Just as Ryan and Ashley were about to leave for work, they opened their social media feeds, and their world seemed to collapse.Ethan had actually posted something.In the photo, Ethan was standing extremely close to that woman, and the caption "Two people, one world" was painfully visible."Ry, this woman... is she Ethan's girlfriend?"Ashley gripped her phone so tightly her knuckles turned white, a wave of sour jealousy surging straight from her stomach to her head.Before, Ethan had followed her around like a devoted puppy. She had strung him along while secretly carrying on with Ryan, feeling utterly smug about the whole arrangement.But now this "simp" had suddenly found someone new and was announcing it publicly, flamboyantly. It felt like something clawing at her chest, an ugly, indescribable discomfort.These past few days, Ethan hadn't just stopped reaching out first; even his replies had gone cold and short.If it weren't for the constant overtime at work, she would have alr

Exhausted from their day in the city, Mia Sutton followed Ethan Cole back to his apartment at Riverside Heights, trailing behind him with the effortless grace of a kitten that had finally found its den."Mia, are you starting to treat my place as your own?" Ethan teased, his voice laced with a playful edge as he fished the keys from his pocket.Mia immediately puffed out her cheeks, her eyes flashing with a mock pout. She pivoted on her heel, pretending to storm away. "If Mr. Cole doesn't welcome me, then I’ll just leave!"Ethan didn't let her get far. In one swift motion, he hooked his arm around her waist and hauled her back against his chest. He lowered his head, planting a lingering, playful peck on the tip of her nose. "Now that you're already here," he murmured, his voice dropping an octave, "could you really bear to leave without having your fill of me?"Mia melted into his embrace, her arms winding tightly around his waist. She pressed her face into the firm muscles of his che

The warm lights in the bedroom were still on, moonlight spilling through the gaps in the curtains and casting soft shadows across the floor.Mia bit her lip, a hint of shyness in her eyes, yet she still leaned in first.Ethan wrapped his arm around her waist. The sweet scent of orange from her hair lingered at the tip of his nose, but a fleeting thought crossed his mind.Ashley and Ryan were truly like flies that wouldn't go away. Waiting until after the Apocalypse to deal with them was starting to feel like too long a wait.But for now, there were more pressing matters.The night was still long, and Ethan let himself set aside the weight of the Apocalypse and his plans for revenge.Perhaps this was the last quiet tenderness before everything fell apart. When it was time to enjoy something, you enjoyed it fully.---Meanwhile, on the other side of the city, Ashley was still staring at her phone screen with clenched teeth, completely unaware that one message from her had triggered such

Ethan drove back to the apartment.He tapped his fingers on the steering wheel, running through the mental checklist.He hadn't managed to get what he'd really wanted, actual firearms. That was still a gap he couldn't fully close. But the crossbows and compound bows were the most practical long-range weapons available to him right now, and they were solid.Add to that the thousand cleavers, thousand throwing axes, and the batches of kitchen knives and utility blades, his arsenal had taken real shape.Holed up in a reinforced Shelter with this kind of weaponry, he could hold off a serious threat. His self-preservation capability was now more than sufficient.Equipment was handled. The next priority today was training.Weapons were external tools. The body was the foundation. There were only twenty-four days left until the Apocalypse, and every bit of strength built now was another margin of survival later.He wasn't going to let himself slack, and he certainly wasn't going to let Mia g

The next day, a refreshed Ethan drove his BMW 7 Series to the warehouse.This was his first visit since renting the place.He thought of Mia, still lingering in bed back at the apartment, and smiled to himself.He was honestly a little surprised at himself, despite the considerable exertion of the previous night, he always woke up feeling completely restored, his muscles seemingly filled with energy that didn't run out. Mia, on the other hand, always needed half a day to feel human again.That famous saying about tired oxen and inexhaustible fields apparently had some truth to it.Today was the day the first batch of supplies, the 1,000 catered meal orders he'd placed with the restaurants, would arrive.The restaurants were already behind schedule, actually. Ethan had originally asked for delivery within five days, but it was now day seven.The owners had called ahead to explain that the quantity was simply too large, it had driven up ingredient prices at nearby suppliers, and sourci