My wife keeps introducing me to people who aren’t there.

I thought she was playing a practical joke the first-time she did it.

I was in the kitchen, getting dinner ready when she walked in the front door mid conversation. I expected to see her on her mobile but I noticed both hands were holding things – her briefcase and a parcel that had been sitting at the front door I had forgotten to bring inside.

She gave a brief pause and introduced me to no one, apparently called Jeff, a colleague at her work.
I gave her a quizzical glance while I chopped onion, but she just carried on the conversation, even going as far to pause as if waiting for the other person to reply.

As I served dinner, my wife glanced at the two plates I had dished up and passed a look of surprise and anger to me. She asked if she could see me in the other room.

I was getting sick of her silly game now, but I obliged.
“really, Ian? You didn’t even say hello to Jeff and now you aren’t going to serve him dinner?”
“There’s no one there.” I cried, exasperated.
She glared at me and stomped off, I could hear the conversation on her end start up again, her offering apologies for my behaviour.

Now I was the one pissed off, it was one thing to make a practical joke but this was taking it too far.
We didn’t talk for a few days and then on the weekend she asked if I wanted to go have some drinks with some of the new couples she’d met at her writing retreat a few months before.

I was still cranky, but I agreed, she was my wife and I knew she had a humorous side before I married her. Maybe I’d been the one in the wrong to take it all so seriously. I felt myself soften, and I found I was looking forward to the evening.

We arrived to an empty apartment.

“She told me not to bother knocking,” my wife smiled as she let herself in to the apartment, “said she’d never hear us knocking over all the chatter.”

My heart began to race as I watched my wife lean down three times, hugging three people who were not there.
She gave names of who was sitting in each empty chair, told me I could introduce myself and excused herself quickly to go to the bathroom.

I stared around the empty room, dazed.
The coffee table was filled with snacks, a bag of chips and some biscuits, a pitcher of iced tea was sitting with 5 tall glasses.
I heard the toilet flush, and the footsteps of my wife returning.

She settle down on the couch, poured 2 glasses of tea and launched into conversation about work, ignoring my stunned expression.

I gingerly took a seat, in what I was hoping was an empty chair -ah, you know what I mean-, and tried to play along with my wife. It was fucking hard, trying to upkeep a conversation with someone who wasn’t even there, knowing where to look, what to do.. I tried my best.

Truth be told my wife and I were on the rocks lately, and if I could avoid another fight with her, then I would.
We left the apartment after mid night, my wife snuggled into me, tipsy on her few drinks. I’d tried to blur the evening myself by indulging in some drinks, but I was too on edge to get drunk.

She asked me what I thought of her friends as we walked hand in hand back to the car, and I said they had been nice.
Her smile back seemed truly genuine.

It happened again the next week.

An art gallery opening, her friends exhibition.
Arguing or not, I started to loose my shit when I was stood in an empty gallery, looking at empty picture frames.
When I heard my wife ooh and ahh over a fucking empty frame, I couldn’t contain myself any longer.

I had reached breaking point in this ridiculous joke I didn’t even want to be a part of.

She glared daggers at me and tugged me outside by the cuff of my suit.
“What the hell’s got into you?” She hissed.
“I played along at the start. But this… This is a joke. There’s no one in the fucking room!”
Her face changed from one to anger of confusion and then worry.
“I.. i haven’t been playing any practical joke on you. I swear. I think.. I think you need to go to the doctor. I think there’s something wrong with you.”

From then, life started to go downhill.
My wife wouldn’t let up about me seeing a doctor, so I eventually gave in, and found myself sitting in an empty doctors office, my wife nodding along to an empty office chair.

I was seriously contemplating leaving her if she didn’t give up this on going joke soon enough.
But it turned out she was the one to leave me.
I got home to a letter on the table, saying she loved me, but until I got help she couldn’t keep doing this.

I was pissed to say the least. She had really taken this too far now. Like I said, I knew she was a practical joker.. but She would be lucky if I took her back, after all this.
I settled back in to enjoy some time to myself, to give my frazzled brain a chance to recoup – I had been on edge so much lately, this practical joke had seriously taken it’s toll on my mind, body and soul. It felt good to relax.
I took time to meditate, to game, and even connected online with some mates from collage.

A week or so later, I arrived home to my wife preparing dinner in our kitchen.
She gave me a sheepish smile, a kiss on my cheek and told me she was sorry for messing with me.
I breathed a sigh of relief as I kissed her back, and hugged her tight.
She was my wife, and I loved her.

Chris was one of my collage buddies, we had recently reconnected playing online and he invited me and the wife over for dinner.
I was excited, my wife hadn’t met many of my friends as I’d moved from my hometown, so I was looking forward to that. We had been in such a good place lately, she had given up completely on the practical jokes.and was
Being the usual kind and loving wife she always had been.

Chris had done well, I thought to myself when we pulled up in the drive of a 2 storey house.
I squeezed my wife’s hand as I could sense her nervous energy, and I rang the bell.
I greeted Chris and introduced him to my wife, too busy admiring his home to really notice the odd look he gave me.

We made some small talk, my wife was pretty reserved and I tried to include her more in the conversation.
After a while, Chris gave a short, nervous laugh and asked if everything was okay?

I frowned, we had been having a great time. What sort of question was that?
He looked awkward, his eyes not quite meeting mine. He cleared his throat.
“Umm.. it’s just that there’s no one there.”
–
I don’t know what to think.
I don’t know what to do.

I left Chris’ house in a daze, more confused than ever. The sound of my wife’s confused sobs were the sound track of my drive home.

I’m scared.

I don’t know who is there anymore,and who isn’t.

But then.. My wife tells me she’s real. I can feel the warmth of her skin against mine. Smell the shampoo she uses in her soft hair.

She’s my wife. I have to believe her.

Credit: AussieDogMum

Please Note the Author of this Creepypasta does NOT give permission for it to be used for any podcasts or narrations