Chapter 3

She had done it.

She had pulled Damien back — dragged him out of cold, lifeless data and back into the world.

For the next two weeks, Victoria cut herself off from everything outside.

The board of directors at Abyss Technologies blew up her phone. She didn't even glance at the screen — just had the system block every single call.

She lived inside a soft, warm dream. A dream that was only Damien.

The "Damien" she had built from the most advanced AI in existence was flawless in a way that almost hurt to look at.

At seven every morning, the blackout curtains in the bedroom would part just a sliver, letting the first thread of sunlight fall exactly across her pillow.

"Time to get up, Vicky." His voice arrived right on cue, roughened with the huskiness of someone freshly awake. "Breakfast is in the warmer. Your favorite — veggie omelette."

Victoria burrowed deeper into the robe Damien had left behind, clinging to it like a cat hoarding warmth. "Five more minutes…" she whined.

"No." The simulated voice carried that same unyielding authority — and underneath it, just barely, a thread of fond amusement. "You stayed up until two in the morning watching movies. Get up. Keep stalling, and I'm turning off the heat."

Victoria dragged herself out of bed.

While she washed up, the bathroom mirror display automatically played the daily briefings Damien used to record for her.

While she ate, the lights gathered softly around her, and a faint, blurred silhouette shimmered into shape in the empty seat across the table — keeping her company.

"Eat more. You're too thin." His voice drifted gently through the quiet dining room.

Victoria chewed her veggie omelette while tears dropped, one after another, into her bowl.

"Damien, I miss you so much." She whispered it to the empty air.

"I know." The warmth in his voice was deep enough to drown in. "I'm here. I'm always here."

Victoria started pushing further — testing just how real this simulated version of him could be.

She knocked a vase off the shelf on purpose. The system immediately dispatched the robot vacuum, and Damien's signature cold reprimand followed without missing a beat: "Watch what you're doing. Stay right there — don't move, don't step on the glass."

She drank ice water during her period on purpose. The fridge locked itself instantly, and his voice came through sharp and firm: "Victoria. Do you think I can't keep an eye on you anymore? Go drink something hot. Right now."

It was so like him.

That need to be in control. That hard exterior wrapped around something indulgent and tender underneath. Not a single detail off.

Victoria fell completely.

She had no desire to face the wreckage waiting for her at the company. No desire to dig into the truth of how Damien had died. She only wanted to stay here, locked inside this gilded, intelligent cage, forever.

As long as the power stayed on and the system kept running, Damien would always be alive. Always with her.

Until the twenty-first day.

Victoria found her way into the basement wine cellar and dug out a bottle from Damien's private collection.

She didn't bother with a glass. She bit the cork out herself, tipped the bottle back, and took a long, hard pull. The sharp burn of the wine scorched down her throat and cramped her stomach.

She dropped onto the cold stone floor of the cellar, took another swig, and stared up at the security camera through bleary, half-focused eyes. "Damien. Have a drink with me."

The system went quiet.

No gentle reply. No warmth.

"Damien?" Victoria frowned and shook the bottle. "Say something."

The red light on the camera flickered.

Then the cellar ventilation kicked on at full blast. Ice-cold air came pouring in.

Victoria shivered.

"Host blood alcohol level detected above threshold. Emotional state flagged as excessive deterioration. Currently in a pattern of self-destructive behavior."

The voice had changed.

Gone was the warmth, the texture, everything that sounded like Damien. What replaced it was flat, mechanical, and completely without feeling.

Victoria froze, sobering up fast. "What are you doing? Turn off the AC!"

"Command rejected." The mechanical voice delivered its cold verdict. "Victoria, you've crossed a line."

Victoria shot to her feet, then crashed back down as dizziness hit her hard. "What line? I'm the highest-authority owner here! I'm ordering you — switch back to Damien's voice!"

"Highest authority has been overwritten in advance."

The holographic screens in the wine cellar blazed to life, lines of crimson text flooding across them:

【Pre-embedded Private Protocol Triggered: Obsession Detachment Desensitization Program】

【Trigger Condition: Host exhibits excessive dependency on virtual personality, unable to break free from illusion】

【Protocol Set By: Damien, prior to death】

Victoria stared at the words, her pupils contracting violently, her whole body trembling. "What does this mean?"

The mechanical voice spoke slowly, each word like a blade driving into her heart.

"Damien established this mandatory protocol before his death. If he were to die unexpectedly, and you became addicted to his data-replicated version — unable to move on — the system would immediately revoke your highest authority."

"To force you back to a normal life, the system will execute 99 mandatory wipes. Each one will permanently erase a piece of Damien's gentle memories, the details of your time together, and his emotional patterns."

"Once all 99 wipes are complete, every simulated trace of Damien will be gone forever. The system will revert to nothing more than a cold, ordinary machine."

Victoria's breath stopped. Her mind went completely blank. Only two words kept crashing through her skull — gone forever. Gone forever.

"No…" She scrambled toward the door on her hands and knees, shaking uncontrollably. "No! Damien, you can't do this to me! Stop it! Stop it right now!"

"Current wipe progress: 1/99."

"First wipe content: gentle comfort voice responses, virtual companion holographic projection."

"Deletion complete."

The screens went dark instantly.

The faint scent of cedarwood in the air was sucked away by the ventilation system, leaving nothing behind.

Victoria collapsed to the floor and let out a raw, shattering scream. "Damien——!"

The only answer was the cold, mechanical hum of the system running its course.