Chapter 110-Jealous of a machine

Chapter 110: 110-Jealous of a machine

"Nathaniel!" Aymara cried out in disbelief as Nathaniel’s car crossed the finish line first.

Nathaniel burst into laughter, leaning back comfortably as the victory screen appeared before them. For a moment, he simply admired the result, looking far too pleased with himself.

PLAYER TWO WINS!

Aymara stared at the screen, utterly dumbfounded. She had been so certain she would win, yet somehow, Nathaniel had overtaken her at the last possible moment.

She slowly turned toward him, only to find him setting down his controller with an infuriatingly smug smile.

"Well, well," His face lit up with delight, as though winning the game had been the greatest achievement of his life. "It seems I have a request to make."

Aymara folded her arms and puffed out her cheeks in an exaggerated pout. "Fine. Ask whatever you want."

Nathaniel leaned closer, considering the many things he could ask of her now that he had the upper hand. He could request a favor, demand a reward, or perhaps use the opportunity to make her do something embarrassing.

However, his desire to tease her outweighed every other possibility. "Will you tell me why you were so upset about Roa?"

Aymara’s face immediately warmed. Part of it was embarrassment at being reminded of her jealousy, while the other part was the irritation she still felt toward Roa’s very existence. Of all the questions Nathaniel could have asked, why did he have to choose this one?

"That’s your question?" she asked, deliberately avoiding answering him.

"Yes."

"You could have asked me for something much more interesting!" she protested.

Nathaniel raised an eyebrow. "Such as?"

"Anything!"

He chuckled, clearly enjoying himself.

Aymara glared at him. She refused to believe that she could lose Nathaniel to another woman and end up playing second fiddle to someone else all over again. She had already endured that humiliation once with Dylan, who had always placed Sarah above her, regardless of how much love and devotion Aymara had given him.

She had sworn never to experience that kind of heartbreak again yet here she was, worrying that history might repeat itself in her second life.

"I find this interesting, so I want to know," Nathaniel insisted. "Besides, you agreed to the terms of our wager. You have to keep your end of the deal and answer my question."

Aymara looked away, her playful expression gradually fading. The thought of repeating the same painful experience in this life made her heart ache. She had already paid dearly for trusting the wrong person once.

The last thing she wanted was to open her heart again, only to discover that she was never the only woman occupying the place she had hoped to claim.

She closed her eyes briefly and swallowed the bitterness rising in her throat.

Nathaniel waited patiently. His amusement softened into affection as he watched her struggle with her answer. He had initially intended to tease her, but he also wanted to use this opportunity to clear up whatever misunderstanding had caused her jealousy.

Finally, Aymara muttered, "Because I thought Roa was another woman and you were two-timing us!"

Nathaniel’s smile faltered slightly. "And the thought of that bothered you?"

"Obviously!" she admitted.

"Why?"

Aymara turned to him sharply. "Do you really need me to explain everything to you?"

"I need you to," he replied gently.

She opened her mouth, then closed it again, unable to believe he was making her say her feelings aloud.

After a moment, she lowered her gaze and mumbled, "Because I don’t want to compete with another woman for your attention. I’ve already lived through that kind of story, and I don’t want history to repeat itself."

The room fell silent. Nathaniel stared at her, his expression changing as he absorbed her words. For all the teasing he had done, hearing her admit her fears so honestly affected him more than he had expected.

He had known that Aymara could be possessive when it came to him, but he hadn’t fully understood the pain hidden beneath her jealousy. She wasn’t simply annoyed by the possibility of another woman. She was afraid of being betrayed again, of trusting someone with her heart only to find herself standing in the shadow of another woman.

He reached over and gently lifted her chin until she met his eyes. "Mara, there has never been another woman, and there never will be one."

Aymara searched his expression. Her eyes looked for lies, for the slightest trace of the false concern Dylan had once used to disguise his betrayal. Yet no matter how carefully she examined Nathaniel’s face, she found nothing that suggested he was lying.

"Not even before?" she asked quietly.

"Not even before."

Nathaniel answered without hesitation. He wanted her to understand that he meant every word.

"Not before. Not now, and..." He paused briefly, his gaze softening. "Not ever."

Aymara’s heart began to beat faster. His words entered through her ears and settled deep within her, slowly unraveling the anxiety and hurt she had been carrying.

She had spent so long convincing herself that she needed to protect her heart that she hadn’t realized how desperately she wanted to hear those words from him.

Nathaniel smiled softly. "The only person I’ve ever wanted that way is you."

Aymara felt as though someone had poured warm honey directly into her chest, spreading a sweetness that reached places she hadn’t realized were still hurting.

She had imagined hearing such words from him before, though she would never have admitted it. Deep down, she had wanted to believe that she was special to Nathaniel, that what existed between them was something he had never shared with anyone else.

Hearing him say it so plainly made her heart feel unbearably full. Still, one question remained. "Then who exactly is Roa?"

Nathaniel chuckled. "Ah. Now we come to the real explanation."

He lifted his smartwatch and tapped the screen. A familiar blue interface appeared, resembling Aymara’s system, and connected to his underwater bunker. A moment later, a soft chime sounded.

"Roa," Nathaniel said, "introduce yourself."

"Good evening, Nathaniel."

Aymara’s eyes widened. The voice came directly from his smartwatch. It was smooth and remarkably robotic, lacking the natural warmth and inflections she would have expected from a human woman.

Nathaniel turned the screen toward her. "Roa, this is Aymara Ellington. She’s the person I’ve told you about."

There was a brief pause before Roa responded. "Acknowledged, Master," the voice continued in the same composed, artificial tone. "Good evening, Miss Ellington. It is a pleasure to finally communicate with you directly."

Aymara stared at the watch and then she stared at Nathaniel before she looked at the watch again. Her mind went completely blank.

She had pictured Roa as a beautiful, perhaps even alluring woman who stood by Nathaniel’s side, someone intelligent and capable who had earned his trust and affection. She had imagined a rival who might steal his attention, someone she would have to compete against for his time and love.

She had even made a wager just to uncover the truth. And now, after all that jealousy, suspicion, and unnecessary emotional turmoil, she had finally discovered Roa’s true identity.

A mechanical, robotic existence. An artificial intelligence and not a woman or a rival as it was not even a living person.

Aymara’s lips parted, but no words came out and for several seconds, she could only stare at the smartwatch as the full weight of her misunderstanding settled over her.

’Oh, heavens!’ she swallowed. She had actually been jealous of a machine.

Aymara wished the ground would open up and swallow her whole. The embarrassment was beyond anything she could have imagined. She would have preferred to face a hundred mutated sea monsters rather than endure another second of this humiliation.

"Oh, heavens... save me!"

If the universe had any mercy left, it would grant her the ability to disappear on the spot.

Unfortunately, judging by the way Nathaniel was looking at her, the universe had decided to abandon her completely.