Chapter 3
The sound of the door hitting the wall exploded in my ears.
Charles spun around, his eyes widening for a split second when he saw my pale face at the doorway.
But that flicker of shock vanished almost instantly, replaced by a look of pure annoyance. There was no guilt, just the irritation of a man whose good time had been ruined.
"Since you've seen everything, I guess I don't need to explain," he said flatly.
The woman on the bed didn't look startled or ashamed. She just… stopped, like a machine waiting for its next command.
Of course, she hadn't programmed her to feel shame for a situation like this.
He pulled on his clothes lazily, but then his eyes landed on the torn piece of paper in my hand, the last lines from his diary.
[Naomi, tomorrow is Valentine's. Your final test. If all goes well, nothing will stand between us anymore. We'll be together forever. Until the day I die.]
He snatched the paper from me and tore it to shreds. "Who said you could go through my things?"
I wiped my tears away and met his gaze head-on. "You're worried about your privacy? What about mine?
"Who gave you the right to feed my every detail to this... this thing? Did you ever stop to think of asking me before you turned me into your dataset?"
I lunged at Naomi, who still sat motionless on the bed, but Charles grabbed my arm and flung me aside.
My back slammed into the sharp corner of a wooden cabinet, and for a moment, everything went white.
He stared down at me. "Natalie, let's not forget, you were the one who chased after me like a lost puppy.
"If you didn't remind me of her a little, I wouldn't have given you the time of day. So, who are you trying to fool with this act now?
"You should be thanking Naomi. If it weren't for her, you think I would've stayed with you all these years?"
I gripped the edge of the cabinet and forced myself up, my vision slowly clearing.
As his smug face loomed closer, I swung my arm and slapped him with every ounce of strength I had left.
Somehow, Naomi moved in a flash, throwing herself in front of him and taking the hit.
"Naomi! Are you okay?" he cried out.
Of course she was okay. She couldn't feel pain.
Her face, still perfectly smooth and radiant like in the old photos, hadn't changed at all.
He cradled her protectively, then suddenly turned and kicked me hard in the stomach. The blow was savage, brutal. It stole the air from my lungs and nearly knocked me out.
"You vicious bitch! Fine, let's get a divorce then!" he snarled.
"I only married you because you were so damn devoted, useful for your coding skills, and as a handy reference guide.
"Now I have Naomi. She loves me more than you ever could. Why would I need a mortal, aging wife like you?"
Gritting my teeth against the searing pain, I struggled to my feet. In a final, desperate act, I grabbed a glass from the side table and hurled it at him. He didn't even flinch.
A line of blood trickled down his forehead, but instead of anger, a twisted grin spread across his face.
He said, "Good hit, Natalie!
"So it was all lies, wasn't it? All that crap about sacrificing everything for me, even your life, was all bullshit!
"See? I was right. Naomi loves me more than you ever did!"
Seeing the blood on Charles, Naomi's eyes welled up with manufactured tears. Charles, however, started laughing, a wild, triumphant laugh, as if he'd just won the grand prize.
And in that moment, it finally hit me.
I understood where Naomi's 'instinct' had come from.
It was me. It was my own love for him, ten years of unwavering devotion, that had been copied into her, making her throw herself in front of him without hesitation.
So, Charles, who did you really love? Her empty shell? Or the imitation of my love that you've stuffed inside of it?
Defeated, I leaned against the wall and stumbled toward the front door, step by painful step. "Fine. Let's get a divorce."
Their voices faded behind me, first his curt "Good," then their intimate murmurs.
The sounds of their affection seeped out from the bedroom, clinging to me like a nightmare. I quickened my pace, desperate to escape.
But just as my hand touched the front door, a sharp, terrified scream ripped through the house from upstairs.
"Natalie!"
It was Charles. His voice was raw with a fear I'd never heard before, forcing me to turn back.
What I saw next made my eyes widen in disbelief.