Chapter 1I used to text Sean about everything.
A flower I saw on my way to work. How bad the coffee was at the new place. The sunset on my drive home.
Sometimes I'd text him just because I thought of him.
He never said much back. A "yeah" here. A "got it" there. But he always replied.
For six months, I told myself that was enough.
I made it through the engagement. The dress fittings. The venue tours. All the way to five days before the wedding.
That's when I opened his laptop and saw it.
An AI program. Auto-replying to my texts.
It read what I sent, pulled a keyword, and sent back the safest response it could find.
Miss you → "Yeah."
I'm upset → "Got it."
Can we talk? → "Stop."
Turns out, for the past six months, Sean was never the one responding to me.
Then I saw his other chat. The one with another woman.
Pages and pages of messages.
Good morning texts. Late-night calls. Plans to go to the beach. Plans for everything.
That's when I finally got it.
Sean could love someone. He just didn't love me.
...
Sean came home late that night.
He walked in, dropped his keys, and didn't even look at me.
"Why are you still up?"
I was sitting on the couch. Waiting.
"I wanted to talk."
He sighed.
"Couldn't you just text me?"
I stared at him.
"Do you think I talk too much?"
He stopped. Looked at me like I was being dramatic.
"Why are you asking me that?"
"Just answer."
He sat down. Rubbed his face.
"Sometimes, yeah."
"When?"
"Like when I'm working and you send me random stuff. Today you texted me about some dessert place. Then about flowers for the wedding. Then about a broken streetlight."
He laughed. Not in a nice way.
"Nora, do you realize you tell me everything?"
I felt my chest tighten.
"Isn't that what people do? When they love someone?"
"But I don't have the energy for it."
He leaned back. Looked at me like I was exhausting him.
"I work all day. I come home tired. And then I have to deal with your emotions. Can you just grow up?"
Sean loved telling me to grow up.
When I wanted to celebrate our anniversary, he'd say I was being childish.
When I asked him to come dress shopping with me, he'd say I was making a big deal out of nothing.
When I tried to tell him about my day, he'd say everyone has problems.
But today, I saw his messages with Emma.
Hundreds of them.
I spent all afternoon scrolling. I only made it back six months.
And the Sean in those messages? I didn't know him.
He was sweet. Patient. He'd spend half an hour comforting her because she ate a sour grape.
A sour grape.
I stared at him.
"Why doesn't Emma need to grow up?"
He looked at me like I was crazy.
"Are you seriously starting a fight right now?"
That's what he always did. Every time I mentioned Emma, I was the one being unreasonable.
Not this time.
"Forget Emma," I said. "If you didn't want to talk to me, you could've just said so. Why make an AI to do it for you?"
His face changed.
"How did you—" He stopped. "Did you go through my laptop?"
I didn't answer.
He rubbed his face. Sighed like I was exhausting him.
"You always said I never made you anything. So I made you something. That's your gift."
I felt something crack inside me.
Sean was a genius developer. Everyone said so.
For Emma's birthday, he built her a website. When you opened it, snow fell. Fireworks exploded. And in the middle of the screen:
Emma, stay happy forever. I'll always be here.
When she couldn't sleep, he made her an app. It played sounds based on her mood. It reminded her to drink water at 2 a.m.
When she was bored at work, he made her a game. A little character would run across the screen cheering her on:
You're amazing, Emma.
And me?
He made a program so he wouldn't have to talk to me.
Chapter 2
I didn't say anything else. I just went to bed.
The next morning, I woke up to voices in the living room.
Sean and Emma were back from their morning run. They were laughing about something.
I walked out and saw them standing by the door. Both in running clothes. Both flushed and out of breath.
Emma was saying something about almost giving up halfway.
Sean smiled. "That's because you stayed up too late again. We'll go easier tomorrow."
Three years ago, I asked if we could start running together in the mornings.
He said no. He needed that time to himself.
I asked if we could at least take walks after dinner.
He said he was too tired after work.
But every single morning for the past three years, he'd been running with Emma.
Rain or shine.
He saw me and stopped.
"Hey. You're up."
He was holding a bag from the coffee shop down the street.
"Got breakfast. You want some?"
I didn't need to look inside.
Almond croissants. Iced lattes with almond milk.
Emma's favorites.
The same almonds that sent me to the ER two years ago.
Sean had been there. He held my hand through the whole thing. He even took a picture of my medical bracelet so he wouldn't forget.
But every time he brought breakfast home, it was almond croissants and almond milk lattes.
Twenty years with Emma. He knew her order by heart.
I looked at him.
"Sean."
He glanced up.
"Why do you keep forgetting I'm allergic to almonds?"
Sean stopped smiling.
Before he could say anything, Emma laughed. "Oh god, that's my fault. I kept begging him to try that place."
She touched his arm. "But next time you'll ask Nora first, right?"
Sean nodded.
Next time.
There was never a next time.
Emma was already walking toward the bathroom. "I'm gonna jump in the shower."
"Towels are where they always are," Sean called after her.
Where they always are.
I knew exactly where. Second shelf. Pink towel. Her body wash. Her lotion.
Sean couldn't remember to buy toilet paper. But he always remembered to restock Emma's things.
I stood in the middle of the living room and realized I felt like a guest in my own home.
I couldn't stay there.
I grabbed my bag.
Sean glanced up. "Where are you going?"
"Out."
He didn't ask where. He was already setting out plates for Emma.
The second I stepped outside, I could breathe again.
I had calls to make. The dress. The venue. All of it.
At the bridal shop, the woman at the desk saw me and her face lit up.
"Nora! Did Sean come with you this time?"
I shook my head.
Her smile faded.
I'd been in six times. Sean hadn't shown up once.
The first few times, she tried to be kind about it. "He must be swamped at work."
By the sixth time, she stopped pretending.
When she handed me the cancellation form, she paused.
"You deserve someone who shows up."
I didn't trust myself to answer. I just left.
Outside, my throat felt tight.
A stranger could see what I couldn't for five years.
By the time I finished canceling everything, the sun was setting.
My phone rang. Sean's mom.
"Nora, sweetheart, dinner's almost ready. You coming?"
Then, lighter, like it was nothing: "Sean and Emma are already here."
Chapter 3
Sean's mom threw dinners all the time. At least twice a month.
Emma was always invited.
I got invited maybe once a month. To keep up appearances.
By the time I got there, everyone was already eating.
Emma was next to Sean, laughing about something. He'd peeled a whole pile of shrimp for her.
She saw me and smiled. "Nora! Glad you could make it."
I sat down at the far end of the table.
Most of the food was seafood. I couldn't eat any of it.
I picked at the salad.
Halfway through dinner, Sean's mom looked at me.
"Nora, have you finalized the wedding menu?"
"I was thinking we should upgrade the main course. Maybe filet mignon? Emma loves a good steak."
Emma laughed. "You don't have to do that."
"If you love it, we're doing it. It's a celebration."
I stopped chewing.
It was supposed to be my wedding.
Sean hadn't helped plan a single thing. And now even the menu was about Emma.
Not that it mattered. There wasn't going to be a wedding.
I just nodded.
After dinner, Sean's mom waved me toward the couch.
"Come sit, honey."
Then she turned to Emma. "Emma, sweetie, help me clean up?"
Emma started to stand.
Sean cut in. "Mom, Emma's on her period. She was not feeling well. Nora can help."
My hand went tight around my glass.
So he could notice when Emma was on her period.
We'd been together five years. He never noticed with me.
Last month, I was cramping so badly I could barely move.
He thought I looked tired.
"You should go to bed earlier," he said.
Sean's mom laughed. "We're not making a guest clean up. You two can handle it."
Sean and his dad went into the kitchen. Emma followed them and stood in the doorway, smiling.
I sat on the couch.
A little while later, Emma yawned.
Sean was up before she even finished. He grabbed his keys.
"Let's get you home."
Same as always. Emma first.
Her apartment was close to ours. Two blocks away.
Sean had helped her find it. Made sure it was safe. Made sure her favorite coffee shop was nearby.
Made sure he could get there fast if she needed him.
And she always needed him.
Broken faucet. Dead battery. Bad dream.
We dropped her off. She waved from the sidewalk.
Sean didn't start the car until she was inside.
The drive home was quiet.
I broke the silence.
"Don't you think you're too close with Emma?"
He looked relaxed. Almost amused.
He reached over and patted my hand.
"You jealous?"
"Emma and I grew up together. We're basically family. If something was going to happen, it would've happened a long time ago."
He pulled into our driveway.
"Besides, I'm marrying you. What more do you want?"
I pulled my hand back.
"Are you free tomorrow?"
"I need to talk to you about something."
He frowned. "Can't you just sent a text—"
He stopped.
He remembered. I already knew about the AI.
After a long pause, he nodded. "Fine. I'll make time."
