Chapter 1

My husband loved me with a bone-deep obsession.

So profound was his need that he had my bionic replica created.

For three long years, while I lay n a vegetative state, she was with him.

He loved that robot exactly as he had loved me.

While I was hospitalized, he was with the robot, passionately entangled all night long.

"Your body is still recovering, my love. I just don’t want stain you."

While I was in a coma, and he took countless wedding photos with the robot.

"Did this make up for the wedding photos you never got to take?"

When I asked to have Echo deactivated, he told me not to be jealous.

"Being kind to her is being good to you. She is you."

So, I erased all memories related to him and gifted them to Echo.

I gave him a complete wife he always wanted.

"Ms. Hayes, the abortion is complete. As compensation, you may request one more thing."

I was silent for a long time before I finally spoke.

"I want a divorce from Liam Hayes."

The Bionic Human After-Sales Department agreed.

"Alright, in one month, you'll receive your divorce papers."

"We apologize for any impact our bionic unit had on your life. This concludes our after-sales service. We wish you a new beginning."

The idea of divorce hit me the very first day I was discharged from the hospital.

Pushing open my front door, I was met by something identical to me.

I shrieked, shoving her away.

Liam immediately stepped forward, instinctively pulling that thing into his arms.

Then, trying to cover it up, he pushed her aside and helped me up from where I'd stumbled to the floor.

"My love, I forgot to introduce you. This is Echo. These past three years, she's the only reason I made it through."

Liam's eyes were brimming with affection.

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

Echo, with my identical face, flashed a smile.

"That's right, I am you."

That very night, I was hospitalized again with a high fever, overcome by shock.

Once, Liam had a prized art collection worth millions of dollars. But because I was allergic to a certain paint, he didn't bat an eye when he threw it all in the trash.

Now, Liam held me, his heart aching, but he only said,

"Once you two spend some time together, you'll definitely like her."

I looked at the man before me, my heart sinking with unease.

My nightmares were relentless. Liam, after repeatedly instructing the caregiver, finally left, still worried, to go home and fetch me a change of clothes.

He was gone for an entire afternoon.

Dragging my feverish body, I made my way back to the mansion.

There, I witnessed a scene that struck me like a lightning bolt.

Liam was pressing down on the bionic unit, passion entwined, murmuring my intimate nickname.

"Echo, Echo."

I suddenly lost all strength, sliding down the wall, then pushing myself up and stumbling away.

Liam spotted me, staggering off, and immediately chased after me.

"My love, are you jealous? I was just worried your body hadn't fully recovered and couldn't handle strenuous activity. In my heart, you and Echo are one and the same."

Liam probably didn't realize that before, he always called me Echo. But since I woke up, he hadn't called me that once.

"Now that I'm back, you can send her away."

Liam's gaze at me held a hint of reproach.

"While you were gone, Echo stayed with me in your place. Why are you so cold to her?"

For the first time, Liam turned a cold shoulder to me, leaving me standing there alone.

Echo, with my identical eyes, scanned me up and down.

"You're weak. You want to send me away, but can you satisfy him? While you were in a coma for three years, we did it a thousand times."

A set of data flashed before my eyes.

An endless string of numbers.

The first time was in my first month of coma, the last, this very morning.

A sharp, stabbing pain spread through my heart.

The home I hadn't seen in three years had transformed.

Due to my career, Liam and I kept our marriage a secret and never had a proper wedding ceremony.

But now, wedding photos adorned every visible surface in the house.

In the pictures, I wore a completely unfamiliar smile.

Liam affectionately held me, admiring them. "These photos can make up for the wedding photos you never got to take. Look how beautiful you are in a wedding dress."

But she, despite having a face identical to mine, was not me at all.

Liam had fallen in love with someone else, not me.

Realizing this, I finally made up my mind to leave.