Chapter 1

Nine months after discovering my husband Carter's infidelity.

Heavily pregnant, I found another husband who truly loved me.

Whenever Carter gave me the cold shoulder on purpose, he would tell jokes to cheer me up.

Whenever Carter was at a hotel hooking up with his intern, he would gently comfort me.

Whenever the mistress texted me to brag, he would help me craft polite blessings to send back.

Carter’s circle chuckled behind my back. "Look how pathetic Nina is. She even puts up with Carter taking another woman to luxury suites."

"Well, she’s just terrified of losing her spot as Mrs. Hayes."

That was until Carter blew off a multibillion-dollar corporate deal to rush home for my birthday, only to find me smiling blissfully at my computer screen.

His eyes turned bloodshot when he finally caught sight of the AI—an avatar mapped perfectly to his own face, but possessing a kindness a hundred times gentler than his.

Like a rabid animal, he smashed the PC tower to pieces and pinned me violently onto the sofa:

"I am your real husband! Don’t you dare fall in love with a piece of code!"

"Nina, I’m talking to you! Look at me!"

His grip tightened violently around my shoulders.

"Say something! Did you cook up this freakish thing just to spite me?!"

I stared right past him at the wreckage littering the floor.

This was his grand gift to me—arriving home after walking out on a corporate merger just to throw a tantrum on my birthday.

The shattered metal casing had slashed his finger.

Blood seeped down from his knuckle, dripping onto my pristine white maternity dress drop by drop.

"Carter, you got blood on my dress."

I cast my gaze down at the red stain spreading on the hem and reached for a tissue on the coffee table.

"Are you seriously worrying about some stupid dress right now?!" Carter snatched the box from my hand and tossed it aside.

He cupped my face roughly with both palms.

"Nina, do you even have a heart?"

"I'm your husband! A living, breathing man is standing right in front of you, and you’d rather smile at lines of garbage code than give me a single glance?!"

I looked coldly into his furious eyes.

"A living, breathing man?"

"You mean the man who, while his pregnant wife approaches her due date, spends his nights checking into boutique hotels with an intern?"

Carter’s face went rigid for a split second, only for defensive rage to wash over it again.

"I told you, that was just keeping up appearances!"

"Chloe threw a fit wanting to see the skyline view from that rooftop spot, so I just dropped her off on the way!"

"On the way?" I raised my hand and peeled his fingers off my chin, one by one.

"On the way enough to sprawl across a king-size bed and let her post on Instagram about 'the CEO’s special pampering'?"

"Nina, stop obsessing over every petty detail! I came all the way home to celebrate your birthday, what more do you want from me?!"

He drew a sharp breath, his tone suddenly softening into a wheedling plea.

"I’ll fire Chloe, okay? I’ll stay by your side every single day from now on. I won't go anywhere."

"Just delete that sick program, and let’s get our life back on track."

I lowered my eyes, gazing at the hands around my waist that were trembling ever so slightly.

"Carter, you’re terrified."

"What do I have to be afraid of?! I just think you’re losing your mind!"

I tuned out his desperate roar.

Right in front of him, I pulled out my phone and tapped open the cloud backup app.

A 3D projection of Zephyr floated above the screen, smiling warmly.

He wore a crisp white dress shirt, his eyes clear and tender.

"Nina, has our little one been kicking today?"

Carter’s pupils shrank to needlepoints. He stared fixedly at the face on the screen—a face identical to his own younger self.

"You still kept him?!"

He let out a guttural, wounded roar, ripped the phone out of my hands, and hurled it violently against the marble accent wall.

*Crash.*

Zephyr’s voice abruptly cut off into static.

I stared down at the scattered components on the floor, stood up slowly, and stepped right over the broken heap.

"Nina! Where the hell do you think you’re going?!" Carter yelled from behind.

Without looking back, I walked straight into the master bedroom.

*Slam.*

I shut the door and turned the deadbolt.

Outside, Carter let out a muffled, raging groan, followed by the dull thuds of his fists pounding the drywall.

"Nina, get out here right now! Talk to me!"

"You think hiding in there fixes anything?! Let me tell you, I will never let that digital garbage stay under my roof!"

I lay down on the mattress, resting both hands gently over my swollen belly, and closed my eyes.

"Goodnight, Zephyr," I whispered into the quiet air.

The banging against the door gradually died down.

"Nina, you’re going to regret this."