into my bones. My teeth chattered, and my body shook uncontrollably. I was in the walk-in freezer, the same o

s my pu

th blueprints and building codes. I tripped. In my hands was a small, elegant b

t was a gift Chloe had meticulously chosen. Not for me, of course. It wa

her eyes turning to ice. "You clumsy fool," she said, her voi

. She shoved me into the freezer. "Two hours," she snarled. "Think ab

building a life together. I was an architect, talented but always struggling to m

ried to hide. I loved her. So I sold the small firm I had just started, cashed

arms and said, "Ethan, no one has eve

rue. I thought my selfless love

a family. But the cracks started to show. I found her journal hidden in a shoebo

he man she truly loved. "Ethan trapped me with his money," one entry read. "He pulled me aw

ther, but of Liam. "This is your real dad," she w

he would eventually see my devotion, that our family would heal. I worked ha

tting numb. I huddled in a corner, trying to preserve what little warmth

ther. An

ed. It was Leo. My son. "You ma

right at head level. "I don'

was nothing compared to the chill that spread through my soul. My son, my own flesh and blood, was on the ot

er was taking hold, a fire burning inside my frozen body

I heard a faint, frantic ringing. It wasn't in the freezer with me. It sounded li

This is Ms. Evans, Leo's teacher. I've been trying to reach you both

d Chloe's annoyed voice. "He's

at I called his cell phone first, and I could hear it ringing from

ht blinded me. Chloe stood there, her face a mask of irritation. She saw me collapsed on the floor, shivering

one. "Liam, honey, I'm so sorry. Something came up. Yes, my idiot husband broke the watch... No, it's fine

. She wasn't talking to Ms. Evans anymore. She was talking t

is face twisted in disgust.

ve, all the sacrifices-they were a joke. I had built my life aro

in protest. I stumbled past them, ignoring Ch

barely hold my phone. I ignored the missed calls from Ms. Evans. I opene

here. The first inte

ked "c

cheek. I vowed in that moment that I would neve