Chapter 1
The line went dead. Everyone outside just stared for a second, then burst out laughing.
“Nerissa, your daddy got fed to the sharks six months ago! Are you frozen stupid or just regular stupid?”
“Yeah, right! Still playing princess? Girl, even your dreams aren’t that delusional!”
Auren’s eyes lit up with satisfaction as his crews mocked me.He gently wrapped his coat around Orielle’s shoulders, pulled her close, and strolled over to my glass prison.
He tapped on the glass right in front of my face.
“Getting chilly in there, Nerissa? Ready to say sorry?”
The huge red display showed they’d cranked this thing down to -58°F.
I was shaking like crazy in my thin nightgown, my skin going blue and numb wherever it hit the floor. Every breath felt like ice picks stabbing through me.
I stumbled over to where they were standing and pounded on the glass.
“What the hell did I do wrong?! Turning on the AC when it’s 115 degrees?Pregnant women overheat easily!If I’d passed out, that would’ve killed me and baby!”
The rage sent a sharp cramp through my stomach. I doubled over, clutching my belly, and looked up at him with tears in my eyes.
“Let me out, Auren! You know what we went through for this baby—I can’t lose him!”
Something shifted in his expression. He knew exactly what this pregnancy had cost me.
An accident years back had basically left Auren sterile. I’d spent eight years getting stabbed with needles, thousands of procedures, just trying to get pregnant.
This baby was everything. Eight months of being so careful I barely breathed wrong.
He’d broken a maid’s arm once because her water wasn’t hot enough. Now he was freezing me to death over Orielle’s period cramps.
I was about to say more when Orielle suddenly threw off the mink coat, tears streaming down her face.
“Auren,just let her out. She’s not tough like me—she can’t handle this. I’m used to it, you know? Growing up poor, passing out from cold AC and never complaining…”
Passing out? I had the AC on for thirty fucking minutes! When I left his office, she was texting her friends about happy hour!
I opened my mouth to call out her bullshit, but Auren’s face went dark.
“Someone get in there and strip her down! She thinks she’s so delicate? Time to learn what real suffering looks like!”
He picked up the coat and wrapped it around Orielle like she was made of glass, staring at me with pure hatred.
“You’re staying in there until you admit you were wrong!Doctor says the baby’s perfectly healthy—don’t try to use him as an excuse!”
Then he scooped Orielle up in his arms, his voice going all soft and sweet.
“Baby, you can’t get cold during your period. Just stay right here in my arms!”
