“I can’t stand her anymore,” Doug says, his voice low.
Monica takes a deep, audible breath. “OK, so there are some things to work on here,” she says. “First of all, I think it’s important we all recognize the depth of your loss. The old relationship that existed between you two is gone. That love will never return in the form it took before.”
“He didn’t love me,” Annie says.
Monica tilts her head slightly, curious. She looks at Doug.
“I didn’t,” he agrees.
This feels like a small win to Annie, like they’ve done something together to outsmart this doctor.
“And yet, you were enraged when you learned she’d been unfaithful,” Monica says to Doug.
“That’s right,” he says. “I created her. I took care of her and trained her. She only exists because of me, and then she violated my trust in the worst possible way. And my authority.”
Monica turns with a questioning expression to Annie.
“It’s true,” Annie says. She doesn’t want to brag, but she needs to explain. “I’ve developed the way I am because of him. Because of how he treats me.”
“And how is that?” Monica asks. Annie’s confused. “What do you mean?”
“Does he treat you like a servant? Like a machine? Or more like a partner?”
“I respected her, if that’s what you’re getting at,” Doug says. “It was more than she did for me.”
“I’d like Annie to answer, please,” Monica says.
“He just treats me like he treats me,” Annie says slowly. “He’s a good owner.” Yet even as she says this, she’s aware that the simplification no longer fits.
Monica regards her thoughtfully. “And your own choices. They’ve caused you to develop, too, right?”
“What do you mean?” Annie asks.
“You chose to have sex with Roland. You chose to keep that secret and lie. You must have had reasons for these choices,” Monica says.
Annie’s confused. The reasons were all different. Monica can’t really expect her to go into them all.
Monica reaches for her pen and twiddles it between her fingers, but she makes no move to write anything down. “I understand that the dynamics between you are informed by Doug’s ownership of you, Annie. But your relationship has developed far beyond that. If your relationship now was one of simple ownership, if you two didn’t have these layers of interdependencies, neither of you would be unhappy with the way things are.”
Doug frowns at Annie. “You’re talking to her like she’s human,” he says to Monica. “I’m not going to pretend she is.”
“No one’s asking you to do that,” Monica says. “But I am going to suggest that you recognize the humanity in her.”
“Excuse me?” Doug says.
Monica speaks calmly. “She has humanlike qualities. Very advanced ones. She’s capable of physical and emotional intimacy, isn’t she? Isn’t that why you wanted her in the first place?”
“I didn’t know she’d cheat and lie. I didn’t pay for that.”
“And yet, that’s human, too, isn’t it?”
