled, heart pounding. I ran to the front door, praying to see Amir, but no one was there. I opened and closed it again—as if I could change reality.
The scene below grew crowded with police cars. Officers moved people away. Several seemed to point at me. I stepped aside, closed the window.
For the last time, I went to the door. "God, if I open this door, make my Amir appear." But when I opened it, a police officer stared at me with a serious expression.
"Please dress appropriately and come to the station."
I slammed the door shut, unable to stand.
"Ms. Sara!" His voice rose. "Don't think about running. We'll return with a warrant."
Everything spun. The ground shook beneath my feet, then... darkness.
## Chapter Two: Hospital
Arguing voices woke me. A doctor in white quarreled with the officer. My left hand was connected to an IV, oxygen mask on my face, hands and feet tied to the bed—I was in custody.
I gestured for the doctor to remove the mask. He smiled and moved it aside.
"Please bring Amir to me."
The officer laughed bitterly: "She killed her husband, now wants to see him!"
The doctor turned angrily: "If anything happens to my patient, you're responsible."
"Then discharge her quickly. When you're done, she's not your patient—she's my suspect."
"She's had a heart attack. Until recovery, she cannot be discharged."
After the officer left, the doctor said: "I'm Dr. Mohedi. You called for Amir all night. Your husband?"
I nodded. "I had a heart attack?"
"Mild. Don't worry. I exaggerated your condition to buy time."
I asked him to call Amir. He tried the number I gave, but no one answered. He promised to contact me if Amir called.
I just wanted to hear Amir's voice.
## Chapter Three: Interrogation
The next day, police forcibly took me from the hospital. In the station's dark room, the same ill-mannered officer entered. My heartbeat rose.
"This isn't kindergarten! I know how to make you talk."
"I won't speak without my lawyer."
Everything went dark again.
I woke to a female officer splashing water on my face. A new man sat across from me.
"I'm Karimi, police chief. Your case is mine now. Don't worry—you won't see that other officer again."
He leaned forward calmly. "Tell me what happened two nights ago."
"Do you know about Amir, my husband?"
He showed me a photo: "Do you know this man?"
"Yes! That's my Amir." I began crying. "What happened to him?"
He said coldly: "Two nights ago, Amir fell from your bedroom window and died instantly. Now explain exactly what happened. I'll help you, but you must be honest."
His kindness calmed me. I took a deep breath and began.
## Chapter Four: The Secret
"The window was open, Amir lying on the bed. I was writing at the computer. I asked him to close it—dust was coming in. He said the weather was too nice to waste. I said to stick the new screen on. He said he'd get up and do it. I asked if he'd gotten adhesive—we were supposed to get it from my father. He said yes, I was right."
"Suddenly the doorbell rang. I went in surprise and opened it... I saw Amir! Standing there with his usual bag!"
Karimi frowned: "What do you mean?"
"I slammed the door and returned to the bedroom. Amir, still on the bed, asked: 'Uninvited guest?' My face had gone pale. He joked: 'Did you see the angel of death?' I said it was the neighbor. He said: 'Package delivery? Go see what it is.'"
"I went back to the door. For the first time in my life, I hoped not to see Amir when I opened it! But there he was again. Standing silently. He said: 'I know you hoped not to see me, right?'"
"Then he said: 'The one lying on the bed, who doesn't even know you were supposed to get adhesive from your father—that's not your Amir!'"
## Chapter Five: The Test
"My hair stood on end. The Amir at the door said: 'If you want to be sure, ask him about the dream he had after his father's death.'"
"After his father died, Amir dreamed his father came to our door. Amir hugged him but realized his father showed no reaction. In the dream, they told Amir his father came without eyes and heart. To see, he needed Amir's eyes; to feel, he needed Amir's heart. He had ten seconds to decide, or his son would die too. Amir accepted without hesitation."
"Only Amir and I knew this dream's details. I quietly closed the door and went to the bedroom. I asked: 'Remember the strange dream after your father's death? When your father came to the door?' He said: 'I can't remember what I ate yesterday, let alone a dream from four years ago!'"
"I said in surprise: 'Only a year and ten months have passed since your father's death!'"
## Chapter Six: Maryam
"I didn't know how to return to the door. When that Amir left for the bathroom, I rushed back. The Amir at the door was still there. I said: 'I'm completely confused. Is the person inside my Amir or not?'"
"He gave me an intelligent look: 'Do you remember Maryam?'"
"Hearing that name, my heart raced. 'Which Maryam?' 'Don't fool yourself—you know who I mean. Your Amir told the truth about having no relationship with Maryam. But the Amir who just went to the bathroom goes to the train station every week before coming home. Maryam comes from Tehran by train, and they meet in the same seat we always use when we go to Tehran.'"
## Chapter Seven: Confrontation
"My legs felt heavy. If the one at the door was real, why ruin his reputation? If not, how did he know these details?"
"I reached the bedroom and asked him everything. I desperately wanted it to be lies, but his changing expression revealed the truth. He denied it at first, but when he saw I knew every detail, he fell silent."
"We stared at each other. My shock was how he'd hidden twelve years of betrayal."
"Suddenly I felt my strength multiply. I went to Amir, wrapped my arms around his waist. He didn't resist. I lifted him and guided him toward the window. Until that moment, I didn't know what I was doing—then I threw Amir out the window!"
"He screamed: 'Let me explain!' But there was nothing left to explain. He tried to keep hold of my hand, but I released him without hesitation."
## Chapter Eight: Regret
"In his last moment, his eyes said things he'd never said in twelve years. I felt I'd made the wrong decision. For the first time, I saw strange innocence in his eyes."
"If he wasn't my Amir, who could he be? He'd forgotten things impossible given his extraordinary memory. And if the man at the door was Amir, why reveal his betrayal? Did he want to distance me from the man inside, even at the cost of losing me?"
Karimi, absorbed in the story, suddenly looked up. The ill-mannered officer entered: "Amir's here. Wants to see his wife."
Karimi nodded. Amir entered.
## Chapter Nine: Return
The officer gave me a strange look and left. Amir greeted Karimi, then came to me and hugged me.
"I'll get you out quickly." He turned to Karimi: "Colonel, I'll represent my wife legally."
Karimi, confused like me, said there was no obstacle.
"I want my wife released on bail."
"In cases like this, that's not possible."
That night in detention, I couldn't sleep. I kept wondering what had happened, where another Amir came from. Which was real?
I prayed: "God, why such a difficult test?"
After three days, they took me to court.
## Chapter Ten: Court
The session began. Amir rose: "Your Honor, police claim Sara murdered her husband. They have a corpse allegedly belonging to Amir, but as you see, I am Amir and I'm alive. I've submitted identity documents. Therefore, the police claim is rejected."
The prosecutor responded: "We have a corpse and a killer who confessed. Given the clarity of murder, I request immediate judgment."
The judge turned to me: "Do you still confess to throwing that man from the window?"
I stood: "Yes, Your Honor!"
The judge rose to announce verdict. Everyone stood. Amir looked at me strangely. I read in his eyes that he knew where this led.
"Given the defendant's explicit confession to first-degree murder, I sentence the defendant to death."
I was shocked. Amir called my name, but I couldn't answer. He started shaking my shoulders when...
## Chapter Eleven: Awakening
I jumped from sleep!
Amir, frightened, said: "Sara! Bad dream?"
"Yes, very bad."
He wanted to calm me, but I pulled away, still inflamed by the dream and Maryam's story. The window was open, cool breeze blowing. I was happy it was all just a dream—but what about Maryam?
"Please close the window, dust is coming in."
"The weather's too nice to waste."
"Then stick the new screen on."
"Sure, I'll get up now."
"Did you get adhesive? We were supposed to get it from my father."
"Yes, you're right."
Fear filled me—this exact conversation had happened in the dream!
I decided to ask about Maryam: "Amir, one question. Swear you'll tell the truth?"
Suddenly the doorbell rang.
Color drained from my face. I was flustered.
"Okay, I swear to tell the truth, but first see who's at the door."
I was logical, didn't believe in superstitions, but didn't know why I felt this way. I didn't want to go to the door, but curiosity consumed me. I told myself it must be the neighbor with a package.
I reached the door, pressed the handle, and opened it.
To my complete surprise, I saw Amir with his usual bag on his shoulder!
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**The End**
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