Rosalie woke before dawn.
For a few quiet seconds, she allowed herself to simply watch her children sleep—small bodies tangled in blankets, soft breaths filling the apartment with life.
Then she moved.
Dean was already dressed when she stepped into the kitchen, leaning against the counter with coffee in hand.
"You're up early," he said with that easy smile. "What's the plan today?"
Rosalie returned the smile automatically.
"I'm taking the kids out. Park, lunch, maybe a movie. Just a fun day."
Dean's brows lifted. "All day?"
"Yes."
He hesitated just slightly. "We could grab dinner tonight. All of us. I was thinking of inviting your parents over too. Lilith mentioned—"
"No," Rosalie cut in gently, before softening her tone. "I promised the kids we'd stay out late. Maybe next week?"
It was subtle—the flicker in his eyes. Annoyance? Disappointment? Or calculation?
Then it was gone.
"Alright," he said lightly. "Whatever you want."
He stepped closer and kissed her.
Rosalie forced herself not to recoil.
His lips were warm. Familiar. Deceptively gentle.
Inside, she was screaming.
All she wanted to do was sink her teeth into him. To draw blood. To make him feel even a fraction of what she'd felt in that sterile laboratory hallway when he stood there and said nothing.
She kissed him back quickly, pulled away, and grabbed her bag.
"Have a good day," she said.
"You too, babe."
The door shut behind her.
Only then did her expression harden.
The fury simmering beneath her skin had become a constant hum.
Dean was so good at pretending.
In public, he was attentive. Helpful. The model fiancé. The kind of man who carried diaper bags without complaint and held doors open for strangers. He never openly favored Lilith where others could see.
Now she understood why.
It made her look unstable.
Every time she'd confided in friends or coworkers—
"He ignores me."
"He never helps at night."
"I feel alone in this relationship."
They'd laugh gently.
"Rosalie, you're being too sensitive."
"Dean adores you."
"Do you know how lucky you are?"
They'd list the ways he helped in public.
The stroller he pushed.
The groceries he carried.
The way he complimented her in front of others.
They never saw what he was like behind closed doors.
The indifference.
The distance.
The quiet contempt.
He had crafted an image so carefully that any complaint from her sounded irrational.
She used to think she was overthinking.
She wasn't.
She had simply been blind.
******************************************
The children's favorite park was lively by mid-morning. Swings creaked. Laughter echoed. The sky was painfully blue.
Normal.
Rosalie helped Axel down the slide and kissed Ivy's forehead before settling onto a shaded bench. Once the older kids were racing across the playground, she pulled out her phone.
First call.
A high-end security firm specializing in private bunkers and fortified structures.
"Thank you for calling Titan Shield Defensive Solutions," the receptionist answered.
"I need a custom underground installation," Rosalie said calmly. "Immediate priority."
She gave them coordinates she'd researched the night before—remote land roughly two and a half hours from the city, nestled deep in the Rocky Mountains.
The Rocky Mountains were harsh. Isolated. Difficult terrain.
Perfect.
"I want it fully underground," she continued. "Reinforced concrete and steel composite. I need it capable of withstanding extreme seismic activity, catastrophic flooding, sustained temperatures exceeding fifty degrees Celsius, and subzero conditions below negative forty."
A pause.
"And impact resistance?" the consultant asked carefully.
"Strong enough to survive a direct atomic blast at a safe radius."
Another pause.
"That level of reinforcement will significantly increase cost."
"That's fine."
She outlined additional requirements:
Independent water filtration and storage
Closed-loop air system
Solar and geothermal backup power
EMP-resistant wiring
Medical room
Storage vault
Multiple concealed exits
Biometric security locks
Remote surveillance access
When the final estimate was presented, Rosalie didn't hesitate.
"One point five million upfront," she said. "Completion deadline: four months."
"That timeline is… ambitious."
"I'll double the bonus if it's ready before March."
Silence.
Then: "We'll prioritize your project."
When the call ended, her hands were steady.
Money was meant to buy security.
This time, it would.
******************************************
She put the phone away and joined the children in the grass. For a while, she let herself laugh as Liam tried to race Evelyn and immediately tripped. Noah declared himself "park champion." Seth insisted on pushing Axel in the swing.
For a brief, precious hour, she simply played.
Then it was time to move again.
******************************************
Lunch was at their favorite restaurant—bright booths, loud music, sticky tabletops.
The children chattered happily over fries and milkshakes.
While they ate, Rosalie placed bulk orders through multiple food delivery apps.
Family trays.
Party platters.
Signature dishes.
Pizza from three different shops.
Roast duck from the Chinese place downtown.
Fried chicken from the corner joint.
Pasta trays from an Italian bistro.
Custom cakes from two bakeries.
She scheduled staggered pickups under different names.
Every hot container she touched disappeared silently into her space.
Still steaming.
Still fresh.
Her children would have birthday cake even if the sky turned green.
She refused to let the apocalypse steal joy from them.
******************************************
By mid-afternoon, she drove to an industrial district and signed a four-month lease on a large warehouse under an LLC she had quietly established the night before.
Cash deposits. Minimal questions.
From there, she began placing large-scale agricultural orders.
Heirloom seeds in bulk:
Rice
Wheat
Corn
Soybeans
Potatoes
Tomatoes
Leafy greens
Medicinal herbs
Fruit tree saplings
Not just domestic varieties—international suppliers too. Diversity meant resilience.
One thing she had not seen in her space dimension was a seed vault.
She would build her own.
Then came livestock arrangements.
Chickens first—high yield, fast reproduction.
Goats for milk.
Sheep for wool.
Cattle for meat and dairy.
Pigs for rapid growth.
Horses for transport.
Rabbits for breeding.
All deliveries scheduled gradually over weeks to avoid suspicion.
She would transfer them directly into her space the moment they arrived.
Inside that endless grassland, they would be safe from the green rain.
Safe from mutation.
Safe from the rot that would twist the outside world into something unrecognizable.
******************************************
By the time she drove home, the sky was streaked orange and gold.
The children were tired, sun-flushed, and happy.
Dean texted her halfway through the drive.
Staying at your parents' for dinner. Lilith made lasagna. See you tonight ❤️
Rosalie stared at the message.
Of course she did.
Her grip tightened on the steering wheel—but only for a second.
Let him eat there.
Let him laugh with her.
Let them enjoy their stolen moments while the world still functioned.
Five months.
When winter turned to furnace heat…
When power grids failed…
When the first screams filled the streets…
She would already be gone.
And this time—
When abandonment came—
It wouldn't be her children left behind.