Punished in Ice

Icy iron chains locked around my wrists and ankles, fastening me to a stone pillar in the center of the cellar. The piercing cold surged up from the soles of my feet, spreading through my entire body, cutting through the thin maternity dress and drilling straight into my bones.

The cellar was empty, filled only with the slow drip of melting ice and the uncontrollable chattering of my teeth.

I curled in on myself, arms wrapped tightly around my belly, trying to warm the child inside with what little body heat I had left.

"Baby… I’m sorry. Mommy did this to you." My voice broke as tears fell onto the frozen floor, instantly turning into tiny beads of ice. "You have to be strong. I will protect you. We’ll get out of here… we will…"

The cold was like a greedy beast, devouring what little warmth remained. My hands and feet went numb. My thoughts began to blur.

I remembered the first time I met him. Back then, he had been distant, but not cruel like this.

Our marriage had been arranged between families. His family needed mine, and I had loved him in secret since I was young. I thought marrying him would be the beginning of happiness.

I never imagined it would become a nightmare.

Celine's existence had always been a thorn between us. She would constantly play weak in front of him, hinting that I bullied her. He never once gave me a chance to explain. Every time, he blamed me without question.

Once, she shattered an antique vase his mother had bequeathed to him, then cried and claimed I had pushed her. Without hesitation, he slapped me and locked me in my room without food for two days.

This time, all because I opened a window, he was willing to condemn both our child and me to death.

I didn’t know how long had passed when the cellar door cracked open, letting in a thin beam of light.

For one desperate moment, I thought he had changed his mind. I struggled to stand…

Only to see Celine, wrapped in a thick down coat, looking down at me from above, a smug smile playing on her lips.

"Vesper, how did you end up like this?" she said in feigned surprise. "He was just too worried about me and acted impulsively when he punished you. Please don’t blame him."

Rage surged through me at her performance. Summoning every last bit of strength, I screamed hoarsely, "You did this on purpose! Your cold was never that serious. You just wanted him to punish me!"

"Vesper, how can you say that?" Her eyes reddened with practiced grievance. "I only came to check on you out of concern, and you’re accusing me like this. If I had known, I wouldn’t have come at all."

She turned to leave, then deliberately raised her voice, "It’s so cold in here. Take care of yourself. Don’t make him worry."

The door shut again, plunging the cellar back into lifeless silence.

I knew she had come only to provoke me. She wanted to watch me suffer.

The cold intensified. A dull pain began to twist in my abdomen.

I knew what it meant.

My child was crying for help.

I struggled frantically, trying to break free from the chains, but they were too strong. No matter how hard I fought, they didn’t budge.

"Ronan… save me… save our child…"

I used the last of my strength to scream. My voice came out raw and broken, echoing through the empty cellar and reaching no one.