Zombie Apocalypse: I Have Safe Zone Superpower-Chapter 597: Decision

For the first time, she realized something terrifying.

’At our next meeting...either we end everything...or we somehow stay together.’

There was no middle ground. And that uncertainty... it suffocated her.

...............

Meanwhile, Kael sat alone in his apartment bedroom.

For the first time, he questioned himself.

’Was I right...? Or was I wrong...?’

His fingers curled tightly.

’Maybe I should’ve tried harder... Maybe I should’ve searched for her more. ...’

A bitter thought crossed his mind. ’If I had known... that she liked me too ...’

His chest tightened painfully.

’I would’ve confessed that day... when she was leaving ...’

Perhaps he had never truly understood the depth of his feelings...

Not until he stood on the edge of ending his own life.

He took a shaky breath and closed his eyes. Tears slipped down silently, tracing warm lines across his cold skin.

By now, he understood one thing clearly...either they would end up together...

Or they would break apart completely.

There would be nothing in between.

His arms wrapped around himself as he took another deep breath, forcing the storm inside him to settle.

’I can’t... lose control ...’

If he hurt himself now...

Martha might think he was trying to manipulate her... to force her into staying.

He couldn’t allow that.

.................

The next day, Kael went to Martha’s office as usual.

But something felt different. Martha was already there... waiting.

Kael placed the strawberry milkshake on the table, the cold glass lightly clinking against the surface.

Martha looked at him. "Is there anything you want to say?"

Kael paused.

Then he shook his head slowly. "No... there’s nothing."

His voice felt empty, as though everything he once wanted to say had drowned somewhere deep inside him.

For the first time, Martha noticed it clearly... his mental state wasn’t stable.

As Kael turned and began walking toward the door, his steps slow and heavy, Martha spoke again.

"Wait."

He stopped immediately. "There are things I want to tell you."

Kael turned back, his fists clenching slightly. This time, there was no excitement in his eyes.

Only fear.

’Is she going to reject me...? Will she say I disgust her...?’

The thoughts crashed into him one after another.

Before he could spiral further...

"Are you okay?" Martha asked.

Kael blinked, as if snapping out of a trance.

He nodded faintly and sat down. Martha took a small breath.

"I’ll start with something you probably didn’t expect."

Kael looked at her, tense. Martha’s voice softened. "I’m sorry."

Kael froze. His eyes widened slightly, disbelief flashing across his face.

Martha continued, her tone calm but sincere.

"Before reading your diary... before knowing what you went through... I blamed you."

She looked down briefly. "I thought you were cheating."

A pause. "But now... I think I was being immature."

Kael stared at her, stunned into silence.

Martha went on, her words steady.

"It’s not right to say you only loved me... and still had someone else on the side." 𝚏𝗿𝗲𝐞𝐰𝚎𝕓𝐧𝚘𝘃𝗲𝐥.𝐜𝚘𝕞

Her gaze lifted again. "But I understand your mindset now."

She exhaled softly.

"You were like a drowning man... grabbing onto anything that could keep you afloat."

Her voice softened further.

"Even if it wasn’t really me... you held onto it because you wanted to survive."

Kael’s fists tightened, his eyes beginning to glisten.

Martha continued, "At that time... we weren’t even together."

She tilted her head slightly. "Everyone has a past. You do too."

A faint, almost self-aware smile appeared.

"If things had gone differently... maybe I would’ve met someone else."

Her voice grew quieter. "Maybe I would’ve forgotten you completely."

Kael’s breath hitched.

"So expecting you to remain untouched... was my mistake."

She shook her head lightly.

"And since we never confessed... never became anything official..."

She looked straight at him. "It wasn’t cheating."

Her tone was firm, but not harsh. "Calling it cheating... was just me being emotional."

Kael’s eyes filled with tears. Martha’s gaze softened.

"I understand your struggles," she said gently.

A small pause. "I’ve sorted out most of my feelings ..."

Then...

"I still need time."

The moment those words left her lips...

Kael broke.

Tears spilled uncontrollably as he bowed his head, his shoulders trembling, years of suppressed pain finally collapsing all at once.

He already knew.

The answer that had once lingered dangerously close to rejection... now felt like it was slowly, gently shifting toward a yes.

That fragile possibility alone was enough to break him.

Martha, seeing him like that, felt her own vision blur.

Tears slipped down her cheeks as well. This time, it wasn’t joy.

Nor was it grief. It was regret. A deep, suffocating regret.

’We wasted so much time ...’

Her fingers trembled slightly.

Years... wasted over misunderstandings, over silence, over emotions that should have been spoken so much earlier.

’If I could go back ...’

Her heart ached. ’...I would have confessed. ’

Maybe she would have stood beside him when he was drowning. Maybe she would have supported him when he was at his lowest.

Maybe... she could have stopped him from hurting himself.

But she wasn’t there. And that truth hurt more than anything else.

To think she had judged him... To think she had called him a cheater...

’That was just... stupid ...’

She had never been in his place. She had never felt that kind of desperation.

She had never stood at the edge where living felt heavier than dying.

So what right did she have to judge him? He had only been trying to survive....

Just like she had, in her own way, by burying herself in her career.

Kael, meanwhile, cried so hard that it made her chest ache even more.

Unable to hold back any longer, Martha stepped forward and wrapped her arms around him.

Kael immediately hugged her back, holding onto her as if she might disappear again.

"Thank you..." he sobbed. "Thank you... so much... for forgiving me ..."

Martha remained silent for a moment, her chin resting lightly against his shoulder.

Then she spoke softly, breaking the fragile quiet. "We can leave the past behind. ..."