Chapter 4

The product launch continued.

My mom had no idea her daughter’s ghost was standing right beside her.

“We’ll now move on to questions from the media.”

A female reporter stood up.

“Ms. Landon, I’d like to ask a rather sensitive question.”

“Were the audio clips you played earlier taken from real users? Did those users consent to having their data used?”

My mom’s expression shifted.

“All data has been anonymized, and we strictly comply with our privacy policy.”

“Besides, the data was used solely to improve the user experience.”

The reporter pressed on. “What about the girl in the recording who said she was afraid to tell her mother? Did your company take any steps to help her?”

My mom’s smile stiffened.

“Well, the parent app sends out an alert.”

“And what happens if the parent doesn’t see it in time?”

Impatience crept into my mom’s voice.

“Our product is only a tool. How parents choose to use it is their responsibility.”

“You wouldn’t expect your refrigerator to cook dinner for you, would you?”

A few people laughed.

But many more frowned.

The livestream comments erupted into arguments.

【That answer was unbelievably cold.】

【She just said kids today are too sensitive too.】

My mom had clearly seen the comments.

Her face went completely cold.

The host quickly stepped in and called on the next reporter.

But the woman remained standing.

She raised her phone, her voice trembling.

“Ms. Landon, I’m sorry to interrupt.”

“I just received a message.”

“The beta tester from your company, the girl whose recording you played earlier…”

“She took her own life.”

The entire room went silent.

My mom froze.

“What did you say?”

“It’s already spreading online. She scheduled an email to everyone in her class and attached evidence that your company’s smart speaker had been spying on her.”

The reporter spoke softly, but every word cut like a knife.

“Her name was Nina Spencer.”

“She was your daughter, wasn’t she?”

The room exploded.

Camera flashes went off nonstop.

My mom opened her mouth, but no words came out.

Then she spun around and ran off the stage.

Her heels struck the floor with sharp, frantic clicks.

I followed behind her as she sped through three red lights, raced into our neighborhood, and burst through the front door.

“Nina!”

She shoved against my bedroom door.

It wouldn’t budge.

I’d locked it before taking the pills.

My mom pounded on the door like she’d lost her mind.

“Nina! Open the door! Please, say something to me!”

There was no answer.

She grabbed the spare key, but her hands shook so badly she couldn’t get it into the lock.

Then she ran for a hammer.

It took her three swings to break the lock.

The moment the door opened, she went completely still.

I lay quietly on the bed.

It looked like I was asleep.

My mom’s knees gave out, and she collapsed to the floor.

“Nina… Nina, wake up…”

She crawled toward me and reached under my nose.

There was no breath.

A scream tore from her throat, hollow and distant, as if it had risen from the bottom of a well.

“Help! Somebody, please save my daughter!”