CHAPTER 5

Evelyn was checking the prices of water containers when Lucian Vale's name appeared on her phone.

She stopped moving.

For a moment, she just stared at the screen. She hadn’t heard from him since their last brief conversation, and she had spent most of the morning trying not to think about him.

Now his name brought back memories she had tried to bury.

She remembered seeing him during the worst days of the apocalypse. While others made promises and disappeared, Lucian kept looking for her. He offered food, shelter, and a chance to stay somewhere safe.

She had refused him every time.

She believed he wanted to control her. Adrian had helped her believe that, telling her Lucian was the kind of man who expected obedience because he had money.

Evelyn had listened.

When the world became dangerous, she learned that Lucian was one of the few who tried to help her without asking her to prove she deserved it.

By then, she had already lost too much.

Her phone continued ringing.

She took a breath and answered.

"Hello, Lucian."

"Good morning, Evelyn."

She glanced at the clock. It was almost eleven.

"Good morning."

"Did I call at a bad time?"

"No. I was checking something."

"All right. I won’t keep you long. I wanted to ask how you were doing."

The simple question caught her off guard.

In her first life, Lucian had asked her that many times. She usually replied briefly and ended the conversation. She thought his concern was an attempt to get closer, which made her defensive.

Now she wondered how many times he noticed she was struggling before she was willing to admit it herself.

"I'm fine," she said.

There was a brief silence.

"Are you sure?"

Evelyn lowered her eyes.

"I'm managing."

"That sounds more honest."

She almost smiled. Lucian had always been direct. He didn’t waste time pretending to believe an answer that didn’t make sense.

"What about you?" she asked.

"I'm fine. Busy, as usual."

"With work?"

"Mostly."

She waited, expecting him to ask about Adrian or question why she had been distant lately. Instead, Lucian asked if she had sorted out the problem she mentioned during their last conversation.

Evelyn had to think for a moment. She had told him about needing to organize her affairs but hadn’t explained much.

"I'm still working on it," she said. "There are several things I need to handle."

"Do you need help with any of them?"

Her first reaction was to refuse.

The word was already forming in her mouth when she remembered the last time she needed help. She recalled the hunger, the cold, and the terrible feeling of knowing she had no one to call.

She had spent so much time trying to prove she could manage everything alone that she pushed away someone willing to stand beside her.

But she couldn’t forget that she was now in a different life. Lucian was still a man she barely knew beyond their past conversations. Her memories told her he had helped her before, but that didn’t mean she should accept every offer without asking questions.

"What kind of help do you mean?" she asked.

"That depends on what you need."

"Can you be more specific?"

Lucian paused.

"I can help you find reliable suppliers if you're buying household items. I know a few people who run proper businesses. If you need advice about a property, I can point you toward someone who knows the market."

Evelyn looked toward the bags stacked near her wardrobe.

The offer was useful. She had already spent time searching for shops and comparing prices. A reliable supplier could save her time and help her avoid wasting money.

"Would I have to pay you for that?" she asked.

"No."

"Then what would you expect from me?"

"Nothing."

She didn’t answer right away.

Lucian let out a quiet breath. "Evelyn, I'm offering to give you a few contacts. I'm not asking you to sign a contract or hand over your bank details."

His tone was firm, but he didn’t sound angry.

"I'm sorry," she said. "I just want to understand what I'm agreeing to."

"Then ask whatever you need to ask."

That answer unsettled her more than an argument would have. She had expected him to become annoyed or tell her she was making things difficult. Instead, he gave her room to decide.

"Thank you," she said. "I would appreciate the contacts. I'll look into them and make my own decisions."

"Of course."

She heard a faint sound in the background, followed by a man's voice calling Lucian's name.

"Do you need to go?" Evelyn asked.

"In a minute."

"You sound busy."

"I am, but I wanted to check on you first."

Her fingers tightened around the phone.

Why?

The question almost escaped her. She wanted to know why he kept reaching out when she had given him so little in return. She wanted to know why he continued to care after she rejected him so often.

Most of all, she wanted to know whether his kindness meant something more.

But she couldn’t ask him that now. She wasn’t ready to hear the answer, and she had no right to expect him to explain years of feelings she had never taken seriously.

"That's kind of you," she said.

"Don't make it sound like I've done something extraordinary. I'm just checking on someone I know."

Someone I know.

The words should have felt ordinary, but they made her chest tighten.

She remembered a day during the apocalypse when she found a message from him while sitting in an empty room. She had been weak and frightened, and his message asked whether she had eaten.

She had deleted it without replying.

At the time, she thought he was trying to make her feel indebted to him. Later, when she had nothing left, she wished she had answered.

"Lucian?"

"Yes?"

"Why have you always tried to help me?"

The question slipped out before she could stop it.

The line went quiet.

Evelyn sat up straighter. "You don't have to answer if you don't want to."

"No. It's a fair question."

She waited.

"I don’t like seeing you struggle when I know there may be a way to help," he said at last. "And I have always thought you were someone worth knowing."

Her throat tightened.

"Even when I kept turning you down?"

"Even then."

"That must have been frustrating."

"It was."

She lowered her head. "I'm sorry."

"For what?"

"For making you feel as if your help was unwanted every time you offered it."

Lucian didn’t answer immediately.

When he spoke again, his voice was quieter. "You don’t have to apologize for refusing something you don’t want, Evelyn. I would rather you say no than agree because you feel pressured."

She closed her eyes.

Those words reached a part of her she had kept hidden even from herself. She had spent years thinking a good woman should always be available, always understanding, always willing to give more.

Lucian was telling her she had a choice.

"I understand," she whispered.

"Good."

Another voice called his name in the background, louder this time.

"I really have to go," he said. "I'll send you those contacts later."

"Thank you for calling."

"Take care of yourself, Evelyn."

The call ended.

She stayed where she was, holding the phone against her ear for a few seconds after the line went dead.

Then she lowered it and sat quietly.

She had expected to feel relief after speaking to Lucian, but instead, she felt sadness. She thought about the man he had been in her first life and the woman she had been too proud or too frightened to become.

She couldn’t change how she had treated him before. She could only decide how she would treat him now.

Still, she needed to be careful. Gratitude was not love, and regret was not a reason to rush into a relationship. She had a disaster coming in forty-four days. She needed to prepare, protect her resources, and learn to make decisions without letting fear control her.

If Lucian wanted to remain in her life, she would give him the chance to show her who he was. She would also give herself time to understand what she felt.

Her phone buzzed.

A message from Lucian had arrived.

As promised, I'll send the contacts shortly. No pressure to use them. Check everything yourself first.

Evelyn read it twice.

Then she saved the message instead of deleting it.

It was a small thing, but it felt like the beginning of a different kind of relationship. No promises had been made. No one had asked her to choose sides. He had offered help, and she had accepted the chance to consider it.

She returned to her list and added a note beside the supplier search.

Ask Lucian for the contacts. Compare prices before buying.

She placed the phone on the desk and went back to work.

For the first time since waking up in the past, she didn’t feel that every connection was a danger she had to avoid. She could be careful without shutting everyone out. She could ask questions without accusing people. She could accept help without giving away her freedom.

Lucian Vale had not asked her to trust him blindly.

He had only given her a reason to think again.

And for now, that was enough.