18 Floors Above the Apocalypse novel Chapter 383

Lillian grabbed the supplies the Riley family had hidden away and hired a bounty hunter for protection. With her daughter Julia by her side, they made their way to the Kindle Society sanctuary.

But things took a dark turn when they reached Swan Hill. The bounty hunter turned on them, and if it hadn’t been for a patrolling soldier, Lillian and Julia wouldn't have made it.

Clearly, getting to Kindle Society safely was no small feat.

When the soldiers questioned her, Lillian lied.

She told them they were relatives of Daniel and that Julia was his daughter.

It wasn’t a huge stretch—Daniel had remained single for her sake, and she hadn’t forgotten him all these years.

Hearing they were Daniel’s kin, the military base helped make contact.

After over two decades, they finally reconnected through a satellite phone call.

Hearing his voice, Lillian was filled with regret.

If she had known this day would come, she never would have caved to her parents’ wishes, never would have left Daniel to marry someone else to save the Riley family’s business.

She had fallen for Daniel at a friends' gathering and had pursued him persistently until they became a couple.

But their happy times were short-lived. Daniel received a classified mission and vanished. She had promised to wait a year for him, to marry him when he returned.

And now, she was pregnant.

The Rileys must never know. If they did, the alliance would crumble, and Lillian’s family would be ruined.

So, she considered an abortion.

However, the doctor warned that her uterine walls were thin, and an abortion could leave her infertile.

With no other choice, she decided to have the baby.

Lillian’s family kept it a secret, and after Julia was born, they quietly gave her away.

It was her own flesh and blood—how could she not grieve? But there was no better choice; Daniel’s status couldn’t help Lillian’s family.

The idea that love could conquer all was just a fairy tale.

But she couldn’t abandon her child. Lillian found out that Julia had been sent to an orphanage.

Then, as the Rileys were planning the wedding, Daniel returned from his mission.

Lillian was pregnant again, this time with a Riley child.

The wedding had to go on, and her past with Daniel had to stay buried.

Desperate, she hid the truth, and with tears streaming down her face, she told Daniel, “My family went bankrupt, you weren’t there; I was pregnant, you weren’t there; I miscarried, and you still weren’t there; now I’m getting married, and I hope you still won’t be there.”

Caught off guard, Daniel couldn’t agree.

Lillian placed a hand on her belly, “I’m pregnant, and it’s not yours.”

She would never forget the look in Daniel’s eyes—pain, guilt, and finally, respect.

Twenty years can change anyone, especially when faced with life-and-death choices.

Hearing his voice on the satellite phone, Lillian’s tears fell freely, “I’m sorry, I lied to you back then. Our child didn’t miscarry; she’s alive and well. She has your blood, and I couldn’t bear to lose her.”

There was a long silence on the other end, then arrangements were made for a military escort to the base.

In truth, Lillian still loved him, but their love was no longer pure, tainted with complications.