Chapter 2
"Claire, what happened to you? It was only bringing me dinner, and you fainted? Besides, you come back only to rest, doing nothing else at all. I'll have Eve do it from now on." Michael's voice was completely devoid of warmth.
Right beside him, Jessica piped up at once. "Seriously, you can't handle something this easy? Guess we really need Eve after all."
I couldn't help but scoff inwardly.
How could I forget? Jessica had always been best friends with Emily Sawyer.
Since she adored Emily, she'd defend the robot named Eve as fiercely.
Eve approached me, gently took my hand, and her voice was earnest. "I'm sorry, Ms. Bennett. I'm not here to break up this family. I'm here to join it."
I couldn't believe what I was hearing. Even the real Emily probably wouldn't have dared to say something so brazen.
But since she was a robot, I couldn't bring myself to condemn her.
"I can be your nanny and look after you and your baby with all the latest tech," Eve said.
I clenched my fists. "And what if I say no?"
She instantly looked like she was the victim here. "If you really can't have me around, I'll leave."
"You're not leaving," both Michael and Jessica said in unison.
Michael turned to me, his eyes cold and hard. "Claire, I'm informing you that Eve is staying. This isn't up for discussion."
Jessica scoffed, "Seriously, Claire, Eve's a robot. It's not like she can take your place as Mrs. Walker. Why are you so hung up on this?"
Not a single person cared what I had to say.
It turned out that I'd never really belonged in this family at all.
No matter how many times I tried to warn them that something was wrong with that robot, they'd write me off as jealous or crazy.
I was done arguing. I said quietly, "I'm tired."
Without another word, I turned and headed straight upstairs to my room.
Desperate to escape this suffocating house, I pulled out my phone, my fingers trembling.
I sent my resume to Sawyer Innovations, another top robotics company.
But my mind kept drifting back to the past.
Ten years ago, Michael paid for me to finish high school.
I never let him down. With top grades, I got into Northbridge University, the best school around, and chose robotics engineering, like him.
Back then, I was so grateful to him.
After that, Michael's girlfriend, Emily, lost her life saving him in a fire.
He fell into a slump, wallowing in despair day in and day out.
I gave up grad school without a second thought, stayed by his side day and night, and helped him climb out of that dark hole gradually.
Later, we got married. Side by side, we dove into robotics, and together, we built the very first generation of bionic robots with our own hands.
When I got pregnant, he urged me to stay home and focus on the baby.
I truly believed he loved me.
But I had no idea that, behind my back, he'd secretly created a robot based on his memories of Emily.
This robot was a 99% match to Emily in both appearance and personality.
He named her Eve.
He made her his secretary, always by his side at work.
As time went on, Michael started to change.
He truly believed Emily had come back to life.
His hours at the office grew longer and longer. Even when it was time for my prenatal check-ups, all he'd say amid the busy line was that he had no time.
I once naively thought he was merely consumed by longing for Emily, and that he would come to his senses in time.
After all, no matter how real a robot seemed, it was a cold, soulless program.
But I couldn't have been more wrong.
Eve's intelligence far surpassed any product on the market.
The scariest part was that she'd actually learned how to lie.
And Michael bought every word that came out of her mouth.
He'd made plans. Once I gave birth, he'd hand the baby over to Eve to raise.
Then he'd ship me off to Riverside Manor, far away, and leave me there to waste away all alone.
I closed my eyes, not wanting to think about any of this anymore.
That night, Michael lay down next to me and rested his hand lightly on my stomach. "Is the baby alright?"
"Yes." I kept my eyes shut, my tone icy.
His fingers paused for a moment, clearly uneasy with how distant I was acting.
"Michael," I suddenly asked, "do you love me?"
I couldn't believe I was still clinging to that foolish hope, wanting to give him one last chance.
He let out a low chuckle. "Come on, we've been married for years. Why are you asking something so mushy?"
When I met his gaze, he replied in a casual, almost dismissive tone, "Love you? Of course, I do. I wouldn't be here today without you."
For a moment, the dying flame in my heart flickered weakly. But just then, his phone rang.