Reborn To Tame The Mad Man Of The Apocalypse

Caelan’s voice was gentle, almost pleading.

That was what hurt the most.

The man standing before me was the same man who had held my hands and promised to love me forever. He was the same man who had kissed my forehead whenever I cried and told me that no one would ever hurt me as long as he was alive.

Yet, at that moment, his arm was wrapped around another woman.

My best friend.

Mirelle stood beside him, wearing the silver necklace I had given her on her last birthday. Her long eyelashes fluttered as she looked at me, pretending to be afraid.

She had always been good at pretending.

“Vespera, don’t blame Caelan,” she said softly. “Things just happened between us. I tried to fight my feelings, but I couldn’t help it.”

I stared at her.

Then I looked at the necklace around her neck.

Three years ago, I had saved money for months to buy that necklace. Mirelle had cried when I gave it to her, hugging me and calling me the best friend anyone could ever ask for.

Now, she wore it as she stood beside the man she had stolen from me.

“Take it off,” I said. Mirelle blinked. “What?”

“The necklace. Take it off.”

She touched the silver chain and glanced at Caelan.

Instead of removing it, she moved closer.

“Caelan gave it to me,” she whispered. Something inside me broke.

“That necklace belonged to me.”

“It did,” she admitted. “But you gave it to me. You can’t expect me to return every gift just because you are upset.”

I almost laughed.Upset? Was that what she called it?

I had discovered them together in the apartment I had rented for Caelan while he was struggling to establish his business. I had paid the bills, bought the furniture, and even used my savings to help him get his first major contract.

While I worked overtime to support him, he slept with my best friend.

How could I possibly explain what I felt?

Caelan released a tired sigh.

“Vespera, stop making this difficult.” I turned to him.

“Making what difficult?”

“Our breakup.” I stared at him in disbelief.

“Our breakup?” He nodded impatiently.

“We have been having problems for months. You know that. I need someone who understands my ambitions. Someone who can stand beside me without constantly worrying about money.”

My fingers curled into fists.

“I stood beside you when you had nothing.”

“And I appreciate that.”

“You came to me when you couldn’t afford your rent. I gave you my savings when your business was failing. I worked two jobs so you could focus on your company.”

“I never forced you to do those things.”

His answer silenced me.

For a moment, I could only stare at him.

He was right about one thing. He had never forced me to help him.

I had done it because I loved him.

I had believed that one day, when he finally achieved his dreams, we would look back at those difficult days and laugh together.

Instead, he had turned my sacrifices into something I had chosen to do foolishly.

Mirelle touched his arm.

“Caelan, let’s go. We don’t need to keep explaining ourselves.”

He nodded. Then he looked at me one last time.

“I hope you can move on, Vespera. We are adults. Don’t turn this into something ugly.”

He walked past me with Mirelle.

Neither of them looked back.

The door closed.

I remained in the middle of the apartment, staring at the place where they had been standing.

For three years, I had imagined marrying Caelan. I had imagined building a home with him and having children who would inherit his eyes and my stubbornness.

I had even imagined growing old with him.

All those dreams disappeared in less than ten minutes.

My phone rang.It was a message from my bank.

The money I had transferred to Caelan’s business account that morning had been withdrawn.

Every last cent. I called him immediately.

He rejected the call. I called again.

This time, he answered.

“What now, Vespera?”

“Why did you take the money?”

There was a brief silence. Then he sighed.

“You gave it to me.”

“That money was meant for my rent and business expenses. You told me you needed it for an emergency.”

“And I did.”

“You used it to book a hotel for yourself and Mirelle?”

His silence was enough.

I felt sick.

“Caelan, I trusted you.”

“Then perhaps you should learn not to trust people so easily.”

The call ended. I lowered my phone.

Outside the window, the city lights shone brightly. Cars moved along the streets, and people laughed as they walked past restaurants.

The world continued as if nothing had happened.

I wished I could do the same.

I did not cry immediately. I sat on the floor and stared at the wall until my eyes burned.

Then I cried. I cried for the years I had wasted.

I cried for the woman who had believed that loving someone meant sacrificing everything for them.

And I cried because, despite everything, a foolish part of me still wanted Caelan to come back and tell me that it had all been a terrible mistake.

But he never came.

By midnight, my tears had dried.

I stood up, washed my face, and packed my belongings.

I would not beg him.

I would not call Mirelle.

And I would never allow either of them to destroy me again.

Unfortunately, fate had other plans.

The next evening, I discovered that my problems were much bigger than a cheating boyfriend.

My phone rang as I walked home from work.

An unknown number appeared on the screen.

I almost ignored it, but something made me answer.

“Miss Vespera Quinn?”

“Yes. Who is this?”

“This is a representative from Halcyon Capital. We are calling regarding the investment agreement you signed with Caelan Voss.”

I stopped walking.

“What investment agreement?”

“The agreement concerning the six hundred thousand dollars transferred to Voss Enterprises.”

My heart began to pound.

“I never signed any investment agreement.”

“According to our records, you did. Your signature appears on the documents, and you are listed as a personal guarantor for the loan.”

“That is impossible.”

“Miss Quinn, the company has defaulted on its payments. Unless the debt is settled, legal action will be taken against you.”

The call ended after the representative gave me a deadline.

Three days. I stood on the pavement, unable to move.

Six hundred thousand dollars.

I had never borrowed that amount of money in my life.

I immediately called Caelan.

He did not answer. I called again.

Nothing.

Then I sent him a message.

You used my identity to take a loan. Call me now.

His reply arrived five minutes later.

You signed the papers yourself. Don’t involve me in your financial problems.

I read the message several times. Then another message appeared.

Mirelle sent it.

You should have known that Caelan deserved better. Don’t make trouble for us. If you had been a better girlfriend, perhaps things would have been different.

I stared at the screen until the letters blurred.

They had planned everything.

The betrayal, the stolen money, and the loan.

They didn't just want to leave me behind.

They wanted to make sure I had nothing left.

I went straight to the police station.

But the next morning, I discovered that the loan documents carried my signature. They found copies of my identification and records of several transactions I couldn't explain.

Caelan had access to my personal information because I had trusted him with everything.

The police promised to investigate, but they could not arrest him without evidence.

By then, Caelan and Mirelle had disappeared from their apartment.

His company had closed its office.

His phone was switched off.

I was left with a mountain of debt and no way to prove that I had been framed.

I tried to find a lawyer, but the few who agreed to speak with me demanded payments I could not afford.

I sold my jewelry. I sold my car.

I moved into a cheap room on the edge of the city and began working longer hours.

But the debt kept growing. The bank froze my accounts, and the people who had once called me their friend stopped answering my messages.

Every day became a struggle. I stopped thinking about love.

I stopped dreaming about a happy future.

I only wanted to survive. Then, three weeks after Caelan betrayed me, I received a message from an unknown number.

It contained an address and a short sentence.

If you want proof that Caelan Voss forged your signature, come alone tonight.

I knew it could be a trap.

I also knew it might be my only chance.

So I went. The address led to an abandoned warehouse near the industrial district. The area was quiet, with broken streetlights and empty roads.

I parked outside and checked my phone.

No signal. My stomach tightened.

I should have left.I knew that.

But I had spent weeks searching for a way to clear my name, and desperation had made me careless.

I stepped out of the car.A figure emerged from the darkness.

Before I could speak, something struck the back of my head.

Pain exploded through my skull. I fell to my knees.

Hands grabbed my arms and dragged me across the rough ground.

I tried to scream, but a hand covered my mouth.

When I finally opened my eyes, I was sitting in a chair inside the warehouse.

My wrists were tied behind me.

Two men stood near the entrance, while a third sat on a wooden table, watching me.

I recognized him immediately.

Caelan.

He looked different from the man I had loved. His shirt was wrinkled, and his face was tense.

But his eyes were just as cold.

“You should have stayed out of my business,” he said.

I stared at him.

“You framed me.” He shrugged.

“You made things difficult.”

“You stole my money!”

“And you kept giving it to me. What does that say about you?”

I struggled against the ropes.

“Everyone will find out what you did.”

Caelan laughed.

“Who will believe you? You have no money, no influence, and no evidence. As far as everyone is concerned, you are a desperate woman trying to destroy a successful businessman.”

The warehouse door opened. Mirelle walked inside.

She wore an expensive coat and carried a small handbag. She looked at me with mild annoyance, as though I had interrupted her evening.

“You should have accepted the breakup,” she said. “Caelan wanted a peaceful life, but you kept chasing him.”

I stared at her.

“You helped him frame me.”She smiled.

“I helped myself.”

The honesty of her answer hurt more than any lie could have.

“Why?” I whispered. “I was your best friend.”

Mirelle tilted her head.

“That was the problem, Vespera. You always had something I wanted.”

“What?”

“Everything.” She stepped closer.

“You were intelligent. You were beautiful. People liked you without you trying. Even when you had nothing, you still believed your life would get better.”

Her smile disappeared.

“I hated that about you.” I could barely breathe.

All those years of friendship had meant nothing to her.

She had watched me trust her, comfort her, and defend her whenever someone spoke badly about her.

And all the while, she had been waiting for an opportunity to take what belonged to me.

Caelan stood up.

“We need to finish this.” A terrible feeling settled in my stomach.

“What are you going to do?” He did not answer.

One of the men approached me with a bottle of liquid.

I began to struggle violently.

“Caelan, please! You don’t have to do this!”

For the first time, his expression changed.

Not with guilt, but with irritation.

“You should have made things easier.”

He turned away.

I screamed his name, begging him to stop, but he walked toward the door with Mirelle.

She glanced back at me.

“Goodbye, Vespera.” The door slammed shut.

I fought against the ropes until my wrists bled.

I kicked the chair, screamed for help, and tried to free myself.

Nothing worked. The man holding the bottle approached.

I closed my eyes. I had loved the wrong people.

I had trusted the wrong people. And now I was going to die because of them.

As the liquid touched my lips, a strange thought entered my mind.

If I ever had another chance, I would never live this way again.

I would never sacrifice my future for a man. I would never mistake kindness for weakness.

And I would never allow anyone to decide whether I deserved to live.

Darkness swallowed everything. Then I heard a voice.

It sounded distant, cold, and completely unfamiliar.

[Life signs detected.]

[Host’s consciousness is fading.] [Beginning emergency soul restoration.]

I wanted to open my eyes, but my body would not respond.

[Restoration failed.]

[Searching for an alternate timeline.] [Timeline found.]

[Initiating regression.] A sharp pain passed through my head.

Then everything went silent. I woke up choking on air.