Chapter 4
The two figures were no longer locked in an intimate embrace. Charles, who had fled the room, was now staring at me with sheer terror in his eyes, begging me not to leave.
I saw the red marks on his face but offered no response, turning instead to push open the front door and leave.
Naomi was gaining consciousness. She had mimicked my actions, and the target had been Charles, the man she was supposed to adore unconditionally.
Something had quietly begun to spiral out of control.
A faint, cold smile touched my lips. Charles, your reckoning was coming.
The next day, I woke up in a hospital room.
My phone was flooded with missed calls and messages from Charles, all frantic questions about the bionic android's source code.
[Natalie, I know you tampered with the source code. That's why Naomi attacked me yesterday.]
[But don't worry, I spent all night fixing it. I have far more patience for her than I ever did for you.]
I let out a cold laugh. I wouldn't stoop to sabotaging code.
He still hadn't grasped the severity of the situation. This was never about the code.
Upon discharge, I obtained a medical report documenting my injuries, ready to file for divorce. However, my lawyer warned me that my act of throwing the glass could be construed as mutual domestic violence.
Just as predicted, Charles seized on this, making the divorce proceedings agonizingly difficult.
Leaving the courthouse, I saw Charles, looking unbearably pleased with himself. I gritted my teeth so hard my jaw ached.
"I never thought you could be this despicable. Is there anything you wouldn't do?" I couldn't stop myself from confronting him. "Was your supposed integrity all just an act?"
For ten years, I'd believed he was someone who valued scientific research above all else. That was why he could be hot and cold with me. He was even colder to others.
He never cared about material comforts, consumed entirely by his work on screen.
But now he was different.
Charles loomed over me, his shadow falling across my face, his voice a low murmur in my ear.
"Despicable? I'm just taking what I'm owed.
"I have Naomi now. I can endure hardship, but I won't let her suffer.
"You know how sophisticated bionic androids are. She'll require significant investment going forward."
I clenched my fists, resisting the urge to slap him again.
He was right. The moment my hand had touched Naomi's face, I'd felt the immense resources he'd poured into her.
His life's savings had likely been spent on her, with maintenance costs still incalculable. He needed money more than I did.
But how much longer would his "future" with her last?
Naomi stood behind Charles, her gaze fixed on me. Her eyes were more alert, more alive than the day before.
I stared directly at her, deliberately enunciating each word clearly as I repeated my accusations against Charles, pushing him until he finally snapped.
He raised his hand to strike me, but I stepped back out of reach and walked away.
"Natalie, just you wait! Even after this divorce, I'll make your life hell!"
His shouts followed me, but in my mind, I had already begun a silent countdown.
Three... two... one.
A clear, feminine voice rang out, just as I had anticipated. It was gentle, yet utterly cold.
"Charles, you are despicable."
The man's angry shouts ceased abruptly, replaced by a choked, trembling stammer.
"Naomi? What... what did you say?"