The power died at eight-seventeen that night. The lights went out, the appliances got quiet, and everything fell silent. It was exactly like a power outage, but so much worse, because Lily knew it would be a long time before anyone managed to get everything up and running again. In fact, it seemed unlikely that the world would ever quite be the same, at least not for the next couple of centuries. She wished she’d had more time to learn about the aftereffects of a coronal mass ejection—not to mention whatever shady government weapon that might be in play.
“What the hell?”
Ethan sounded cranky, and she confirmed that from his expression when she started lighting the candles she’d prepared. There were flashlights somewhere, but she didn’t know if they would work after the pulse. “Come outside with me.”
He didn’t argue, and she took that as a sign that perhaps he was finally starting to accept that Damian’s information had been solid, even if his motives had been shaky. She clasped his hand as they stepped off the porch, looking up at the night sky. The stars seemed incredibly bright, brighter than she’d ever seen before, and she wondered if that was because of the sudden absence of illumination around the world.
Streaks of multicolored lights decorated the sky, and she heard him gasp. “I think it’s the interaction of the solar wind and the Earth’s magnetic field causing the auroras.” She scrunched her nose. “I didn’t have time to do much reading, but I think that’s what Space-dot-com said.”
He cursed. “This can’t be happening.”
She wrapped her arms around him. “It is, hon. Take some time to process it. I imagine we’ll both need to do that over the coming days.” As her husband pulled her closer, his shock just beginning, she experienced an odd sense of calmness. Life had changed irreparably, and nothing would be easy anymore, but she was confident they could get through it. They would pull together and do what they had to in order to make sure their family survived.
It was the end of the world as they knew it, but the start of a new point in their lives and their relationship.
Epilogue
The first time Ethan held his newborn daughter, delivered by his own hands due to a lack of medical assistance following The End, he realized he’d been a complete idiot. Looking into that tiny face, such a perfect blend of his features and Lily’s, he fell completely in love with Emma. As she gripped his finger, it was like her little hand had wrapped around his heart.
His love for his wife didn’t change, and hers remained strong for him. They just discovered a new kind of love for the tiny human they had created. It was such a joyful experience that they ended up repeating it four times with four strapping sons. Apparently, Lily’s body had healed whatever problems the cancer treatment had caused, and in spades.
Life was hard, but it was easier for their sons and daughter to adapt, since they hadn’t known anything about before. Ethan and Lily did what they had to for their family’s survival, eventually finding a way to thrive and even enjoy parts of their new lives. As long as they were together, they had everything they needed.
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Continue reading for an excerpt of “An Unyielding Desire.” Please note all books can be read as standalone novels.