Chapter 3

Austin had probably forgotten that once, with his own mouth, he'd promised he would love me whether or not I was human.

I turned my face away, and his fingers caught my chin and dragged it back.

"Stop going after Zara. I'll arrange for Dr. Whitney to come take the chip tomorrow. Whatever Zara wants, I'll give it to her. As for your memories, once her experiment is finished, I'll give them back to you."

He paused, and his voice softened.

"Be good, Louise. It's only two weeks. Two weeks, and everything will be the way it used to be."

I closed my eyes and said nothing.

How could Austin know that I wouldn't be here in two weeks.

Today was the final day of the five-year contract.

When I opened my eyes again, Austin was gone.

An elegant, richly dressed woman appeared in the doorway.

"Miss Hughes. It's been a long time."

Her name was Vivian Abbott, Austin's mother, and the one who had signed that secret contract with me five years ago.

We went down to the café. Vivian lifted her coffee, her face worn.

"I'm sorry, Miss Hughes. I've been buried in a research project in California these past days and only just rushed back. I've heard about everything between you and Austin. I think I need to ask you once more. Do you still hold to what you decided three months ago, to give up the five million and stay by Austin's side?"

I traced the pattern on the side of the cup and shook my head lightly.

"No. Let's keep to what the contract says. Give me the five million, I'll fly to California, and I'll never appear in front of Austin again as long as I live."

I let out a soft sigh.

Yes. I had once meant to give up the five million and simply stay by Austin's side.

His illness couldn't take any shock, and I'd have been glad to live out my whole life as a robot for his sake.

But nothing stays the same. In the span of three months, Zara Matthews appeared, Austin became a different person, and there was no longer any reason for me to stay.

Vivian sighed too.

"All right. I'll apologize to you on Austin's behalf. I'd thought you would be the crutch he leaned on for life..."

I stood, and smiled.

"But the moment a patient can stand on his own, the first thing he throws away is the crutch."