Chapter 2

I didn't refuse. I went to Ophelia's house alone.

When she opened the door, Cody stood behind her with an apron on. He looked like the perfect househusband and nothing like the cold, distant man he was around me.

"Why are you here alone?" Ophelia asked casually as she pulled me inside.

I glanced at the man standing quietly beside her and replied calmly, "He came home saying he was tired and went straight to bed. I didn't have the heart to wake him."

Ophelia didn't say anything, but her eyes lit up. She started leading me to the dining room. "Perfect! Let me show you the new Super Intimacy Mode I just unlocked. It's incredible."

As soon as she finished speaking, she turned to face the man beside her. "I want strawberries."

Without hesitation, Cody walked into the kitchen. A moment later, he returned with a glass bowl filled with carefully washed strawberries. Every stem was removed, and there was even a small dessert fork.

Watching from across the table, I felt my heart sink further.

In my previous life, I had even envied Ophelia. I had told her this android was more considerate than any real man.

Back then, Cody had smiled and said it was nothing but programming, but now I knew the truth.

It wasn't the programming that was thoughtful.

He had simply been willing to offer every bit of his tenderness to Ophelia.

Halfway through dinner, Ophelia suddenly nudged his arm. "Serve Naomi some food!"

He nodded, lowered his head, and used the tongs to pick up two glossy shrimp before placing them neatly on my plate.

I stared at the shrimp as my grip tightened around my fork.

I was severely allergic to shrimp. Ever since high school, even a small bite would leave me covered in hives. Sometimes it was serious enough to send me to the emergency room.

After fifty years of marriage, he still claimed he could never remember.

I had always made excuses for him. I told myself his mind was consumed by research and that he simply wasn't good with small details.

Only now did I understand that it wasn't that he couldn't remember. It was that I had never mattered enough for him to remember.

My thoughts drifted back to the year we graduated from high school.

After the SAT, Ophelia and I confessed our feelings to him at nearly the same time.

He had been silent for a long while. In the end, he walked over and took my hand.

Only later did I learn from someone else that my father had sponsored his education. Before passing away, my father had held Cody's hand and asked him to look after me.

I had clung to that tiny sliver of hope for many years.

I believed that he would eventually warm up to me after spending years together, but it was all wishful thinking in the end.

The food tasted bland. Before long, I made an excuse and left.

As the door closed behind me, I heard Ophelia's cheerful laughter from inside. Then came Cody's deep, affectionate voice as he gently coaxed her.

I tightened my grip around the doorknob until my knuckles turned pale. Finally, I walked away without looking back.

Once I returned home and opened the door, I was greeted by the wonderful aroma of food.

The android was standing beside the dining table. The four dishes he made, including soup, were all my favorites.

Cody must have programmed him in advance.

In the past, I would have been touched. Now, staring at the warm food, all I felt was nausea.

I picked up the dishes one by one and dumped all of them into the trash.

The android walked over. He sounded worried. "Honey, is my cooking not to your taste?"

Before he could say anything else, I pressed the emergency sleep button at the back of his neck.

The house instantly fell silent. Only the sound of my own breathing remained.

I had barely sat down when my phone rang.

I answered the call. On the other end, a cheerful coworker said, "Naomi, the institute is holding a family team-building event tomorrow. Married couples will be paired up for games. You and Professor Hill have to come!"

I held the phone as my gaze landed on the body lying motionless on the couch. His face was identical to Cody's. Suddenly, I smiled. "Sure. We'll definitely be there."