Apocalypse Survivor

Chapter 2 The Divorce

“What are you doing here?” Ambrose sat up as he looked at the digital clock on the bed side. 

It was 7:45 in the morning.

Claire laid on his bed wearing thin lingerie, her hair deliberately loose over her shoulders. Anyone looking at the scene would have assumed she had come into her husband's room for one obvious reason.

But Ambrose knew better. In his previous life, there had been a period when everything changed between them.

For an entire year after Claire began handling the household bills, she had refused to let Ambrose touch her. Not once.

Although husband and wife, she always found an excuse. She had even suggested he stayed in another room and the only time they held hands was when they were out in the Publix.  

Yet today, she was standing beside his bed, smiling seductively.

Ambrose stared at her for a few seconds then he smirked. “So that's how it happened.” He muttered to himself. 

Ambrose suddenly understood.

In his previous life, Claire had already been pregnant by another man. And on this exact day, she had slept with him.

She had needed a way to make the pregnancy look legitimate and  needed Ambrose to believe the child was his. And the fool he had been, he had never questioned it.

Not until the apocalypse. But now? He saw the trap before it was even sprung.

Claire's smile faltered. She realized that Ambrose didn't have the reaction she expected instead he was moving away from her. 

Claire moved closer. “I missed you.” She began as she reached for his chest moving her body seductively but Ambrose caught her wrist.

“Don’t do that.” 

Her eyes widened. “What?”

“You heard me.” He said as he moved her hand away. He stood up from the bed.

“I'm your wife, can't I have a good moment with my husband?” She grabbed his hand. Holding him back. 

This wasn't how it was supposed to go. She had expected him to jump at the opportunity.

Ambrose gave a dry laugh. “Wife?”

“This entire past year, didn't you remember that I was your husband?” He chuckled. “Well I'm not interested.” He pulled his hands away from hers. 

Claire's face changed. She had expected the same desperate man who had spent years chasing her affection.

Instead, he was looking at her like she was a stranger.

“Ambrose,” she said carefully as she stepped out of the bed and walked towards him. “what has gotten into you? My father and mother told me what you did.”

Ambrose raised an eyebrow. “What did I do?”

“You ignored them when they asked you for help.”

Ambrose almost laughed. “Asked?” He shook his head. “Or when they barked orders at me?”

Claire's expression tightened. “You're exaggerating.”

“Am I?”

Claire's voice became sharper. “Are you trying to say my parents are liars?” 

“Yes” 

Claire raised one finger. “ Don't you disrespect my parents or else…” 

Ambrose smiled. “Or else you'll what?”

He leaned back against the bed. “Divorce me?” He began to laugh. 

Claire stopped. “Yes I'll, that's no grounds for disrespect. 

Ambrose just kept laughing. “Fine.” He stopped and his smile disappeared.

“Let's get divorced then.”

The room went silent. Claire stared at him and her face went pale and she looked genuinely afraid.

This wasn't supposed to happen. Ambrose was supposed to fall for her and later he would believe the pregnancy was his. He was supposed to remain the same obedient husband but the man standing in front of her sounded different.

“What? You're joking.” She snapped out of the thought.

“No you heard me.” Ambrose stood. “We're getting divorced.”

Claire's breathing became heavier.

“Don't play games with me. If you're trying to get back at me, I swear I'll really divorce you!”

Ambrose smile only widened.

Claire's face twisted in anger. “Better apologize, and we'll forget this ever happened.” She stepped toward him again and reached for his arm.

But Ambrose removed her hand and turned away. “That's all I have to say. I'm done.”

Claire's eyes immediately filled with anger. Her voice rose. “After everything I've done for you?”

Ambrose turned around. “Everything?”

“Yes!”

She pointed at him. “Oh I think I know what this is. You probably have been frolicking with a lady on your trip. 

She gritted her teeth and clenched her fists. “Now you think you can just come back from your marine trip and suddenly treat me like this?”

“Frolicking with a lady?” Ambrose frowned as he turned back to look at how. What sort of manipulation was this? 

“Yes you have probably decided to leave the woman you have been cheating on me with!” Claire yelled so loud that everyone could hear her in the house. 

Ambrose folded her hand amused. His lips lightly parted for a few seconds but no words came out. 

Claire's eyes narrowed. It was just a wild guess but now she felt she had really caught him so she continued.

“You cheat! What do you take me for? Just three months you have been away and you're already cheating on me!” She said at the top of her voice. 

Claire's eyes reddened. “You bastard!”

Her scream brought footsteps rushing down the hallway.

Her parents burst into the room. “What happened?”

Claire immediately ran toward her mother.

“I found out Ambrose had been cheating on me during his trip!”

Her mother wrapped an arm around her “Oh, my poor daughter.”

Meanwhile father turned toward Ambrose his fist was trembling in anger. “What did you do?” 

“After all this family has done for you?” His mother in-law screamed at him. 

Claire continued with her fake sob at the corner. Ambrose found it so laughable. These were the same people who had betrayed him in the apocalypse. 

After he had slaved away for them thinking there were his family but they all knew that Claire had betrayed him. They had used him as a fool and now they are playing the victim card here? 

How laughable. 

Her father looked furious. “You good-for-nothing!”

Ambrose said nothing.

“You dare cheat on my daughter after everything she has done for you?”

“Cheat?” Ambrose scoffed. “Were you faithful while you were gone?” He turned to Claire.  “All those so-called late business meetings with Liam?” He chuckled. “Well wouldn't you call that also cheating?” 

Claire's face turned pale and a look of shock washed over her face but then she composed herself. 

Claire suddenly shouted “Liam is just a business partner. You're accusing me of cheating?”

His eyes narrowed. “How shameless. But even if you're pregnant I don’t care.”

Instantly she froze in place. What? A cold sweat ran down her back and her eyes widened. No, he has to be bluffing. There was no way he should know she was already pregnant. “He has to be just throwing words…”

But the older man was already charging. “You bastard!” His fist swung toward Ambrose.

Ambrose caught his wrist and his father-in-law stared at the hand gripping him.

“Let go!”

Ambrose shoved him backward. “You should control yourself.”

That only made the man angrier. He looked around, grabbed a heavy object from the table, and raised it.

“You dare!”

Ambrose's eyes hardened.

The moment the object came down—

Bang!

His fist connected first and his father-in-law crashed onto the floor.

Claire screamed. “Dad!”

Her mother rushed toward him. 

“You punched me?” The older man slowly pushed himself up, his face red with humiliation.

“You actually punched me?”

Ambrose straightened his shirt. “You tried to hit me first.”

“You're finished!”

His father-in-law pointed at him with a trembling finger. “I'll make sure Claire divorces you!”

Ambrose looked at them and then turned to Claire with a smile on his face. 

“Good.” He picked up his phone and car key. “Meet me at the civil bureau by 11am.”

Ambrose walked toward the garage, his expression turning serious. There was something far more important. He had only one month before the apocalypse began and all he had was around $30,000.

His gaze hardened. He had to build a fortress filled with wood, water, medicine, fuel, weapons and enough supplies to survive the collapse of civilization which needed money running in the millions.

Fortunately, he had something far more valuable than money. He knew exactly which major moves would shake the financial markets over the next few days. If he played his cards correctly, he could turn this small amount into enough capital to begin building his survival base.

The first step was simple. Sell this house where he spent years being exploited by Claire's family. This time, he would turn it into seed capital.

Ambrose reached the garage and opened the door. He was just about to get into his car when—

BZZZT!

A sharp pain suddenly exploded inside his head. “Argh!” Ambrose staggered backward.

His keys slipped from his fingers and clattered onto the concrete. He dropped to one knee, clutching his forehead.

“What the hell...?”

A strange mechanical voice suddenly rang inside his mind.

[System successfully integrated.]

Ambrose froze. “What?”

The pain intensified.

[Three-day waiting period complete.]

[System initialization beginning...]

Ambrose gritted his teeth and leaned against the car and for several seconds, he could barely breathe.

Then, slowly, the pain began to subside. He wiped the sweat from his forehead.

A faint blue translucent screen materialized in midair.

[SYSTEM INTEGRATION COMPLETE.]

[Welcome, Host.]

[Congratulations on successfully completing the integration process.]

[Your Welcome Reward is ready.]

A small golden chest appeared beneath the message.

[Would you like to open your Welcome Reward?]

[YES] [NO]

Ambrose's eyes widened as stared at the floating screen.

“What kind of system takes three days to show up?” He rubbed his forehead.

But his curiosity quickly overwhelmed his confusion. If this thing was anything like the systems from the novels he had read, it could completely change his chances of survival.

What could be inside? A weapon? A skill? Or perhaps something that could make him stronger?

He chose YES with his mind and instantly the golden chest immediately began to shake.

[Welcome Reward opening...]