As the minutes dragged into what felt like hours, Emily Parker’s resolve hardened alongside the frost clinging to her eyelashes. Each shallow breath was agony, but giving up wasn’t an option. Her mind clung to one thought—her unborn child. That tiny heartbeat was her anchor, the reason she couldn’t stop fighting.
The silence of the walk-in freezer was deafening, broken only by the faint hum of machinery. Panic threatened to take over, but Emily forced her mind to focus. She scanned the metal shelves, her eyes locking onto a small utility knife left behind by a careless worker. Her numb fingers reached out, trembling, and grasped the handle.
Pain radiated through her limbs as she chipped at the frost-covered hinge of the door. Every movement felt impossible, every second longer than the last. But Emily pressed on. Her body was failing, yet her spirit—fueled by anger and maternal instinct—kept her alive.
Images of Daniel flashed in her mind: his charming smile, his whispered lies, the betrayal that led her here. With each strike of the knife, she was no longer just breaking ice—she was shattering the illusion of the man she once loved.
The sound of cracking metal echoed like thunder in her frozen prison. Emily’s breaths came in gasps, her hands bleeding from the effort. Still, she whispered softly to the child growing inside her. “Hold on,” she murmured. “We’re not done yet.”
At last, with one final strike, the hinge cracked. Emily braced herself, summoning every ounce of strength left in her body, and pushed against the heavy door. It resisted at first—then creaked open, letting in a rush of warm air that felt like salvation.
She stumbled forward, collapsing to her knees, gasping as the world outside the freezer blurred before her eyes. But she was alive. She was free. And she wasn’t done yet.
