Free A Chosen Destiny (The Samantha Project Series #3) by Stephanie Karpinske Page A

Everyone will know we’re not dating but we don’t need to fight. I can move on from this and so can you.”  
    He showed no emotion, but I could feel the sadness and loss in him, even without reading his mind.
    “You didn’t answer me, Colin. Are you ending our friendship?”
    He wouldn’t respond.  
    I put my arms around him, trying to give him a hug. But he just stood there with his arms straight by his sides.  
    “I love you, Colin. And I’m sorry. I never wanted to hurt you.” I let go of him and left.  
    As I walked back to my room, my mind was in a fog. I bumped right into Dave.  
    “Hey, you almost knocked me over there. You okay, Sam?”
    “No. I’m not.” I went in my room and sat on the bed. Dave followed.  
    “Is this about Colin?”
    “Yes. I tried talking to him. I tried explaining everything. But I just made it worse.”
    Dave gave me a hug. “Oh, Sam. I wish I was better at this parenting stuff. I never know what to do for you.”
    But he did know. Just being there was enough.  
    “Uncle Dave, you’ve studied my DNA, right?”
    Dave gave me an odd look. “Well, yes. Why do you ask?”  
    “And you’ve studied the software that’s implanted in those genetic markers they put in me?”
    “Yes, of course I have.”
    “Then will you just answer this question? Is there really software in me that makes me attracted to Erik? And does it really work? Or was that all just another GlobalLife lie?”
    Dave wouldn’t answer.  
    “Uncle Dave, please. I have to know why I’ve had all these feelings for Erik when I already had the greatest guy on the planet for a boyfriend. Please tell me it’s because of that software.”
    He sighed. “Samantha, I know you’re hurting. But what you’re going through right now? It’s life. And life gets messy sometimes. Bad things happen. People screw up. You’re going to make mistakes in life, Sam. And that’s okay. Everyone does. It’s how we learn. But in order to move on, you have to accept responsibility for whatever it is that you regret doing.”
    “What are you saying, Uncle Dave?”
    Before he could answer, I felt like I already knew. It was a lie. There was no attraction software.  

CHAPTER SEVEN
Confrontation
    “Sam, I’m not telling you if the software exists. Knowing that won’t help.” Dave waited for me to look at him. “You know what software is? It’s just a bunch of codes. A bunch of zeros and ones. That’s it. And although it’s amazing what those codes can do, when you really think about it, they’re just a bunch of numbers. They can’t think. They don’t make decisions. People like me tell the codes what to do. Sure, there’s all this artificial intelligence crap going on now, but again, what is that?”
    He waited for a response. “I don’t know. More codes?”
    “It’s artificial! Just as the name says. It’s not real! Do you get what I’m saying? Even if this software exists, you’re still in control of what happens, Sam. You can make your own decisions.”
    “So you’re saying that it’s my fault. I did this to myself. I screwed up.”
    “Honey, I don’t know what happened between you and Erik. And I don’t need to know. But whatever it was, I know that you feel guilty about it. And it would be so much easier if you could just blame GlobalLife and some software program. But I can’t let you do that. You’re an adult now, Sam. You have to understand why you made the decisions you made. Maybe you’ll find that you’ve outgrown Colin. Maybe pursuing Erik was your way of moving on. I don’t know. You need to figure that out for yourself. And when you do, things will be much clearer.”
    Dave had definitely given this some thought. It was like he’d already prepared that speech. When I first mentioned the attraction software, he probably went to the lab and searched for it in my DNA. He’d probably decided then whether or not to tell me if it really existed. But I didn’t like his