Betrayed Before The World Burned

Synopsis

The day after my parents and younger brother's family moved into my newly purchased apartment, a ferocious heat wave descended. By nightfall, my brother and his wife, complaining their own room was too hot, had commandeered my master bedroom. My bully nephew took over the second bedroom I had lovingly decorated. My parents camped out in the living room and took my lone desk fan. They exiled me to the balcony, where the air was stifling and still. Outside, the death toll from the relentless heat was climbing; no one dared step outdoors. But my sister-in-law, insisting the pantry was bare, ordered me to fetch groceries. I was forced out into the sweltering streets and never made it back. When I time-travelled to the moment that my mother asked if my brother's family could stay in my new place for a while, I agreed without hesitation. This time, I would sit back in the cool comfort of my apartment, enjoy my favorite food, and watch them walk straight into the furnace.