Chapter 11 · My Boyfriend Trained an AI to Love Me

Chapter 11

I couldn't think of a reason to say no.I grabbed a cab and we went together.Staring out at the neon light coming through the window, I said it in a daze."I never once looked down on him. Not ever."All these years, Grandpa and I never looked down on Andrew, not once.Back in school, I always saw him as the best.After he graduated, he said working for someone else was a waste of time.He was so ambitious that he headed straight to Northbridge, determined to start his own company.Grandpa refused to invest in him, telling him, "You can choose any path you want, but you have to make it on your own."If you can't even stand on your own two feet, how am I supposed to trust you with Emma?"But Andrew just wasn't willing to let it go.I really felt for him, watching him do everything he could to scrape together money for his dream.Whenever I had a break from my studies, I'd quietly take on part-time gigs, just to help him out and build up his startup fund.Every dollar Grandpa gave me as pocket money, I'd pinch and save, trying to add to the pile.Then one day, during class, it caught up with me.After days of nonstop all-nighters, my blood sugar dropped so low that I just passed out right there in the classroom.That night, Andrew rushed back to Riverdale, not even stopping to rest.At the hospital, his eyes were red from exhaustion and worry as he pulled me into a tight hug.He said, "Emma, I swear I'll make something of myself."I'll never let you down, not ever."Not long after that, Ethan suddenly reached out to Andrew, saying he was really impressed with his startup plan.Ethan invested all the money and became Andrew's business partner.Andrew finally launched his company, and from then on, he and Ethan became not just partners, but lifelong friends.Over the next five years, Andrew really did make it big, just like he promised.But at some point, things started to change.He started holding a grudge about how Grandpa and I helped him out, and couldn't stand hearing about it anymore.He forgot all about his promise to never let me down.He got sick of me texting him nonstop for five years, just because I was so anxious about the distance between us.He started to believe Sophie when she said Grandpa and I never really respected him.Outside the window, thick layers of tree shadows swept by.Next to me, Ethan said softly, barely audible. "I know. I know everything."I lowered my eyes, the dim light in the car casting everything in shadows.In that gloom, I suddenly noticed a bracelet on Ethan's left wrist.It looked so familiar, just like the one I used to wear.I made it myself, a long time ago.I actually made two, both nearly identical.Each bead was engraved with the first letters of my name and Andrew's.Four years ago, on Andrew's birthday, I asked Ethan to deliver the bracelet, the one with my name on it, to Andrew for me.That day, Andrew said something had come up at work and, as usual, he couldn't make it back to Riverdale.I glanced at Ethan's wrist, a little surprised."Wait, how did you end up with this bracelet?"

Chapter 11