My Robot Wife Was Already Dead

After five years of marriage, my husband finally discovered that the woman at home was just an android. He went utterly insane, tearing the city apart trying to find me. Little did he know, I had already been dead for five years. Five years ago, to save his life after a catastrophic car crash, I donated my spleen. Yet when he woke up, he believed it was his childhood sweetheart who had saved him. He despised me, convinced that I had abandoned him in his darkest hour without even a single visit. So for five whole years, he never once came home. He cut off all contact with me. Until today. Now a billionaire CEO, he returned home with divorce papers in hand. Only to find an android whose battery had nearly run dry. And the real me had died the very day I gave everything to save him. I was dead. To save my dying husband, Lucas, after his horrific car crash, I had willingly given him my spleen. Back then, he was in critical condition. I didn't want him to hear of my surgical complications and lose the will to live. So, using the last fading embers of my life, I finished programming the bionic android our company had spent five years developing. I made it look identical to me, leaving it in our home to keep him company. After I passed away, my soul was somehow tethered to him—perhaps because a part of my body was now beating inside his chest. I honestly thought Lucas would figure out the truth within three months. It turned out I was only flattering myself. Lucas was convinced I had deserted him the moment disaster struck. He credited his miraculous survival entirely to the selfless devotion of his beloved sweetheart, Chloe. Because of that bitter hatred, he hadn't stepped foot inside our house for five solid years. Now, my ghost stood silently beside him, watching him lead Chloe to the center stage of our company’s grand IPO gala. "Tonight, there is one person we must thank above all: Chloe," Lucas announced, his voice ringing through the banquet hall. "Without her, our breakthrough in bionic android technology wouldn't be taking us public today!" I looked at Lucas, a wave of hollow sorrow washing over my soul. Chloe tilted her chin up proudly, flashing an elegant smile. "Lucas, this is just a small milestone on our journey." I let out a bitter, silent laugh. The core tech driving this entire IPO was my code, my research, my life’s work. And Chloe had stolen every single bit of it. Down in the crowd, a few veteran engineers murmured among themselves. "Wait, where’s Mia? Why isn't our lead engineer here for the launch?" "She hasn't been to the office in five years, right?" Lucas scanned the room, his eyes cold as ice when he found no trace of me. "Five years ago, when I was fighting for my life, Mia walked out without looking back," he said harshly. "Someone so cold-blooded and disloyal has no place in this company!" Chloe’s lips curled into a subtle, smug smirk. "He's right. As soon as Lucas had his accident, Mia pulled a vanishing act. To this day, she hasn't even shown the decency to apologize." Several colleagues nodded along, siding with them instantly. "Mia is nothing but an ungrateful hypocrite, abandoning the CEO at his lowest point!" "A heartless monster! Without Lucas giving her a platform, what would she even be today?" Lucas’s face hardened further. "An ungrateful stray. Even a dog knows to stay by its master’s side after a few years of feeding." Standing beside them, I felt my ghostly form freeze over. Chloe had lied to him, poisoned his mind, and claimed my entire life as her own. I threw a punch straight at her face with all the fury left in my soul, but my fist passed cleanly through her like smoke.Lucas smiled warmly at Chloe, but before he could say another word, the heavy double doors of the gala hall slammed open. I looked up. My heart shattered into a million pieces. It was my parents. They were rushing frantically toward Lucas, out of breath and trembling. When I died five years ago, it had happened so fast. I had spent every remaining hour setting up my android replica. The moment I got the android into our living room, my final breath slipped away. I never even had the chance to call my parents in our small hometown. They had spent all these years believing I was still alive and well. Whenever they begged Lucas to let us visit home, he brushed them off with excuses about crucial corporate milestones. Lucas frowned, his gaze turning hostile as he looked down at them. "What are you two doing here?" My dad choked back a sob. "Lucas, where is Mia? Please, we're begging you, tell us! We haven't been able to reach her for so long!" Lucas scoffed in pure disgust. "How would I know where that selfish parasite is?" He violently shook off my dad’s hand, his patience gone. Five years ago, when he was pinned in that wreckage, he didn't see me. When he barely clawed his way out of the ICU, he didn't see me. And finally, when he checked the home security cameras, he saw me lounging casually on the living room couch! I knew what had happened. He had mistaken the android for me. The surrounding coworkers began whispering, their brows furrowing. "Are those Mia’s parents?" "What the hell? Have they lost their minds, crashing an IPO gala to look for their daughter?" "She’s an ungrateful coward. She probably abandoned her own parents too, and now they're tracking her down here." Tears streamed down my spectral face. How could I ever abandon my parents? Seeing their weathered faces and hunched frames pierced straight through my heart. They lived miles away in a quiet rural town. I died before I could say a proper goodbye. They had spent every holiday expecting me home, only to be crushed by disappointment year after year. My mom reached out tentatively, clutching Lucas’s sleeve with trembling hands. "Our daughter isn't heartless, Lucas. You have to be mistaken!" Dad’s eyes were bloodshot as he nodded eagerly. They remembered how, when I first started working, I sent half my paycheck back home every single month. How could anyone call their little girl a monster? Lucas shoved my mother away with cold fury. "Your precious daughter vanished the second I was bleeding out on an operating table!" he spat. "When I was alone, terrified, and clinging to life, she preferred lounging at home rather than stepping foot in the hospital!" "Now tell me, why on earth would I ever want to contact your daughter?" By the end of his sentence, Lucas let out a furious, mocking laugh. Anger swept through the surrounding employees. "Mia truly is lower than dirt!" "Leaving her husband to die while she acted like nothing happened... What a venomous bitch." Dad froze, completely lost, waving his calloused hands in denial. "Lucas, there’s a misunderstanding here! Our Mia would never do that!" Mom nodded through her tears. "We raised her, Lucas. That isn't who she is. If she did something wrong, we’ll apologize for her. We'll beg on her behalf!" Dad added desperately, "It’s been five years. We haven't heard her voice in five years. We just want to see our baby girl once. Just once." I rushed in front of them, but my hands couldn't touch them. My chest ached with agonizing helplessness. They were simple country folks. Navigating a bustling metropolis, struggling with unfamiliar smartphones, enduring countless sneers and cold stares—just to find their way to this hall. Chloe stepped forward, her eyes narrowing with calculated venom. "Lucas, don't fall for this." She turned to my parents. "You're her parents. How could you not know her address? How could you conveniently lose contact with your own daughter?" Lucas snapped back to his senses, his expression twisting into pure revulsion. "Did you think playing the pity card would make me chase after that heartless woman? Keep dreaming." "Go back to your daughter. You are not welcome here." "Security! Throw them out!" Did Mia send them here today just to humiliate me in front of the press? Lucas thought, his hatred for me burning hotter than ever. My parents were stunned, unable to comprehend his cruelty. Mom gripped Dad’s arm, her voice cracking with desperation. "No, Lucas, please! We really can't reach her!" "Her father is sick... He might not have much time left. We just need to see her before it’s too late!" Hearing their endless pleas, Lucas finally lost all control. "Can't reach her? Your daughter is sitting comfortably in my house right now! What kind of circus are you trying to pull?" Snarling, Lucas whipped out his phone and brought up the smart-home camera app.Years ago, we had installed a camera in the living room to keep an eye on our golden retriever. On the small screen, my android replica was lying on the couch. The camera was old, the feed grainy after five years, showing only a vague silhouette of a woman. Fury erupted among the onlookers. "Look at her! Laying on the sofa without a care in the world. Imagine how lavishly she’s lived these past five years!" "Meanwhile, Lucas worked himself to the bone, pulling all-nighters just to keep this company afloat!" "What a leech. To think I actually respected her work once. Disgusting!" "And these two old grifters are putting on a whole act to back her up!" Chloe shook her head with a patronizing smirk. "Thank goodness you checked the camera, Lucas, or these two frauds would have fooled everyone." Lucas’s fury boiled over. "Take a good look! That’s your precious daughter!" "She’s sleeping like a queen in my living room!" "Let me make one thing crystal clear: I will never see her again as long as I live!" A bitter, tragic laugh caught in my throat. If only Lucas had stepped foot inside that house just once, he would have known in an instant that the figure on the couch was merely a shell of metal and synthetic skin. Chloe waved dismissively at the guards. "Security, drag these two out. We have a product launch to run, and we won't let them ruin it." Meanwhile, my parents’ eyes were glued to the phone screen. Mom squinted through her tears, sensing something terribly wrong. As the guards grabbed her arms, she cried out, "Wait! That’s not my daughter! That isn't Mia!" Lucas glanced at the screen and scoffed. "Not your daughter? Open your eyes!" "That’s her! She spends her entire life doing nothing but eating, sleeping, and wasting my money!" Dad stood his ground, his voice shaking with absolute conviction. "That is not our daughter. I swear it on my life!" Several burly security guards surrounded them, trying to force them toward the exit, but Dad threw his frail body in front of Mom. I screamed in despair, trying to shield them, but my hands passed through thin air. Lucas cast a look of utter disdain at them. "No wonder you've stayed in the dirt your whole lives. You lie without batting an eye." "I must have been blind to ever fall for someone as cold and manipulative as Mia." "Get out of my sight. Don't ever let me see your faces again!" Chloe barked at the hesitation of the guards. "What are you waiting for? Throw these pests out!" More guards surged forward, tackling my elderly parents to the marble floor. No matter how hard my father struggled, a sick, frail old man was no match for young security personnel. They were being dragged toward the doors like garbage. I fell to my knees in agony, high-pitched ringing filling my ears. Five years. They had waited five long years for me, completely unaware that their daughter had died alone in a hospital bed. And now, they were being brutalized in public, humiliated before a jeering crowd. And I couldn't do a damn thing. I had grown up, only to fail at protecting the two people who loved me most. Suddenly, one of the junior engineers staring at the phone screen frowned. "Wait... look at the feed. Something’s wrong with that figure. She’s been slumped against the wall corner for minutes without moving an inch." "Is that... is that really Mia on that screen?"My parents broke free from the guards with a burst of desperate strength. They scrambled back, throwing themselves onto their knees before Lucas. Dad slammed his forehead against the polished floor, weeping, "Lucas, please! Five years! Our daughter would never go five years without calling us!" "We’re begging you! We’ll bow to you, we’ll do whatever you want!" "You don't have to call her. Just give us her address. Just give us her phone number..." Their voices were raw and shredded. My heart felt like it was being ripped apart with bare hands. My proud, resilient father, who had never bowed his head to anyone, was on his knees, banging his head against the floor just for a scrap of news about me. "Stop bowing... Dad, please stop..." I felt as though a thousand blades were piercing my chest. I couldn't breathe. The dull, sickening thuds of their foreheads hitting the floor made even the security guards hesitate. Lucas’s brow twitched, but before empathy could take hold, Chloe chuckled softly. "Mia’s guilt-trip tactics are getting quite sophisticated. She probably knows we're watching the camera and purposely posed like that to trigger your sympathy." The suspicion immediately hardened Lucas’s gaze once more. "Today is the biggest day of my life. Do you have any idea how much is riding on this launch?" He pulled a notepad from his suit, scribbled a number, and threw it at their faces. "Unlike your deceitful daughter, I actually have a conscience. Take her number and get the hell out of here!" Blood smeared across the marble floor from my father’s split forehead. With trembling, bloody fingers, Dad picked up the scrap of paper. He pulled out an old, battered flip phone and dialed the digits with shaking hands. A moment later, an automated robotic voice echoed through the speaker: The number you have dialed is no longer in service. Dad stared at the phone, tears and blood dripping down his hollow cheeks. He looked up at Lucas, trembling violently. "Lucas... we've dialed this number a thousand times. It’s always dead." "Please... take us to see our daughter. Just take us to see her!" I fell beside them, desperately trying to pull my father up, but my arms dissolved right through his shoulders. Blinding tears choked my sight. Lucas stared at them, enraged beyond reason. "Is this the game Mia wants to play?" "Purposely keeping her phone off?" "What did I ever do to deserve this? She couldn't even bother to visit me when I was dying, and now she sics her parents on me to ruin my IPO?" The heavy thuds of my parents begging on the floor echoed like a death knell through the silent hall. Lucas furiously smashed his champagne flute against the floor, glass shattering everywhere. "She wants to see me? Fine! I’ll give her what she wants! We're finishing this once and for all—and she can sign the damn divorce papers today!" With a sweep of his coat, Lucas stormed out, ordering the driver to take everyone straight to our house. Tethered to him, my ghost was dragged along behind. My head hung low. Five years. Was the secret finally about to be uncovered? Lucas reached the front door and jammed the key into the lock. Inside, the apartment was spotless, as if dusted daily by invisible hands. The moment Lucas stepped into the living room, his body seized, and his pupils dilated in horror.