CHAPTER 19: CHAPTER 19: REAL DAUGHTER OR STRANGER

"Bang! Bang! Bang!"

The deafening gunshots echoed through the school grounds.

But... the pain never came.

Betty hesitated, then slowly opened her eyes.

Thud.

The zombie’s lifeless body dropped beside her, its grotesque face landing mere inches from her own. The bullet pierced his neck; his core was cracked.

She flinched seeing his dull eyes staring at her.

"Haah... hah... Are you alright?"

The voice was familiar.

She turned her head with difficulty.

Ethan stood there, panting heavily, a pistol still trembling in his hands—aimed at where the zombie had stood just seconds ago.

Betty blinked, tears brimming in her bloodshot eyes.

’Hah... Thank God... I was so scared.’

Just behind him, Henry was crouched beside David, cradling his unconscious body.

"Ethan, quick. David’s head is bleeding."

Ethan nodded and walked over and knelt beside her, his gaze scanning her bloodied face.

"Whoops," he muttered with a half-smile, "looks like you got beat up pretty bad."

Betty’s temple throbbed just seeing his smug expression.

With a grunt, she tried to sit up. Ethan held her arm to support.

"Ah—ow ow ow!" she yelped as she struggled. "Hold the other arm, you damn idiot!"

Ethan blinked innocently, then stood up and stepped back.

He waved his hands casually.

"Alright, alright—bye-bye, help yourself."

Betty’s eyes widened. "What?!"

She panicked, her heart racing as he turned to walk away.

"Okay! Sorry, sorry! Help me up, please!" she shouted quickly.

Ethan chuckled, turning back with a grin.

"That’s more like it."

Betty relaxed slightly as Ethan gently grabbed her other arm, steadying her.

"Can you walk, or should I carry you?" he asked.

She took one shaky step forward—then another. Each one was worse than the last, pain flaring through her stomach.

"I can walk... probably. Just support me," she muttered, gritting her teeth.

Ethan raised an eyebrow as he held her arm. "Why is your arm so thin? Don’t you eat like, real food?"

Betty shot him a glare.

He chuckled. "Chill. I’m just joking."

Step by step, they limped toward the shelter, basketball hall with broken windows and scattered supplies. Once inside, Ethan helped her sit down on one of the worn-out mattresses laid out on the floor.

Betty exhaled a tired sigh, finally off her feet.

From the corner of her eye, she noticed survivors peeking at her from across the hall—some cautious, some curious.

Ethan stood and stretched. "Wait a minute. I’ll check on David, then I’ll come back."

As he walked away, Betty muttered under her breath.

"Why does this feel like I’m in some kind of zoo enclosure and these people are tourists staring at me?"

She leaned back... only to freeze as she noticed someone approaching.

A girl around her age. Brown eyes and petite body.

Betty’s breath caught in her throat.Her face turned pale.

’No. No, not her. Not this girl.’

Panic rose in her chest. She quickly let her short, tangled hair fall over her face, trying to hide behind it.

The girl came straight toward her.

’WTF. Why is she coming toward me?!’

The girl knelt beside her, worry etched in her expression.

"Thank you for saving us, mister," she said sincerely.

Betty tensed.

’Crap. Crap. Crap.’

She tilted her head away, covering her mouth slightly with her arm.

Deepening her voice as she spoke:

"Oh, that was... nothing. Just doing my duty. You know—helping fellow people and all."

’God, what am I saying?’

She internally screamed, feeling her soul leave her body from secondhand embarrassment.

’Please leave. Please. She hates fake-sounding people. Just roll your eyes and walk away already...’

But the girl didn’t budge.

She kept watching her face.

With a faint, curious smile, the girl leaned in close to Betty’s face.

"So, can I take care of you until you recover as a thank you?"

Betty panicked at the sudden closeness, then froze at her words.

’Take care of me? Isn’t this the villainess who brutally kills the female lead in the Lab for power? Why is she acting like a saint?’

She quickly turned her head to the side, pretending to be aloof. Through the cracked window, the misty, dark sky was visible.

’Did she find out I’m Betty?’

"You’re probably curious about my name, right? It’s Lilian Thomson. You can call me Lily," the girl said with a soft smile.

Betty groaned inwardly and looked back at her. Seeing Lilian’s sincere expression, she sighed.

’Probably did not find out, and I’m not curious at all. Seriously.’

But she gave a small nod. "You can call me Bennett."

Then she looked at Lillian’s face, trying to find anything, even a twitch.

"Wait here. I’ll bring you something to eat," Lilian said, standing up and walking over to the campfire area.

Betty looked at her retreating cautiously.

’Strange, why is she acting so strangely? Nothing like the novel describes her cold and ruthless.’

Lilian opened her bag near the campfire and took out some cooked meat, Bandages, and water.

"Lily, where were you?" a male voice called.

Lilian glanced at her brother and scoffed.

"Hmph. I was with my cutie pie."

Damien’s body trembled. He pointed at her with wide eyes.

"W-What did you just say? Did you get a b-boyfriend?!"

Lilian gave him a look like he’d grown a second head.

"No, dumbass."

With that, she turned and walked away, leaving Damien standing there scratching his head, confused.

’Hmph, this dumbass also hurt my cutie pie, bastard.’

Lilian looked at the fried beef in her hand and her mood improved, grinning, practically skipping.

’Hehehe, my cutie pie will love this! Hmph, the author did her so dirty in her past life. Even after rebirth, hiding her identity, away from Thomson family, she still couldn’t find happiness. Her life was one long tragedy...’

She clutched the lunch box tightly, her face full of resolve.

’Don’t worry. This time, I’ll make sure my cutie pie is happy—and I’ll protect sweet little Sophia too. My cutie pie is so innocent for this world.’

Lilian’s gaze fell on Ethan, who was talking with Betty, laughing, and Betty making an irritated face.

’Why the heck is this bastard talking to her?’