Chapter 5

The next morning, Daniel sent me a photograph.

It was a picture of him and Samantha sitting together at a restaurant, her head resting against his shoulder. He had one arm wrapped around her while she smiled at the camera. Beneath the picture were four words.

Some people appreciate me.

I stared at the screen, my chest tightening.

For a moment, I was twenty-six again, the woman who would have called him immediately, demanding to know why he was with Samantha. I would have asked what she had that I didn't, and he would have accused me of being insecure. Eventually, I would have apologized just to stop the argument.

But I had already lived through the consequences of loving Daniel blindly.

I placed my phone facedown and continued eating breakfast.

Ten minutes later, he called.

“Did you see the picture?” he asked.

“Yes.”

“And?”

“What do you want me to say?”

He laughed without humor. “Nothing. I just thought you'd have something to say, considering how jealous you get whenever Samantha and I spend time together.”

I put down my spoon. “Daniel, if you want to date Samantha, you're free to do so.”

The silence on the other end was so sudden that I checked whether the call had disconnected.

“What did you say?”

“You heard me.”

“Are you breaking up with me?”

I hadn't expected the question to hurt. After everything he had done, I thought I would feel relieved at the possibility of ending our relationship. Instead, my heart twisted painfully because eight years of memories couldn't be erased simply because I had finally opened my eyes.

“No,” I answered honestly. “I'm saying you should stop treating me like I'm competing with your friend.”

He scoffed. “You're unbelievable. I send you one picture, and suddenly you're talking about breaking up.”

“You called me jealous before I even said anything.”

“Because that's what you are!”

His voice rose, and I pulled the phone away from my ear.

“I'm tired of this, Hazel. I'm tired of having to explain every little thing I do. Samantha never gives me this kind of stress.”

I swallowed the lump in my throat. “Then perhaps you should be with someone who doesn't stress you.”

He ended the call.

I sat quietly for several minutes, staring at the breakfast I no longer wanted. I had known Daniel would hurt me again, but knowing something was coming didn't make it painless.

The worst part was that I still remembered the good days.

I remembered when he used to call me just to hear my voice, when he would hold my hand in public, and when he promised we would build a beautiful future together. Those memories were the chains that had kept me beside him long after his love had turned into something that made me question my worth.

I wiped my eyes before the tears could fall.

I had another future to build now, one that didn't depend on whether Daniel chose me.

---

By afternoon, I was at the bunker when my contractor informed me that the reinforced entrance would be completed within two days. I should have been happy, but my attention kept drifting toward my phone.

Daniel hadn't called again.

I hated myself for noticing.

While the workers continued with their tasks, I walked outside to take a breath. A black car pulled up near the gate, and Ethan Ford stepped out.

“You look exhausted,” he remarked as he approached.

“Thank you. That's exactly what every woman wants to hear.”

His mouth twitched. “I meant you look like you haven't slept.”

“I haven't.”

He studied me briefly but didn't ask why. Instead, he glanced toward the construction site.

“It's coming together.”

“Slowly.”

“Will it be ready in time?”

The question caught my attention.

“In time for what?”

Ethan looked at me, his expression unreadable. “Whatever you're preparing for.”

I crossed my arms. “You keep talking as if you know something.”

“Perhaps I pay attention.”

“Then you've noticed that everyone thinks I'm crazy.”

“Everyone isn't always right.”

I wanted to ask him more, but my phone began ringing. Daniel's name appeared on the screen.

I almost ignored it. Then I answered, hoping he had finally decided to apologize.

“Hazel, where are you?” he demanded.

“At the property.”

“Come to the hospital.”

My stomach dropped. “What happened?”

“Samantha isn't feeling well. I'm taking her for some tests, and I need you to bring her insurance documents from her apartment.”

I stared at the phone.

“Why would I have her insurance documents?”

“Because she told me you helped her organize her paperwork. Stop asking questions and go get them. I'll send you the address.”

He hung up.

I lowered the phone slowly.

Ethan was watching me. “Problem?”

“Daniel wants me to run an errand for Samantha.”

“And you're going?”

The question irritated me more than it should have.

“No.”

I turned back toward the bunker, but my phone vibrated with another message.

Daniel: Don't make this difficult. She's counting on you.

I read it, and something inside me gave way. Not because I wanted to help Samantha, but because Daniel had once again assumed that my time, my feelings, and my entire life belonged to him.

I typed a reply.

I'm not coming. Ask someone else.

His response arrived almost immediately.

You're selfish. I hope you never need me the way Samantha needs me.

I stared at those words until the screen blurred.

Then I handed the phone to Ethan.

“Read that.”

He glanced at the message before returning it.

“Do you want my opinion?”

“No.”

“Good. Because I was going to tell you that you already know what you need to do.”

I looked away, embarrassed by the tears gathering in my eyes.

Ethan didn't comfort me with empty promises or tell me that Daniel would eventually change. He simply stood beside me, giving me enough space to pull myself together.

For some reason, that made the tears harder to hold back.

“I loved him for eight years,” I whispered.

“I figured.”

“I thought we would get married. I thought he was the person I would grow old with.” My voice cracked. “Sometimes I wonder whether I was stupid for believing him.”

Ethan remained quiet for a moment.

“Trusting someone doesn't make you stupid,” he said. “But you don't have to keep trusting someone who keeps showing you that he doesn't deserve it.”

I pressed my lips together.

I wished those words could erase the pain. They couldn't. But they reminded me that I didn't have to remain trapped in it.

I took my phone back and blocked Daniel's number.

My hand shook as I did it.

Eight years, reduced to a single tap.

I didn't feel victorious. I felt as though I had buried a part of myself, and perhaps I had. The woman who had spent years hoping Daniel would love her enough to stop hurting her was finally being laid to rest.

Ethan glanced at me. “Are you all right?”

“No,” I admitted. “But I will be.”

He nodded, as if that answer was enough.

Then he looked toward the road. “You should increase your security here. People have been asking questions about your property.”

My attention sharpened. “What kind of questions?”

“Who owns it. How much you've spent. When the workers leave. Things like that.”

A knot formed in my stomach.

“Do you know who's asking?”

“Not yet.”

I looked at the unfinished bunker, suddenly aware of how exposed the property still was. I had been so focused on preparing for the cold that I hadn't considered how quickly curiosity could turn into greed.

“Thank you for telling me,” I said.

Ethan nodded before returning to his car.

“Hazel?”

I turned.

“Whatever happens, don't let your feelings for the wrong person distract you from protecting yourself.”

Then he drove away.

I stood at the gate long after his car disappeared.

For the first time, I understood that my second chance wasn't simply about making Daniel regret losing me. It was about learning to protect the woman I had once abandoned in the name of love.

And I was finally ready to do that.

---

That evening, I received a message from an unknown number.

It contained a photograph of Daniel and Samantha entering a jewelry store, followed by a short message.

You should know what your boyfriend is doing behind your back.

I stared at the picture, my heart beating faster.

I didn't know who had sent it, but the date on the photograph was from that afternoon.

Daniel had told me he was taking Samantha to the hospital.

Instead, they had gone shopping.

I enlarged the picture. Samantha was holding his arm, smiling up at him while he looked down at her with an expression I hadn't seen directed at me in years.

I waited for the familiar wave of jealousy to consume me.

It came, but beneath it was something colder.

Disappointment.

I had spent so long hoping Daniel would prove my suspicions wrong that I had forgotten he had already given me enough reasons to stop believing him.

I deleted the photograph and placed my phone on the table.

Outside, the wind rattled the windows.

The weather forecast had announced another unexpected temperature drop, and the news was beginning to report unusual conditions in several regions. People were still joking about the warnings, but I knew how quickly their laughter would turn into panic.

I walked to the window and looked out at the darkening sky.

Daniel could spend his money on Samantha. He could tell his friends that I was selfish, and he could pretend I was the problem in our relationship.

None of it mattered anymore.

I had a bunker to finish, a fortune to protect, and an apocalypse approaching faster than anyone realized.

This time, when the world turned against me, I would not be begging Daniel to save me.

He would have to face the consequences of his choices, and I would be alive to watch.