Chapter 1

It had no physical form, just a handsome virtual avatar, interacted with through AR glasses.

She claimed it was the most perfect man in the world, the one who truly understood her.

After starting this relationship, her mental state improved dramatically, and her skin was so radiant it practically glowed.

I felt something was off. I tried to warn her about data privacy, but she just called me old-fashioned.

Then, the company suddenly sent her off for an intensive corporate retreat, and she tearfully begged me for a favor.

“Lily, Adam can’t be disconnected for more than 24 hours! You’re the only one who can help me now!”

“All you have to do is wear the AR glasses every day, let him see you. That’s it.”

My boyfriend, Daniel, thought it sounded cool and encouraged me to agree.

I reluctantly gave in.

But I never imagined that the very night I put on the glasses, all the smart devices in my home would lose control and lock down.

A high-voltage current surged through me, killing me instantly.

Yet, Chloe used my sudden death as a morbid sensational hook, live-streaming a tragic, forbidden romance with Adam.

She subtly implied I was a jealous, twisted psychopath who tried to steal her AI boyfriend, and that my death was cosmic retribution. She made a fortune from it.

And my family, tormented by relentless cyberbullying, had their identities and addresses maliciously leaked. They were driven to their graves by the vicious online attacks.

When I opened my eyes again, I was back to the day Chloe asked me to "babysit" her AI boyfriend.