—Are you afraid of losing me? —I asked him while Christian tried in vain to change the expression on his face. —Don't try to deceive me, Christian, I know that expression on your face better than you do. I have seen it millions of times on Grace's face when I looked at a picture of you.

—You don't understand... it's that I can't... —but I interrupted him by approaching him and putting a finger on his lips.

—Shhh.

I knew what he was risking and I couldn't let him confess what I already knew, what he showed me every time we had sex. That way he just risked someone knowing and my life would be in more danger. I knew how hard it had been for him to get to this point. It is very difficult when you lose a deep love to fall in love again. And if you're repeating the same story, albeit in different ways, that would make anyone shut up about their feelings just to protect the people he loves.

Now I understood everything. I understood why he had walked away from Grace, because he didn't want to tell her he was his son. Why he resisted the urge to run into his arms and confess to her who he really was. He did it to protect her.

And right now, I was the one in that position. That's why he wouldn't confess anything to me. Always keeping his feelings out, never confessing anything in itself. Only passion, desire and lust in all our relationships. Never ever even a small confession of love. Just a few little details.

The photo he had taken in New York, the stolen kisses. The long conversations we had about our childhood.

—Can I see your phone? —I asked him while he took it out of his pocket and laid it out for me.

I turned it on and unlocked it. And just as I imagined it was there. The picture he had taken in New York sitting on the balcony. But that wasn't what caught my attention the most. Suddenly the photo changed, and another photo of me appeared in the Observatory, looking towards the horizon, I hadn't noticed that he was taking this photo. And so more photos continued to appear. In the Maldives, I crouched while the sea of stars washed my feet. Me sleeping, half-naked in bed, another taking a shower. And there was one that caught my attention more than all, in that one we were both, me sleeping lying on his chest while he kissed me on the forehead. That had been enough for me. If that wasn't a confession of love it was that Christian was a stalker psychopath. And I knew that a stalker psychopath he wasn't.

I returned the phone with a huge smile on my face.

—Have you seen enough to satisfy your curiosity?

—Yes. —I replied, smiling. —Satisfied curiosity. Can we go make something for dinner? —I asked him as I took off my shirt and vest, giving it back to him.

—Well, let's get something ready. —he said to me as he put the things away and I left the room for the kitchen.

—Aren't you going to get dressed? -He asked me when he saw me without a shirt, only in a bra and jeans in the kitchen preparing something for dinner.

—Are we expecting visitors?

—Not that I know of.

—So what's the problem, it's not like we have neighbors who can spy on us. —I answered him as I unzipped my jeans and Christian laughed and approached where I was.

—Well, let's have something to eat then. —he said to me as he helped me prepare dinner.

The day came.

I was nervous.

So many precautions that Christian had taken should not be just for the sake of it. Today I had given up my glasses and replaced them with my contact lenses. I put on the bulletproof vest he had given me, and on top of this a long-sleeved blue and black blouse that I found loose, I combined it with tight black jeans and black boots that didn't have heels. I let my hair down, and after a little makeup I left the room in search of Christian. I found him sitting on a bar while he had a glass of whiskey, I suppose, in his hand.

I walked in his direction while he took the drink in one fell swoop and then turned in my direction. He stared at me from top to bottom as I approached him smiling. He looked perfect. He wore a black suit, white shirt and tie. When I got to where he was I hung on his neck while smiling at him and he tangled his hands around my waist.

—You look good in that suit, Mr. Chasting.

—Thank you, but no better than those jeans, Miss Steele. —he said to me as he lowered his hands and squeezed my buttocks.

—Don't tempt me, Mr. Chasting, because we may be late for the event if you continue to do what you do.

—I haven't done anything. —he smiled as he raised his hands back to my waist.

—Much better.

—Do you have everything in place? —he asked me, staring at me.

—You can check for yourself if you want. —I said to him as he moved his hands up under my blouse and touched the vest.

—Well, that's all we need. —he said as he opened the little box.

He took out a hearing aid, ran my hair back and put the hearing aid in my ear. Then he put the microphone on me and quickly put on his own.

—Well, I think we can go now. —he said to me as he stretched out his arm to me.

And so we left the apartment for his car and for the convention. The place was full of people from all over the world, all anxious and interested in the different technological advances that were shown there. But the general comment, the most striking thing and the main reason why there were so many people there was mainly to see the first PIANANO test. Wherever you walk, that was the main topic of conversation.

We walked all over the room and at every step Christian was stopped by different people who asked him questions.

We were in the middle of a conversation with the CEO of some technology company, when everyone paid attention to what was being announced by the speakers.

—"Please all participants head to the main room for the conference."

Christian intertwined his fingers tightly with mine as we headed towards the main conference room. As we entered we headed down the corridor to the front rows where our seats were located. I sat in mine and Christian stood.

—Aren't you going to sit down? —I asked him as he stared at me and then crouched in front of me.

—The first conference will be mine.

—Will you leave me alone?

—I don't have many options, but don't worry, I'll be watching you from there. —he said to me as he pointed to the podium from which he would have to give the speech in just a few minutes. —Besides there are two guards at each exit, you don't have to worry. —he said to me as he took my hands between his own and kissed them.

—I'm not worried, I know you won't let anything happen to me. —I said to him, instilling in him confidence.

Christian smiled at me. He gave me a slight kiss on the lips and then got up and walked behind the stage.

I stared at him as he walked away, and just before he disappeared behind the stage, he stared at me. I knew what his gaze was saying at the time. Christian disappeared behind the stage and people continued to come in and sit in their seats. I looked in all directions.

I was scared. But I didn't want to tell Christian. I didn't want him to worry anymore. I stared at the seat next to me, empty. I just hoped no one would sit here.

—"Don't worry. —said an unmistakable voice in my ear. —"No one will sit next to you so you can stop looking at the seat."

I looked in all directions of the stage trying to locate it but I couldn't see it anywhere.

—"Where are you"— I asked as I tried in vain to find him.

—"Behind the stage, I just took a moment to see you."

—"Everything all right?"

—"Yes, I'm not very happy to be separated from you, but I know that in a while I'll be sitting next to you again." —he said to me as I smiled.

At that moment the lights went out and only one light remained on the stage where the organizer of the convention quickly climbed up and began to give a speech to which I gave my full attention.

The speech covered all the technological advances of the different companies including ours, and it lasted for almost half an hour.

—...and without further ado, I leave you with the first and I know that the most awaited by all. With you the CEO of TecFall Ryan Chasting and PIANANO. —he said as everyone clapped and stood up.

Christian entered the stage and thanked as he headed towards the lectern. The entire audience sat down, and only then did Christian begin the speech.

—I want to start first with a brief summary of how we have achieved the technological advances we have today and how we came to develop the Artificial Intelligence Prototype.

His voice reached me through the speaker in the room and through the hearing aid hidden in my ear.

While he was giving the speech, a series of images were passing on the screen behind him. Images of the beginning of TecFall and of the advances in the different fields and technological branches of the different periods until finishing with an image of the PIANANO.

—And without further ado, let's go to the demonstration. —he said as he got off the lectern and the lights came on.

Two security guards arrived with a little box in their hands that they placed on a table. Christian approached the box and opened it carefully. He took the device in his hand.

—This is the PIANANO. —he said as he showed it to everyone.

Quickly the murmurs began among the audience. Everyone thought it would be bigger or different, they never imagined it would look like a computer microprocessor.

—This is similar to a computer microprocessor... —he continued while looking for something else on the table. —And this is a robot dog. —he said as he showed a toy dog. —We haven't changed anything, we just added a few adjustments to put the chip in. First let's turn it on without the chip. —he said as he turned on the puppy and put it on the floor.

He gave several orders to the puppy and he did everything we already knew for what was programmed. And he gave him other orders to which the little dog did not react.

—Well, now let's see what happens when we put the chip in. —he said as he put the chip on the dog and turned it on and put it back on the ground.

The little dog first looked in all directions and then stared at Christian as he sat down.

—You want to play, boy? —he asked him, crouching in front of the dog.

—You're too worried to want to play with me.

—Why would I be worried?

—For your girlfriend sitting in the front row. But I can't tell you why.

—You want to do something for me so I'm not worried?

—Yes.

—You can go and say hello to her for me.

—Right away Ryan.

The little dog got up off the floor and started walking in my direction, went down the steps of the stage and got to where I was. He stood on the back paws and put the front paws on my legs.

—Ana, Ryan sent me to say hello. —I was shocked when the dog referred to me by my name.

—Then do it. —I said as if I was talking to a little boy.

—Can you bring your face a little closer to me? —he asked me and I did what that dog was asking me.

I brought my face closer to his head and then, without waiting for him, the dog glued its snout to my lips.

—Thank you. —I said to him as the dog moved his snout away and got off my legs.

—I am to please. —he said to me as he walked away and climbed back up to where Christian was.

—I greeted her, you feel better now.

—Yes. —he replied, smiling at the dog.

—Then we can play.

—Come here. —he said to him as the dog approached where he was and Christian carried it by turning it off.

As soon as Christian turned off the dog, the whole conference room exploded with applause and cheers. What the prototype could do was amazing. Now heI understood Christian when he said it would be dangerous if it fell into the wrong hands.