Maya didn’t know how much time had passed. She regained consciousness in a haze, her body throbbing with sharp, radiating pain. A suffocating pressure crushed her chest. She was trapped.

She tried to pry her eyes open, only to realize she wasn’t in a hospital recovery room. She had been dumped into a cramped, airless storage closet.

Deep, cramping agony ripped through her lower abdomen. A warm, slick sensation spread beneath her, soaking through her thin hospital gown and pooling on the cold, concrete floor.

"Is anyone there?" she croaked. "Open the door! Please, let me out!"

She pounded against the wood, her hands weak, her voice a ragged, trembling mess.

Soft footsteps echoed outside. Then, a voice she knew too well—icy and detached. Her mother, Martha. "Maya, be quiet."

Peter followed, his tone heavy with irritation. He sighed, the sound of him rubbing his temples audible through the door. "You took things too far. You promised to terminate the pregnancy, but behind our backs, you had Alexandria locked in the deep freezer. You know she’s been terrified of the cold since she was a child. She nearly went into shock!"

"Keeping you here for the day is lenient," Peter added, his voice hardening. "Consider it a necessary lesson in discipline."

Maya felt as if she’d been struck by lightning. Her blood turned to ice. *She* had locked Alexandria in a freezer?

"I didn't!" she screamed, though her voice was distorted by agony. "I never did such a thing! Bring her here—let her face me!"

"Sister..." Alexandria’s voice drifted through the gap, dripping with practiced, fragile innocence. "I’m okay, really. It was just a little cold. Mom, Dad, please... don’t keep her locked up anymore. I’m fine."

"See? Look at Alexandria’s grace," Martha snapped. "And look at you. So malicious. You nearly killed her, and we’ve only locked you away for a day without food or water. It’s a mercy. And yet, you still refuse to admit your fault."

A day? Without food or water? She had just undergone surgery.

The absurdity of it stole her breath. She shivered, her teeth chattering as the cold seeped into her bones. "Mom... Dad... I have claustrophobia. I can't be in here! I just had surgery... I’m hemorrhaging... please, take me to the hospital..."

"Enough with the dramatics!" Peter interrupted, his voice dismissing her like a child’s tantrum. "Claustrophobia? A convenient excuse. We aren't falling for your act again. Stay there and think about your sins."

Maya’s heart plummeted into an abyss. She shifted her gaze, knowing he was standing there, too.

"Callahan..." she whispered, clutching at a shred of hope. "Just believe me, once. If I wanted to hurt her, why would I have agreed to let her come back? Why would I have... let them end the pregnancy?"

Silence hung in the air.

Then, Callahan’s voice cut through, cold and devoid of life. "Maya, actions have consequences. It’s just a day. Bear it. Consider it a lesson."

Just bear it? A lesson?

The final spark of hope died. A chilling despair wrapped around her heart, tightening with every breath. How could she have forgotten? Callahan loved Alexandria. That had never changed. She had spent five years trying to melt his ice, yet here she was, foolishly hoping he’d choose her over his favorite toy.

The footsteps faded into the distance. She pounded until her knuckles bled, but there was no response.

Darkness. Suffocation. The metallic tang of blood. The biting cold. She curled into a ball on the filthy floor, her sanity fraying at the edges. Panic rose in her throat, choking off her oxygen until, finally, the world went black.

When she regained consciousness, the air smelled of sterile white walls and disinfectant. Her body felt like it had been put through a grinder—her abdomen, her back—but the suffocating darkness was gone.

A nurse was adjusting her IV drip. When she saw Maya’s eyes flutter open, she spoke with a detached, clinical tone. "You’re finally awake. There are signs of infection and significant blood loss from your procedure. You’ll need to be hospitalized for a few days of observation. We need a family member to handle the paperwork. Where are they? You need to notify someone."

Maya’s lips cracked as she spoke, her voice a dry, rasping whisper. "I don't have family here. Just hire a private nurse for me. The best one you have. I’ll cover the costs."

Before the words had even left her mouth, the hospital door swung open. Callahan stepped inside.