All Chapters of I Shared My World, He Shared an Algorithm: Chapter 1 - Chapter 10

10 Chapters

Chapter 1

It was already 10:00 pm when Edwin Howell got home. After coming into the house, he asked me, "Why aren't you asleep yet?"Sitting on the living room couch, I stared at him. "I was waiting for you."He frowned."If you had something to tell me, couldn't you have just sent me a message on WhatsApp? Did you really have to wait until I got back?""Do you think I talk too much, Edwin?" I asked.Pausing, he queried, "Why are you suddenly asking me that?""Just tell me the truth."He slung his jacket over the back of a chair, looking a little annoyed. "Well, I do feel that way sometimes."Nodding, I asked, "When do you feel that way?""Well, when I'm at work and you send me a bunch of pointless messages.""Such as?""Such as what you sent at noon today—you told me a new cafe opened near your office and asked if I wanted to try it with you this weekend. And this afternoon, you said you wanted to change the wedding centerpieces to white dahlias. "Oh, and earlier this evening, you

Chapter 2

I couldn't be bothered arguing with Edwin anymore. I went straight back to the bedroom and went to sleep. It was my day off, so I slept in.Before I had even opened my eyes, I heard laughter and playful banter coming from the living room. The two people who were talking didn't even bother keeping their voices down.I opened the bedroom door and saw Edwin still by the entryway, changing out his running shoes. His hair was damp with sweat, and the zipper of his running jacket was half down.He had two bags of breakfast with him.Melissa was right behind him, her cheeks flushed as she remarked with a laugh, "I almost couldn't finish the run today."Edwin grinned at her, retorting, "It's your fault for staying up late last night. We'll just cut our run by half a lap tomorrow."During the second year of my relationship with Edwin, I suggested that we take walks around the neighborhood after dinner.He said he didn't have time for that. After I brought it up a few more times, he told

Chapter 3

Lori loved hosting. She organized several dinner gatherings every month, inviting all of her friends and family.Melissa attended every single one of these gatherings, but I only ever received a half-hearted invitation once a month, at the end of the month.By the time I arrived, the food had already been served, and everyone had started eating. Melissa sat beside Edwin, enjoying a crab leg. Edwin, who always said he was a clean freak and hated getting his hands dirty, had already peeled enough shrimp to last her the entire meal.When Melissa saw me come in, she grinned at me. "You're here, Christine!"Did this count as waiting for me?But I didn't bother pointing that out. I simply took a seat in the corner in silence.Almost every dish on the table had some kind of shellfish, which was Melissa's favorite thing to eat. Since I couldn't have any of that, I stuck to just the salad.Halfway through the meal, Lori abruptly turned to me with a smile, asking, "Christine, how's the ca

Chapter 4

Edwin and I had been together for five years now. Even though I'd unilaterally called off the wedding, I still thought it was only right for me to tell him about it in person. It would at least serve as a proper and respectable ending to this pathetic excuse of a relationship.But when I woke up the next morning, Edwin wasn't in the house. For once, though, he'd actually sent me a message."Mellie wants to spend the day at the newly opened hot springs resort. I'll accompany her for a while and come back to the house this afternoon."I stared at the message for a long time before replying, "Didn't I tell you last night that I needed to tell you something?"A response came right away. "Don't make such a big deal out of it."That was all I needed to know that it was the AI program, not Edwin himself, that was responding to my messages again.I didn't bother answering. Instead, I got out of bed and started packing my things. There really wasn't much to pack anyway. Despite having liv

Chapter 5

When I woke up, a sliver of light came in through the gap in the hotel curtains.My phone had been turned off for so long that the moment I turned it back on, it vibrated nonstop in my hand. There were over a hundred missed calls from Edwin, the Howells, and a few numbers I didn't recognize.My WhatsApp had been bombarded with messages as well, over a dozen of them from Lori.Her tone in the first had been relatively polite. "Where are you, Christine? Why did the hotel tell us that the wedding had been canceled?"In the second, I began to hear a tinge of fury in her voice. "This is no small matter! Why didn't you discuss it with the family first?"Toward the end, she seemed to be screaming into her phone. "Did you even consider what this would do to our family's reputation? All of our friends and family are here! Are you deliberately trying to humiliate us?"Sitting up in bed, I listened to every last voice message before tossing my phone aside and heading to the bathroom to take

Chapter 6

Edwin went silent. To him, I was still the same pushover who'd spent five years loving him and giving in to him. He figured I only called off the wedding just to force him to back down and appease me.That was the reason for his anger—he thought he'd been played and was humiliated by the situation.It had never crossed his mind that I truly didn't want him anymore."You don't need to worry about reassuring the guests. I've already prepared an explanation for all of you," I said.Edwin grew wary. "What do you mean by that?"I ended the call without answering. Then, I went on Instagram and uploaded the post I'd already drafted in advance.It wasn't a long speech, just three screenshots and a short caption.The first picture showed the AI program on Edwin's computer. The second was a screenshot of his chat history with Melissa.She'd asked, "Won't Christine mind that you're spending the day before your wedding at the hot springs resort with me?"His reply was, "She won't make a f

Chapter 7

Edwin had called over 80 times. The rest of the calls were from Lori, a few of Edwin's relatives, and some of our mutual friends.Lori's tone in her voice messages went from furious to confrontational before seemingly almost tearful."Come back, Christine. Let's just talk things out properly. How's Edwin supposed to maintain his reputation in our social circle after what you uploaded online? It's been two days since Mellie last ate anything. Can't you be more gracious?"I didn't bother responding to any of her messages.Scrolling further down, I saw the latest message from Edwin. It was sent an hour ago."Take my call, Christine. Let's talk. I just need five minutes."The moment I finished reading that, his call came in. From the looks of it, he must've been calling me every few minutes.I answered the call, but I didn't say anything. He also stayed silent for two seconds before I heard him say in a gravelly voice, "You finally took my call."I gave no reply.Edwin took a deep

Chapter 8

Three days later, I got a message on my old phone from a number I didn't recognize.It was Melissa."Hey, Christine. It's me. I know you're very angry right now, but I felt like there were some things I needed to clarify with you."Eddie and I are nothing more than childhood friends to each other. Perhaps you didn't know about it, but he used to get bullied by the other kids when we were little. I was the one who protected him. I was also the one who kept him company whenever his parents fought. What we have goes way beyond just plain romance."He only takes care of me and treats me well out of habit and the gratitude he feels for me. You're the one he wants to marry, and that has never changed."Just come back, Christine. Eddie hasn't been doing too well lately. He keeps spacing out. He's just being stubborn. I know he loves you. He wants to marry you. I'm just the sister that he's used to spoiling rotten."I stared at the screen and read every word without feeling the least bit

Chapter 9

"Just one day?" I repeated coolly. "I went for six wedding gown try-ons and fittings, Edwin. I wanted you to come with me, but not once did you show up. Yet, you always had time for Melissa."When we needed to choose our wedding venue, you let Melissa pick for you. I'm expected to cater to her food preferences when deciding the menu for our wedding reception."And when I asked you what kind of design you liked for our wedding invitations, you said you'd be fine with anything. Then, you turned right around and spent the entire afternoon picking out a birthday gift for Melissa."It wasn't 'just' one day, Edwin. It was five years. You spent five long years choosing and prioritizing her over me every single damned day."By the time I finished saying all of that, my chest was heaving a little from the surge of emotion I felt.Edwin stood frozen, as if my words had nailed him down. His mouth opened as he tried to refute me, but nothing came out.He knew full well everything I said was

Chapter 10

Edwin stayed in Crestshire for a week. Throughout the entire time, he stubbornly did everything he'd once done for Melissa, only this time, it was for me.In the morning, I'd find a warm breakfast on my doorstep. Once, it was a breakfast burrito from the famous diner across the city. Then, there was a selection of fresh pastries that looked too good to eat. Something new showed up every day.In the evenings, if the sky looked even slightly overcast, an unopened umbrella would be hanging on my door handle.When I left the office late at night after working overtime, I would always spot him standing on the corner of the road, under the streetlight. He would quietly tail me, ensuring that I got home safely.However, these gestures that would've once filled me with envy now made me feel tired and numb.On the evening of the seventh day, I stopped him at the entrance of my neighborhood."Go home," I said. "Stop doing these things.""Christine, I just want to—""You want to make it u

SCAN CODE TO READ ON APP