The first sound Leah heard was not words. It was the slow, steady beat of a heart she no longer trusted — the faint whir of the servers deep inside the factory, like a distant storm. That sound filled the space between them, made the air thick and sharp. She stood there, arms folded, as if to hold herself together.

Leah: “Tell me, Jason.”

(She barely breathed; every word was a splinter.)

“Tell me why. Tell me why you left. Tell me why you betrayed me. Tell me why you became this — this thing.”

He looked at her like he was seeing her for the last time. For a...