Apocalypse Days: I Rule with Foresight and a Powerful Son
Chapter 109:

Chapter 109: 109:

Why was she always the problem between them?

The table felt smaller than usual.

Zara looked up to see him staring intently at her.

"We need to talk." His voice was calm, steady, but there was something else underneath—something weighted with expectation. "Really talk."

She nodded once. "I know."

Winter set his fork down and leaned forward, resting his elbows on the table. His voice was low but firm when he spoke. "We need to stop dancing around this. I need you to tell me everything." His fingers curled slightly as if restraining himself.

"Everything that could be a problem. Everything that could be an advantage. No more half-truths, no more avoiding it. I need to know that I can trust you, Zara. And I need to know that you trust me."

Zara took a slow breath, her fingers curling against her lap. She met his gaze head-on. "I do trust you," she said, voice steady. "And I know I haven’t made that easy. But Winter, I need you to trust me, too."

"I do," he said without hesitation. "That’s why I need you to stop holding back."

Then, softly, she said, "I’m sorry."

Winter’s brows lifted slightly as he straightened in his seat.

"For everything," she continued, fingers tracing the grain of the table. "For keeping you at arm’s length. For the fight. For... all of it." Her voice was quieter now. "If I could take it back, I would."

Winter’s expression softened. "Zara..."

"I know I was wrong," she cut in. "And I know I can’t keep making the same mistakes. I—I want to do this right. I want a second chance." Her voice cracked slightly, but she kept her gaze locked on his. "Do you still trust me enough to give me that?"

She stared at him, taking in the exhaustion in his features, the tension in his shoulders. He was right. She knew he was right. They had already wasted too much time and already hurt each other too many times with their stubbornness and pride.

It stung that she was the one doing most of the damage.

"I want a second chance," she repeated, voice quiet but unwavering. "With you. With us. I don’t want to keep pushing you away."

Relief flooded her so suddenly that she had to press her lips together to stop herself from breaking. "Thank you," she murmured.

Winter studied her for a long moment before tilting his gaze flickered toward Leo. "Have you seen anything recently?" He asked, voice lowering slightly.

Zara stiffened. She swallowed hard, her gaze flickering toward Leo, who was still curled up, fast asleep on the bed. Her throat felt tight. "No," she admitted. "And that’s what scares me." She looked back at Winter, something vulnerable creeping into her expression. "I don’t know when things will go wrong. I don’t know when everything will fall apart. And I hate not knowing."

Winter reached across the table, his fingers brushing against hers before gently closing around her hand. His grip was warm, steady. "Then we’ll be ready," he said simply. "No matter when it comes, we’ll be ready."

Zara swallowed, her fingers tightening around his. For a moment, she let herself believe him.

Then she glanced toward the window, toward the distant sky, and her voice dropped to a whisper. "I..." She wet her lips, collecting her thoughts. "I want to get into a lab here. I need to research the orb in the sky."

Winter’s brow furrowed. "The orb? The thing floating in the sky?"

"I think it’s sentient," she said, gripping the edge of the table. "I know how crazy that sounds, but I can feel it. It’s not just an object in the sky—it’s something aware of us. And I need to understand what it wants."

Winter stared at her for a long moment, processing. He didn’t immediately dismiss her. He had seen too much—experienced too much—to think anything was impossible anymore.

"That’s why I need to get into the lab," she continued when she saw that he was waiting for her . "I need to know what they’re researching about it. And while I’m at it, I need to find someone high enough in rank that we can trust. Someone who might be willing to listen."

Winter’s jaw tightened. "That’s dangerous, Zara."

"I know," she said. "But it’s necessary."

His hands curled into fists on the table, his knuckles whitening. "What made you come to this conclusion?"

Zara blinked, caught off guard by the sharpness in his tone. "What?"

Winter’s eyes were locked onto her, unwavering. "What made you think that was the case? How did this come about?"

Zara hesitated.

Winter didn’t miss it. The slight shift in her posture, the flicker of unease in her expression. His frown deepened.

"Zara," his voice dropped, quiet but firm. "What is it? Who put this idea in your head?"

She exhaled slowly, gripping the fabric of her pants as if grounding herself. "There’s this man at the greenhouse I’m stationed at."

Winter stiffened.

She noticed. He was already wary. "He’s... strange," she admitted, choosing her words carefully. "Creepy-looking, definitely speaks weird too. He always seems to be watching, and not in the casual way people do. It’s like he knows things he shouldn’t."

Winter’s expression darkened. His jaw tensed, and his grip on the table edge tightened. "Has he done anything?"

"Not yet," she said quickly, though it didn’t seem to reassure him. "But I don’t like the way he lingers. The way he talks, very inhuman. Its like he’s always hinting at something I don’t understand."

Winter leaned forward slightly, the muscles in his arms taut. "Zara, if this guy is making you uncomfortable, you need to stay the hell away from him."

"I know," she said, voice quieter. "I’ve been trying to. But—" she bit her lip before pushing forward. "He’s the one who made me think about the orb differently."

Winter’s stare sharpened. "What do you mean?"

"He put the idea in my head," she admitted, running a hand over her face. "Told me that the orb might be sentient. That it wasn’t just a thing in the sky but something that could be... aware."

Silence settled between them, heavy and uncertain.

Winter’s fists slowly unclenched, but the tension in his body didn’t ease. His mind was already working. "And you believe him?" he asked carefully.

"I don’t know," Zara said honestly. But I can’t stop thinking about it. What if it’s true? I haven’t been able to stop thinking about it and what it could mean for us. If it’s something that could be sent away, then we..."

Winter’s eyes softened, his mouth pulling into a tight line. He wasn’t stupid; he knew what she meant. He exhaled sharply, rubbing his hand over his jaw. "Then we need to figure out exactly what the hell we’re dealing with before it’s too late."

She exhaled, shaking her head. "I just want to find my way into that lab."

Winter’s expression darkened. "I don’t like that."

"I don’t either," she admitted. "But I don’t want to act until I have to. I just thought you should know."

Winter’s hand moved, covering hers on the table. The warmth of his palm was steady, grounding.

"You should’ve told me sooner."

"I know. I kinda didn’t get the chance to, I’m sorry."

His thumb brushed lightly over her knuckles. "No more secrets, Zara. No more running in circles. We figure this out together."

Zara’s throat tightened. "Together," she echoed.

For a moment, neither of them moved.

Winter’s gaze flickered to her lips.

Zara’s breath caught.

Slowly, so slowly, he reached up, his fingers brushing a loose strand of her hair behind her ear. His touch lingered, tracing the curve of her jaw, and her skin burned in its wake.

"You drive me insane," he murmured.

Zara let out a shaky breath. "Likewise."

His hand slid to the back of her neck, his thumb resting just beneath her ear. She tilted her chin up slightly, just enough to close the small space between them.

And then his lips met hers.

It wasn’t rushed, but it wasn’t tentative either. It was firm, assured, carrying all the frustration, the tension, the longing that had been building between them for far too long.

Zara’s fingers curled into the fabric of his shirt, pulling him closer. He responded in kind, his other hand finding her waist. The kiss deepened, slow but intense, an unspoken promise between them.

When they finally pulled apart, their breaths were unsteady, their foreheads resting together.

Winter exhaled a quiet laugh. "Took us long enough."

Zara smiled against his lips. "Shut up."

Winter grinned, but the warmth in his eyes didn’t fade. "We’ll figure this out," he repeated. "All of it. You, me, Leo... the orb in the sky, the creepy bastard at the farm base. We’ll handle it."

Zara nodded, her fingers brushing against his cheek. "Together."

And for the first time in a long while, she truly believed it.