Chapter 3

I swallowed my hatred, feigning obedience, and replied, "Mom, I'll cooperate with Mike for the videos."

My mother, Linda, seemed a bit surprised by my docility, but her harsh expression didn't soften one bit. She still barked at me, "Useless good-for-nothing! Can't you see it's almost dinner time? Why are you just standing there like an idiot? Go make dinner!"

I clenched my fists, my nails almost digging into my palms, constantly reminding myself: It's not time yet, I have to be patient. I turned and quietly walked into the kitchen.

As soon as dinner was ready, Dad, Robert, came home. I had just washed my hands and was about to sit down to eat when he kicked my leg. "Eat what?! The convenience store shelves are empty! Get down there and restock!"

I suppressed the pain and muttered, "Okay," grabbed the keys from the shoe rack, and headed straight downstairs without looking back.

That convenience store was the fruit of my labor for many years.

Since I opened it, not one of the three of them had held a proper job; they all lived off the store.

The heaviest work, like stocking and organizing, was dumped entirely on me.

To cover expenses, I worked another job during the day and came back at night to arrange the shelves. No one knew better than I where every single item in that store was.

After quickly restocking, I grabbed an energy bar and a bottle of water and went into the back storage room. After a quick bite, I immediately pulled out my phone and called my wife, Lisa, who was away on a business trip.

When Lisa's familiar voice came through the receiver, my eyes immediately welled up.

In my previous life, after my horrific death, Lisa called me countless times, but no one ever answered. She then called Dad, Robert, asking about my whereabouts.

Afraid of exposure, Robert used my phone to reply to Lisa, making her believe I was still alive.

Later, as temperatures plummeted and the deep freeze apocalypse arrived, Lisa anxiously texted me, asking if I could find a way to send some supplies. The weather had become terrifying, and she couldn't buy anything where she was.

At that time, Mike happened to see Lisa's messages and immediately instigated Dad to swindle money from her.

The father and son quickly agreed, fabricating a lie about me being critically injured in the hospital and needing urgent surgery funds. They even had Mike wear a wig and my clothes, pretending to be me, weakly lying in a hospital bed in a video call.

Lisa believed them, frantic with worry, and immediately transferred all her savings.

Once they had the money, they completely dropped their pretense. Robert called Lisa on FaceTime directly, and on camera, he and Mike openly mocked her stupidity, calling her an easily duped fool.

"Your man froze to death long ago! His body's right in the backyard!" Mike shrieked, even turning the camera to my frost-covered corpse in the backyard.

Finally, Lisa was so enraged that she suffered a fatal heart attack.

Recalling this, I almost crushed my phone. In this life, I would never let that tragedy repeat.