Chapter 2

On our wedding night, Casper was in the bathroom, the sound of the shower running.

In my previous life, once the heatwave struck, everyone was too busy scrambling to survive. I never learned what became of Casper.

But I did hear he treated Regina very well.

Whatever she wanted, Casper bent over backward to make it happen.

I didn't expect him to treat me that way. Still, unease gnawed at me. If he ever learned I wasn't Regina, would he explode with rage?

Word was, the Phoenix despised betrayal more than anything.

As for the Ice Serpent, Lance Crawford, nothing surprising happened there. He'd always longed to marry Regina. Before the wedding, she even snuck off to meet him.

She claimed she'd loved him for ages and was plotting to swap places with me.

Lance was touched. He kept saying he loved her, but came the wedding day, he still rolled up in that rust bucket of a car.

If he'd had any ambition at all, with his talents, earning money wouldn't have been hard.

As I mulled over all this, Casper emerged from the shower and sat beside me.

Even though I'd been married before, seeing him like that up close made me swallow hard.

He caught me staring. His face flushed, and he leaned closer.

The moment he neared, heat poured off him.

Even with the AC blasting, the warmth pressed in, possibly due to the Phoenix's heat, and I instinctively backed away until my back hit the wall.

Casper suddenly reached out. I flinched, wrapping my arms around myself, bracing for the worst.

But instead of grabbing me, his hand cradled the back of my head.

Only then did I notice the sharp corner jutting out behind me. He was shielding me from hitting it.

Ever since Granny passed, no one had ever shown me that kind of care.

It was such a small gesture, but when one had been neglected their whole life, the smallest kindness could strike deep.

My guard slipped. I opened my mouth to say something, but Casper spoke first.

"If you're not ready, let's hold off for now," Casper said.

He didn't wait for my reply. Instead, he grabbed a pillow and left for the study.

*****

With the apocalypse so close, I knew I couldn't waste time. The moment I woke the next morning, I was already planning how to stockpile supplies.

By the time I came out, Casper was eating breakfast.

After what happened the night before, things felt awkward.

But he acted like nothing had happened, simply asking the butler to bring out breakfast for me.

The table was piled with food—pastries, desserts, drinks in every flavor imaginable.

I'd never seen a breakfast feast like this in my life.

I couldn't resist. I grabbed a fork and devoured it all.

Regina was such an idiot. She could've had it easy, but instead, she ran off with Lance and made things way harder for herself.

In my previous life, on my wedding night, Lance tortured me until dawn. By morning, I could barely move. When he woke up hungry and saw me still lying there, he nearly crushed me with his tail.

Lance only wanted a servant to wait on him for free.

I had thought of fighting back, but going against Lance was impossible. If I wanted to avoid a beating, I had to obey.

The food here was divine, especially the croissants and ravioli. Every bite was pure heaven.

With the memory of the apocalypse still fresh, I savored every taste.

When the apocalypse came, we were lucky to gnaw on bark, let alone food like this.

If only I could have meals like this during the apocalypse.

When I finally finished, I looked up and realized Casper had been watching me the whole time. His own food sat untouched.

He had just been staring at me this whole time.

I swallowed the last spoonful of soup, cheeks puffed out, and asked, "Why aren't you eating?"

Casper raised a brow. "Did the Jones family not let you eat or something?" he asked.

I stayed silent. I must've looked like a starving animal just now.

"Finley, keep bringing out more of the dishes she likes," Casper said, pointing at the untouched croissants and sandwiches. "The ones she skips, drop them next time."

My eyes went wide, and I blurted, "No, wait! I just... couldn't reach them; they were too far away."

Casper paused before turning to Finley and instructing him to use a round table next time. Then, he left the room.

As Finley directed the housekeepers to clear the leftovers, I said, "Could you pack these up? I used to keep dogs, and it feels like such a waste to throw good food away. I'd like to give these to them."

Finley hesitated. "If you want, I can have someone prepare proper dog food for them. But these..."

I shook my head quickly. "No, I just want these." Finley gave a small nod and signaled the housekeepers to pack everything for me.

Once the coast was clear, I stuffed all the food straight into my storage space.

Now, when the apocalypse finally came, I'd have a secret stash of gourmet breakfasts all to myself.