Chapter 4

Back home, I immediately snuck into my in-laws’ bedroom.

Mrs. Stone had a collection of valuable jewelry, including my own wedding jewelry – the expensive set Asher’s family had given me, supposedly as a welcome gift.

She’d “stored” them for me, but I knew she was just hoarding them for Chloe’s future, as a sort of inheritance or a ‘nest egg’.

I stuffed them all into a bag and replaced them with the fake jewelry I'd just bought.

After that, I replaced every single puffer coat in the house with the cheap, fake ones I’d bought.

This family was all about appearances, every item a designer brand.

I stripped their closets bare, every single piece, and hauled them straight to a pawn shop for cash.

I needed money now. A *lot* of money.

By the time I finished all this and got back home, it was already dark.

Chloe was back. She probably expected Liam’s dirty clothes to be washed and dried by now.

But to her surprise, they were still lying there, untouched.

“Cassidy! Why aren’t Liam’s clothes washed yet? Are you ignoring me?!”

She picked up the bag of dirty clothes with two fingers, screaming in exasperation.

I sneered.

“Am I your boyfriend’s mother? Why should I wash *his* clothes? Tell you what, why don’t you get down on your knees and beg me, maybe then I’ll consider it.”

I’d been their housemaid for years, doing whatever they asked without ever daring to resist.

This was the first time I’d defied her, and Chloe’s eyes widened.

“You… what did you say?”

“Are you deaf? Or just stupid? Do I need to spell it out for you?”

Chloe’s eyes turned red with fury. She glared at me, as if she wanted to chew me up and swallow me whole.

She screamed at Asher, “Bro! What kind of shrew did you marry?! She’s walking all over me now!”

Asher glanced at me, frowning. “It’s just a few dirty clothes. Just wash them, what’s the big deal?”

I scoffed, walked over, and picked up the bag of clothes.

Chloe, thinking I’d given in, smugly said, “They have to be hand-washed in cold water. No machine.”

“Go screw yourself! I’m not your damn maid!”

I lifted the bag of dirty clothes and dumped them right over Asher’s head.

A pair of his used boxers landed right on his head, a faint, stale odor wafting from them.

Asher trembled with rage. “Are you out of your mind?!”

He scrambled up from the sofa, kicking away the dirty clothes around him in disgust.

He lunged at me, intending to hit me, but I kicked him hard in the stomach. Then, without thinking, I bolted out the door.

Asher’s curses followed me. “Run! Run and don’t ever come back!”

I certainly wouldn’t. That place held nothing worth staying for.

I drove straight back to my hometown that night.

After my parents passed, they left me a small cabin.

A few years ago, I renovated it, and Asher had complained, saying it was pointless, that he wouldn’t set foot in such a "small-town" area.

Now, it was perfect for me.

In a few days, the blizzard would hit, burying everything under snow deep enough to cover an adult.

Transportation would grind to a halt. No one would be able to get out.

So, the cabin would be safe for now. I just needed to make sure it was warm enough.

Mrs. Stone looked down on me, thinking I was just a country girl. She didn’t know how resourceful country people could be.

Before dawn the next day, I rode my three-wheeled utility vehicle to the market to buy materials to build a rudimentary stove.

Once it was built, burning firewood and coal would keep the entire cabin warm.

I quickly contacted a coal supplier and ordered five tons of coal and firewood.

When the apocalypse came, the power grid would fail, and air conditioning and electric heaters would be useless.

Only the most basic heating methods would work.

I told the supplier I had a huge family gathering coming up, a dozen people needing to keep warm, and he didn't suspect a thing.

With the crucial heating sorted, it was time for food.

Small towns might lack modern amenities, but fresh produce? We had it in spades.

My family, we’d always prepared for hard winters, a tradition passed down. My dad had dug out a root cellar years ago, perfect for storing food.

But vegetables alone wouldn't do. I needed staples.

First, I bought a used minivan from a second-hand market and drove it to the wholesale market.

Stocking up on too much at the local grocery store would raise too many eyebrows, so I went straight to the wholesale market, telling the owner I was opening a small convenience store in the area and needed to buy supplies.

Every day, I went to purchase just as the wholesale market was about to close.

By the time I returned to the cabin, every household in my hometown was already dark and asleep.

I used this time to unload, so no one would know.

These past few days, whenever I met anyone in town, I warned them to stock up on groceries, saying it would get too cold to go out.

Boxes of rice, flour, brown sugar… were carried into my cabin.

Seeing my cabin filled with food, I felt a surge of security.

Then I continued to purchase daily necessities: tissue paper, sanitary pads, shampoo, body wash…