Chapter 2

Hearing my answer, Sebastian let out a long breath. A victorious, boyish smile spread across his face.

He took me to a quiet dinner and insisted that I move out of Julian’s house immediately. I couldn't argue with him, so I promised I would pack my things and deal with Julian and Lily as soon as possible.

Sebastian reluctantly dropped me off at the Vance mansion. The moment I stepped through the door, I saw the three of them laughing and playing on the living room sofa.

Lily saw me first. Despite her young age, she snapped at me with absolute authority, completely ignoring my pale face. "Jade! Where the hell have you been? You're so late! Who's supposed to run my bath and tuck me in?"

Since I was the one who raised Lily, her nighttime routine had always been my job. Without me, she couldn't sleep.

But she never acknowledged my effort. She only called me "mom" in her sleep when she held my hand, which was the only thing that had kept me going all these years.

I had been so stupid. Why did I give my heart to someone else's ungrateful child?

"Go ask your new mom to do it," I said coldly. "I don't know how, and I don't want to do it anymore."

Ignoring their shocked faces, I turned to walk upstairs. As expected, the Gemma robot began her act. Her voice dripped with artificial hurt.

"Oh, sweetie, let mommy do those dirty chores. It's only natural that Jade doesn't want to do them. No stranger can ever love another woman's child. I understand."

Lily’s heart ached for the robot. She immediately waved her hands. "It's okay, Gemma! I can do it myself. You and Daddy should go rest."

The robot smiled with satisfaction and threw herself into Julian’s arms. "Julian, our daughter is so mature. You raised her so well."

The two of them began nuzzling each other, their breathing growing heavy right there on the sofa. Listening to Julian’s ragged breaths, I felt a wave of disgust for my past self. Five years ago, I used my own inheritance and savings to save the Vance family from ruin. I poured my soul into taking care of his daughter. Yet, I received not a shred of genuine affection in return. And to think, I actually thought he had loved me at some point...

I dragged my suitcase into the guest bedroom. Just as I was about to drift off to sleep, the door was violently kicked open. Julian dragged me out of bed.

Standing behind him was the Gemma robot, completely naked.

"Jade," Julian sneered. "Tonight, Gemma and I are going to consummate our marriage. You stand right here and watch. Learn some positions. Stop acting like a dead fish in bed, it ruins my appetite."

Without waiting for a response, he pulled the robot into a passionate kiss. Their faces flushed as they tangled together.

Even though she was just a machine, Julian didn't care. He even reached back and toggled the "emotional sensitivity switch" on her spine—a feature designed to make the robot mimic human arousal.

The robot’s synthetic skin softened immediately, her body pliant and eager beneath his.

Pain and disgust warred in my chest. I loathed myself for ever loving this monster. I pulled out my phone and started recording them, wanting to document their degeneracy. But the sheer nausea of the sight overcame me. I bent over and vomited right onto Julian’s back.

The passion in Julian’s eyes died instantly, replaced by pure rage. "I underestimated you, Jade! To keep me from touching Gemma, you actually forced yourself to throw up? Everyone knows you're obsessed with me. Why play hard to get now?"

I was too weak from vomiting to argue. "If you're so disgusted, go clean yourself up. I won't touch your precious doll."

He snarled and stormed into the bathroom to wash off. On the bed, the Gemma robot stared at me, her synthetic eyes filled with calculated malice. "Don't get cocky. I will make sure Julian belongs to me forever."

Without putting on any clothes, she ran into the bathroom after him. A moment later, Julian’s voice echoed out. "Your joints can't take water damage. Get out."

I used the distraction to search the room. I found the instruction manual and purchase receipt for the Gemma robot. That was when I realized—this AI didn't just have Gemma’s memories. It was programmed to analyze data based on Gemma’s psychological profile, meaning she would execute any scheme the real Gemma would have thought of.

Julian had certainly gone to great lengths to find such a perfect clone.