“Zayla, I was wrong! Please, forgive me!”
It wasn’t my face that was stinging, so I just watched. Once, I had loved that face of his. Now, it stirred nothing in me.
Something seemed to click in his mind. He looked up, eyes wild with realization.
“It’s Lina! You won’t forgive me because of Lina, isn’t that it? I’ll take care of her–I won’t let you down!”
This was his grand conclusion? Unbelievable. Even after he was given another chance at life, he still couldn’t take responsibility
2/3
Chapter 6
for his own actions and decisions.
I was done. I signaled for Ace to call security, and they dragged Oliver away.
+15 Bonus
The mission was a success. It turned out the zombie virus in Zone A had mutated and was now waterborne.
I reported my findings, eliminating a major infection source, and was showered with gratitude.
With my own research team and lab, every day was fulfilling and–finally–happy.
Even my parents were stunned by my success. Once, people flattered me for their sake. Now, people flattered them for mine.
They kept trying to set up family gatherings. But I could now say, with full confidence, “Sorry, I’m too busy.”
Everyone who knew about my marriage to Ace agreed–we were perfect together.
Jamil joked, “You two are so in love, it makes me want to find someone.”
I laughed. “Just make sure you choose wisely.‘
Not long after, I heard Oliver had been infected.
Apparently, he had taken Lina on a mission, intending to throw her to the zombies. But Lina beat him to it. 1
They said he kept screaming my name, begging for forgiveness, crying about how much he loved me.
“But so many people love Dr. Zayla,” someone scoffed. “He’s no Ace. Who the hell does he think he is?”
By the time I received the news, I had developed a zombie virus vaccine. But there was only one sample.
Oliver’s family emptied their wealth to secure it for him, but Lina stole it.
With his last hope gone, Oliver chased her out of the base. But before Lina could inject herself, she was bitten–by none other
than zombie Oliver. (1
Her screams drew in more undead. In the end, just like in my past life, she was torn apart. 1
The lost vaccine was later recovered by a neighboring base leader, who used it to save his life. Out of gratitude, he allied with our
base–an alliance that later helped Ace and me rise to power.
Even at the top, our love never faded.
One night, as I lay in Ace’s arms, I tilted my head back to look at him.
“Ace, if you had the chance to go back in time, what would you do?”
He pressed a gentle kiss to my forehead.
“I’d protect you from the beginning,” he said. “Back when we first met in high school.”
