All Chapters of Apocalypse Rebirth: Begging Me Won't Save You: Chapter 1 - Chapter 6

Julian’s hand halted inches from Astrid’s face. It wasn't out of mercy, but because a burst of mocking laughter suddenly tore from his throat."A divorce?" Julian lowered his hand and scoffed, as if he had just heard the most pathetic joke of the century. "You want to divorce me, Astrid? Don't be ridiculous. You think you can bluff me just because you threw a tantrum over seeing Camilla last night?"Eleanor brushed the shredded paper off her brocade gown, sneering with deep disgust etched into her wrinkled face."Ungrateful, barren wretch!" Eleanor shrilled, thrusting a trembling finger at Astrid’s nose. "The Sterling family took you in for two years! We gave you the honor of being a director's wife! If Julian hadn't been charitable enough to marry you, you’d be nothing more than a lonely orphan rotting away with your grandfather’s inheritance. And now you dare threaten us?"Julian folded his arms over his chest, his arrogant smirk returning. "Drop the cheap drama, Astrid. Apologize t

Camilla’s ragged gasps and hysterical sobbing over the speakerphone didn't elicit even a flicker of emotion from Astrid."Astrid, listen to me!" Camilla shrieked, her frantic voice bouncing off the high ceilings of the living room. "Viktor is a stone-cold killer! Julian’s lost his damn mind over these debts. You have to hand over the money, Astrid! If you don't, they’ll come after me next... they know my penthouse was bought in Julian's name!"A chilling smirk touched Astrid’s lips.In their previous life, Camilla had always played the innocent, helpless doe while whispering poison into Julian’s ear to destroy her. Now, she wasn't calling out of genuine concern for Astrid’s safety; she was terrified of losing her pampered lifestyle and ending up on a mobster's hit list. Camilla just wanted Astrid to play the sacrificial lamb once again—to act as the financial shield cleaning up Julian’s mess, just like she always had."Good," Astrid said, her tone so flat it cut right through Camilla'

The crimson alert on Astrid's wrist vibrated incessantly. On the mini digital display, a red blip flashed rapidly in Sector Seven—the drainage junction and underground emergency conduit along the villa’s rear slope.Violet lightning tore across the pitch-black sky of Oakhaven, silhouetting Astrid where she stood on the upper terrace. Far below the ridge, the muffled roar of floodwaters swallowing the coastal districts still rumbled like a beast, but she refused to let her focus waver for a single heartbeat. In the apocalypse, letting your guard down for one second was an open invitation to an early grave.Moving in utter silence, Astrid slipped into the staging room. She zipped up her waterproof tactical jacket, tugged on reinforced slash-resistant gloves, and pulled a matte-black suppressed pistol and a serrated combat knife from the weapon rack."Nora, seal the lower bulkheads," Astrid’s voice came smooth and level over the tactical earpiece. "Stay in the control hub and keep your e