My Apocalypse Godhood Begins With A Gift

I Want A Divorce

Rex closed the front door behind him. The sudden silence of the foyer replaced the distant hum of suburban traffic. The central air conditioning blasted cool air across his face. He stepped onto the polished marble flooring of the entryway. The house smelled strongly of expensive citrus cleaner and roasted meat. The atmosphere remained exactly as he had left it thirty minutes ago.

Mary Clark stood firmly in the center of the grand living room. She planted her hands squarely on her hips. Lucy sat beside Chase Perry on the expansive white leather sofa. They looked like a perfect family holding court over a disobedient servant. They were completely unaware of the digital countdown ticking away inside Rex's mind.

"Where have you been for half an hour?" Mary demanded. Her voice cut harshly through the quiet house. "We have a guest waiting in the living room and you decided to take a stroll outside."

"You embarrassed Mom by walking out," Lucy added. She folded her arms across her chest and glared at him. "You are supposed to be cleaning the spilled soup in the dining room."

Rex looked at his wife. She wore a deep red dress that matched her lipstick perfectly. She sat entirely too close to Chase. Her shoulder pressed gently against his suit jacket. A month from now, she would be wearing layers of filthy blankets and begging for a single piece of stale bread. The vivid memory of the frozen apocalypse stabilized his heartbeat. He felt absolutely nothing for her anymore.

Chase took a slow sip from his porcelain teacup. He smiled quietly over the rim. The wealthy heir relaxed deep into the sofa cushions, clearly enjoying the domestic drama. He still viewed Rex as a pathetic insect crawling across the expensive floorboards. He expected Rex to lower his head and apologize.

"I asked you a question," Mary snapped. She marched across the Persian rug and stopped exactly three feet away from him. "Do not ignore me in my own house. Give me my money."

Rex stood perfectly still. He let her anger wash over him without reacting.

"You heard her," Lucy said, leaning forward. "Hand over the thousand dollars. We know you did not go to the market. You probably tried to hide it in your room."

Rex reached into his right pocket. The system interface hovered faintly in the corner of his vision. The blue text confirmed his digital balance of one billion dollars. He did not need to steal her petty cash. He pulled out a single stack of bills and tossed it casually onto the glass coffee table.

The money landed with a solid thud.

Mary leaned down and snatched the stack immediately. She wet her thumb and began counting the bills with frantic speed. She expected to find missing twenties or crumpled notes. She expected to catch him in a lie. Instead, her hands slowed down considerably. She stared at the paper in confusion.

The bills were neat. They carried the distinct stiffness of currency straight from a federal mint. There were no creases or folded corners anywhere on the paper.

Chase lowered his teacup. The mocking smile vanished from his face completely. He leaned forward and inspected the money in Mary's hands. He spent his entire life surrounded by corporate finance and banking logistics. He recognized fresh mint distributions immediately.

"Where did you get that money?" Chase asked. His voice lost its arrogant tone and became sharp with deep suspicion. "Those are sequentially numbered reserve notes. You do not just find money like that on the street."

Rex met his gaze with absolute calm. "I earned it."

The room fell completely silent for a few seconds. The grandfather clock ticked loudly in the hallway. Then Mary threw her head back and let out a loud, grating laugh.

"Earned it?" Mary mocked, waving the crisp bills in the air like a flag. "You clean toilets for a living. You do not even have a bank account to your name. You probably found this in some gutter or stole it from a wealthy neighbor down the street."

"Stop pretending," Lucy chimed in, rolling her eyes in disgust. "You are embarrassing yourself in front of Chase. Just admit you took Mom's money and tried to swap it with whatever shady cash you hoard in your closet."

Rex looked at the three of them. They were completely trapped in their own little bubble of wealth and social status. They believed their bank accounts and designer clothes made them invincible against the world. They had no idea the world was literally about to end. The system countdown ticked silently in his mind. Thirty days until the ice swallowed everything they cared about.

"I am not pretending," Rex said softly. "And I am not arguing with you anymore. I want a divorce."

The words hung in the air. The television hummed quietly in the background. The central heating system kicked on with a low rumble.

Mary stopped laughing instantly. She dropped her hands to her sides and stared at him in pure shock.

Lucy blinked rapidly. She looked at Rex as if he had just spoken a foreign language. Her arrogant posture faltered for a fraction of a second before her face twisted into an ugly sneer.

"Excuse me?" Lucy demanded. She stood up from the sofa and crossed the room with quick, angry steps. She pointed a manicured finger directly at his chest. "Are you threatening me? You have absolutely nothing. You cannot survive a single day without my family."

"You eat our food," Mary added, stepping up beside her daughter to form a united front. "You live under our roof. You wear the clothes we bought for you. A divorce? You would be sleeping on the streets by midnight."

Rex did not flinch or step back. He remembered freezing on the concrete porch. He remembered the icy wind tearing through his thin clothes while she laughed at him over the security intercom. He had already experienced the brutal death she was promising him. He survived it once, and he was not going to let it happen again.

"I will manage," Rex replied. His voice was steady and completely devoid of emotion.

Lucy let out a harsh scoff. She turned to look at Chase, seeking validation for her anger. "Do you hear this idiot? He thinks he can just walk out of here and survive on his own. He is completely delusional."

Chase set his teacup down on the saucer. The porcelain clinked softly in the quiet room. He stood up and buttoned his tailored suit jacket. He walked over to Lucy and placed a gentle hand on her shoulder. The gesture was possessive and incredibly bold to perform in front of her husband.

"Let him go, Lucy," Chase said smoothly. He kept his eyes fixed entirely on Rex. "There is no need to argue with him. If he wants to leave, you should let him leave right now. It will make things much easier for everyone involved."

Rex watched the interaction with cold detachment. Chase was playing the reasonable peacemaker for the women. In reality, the wealthy heir simply wanted the husband out of the way permanently. A divorce meant Chase could parade Lucy around the city without sneaking into hotel rooms. It meant they could flaunt their affair openly in high society.

Lucy looked up at Chase and smiled warmly. She leaned into his touch, completely ignoring the fact that her husband was standing three feet away. She turned her attention back to Rex with renewed confidence.

"Chase is right," Lucy said, her voice dripping with venom. "I am tired of looking at you anyway. You want a divorce? Fine. Bring the divorce papers anytime you want. I will sign them immediately."

She crossed her arms and tilted her chin up. She fully expected him to break. She expected him to realize his colossal mistake and beg for forgiveness on his knees. She waited for the panic to set into his eyes.

Rex did not panic. He felt a profound sense of liberation wash over his entire body. The invisible chains binding him to this toxic family just snapped.

Mary saw his calm demeanor and grew even more furious. She wanted to crush his spirit before he walked out the door. She expected him to beg for a second chance. She did not expect a business negotiation.

"You think this is a game?" Mary spat, taking another step forward. "We took you in when you were nothing. We paid for your basic existence. We fed you every single day for three years. You owe this family your life."

"You are a leech," Lucy agreed, nodding along with her mother. "You drained our resources and contributed absolutely nothing in return. Getting rid of you is the best financial decision this family will make all year."

Chase stood quietly behind them. He smirked at the verbal assault. He enjoyed watching the lower class get put in their proper place. He checked the silver watch on his wrist, clearly bored with the entire spectacle.

Rex let them finish their rant. He let the silence stretch for several long seconds. He wanted them to hear his next words clearly. He wanted them to remember this specific moment when the blizzard finally hit the city.

"Very well," Rex said. He looked around the opulent living room one last time. He took in the crystal chandeliers, the imported leather furniture, and the expensive art on the walls. "I will bring the papers tomorrow. But before we finalize the paperwork, we need to settle our accounts completely."

Mary frowned, entirely confused by his professional tone. "What are you talking about? Settle accounts? You do not have two pennies to rub together. Are you planning to pay us back with the loose change you find in the sofa cushions?"

"Do not encourage him, Mom," Lucy sighed. She walked over to the mahogany side table and picked up a crystal glass. She poured herself a drink, acting as if Rex was already gone. "He is just trying to save face. He knows he has nowhere to go. He is stalling because he is terrified."

Chase chuckled softly. He walked over to the window and looked out at the street. He watched the neighborhood traffic pass by.

"It is a common psychological defense mechanism," Chase observed aloud. "When a man loses everything, his pride forces him to make absurd claims. Let him talk. It is harmless entertainment."

Rex listened to their smug analysis. They were entirely predictable. He accessed the system interface in his mind again. The blue screen flared brightly. He focused on the withdrawal menu. He saw the various options for transferring his billion dollar balance. He could buy their house a thousand times over. He could buy Chase Perry's entire corporate empire and liquidate it for spare parts.

"I am not stalling," Rex said. His voice cut sharply through their laughter. "I want a full accounting of my debt to this family. I want every meal, every piece of clothing, and every utility bill calculated."

Mary crossed her arms. Her face flushed red with genuine anger. She felt insulted by his persistence.

"You really want to play this game?" Mary challenged. She began ticking items off on her fingers. "Fine. Let us talk numbers. We bought you three tailored suits for family events because you looked like a beggar. That is five thousand dollars right there. We fed you imported food for three years. That is easily another twenty thousand. We gave you a roof over your head in one of the most expensive neighborhoods in the city. You owe us at least fifty thousand dollars for basic rent."

Lucy took a sip of her drink and smiled maliciously. "Do not forget the car insurance we pay so he can run your errands, Mom. Add another five thousand to the list. The pathetic loser owes us almost a hundred thousand dollars."

Chase turned away from the window. He leaned against the wall and crossed his ankles.

"A hundred thousand dollars," Chase repeated, whistling softly. "That is a steep debt for a man who cleans floors. You will be paying that off for the next fifty years, Rex."

They stared at him, waiting for the massive number to crush his spirit. They wanted him to realize the true weight of his financial insignificance. They wanted him to collapse under the pressure of their combined wealth.

Rex did not collapse. He did not even blink. He thought about the mountain of cash sitting on the grass outside Mrs. Higgins' house. A hundred thousand dollars was exactly what he generated on his very first system exchange. To him, it was literal pocket change. To them, it was a weapon of absolute control.

He looked directly into his wife's eyes. A cold, dangerous smile formed on his lips.

"Very well," Rex said clearly. "Calculate the exact total by tomorrow morning. I would like to pay you for every single amount you have spent on me before I leave."