"It has been so long since I last saw her. I really do miss her," I said softly.
In truth, it did not matter whether one of them came or all of them. I would make sure none of them escaped this time.
Adrian never expected me to agree so readily. His face lit up with unrestrained delight, and the excitement practically spilled out of him.
"Denise, you're wonderful," he gushed. "Alright, alright, I'll go pick them up right away."
Then, as if preparing an excuse before anything had even happened, he added, "But my parents are getting older, so they have some habits, and Tiffany can be a bit spoiled. When they come over, if there's anything they don't do well, please don't hold it against them, okay?"
I forced down the bone-deep hatred burning behind my eyes and replied smoothly, "I won't mind."
'My dear husband, how could I possibly mind? I could hardly wait for his entire family to come here so they could die together.'
A little while later, after watching Adrian's car pull out of the neighborhood from the balcony, I picked up my phone and called my mother. Tomorrow would mark the start of the extreme-cold apocalypse, and in this life, I had to be with my parents.
From the moment I woke up feeling reborn, I had already decided to return to our rural hometown and stay by their side. My parents had leased dozens of acres of vegetable fields in the countryside, and our house included a large underground cellar for storing produce.
In my previous life, if not for me, they could have remained safely at home and survived until the national rescue teams arrived.
This time, nothing and no one would separate us again.
However, before I could dial, my mother's number suddenly flashed across my screen.
The moment I picked up, her loud, familiar voice burst out.
"Denise, listen to me. The apocalypse begins tomorrow. You must come home right now."
My father's anxious voice followed immediately, adding urgency to her words. "And you have to watch out for that scumbag Adrian. He and his whole family will harm you."
"Don't trust him," he warned. "And don't tell him anything about the apocalypse."
"Denise, you must believe your parents…"
By the end, their voices trembled with barely suppressed sobs, and I was already crying myself.
Heaven truly showed mercy. I never imagined my parents had been reborn, too.
"Dad, Mom… I believe you," I choked out through my tears. "I've been reborn as well."
At those words, the three of us broke down completely, crying so hard we could not speak for a long moment.
When we finally calmed, I quickly instructed them, "Mom, Dad, hurry to the fields. Pick all the vegetables and put everything into the cellar."
Once the extreme cold apocalypse started, all outdoor crops would freeze and die. It was best to harvest everything now and store it safely underground.
My mom reassured me at once.
"Don't worry, Denise. Your dad and I have already harvested the cabbage, radishes, and garlic sprouts over the past few days. They're all in the cellar."
"We were supposed to deliver the batch to the supermarket tomorrow," she added, "but now our family will eat it ourselves."
Her words filled me with relief. "That's perfect. Dad, Mom, check what else you're missing. I'll head home soon. I'll rent a big truck on the way and bring everything back for you."
But my dad quickly interrupted. "No need. You just come back. I'll drive our own truck and go into the city with your mom to buy supplies."
He paused briefly, then suggested, "Why don't your mom and I come pick you up?"
My parents lived not far from the city outskirts. Otherwise, in their previous life, they never would have managed to push through such harsh weather to search for me.
After a brief discussion, we decided they would drive over to pick me up, and afterward, we would go to the supermarket together.
Once I hung up, I immediately began packing my luggage.
Aside from the essential items, I stuffed all the thick winter clothes into my suitcases.
For the things I couldn't carry, I wrapped them in heavy quilts and brought everything to Auntie Julie, the one collecting recyclables downstairs.
In my previous life, when Adrian's family threw me out of the house to freeze, she had seen me through her window…
