Chapter 4

The divorce was finally settled.

Charity walked out of the lawyer's office with the documents tucked into her bag and a feeling in her chest she hadn't known for years. 

In her previous life, she had spent every ounce of herself trying to hold Daniel's family together. Now she had no reason to look back.

Only seven days remained, and she needed to move fast.

She returned to the property listings she had been studying. 

She wanted a house with enough room to prepare for the heatwave, one that was strong, private, and large enough to hold every supply she planned to store.

But there was something else she wanted, something she was almost ashamed to admit. 

She wanted to watch Daniel and his family suffer with her own eyes. She didn't want to help them. 

She only wanted to see the people who had once thrown her out into the burning heat finally learn what it felt like to face the end of the world without her.

After searching through several properties, she found exactly what she was looking for. 

The house stood directly across from Daniel's home. It had two floors, a spacious yard, and most importantly, a large underground space that could be turned into a proper shelter.

She contacted the seller at once, and she didn't haggle for long. "I'll pay in full," she said.

The seller was startled by how quickly she had decided. 

Most buyers spent days walking through a property and bargaining over the price, but Charity had no days to spare. 

She completed the payment that same afternoon, and just like that, the house was hers.

She stood outside and looked across the street, and Daniel's house came into sharp focus. She knew which chair he liked to sink into. 

She knew where his mother spent her afternoons. She even knew which window belonged to Vanessa. A faint, cold smile touched her lips.

When the apocalypse came, she would be safe behind her own walls, and they would be right there across the street. 

This time, she would not be the one suffering for them. 

She wanted to see how long their happy little family lasted once there was no Charity to pay their bills, buy their food, clean their house, and solve every problem they created.

She turned away from the window. There was still so much to do.

She hired a renovation company that very day. "The insulation has to be replaced," she told the contractor, her voice firm. "I want this house ready for extreme heat."

He nodded, scribbling notes.

"I also need large water storage tanks installed, another filtration system, and a backup water supply."

"Of course."

"The windows need reinforcing too. Use whatever material blocks the most heat."

The list kept growing as she spoke. A powerful cooling system. Backup generators. Solar panels and extra batteries. Proper ventilation. 

A secure underground storage room, with the basement reinforced and fitted with shelves so she could stock large amounts of food and water. 

She refused to leave anything to chance. She had lived through the apocalypse once, and she knew how quickly ordinary life could vanish.

The contractor stared at her, stunned by how much she wanted done in so little time. "Can you finish everything within a week?" she asked.

He hesitated, rubbing the back of his neck. "That will be difficult."

"I'll pay double."

His hesitation vanished. "We'll do our best."

Charity almost smiled. Money was the one thing she had in abundance now, and she had no intention of hoarding it. Not this time.

While the workers began measuring the rooms, she left to buy the first batch of supplies.

Across the street, however, someone else was having a very different kind of day.

*********

Daniel's mother had no idea that Charity had bought the house across from her own.

That morning, she drove happily to the supermarket. The household finances had become a headache without Charity, but she still believed the girl would crawl back eventually. 

After all, her son had signed the divorce papers, and surely Charity would regret leaving once she saw how hard life was without them. 

For now, the older woman decided to enjoy herself.

She pushed her cart through the aisles, tossing in one expensive item after another without so much as glancing at the prices. 

Soon it overflowed with meat, imported snacks, costly skincare products, fancy drinks, and everything else she considered a necessity.

At the register, she pulled out the supplementary bank card Charity had given her and handed it over with a wave. "Go ahead."

The cashier inserted the card. A few seconds later, the machine let out a sharp beep.

Transaction declined.

The woman frowned. "Try it again."

The cashier tried, and the same message flashed across the screen. "I'm sorry, ma'am. The card has been declined."

Her face darkened. "That's impossible," she snapped. 

She had used that card countless times. "Try again."

Again, the machine refused.

Her hands shaking with irritation, she snatched up her phone and called Charity. It rang several times before the call connected.

"Charity, what's wrong with the card you gave me?" she demanded.

"I'm not sure," Charity replied, her tone maddeningly light.

"It was declined at the supermarket!"

"I froze it."

A stunned pause followed. "You froze it?"

"Yes."

"Why would you do that?"

Charity watched the workers moving through her new house. "Because it's my card," she said simply.

"You can't do this!" the woman cried, her voice climbing so high that other shoppers turned to look. "I already have things in my cart!"

"Then put them back."

"Charity!"

But the line had already gone dead. Charity had no interest in arguing over a supermarket bill.

The older woman stood at the register, her face burning as the cashier and the impatient line behind her watched. 

For the first time in years, she would have to pay for her own things. She stared at the mountain of luxuries in her cart, and one by one, she began pulling them out. 

The imported snacks went first, then the expensive drinks, then the skincare products. Every item she set aside felt like a small humiliation.

She was seething. She had never imagined Charity would truly cut her off. 

After paying for a handful of basic groceries with her own card, she stormed out of the supermarket in a foul mood.

She had barely reached the parking lot when a familiar voice called out to her. "Mrs. Sterling? Fancy meeting you here!"

It was an acquaintance, smiling warmly. They traded a few pleasantries, and then the conversation drifted toward real estate.

"I finally sold my old house," the woman said happily. "I thought it would take ages, but a buyer came along almost immediately."

"Is that so?" Mrs. Sterling replied absently, her thoughts still on the card.

"It is. And I heard the buyer paid for the property in full, right away."

Mrs. Sterling hardly listened until the woman casually mentioned the buyer's name.

"Charity."

Her head snapped up. "Who?"

"Charity. Your daughter in law."

Her expression shifted at once. "She bought a house?"

"She did, and she paid everything in cash." The acquaintance leaned closer, her eyes bright with admiration.

"She seems very serious about renovating it, too. I heard she's spending a fortune on improvements." 

Then she sighed wistfully. "You're so lucky to have a daughter in law like her. She must be doing wonderfully well."

Lucky. The word struck Mrs. Sterling like a slap, and her face stiffened. 

Only moments ago, she had been fuming because Charity refused to hand over a few thousand. 

Now she was learning that Charity had enough money to buy a house outright and pour even more into renovating it.

Jealousy rose in her chest and quickly swallowed her anger. If Charity had this much money, why should their family lose access to it?

The groceries were forgotten. "I have to go," she blurted, and without waiting for a reply, she hurried back to her car already thinking of 1001 ways to make sure to get charity back.