Chloe's POV:

The scalding coffee seeped into the micro-crevices around my eyes and lips, temporarily short-circuiting a secondary motherboard. The system was running diagnostics and reboot protocols, forcing the body into a brief standby mode.

Ethan was completely oblivious. He just assumed this was another one of "my" ploys—a stunt to grab his attention.

"Do you really think acting all pathetic is going to make me feel sorry for you, Chloe? Look in the mirror. You look like a freak."

Amidst his sneers, "my" system finally rebooted, and motor functions were restored.

However, the coffee had damaged the optical sensor in my left eye. The artificial sclera was now glowing with an unnatural red light.

"Ethan, look at Chloe's eye... it's so red. Did I really burn her?" Serena asked, her tone dripping with fake innocence.

"Ignore her. How hot can a cup of coffee be? She's probably just holding her breath to make her eyes bloodshot so you'll feel guilty," Ethan scoffed, stripping away whatever tiny shred of dignity I had left.

The android had no feelings; it couldn't feel pain.

But I could. My soul felt the sorrow.

"Walking around putting on an act like you're so forgiving... I guess you do get mad after all! Don't worry about her, Serena. Even if she goes blind in one eye, she still has the other. She'll live." Ethan's voice was laced with malice. He stared intently at me, desperately trying to find proof of jealousy on my face.

Serena covered her mouth and giggled. "Ethan, you're awful! If she only has one eye, she'll look like a pirate!"

Her mocking laughter echoed through the room.

Ethan heard it, but he couldn't have cared less. His only goal was to break me down, to humiliate me. Especially in front of the woman he loved.

Emboldened by Ethan's callousness, Serena walked right up to "me," grabbed a napkin, and roughly smeared it across "my" coffee-stained face.

"Oops, my bad, Chloe. I think I just made it worse!"

She leaned in close, staring straight into my glowing red eye. "Are you really okay? You look spaced out. Did I blind you just now?"

Ethan finally glanced at my eye. The sclera had turned a crystalline LED red; it didn't look human. But he just grimaced, as if he were looking at a dead bug.

"If only she were blind. Then she wouldn't be able to stare at me with those pathetic, puppy-dog eyes anymore," he muttered, glancing at the shattered mug on the hardwood floor. "Shame about the coffee. I imported those Jamaican Blue Mountain beans just for you, Serena. What a waste."

I had always known Serena was the love of his life.

But I never imagined that, to him, one of my eyes was worth less than a cup of imported coffee.

All my years of love and sacrifice had turned into the sharpest knife, plunging straight into my heart.

"Chloe! Could you say something? Or are you completely mute now?" Failing to find any sign of anger from me only infuriated Ethan further.

But then, he seemed to realize he was overreacting. So, he quickly found an excuse for his rage. "Look how pale Serena is. You scared her! Apologize to her right now, and we'll let this go. Otherwise, we're done."

My soul trembled with rage.

Listen to him. Was he even human?

She threw scalding coffee on me, damaged my eye, and I was supposed to apologize?

Even if I wanted to fight back, I couldn't override the android's programming. But fortunately, "my" voice processor had been water-damaged.

For the first time, "I" failed to execute Ethan's direct command. "I" opened my mouth, but only a faint crackling sound came out. I did not apologize.

Ethan's face instantly darkened.

"Chloe, are you playing deaf and mute now? Are you pissed off because I brought Serena home? If you have a problem, just say it! Stop playing this flawless, submissive victim! It makes me sick!"

He completely dropped his usual charming facade. He looked genuinely unhinged.

But I knew exactly why he was so furious.

I had been deeply infatuated with Ethan since our freshman year of college. He was tall, handsome, outgoing, and friendly. Whenever he played basketball, every girl in the bleachers swooned over him—including me.

But I was just an average girl. I never dared to confess my feelings.

Everything changed the night of our graduation party.

He had too much to drink. He grabbed my hand in a crowded room, pulled me into a dimly lit VIP booth, and kissed me through a masquerade mask.

I had loved him for years. One thing naturally led to another.

But the next morning, when the sun came up and he saw my face, he bolted out the door looking like he'd seen a ghost.

Terrified and heartbroken, it took me days to track him down.

To my utter shock, he told me he wanted to take responsibility. He proposed. I was ecstatic; my life felt like a fairy tale.

It wasn't until much later that I learned the truth: Serena had dumped him and moved to Paris. Devastated, he just picked a random girl to marry as a rebound to numb the pain.

After we got married, I could never let go of my jealousy over Serena.

We fought constantly. Our relationship deteriorated until he practically moved into his office.

And then, I died.

And that submissive android took my place.

She yielded to his every whim.

Immensely frustrated, Ethan started bringing women home. He flirted, kissed, and touched them right in front of "me," trying to provoke the hot-tempered, jealous wife he remembered.

But he failed. Because "I" was nothing more than a machine.

The android's core directive was simple: love Ethan unconditionally and obey all commands.

So, "I" showed zero anger or jealousy.

Instead, "I" would politely greet his mistresses at the door. "I" would even brew tea and pour it for them while they cuddled on the sofa.

Wasn't this exactly the kind of woman Ethan always claimed he wanted? Submissive, understanding, drama-free, and never nagging?

He had the perfect wife he asked for. So why was he still so angry?

One day, three years ago, Ethan brought Serena to our penthouse.

Coincidentally, that day was also the day I died.

I remember the final hours of my life with absolute clarity. Cancer had ravaged my body, turning me into an emaciated, unrecognizable ghost.

The agony was so unbearable that I couldn't even grip my pill bottles.

I knew that if I dragged it out, I would die without a shred of dignity, looking like a monster.

So, on my birthday, I decided to end it all on my own terms.

I ordered a custom cake and some gourmet takeout, arranging everything on the dining table to create the illusion of a warm home.

I put on the white dress I wore the night we officially met, and carefully applied makeup to cover my dark circles and pallid skin.

Then, I called him. I just wanted him to come home, to share one last meal and one last birthday with me.

He rejected the call.

Clutching my agonizing stomach, I called him over and over again. Finally, he picked up.

Before I could even speak, he exploded. "Chloe, are you crazy?! Serena is carsick, and I'm taking her to the clinic right now! Why do you keep calling me?!"

Cold sweat rolled down my forehead. My voice was so weak it was barely a whisper. "Ethan... can you come home and have dinner with me tonight? Today... is my birthday."

"Is it your last birthday ever?! What, are you going to drop dead tomorrow?!" Ethan roared. His words sliced through my soul like a razor.

He warned me through the phone, "Listen to me, Chloe! This is your final warning. Stop playing the victim, I'm not buying it! Don't call me again, or I'm calling my divorce lawyer!"

The dial tone rang in my ear, sounding like a countdown to an execution.

I curled up on the floor, clutching my phone tightly as tears ruined my meticulously applied makeup.

I wanted to tell him I wasn't acting. I really was dying.

And no, I wouldn't drop dead tomorrow.

I was going to drop dead today.

I forced myself to stand, stumbled down to my basement lab, and scanned my fingerprint.

Inside the glass pod stood the android I had spent the last year meticulously building. She had my face, but a gentle, flawless personality I could never hope to achieve.

I initiated the activation sequence. A blue light flashed across her synthetic eyes, and a mechanical voice chimed:

"Bionic Unit Chloe, online."