Chapter 3

In the spring of the third year after the apocalypse, I finally mustered up the courage to propose to Emilia.

It was a warm evening in Green Mountain, the sun setting and the distant mountains shimmering like dark eyebrows. We sat on the stone steps in front of the town church, watching children play in the square. This survivor settlement had thrived with our help, and smiles had returned to the faces of the people.

Over the past three years, I've changed a lot. From a simple firefighter to an experienced post-apocalyptic survivor. I've learned to shoot, to fight, and to survive in this cruel world. My body is stronger, my eyes are sharper, but deep down, I'm still the man who deeply loves Emilia.

"Amelia." I took her hand, feeling the slight coolness of her fingers. For the first time in three years, I called her by her name so formally.

She turned to look at me, her lake-blue eyes showing a hint of weariness. The past three years of wandering had taken their toll, but in my eyes, she remained the most beautiful woman in the world. Time and hardship hadn't diminished her beauty; instead, they had added a mature charm to her.

"Marry me." I looked directly into her eyes. "I know you still have feelings for someone else, but... he's gone. And I, I will love you and protect you with my life."

A complex emotion flashed in her eyes—surprise, hesitation, and something else I couldn't decipher.

"Jack..." she whispered, "Are you sure? I may never be able to love you the way I loved him."

"I don't need it." I held her hand tightly. "Just give me a chance to take care of you for the rest of my life, that's enough."

She remained silent for a long time, so long that I thought she would refuse. The setting sun gradually sank behind the mountains, painting the sky with vibrant colors. In the distance came the laughter of children—the most precious sound in this cruel world.

"Jack, you know what?" she suddenly said, "Sometimes I feel like I'm being selfish. For the past three years, you've done so much for me, and I've been... I've been thinking about someone else."

"The past is the past," I said, gently stroking the back of her hand. "What matters is the future."

"The future..." she repeated the word, tears glistening in her eyes.

Finally, she nodded.

"Okay, Jack. Maybe...maybe it's time to start a new life."

At that moment, I thought I was the happiest man in the world.

The wedding took place a month later. The entire town of Green Hills came to attend, and Tom himself officiated at the ceremony. Amelia wore a white dress she'd found in an abandoned shop; though somewhat worn, she was still breathtakingly beautiful.

We didn't have any rings, but the town's blacksmith made two simple bands out of scrap copper. Though crude, they were more precious to me than any diamond.

"Jack Morris, do you take Amelia White to be your wife, to have and to hold from this day forward, for better, for worse, for richer, for poorer, in sickness and in health, to love and to cherish, till death do you part?"

"I do." My voice trembled with excitement. All the pain and waiting of the past three years had been rewarded at this moment.

"Amelia White, do you take Jack Morris to be your wife, to love and cherish him, for better or for worse, for richer or for poorer, in sickness and in health, until the end of your days, so that you will never leave him?"

For a fleeting moment, I saw her hesitate. But she still said, "I do."

As we kissed, the onlookers applauded and congratulated us. I felt the softness of her lips and thought, finally, finally she was mine. The kiss was light and short, but it meant everything to me.

The wedding was simple yet heartwarming. The townspeople prepared the best food they could find—canned goods, wild vegetable soup, and precious wine. Someone played guitar, someone sang, and children circled around us. In this cruel apocalypse, such joy felt especially precious.

"Congratulations, Jack," Tom said, patting me on the shoulder. "You're a good man, and you deserve happiness."

"Thank you." I looked at Emilia, who was talking to the women in town, and my heart was filled with happiness.

She was chatting with other women, occasionally flashing a smile. It was an expression I hadn't seen on her face in a long time—a genuine, heartfelt smile. Perhaps she really was preparing to start a new life.

As night fell, people gradually dispersed. Amelia and I returned to our little cabin—a simple but cozy wooden house, which I had spent a month carefully decorating. I placed wildflowers by the bedside, candles on the table, and made simple curtains out of scraps of cloth.

"Are you tired?" I asked her with concern.

"A little." She sat on the edge of the bed and began to remove the ornaments from her hair. They were flower wreaths made for her by the women of town, woven from wildflowers. Moonlight streamed in through the window, casting soft shadows on her face.

I went over and gently massaged her shoulders. Three years of life on the run had made her body very tense, and her shoulders were always stiff.

"Emilia, today is the happiest day of my life."

She stiffened for a moment, then relaxed. "Jack, you're so good to me. So good that it makes me feel... guilty."

"Don't think like that." I kissed her forehead. "From now on, we're family. The past is the past; we need to look forward."

She turned around and looked into my eyes. In that moment, I saw a certain resolve in her eyes, but I mistook it for a longing for a new life.

"Jack, could you get me a glass of water? I'm a little thirsty."

"Of course." I immediately got up and went to the kitchen to pour water. I was in such a good mood that my steps felt lighter. I hummed a little tune, imagining our future life. Maybe we'll have children, maybe we'll settle down in this small town and watch our children grow up.

When I returned to the bedroom with the water glass, Amelia had already changed into her pajamas and was standing by the window with her back to me. It was a white silk nightgown, also found in an abandoned store, and the moonlight shone through the thin fabric, outlining her graceful figure.

"Here's some water." I walked towards her.

She turned around, a strange smile on her face. The smile was beautiful, but for some reason, it made me feel uneasy.

"Thank you, Jack. For everything these past three years."

I was about to speak when I felt a sharp pain in my abdomen. Looking down, I saw a sharp dagger deeply embedded in my body, and blood instantly stained my white shirt.

"Emilia..." I looked at her in disbelief, the water glass in my hand falling to the ground and shattering.

There was no remorse on her face, only indifference and hatred. That face I had loved for three years looked so unfamiliar now.

"You think I'd forget?" she said through gritted teeth. "You think I didn't know you hid Adam's wallet? You think I'd be grateful for your 'protection' for the past three years?"

My body swayed precariously, blood gushing from my wounds. "I...I just wanted to..."

"Trying to drive me to despair? Wanting to force me to depend on you?" She twisted the dagger forcefully, and I felt my life rapidly slipping away. "You ruined my chance to find true love! You made me live a life of lies for three years!"

"No...no..." I tried to explain, but my words grew weaker and weaker. I wanted to tell her that I had hidden the truth to protect her, to prevent her from despairing. But it was too late to say anything now.

"You think I can't see it?" Her eyes gleamed with madness. "Adam's body was among those corpses, wasn't it? You knew he was dead all along, but you deliberately didn't tell me!"

I wanted to shake my head, to deny it, but I didn't have the strength anymore.

"Now, it's time to pay the debt." Her voice was as cold as ice. "Your life is the interest."

I fell into a pool of blood. In my last moments, I saw her standing in the moonlight, beautiful as a demon. Blood gushed from my mouth, and my vision began to blur.

I wanted to ask her, "In the past three years, all the good I've done for her, everything I've done for her, is it really worthless in her eyes?" But I was speechless.

"You know what the irony is?" She crouched down, close to my ear, "Even if you told me the truth, I would never love you. Never."

That was the last thing I heard.

Just as my consciousness was about to fade away, a voice rang in my mind, so clear it didn't seem like a hallucination:

"If you had the chance to do it all over again, would you still save her?"

With my last ounce of strength, I shouted in my heart, "No! Absolutely not!"

Then, everything returned to darkness.

But this is not the end, but another beginning. The beginning of revenge.