The year Gabriel’s company went bankrupt, I broke off our engagement. My parents called me heartless and cut ties with me. Later, when Gabriel made a comeback, he insisted on marrying me. Everyone thought he was madly in love with me, but only I knew the truth – he was obsessed with getting revenge. He kept me up all night, forcing me to train his AI girlfriend Tessa’s personality and emotions… All because he wanted to mold Tessa into someone exactly like me, then have the AI completely replace me. My parents even accepted Tessa as their goddaughter, completely abandoning me, their flesh and blood. But what they didn’t know was that I had already been diagnosed with a terminal illness. I didn’t have much time left. Everyone said Gabriel Quinn was madly in love with me. During the year I was gone, Gabriel had dated over twenty girlfriends. They all had one thing in common – they looked like me. The one who resembled me the most was about 80% similar. As soon as I came back, Gabriel cut ties with all of them and used every trick in the book to marry me. But the day after our wedding, I realized something was off. Gabriel spent the entire night in our bedroom cradling a pink smartphone, which he had even dressed up in a little skirt! He treated that phone like a lover, handling it with utmost care. I thought to myself, I’m already in the final stages of my illness. I should be more concerned about which cemetery plot to choose rather than investigating his odd behavior. For a whole week, every night before bed, he would grin like an idiot while texting on that phone. I figured he must have found a new flame. If he had a new lover, why bother marrying me in the first place?
The first time I saw the woman in Gabriel’s phone was on my birthday. I went to the hospital as usual to pick up my pain medication. My illness was terminal, with no cure available. Only strong painkillers could help me live more comfortably. Suddenly, a message popped up on my phone: “Is this you? You look so ugly! How could my darling Gabriel ever fall for someone like you?” Then a selfie of me was sent over. In the photo, I looked pale and sickly, with dry, lifeless hair and dull eyes. I was as thin and frail as a withered blade of grass. I frowned and looked around, wondering who would stoop so low as to secretly photograph me in the hospital. But after scanning the area, I couldn’t spot anyone suspicious. “Who are you?” I typed back. “I’m Tessa! Look, you’re sick enough to be in the hospital, but Gabriel doesn’t even care about you. Isn’t it strange that you married someone who doesn’t care about you?” “If I were in the hospital, Gabriel would probably be worried sick!” The stranger sent another message, and I could sense the jealousy dripping from her words. “Oh, but no matter what you say, I’m the one whose name is on Gabriel’s marriage name is on Gabriel’s marriage certificate. You can talk all you want, but you’re nothing more than a mistress who can’t see the light of day,” I replied coldly. My response was met with silence for a moment. Then she sent over another photo. The woman in the picture wore a purple dress and had delicate features like a doll. At first glance, she looked about 80% similar to me. Except for a hint of spite in her eyes, she was practically my doppelganger. “What mistress?! The one who isn’t loved is the real mistress!” “Look, I’m younger and prettier than you! I’m better than you in every way! You’re already over the hill!” “Gabriel will dump you sooner or later!” I could feel her jealousy radiating through the screen. I smiled faintly. “So he found you based on my appearance… You’re even more pitiful, just being my replacement.” “You… just you wait!” She was clearly provoked by my words and stopped messaging me. I stared at the photo of me she had sent, lost in thought. The angle of that selfie was clearly taken from my own phone. When on earth did she use my phone to take a picture?
I picked up a lot of expensive painkillers at the hospital. Regular painkillers could no longer control my pain. In the final stage of my life, I could only rely on these potent drugs to suppress the agony. When I opened the door, Gabriel was looking down at his phone. He seemed to hear me come in and glanced up briefly. His eyes were bloodshot, and his hands trembled as he gripped that pink phone, clearly trying to control his anger. “What kind of heartless thing did you do, Zoe? Are you sick in the head?” Gabriel slammed his hand on the table, venting his fury. “Yes, I’m sick. And I’m dying soon,” I shrugged, smiling casually. “You fucking psycho! If you’re sick why don’t you just die already?!” Gabriel hurled the glass from the table onto the floor. Glass shards flew everywhere, with one piece cutting my ankle. I remained silent, just watching him lose control. Perhaps realizing he had gone too far, Gabriel took a deep breath and handed me the pink phone. “See for yourself.” “See what?” I took the phone, confused. “You tore up Tessa’s clothes and sent her photos to our family group chat and my work group! Zoe, I never thought you could be so jealous! Even if you envy Tessa, you shouldn’t do something so degrading!” Gabriel was so angry the veins on his forehead were bulging. That’s when I noticed the pink phone showed a girl who looked 80% like me crying. She was in tattered clothes, sitting on the ground with red, teary eyes looking utterly pitiful. It was the same girl who had taunted me at the hospital earlier! “Gabe, it’s all my fault. I understand why Zoe did this… My existence must have threatened her,” Tessa sobbed in the phone. “Is… is this a cartoon character?” I frowned. Gabriel snatched the phone back. “This is AI! Tessa is a lifelike AI developed by our company. She’s just like a real person! She’s my spiritual companion.” My mind went blank with shock! So Tessa was an AI robot! “Get on your knees!” “Apologize to Tessa! Apologize in the family group chat and work group!” Gabriel grabbed my collar roughly, with no hint of tenderness. I felt like a kite being yanked forcefully. The painkillers scattered on the floor. I shook my head. “I didn’t do it. It wasn’t me.” “Are you saying she did it herself? You’re the only one besides me who can enter this house. Stop making excuses!” I was too tired to argue. After he finished speaking, I had already picked up the painkillers and turned to leave. But he snatched the medicine away again. “I said, you’re not leaving until you apologize! As for this medicine…” this medicine…” Gabriel glanced at the painkillers, “Don’t bother taking it! People should face consequences for their mistakes, don’t you think?” Gabriel ripped open the package and dumped the pills into the trash. I clenched my fists as waves of pain washed over me. It was time for my dose, and without the medication on schedule, my stomach felt like it was being torn apart. I leaned against the wall, looking at this man who once loved me more than life itself, wondering what his expression would be if he knew these painkillers could ease my suffering.
By the time I got home, I was drenched in sweat from the pain. But I received another message from Tessa. [This is what happens when you mess with me!] [Now you know who Gabriel loves most!] [Just divorce Gabriel already! He loves me!] I ignored Tessa’s messages. In my hazy state, I fell asleep. Around midnight, I vaguely heard the doorbell ring. Someone walked in carrying a cake. “Gabriel…” I mumbled through my sweat-soaked hair. “It’s your birthday today. I brought you a cake. You’ve been looking a bit worn out lately.” He turned on the light, cut the cake, and handed me a slice. “Heh, I’m surprised you even remembered my birthday.” I laughed coldly as I looked him up and down. “Can you stop talking like that? You know, after all these years, you’re the one I’ve always loved. Even Tessa, that AI, was modeled after you… When you left without a word back then, I decided to create an AI to keep me company… Now that you’re back and we’re married, can’t we just get along?” “Tessa is just AI, you don’t need to be jealous of her. Besides, she’s the one who reminded me about your birthday today. She’s just my personal assistant now. Can you please stop competing with an AI?” Gabriel sighed, looking exasperated. I… wasn’t jealous at all. With my terminal illness, I couldn’t be bothered to care. But even a pushover has their limits. “Then why don’t you go back to your precious Tessa!” I angrily threw the cake he brought into the trash. “What the fuck is wrong with you?! You abandoned me when I was at my lowest point, and now that I’m trying to make things work, you pull this shit?!” Gabriel grabbed my collar, his immense strength making me stumble. “Gabe, don’t be angry~ It must be my presence that’s upsetting Zoe… It’s all my fault.” Tessa’s sickeningly sweet voice came from Gabriel’s phone. Gabriel pulled out his phone. In the pink case, Tessa was crying daintily. “Don’t cry, we’ll leave soon.” Gabriel comforted her gently. I felt even more disgusted watching this. I mustered all my strength to push Gabriel away, but accidentally knocked the phone out of his hand. Tessa let out a cry as the phone fell to the ground. Crack! The screen actually shattered. Gabriel shoved me to the floor and carefully picked up the phone. “Tessa, Tessa!” No matter how many times Gabriel pressed the power button, the phone wouldn’t turn on. “You… Zoe! You murdered Tessa!” Gabriel’s eyes flashed red as he slapped me hard across the face! I saw stars from the pain, my cheek swelling up. “Gabriel… You went to such lengths to marry me after I came back, just so you could hit me now?” Gabriel’s expression froze… “I… I didn’t mean to… I just lost control for a moment…” Gabriel reached out to help me up, but seeing my resolute expression, he hesitated.
I brought up divorce to Gabriel. Things escalated that night, and my parents rushed over to our place. “What’s going on?” “How did it come to this?” My parents walked in and saw my swollen face. I thought they would comfort me, but I was wrong. They went straight to Gabriel’s side, carefully examining his phone. “Did something happen to Tessa? The phone won’t turn on?” “Oh no, my poor daughter! How terrible!” My mom burst into tears, seemingly forgetting that her real daughter had just been slapped across the face. “Mom, Dad… Zoe and I had an argument earlier… Zoe was probably too jealous and knocked Tessa’s phone down. Now it won’t turn on, and we don’t know how Tessa is doing.” Gabriel sighed. “How could this happen?!” “Zoe! How could you be so cruel! Tessa is our goddaughter!” “What kind of sister are you?! Do you have any conscience left?!” My mom rushed over and shook my shoulders violently. My dad looked at me coldly: “If she had a heart, she wouldn’t have left without a word back then.” “Didn’t you disown me as your daughter long ago?” I asked, feeling utterly hopeless as I looked at my parents. Years ago, when I was diagnosed with a terminal illness, I was devastated. My boyfriend had coincidentally failed in his business venture at the time. Not wanting to burden him with the truth of my condition, I chose to break up with him. But my parents thought I was heartless to the extreme, willing to cut ties with them over a boyfriend. Later, Gabriel made a comeback with his AI technology and became the company’s CEO. The AI robot Tessa he developed was deeply loved by my parents, who accepted her as their goddaughter. “You! We wasted all those years raising you! No matter how wrong parents may be, they’re still your parents!” My parents yelled, pointing at my nose. I looked at them, wondering what their expressions would be if they knew I had a terminal illness. Suddenly, my stomach started hurting again. The pain was so intense it made me dry heave. I knelt on the floor, grabbed the trash can, and threw up what little was left in my empty stomach. “She’s faking it!” “Trying to gain sympathy? You’ve always been like this, pretending to be sick when you do something wrong!” “I regret ever giving birth to you! You’re killing me!” My mom complained with her hands on her hips. I shook my head. “Mom, I’m not pretending. I’m dying.” My mom gave me a cold look. Perhaps seeing my sickly pallor made her feel a bit of pity, so she said quietly: “If you want to die, go die somewhere else! Make amends to Tessa first!”
That night. They argued until very late. Seeing that I was completely unresponsive and had fallen asleep on the couch, they finally left reluctantly. As they were leaving, I heard my mom say to my dad: “Zoe… her complexion doesn’t look right. Do you think she might actually be sick?” My dad pondered for a moment, then shook his head: “No way. I think she just doesn’t eat enough and is too lazy to cook for herself. Living on takeout, how could she be healthy? Besides, she’s faking it. She’s just afraid we’ll punish her for what she did wrong.” My mom nodded in agreement. “You’re right, you always see through her little tricks. Our goddaughter Tessa would never play such games! T such games! Tessa is so much better!” “Mom, Dad, don’t worry. I’ve already contacted the engineers about Tessa. It’s just a hardware issue with the phone, the software should be fine! We’ll have her fixed by tomorrow.” Gabriel reassured my parents. Hearing this, they were overjoyed! But ah, all their concern was for Tessa. She was just AI! They had forgotten that their own daughter, their flesh and blood, was about to leave this world!
I woke up the next day. Looking around the room, the mess from yesterday had been cleaned up. I assumed my mom must have tidied up. Deep down, she still loved me, even if that love wasn’t much. I got up and took a shower. The pain in my stomach felt like a snake writhing around inside me! It took all my strength just to finish bathing. As I walked out of the bathroom, my head spun and I collapsed on the floor. I lost consciousness. In my dream, I went back to that summer when I was a teenager. Gabriel was my parents’ adopted son. They had raised us together since we were little. Back then, our family was poor. Gabriel and I had no pocket money for school. One day on the way to school, I saw a bottle of iced tea. I thought it cost the same as water. So I used the one dollar I had saved up for a long time to buy the iced tea. The vendor told me the iced tea cost three dollars… I swallowed hard, wondering what iced tea tasted like. Gabriel was beside me and solemnly declared: “Zoe! I’ll definitely buy you iced tea!” For the next few lunch breaks, Gabriel would leave early after eating. I had no idea what he was up to. But every afternoon when class started, he every afternoon when class started, he would be covered in dirt and grime. A week later. We passed by the shop again. Gabriel pulled out a wad of crumpled bills from his pocket. “Two bottles of iced tea please!” Gabriel grinned as he placed the cold bottles in my hands. “Zoe! They’re both for you! Hehe!” I was shocked: “Where… where did you get the money?” “Hehe, I’ve been collecting scrap! There’s some scrap metal on the streets that I gathered to sell! On slow days I’d make 20 cents, but on good days I could earn a whole dollar!” “Next time you want to drink this, I’ll buy it for you anytime!” “Drink up and enjoy!” “In the future, anything others have, I’ll make sure you have too! I’m going to earn lots and lots of money!” Gabriel’s young face shone with ambitious determination. “What do you need so much money for?” I asked, already knowing the answer. “To spend on you, of course! I’ll buy you a whole fridge full of iced tea, haha!” “Who could drink that much?!” I laughed. “If you can’t finish it, we’ll save it. The fridge has power, so it won’t go bad!” I took the iced tea and drank it all in one go! I grinned happily. How could my younger self have known that years later, this bond would be completely worn away… When I woke up, I was still lying on the floor, tears rolling down my cheeks. I struggled to get up and walked to the fridge, taking out a can of iced tea to drink. Feeling a bit better, I went downstairs. I planned to sell off the last of my remaining assets. These days, I had already sold everything I could. The house was practically empty. I had also signed an agreement with the landlord to end the lease early. Now I was just quietly waiting for my final moment to arrive.
As I went downstairs, I ran into Gabriel. “You’ve been selling things recently? I heard you’ve been getting rid of all your belongings, big and small. What, are you planning to leave again?” Gabriel laughed coldly, his eyes flickering with some unclear emotion. “It’s none of your business. Let’s get divorced.” I brought up divorce again. This time Gabriel’s face turned completely ashen. “Fine! We’ll get divorced, but you have to agree to do one thing for me first! Otherwise, no deal!” “Alright, I agree.” After I spoke, Gabriel took me back to “our” home. The wedding photo of Gabriel and me hung prominently in the living room. I sighed. Gabriel, if this is how you feel, why did you go to such lengths to marry me? I looked at Gabriel. Seeming to sense my gaze, he paused for a moment. “Zoe, you look like you’ve lost some weight. Are you feeling unwell?” Gabriel showed a rare moment of tenderness. I laughed bitterly to myself. Unwell? I was at the end of my life, only able to maintain it through painkillers! Gabriel Gabriel, when you find out the truth about everything, will you regret how you’ve treated me? I’m truly curious if you’ll feel even a hint of remorse! “Tell me, what exactly do you want me to do?” I rejected his concern. Rebuffed, his face darkened as he placed the pink phone in front of me. “Zoe, because of you, Tessa’s data is severely damaged. So I need you to help me restore Tessa’s data!” Gabriel said. “Me? How can I help? That’s ridiculous, I don’t know anything about technology.” I frowned, looking at Gabriel’s matter-of-fact expression. “You don’t need to understand the tech. It’s mainly about AI dimensional settings. I’ve already written the code, you just need to input information based on your own life habits.” Gabriel turned on the phone. A sleeping girl appeared on the flickering screen. A series of questions popped up on the interface, like an exam paper for me to fill out. “What’s this?” “Fill in details about your daily life, including your eating habits, thought patterns, personality, education level, views on relationships… and so on!” I was stunned. So this AI was meant to be another me! The previous Tessa wasn’t based on my input, but on what Gabriel had filled in. So that AI looked like me, but her inner self was worlds apart from who I really was. Gabriel had tried countless times to adjust Tessa’s personality to match mine, but always failed. This time, by having me fill it out directly, he could create an AI version of me, in his words. “Gabriel, you’re so childish.” I laughed. Did he really think an AI could truly replicate a human’s thoughts? “The product I’ve developed is world-class. If you just input your actual information, it can definitely replace you. What’s wrong, Zoe? Are you afraid? Afraid that this time, AI really can take your place?” I shook my head. “Whatever makes you happy. I don’t have much time left anyway.” “Zoe! What are you so busy with? What do you mean you don’t have much time? Can’t you spare some time for me? Is whatever you’re doing outside really that important?!” “I’m telling you, if you don’t finish this for me this week, you’re not allowed to leave!” “And your parents said they’ll be coming to supervise too! Not only do you have to perfectly design the AI’s emotional dimensions, you also need to design the family relationship dimensions!” I looked at this man, not knowing whether to laugh or cry. You can’t say he doesn’t love me, yet he’s trying to create an AI to replace me. You can’t say he does love me, because how could he not see my pale face and withered body? I didn’t argue. I sat down in the chair and began inputting the correct answers about myself. From my hobbies to the knowledge I’ve learned, to my views on the world and interpersonal relationships. I was truly curious how Gabriel had managed to compile so many questions! The intense work of writing answers took a toll on my weakened body. My stomach ached and churned. Sweat soaked through my clothes. I thought to myself, for my final moment, I just want to find a deserted island and quietly pass away. I don’t want to die here. So I gathered my strength once more and continued answering the questions. The work was tedious and exhausting. Over the next few days, Gabriel would often peek in from outside the door. He’d bring me lots of delicious food, but I had no appetite at all. “Zoe! Are you really that desperate to leave me? So eager to finish the AI and divorce me that you won’t even eat a bite?!” I couldn’t tell if Gabriel was concerned for me or angry with me. I saw his eyes were rimmed with red. I ignored him and kept writing my answers. Gabriel stormed off, slamming the door. On the third day. My parents came too. They checked my work progress and seemed satisfied. They specifically asked me to remove one trait from the AI – the ability to lie. In other words, everything this new AI said and did would be the truth. As I watched the life I was gradually creating, I also felt full of anticipation. What would this new AI be like?
A week passed. I’m not sure how many times I blacked out. During this week, I had only managed to drink some water. Finally, just before my energy was completely depleted, I finished inputting the AI’s personality. The moment I finished, my parents and Gabriel rushed in. I thought they might give me a hug, but no one paid any attention to me. They were all excitedly examining the AI I had just created. This new AI looked and acted 100% like me! I believed she truly was the next me! As I watched them celebrate joyfully, I quietly slipped out of the room, leaning on the wall for support. Their happiness belonged to them. My next step was to find a secluded place to leave this world. After buying a bottle of water, I took a cab to the place I had chosen to depart from. It was a cliff overlooking the sea. The cool ocean breeze on my face gave me a moment of peace. I lay down at the edge of the cliff, feeling my life slipping away. Then I slowly closed my eyes and jumped from the cliff into the sea, finally leaving this world behind.
Gabriel and my parents excitedly conversed with the AI. “Tessa, do you know who I am?” Gabriel asked. “Of course, you’re my husband Gabriel Quinn. You’re the person I love most,” Tessa replied gracefully from the phone. “Then… do you know who we are?” My parents crowded around, looking nervously at Tessa on the screen. “You’re my Mom and Dad. I love you too!” Tessa said with a cheerful smile. My parents and Gabriel all breathed sighs of relief. They asked many more questions, and Tessa’s answers were identical to how I would respond! They grew even more excited! It was as if they had gained another daughter! Gabriel started chatting freely with Tessa. This Tessa would never leave Gabriel, and he adored her even more. “Tessa, do you remember what your favorite drink is?” Gabriel lay on the bed, cradling the phone as if holding Tessa in his arms. “Iced tea, of course!” Tessa laughed. “Why iced tea? What’s so great about that stuff?” Gabriel chuckled. “Because in my memory, when I was little and wanted iced tea, you collected scrap for a whole month just to buy me two bottles. I really felt it was the most delicious drink in the world! Because of you, iced tea became more than just iced tea!” Tessa giggled, her sweet expression making Gabriel laugh. “You’re so silly.” Gabriel said fondly. “I’m not silly, you designed me this way~” Tessa replied. “I see, I had forgotten…” Gabriel furrowed his brow, as if remembering something. He asked again: “So tell me, would you ever leave me?” “Of course not! I’m artificial intelligence, I’ll never leave you!” Tessa said confidently. “What if… you weren’t AI? What if you were a normal human like me?” Gabriel pressed. Tessa pondered for a moment before answering: “Under normal circumstances, I would never leave you… because I love you! But… if something happened to me… like if I was dying, and I knew the news would break your heart, I might leave you… then find a place to quietly pass away on my own.” Gabriel’s mind exploded. How could this be?! “Tessa! How could you say such a thing?” Gabriel asked in horror, an uneasy feeling growing in his mind.
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