In my previous life, when we moved to the underground parking garage, food and water were running low. I tried to limit myself to one meal a day, hoping they’d start treating me better.

But instead, my husband secretly signed me up for a supply run while I wasn’t looking. I was shaking with fear.

Meanwhile, his flirtatious coworker was happily eating our food. Why was it always me who had to go?

The woman clung to my husband’s arm with a sickly-sweet smile, her hand resting on her belly.

My mother-in-law’s voice cut through the air with icy disdain. “Hayley is pregnant with our grandchild. She can’t be put in harm’s way.”

She shoved my backpack into my hands and pushed me out the door.

I had hoped, despite everything, that my mother-in-law might have packed some actual food for me.

But when I opened the backpack, I found it was stuffed with sand instead of supplies.

As the sandstorm surged violently, I dropped the heavy bag and tried to run. But without any protection, I was quickly swallowed up by the towering storm.

The TV pulled me back to reality. The weather report was giving a warning.

[We’ve got some unusual weather coming up due to a cold front and a Montana cyclone. Expect strong winds and possible sandstorms over the next few days. Please stay calm, keep doors and windows shut, and avoid going outside if you can.]

My mother-in-law scoffed at the report, still munching on sunflower seeds. “This weather forecast is always off. Who are they kidding? We’re way too far inland for any sandstorm. Pfft.”

I stood by the door, smirking to myself. There was still a week until the apocalypse would hit, and the sandstorm would roll in.

Not just inland areas, but even the coast wouldn’t escape.

I needed to use this week wisely, stock up on supplies, and maybe even get some payback on this family.

On the sixth day before the end, I woke up to noises from the neighboring room.

The bed creaked and there were unpleasant sounds.

“Careful, don’t let Sophia hear,” came a sweet, whiny voice.

“Why should I worry? She can’t even get pregnant. Hayley, hurry up and give me that baby boy!” Luther’s voice was impatient.

In my previous life, I would have cowered in silence, lying in bed and crying quietly.

But this time, I managed to swallow my disgust, filled a basin with water from the bathroom, and stormed over to the door of the next room.

I threw the water straight onto the naked couple in bed.

The woman shrieked as the cold water hit her, and Luther flew into a rage.

I watched their panic with a smirk and said, “Getting frisky already? Thought you might need to cool down.”

“Sophia, are you out of your mind? If you can’t have kids, just get out!” Hayley snapped.

My mother-in-law, hearing the noise, rushed out and started scolding me immediately. “Sophia, Hayley’s staying with us for a few days. If you can’t handle it, you should move out.”

It was as if I was the intruder. I had once tried so hard to please them because of my guilt over not being able to conceive.

Now, she and Luther were quickly calming down the upset Hayley, sweet-talking her.

I looked at the three of them coolly. Moving out was exactly what I wanted, so I went back to my room and started packing my things.

Passports and bank cards were my top priorities. I quickly grabbed a couple of outfits and headed out.

My first stop was the bank, where I withdrew some cash and canceled the secondary cards I’d given to my in-laws.

I had a few hundreds of thousands in cash and transferred the remaining 500 thousand dollars to a different account. With the dowry from my parents and a few thousand dollars in wedding gifts from Luther, I had about 1 million dollars in total.

Then, I went to a villa not far from Luther’s place.

I’d bought it some time ago, planning to surprise him with it once the renovation was finished. But with the apocalypse looming, I needed to act fast.

I called the renovation crew and had them install security bars on all the floor-to-ceiling windows, fit the highest-grade security doors, add solar panels, and set up surveillance cameras at the entrance.

I also stocked up on essentials like a high-power generator, refrigerator, freezer, and water tank.

The villa had a basement, perfect for storing supplies.

With the sandstorm’s power likely to shatter glass and erode buildings, staying above ground wasn’t safe.

Just then, my mom called, “Sophia, how are you? The news says there might be a sandstorm. Stay safe and try not to go outside.”

Hearing her voice brought tears to my eyes.

I remembered how they’d disapproved of my marriage to Luther, but I’d been stubborn, choosing love and moving far away, rarely visiting.

Now, with the end just days away and me so far from home, I didn’t want to burden her with my in-laws’ issues. Instead, I urged them to stock up on supplies too.

I knew they might not fully believe me, so I sent them a detailed list and made them promise to buy everything.

The end had come so suddenly, and I had been too wrapped up in my own situation to think much about them until my mom’s call came, telling me that my dad had gone out for supplies and disappeared.

When I tried to call her back, there was no answer.

Since then, I hadn’t heard from her. I vowed to myself that this time, I would survive until I could be reunited with my family.