Family First? Nah. Revenge First. Welcome to My Heatwave Trap! Chapter 07

Family First? Nah. Revenge First. Welcome to My Heatwave Trap! Chapter 07

I dragged my suitcase into the moving van and headed straight to the rented villa in Willow Creek.

The outdoor temperature was already scorching.

Once inside the villa, I turned the AC on full blast.

Only when the air cooled did I finally feel alive again.

I watched the indoor temperature continue to rise. I knew this was just the beginning.

Tomorrow it would climb to a terrifying 122 degrees Fahrenheit.

The nightmare heatwave was coming.

There was plenty of good food in the villa. I cooked myself a sizzling steak and paired it with a glass

of red wine.

I celebrated finally breaking free from that greedy family in this life.

After eating, I lay down in the villa’s big bed and slept soundly.

When I woke up the next day, the sun was already high in the sky.

I checked the outdoor thermometer. Damn, it had already hit 125 degrees.

It was no longer safe to go outside.

Just like last time, many companies gave heat leave and schools shut down.

The outdoor heat made central AC useless.

I gathered my things and moved everything down to the cool basement.

At noon, I ate ice cream with spicy noodles while watching the security camera feeds.

Mom and the others had slept until after ten.

The moment they got up, my overweight nephew started screaming that he was starving.

Mom rushed into the kitchen to cook.

But I had taken every bit of food with me. She couldn’t make anything.

Tyler burst into the kitchen and started punching and kicking her when she couldn’t produce a

meal.

The whole apartment filled with Mom’s screams.

No one in the family defended her.

And the only person who would have cared-me-had already been kicked out yesterday.

I watched the starving family panic and couldn’t help but smile.

After they finally gave up, the temperature rose even higher.

I turned the basement AC lower and grabbed another box of ice cream.

The moment I opened it, my phone rang.

I answered and heard Mom’s frantic voice.

“Emily, there’s no food left. Tyler is crying from hunger. Can you come back and bring us something to eat?”

I took a slow bite of ice cream. “Sorry, Mom. The motel I’m at is pretty far, and I have a lot of work. I

can’t come back.”

Mom always forgot me when things were good.

But the second there was trouble, I was the first person she called.

I glanced at the camera feed. “Mom, Ryan and Brooke are home. Tell them to go buy groceries.”

Ryan snapped from the side, “Emily Harper, it’s burning hot outside. How are we supposed to go

out?”

“Hurry up and bring us food. Don’t you care if Tyler starves?”

I smiled coldly. “Brother, instead of blaming me, why don’t you take Tyler downstairs and get food right now? I’m busy, so I’ll hang up.”

I ended the call.

Since they couldn’t rely on me, Ryan started yelling at the still-crying Tyler.

“Stop crying! You won’t die from missing one meal.”

“You’re covered in fat anyway. Consider it a diet.”

Brooke hugged Tyler protectively and looked at Mom.

“Mom, maybe you should go buy some groceries. Tyler can’t stay hungry.”

Mom glanced miserably at the blazing sun outside.

But I was gone now.

The whole family was counting on her.

She gritted her teeth and reluctantly left the apartment.

Mom returned in the afternoon.

Her skin was red and swollen, peeling in places.

Just like me in my previous life, she was badly sunburned.

Yet all she managed to buy at inflated prices was half a case of instant ramen.

Almost no stores were open in that heat.

Instead of showing any sympathy for her injuries, Dad yelled at her again.