Semua Bab Apocalypse Reborn: My Family Begged But I Shut The Gates: Bab 31 - Bab 40

The investigator's photographs spread across the coffee table like evidence at a trial. Katie stared at them, her hands trembling. Amanda and Raymond. Together at the construction site. Together at a café. Together everywhere."She's building something," Katie whispered. "And she's doing it with him."Susan leaned over her shoulder, studying the images with growing concern. "Are you sure these are recent?"Katie pulled out her phone and opened the records she'd been collecting for days. Bank statements. Property transfers. Supplier invoices. She had spent her last savings hiring the investigator, and every penny had been worth it."They're recent," Katie said. "And there's more. She's been buying construction materials. Equipment. Supplies. Enough to build a small compound."Susan's face tightened. "Why would she need all that?"Katie didn't answer. She pulled out another folder—medical supply receipts she'd obtained through a contact at the hospital. Prenatal vitamins. Obstetric equi

Amanda waited. Raymond took a breath. "My father has given me an ultimatum. Five days to bring someone home. Someone important to me."Understanding crossed Amanda's face. "And you're here because..." "Because you're the only person I've ever wanted to bring home."The words hung between them. Amanda's fingers tightened around her cup, but she didn't look away."Raymond—""I'm not asking you to rush. I'm not asking you for anything except honesty." He stepped closer. "Tell me who you are. Tell me what you're running from. Tell me why you look at me like you want to trust me but you're terrified to try."Amanda's breath caught. For a long moment, she said nothing. Then, very quietly: "You don't know what you're asking.""Then tell me."She turned away, setting her cup on the counter. Her shoulders were tense, her hands clenched at her sides. Raymond wanted to reach for her, but he held back."I'm married," she said.Raymond went still."His name is Eric. We've been married for over a

Raymond stared at the monitors, but the numbers blurred together. Ocean pressure. Ground movement. Tide irregularities. The data had been worsening for days, and his team was concerned. He was concerned but he couldn't focus. His mother's voice echoed in his head. "Emma Sullivan. Lovely girl. Your father thinks she'd make a suitable match. You need to decide what you want, Raymond. Before your father decides for you." He pushed back from the desk and grabbed his jacket. Marcus called after him, something about the northern sensor array, but Raymond didn't stop. He couldn't.He drove to the fortress without thinking about it. The gravel crunched beneath his tires as he pulled into the drive. Amanda's car was there. Lights on inside. He sat in the truck for a long moment, trying to find the right words. He didn't find them. He got out anyway.Amanda opened the door before he could knock. She was wearing a loose sweater, her hair pulled back, dark circles under her eyes. She looked tir

The hospital room was small and dim. The only light came from the monitors—steady green lines beeping in rhythm with Ivy's tiny heartbeat. Katie sat beside the plastic crib, holding her daughter's hand. Ivy's fingers were so small they barely wrapped around her mother's thumb."You're going to be okay," Katie whispered. "You hear me? You're going to be okay."The door opened. A nurse stepped in—young, tired, carrying a clipboard. Katie looked up, desperate for good news."How is she?" Katie asked. "Is she getting better?"The nurse hesitated. That hesitation told Katie everything."We need to discuss her condition," the nurse said gently.Katie's grip on Ivy's hand tightened. "What about it?"The nurse pulled up a chair and sat down. Her voice was soft, careful. "The infection has spread faster than we anticipated. Our doctors here—we've done everything we can, but she needs a specialist. A pediatric surgeon who can perform a procedure we're not equipped for.""Then transfer her," Kat

Amanda walked toward her car. Her heart was pounding. Her hands were shaking. She had never hit anyone before. Not like that and not in front of people.She reached her car. She opened the door."Mrs. Amanda?"She turned. A man stood behind her. Tall. Thin. He held a notepad in one hand. A press badge was clipped to his jacket."I'm a reporter," he said. "I'd like to ask you some questions about Ivy's death."Amanda stared at him. She didn't answer. She got in her car and drove away. The words kept coming back to her.You killed her.You chose to let her die.Amanda kept her eyes on the road. Her hands were steady on the wheel but her mind was spinning.She didn't regret her decision. She couldn't afford to. Regret was a weakness and weakness would kill her in this current timeline but the guilt was there. A quiet hum beneath her skin. Ivy was innocent. Ivy didn't deserve to die but Amanda's survival—her own baby's survival—meant more.That was the truth. She could live with it.Could