The scorching apocalypse was upon us. My parents, along with my adoptive sister and her husband, sought refuge at our home.

Not only did my sister take over my room, but she also drove my entire family out of the house.

Outside, the temperature had soared to 133 degrees Fahrenheit. My husband and daughter both succumbed to organ failure. I pleaded desperately, but they…

Under the blazing sun, the three of us died, our bodies soon crawling with maggots.

When I opened my eyes again, the news was broadcasting a warning.

——

The television was airing a high-temperature alert for the coming days. My daughter was playing nearby, and my husband’s face was filled with worry.

I sat frozen on the sofa, my phone ringing incessantly at my side.

Experts were issuing warnings about an unprecedented heatwave, advising everyone to stay indoors unless absolutely necessary. Even if people had to go outside, they were told to be fully prepared.

Ben called my name twice before I snapped out of it. The pain of my skin burning under the sun hadn’t faded.

The phone number that once symbolized family kept flashing on the screen, like a death sentence.

In my previous life, I answered that call, listening to my parents’ exaggerated sobs on the other end.

“Charlotte, we’ve run out of money for electricity, and the air conditioner is broken. The news says the heat is going to be unbearable! Charlotte, we’re not calling to ask you to pay the bill. We just thought, since your house is so big, maybe your dad and I could stay with you?

“You know it’s tough for you in the city, so we brought the family to visit. You wouldn’t just watch your little nephew get scorched by the sun, would you? You’re a sensible girl – you wouldn’t do that, right?

“Your husband’s a police officer. What would people say if his wife didn’t care for her own parents? It wouldn’t look good, would it?”

Their words were half pleading, half threatening, but back then, I was too worried about their situation to notice their tone. Despite my husband’s objections, I insisted on letting my parents and adoptive sister’s family stay with us to escape the heat.

Looking back now at my naïve self, I couldn’t help but laugh.

When I married Ben, my parents demanded $300,000 from him and didn’t give me a penny in return.

Later, when my adoptive sister got married, they gave all that money to her for her wedding expenses, and they even complained it wasn’t enough, asking me to contribute more.

If Ben hadn’t stopped me, I would have continued playing the part of the “good sister,” letting myself be taken advantage of.

When I had complications during childbirth and was left weak, it was right when my adoptive sister was pregnant. Instead of coming to see me, my mother made sure to send all the best groceries and supplements to my sister, worried that her baby wasn’t getting enough nutrition.

But in the end, they were my parents, and I couldn’t turn a blind eye to them.

They arrived at my home with bags in tow, and I greeted them with a smile, only for them to take over my house, driving my husband and daughter out.

Later, when I was forced out of the house by my brother-in-law, I overheard their heartless laughter as I left.

“She’s such a fool, believing everything we say. She really thought we couldn’t afford the electric bill. She didn’t even consider how much she’s already given us. But it’s good she’s gone – this beautiful house now belongs to us. We’ll soon be city folk, and this house will be perfect for my precious grandson.”

My adoptive sister chimed in with a laugh, “Dad’s right. It would’ve been a shame if Charlotte and her family kept such a nice house. It’s better that it’s ours now. We’ll live comfortably in the city from now on.”

I hung up and turned off my phone in one swift motion.

I would never have anything to do with those people again.

Ben, looking worried, asked what had happened and why I seemed so tense.

I told him that my parents wanted to come stay with us.

His expression changed immediately.

“No way. I won’t agree to that. If they come, they’ll definitely bring your sister and nephew, and I don’t want to see them. If you insist on letting them stay, I’ll leave with Hannah right away!”

He was firm in his words, and my heart ached.

In my last life, he had said the same thing, but I thought he was being unreasonable. We had a huge fight, and I brought my parents and sister’s family to our house against his wishes.

Later, when he couldn’t take it anymore, he left with our daughter. They disappeared, and I never saw them again.

It wasn’t until then that I realized how terribly wrong I had been.

“I know. I won’t let them come, but my parents already know our address. Even if we try to stop them, it’s too late. If they make a scene in the neighborhood, it’ll only hurt us.”

Ben fell silent. He knew it was true. When we bought this house together, my parents demanded shamelessly, “Since Charlotte helped pay for it, why not put Brady’s name on the title as well?”

Brady was my adoptive sister’s son, a complete troublemaker.

I refused, and my parents mocked me, saying I wasn’t behaving like a proper elder.

What a joke. I bought this house with my own money – why should I give it to someone else?

Looking at my innocent, sweet daughter, I felt a wave of bitterness.

In my last life, I failed to protect my family.

This time, I wouldn’t let those people harm my loved ones.

I sent my daughter to her grandparents’ house, making sure they would take good care of her, and spent the night selling off everything valuable in the house.

By the end of it, I had managed to collect 100,000 bucks.

Our upstairs neighbors were moving abroad and selling their place at a low price.

I negotiated with them to swap our homes, paying them an extra 50,000 bucks.

And just like that, I now had two identical apartments – one that I bought, and one that I rented.

Ben was confused as to why I was treating this situation like a looming disaster.

I looked at him seriously.

“You’ve never lived with my family. You don’t know how shameless my adoptive sister’s family can be. Did you stock up on enough food?”

“Yes, I followed your suggestion and bought a month’s worth. Charlotte, isn’t that a bit too much?”

Too much?

I lowered my head and let out a cold laugh.

I feared even this wouldn’t last them ten days.

The day after setting up the surveillance cameras, my parents and my adoptive sister’s family arrived at my home, carrying bags and packages.

They blocked the entrance, shouting loudly, “Charlotte, we finally found you! Thank goodness you’re such a good person, not letting us stay in that rural house without air conditioning and getting roasted alive. You really are generous – just what we’d expect from someone who married a policeman!”

Jasmine’s voice drew the attention of everyone in the building. They gathered around, giving me strange looks.

Her words put me on a pedestal, as if refusing them would make me guilty of some kind of crime. Luckily, I was prepared.

With a smile, I took the bundle from her hand and said, “What are you saying, Jasmine? You already mentioned that your house couldn’t even afford electricity, so how could I, as your older sister, just leave you all to fend for yourselves?

“And look, to make room for you, I’ve even sent my daughter to her grandparents’ house. Does this arrangement satisfy you?”

A wave of murmurs spread through the crowd, and soon people began criticizing Jasmine. “What kind of person does that? Moving into someone else’s home and making them send their daughter away – how shameless!”

“And she is an adoptive sister? Not even related by blood, and she has the nerve to act like that! Her parents must really be biased!”

Jasmine’s face twisted with anger, looking like she had swallowed something foul. She shot a glance at my mother.

My mother, clutching her own bags, rushed forward and yelled, “Our family’s business is none of yours, so mind your own! Don’t you have anything better to do?”

The hallway erupted into shouts and curses. The neighbors were just trying to help, and I couldn’t let them suffer for it.

After they got a taste of my parents’ true nature, I led them inside.

As soon as we entered, Jasmine headed straight for my bedroom. She pushed the door open, finding the room completely empty.

Her face fell.

“Sis, where’s your skincare stuff? You know, the cream that costs a couple thousand dollars.”

She pulled open the closet and started rummaging through it.

“And where’s that mink coat you bought for a few grand? Why isn’t it here?”

Seeing her dig through my things as if this was her own home, I couldn’t help but roll my eyes.

She must have been eyeing my valuables for a long time, or she wouldn’t have gone straight for them the moment she arrived.

Thankfully, I had already moved everything valuable to the other apartment.

I pushed her out of the room and locked the door, pocketing the key.

“This is my room. What do you think you’re doing, barging in like that?”

Seeing that I was being firm, Jasmine didn’t argue. But her eyes darted around, taking note of everything in the house.

She ran over to my mother and whispered something in her ear, glancing at me the whole time.

When she finished, my mother stormed over to me, raising her hand to slap me.

Ben stepped in front of me, furious.

“What the hell are you doing? This is my house!”

Startled by his outburst, my mother hesitated for a moment, her shoulders shrinking.

But when she saw the encouraging look in Jasmine’s eyes, she regained her composure, planting her hands on her hips and insisting,

“I’m hitting my daughter – what business is it of yours?”

She grabbed my arm and dragged me out, gripping me so hard that my arm throbbed with pain.

“Tell me, are you hiding something from us? Why are all the valuable things missing from the house? Jasmine was here a few days ago, and the place was packed with expensive stuff!”

A few days ago… Jasmine had come over, claiming her son was sick and that she needed my help watching him.

No wonder she had been sneaking around my house that day – she had her eyes on my things all along.

My mother was fuming, completely disregarding the fact that I was her biological daughter.

Clutching my face, I swallowed the rising frustration and, with eyes slightly reddened, forced myself to stay calm.

“Mom, I didn’t want this either, but Ben made a bad investment and got fired by his boss. We’ve racked up a huge amount of debt, so I had to sell off everything valuable to cover the losses.”

Feigning misery, I straightened up and looked Jasmine dead in the eye.

“Didn’t my dear sister just brag about getting a big year-end bonus? How about lending me some of that money to help me out in this emergency?”

All eyes turned to Jasmine, who suddenly panicked. “You must be dreaming! Don’t even think about it!”