Page 69 of Everdoll

My tears flowed faster, and no matter how much I tried to wipe them away, my eyes kept producing more. Remi was listening, but he didn’t respond. Did he see the growing storms inside me?

How could he see? He wasn’t a human like me, so how…?

“You… you once said you need to stop the world. Please tell me, Remi… How can I stop the world?”

A brief silence fell, and he breathed out, like he was finally letting go of something heavy.

“You must become an addict.” His gaze stayed on me. “This world is not for me too, but… I can’t live without you. If you become addicted to someone… your world can stop.”

I lifted my head. I could only watch him, my tear-filled eyes wandering over the delicate contours of his beautiful face.

“Someone…?”

“Me?” he whispered, the fear in his tone. Remi was truly acting so weird today. “As long as we belong to each other, the world will stop flowing. If you can’t live without me… if I’m your purpose in life… we can stop the world.”

I wiped my tears, sniffled, and tried to pull myself together. Leaning down, I gently stroked the roots of his hair. My lips brushed against his chin. “It’s really… that easy?”

My question made him smile. “It’s easy to get addicted to me?”

I wrapped my arms around his neck, my gaze locking with his. The soft green flecks in his eyes had vanished—what remained was an oceanic blue, dark and dangerously deep. I stroked the skin beneath his eyes, my thumb lingering. His lashes cast delicate shadows across his cheeks.

I smiled. Yes, this soft, peaceful feeling. Without Remi, I wouldn’t have made it through this month. With him, I could forget everything. My Remi was always so comforting. So safe. How could I forget about that?

My paradise, the only sweet dream I have left. My only ticket to escape the outside world.

“Yes. After all, you’re my Remi.”

His eyes caught on the curve of my lips. “Yes, I am. I am your Remi.”

He impatiently pulled my body, reaching out to kiss me again. More intensely, more fiercely. This time, I was responding to the kiss despite my exhaustion. Our breaths mingled, lips so intertwined they seemed to have fused into a single piece of flesh. Remi’s hands moved to my hips, and with a single motion, he joined our bodies together. Even when I lost my balance, his strong arms immediately wrapped around my waist, pressing my body against his. I shifted slightly. As I sat on his thighs, I felt something. It was massive, rigid. I was surprised he had this feature. It was too realistic.

“You…” I pulled my lips away from his. He stared at me, breath heavy, eyes full of desire. My Remi always looked at me with such need. Remi, who smelled nice and warm despite being a robot. Remi, who used drugs despite being a robot…

I had been pretending to be oblivious for years. And every day, I believed more and more this was the safest way.

After all, facing the reality was disastrous.

“Remi… you know, if you wish, you can find yourself a new master. I mean… Dealing with me must be exhausting, right? I keep bothering you.”

Remi opened his eyes, staring at me without moving his head. With that intense gaze, I wanted to take a deep breath, but couldn’t because of the weight on my chest.

“Not at all. We’re going to grow up together. We promised.”

“Even I forgot about this. You still remember? You didn’t reset yourself? Did you really… lie to me? All the time?”

My voice shook, my heart racing. I feared I would faint. For the first time, I had dared to voice my suspicion. A truth. He stared at me, his gaze darkening into something unnerving that forced me to drop my gaze. I tried to break free, but he kept holding me captive.

“Have you lost your trust in me?”

I pulled my gaze from his chest, then gave a hollow stare.

“Trust?”

I wanted to laugh. What trust was left between us? Remi became so… No, he didn’t. I shouldn’t think or use my stupid brain. If I had acted like that foolish, ignorant girl like Angelica wanted me to be, maybe my best friend would still be alive. It was me who encouraged her to disobey her father; the one who shouted the painful reality at her. Perhaps if I hadn’t, their father-daughter relationship might have continued, even if it had been abusive. Maybe she would still be alive.

I won’t make the same mistakes again. I didn’t want to be the one who revealed the truth. Not again. I couldn’t bear to be responsible for another destruction.

I knowingly ignored everything, every evidence.