Love Master, But Never Leave Master

My husband, Julian, was deeply in love with me.

So much so that when a car accident left me in a coma for three years, he commissioned his company to build a bionic android in my perfect image.

He took her on our dates.

He slept in our bed with her.

He fell in love with my replacement.

When I woke up, I told him to shut her down.

He told me not to be jealous. "When I'm good to her, I'm being good to you," he said. "After all, she is you."

And so, I decided to transfer all my memories of him to that bionic android.

To give him the perfect "wife" he wanted.

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1

"Miss, the procedure is complete. As compensation, we can grant you one final request."

After a long silence, I finally spoke.

"I want a divorce from Julian."

The android company's after-sales department agreed without hesitation.

"Very well. In one month, we will help you obtain the court's judgment."

"We are deeply sorry for the harm caused to you by Elysian Dynamics' product. We wish you the best in your new life."

The idea of divorce had first crossed my mind the day I was discharged from the hospital.

I pushed open the front door of our home, only to come face-to-face with a 'thing' that wore my face.

I screamed and stumbled backward.

Julian immediately took a step forward, instinctively shielding the thing behind him.

It was only then, as if suddenly remembering my existence, that he pushed her aside and helped me up from the lawn.

"Darling, I forgot to introduce you. This is Echo. She's the one who got me through the last three years."

Julian's eyes were filled with a profound affection.

"Don't be afraid. You are her, and she is you."

Echo, with a face identical to mine, offered a perfect smile.

"Yes, I am you."

The psychological shock sent me into a high fever that night, one that refused to break.

The man who once would have traded a sports car worth millions just for my smile now held me, his expression a mask of hollow pain. All he could say was...

"Once you spend some time together, I know you'll grow to like her."

I looked at the man before me, my heart sinking with a cold dread.

Nightmares plagued my sleep. Julian gave the caregiver a string of instructions before reluctantly returning to the bedroom to grab something.

He was gone for only a few minutes.

I picked up my phone; a notification from the home security app glowed on the screen.

Something compelled me to tap the notification. What I saw on the screen made my blood run cold.

By the garden fountain, Julian had Echo pinned against the marble, his lips devouring hers as he murmured my nickname.

"Ava, my Ava."

The strength drained from my body. The phone slipped from my grasp, clattering against the hardwood floor.

Hearing the noise, Julian rushed in.

"Darling, don't be jealous. I was just worried… your body isn't fully recovered yet. In my heart, the two of you are one and the same."

"I'm back now. You can deactivate her."

Julian's gaze was laced with reprimand.

"While you were gone, Echo was the one by my side. Why are you being so cold to her?"

For the first time, Julian's face turned cold toward me. He left me alone in the room.

All the photo frames in the house had been replaced.

They were filled with pictures of Julian and Echo, posing together in various places.

The "me" in the photos had a curve to her lips that was entirely unfamiliar to me.

Julian had held me affectionately as he showed them to me. "This is to make up for all the travel you always wanted. Look how gorgeous you are in the Yosemite sunshine."

But, other than having a face identical to mine, she wasn't me at all.

Echo walked over to me, her icy voice whispering in my ear.

"You want to get rid of me, but can you satisfy him? In the three years you were in a coma, we've slept together a thousand times."

Suddenly, a stream of data flooded my vision—an endless string of numbers.

The first time was in the first month of my coma; the last time was in the early hours of this morning.

It felt like a thousand needles piercing my heart.