After thinking it over for a long time, I decided not to tell Cynthia that I had forced her out of the house. I only mentioned that we had both been thrown out and left to fend for ourselves.

Cynthia's eyes filled with tears, her face full of disbelief. "How could they do this to us? We're their children, too."

I didn't know how to respond to that, so I just told Cynthia to go wash up and get some sleep.

The next day, I checked my phone, and the weather forecast was the hottest topic. The temperature had skyrocketed to 140 degrees Fahrenheit, hot enough to fry an egg on the pavement.

In the face of such extreme weather, even the authorities couldn't explain it. They could only advise everyone to stay indoors during the day and go out at night if necessary.

Audrey and Gary called me a few times, but when I didn't pick up, they eventually stopped trying.

They probably assumed that Cynthia and I had died out there.

In the days that followed, the temperature continued to rise. Except for the occasional person venturing out at night, the streets were completely deserted during the day. Just as I had guessed, the fallout shelter was warm in winter and cool in summer. We didn't even need ice at night. A fan was enough.

During this time, Cynthia had been eating well and sleeping soundly. She looked much better and more energetic.

Occasionally, people would come by to bother us, trying to get into the shelter to seek refuge. Even the agent who rented the shelter to me showed up, but I wasn't worried. I was confident that no one could get in.

As time went on, fewer and fewer people came by.

One day, Cynthia was eating the instant food I had prepared for her and happily said, "Bella, this place is great, safe and cool."

I nodded in agreement. "Yeah, as long as we lock the door from the inside, no one can open it from outside."

Cynthia looked a bit wistful. "I wonder how our parents are doing."

I thought, "They?

They're doing just fine."

Half a year passed, and somehow, Gary and Audrey showed up outside the shelter.

They looked haggard, clearly having had a rough time lately. They started by softly calling our names at the door. When there was no response, they tried to push the door open. Finally, I spoke through the camera, "Don't bother trying. The door weighs a few hundred pounds. You won't be able to move it."

That was when they noticed the camera above their heads.

Gary glared into the camera, his face full of anger instead of pleading. "You little brat, I knew you were hiding here. You're living comfortably while you don't even care about your parents and brother?"

Audrey, on the other hand, was more gentle. "Bella, Cynthia, please open the door and let us in. We're starving out here.

"Daniel is sick too. If you can't let us in, at least give us some food. I'll take it back to Daniel."

——

In the last life, Cynthia and I were the ones who went out to get food for them. This time, I guess they would have to fend for themselves.

I looked at the two of them on the monitor and turned to Cynthia. "Cynthia, did you tell them where we are?"

Cynthia shook her head quickly. "No, I haven't contacted them at all. I don't even have a phone."

She glanced worriedly toward our storage room. "Bella, should we let them in? But we don't have much food left. If they come in, we'll run out quickly."

I shook my head. Cynthia didn't understand. If we let Gary and Audrey in, we'd end up being kicked out and left to die. "Cynthia, you have to trust me. If they come in, we'll definitely be thrown out. That's what happened in our past life."

Cynthia couldn't bear to look at them at the door anymore. With tears in her eyes, she walked away from the monitor, hugging her doll as she went to her room.

I was not sure what happened, but after staring at their phones for a while, Gary and Audrey suddenly decided not to leave.

They looked at the camera, one with a mocking tone, the other with insults.

"I carried you for nine months and gave birth to you, and this is how you repay me? You're heartless!

"We raised you for so many years. Even if we didn't send you to school, you shouldn't treat us like this!

"Let us in. Once the heat passes, we'll let you go back to school!"

But no matter what they said, I remained unmoved.

After all, I had begged them for many things throughout my life, but I had never received any compassion from them.

As the sun began to rise, their tone finally changed.

Feeling the temperature rise, they huddled desperately in the corner.

Audrey cried out, "Bella, please open the door. At least let us wait until nightfall. We promise we'll leave then. Just trust us this once, okay?"

Gary quickly echoed her. "Yes, yes, just until sunset."

Those words sounded all too familiar.

Back then, I had knelt on the ground, begging Gary not to force me to throw Cynthia out during the day, pleading with him not to kick me out as well.

I never expected that in this lifetime, the roles would be reversed.

I sighed, unable to bear watching this scene any longer. So, I chose to turn off the surveillance. After staying up all night, I decided it was time to get some sleep.

When I woke up, Cynthia had already opened the door.

I was startled and rushed over to see what had happened.

It turned out that Gary and Audrey had never left. They had died right at the door.

Cynthia's face was covered in tears as she cried uncontrollably. "Bella, our parents are already dead. Even if they wronged you in your past lives, you should forgive them now. I want to bury them. We can't just leave their bodies exposed here."

I sighed and took the shovel from Cynthia's hand. "Go inside and keep an eye on the surveillance. If anyone comes, call me."

Cynthia agreed, and I started dragging Audrey's body away. The corpse, severely dehydrated, was light, so it didn't take much effort.

But just as I walked a little further, I heard a loud bang.

Cynthia, with a cold expression, slowly closed the door with a sinister smile. "You can die too!"

I ran as fast as I could, trying to reach the bunker, but I was too late. The door slammed shut right in front of me, and I heard it lock.