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The Deadly Ride Home2
2：498words
Update Time：2026-01-26 09:07:26
The memory flashed—In my last life, I’d warned about the ice, John called me a "joyless shrew."
This time, I bit my tongue.
He unbuckled with that infuriatingly tender smile. "Always so playful, Sarah." My gaze snapped to the keys still dangling in the ignition.
Lock the doors now.
Trap them outside.
Let the storm take them.
"Mom!" Lily’s voice shattered the thought. "Come play! It’s snowing so hard!" Outside, stranded travelers spilled from vehicles—kids laughing, adults stretching legs or ducking behind cars.
To them, just inconvenient weather.
I knew better.
This snow would bury us alive.
Locking John out now would draw attention… maybe get the doors pried open. I needed chaos, cover. Perfect timing. I snatched the keys and stepped into the blizzard’s teeth.
John cradled Sarah’s elbow like a prized vase. At a distance, they looked like expectant parents on a Christmas card. Lily darted toward them, arms wide— "Daddy!"
John’s elbow shot out. Thud. She landed hard in slush, jacket instantly soaked. Her wail cut through the wind.
"Emily! Control your kid!" John roared, not even glancing at his sobbing daughter. "She could’ve knocked Sarah over! Think!"
Sarah clung to him, saccharine concern dripping: "It’s okay, sweetie. Just be careful next time. You wouldn’t want to scare the baby in Auntie’s tummy, would you?"
Lily scrambled up, tears freezing on her cheeks. "I wanted YOU, Daddy! Not HER!"
John’s face darkened like storm clouds. "Don’t you yell at Sarah, you little BRAT! Get back to your mother!"
Lily buried her face in my coat, shuddering. "…’m not a brat…"
Rage burned my throat. "SHE’S YOUR DAUGHTER! What kind of father shoves his child into freezing slush for another woman?!"
John waved a dismissive hand. "If you can’t raise her to be respectful, maybe we don’t need her. We’ve got Ethan." The casual cruelty confirmed it—this wasn't rage. It was conviction.
Inside the RV, horror awaited. Ethan had ripped open bags of jerky, crackers, dried fruit—gorging on some, trampling the rest into the carpet.
"ETHAN!" I hauled him off the mound of wasted food. "This is our SURVIVAL food! Why?!"
He stomped on a spilled packet of cucumber chips. "HATE CUCUMBER! WANT TOMATO FLAVOR!"
"Pick. It. Up. Now."
"NO!" He threw himself backward, kicking shredded beef at me. "YOU CAN’T MAKE ME!"
Panic clawed at me. This was TEN DAYS OF FOOD! "You don’t clean this up? NO CHIPS FOR A MONTH! NOT ONE!"
The commotion drew John and Sarah back inside. Sarah sighed theatrically, pulling a rainbow-swirled lollipop from her pocket like a magic trick. "Oh, Emily... is this worth screaming about? Here, Ethan baby," she cooed, "Auntie’s got something sweet for her favorite boy."
Ethan—whose tiny teeth were already pocked with cavities—scrambled to her, hugging her waist. "Aunt Sarah’s the BEST!" He shot me a glare. "She gives me candy and doesn’t yell! I wish SHE was my mom!"
The air turned arctic.
I stepped forward, voice dangerously quiet.
"Ethan. Say. That. Again."
This time, I bit my tongue.
He unbuckled with that infuriatingly tender smile. "Always so playful, Sarah." My gaze snapped to the keys still dangling in the ignition.
Lock the doors now.
Trap them outside.
Let the storm take them.
"Mom!" Lily’s voice shattered the thought. "Come play! It’s snowing so hard!" Outside, stranded travelers spilled from vehicles—kids laughing, adults stretching legs or ducking behind cars.
To them, just inconvenient weather.
I knew better.
This snow would bury us alive.
Locking John out now would draw attention… maybe get the doors pried open. I needed chaos, cover. Perfect timing. I snatched the keys and stepped into the blizzard’s teeth.
John cradled Sarah’s elbow like a prized vase. At a distance, they looked like expectant parents on a Christmas card. Lily darted toward them, arms wide— "Daddy!"
John’s elbow shot out. Thud. She landed hard in slush, jacket instantly soaked. Her wail cut through the wind.
"Emily! Control your kid!" John roared, not even glancing at his sobbing daughter. "She could’ve knocked Sarah over! Think!"
Sarah clung to him, saccharine concern dripping: "It’s okay, sweetie. Just be careful next time. You wouldn’t want to scare the baby in Auntie’s tummy, would you?"
Lily scrambled up, tears freezing on her cheeks. "I wanted YOU, Daddy! Not HER!"
John’s face darkened like storm clouds. "Don’t you yell at Sarah, you little BRAT! Get back to your mother!"
Lily buried her face in my coat, shuddering. "…’m not a brat…"
Rage burned my throat. "SHE’S YOUR DAUGHTER! What kind of father shoves his child into freezing slush for another woman?!"
John waved a dismissive hand. "If you can’t raise her to be respectful, maybe we don’t need her. We’ve got Ethan." The casual cruelty confirmed it—this wasn't rage. It was conviction.
Inside the RV, horror awaited. Ethan had ripped open bags of jerky, crackers, dried fruit—gorging on some, trampling the rest into the carpet.
"ETHAN!" I hauled him off the mound of wasted food. "This is our SURVIVAL food! Why?!"
He stomped on a spilled packet of cucumber chips. "HATE CUCUMBER! WANT TOMATO FLAVOR!"
"Pick. It. Up. Now."
"NO!" He threw himself backward, kicking shredded beef at me. "YOU CAN’T MAKE ME!"
Panic clawed at me. This was TEN DAYS OF FOOD! "You don’t clean this up? NO CHIPS FOR A MONTH! NOT ONE!"
The commotion drew John and Sarah back inside. Sarah sighed theatrically, pulling a rainbow-swirled lollipop from her pocket like a magic trick. "Oh, Emily... is this worth screaming about? Here, Ethan baby," she cooed, "Auntie’s got something sweet for her favorite boy."
Ethan—whose tiny teeth were already pocked with cavities—scrambled to her, hugging her waist. "Aunt Sarah’s the BEST!" He shot me a glare. "She gives me candy and doesn’t yell! I wish SHE was my mom!"
The air turned arctic.
I stepped forward, voice dangerously quiet.
"Ethan. Say. That. Again."