Reborn Before The Apocalypse: The Last Safe Hotel

Chapter 006 – The Toxic Home

*****

Back inside the house, Joren and Helena looked as though they had suffered an unbearable blow.

"Why? Just why is she treating this as something trivial?" Helena demanded. "What if this gold digger changes his mind?"

Joren gritted his teeth.

Ronan ignored them, his eyes lingering on the doorway through which Celeste had disappeared.

He had always known that Celeste didn't love him, but until now, he hadn't realized just how little their marriage meant to her.

Compared to a friend's birthday banquet, even their divorce could wait.

‘I really was a fool.’

Ronan forced a deep breath and turned toward his room beneath the staircase, a cramped space that had once been used as a laundry room.

He had lived there for most of the past three years.

The only time he was allowed into Celeste’s room was when she was in the mood, which happened only once every few months.

Even then, she would send him away after satisfying herself, never caring whether he had finished.

He had endured all of it because he loved her.

Now, remembering it only made him disgusted with the man he had once been.

Just as he reached for the door, Helena's voice rang out.

"Bastard, you didn't prepare breakfast before leaving this morning!"

Ronan stopped.

"Go prepare us something to eat. My husband and I are hungry." She spoke as though she were ordering a servant.

Joren also looked at him. "I'm craving French onion soup, lobster bisque, and barbecue ribs."

He issued the command without caring whether Ronan was exhausted, knew how to prepare such elaborate dishes, or even had the necessary ingredients.

In the past, Ronan would have immediately nodded and done as commanded.

But this time, he just stared at them for a second, then he opened his door, walked inside, and shut it.

Helena and Joren stared at the closed door in disbelief before their shock turned to rage.

"Bastard! Come out here now!"

"How dare you ignore us?!"

They pounded on the door, hurling curses and threats, but Ronan ignored them completely.

He spent the next few hours researching possible locations, construction companies, materials, power systems, water storage, food reserves, and security.

Eventually, their voices faded as they realized he had no intention of responding.

Ronan continued working through his plans until a loud bang suddenly shook the door.

"Ronan, you dog! Come out now!" Rael roared, pounding on the door in a frenzy. He even tried to break it.

Ronan remained calm.

They wouldn't actually destroy it. The Frosts were too stingy to pay for a replacement, and Celeste certainly wouldn't cover the cost for something like that.

‘They'll give up eventually.’

Ronan returned to his bed and stretched out. "Time to sleep. I'll officially start the mission tomorrow."

Just then, his stomach growled so loudly that even the people outside could hear it.

The three of them immediately laughed, convinced that Ronan would have no choice but to come out now.

Ronan merely chuckled as though he had heard a funny joke.

He had gone days without eating during the apocalypse. A single day of hunger meant nothing to him.

He closed his eyes and soon fell asleep.

…

Ronan woke at six the next morning, his throat dry from thirst.

He opened the door and… immediately stopped.

Joren and Rael were slumped against the wall on either side of his room. Joren was holding a belt, while Rael had one lying across his chest.

Both men were sound asleep, snoring heavily.

Ronan immediately understood what had happened.

The two had stayed there overnight, waiting for him to come out so they could ambush him.

The realization brought back memories of his previous death.

Instantly, Ronan's eyes turned red, and his fists tightened. But he forced the rage down.

Just then, another thought crossed his mind.

If Celeste had been home, Joren and Rael wouldn't have spent the entire night outside his room.

As indifferent as Celeste was toward him, they knew their daughter was too strict to tolerate something like this.

Which meant she didn't come home.

Ronan paused.

Yesterday had been Celeste's day off, so she couldn't have been working the night shift.

Then a memory he had nearly forgotten resurfaced.

In his previous life, Celeste and Varek had attended this same birthday banquet, and she hadn't returned home that night either.

Back then, Ronan had spent the entire night worried about her, calling repeatedly without an answer.

The following morning, Celeste had dismissed his concerns and accused him of creating unnecessary drama.

Later, Helena had told him that Celeste had spent the night in a hotel with Varek.

Ronan had confronted Celeste, only to discover later that they had stayed in separate rooms.

But Celeste hadn't bothered to explain herself.

‘Believe whatever you want.’

She had even defended Varek right in front of him.

A bitter smile appeared on Ronan's lips. ‘So it had happened again.’

Yet the revelation no longer stirred the anguish it once had. He just walked into the kitchen to get some water.

He immediately frowned.

The place was a complete mess.

Dirty dishes filled the sink, crumbs and empty packets covered the countertops, cabinet doors stood open, and even the faucet was still running.

Ronan stared at the disaster.

Just one day without him, and they couldn't even keep the kitchen in order.

He shook his head, drank two cups of cold water, and walked out of the villa.

As he stepped into the cold morning air, Ronan glanced toward the road, and a faint smile appeared on his lips.

‘Time to cash in my profits.’

The sky had only just begun to brighten.