Chapter 1
Just a moment ago, Alex Carter—the man I'd loved for ten years—pushed me right into the swarm of zombies behind us.
With Sophie Green, his first love, cradled in his arms, he snatched the last half of bread from my hand and stuffed it into her mouth.
Alex said, "Lydia, don't blame me. Sophie is fragile—she can't go hungry.
"You love me so much, you'd do anything for me, right?"
As the cold claws tore through my chest, I locked my gaze on their embracing figures, bloody tears slipping from the corners of my eyes.
I swore, if I ever got another chance, I'd make those two pay in blood for what they'd done.
When I opened my eyes again, I found myself a month before the apocalypse began.
From the bedroom, the sounds of Alex and Sophie fooling around made me sick.
*****
"Alex, be gentle... What if Lydia hears us?"
"Relax, she's working late tonight—she won't be home before midnight. And even if she does hear us, who cares? I'm the boss around here."
"Still... I can't help feeling guilty about Lydia. She is your wife, after all..."
"Don't mention her. Total mood killer. If her family hadn't saved my dad's company back then, I would've never married someone as boring as her. Sophie, you've always been the only one in my heart."
I stood in the living room, chilled to the bone, my nails biting deep into my palms.
The familiar voices, the familiar setting—everything was just as it was before my tragic death.
I was back.
I really was back.
Back to a month before the apocalypse, before all the tragedies began.
In my last life, it was right at this moment that I discovered their affair.
I cried, I threw fits, I went crazy confronting Alex—but he just got more impatient, and his betrayal only got worse.
All for the sake of a so-called "complete family," I kept quiet and put up with everything. Even after the apocalypse broke out, I was dumb enough to run with them.
I thought my sacrifices would make Alex care about me again, but instead, he pushed me to the zombies for just half a piece of bread.
In this new life, I'd never make the same mistake again.
I took a deep breath, swallowing my rage. I grabbed my phone and started recording both audio and video.
Then, I silently pushed open the cracked bedroom door.
The sight inside was even more revolting than my worst memories.
This time, I didn't scream or fall apart like before. With icy composure, I raised my phone and pointed it at their naked, tangled bodies on the bed, capturing every second in crystal-clear HD for three whole minutes.
When my phone was nearly out of storage, I let out a soft cough. "Done filming. You can continue?"
The two on the bed jumped apart like they'd been electrocuted.
Sophie screamed, scrambling for the blanket to cover herself, her tear-stained face looking heartbreakingly vulnerable.
"L-Lydia, please don't take this wrong! Alex was just drunk..." she stammered.
Alex recovered quickly from the surprise, his initial panic giving way to the angry embarrassment of being found out.
He grabbed the bathrobe by the bed and slipped it on, frowning at me with an impatient, accusatory look as he spoke.
"Lydia, when did you get back? Sneaking around your own house—trying to scare someone to death?"
I looked at his self-righteous expression and let out a sarcastic laugh.
"My bad, Mr. Carter. Sorry to spoil your fun. Should I just wait outside until you two finish up?" I said.
"You—" Alex's face darkened instantly. "Why are you acting all snide? So you caught me with Sophie—big deal. She was my junior in college, and we just couldn't help ourselves. Do you really have to make such a fuss?"
His shamelessness was so absurd, I couldn't help but laugh.
"Couldn't help yourselves? Just a junior? Alex, if she's just a classmate, then what am I? I'm your lawful wife!" I shot back.
"Wife?" Alex scoffed, like he'd just heard the funniest joke ever.
"Lydia, don't forget—if it weren't for your dad, I never would've married you! Ten years—I've given you everything. Good food, nice things, treated you like a little princess. What more do you want?"