Chapter 3

Hazel Sinclair

Mom had come outside and begged me to get back inside. I wanted to leave right away, but I wanted to see how much drama the are willing to put up.

The party ended later than I expected after what happened. By the time I stepped outside, most of the guests had already left, and the night air had become cool against my skin. Daniel stood beside his car, scrolling through his phone while Samantha waited beside him.

When he noticed me, he put his phone away and looked at me. "Are you ready to go?" he asked.

"Yes," I replied as I walked toward them.

Samantha suddenly hugged herself and glanced at the sky. "It's getting cold," she said softly.

Daniel immediately removed his jacket and placed it around her shoulders. "Here, wear this," he told her.

I almost smiled.

It was happening exactly as I remembered. In my previous life, I had stood there feeling jealous and embarrassed, convincing myself that Daniel was simply being considerate because Samantha was sensitive to cold weather. Now, I knew better.

Samantha slipped his jacket around herself and gave him a grateful smile. "Thank you, Daniel," she said.

"Don't mention it," he replied.

I walked toward the car without saying anything. Daniel opened the passenger door, but before I could get inside, Samantha suddenly coughed.

Daniel's attention immediately shifted toward her. "Are you okay?" he asked worriedly.

Samantha shook her head. "I'm fine. I think I just need to get home."

Daniel looked at me, then at her, before turning back to me. "Hazel, I'll take Samantha home first," he said.

I stared at him. "You'll take her home?"

"It's on the way," he replied.

"No, it isn't."

He sighed, clearly becoming irritated. "Don't make this difficult."

I almost laughed.

I had heard those words before. They had always been followed by the same excuses: She's tired. She's not feeling well. She's too fragile to go home alone. You can understand that, can't you?

I looked at Samantha. She was already watching me, and there was something almost triumphant in her eyes.

"Fine," I said calmly. "Take her home."

Daniel looked surprised by my answer. "Fine?"

"Yes. Take her home."

His eyebrows pulled together. "You aren't angry?"

"I'm tired, Daniel. I don't have the energy to argue with you," I replied.

Samantha stepped closer, her expression filled with false concern. "Hazel, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to cause trouble between you two," she said.

I looked at her calmly. "You're not causing anything."

Her expression stiffened slightly, but I walked past her before she could respond.

Daniel followed me. "I'll take you home after I drop Samantha off," he said.

I stopped and looked back at him. "No. I'll find my own way."

"It's late." He insisted.

"I'll be fine." I said

"Hazel..." He called out, almost like he didn't want to.

I walked away before he could finish.

I didn't make it very far before I heard the car engine start behind me. A few seconds later, the headlights passed over me before disappearing down the road.

Daniel had left with Samantha in my car.

Just like before.

I continued walking, telling myself it didn't matter. I had already experienced this moment once. I knew how it ended, and I knew exactly what kind of people they were.

Then the first drops of rain landed on my face.

Within minutes, the rain became heavier. I pulled my arms around myself and continued walking, but the water quickly soaked through my dress. My hair stuck to my face, and my shoes became uncomfortable as water filled them.

I could have called a taxi but I recalled Daniel still had my bank card and money. I could have called Daniel and demanded that he come back. A part of the old Hazel probably would have done exactly that.

But I didn't want any of them.

For the first time in my life, I didn't want someone to come running after me. I wanted to know what it felt like to walk away without begging anyone to stay.

I reached the edge of the pavement and stopped beneath a streetlight. The road was almost empty, and the rain poured heavily around me.

A car suddenly slowed down beside me.

I immediately stepped back.

The passenger window lowered, revealing a man sitting behind the steering wheel. He looked to be in his early thirties, with dark hair, sharp features and a calm expression. His eyes moved over me carefully before he spoke.

"Miss, are you waiting for someone?" he asked.

"No," I replied cautiously.

His gaze moved over my soaked clothes. "Then get in. I'll give you a ride."

I hesitated. "I don't know you."

A faint smile touched his lips. "That's true. And considering the way you're looking at me, I'm guessing you don't trust strangers."

"I don't."

"Good," he replied. His answer caught me off guard.

He glanced at the rain pouring around me before looking back at me. "Standing alone on the street at this hour isn't exactly safer."

I looked down the empty road. He was right.

"Where are you going?" he asked.

I gave him my address.

He unlocked the passenger door. "Get in."

After another moment of hesitation, I opened the door and climbed inside.

The car was warm, and I shivered as the heat touched my wet skin. The man glanced at me but didn't say anything immediately. He simply started driving.

For several minutes, neither of us spoke. I watched the rain slide down the window, trying to process everything that had happened that night.

Then I turned toward him. "What's your name?" I asked.

"Ethan Ford." He answered calmly. His deep husky voice sent shivers down my spine.

The name immediately caught my attention.

Ethan Ford.

It sounded familiar, but I couldn't remember where I had heard it before.

"What's yours?" he asked, he stared at me with the softest gaze. Like he knew me already.

"Hazel Sinclair." I said, trying to avoid his intoxicating gaze.

His eyes briefly flickered toward me. "Nice to meet you, Hazel."

"You too." I said, my ears turned pink.

Ethan simply continued driving in silence.

When we reached my house, he stopped outside. I reached for the door.

"Thank you for the ride," I said.

"You're welcome."

I opened the door, but before I could step out, Ethan called my name.

"Hazel."

I looked back at him.

"If someone leaves you standing in the rain, don't let them make you think you're the one who was abandoned," he said.

I stared at him, caught off guard by his words.

He didn't explain himself. Instead, he simply looked forward again.

"Goodnight," he said.

"Goodnight, Ethan." I stepped out of the car and closed the door. I stood there for a moment, watching his car disappear down the street before finally walking inside.

The moment I closed the door behind me, my expression changed.

I walked straight to my bedroom, changed out of my wet clothes and sat down at my desk. Then I opened my laptop and stared at the screen.

The world outside was still normal. People were still going to work, restaurants were still full, and businesses were still operating as if the future would continue exactly as it always had.

But I knew it wouldn't.

And that meant I had something more valuable than money.

I had the future.

In my previous life, I hadn't cared about any of that. I had been too busy worrying about Daniel, my mother and Samantha.

Now, I had no reason to waste another second on them.

I pulled out my savings and placed a small bet on a game I remembered clearly. The odds were high because the team was considered the underdog, but I knew exactly how the match would end.

They would win. I waited.

The next day, when the result came in, I stared at my account balance for several seconds.

Then I smiled. It worked.

I didn't become reckless. I repeated the process carefully, using small amounts at first, collecting the winnings and reinvesting them. I knew the results of several matches in advance, and each correct prediction increased my capital.

Then I moved into investments.

I bought shares in companies I knew would explode in value before the apocalypse. I invested in businesses that would become extremely valuable and purchased assets while they were still cheap.

Within weeks, my small savings had become a fortune.

Within months, I had more money than I had ever imagined.

But I kept everything hidden.

No expensive cars. No sudden mansion. No designer clothes. Nothing that would make Daniel or my family suspicious.

The last thing I needed was for them to realize that Hazel Sinclair had become wealthy.

I created companies under different names and moved my money through layers of accounts. Eventually, the numbers on my screens became so large that I stopped reacting to them.

I had become a secret billionaire.

And I was only getting started.

Money wouldn't matter after the apocalypse began. What mattered was what money could buy before the apocalypse.

I opened a new document and started making a list.

I listed thing like food, water, medicine, generators, fuel, warm clothing, construction materials, communication equipment.

Then I added one final item.

Bunker.

I leaned back in my chair and stared at the word.

In my previous life, I had spent my final months desperately searching for somewhere safe. I had begged people to let me into shelters. I had watched others fight over food and water.

This time, I would build my own shelter.

A place strong enough to withstand the freezing temperatures. A place with enough food and water to last for years. A place nobody could force their way into.

I opened another file and began searching for land.

There was one property outside the city that stood out in my memories. It had been abandoned after the previous owner went bankrupt, and at the time, nobody considered the land valuable.

But I remembered something they didn't.

When the freezing disaster began, that area remained one of the safest places in the region. It was elevated, had access to underground water and was far enough from the city to avoid the first wave of chaos.

I smiled when I found the property.

"Found you," I murmured.

I reached for my phone and called an agent.

"Hello, I'd like to make an offer on a property," I said.

There was a pause on the other end. "Which property?"

I gave him the address.

"Are you sure?" he asked. "That land has been sitting on the market for years."

"I'm sure."

"Would you like to view it first?"

"No. I already know what I want."

After ending the call, I opened another document.

This one was titled:

APOCALYPSE PREPARATION.

I began calculating how much food I would need, how much water, how many generators, how much fuel and how many people the bunker could safely hold.

This time, I wasn't going to survive by luck. I was going to survive because I had prepared for everything.