[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"origin-evil-mc-s-ntr-harem":3,"chapter-evil-mc-s-ntr-harem-evil-mc-s-ntr-harem-chapter-1144":6},{"origin":4,"title":5},"english","Evil MC's NTR Harem",{"chapter":7,"nextChapterSlug":19,"prevChapterSlug":20,"totalChapters":21,"novelImage":22},{"id":8,"novel_id":9,"title":10,"slug":11,"index":12,"content":13,"wordcount":14,"created_at":15,"updated_at":15,"volume":16,"translator":17,"content_hash":18},1832605,2438,"Chapter 1145 Chimney","evil-mc-s-ntr-harem-chapter-1144",1144,"\u003Cp>The screen flickered to life, illuminating Sabrina’s tired, conflicted expression.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She hesitated—part of her didn’t want to open the photos. She knew it would hurt.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But another part of her felt she had to.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She tapped the gallery.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And then he appeared.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Her boyfriend. Smiling under warm sunlight.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Wrapped around her in a tight embrace at the beach. Making a goofy face during dinner.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Holding her hand as if letting go was never an option. Each picture hit her like a punch to the gut.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Her throat tightened.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She swiped to the next one.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And the next.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And the next.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The more she looked, the heavier her heart became.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"I’m sorry...\" she whispered, though no one could hear. The words cracked, barely forming.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She felt sick with guilt—guilt that her thoughts had been drifting toward Ross.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Guilt that her body reacted to him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Guilt that whenever Ross smiled at her or looked at her with concern, something inside her fluttered.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It wasn’t fair. It wasn’t right.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She lowered her gaze, shame prickling her skin. Am I cheating?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She hadn’t done anything—but the feelings were there.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>They were growing stronger every day, and she was terrified of what that meant.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Her eyes blurred with tears. One slipped down her cheek, hitting the phone screen.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Then another.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Then she remembered the cold, crushing truth she had been avoiding.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Her boyfriend...\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He was probably dead.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Or worse—he might be one of those zombies outside, shambling endlessly with empty eyes, no recognition, no warmth, no memories of the life they shared.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The idea hollowed her out completely.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The man who once held her with love now possibly wandered as a corpse, driven only by hunger and instinct.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Why...\" Sabrina’s voice cracked into a sob. She covered her face with her palm as more tears fell.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Why did everything have to end like this...?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She slid down to the floor, the phone pressed against her forehead as she cried—softly at first, then with trembling intensity.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The grief she had kept dammed up for days came flooding out: fear, heartbreak, confusion, loneliness, guilt. All of it mixed until she could barely breathe.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Minutes passed. Maybe longer.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Eventually, her sobs softened. The storm of emotion subsided just enough for her to lift her head.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She looked at herself in the mirror across the room.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Her eyes were swollen and red, her lips trembling slightly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But beneath the sorrow, something else shimmered faintly. A spark.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She pushed herself up slowly and stepped toward the mirror.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She gripped the sink with both hands, leaning closer.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"You can’t keep living like this,\" she murmured to her reflection. Her voice was hoarse, but firmer now. \"You can’t cling to what’s gone.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It hurt to admit it. It tore her apart. But she needed to say the words.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"He’s gone... and I have to survive.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She closed her eyes, inhaled deeply, and wiped her tears with deliberate movements.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Her entire demeanor shifted—her spine straightened, her shoulders rolled back, and her expression hardened with resolve.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This world was cruel now. This world demanded strength. And she had to find hers again.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Whatever the future held—uncertainty, danger, even Ross—she would face it head-on.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She pocketed her phone and unlocked the door.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>When she stepped out, she wasn’t the same trembling girl who had entered.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Her steps were steadier. Her breathing calmer.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The pain was still there, lingering like a bruise that would take time to fade, but beneath it was a newfound determination.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Sabrina walked forward, ready to face her fate... and ready, perhaps, to slowly let go of her past.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She wanted to see one person so desperately that her whole morning felt like a blur.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Every step she took, every corner she turned, her eyes searched for him—Ross.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And she didn’t have to look long.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As always, he was exactly where anyone could expect to find him: at the center of a small whirlwind of people and responsibilities.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He stood surrounded by workers, survivors, and curious onlookers, answering questions, giving orders, fixing problems, and somehow still managing to look calm and composed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ross always carried himself with a kind of natural authority—one that made people flock to him without even realizing it.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Sabrina stayed at a distance at first, her fingers twisting nervously around each other.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She waited five minutes. Then ten. Then twenty.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Nearly half an hour passed before he finally started wrapping up the last of his tasks.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Most people would have gotten tired of waiting, maybe even annoyed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But not Sabrina.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She didn’t mind at all.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Just watching him—his focused expression, the strength in his movements, the quiet confidence in the way he spoke—made her heart flutter in a way she couldn’t fully hide.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She felt warm. Safe. Drawn.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And, embarrassingly, happy.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>When Ross finally noticed her, his face softened.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He dismissed the last worker with a nod, and moments later, the two of them found themselves having lunch together.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>They sat across from each other, sharing simple food yet laughing as if it were a royal feast.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Every time Ross chuckled, Sabrina’s heartbeat jumped.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Every time she said something silly and he smiled at her—really smiled—her chest tightened.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Around them, people whispered.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"I swear there’s something between them.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"They look so close.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"They’re totally becoming a couple, aren’t they?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Sabrina tried to ignore it, but she could feel her cheeks heating.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ross didn’t seem to care at all, continuing the conversation like the entire world wasn’t watching them.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And though the rumors weren’t true—not yet—Sabrina knew she was getting dangerously close to wanting them to be.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She couldn’t keep pretending she wasn’t drawn to him, not after everything.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lunch ended too quickly. Too soon.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The moment Ross stood up, Sabrina felt a strange determination settle inside her chest.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She had made a decision last night—one she thought she’d stick with—but now, after seeing him, hearing him laugh, watching him breathe...\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She couldn’t hold it back anymore.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She took a deep breath, her hands trembling just slightly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>When Ross turned to look at her, she forced herself to speak before courage slipped through her fingers.\u003C\u002Fp>",1016,"2026-06-09T06:19:13.331Z",1,"novelbin.me","b7dc686b9f6465a92ea6e79877a6cccb3eaed1ea0b8f5bd8516d1713eec1f634","evil-mc-s-ntr-harem-chapter-1145","evil-mc-s-ntr-harem-chapter-1143",1212,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Fevil-mc-s-ntr-harem-cover.jpg"]