Apocalyptic Rebirth: With a repairman system space, she rises again. - Chapter 407

Chapter 407: The ex’s, the husband and the mistress
Moon managed a nod, a weak smile tugging at her lips even as her insides screamed. Deep down, she wanted the ground to open up and swallow her and maybe close again with a nice, neat lid. “Who… who is that man?” she whispered, forcing her voice not to crack, hoping Cassius hadn’t heard her.

Sweat soaked the pits of her brand new dress. It trickled down her back. She felt like she was taking a dip in a hot pool.

Before Peter could answer, Cassius spoke, his voice smooth and calm. “Is this the woman you married?” he asked Peter, though his eyes remained fixed on Moon’s face, as if searching for something he couldn’t quite place.

Moon’s throat went dry. “I… I can explain,” she blurted out automatically, even though she had absolutely no explanation and no idea how she was even going to explain this situation.

Peter cut in quickly, pretending to stay oblivious to the storm brewing just under the surface. “Yes, she is,” he said, wrapping an arm around Moon’s waist with pride. “This is Moon, my newly wedded wife. Moon, this is my son, Cassius.”

The word son hit Moon like a hammer to the skull. Her eyes almost popped out of her head. Son? Cassius was Peter’s son? How? Her brain started flipping through memories like a frantic librarian.

She remembered nothing of the sort from her past life. Cassius had a father, yes—but he’d rarely spoken of him, and when he did, it was usually to say the man was dead. In fact, the whole reason as to why he was adopted into the Quinn family was because he was an orphan.

What kind of twist of fate was this?

Then, like a giant wave crashing through her mind, another memory hit her. Peter Strauss was Hades Quinn’s business partner. The one that was presumed dead. Every year, the Quinn’s would visit his grave as a family.

Of course, as a servants child. she never paid attention to this. In fact, she only heard about it once, something her father mentioned randomly.

And yet….somehow, she had ended up married to that very man and he was the father of her husband! So many questions whirled through her mind, the very first being how possible it was that Peter was alive. She never met him in her past life. Where had he been? Was his life saved because of her revelations? Had Cassius always known that his father was alive?

She stood there, smile frozen, panic screaming behind her eyes. But the biggest question clawing at her wasn’t how or why fate was this callous_ it was: why was Cassius being good to her? Why was he playing along? Why was he not ripping her to shreds in front of Peter? This was his father, after all.

Was Cassius really going to accept this marriage? Accept her as Peter’s wife? Her, of all people, when she had once been his? Something else unnerved her too. He wasn’t the fool she had married.

Now he spoke clearly, steadily, with the quiet power of someone in command. His clothes were elegant but practical, his hair neat, his posture straight. He looked… presentable. Worse, he looked impressive. Like the kind of man people followed easily, and obeyed without question.

The suspicion that he had her bracelet rose to the surface. Of all the people around her that knew about it, he was the only capable of stealing it because he was the only one she was not on guard against. And her parents, they would not have stolen it knowing how important it was to their family.

So it was him…he had her bracelet. Maybe it was helping him already like it had done in her past life. How else had he made it from the Rainhounds mountain to Crosstown safely?

Her thoughts were cut short when a woman strolled in, and Moon felt her face sharpen like a blade. The woman was heavily pregnant, her hand cradling her round belly.

Even under all the heavy makeup, under the foundation, lipstick, thick lashes, Moon recognized that face instantly. Denise Jolie. Her supposed best friend. The woman she used to tell everything to. The woman she trusted with most of her secrets.

Denise walked in like she owned the place, bathed in gold jewelry and expensive clothes that were rear in the apocalypse. Behind her came two other women, each of them beautiful, each of them smug, each introduced with nauseating calm as Cassius’ friends.

Friends!

Moon gasped not from shock but wonder, just like in the past, Cassius was already collecting his women, she was glad not to be part of it. Why compete for the son when she could have the father? She would have authority over Cassius and his resources by using Peter.

But what bothered her was the timeline of betrayal, specifically in relation to Denise.

When had Cassius and Denise’s relationship started? Was it when she and Cassius had still been together? Was Denise sneaking off to meet him while Moon cursed him, thinking she had a loyal friend like a dog?

The pregnancy told her everything she needed to know. Those two had been sleeping together, and not just recently. Her mind flashed back to the Rainhounds Mountain village. The long days, the chaos, the shifting alliances. How many nights had they slipped away unnoticed by everyone?

Had Denise also been involved in the theft of her bracelet?

Now she could see it clearly: Denise smiling sweetly while she ranted about the missing bracelet, all the while knowing exactly where it was. Her knuckles tightened until her hand hurt.

She wanted to march across the room, yank Denise by her ridiculous necklace, and wipe that smug little smile off her face.

But she didn’t.

Because Cassius still hadn’t exposed her. Because Peter still held her hand. Because she still had something to lose. So Moon pretended to smile as Peter led her to the table and dinner started.

She laughed at Peter’s jokes and nodded politely when Cassius spoke.

She complimented the food even though she ate little next to nothing. All the while, her mind spun circles and she continued to sweat. The bread looked like a shot gun, just waiting to go off.

The beef stew looked red, like her blood after Peter killed her for lying to him.

More laughter filled the table and she joined in, forcefully, dryly.

She wondered why Cassius and Denise were not outing her? Were they waiting for a special moment? Savoring her fear for the perfect grand revelation. Were they planning to use her past like a leash, a quiet threat to keep her obedient?

With every forced bite her appetite shrank, until she was just pushing food around her plate, trying not to choke on her own anxiety.