Chapter 1

A muffled groan from my husband's study sends me storming in. I yank a woman out from under his desk, ready to scream, but the sight before me left me speechless.

The "other woman" is an android.

She tilts her head with unfocused eyes, a pen clutched between metallic fingers.

Wires and chips are visible beneath her titanium alloy shell.

My husband, recovering from shock, pats his forehead.

"You silly goose," he exclaims. "It's a sample unit I'm testing."

He promises that once he makes sure it is safe, especially with me being pregnant, he'll get one for me, too.

But the more I think about it, the less sense it makes. I can't forget the feeling of her skin on my fingertips or the smudge of lipstick I saw on her mouth.

He really takes me for a fool.

The next morning, I meet him with a bright smile, twirling a knife.

"These robots are so real nowadays, aren't they?" I say to him. "Bring her out. I'd like to test that myself, starting by removing one of her legs."

*****

A sudden silence fell over the breakfast table.

Jane Reed was the first to snap, slamming her fork down. "You can't just break an expensive robot like that! I was planning on having her help me around the house. Absolutely not!"

Sophie Reed gave me a condescending look from head to toe and sneered.

"Seriously, are you jealous of a robot? Just because you're pregnant and feeling a little out of shape doesn't mean you get to be salty because she's gorgeous.

"Honestly, this whole thing is pathetic. And kind of funny."

Seeing my expression turn to ice, my husband, Samuel Reed, barked at them to knock it off.

He turned to me, sweat beading along his hairline, as he struggled for the right words.

"Honey, if it were anything else, you could tear it to shreds for all I care.

"But this android is brand new, not even on the market yet. It was a personal demo from Richard Grant at BrightTech Solutions. If it gets damaged, it'll be a huge problem for me."

He pulled out his phone, scrolling to his chat history.

"See? The robot in the photo he sent. Isn't that the same one you saw last night?"

It did look similar. But I had learned to trust my instincts.

"I figured AI robotics are the future," he continued. "Our company can't afford to fall behind."

He took my hand, his voice softening with a sigh. "But if it makes you this unhappy, then forget it. I'll drop it. I'll let the R&D department handle it from here."

I just watched him.

His eyes were filled with concern as he gently rested his hand on my belly. "Honey, you went through hundreds of injections for this baby. You're the most important thing in the world to me. So please, don't let this stress you out. Okay?"

He was trying to comfort me, clearly worried I was stressing out.

That was just his way, incredibly gentle and attentive. He made me feel like I was the center of his universe.

He had pursued me relentlessly for three years. Eventually, his steady devotion wore me down. Not long after graduation, I married him.

It was only natural that he joined my father's company, Carter Enterprises, starting from the bottom.

My father always griped that Samuel wasn't a natural in business and always played it too safe. But Samuel was just so reliable and willing to put in the hours that eventually, my father had to give him the green light.

A few years ago, my father made Samuel the new CEO, tasking the old guard with guiding Samuel before he and my mom retired to a quiet life abroad.

Then last year, after a devastating miscarriage, I quit my job to focus on my health.

To be safe, we opted for IVF, and Samuel asked his mother, Jane, and sister, Sophie, to move in to help take care of me.

Now, with the pregnancy finally viable, it felt like our biggest struggle was behind us.

Logically, picking a fight over a robot seemed insane.

"You've been out of the loop for too long, Emily," Sophie cut in with a smirk. "You have no idea how advanced technology is. You can barely tell the difference between human and machine these days."

Ignoring her jab, I kept my eyes on Samuel.

"Where's the robot now?"

"Oh, I forgot to tell you. Mr. Grant sent someone to pick her up first thing this morning. Said he wasn't done playing with his new toy yet."

I remained silent.

He offered a helpless smile, "How about this? I have a meeting with Mr. Grant tonight. You can come with me and see for yourself."

I stared at his honest face.

My gaze swept across our huge house, lingering on the closed study door.

If I pushed this, if I demanded to search the house, it would be a declaration of war.

And knowing how meticulous Samuel was, I probably wouldn't find a thing anyway.

No need to rush.

I settled back in my chair and sliced into my toast. "Forget it. I'll deal with it later."

Jane sagged with relief. The fight immediately went out of Sophie, who simply picked up her milk and took a long drink.

Samuel looked like a man who had just dodged a bullet. He reached over and stroked my hair. "Okay. Whatever you want."

After breakfast, he headed off to work.

I didn't walk him to the door like I usually did. When he leaned in for a goodbye kiss, I turned my head just enough for his lips to meet the air.

The second he was gone, Jane started in on me for being "dramatic."

I just smiled. I didn't have the energy to argue.

Anyway, I trusted my gut.