Chapter 1

After I died, a humanoid robot took my place and stayed by my husband’s side.

Edward didn’t notice anything strange about me.

Every day, he spent time with his first love, Sophia, just to enjoy watching me suffer—longing, desperate, and hysterical.

But a machine can’t mimic human emotions. It could only interpret my love for Edward as following a set of commands.

It didn’t understand jealousy, nor could it feel anger.

Until one day, Sophia pushed me off the balcony of the Penthouse. My metal frame twisted from the impact.

Edward rushed over. For the first time, he was close enough to me, just one look away from realising something was wrong.

A loud crash echoed through the room.

Edward dropped his glass and rushed over.

But when he saw me lying there, his worry quickly morphed into disgust.

The one who pushed me, Sophia, stood at the top of the stairs, feigning tears as she began her act.

“Edward, Emma reached out to push me, but she slipped and fell herself.”

Edward didn’t spare me a glance, striding straight over to Sophia.

“Are you all right, Sophia? You didn’t get hurt, did you?”

He checked her thoroughly, and after confirming that not a single hair on his beloved’s head was out of place, he finally exhaled in relief.

Then, in a show of rare condescension, he turned to look at me.

I was sprawled on the floor in a terribly undignified position, motionless.

“Emma Parker, you’re as stupid as you are cruel! Crawling around on the floor like a dog—what, did you think this would make me care about you? That I’d pay you some attention?”

He’d clearly seen the slight dent in the floor where I’d landed, but there wasn’t even a hint of concern in his eyes.

When I didn’t move, he shouted, irritated, “Stop playing dead! Do you think pretending will make me feel guilty? Get up and apologise to Sophia!”

I heard his command, my head twitched slightly, but then I let it fall back down.

Edward’s expression darkened.

“Emma Parker, stop testing my patience! Apologise to Sophia, or I’ll personally have you thrown into a cell!”

He stood over me, certain I’d obey as I always had.

But I stayed down, motionless except for a faint twitch in my leg.

Sophia, playing the part of a concerned friend, chimed in, “Edward, maybe you should check on her? What if something’s really wrong?”

Despite her words, she remained clinging tightly to Edward, making no effort to move.

Edward let out a cold laugh, indifferent.

“She didn’t even cry out. She’ll be fine. It’s just the fifth floor, she’s not dead—maybe crippled at worst. And if anything has happened, well, she’s brought it on herself.”

There was such venom in his voice, so much malice. If he could, I’m sure he would have been delighted to see me die right there.

Unfortunately for him, he was bound to be disappointed.

Because the one lying on the floor wasn’t the real me. It was just a humanoid robot, almost indistinguishable from the real thing.

Of course, the machine didn’t scream in pain. It didn’t feel pain. And it couldn’t die.

Though my soul was bound to the robot, I couldn’t control it.

It was sophisticated enough to function on its own—it had only crashed due to the severe impact.