My Best Friend's Android Husband

My husband and my best friend's husband looked exactly alike, but I never thought much of it. My husband, Cody Hill, was one of the country's top scientific researchers. Since my best friend, Ophelia Underwood, had sworn never to marry, he built an android in his own image to keep her company and take care of her. At first, I found it unsettling. But after decades passed, I gradually got used to it. Things were fine until the day of our 50th wedding anniversary. The hotel suddenly collapsed, trapping my husband and me beneath the rubble. Only then did I discover that the liquid flowing from his open wounds was blue. In the final second before another slab of concrete came crashing down, I watched him split apart before my eyes into countless precision-engineered bionic components. After I died, my soul drifted above the ruins. That's when I saw the "android" standing beside Ophelia gently wiping away her tears. In a gentle voice, he said, "She's dead. I don't have to pretend to be a robot while I stay by your side anymore." When I opened my eyes, I was 25 years old again. Inside the laboratory, two identical men stood before me. I raised my hand and pointed at one of them. "I'll take this one." Chapter 1 The moment those words came out of my mouth, the man I had chosen immediately smiled. "Honey, you picked the right one. I'm the real Cody. That's the android I built," the android Cody said. I, Naomi Allen, didn't answer. Instead, I looked at the real Cody standing quietly off to the side while he pretended to be the android. "From now on, I'll leave Ophelia in your care. Stay by her side and take good care of her." He looked up. The surprise in his eyes was very brief. In a deliberately mechanical voice, he replied, "Command received." Without another glance at him, I turned around and left the laboratory with the android. Back home, the way he removed his coat, tilted his head while pouring water, and chose the same spot on the couch all reminded me of Cody. After spending fifty years together, I realized I could no longer tell the real one from the fake. Or perhaps, I had never imagined that the one sleeping beside me all this time had been a heartless android all along. Without looking at him any longer, I called my lawyer. Not long after that, I received a divorce agreement. I slid it across the table toward the android and tapped the signature line. "Sign it." He frowned. Even his puzzled expression was identical to Cody's. "Honey, we've been doing fine. Why do you want a divorce?" "Just sign it." My voice remained calm as my gaze settled on a nearly imperceptible mark at the back of his neck. It was the detail I had accidentally discovered beneath the rubble in my previous life. He remained silent for a few seconds before finally picking up the pen and carefully writing Cody's name down. Even his handwriting was indistinguishable from the original. It looked like he wanted to say something else, but I reached out and pressed the concealed button on the back of his neck. The instant my fingertip pushed it, the light disappeared from his eyes. After his body went limp, he collapsed onto the couch and remained completely motionless. I stared at the signature on the divorce agreement. My fingertips grew cold. No one knew that he was an android. Would a divorce agreement signed this way even be legally valid? I picked up my phone to look up the law. The moment I unlocked the screen, a notification from Ophelia's Instagram account popped up. She had posted a photo of a table filled with food. In the picture, Cody was carrying a bowl of soup out of the kitchen while smiling. Staring at the meal, it felt like countless needles pierced through my chest. Throughout our marriage, Cody had rarely cooked for me. He always said he was too busy with research and too exhausted to cook. It turned out it wasn't that he couldn't. He simply didn't want to cook for me. I tapped on the screen and liked the post. Less than two seconds later, Ophelia messaged me. [Naomi, this android's cooking is amazing! Bring Cody over and come eat with us!] Chapter 2 I didn't refuse. I went to Ophelia's house alone. When she opened the door, Cody stood behind her with an apron on. He looked like the perfect househusband and nothing like the cold, distant man he was around me. "Why are you here alone?" Ophelia asked casually as she pulled me inside. I glanced at the man standing quietly beside her and replied calmly, "He came home saying he was tired and went straight to bed. I didn't have the heart to wake him." Ophelia didn't say anything, but her eyes lit up. She started leading me to the dining room. "Perfect! Let me show you the new Super Intimacy Mode I just unlocked. It's incredible." As soon as she finished speaking, she turned to face the man beside her. "I want strawberries." Without hesitation, Cody walked into the kitchen. A moment later, he returned with a glass bowl filled with carefully washed strawberries. Every stem was removed, and there was even a small dessert fork. Watching from across the table, I felt my heart sink further. In my previous life, I had even envied Ophelia. I had told her this android was more considerate than any real man. Back then, Cody had smiled and said it was nothing but programming, but now I knew the truth. It wasn't the programming that was thoughtful. He had simply been willing to offer every bit of his tenderness to Ophelia. Halfway through dinner, Ophelia suddenly nudged his arm. "Serve Naomi some food!" He nodded, lowered his head, and used the tongs to pick up two glossy shrimp before placing them neatly on my plate. I stared at the shrimp as my grip tightened around my fork. I was severely allergic to shrimp. Ever since high school, even a small bite would leave me covered in hives. Sometimes it was serious enough to send me to the emergency room. After fifty years of marriage, he still claimed he could never remember. I had always made excuses for him. I told myself his mind was consumed by research and that he simply wasn't good with small details. Only now did I understand that it wasn't that he couldn't remember. It was that I had never mattered enough for him to remember. My thoughts drifted back to the year we graduated from high school. After the SAT, Ophelia and I confessed our feelings to him at nearly the same time. He had been silent for a long while. In the end, he walked over and took my hand. Only later did I learn from someone else that my father had sponsored his education. Before passing away, my father had held Cody's hand and asked him to look after me. I had clung to that tiny sliver of hope for many years. I believed that he would eventually warm up to me after spending years together, but it was all wishful thinking in the end. The food tasted bland. Before long, I made an excuse and left. As the door closed behind me, I heard Ophelia's cheerful laughter from inside. Then came Cody's deep, affectionate voice as he gently coaxed her. I tightened my grip around the doorknob until my knuckles turned pale. Finally, I walked away without looking back. Once I returned home and opened the door, I was greeted by the wonderful aroma of food. The android was standing beside the dining table. The four dishes he made, including soup, were all my favorites. Cody must have programmed him in advance. In the past, I would have been touched. Now, staring at the warm food, all I felt was nausea. I picked up the dishes one by one and dumped all of them into the trash. The android walked over. He sounded worried. "Honey, is my cooking not to your taste?" Before he could say anything else, I pressed the emergency sleep button at the back of his neck. The house instantly fell silent. Only the sound of my own breathing remained. I had barely sat down when my phone rang. I answered the call. On the other end, a cheerful coworker said, "Naomi, the institute is holding a family team-building event tomorrow. Married couples will be paired up for games. You and Professor Hill have to come!" I held the phone as my gaze landed on the body lying motionless on the couch. His face was identical to Cody's. Suddenly, I smiled. "Sure. We'll definitely be there." Chapter 3 The team-building event was lively and bustling. The android stayed close behind me every step of the way. When I lifted a hand to brush my hair back, he immediately handed me a hair tie. The moment I finished taking a sip of water, he was ready to take the paper cup from my hand. Our coworkers laughed at the sight. They said he always seemed so cold at work, but he was unbelievably attentive to his wife. I merely forced a smile and said nothing. Everything he did had been programmed in advance. The performance was even more convincing than that of a real loving husband. Shortly after that, Ophelia entered arm in arm with Cody. Standing together, they looked like the perfect couple. They drew everyone's attention. Someone said jokingly, "Professor Hill dotes on his wife so much that he even built another version of himself to keep her best friend company. Naomi is one lucky woman." Another coworker studied the two identical-looking men for a long moment before rubbing his chin thoughtfully. "Honestly speaking, doesn't the one with Ophelia seem more like the real Professor Hill than the one with Naomi?" Right after he said that, Cody's fists clenched almost imperceptibly. Ophelia quickly laughed it off. "Not at all. Mine's just an android following its programming." Leaning against the table, I watched the scene unfold and found it utterly absurd. Noticing my expression, Ophelia nudged my arm. "What's wrong? You've seemed distracted all day." I glanced at her casually. "Come to think of it, we never asked how you felt before using Cody's appearance for the android. Does that bug you? "If it makes you uncomfortable, we could always change his face later." The smile on her face instantly disappeared. A flicker of panic flashed across her eyes. Looking at her expression, I almost wanted to laugh. I then said calmly, "Forget it. I was just kidding. It'd be too much trouble anyway." Only then did she let out a sigh of relief. She chuckled awkwardly before making an excuse about getting some desserts and quickly walking away. I remained where I was. It felt like an icy breeze had blown straight through my chest. We had been friends for so many years. If she had simply told me honestly that she liked Cody and wanted to be with him, I would have let him go no matter how much it hurt. But she hadn't. Instead, she and Cody carefully orchestrated an elaborate scheme to keep me in the dark and make a fool of me for most of my life. As everyone began forming teams for the games, I quietly slipped out of the ballroom and knocked on the director's office door. The director looked surprised to see me. Without wasting time, I spoke directly. "I'd like to apply to join the Time Machine Project." He paused before frowning. "But Cody and Ophelia have already been appointed to lead that project. You–" "Cody secretly diverted institute research resources to build androids. He also used an android to deceive his own family by fabricating a false identity." I cut him off calmly as I placed a USB drive on his desk. "Everything is on this drive. Someone like him isn't qualified to lead the institute's most important project." The director's expression changed instantly. It almost seemed like the USB drive in his hand had gotten heavier. When I left the office, music had already begun playing in the ballroom. At the center of the dance floor, Cody had one arm around Ophelia's waist while he whispered something into her ear that made her laugh non-stop. The moment Ophelia saw me, she hurried over and grabbed my hand. "Naomi, come dance with us! My android dances perfectly!" I stood where I was. While staring at Cody in the middle of the dance floor, I became momentarily lost in thought. I was just about to decline when the ground suddenly began to shake violently. The chandelier overhead swung wildly. At that instant, the collapsing building from our 50th wedding anniversary in my previous life overlapped with the scene before my eyes. Recalling how I had died with my eyes still open, I froze. My fingertips felt ice-cold. I couldn't even move my feet. Then came a deafening crash. A massive pillar was falling directly toward Ophelia and me. I watched wide-eyed as the two identical men moved at the exact same moment. Cody's face turned pale as he threw himself at Ophelia and shielded her in his arms. The android, who was supposed to protect me, didn't even hesitate before running toward the exact same person. The two identical men both ran toward the same woman. Neither of them spared me a glance. The pillar crashed down, and agonizing pain engulfed my entire body. Everything went black in the next second. I passed out. Chapter 4 When I opened my eyes again, I was lying in a hospital ward. The android sat beside my bed. The moment he saw that I was awake, he leaned forward and asked, "Honey, how are you feeling? Does your head still hurt?" Instead of answering, I stared directly into his eyes. "Why did you save Ophelia when the accident happened?" Panic flickered across his face. His explanation came out stiff and unnatural. "Honey, don't misunderstand. She was closer to me at the time. That's why I rescued her first." Looking at the face that was identical to Cody's, I suddenly burst into laughter. As I laughed, my eyes gradually filled with tears. So it wasn't just Cody whose heart belonged to Ophelia. Even the highest priority in the very foundation of the code he had personally written belonged to her. Without another word, I pulled the IV needle from the back of my hand and walked out of the ward. When I reached Ophelia's ward, the door was slightly ajar. Their conversation drifted through the gap. "Cody, I'm really pregnant." Ophelia's voice trembled with sobs. "But an android can't possibly get someone pregnant. Sooner or later everyone will find out. What are we going to do then?" Cody's voice remained calm. "Don't be afraid. I'll figure something out," he said soothingly. I leaned against the cold wall. I clenched my fists so hard that my knuckles turned white. My heart had already become so numb that I barely felt anything. I wandered outside alone for a long time. When I finally returned home, I expected to face the emotionless android once again. Instead, the man waiting inside made me stop in my tracks. I recognized immediately that he wasn't the android. He was the real Cody. The moment he saw me, he walked over in big strides and wrapped me in his arms. He then rested his chin on the top of my head. "Naomi, I'm sorry. I've been too busy lately. I've neglected you," he said gently. Lowering his head, he tried to kiss me. I could smell the familiar scent of women's perfume. It was the one Ophelia always used. I immediately felt nauseous and pushed him away with all my strength. "I'm tired. I don't want to do this." He froze on the spot. Shock filled his eyes. In the past, I had always indulged him. No matter how cold or distant he became, and no matter how many nights he never came home, I would still smile and wait for him. He probably never imagined that I had already seen through every one of his lies. I finally understood why he had come home this time. He wanted to sleep with me and get me pregnant. Later, with the android serving as his alibi, he could bring Ophelia's child into our household as if everything was perfectly natural. The sheer calculation of it made me sick. A few seconds later, his phone rang. After he answered it, something the caller said caused his expression to change. He hung up and looked at me apologetically. "Something's come up at the lab. I have to go. Get some rest." With that, he hurried out. Not long after that, the front door was unlocked again. I glanced over and saw the android walking in this time. Now that I thought about it, replacing one with the other had probably been part of their routine for a very long time even in my previous life. Soon, I received a call from the director. He asked if I was ready to join the Time Machine Project. "I'm ready," I said calmly. I was already holding my packed luggage. That afternoon, the institute urgently assembled everyone for a meeting. Cody and Ophelia stood confidently at the front of the room. Their usual composure was still intact. That confidence lasted only until the director stepped onto the stage. His gaze landed sternly on the two of them. "Cody, Ophelia, the two of you will no longer be part of the Time Machine Project." Their expressions changed instantly. "Why, Director?" The director tapped on the table. His voice echoed clearly throughout the conference room. "You misappropriated institute research resources to secretly manufacture androids. You used a false identity to deceive your own family. Your conduct is unethical. "Effective immediately, the Time Machine Project will be placed entirely under Naomi's leadership."