His Cousin

Chapter Three: His Cousin?

Camile's POV

Lucien turned toward the woman standing at the entrance. “I’ll explain everything to you later.”

Before she could ask another question, he continued carrying me into the house.

I was too weak to struggle, so I rested against his chest, trying to understand what was happening.

Lucien was here.

The man I had loved in my previous life was standing right in front of me. Yet everything about him seemed different.

He was no longer the poor man my family looked down on. His clothes were expensive, his men obeyed his every command, and even the woman at the entrance seemed careful about how she spoke to him.

What had happened to him after the apocalypse? And how had I ended up in the same world as him?

Lucien carried me upstairs and entered a spacious bedroom. He walked to the bed and gently placed me on it.

“Rest here for now,” he said.

I grabbed his wrist before he could move away.“Lucien, wait.”

He looked down at my hand.

I quickly released him. “Sorry,” I murmured. “I just… I have so many questions.”

“I know.”

He pulled a chair closer to the bed and sat down. “Ask.”

I hesitated before asking the question that had been bothering me since we entered the house. “Who is that woman I saw downstairs?”

His expression changed slightly. “She’s…” He paused, as if deciding how to explain it. “We’re not dating, but we live together.”

I stared at him. “You live together?”

“Yes.”

My heart tightened. “Don’t lie to me, Lucien. Have you been cheating on me?”

He frowned.

“Cheating on you?”

“Yes!” My voice rose despite my weakness. “You said you loved me. You asked me to run away with you. And now I find you living with another woman?”

“Camile, calm down.”

“How can I calm down? I thought you loved me!”

“I do.”

His answer came so quickly that I fell silent.

Lucien leaned forward, resting his arms on his knees.

“When the apocalypse began, the system assigned us a joint mission. We were required to form a team to complete it. Our abilities complement each other, so we decided to stay together.”

“Abilities?”

“I’ll explain how the system works later. For now, you need to understand that surviving alone in this world isn’t easy.”

He paused. “She has a powerful defensive ability. I have the strength to fight the monsters. Together, we can protect the settlement and complete missions that would be difficult for us individually.”

I listened carefully, but one thing still bothered me.

“Then why does she act like she’s your girlfriend?”

Lucien sighed. “Because we’ve been living together, and people have made their own assumptions. For now, she tells people she’s my girlfriend . But I’ve never promised her my heart.”

I lowered my eyes.

“I can’t even imagine you having another girlfriend.”

“Don’t be angry, Camile.”

“Don’t be angry?” I looked up at him. “How am I supposed to feel?”

He stared at me for a moment before saying something I wasn’t prepared to hear. “You had Asher.”

I froze. “What?”

“You had Asher,” he repeated. “You were supposed to marry him.”

My mouth fell open.

“You know I don’t want to ?”

“But you still….” He leaned back in his chair. “I knew your family was pressuring you to marry him. I knew they wanted that marriage because of the connections between your families.”

“Then you should know I never wanted to marry him!”

“Then why did you stay?”

His question silenced me.

Lucien looked away briefly before meeting my eyes again. “I gave you a choice, Camile. I asked you to run away with me. I told you I didn’t care about your family’s money or their connections. We could have gone somewhere else and started a new life together.”

His voice remained calm, but I could hear the disappointment beneath his words. “You had that choice, but you never answered me.”

“Lucien…”

“You chose to stay with your family and marry Asher.”

“That isn’t fair!” I protested. “You know how my family is. They wouldn’t have let me go so easily!”

“I know.”

“Then why are you blaming me?”

“I’m not blaming you.” His gaze hardened. “I’m telling you what happened. I waited for your answer, Camile. You never gave me one.”

Tears gathered in my eyes, he  didn’t understand.

I had been afraid of disappointing my family. I had been afraid of losing everything they had given me. I had kept hoping I could find a way out without turning my entire world upside down.

And because of that, I had lost him but  I hadn’t known I would die the next day.

I swallowed the lump in my throat and changed the subject.

“What did you plan to tell ghag  woman about me?”

Lucien raised an eyebrow. “What do you mean?”

“What am I to you?” I asked. “A friend? A colleague?”

He was silent for a moment.

Then he answered, “My cousin.”

I stared at him in disbelief. “Your cousin?”

“Yes.”

“Lucien, you can’t be serious!”

He looked at me without changing his expression. “What else was I supposed to tell her?”

“Anything but that!”

“Why?” he asked calmly. “Would you prefer me to tell her that you’re the woman I loved in another life? That I once asked you to run away with me, but you never came?”

I couldn’t speak.

He stood up and adjusted his sleeves. “Get some rest, Camile. You’re still weak, and you need to recover.”

“Wait! We haven’t finished talking!”

“We’ll talk later.”

Before I could stop him, someone knocked urgently on the door.

“Sir!”

Lucien turned toward it. “What is it?”

“There’s a problem at the eastern gate. The guards need you immediately.”

His expression turned cold. “I’m coming.”

He looked at me one last time. “Stay in this room. Don’t wander around until you’ve recovered.”

Then he walked out and closed the door behind him.

I sat motionless on the bed.

My cousin?

Was that really what I was to him now?

I covered my face with my hands as tears rolled down my cheeks.

I had died believing that Lucien was the only person who had ever truly loved me. Now, in this strange world, I had found him again, only to discover that I might no longer have a place in his life.

Perhaps this was for the best.

The system had warned me not to fall in love.

Maybe there was a reason for that warning.

I wiped my tears and slowly lowered my hands.

In my previous life, I had allowed my family to control my future. I had been so afraid of losing their approval that I had ignored what I truly wanted.

And look where that had gotten me.

I had died because the people I trusted chose each other over me.

I wouldn’t repeat that mistake.

This time, I would make my own decisions.

I would become strong enough to survive the apocalypse. I would find food, water, and a safe place to live. I would earn everything I needed without depending on anyone.

Not even Lucien.

My heart still ached whenever I thought about him, but I couldn’t let those feelings control me.

I had been given a second chance.

I intended to use it.

Just then, a familiar blue screen appeared in front of me.

[DING! SECOND CHANCE SYSTEM ACTIVATED.]

I stared at the floating words.

Another message appeared.

[Welcome, Camile Ashford.]

[Your survival journey begins now.]

I held my breath as the next notification appeared.

[Warning: Do not fall in love.]

I frowned.

Why was the system warning me about love?

Before I could ask, another message appeared.

[Complete missions, increase your level, and build your own settlement to obtain food, water, shelter, and other survival resources.]

I slowly clenched my fists. Fine.

If this world wanted me to survive on my own, then I would and if love was going to become another weakness, I would learn to live without it.

This time, I would choose myself.