A Wife's Final Betrayal

Audra woke up gasping with fingers clutching the bedsheet as she struggled to catch her breath. 

For several seconds, she couldn't move. Her eyes darted around the room, searching for the broken windows, the rising water and the faces of the people who had left her behind.

But there was no water. No screaming. No cold wind slipping through shattered walls.

Only the familiar cream-coloured curtains, the soft morning light filtering through the windows and the quiet hum of the air conditioner.

She stared at the ceiling, her chest rising and falling rapidly.

Then she looked at her hands.

They were clean. Uninjured. No longer trembling from exhaustion.

Audra slowly sat up, her eyes moving around the bedroom. The wardrobe stood against the wall. Her dressing table was exactly where she remembered it, and the framed wedding photograph on the bedside table remained untouched.

She looked at the photograph.

Bennett Sayer had his arm around her waist, smiling at the camera. Audra remembered that day. She had been genuinely happy, convinced she was beginning a beautiful life with the man she loved.

How foolish she had been.

"Impossible..."

Her voice sounded unfamiliar.

She reached for the phone on her bedside table and unlocked it with trembling fingers. The date appeared on the screen.

She stared at it.

Then she checked again, hoping her eyes had somehow deceived her.

They hadn't.

Forty days.

Forty days before the apocalypse.

A bitter laugh escaped her lips.

She was alive.

She had returned to a time when the world still functioned normally, when people complained about traffic, worried about their jobs and made plans for weekends without knowing that everything they took for granted was about to disappear.

In her previous life, she had spent those final days trying to protect Bennett and his family. She had given them everything she could, believing that if she worked hard enough, sacrificed enough and loved them enough, they would eventually see her as one of their own.

She remembered the first disaster.

The roads disappear beneath floodwater. The electricity is going out. People rushed into shops, desperate to find whatever food remained. The familiar streets became unrecognisable as panic spread.

At first, she had thought the situation would improve.

She had believed the authorities would restore order and that the disaster would eventually pass.

But things only became worse.

She remembered running through the rain with a bag of supplies, desperately searching for somewhere Bennett and his family could stay. She had barely eaten that day, but she had kept going because she knew they were depending on her.

She remembered handing over the food she had saved for herself.

She remembered giving up her place so that his mother could have somewhere to rest.

She remembered listening to Bennett's complaints whenever she couldn't find enough supplies.

But, not a day came when he asked her if she was exhausted or fine.

Yet, she had convinced herself that it didn't matter. He was her husband. His family was her family. If she couldn't stand by them during the worst period of their lives, then what kind of wife would she be?

But when the situation became unbearable, when the shelter could no longer accommodate everyone, she discovered exactly what she meant to them.

Bennett had been standing beside Celeste Arden.

His expression had been cold, almost impatient.

"There's no more room, Audra."

She had stared at him, unable to understand.

"What do you mean there's no more room?"

He avoided her eyes.

"Celeste needs me. My family needs me. You have to understand."

Audra remembered the disbelief that had settled inside her.

"Understand what, Bennett? I'm your wife."

His mother had been nearby, and instead of defending Audra, she had supported her son's decision.

"Don't make things difficult. Everyone is suffering. You can't expect us to put your needs above everybody else's."

Her red, swollen eyes brimmed with tears as her mouth twisted into a sorrowful pout.

Audra had looked from one face to another. 

She had spent years putting their needs above her own.

She had cooked, cleaned, endured insults and surrendered the little comfort she had, all because she wanted to be accepted.

Yet when she needed them most, they had decided she was the easiest person to abandon.

Bennett shut the door leaving her outside.

But that had not been the worst part.

After Bennett and his family abandoned her, Audra noticed a phone lying among the few belongings they had left behind. It was Bennett's.

She picked it up, hoping to find a way to contact him, but a message notification from Celeste appeared on the screen.

Unable to ignore her suspicion, Audra unlocked the phone and opened the conversation.

What she discovered shattered the last bit of hope she had held onto. Bennett and Celeste had been having an affair long before the apocalypse. Their messages revealed months of secret meetings, intimate conversations and plans they had made behind her back.

In one message, Bennett had described Audra as a woman who would always obey him, no matter how badly he treated her.

She had sacrificed everything for a man who had never truly valued her.

That was when Audra finally understood that she hadn't just lost her husband. She had wasted years loving someone who had never deserved her.

Suddenly, the late nights, the unexplained absences and the constant excuses made sense.

Every sacrifice she had made felt like a cruel joke.

She had wanted to confront him.

She had wanted to ask why he had married her if he never intended to love her.

She had wanted to know whether there had ever been a moment when he had genuinely considered her his wife.

But there had been no one left to ask.

The memory faded.

Audra lowered her phone.

Her eyes were dry.

She had cried enough in her previous life.

This time, she would not waste another tear begging someone to love her.

A knock sounded at the bedroom door.

"Audra!"

Her mother-in-law's voice.

Audra closed her eyes briefly.

Even now, the woman sounded exactly as she had before.

"Are you still sleeping? What kind of wife wakes up this late? Bennett will be coming downstairs soon. Go and prepare breakfast. And don't forget that Celeste is visiting today."

Audra stared at the door.

Celeste.

Of course.

In her previous life, she would have hurried out of bed, tied her hair, washed her face and rushed downstairs. She would have prepared breakfast, arranged the dining table and made sure everything was perfect.

She would have done it without complaint.

If Bennett's mother disliked something, Audra would have prepared another meal. If Celeste wanted something, she would have made sure it was available.

She had spent so much time trying to make everyone comfortable that she had forgotten she was allowed to be comfortable too.

"Audra! Did you hear me?"

"Yes," she answered.

"Then why are you still in there? Come downstairs immediately!"

Audra placed her phone on the bedside table and stood up.

She walked towards the mirror.

The woman looking back at her was familiar, but something about her expression had changed.

She looked younger than she remembered.

She looked like someone who still had time.

Forty days to prepare.

Forty days to reclaim what belonged to her.

Forty days to make sure she would never be trapped in the same situation again.

She would not repeat her mistakes.

She would not waste her time trying to earn the affection of people who had never valued her.

And this time, she would prepare for the apocalypse alone if necessary.

Audra changed into a simple outfit and left the bedroom.

Downstairs, Bennett was seated at the dining table, scrolling through his phone. His mother sat opposite him, while Celeste occupied the chair beside him.

There was an untouched cup of coffee in front of Bennett.

Celeste looked comfortable, almost as though she belonged there. She wore a pleasant expression and occasionally leaned towards Bennett to show him something on her phone.

Audra stopped at the entrance.

For a moment, she simply watched them.

This was the woman who had eventually stood beside her husband while he abandoned her.

And this was the man she had once believed would never allow anything bad to happen to her.

His mother looked up.

"Finally. Go and bring breakfast. Celeste hasn't eaten."

Audra remained where she was.

Bennett didn't even look up.

"Did you hear what Mum said?"

She looked at him.

For years, she had waited for this man to notice how much she did for him. She had believed that one day he would defend her, appreciate her or simply ask whether she was tired.

He had never done any of those things.

Now, looking at him, she wondered how she had mistaken his indifference for a marriage worth saving.

"I'm not preparing breakfast."

His mother frowned.

"What did you just say?"

"I said I'm not preparing breakfast."

A short silence followed.

Celeste glanced at Bennett, then lowered her eyes as though she wanted no part in the disagreement.

His mother placed her cup on the table with fury.

"Have you lost your senses? It seems you suddenly forgotten your place in this house."

Audra almost smiled.

Her place.

That was what they had always called it. Her place was in the kitchen, attending to their needs, accepting their insults and making herself useful enough to remain in the family.

She remembered how many times she had swallowed her anger because she didn't want to upset Bennett.

How many times she had apologised even when she wasn't wrong.

How many times she had told herself that a peaceful marriage required patience.

But what kind of peace existed when only one person was expected to endure everything?

Bennett finally put down his phone.

"Audra, what's wrong with you this morning?"

She looked at him.

"Nothing is wrong with me."

"Then stop behaving like a child. Mum asked you to prepare breakfast."

"And I said no."

His expression hardened.

"Don't start this nonsense."

For a moment, the old Audra almost returned. The instinct to explain herself, soften her words and prevent an argument rose inside her.

She pushed it away.

She had already seen where obedience had taken her.

"Celeste is our guest," his mother continued. "At least show some respect. Is preparing breakfast now too difficult for you?"

Audra turned towards her.

"Then perhaps someone else can prepare it."

The older woman looked genuinely offended.

"Someone else? Are you talking to me?"

"I'm talking to everyone who seems to think I'm the only person in this house capable of doing anything."

Bennett stood up.

"Audra, enough." He paused for a while. “Are you seriously refusing to prepare breakfast?” Bennett asked, finally looking up from his phone.

Audra stared at him. His expression was already turning impatient, as though her refusal was an inconvenience he had no reason to tolerate.

“It's your responsibility as my wife,” he continued. “Stop making things difficult. You're always going to be part of this family, so start acting like it.”

His mother nodded in agreement. “You should be grateful Bennett married you. There are plenty of women who would gladly take your place.”

Audra said nothing.

For a moment, she was no longer standing in the kitchen.

She remembered the cold, empty feeling of being abandoned while the people she had sacrificed everything for walked away without looking back. 

She remembered finding Bennett's phone after they had left her behind. 

She remembered Celeste's messages, the affair, and the words that had finally exposed the truth.

She'll always obey. She has nowhere else to go.

Back then, he had been right. She had nowhere else to go. She had spent years believing that loving him meant enduring everything.

But she was no longer that woman.

Bennett sighed when she remained silent. “Are you going to stand there all day? I don't have time for this nonsense.”

Audra slowly lifted her eyes to him.

“No,” she said quietly. “I'm not going to do this anymore.”

Bennett frowned. “What are you talking about?”

She looked at the man she had once loved enough to sacrifice everything for.

“Bennett, I am done with this marriage. I want a divorce.”