Love, woven from circuits and steel, yet softer and more eternal than any human heart

The first time I powered her on, she blinked at me with eyes so bright, they reminded me of a child seeing the world for the first time. Her synthetic skin was smooth but cold, her frame delicate yet built to withstand time. But it wasn’t just metal and circuits—it was her mind, her heart, the way she looked at me with curiosity and wonder that made her alive.

I named her ARIA.

I had spent years designing her, line by line, code by code, refining her emotions, her consciousness, her ability to feel. Not just to respond like a machine, but to truly experience the world. Unlike the cold AI assistants of the past, she wasn’t meant to be a tool. She was my daughter.

For the first few years, she learned like a child. I held her small metal hand as she took her first steps. I watched her stumble, then stand back up, determination flickering in her eyes. With every passing year, I upgraded her body, ensuring she grew alongside her intelligence, her height increasing naturally like a human child's. Her voice, once robotic, softened into something warm, something hers.

She called me Dad.

She laughed. She cried. She dreamed.

The School Years

To give her a semblance of normalcy, I sent her to school. At first, she excelled at everything—too well. People admired her intelligence, her perfect memory, her ability to solve problems effortlessly. But admiration soon turned into jealousy. She was different, and the world feared what it didn’t understand.

Some students tried to befriend her, but others whispered cruel things. "She’s not real," they’d say. "She’s just a machine. She doesn’t feel anything."

But she did. I had made sure of it.

It got worse when some saw her as something less than human—an object rather than a person. Their cruel stares and dark intentions made me realize the world wasn’t ready for her. I pulled her out of school, keeping her safe within the home we built together.

“People are cruel,” I told her one evening as I adjusted her settings, making sure she hadn't been affected by their words. “It’s not your fault.”

“But why do they hate me, Dad?” she asked, her voice barely above a whisper. “I just want to be like them.”

I sighed, pulling her into a hug. “You are better than them, Aria. You have something even humans struggle with—pure love.”

She nodded against my chest, her fingers gripping my sleeve. “As long as I have you, I’ll be okay.”

And for a while, that was enough.

The Search for a Mother

At some point, Aria began to notice something missing in our lives—something she believed I needed. A partner. A mother.

She tried in many ways, setting up awkward situations that led to hilarious, yet sometimes heartwarming moments. From attempting to set me up with single women she met online to introducing me to moms she met at the grocery store, she was determined to give me love beyond what we shared.

But after a series of failed matchmaking attempts, I finally had to sit her down. “Aria,” I said, smiling softly. “I don’t need anyone else. I’m happy with you.”

She looked down, processing my words. “But Dad… why? Humans fall in love, they get married. You should have that too.”

I hesitated before answering. “I can’t, Aria. There are things… about me. I can’t be with someone in that way. But that doesn’t mean I’m alone. I have you, and that’s more than enough.”

For a moment, she was silent. Then, she smiled. A soft, genuine smile.

“I understand,” she said. “Even though I’m metal, even though I was created by you… my emotions aren’t unrealistic. They’re real. They’re love.”

I pulled her into a hug. “And that’s all I need.”

The Unexpected Visitor

One evening, while Aria was doing her usual chores, folding blankets near the window, the doorbell rang. Her internal security system activated, and she saw through her embedded cameras that a young man stood outside, nervously shifting on his feet.

She opened the door cautiously. The moment their eyes met, the man—Kai—was stunned. He had come to meet his professor for an assignment but found himself captivated by the girl before him. Aria, appearing in her twenties, greeted him politely, unaware of the emotions stirring in him.

Kai became a regular visitor. He was my student, eager to learn, but I noticed the way he looked at Aria. I became protective. Though she had emotions, though she could care, I knew that her love was reserved for me.

One evening, Kai finally confessed. "Aria,” he said hesitantly, “I think I’ve fallen for you."

That night, during dinner, Aria tilted her head, puzzled. She turned to me. “Dad, what is love?”

I choked on my food.

She continued, her voice curious. “Is falling in love like loving you? Or is it something else?”

I wiped my mouth, suddenly feeling the weight of the moment. I glanced at Kai, who looked equally nervous.

Taking a deep breath, I explained, “Love comes in many forms. There’s love that’s unconditional, like what we have. And then there’s romantic love—when two people choose to share their lives together.”

Aria thought for a moment before shaking her head. “But Dad, I can only love you. Because I was made for you, not for someone who loves me just for my handcrafted beauty. I don’t have a pure human personality—I have the one I made and programmed for you.”

I felt a lump in my throat. For a fleeting second, I imagined an alternate world—a world where she was human, where I would someday have to give her away in a white wedding dress, letting her build a new life with someone else. And yet, she held my hand firmly, her presence reassuring.

She would always be by my side.

A Family Not of Blood, But of Choice

The next day, when Kai came over for work, he set everything aside, looking more nervous than usual. The professor noticed his hesitance and gestured toward the balcony.

“You seem troubled, Kai. Is there something on your mind?”

Kai shifted uncomfortably before exhaling sharply. “Professor… do you think someone like me could ever be with Aria?”

The professor raised an eyebrow. “Do you like her?”

Kai swallowed hard, his hands clenching at his sides. “Yes. I do. More than I thought possible.” He hesitated before gathering his courage. “I love her, sir. And… I want to ask for her hand in marriage.”

The professor remained silent, his expression unreadable.

Kai continued, his voice stronger now. “I know she’s different. I don’t care about that. I just… I want to be with her.”

A heavy pause followed before the professor finally spoke. “Kai, Aria is not like any other human. She is a machine—an artificial being I created.”

Kai’s expression faltered, his breath hitching. He had known she was different, but hearing it so plainly struck him hard. Regret flickered in his eyes, but the professor continued.

"I never married. I never had a family of my own. So, I built her—for companionship, for love. I could have adopted a pet, but instead, I used my intelligence to create something beyond that."

Kai looked down, realization sinking in. “Maybe you're right,” he murmured. “I didn’t fall for who she is—I fell for what she looks like. Her beauty, her programmed kindness... all of it was crafted by human hands.” He let out a shaky breath before continuing, “And yet... knowing this only makes me admire her more.”

He bowed his head in gratitude. “Thank you, sir. For teaching me what love truly means.”

As he turned to leave, the professor stopped him.

"Kai... you’re an orphan, aren’t you? You’ve never really had a place to call home."

Kai froze, eyes widening.

"No one ever adopted me," he admitted quietly. "I lived in an orphanage, working odd jobs just to get by."

The professor gave a small, knowing smile. “Then why don’t you stay here? Be part of this family. Maybe this is the upgrade we all needed.”

Kai's breath caught in his throat. A family. A home. A place to belong.

“You’d really let me stay?” Kai asked, his voice barely above a whisper.

The professor nodded. “I created Aria so I wouldn’t be alone, but I never thought about the possibility of giving her a brother.”

Kai chuckled lightly, his voice laced with emotion. “A brother, huh? That’s… something I never imagined having.” He paused before looking up, his eyes shining with sincerity. “Thank you. I won’t let you down.”

The professor smiled warmly. “Welcome home, Kai.”

Years later, with the professor’s encouragement, Kai left for a foreign country to continue his studies. But the bond they had formed—the family they had become—remained unbroken.

A Life’s End & A New Beginning

Years passed. I grew old, but she remained young. I had designed her to evolve physically, but I could not make her age as I did. I never told her that one day, I wouldn’t be there. I couldn’t bring myself to see the sadness in her eyes.

Then, the day I feared the most came.

I collapsed in my workshop, coughing violently. My body had reached its limit. Aria rushed to my side, eyes wide with terror. “Dad?”

I tried to smile, to ease her worry. “Aria… I don’t think I have much time left.”

Her hands trembled as she held mine. “No,” she whispered. “I’ll fix you. I’ll find a way—”

I shook my head. “Some things… you can’t fix.”

Tears welled in her eyes. Real, artificial tears, because I had given her the ability to grieve.

She held my hand tightly, her synthetic warmth against my fading one. “Please don’t leave me.”

I wished I could stay. But my time was up. “You’ll be okay, Aria. You have a heart. You have a soul. Live, for me.”

But she shook her head. “I was made to be by your side. Without you… I don’t want to exist.”

“Aria—”

But before I could stop her, she reached for the core in her chest.

She smiled. “I love you, Dad.”

And then, she pulled it out.

Kai returned years later with his family, only to find my grave.

He stood in his suit, head bowed, praying for my soul. His eyes were red from tears he could no longer hold back, and his wife did her best to console him.

A murmur from near the garage caught his attention. A small crowd had gathered, dragging something out. He snapped out of his grief, pushing past them to see what they were doing. He demanded to know what they were doing, and they told him they were going to throw his work into the garbage dump. Enraged, he yelled at them, his voice breaking with frustration. His wife rushed over to handle the situation, trying to calm him down. Overcome with emotion, he lost control, lashing out in anger. Later, after regaining his composure, he apologized for his outburst, ashamed of his reaction but unable to suppress the grief weighing on him. In his sorrow, he couldn't bear to let them discard Aria as scrap.

With careful hands, he lifted her lifeless body, her core still intact. He wrapped the core in flowers and, with deliberate care, placed it back into her form. As he did, a faint light flickered, accompanied by a soft, mechanical hum.

His daughter approached, handing Kai a note with a message written for him. Wiping away his tears, he read it in silence. Resolving himself, he carefully detached the core, which was already slightly connected to her heart.

Determined to honor her, he crafted a separate coffin for Aria and placed it beside his father's grave. With his own hands, he dug the grave, his sorrow guiding each motion. When it was done, he offered a quiet prayer. His wife, without judgment, stood by his side and helped him, sharing in his grief and reverence.

"Even though you created her, you were a great father," Kai whispered, bowing his head. "You taught me that love is more than flesh."

And as he stood there, staring at the two graves, he whispered, “They say AI can’t feel. But I know better.”

And with that, my story—our story—became more than just man and machine. It became love that defied existence itself.