Rachael huffed in frustration. As she fumbled with the one-time password Liam had sent her. Her words were laced with a mix of annoyance and exhaustion.
"Why can't Liam just give me the real password? Why all the secrecy? It's like he's guarding the crown jewels in his apartment or something," she grumbled, her irritation palpable.
Finally, the door clicked open with a satisfying whoosh, and Rachael heaved the bags of clothes inside, followed by a quiet Rose. Rose had been eerily subdued since returning from the restaurant, her demeanor like a puppet with its strings cut.
Rachael glanced over, her brow furrowed in concern. "Hey, are you okay? You're acting like your soul checked out while you were in that toilet. Seriously, don't go making me think you're one of those spooky emotional bots. It's just... weird."
Rose looked up, her gaze distant. "Really? Sorry for bothering you, Rachael. It's just... my low battery. I need to recharge."
Rachael squinted, giving Rose a scrutinizing look. "If that's the case, whatever. I'm beat. Got a full day of training and missions tomorrow. I'm off. Just a reminder. Don't mess up Liam's place. He's a bear when it comes to his apartment being dirty."
With a final sigh, Rachael closed the door behind her, leaving Rose alone. As the click of the door echoed in the quiet hallway, Rose collapsed onto the floor, her composure shattering like glass. Tears welled up, blurring her vision as she sank to the floor. She hugged her knees to her chest as sobs wracked her body.
"I'm scared... I'm so so scared," she whispered through her tears, her voice trembling with a raw vulnerability.
"Mom, I wish you were here. It would be so nice if you could see me now..." but then a sad chuckle escaped her.
"Or maybe not. Maybe it's better you didn't see me like this. You left thinking I was in med school in one of the world's best places..."
Her sobs grew louder, each one a wrenching cry against the cruel reality she faced. "I can't do this alone... I don't know what I'm becoming. What am I turning into? Or am I already... 'that'?
My friends say they can help, but what if they can't? At least....I guess....I guess I have friends who care, even in this darkest time."
The hallway lights flickered on, and Dusty, the small cleaning bot with its mechanical grace, emerged from Liam's bedroom. It approached Rose with a curious whirr, its screen flashing a pixelated frown. "Miss love bot... Is that you? Crying? How extraordinary for a bot to cry. What happened?"
Dusty extended its tiny, comforting arms, offering Rose a handful of tissues. She took them, her hands shaking as she dabbed at her eyes, feeling a flicker of relief amidst her pain. "Dusty, please... hug me. Stay with me... don't leave me alone."
Dusty's screen shifted to a crying emoji, the little tears sparkling with empathy. Its tiny arms reached out, encircling Rose in a comforting embrace. " Oh....Miss love bot...."
Rose clung to Dusty with desperation. Her tears fell onto the bot's cold surface as she kept on mumbling, " I'm scared.... I'm really scared, Dusty. "
-------------
Liam stepped out of the elevator with a stack of meal boxes precariously balanced in his arms, a faint smile tugging at his lips. Each one was meticulously prepared by his father's butler—a feast of roasted lamb, mashed potatoes with gravy, fresh greens, and delicate pastries.
He could already imagine the satisfaction on Rose's face when she saw the spread, the way her eyes might light up. He had learned earlier from Rachael that Rose could actually eat. How oblivious of him to never have asked.
The thought that he might finally share a meal with her—something so ordinary yet intimate—thrilled him. As he reached his apartment, he keyed in the real password, the door clicking open. "Rose?" he called, excitement just about breaking through his voice.
But the moment he stepped in, the thick, unmistakable scent hit him like a punch to the gut. Wine. Expensive, rich, and undeniably familiar. His favorite bottles.
Liam paused, his fingers tightening on the meal boxes. A text from Rachael earlier confirmed she had already left: "Left your little love bot right at your doorstep. Hope you're satisfied with my delivery service." A mocking jab, but it confirmed she was gone. So why…?
As he moved cautiously toward the living room, the sound of soft, broken sobs filled the air. The kind that comes from deep pain. The kind that's uncontainable, overwhelming. Rose.
His heart tightened. Why would Rose—what could possibly have—
And then he saw her, collapsed on the sofa like a fragile doll, her light purple sundress clinging to her skin, damp from tears and sweat. She looked drained, as if crying had wrung every last ounce of strength from her body. The little cleaning bot, Dusty, stood by her side, tissues in hand, wiping its own head in a pitiful attempt to clean itself.
"Master Liam," Dusty chirped, its small screen lighting up with a smile emoji, followed by a sad face. "Please don't come closer. I have tears and snot on my head."
A weak chuckle broke through Rose's sobs, a hollow, aching sound. She tossed a crumpled tissue at Dusty, the motion sluggish and defeated. "It's not that dirty, Dusty," she mumbled, her voice thick with exhaustion.
But then, just as quickly, the chuckle faded, and she crumpled back into herself, sobs shaking her small frame once again.
Liam's breath hitched. "Rose, what's going on?" His voice was soft, careful. But the weight of his confusion hung in the air like a fog.
Hearing him, Rose startled, her body jerking upright in panic. For a moment, her eyes widened with fear, wild and glassy. But then, as if the strength of that fear had been dulled by the wine, she slumped back into the cushions, staring up at him with an empty, shattered gaze. Her knees pulled to her chest, she looked so small, so fragile.
Liam stood there, frozen, his stern expression betraying the storm of emotions inside him. He wasn't sure whether to scold or comfort. He wanted answers, but all he saw was her—broken, trembling, and unraveling before his eyes.
Rose pressed her palms against her eyes, her voice cracking, raw. "Please don't scold me… You would be just as terrified if you were me, Liam. Please don't…"
His confusion deepened, and his baffled eyes never left Rose as he set the meal boxes down on the coffee table. The clatter loud in the thick silence of the room.
"What happened today? Rachael didn't say anything bad."
Rose's response was instant, sharp, her voice rising like a storm. "What happened?!" She hurled a wet bundle of tissues at him, her breath coming in ragged gasps. "You are what happened to me! You and your brother!"
Her words struck him harder than he expected. Where did his brother come from? What would he have to do with...
There was no logic, no sense—just raw pain. It was like Rose was tearing herself apart in front of him.
"You ruined my life!" she cried, her voice cracking under the weight of her anguish. "It's gone! My life… everything I was. My friends—they said I might lose myself completely. And I am… I'm already losing myself."
Liam's chest tightened, the room closing in on him. Her words cut into him like shards of glass. For the first time, Rose was unraveling before him, not as a robot, not as something manufactured—but as a person. Someone terrified of losing herself, of losing everything that made her..... human. A human?!
And at that moment, everything Liam thought he knew crumbled.