Chapter 3
The girl tried to protest again, but Blake cut her off.[]
“This is NOTHING compared to what Claire went through. I’ve got an ambulance on standby–she’ll be fine.“[]
Hearing Blake say that, the girl didn’t dare argue anymore.[]
Getting Blake’s orders, the same crew returned with ice blocks. They grabbed me by the hair, trapped me in a circle of ice, then dumped freezing water over my head.[]
Instantly, my skin fused to the ice like I’d been glued down. []
Bone–deep cold flooded through every pore straight into my marrow.[]
I checked the time–I’d been in this freezer for at least five hours. And my limbs had turned black–purple.]]
To protect my baby, I tried to shift position in the tight space, but every tiny movement ripped away chunks of skin.]]
The movement in
my
y belly was getting weaker.
Ignoring the agony of tearing flesh, I repositioned myself to shield my belly, keeping it as warm as possible.
The clear ice blocks slowly turned crimson with my blood.[]
By the time I’d adjusted, the ice was completely blood–red.[]
The sick laughter around me died as everyone stared at the gore.]
Through the bloody haze, I screamed at Blake: “Blake, if anything happens to this baby, YOU’RE the one who killed your own son! I’ll pray to his spirit every damn day until you ROT IN HELL!“]]
Blake’s resolve started cracking. He moved closer, trying to see through the blood–stained glass.
In the dead silence, someone suddenly shouted: “Blake! My dad says there’s a plane on the Winston family’s private flight path!“]
Blake’s face went white. He punched the glass, screaming at me: “What’s this supposed to mean?! You gonna use your dead family to scare me for the REST OF MY LIFE?!“]]
Before I could answer, Claire rushed to comfort him, stroking his back.]
J
Looking at me with hurt accusation, she said: “Harper, if you don’t want to apologize, fine. But why torture Blake like this? You know how much he suffered when your dad was alive, Your dad’s been dead for six months, the Winston fortune is GONE. What’s the point of this charade?”
Then she grabbed Blake’s hard, her voice soft and pleading: “Just let her out, Blake. If something happens to the baby, we’ll be murderers. I don’t think Harper ever saw people like us as human anyway…“]
Claire’s words sent Blake into a fury. He cursed, then barked at his crew: “Set the freezer to negative 148 degrees! NOW!“]
Too scared to argue, they cranked the temperature to its lowest setting[]
Instantly, a blast of arctic air hit me through the vents. I was shaking so hard I couldn’t form words, my teeth chattering uncontrollably.[]
As consciousness faded, a sharp pain tore through my abdomen.[]
I forced myself to look down. Bright red blood was flowing from between my legs like a river, steaming in the frigid air.[]
The hot blood quickly melted the surrounding ice, seeping through the cracks.]
Finally understanding what was happening, I clutched my belly and screamed at Blake: “LET ME OUT! The baby! SAVE MY BABY!“[]
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He grabbed the nearest person, shaking them frantically: “The KEY! Get the freezer key! Didn’t the doctor say she’d be fine?! How is this happening?!“]
