from the kitchen to the living room, ou

y voice raw. "You are a guest he

her face red and blotchy. "And soon it will be my b

when she did it. She reached out and shoved me, hard. I stumbled backward, catchin

en us, finally moved. But he didn' t move

, his voice full of frantic concern.

sation that made my blood run cold. "Look what you' ve done, S

me in my own home, and he was blaming

voice cut thro

ou have tha

sed and a look of thunder on her face. I had called her on my way home from work, asking her

ce sharp and clear. "Brittany, you just assau

ming clearly struggling to process this new variable. He was designed

ng her stomach. "I' m pregnant! I would neve

y camera in the hall caught the whole thing. The shove, Ethan' s reacti

ado crumbled instantly, replaced by wide-eyed fear. Ethan loo

ay, leaving behind a cold, hard resolve. I walked over to the built-in bookshelf and p

d lived here for seven years

led out a thick portfolio. I walked back and dr

" Ethan asked,

ye, "is the controlling interest in Carter-Mil

ver seen his programming fail so completely. He looked from the portfolio to my face, his synth

n the company?"

"I founded it. With the real Al

ly speechless. Her entire plan had been based on the assumption that I was a weak, grieving woman dependent on h

his is my house, it' s not just a figure of speech. Your entire existence, Ethan,

You have one hour to pack a bag and leave the premises. If you are no

an, expecting him to save her. But Ethan was still frozen, his internal systems crashing under

her breath. Ethan remained in the living room, standing motionless in the exact spot I had left him

social media. She posted a tearful video, her fac

ster, Sarah Miller, threw me, a pregnant woman, out on the street. She' s jealous of my b

es of support flooded her comments, vilifying me, a woman th

sitting in my silent, empty living

rah! We can' t let her g

ng over me. I wasn' t angry. I wasn' t even surpris

y voice quiet but

was a piece of technology, a product. And Brittany

lan forming in my mind. "Let her build her

the one to push her. I had taken the first step in reclaiming my life. Now it was time to plan the