When I snapped back to reality, the source of my past life’s tragedy stood right in front of me.
Lina’s eyes brimmed with tears as she dropped to her knees, pleading, “Please, Zayla, you can’t take his mission. His family will
punish him.”
The mission was always meant for the most capable. Oliver and I had competed fairly. The decision–makers chose me, not him.
That was all there was to it.
Lina spoke as if I had deliberately gone against Oliver, but I wasn’t about to let her twist the truth.
I looked down at her coldly. “Then hire him a professional research team. If the base leader thinks they’re better than me, fine. It
won’t be easy, but good luck.”
Lina and Oliver were truly alike—both selfish to the core.
Not wasting another second on this nonsense, I turned and walked away.
For the next few days, I buried myself in mission preparations, so much so that I didn’t realize I hadn’t left my safe house until
someone came knocking.
When I opened the door, I found Ace standing there, hands behind his back.
Excited, I called his name. “Ace! It’s been too long!”
“Don’t get too happy yet. There’s even better news.”
Ace pulled out a mission file and waved it in front of me. “I requested to join the Zone A zombie virus investigation. My job is to
protect you.”
I flipped through the document. Every detail of my daily life had been meticulously arranged to ensure I wouldn’t be in danger for
even a second.
The first rule stood out: Zayla must not be harmed under any circumstances, even at the cost of one’s life.
As soon as I signed at the bottom, it would take effect.
“Ace, are you insane?” I tried to talk him out of the escort mission. “Zone A is overrun. Death isn’t just some word on a file–it’s a real, looming threat. You don’t have to do this for me-”
“Dangerous? Maybe,” Ace interrupted. He lowered his head, his eyes locking onto mine, filled with quiet determination. “But I know this–letting the person I love face danger alone is worse than dying. Please. Let me protect you.”
Tears welled up in my eyes. My hands trembled as I signed my name.
A certain someone demanded I sacrifice my life for their redemption. But another was willing to lay down theirs to protect me.
1/3
Chapter S
+15 Bonus
Ace stared at the signed file, rereading it like he wanted to etch it into his memory. If I hadn’t stopped him, he might have kissed the damn thing.
I sighed. “At this point, I really don’t know how to repay you. Have you thought about what you want?”
A teasing smile played on his lips. “Actually, there is something–something only you can give me.”
He leaned in, whispering in my ear.
I couldn’t help but laugh. “Fine.”
On our way back after I repaid Ace, we ran into Oliver.
The moment he saw us, arms linked, his face drained of color.
“I heard you submitted a marriage application to the base.”
His intel was decent but still a step behind–because just moments ago, our application had been approved.
Ace pulled out our stamped marriage certificate and held it up, examining it with exaggerated interest.
Oliver saw it, his expression crumbling. “No, Zayla, you can’t-”
I chuckled. “Can’t what? Go sleep with Lina. This has nothing to do with you.”
But he wasn’t done. He stepped in front of me, eyes burning with desperation.
“If you’re mad at me, hit me, curse me–punish me however you want, just like how I had tortured you in the past. Just don’t do
this. I can’t bear to live without you.”
So, he remembered our past life too.
A cold smile curled my lips. “And yet, even the air you breathe disgusts me. I can’t bear to live with you in it. Are you regretting not saving me this time, or are you regretting the way you tortured me last time?”
Oliver flinched, horror flashing in his eyes. He knew. He knew he had done horrible things to me in our past lives.
I grabbed Ace’s hand to walk past him, but Oliver suddenly dropped to his knees.
Right there, in the middle of the street, he slapped himself, over and over, sobbing.
