Chapter 4

It turns out I'm not even as good as a tool, just a stepping stone for him to resurrect his pure love.

Then came the sound of a key turning. I hastily wiped away my tears.

Dane walked in, seemingly noticing something was off with me. He suddenly became gentle and attentive: "Tired? I've prepared a surprise for you."

He took out an exquisite cake, my favorite strawberry flavor.

Watching him skillfully cut the cake, I felt dazed for a moment. So he still remembered my birthday.

Just as he was about to feed me the cake, his phone suddenly chimed.

A flash of reluctance crossed Dane's face as he grabbed the cake and hurled it at me.

My weak body fell heavily to the floor, my forehead hitting the corner of the coffee table. Warm blood flowed over my phone screen.

I struggled to look at that message: "Dane, aren't I your lover? Why are you being so gentle celebrating her birthday?"

On that virtual image, I immediately recognized that lucky charm.

It was our token of love. He said it was proof of his most beloved.

Now, it was worn by the AI assistant.

Dane emotionlessly helped me up: "Sorry, just a joke. You're not going to be petty about it, are you?"

I forcefully shook off his hand.He glanced at the time and said nonchalantly, "I'm going on a business trip. Take care and rest up while I'm gone."

After bandaging my wound, I fished out my phone and dialed my father's number:

"Dad, I want to come home."

There was a long silence on the other end before my father's aged voice came through: "Come back, child."

After hanging up, I couldn't shake the feeling that something was off.

But now, I didn't have the energy to dwell on it anymore.

In the taxi, my phone kept buzzing with notifications.

I didn't want to look at them at all, but I found myself opening the messages anyway.

"Took the AI assistant to Notre Dame Cathedral. Three thousand prayers finally led to a perfect union."

The attached image showed Dane and the AI assistant's virtual avatars kneeling side by side before the altar.

I suddenly remembered last year when I suggested we visit a church to pray for blessings, and he said, "That superstitious stuff is such a waste of time."

"Explored the underwater world with the AI assistant. She said she wanted to see coral, so I took her to the deepest parts." In the photo, Dane was swimming with the AI assistant in crystal blue waters.

That day when I said I wanted to go scuba diving, he coldly replied, "You're a programmer. Don't think about doing such dangerous things.""Take AI assistant to Disneyland, she loves castles, so I'll give her a fairytale date."

I had mentioned wanting to go several times before, but he always said, "That's a place for kids."

"Take AI assistant to see the Northern Lights, waiting for a miracle in the snow and ice at -22°F."

I remember when I said I wanted to see the Northern Lights, he mocked, "You're always thinking about useless things. You'd be better off learning more skills."

Tears blurred my vision as I turned off my phone and buried my face in my hands.

The taxi stopped in front of my house. It was already late. As I pushed open the door, I froze.

Mom's memorial photo was quietly placed in the center of the living room.

"Dad..." My voice trembled.

"Your mom is gone..." My father's aged voice was full of grief. "She had acute leukemia... She called you many times..."

"But Dane said you were busy with a project and couldn't be disturbed. Your mom didn't want to interfere with your work..." My father's voice choked up. "She said: My silly girl, cares too much about that man..."

"She was worried about you before she left. She said she couldn't rest easy knowing how Dane treated you. But your mom didn't want to make things difficult for you, so she just... left like that..."

I trembled all over, flashing back to the scene when Dane refused to take my mother's call: "What's your mom's illness compared to? Every minute of the AI assistant's progress is more important than her life!"

Tears burst forth as I collapsed onto the floor.

For him, I had given everything. But in his eyes, I wasn't even worth as much as an AI.

He had even robbed me of my mother's final moments.

With shaking hands, I opened the computer and pressed the button to reset the AI assistant's emotional core.