Chapter 3

I didn’t sleep that night.

There was too much running through my mind.

Every time I closed my eyes, I saw the shelter doors closing.

I saw Ethan standing behind the glass.

I saw my sister beside him.

I heard his voice telling me there wasn’t enough room.

I remembered the way my hands had gone numb.

The way my body had slowly stopped responding.

And most of all, I remembered what he had said.

“You’re not useful anymore.”

Those words had followed me into death.

For years, I had believed that being a good wife meant being useful.

If I cooked for him, supported his career, take good care of his family, stayed quiet when they hurt me, forgave him , I was a good wife.

I had spent so much time trying to prove my value to people who had already decided I wasn’t valuable.

I looked at my body and blamed it.

Looked at my personality and blamed it.

I had convinced myself that maybe if I lost weight, became prettier, became quieter, became more agreeable, Ethan would finally look at me the way he looked at my sister.

What a ridiculous way to live.

I wasn’t the problem.

I had simply given the wrong people too much power over me.

And now I had another chance.

I wasn’t going to waste it.

At six in the morning, I got out of bed.

The system appeared almost immediately.

[Good morning, Host.]

I stared at the floating screen.

“Don’t you ever sleep?”

[The system does not require sleep.]

I sighed.

“Lucky you.”

Another notification appeared.

[Beginner Mission remains incomplete.]

[Acquire an independent source of wealth.]

“I know.”

I walked toward my wardrobe.

My reflection caught my attention.

I stopped.

For years, I had avoided mirrors whenever possible.

I knew exactly what I saw when I looked at myself.

A plus-size woman.

Soft stomach.

Full arms.

Wide hips.

Thick thighs.

A body that had never looked like the women Ethan followed online.

I used to hate every part of it.

I remembered standing in dressing rooms while my sister tried on clothes, watching her look effortlessly beautiful while I searched for something that would make me look smaller.

I remembered Ethan once telling me that I would look better if I lost some weight.

He had said it casually.

As if it were harmless advice.

But I had carried those words for years.

I had starved myself, joined gyms,bought expensive diets, skipped meals.

And every time I failed to become the woman he wanted, I blamed myself.

Now I looked at my reflection again.

I was still plus-size.

Nothing had changed.

But something inside me had.

I didn’t suddenly hate my body anymore.

Why should I?

This body had survived hunger.

It had survived exhaustion.

It had carried me through streets filled with water and debris.

It kept moving when I was terrified.

It had fought to keep people alive who eventually left me outside to die.

My body had never betrayed me.

They had.

I looked away from the mirror.

“I don’t need to become someone else.”

The words felt strange coming from me.

But they were true.

“I just need to become stronger.”

I dressed quickly.

Then I picked up my phone.

There was one person I needed to meet.

My family’s old financial adviser.

In my previous life, I had completely forgotten about the investment my grandmother left me because Ethan had convinced me that it wasn’t worth much.

I believed him.

That was my first mistake.

I found the old documents and called the number listed on them.

A woman answered after several rings.

“Hello?”

“Mrs. Harper?”

“Yes.”

“This is Amelia.”

There was a pause.

“Amelia?”

“Yes.”

“Oh my goodness. It’s been years.”

“I know.”

I looked at the papers on my desk.

“I need information about my grandmother’s investments.”

Her voice immediately became more serious.

“Are you sure?”

“Yes.”

“There are several accounts.”

“Tell me everything.”

I listened.

My grandmother hadn’t left me as little as I thought.

There were shares.

Properties.

A private investment account.

And one company I had completely forgotten existed.

I sat down slowly.

“How much is everything worth?”

She gave me the number.

I stared at the wall.

I thought I had misheard her.

“Excuse me?”

She repeated it.

My mouth fell open.

The amount was enough to completely change my preparation plans.

In my previous life, I had let Ethan convince me that I needed him.

The truth was that I had already had the resources to stand on my own.

I simply hadn’t known it.

I laughed quietly.

It was almost unbelievable.

I had spent years begging a man for money while my own money had been sitting somewhere untouched.

“Mrs. Harper?”

“Yes?”

“I want everything transferred into accounts that only I can control.”

“Of course.”

“And I want you to help me liquidate some of the investments.”

“All of them?”

“Not all.”

I looked down at the system.

“No. I want to keep the companies that will become valuable after the apocalypse.”

There was a pause.

“After the apocalypse?”

I smiled.

“It’s complicated.”

She didn’t ask questions.

That was why I trusted her.

After ending the call, I opened the system store again.

I began making a list.

Water first then food,medicine.

Then energy.

I needed generators…Solar panels, fuels, batteries.

Water purification systems.

I needed land.

Preferably somewhere away from major cities.

Somewhere elevated with a reliable underground water source and I could build without attracting attention.

I knew what happened to cities during the first month, how quickly supermarkets were emptied and how quickly governments lost control.

I knew that money would become less valuable once the infrastructure collapsed.

That meant I couldn’t simply save cash.

I needed tangible resources.

Things that could keep me alive.

I spent the next several hours researching properties.

Then I found one.

A large piece of land several hours away from the city.

It was expensive.

But I could afford it.

The property already had an old house, a deep basement, a private well, and enough land for farming.

My finger hovered over the purchase button.

Then the system appeared.

[Recommended survival location detected.]

My eyes widened.

The property I was looking at was highlighted.

[Survival suitability: 91%.]

I stared at the screen.

“You’ve got to be kidding me.”

[Recommendation: Purchase immediately.]

I smiled.

“Finally. Something useful.”

I made the purchase.

The moment the transaction was completed, another notification appeared.

[Beginner Mission Complete.]

[Reward: 500 Survival Points.]

[Additional Reward Unlocked.]

I tapped the notification.

A new window appeared.

[Emergency Resource Package.]

I nearly laughed.

“Now we’re talking.”

I spent the rest of the afternoon planning.

By sunset, I had already made decisions that would have taken me months in my previous life.

I would divorce Ethan.

I would reclaim every asset that belonged to me.

I would build my own shelter.

I would gather enough supplies to survive years.

And when the apocalypse came, I would not be standing outside anyone’s door begging to be saved.

But there was one thing I still needed.

Power.

Not electricity.

Real power.

A person with resources, security, technology, and connections.

Someone who could survive even if the entire world collapsed.

Someone completely outside Ethan’s circle.

I remembered a name.

A billionaire whose company had quietly invested in emergency infrastructure years before the apocalypse.

A man I had never spoken to in my previous life.

A man who had eventually become one of the most powerful survivors.

Lucian Vale.

I stared at his photograph on my screen.

He was going to be important.

I just didn’t know yet how important.

The system suddenly appeared again.

[New Main Mission.]

I frowned.

[Establish a survival alliance with a high-value individual.]

[Target: Lucian Vale.]

My eyes widened.

I stared at the name then laughed.

“Of course.”

Of all the people in the world, the system had chosen him.

I leaned back in my chair.

If I wanted to survive, I needed to get close to Lucian Vale.

But I had no intention of becoming dependent on another man.

This time, I would build my own power first.

If he chose to stand beside me, good.

If he didn’t, I would survive without him.

Because I had already learned the hardest lesson possible.

Never build your survival around someone who can decide you’re no longer worth saving.