A young woman described on Reddit how something had kept her from getting enough sleep on numerous occasions. She discovered that the reason her life was spared was also the reason behind her insomnia after she eventually discovered the truth.
When Tara and Eric first got married, the bliss of their honeymoon phase was shattered by the usual problems that confront a young marriage: arguments about personal space, conflicts over household duties, and most significantly, arguments over interior design. One particular point of dispute stood out among these home spats—a mystery oil portrait of a woman that Tara’s husband adamantly insisted on keeping.
The picture, which Eric supposedly bought at a rummage sale before he met Tara and which had no apparent origin, showed a young lady wearing a basic white cotton gown with golden hair that fell over her shoulders like a cascade. The oil painting was done in a way that captured the light and gave it life. But even with her beauty, Tara sensed something was off with the image, especially because her husband had chosen to hang it over their bed.
It was obvious that Tara was uncomfortable with the portrait. It was a menacing presence in their bedroom that frequently woke her up in the middle of the night with the impression that the woman’s piercing gray gaze was on her. She became so uncomfortable that she begged her husband, Eric, to move the artwork.
Tara tried to explain to Eric that the portrait didn’t go with their modern bedroom. Eric shot back, saying Tara’s FunkoPops, which were also on display there, were just the same. Tara reluctantly gave in and let Eric keep the portrait in the bedroom. Still, the picture kept keeping her awake, so she suggested that if Eric took the photo out of the bedroom, she would take her FunkoPops with her.
Reluctantly, he agreed to move it to the stairway, which made Tara feel more uncomfortable because the painting appeared to follow her every step. One sleepless night, things came to a breaking point when Tara stepped out of bed for a midnight snack and was frightened by the image, thinking it was an intruder in the dark house.
Tara informed Eric of the pain the portrait was causing her, which sparked an intense request for its removal. After that, Eric decided to move the portrait to his office, which brought some brief relief but also signaled the beginning of a more complex mystery.
Tara saw Eric staying in his office at odd hours, frequently engrossed in the picture. She knew he had a lot on his plate, but she assumed he was focused on getting it done. She had no idea that there was a darker side to this.
Tara became curious about Eric one evening at supper, and when she followed her to his office, she saw him absorbed in a trance, staring at the portrait. Eric pretended to have finished his project when Tara arrived, telling her that it was approved and that he would be heading down for dinner shortly.
Tara chose not to bring up the unsettling revelation of Eric’s obsession with the picture. Still, her quiet turned out to be short-lived. Tara confronted Eric when she overheard a teleconference in which he falsely claimed to have completed his project, allegedly because he had to take her to the hospital after she had allegedly fallen down the stairs.
When Tara approached Eric and revealed the falsehood as a justification for missing his deadline, Eric’s pallor faded. Disturbed by their lack of quality time together, Tara doubted the sincerity of Eric’s purportedly arduous effort. Tara was left wondering if he was really engrossed in his work or if he was just staring at the painting.
Encouraging both fear and intrigue, Tara secretly started her inquiry while Eric slept. She broke into his office and took a covert picture of the portrait, using a reverse image search to uncover startling information connecting it to the missing art student Anya Kelsing.
A maze of mystery was revealed by Anya’s unexplained disappearance while on a hiking trip, following a bear incident that caused her to split up with her partner. Tara’s anxiety was exacerbated when Anya’s identity as the portrait’s maker was revealed. But there was danger associated with her finding.
Tara had been deep in research when she heard footsteps approaching, so she had to hide from Eric. She hid under the desk and thought about how she had no good reason to be in the office.
Tara’s weak effort at an alibi was prompted by Eric’s visceral reaction upon entering the office and asking if she was there. Unconvinced, Eric held Tara down as she attempted to flee, forcing her to admit the importance of the image and then cover it up.
Tara’s departure from the office during a heated exchange was the beginning of her release from a dangerous relationship. As she ran into the night, her calls for help caused Eric to be apprehended for assault, which set off a series of events that led to Anya’s justice and discoveries.