I shuddered violently, nearly suffocating from the cold.

That moment shattered the last trace of hope in my heart.

To him, I was never a wife—only a tool to please Vivian.

Vivian covered her mouth in feigned concern. “Darling, let it go. She’s already like a drowned rat.”

Daniel squeezed her hand, his eyes dripping with indulgence. “You’re just too soft-hearted. That’s why she bullies you. Did she think about you climbing the stairs in this heat while she sat in the elevator?”

Water streamed off my clothes, pooling at my feet before freezing into a thin sheet of ice.

My body shook uncontrollably, my jaw aching from the chattering of my teeth.

Suddenly, sharp pain twisted in my belly. The baby inside thrashed desperately, each contraction so intense my vision blurred.

“Daniel…” I begged with the last of my strength, my voice breaking. “The doctor said the baby isn’t stable… please… let me go to the hospital…”

Vivian’s eyes filled with tears as she tugged Daniel’s sleeve. “She’s still the wife of the chairman. She should see a doctor if she feels unwell. Not like me—I stumbled and hurt myself on the stairs and didn’t dare tell you.”

“Wife of the chairman?” Daniel sneered, his eyes slicing into me like knives.

“Without me, Emma Carter is nothing! I acknowledge her, she’s my wife. If I don’t, she’s just trash!”

The words stabbed into my chest like an icicle.

Back when he was just a poor graduate, I had defied my family, taken our marriage license, and married him.

In the early days of his startup, when he struggled with orders, I ran across the city negotiating deals, helping him build his company step by step.

On the day the company went public, he hugged me in tears, swearing I was the one he’d always be most grateful to.

And now?

He was tired of the wife who shared his hardships, and showered affection on his assistant instead.

Yet I still carried his child!

“Daniel… please…” I clutched my belly, barely able to stand, tears streaming down with the icy water.

“Baby Sam… he can’t hold on much longer…”

One of the guards glanced at my pale face and hesitated. “Mr. Miller, she really looks bad. And the baby is yours—”

Smack! Daniel’s slap cracked across the guard’s face.

“You care about her so much? You sleeping with her too?!”

The guard bowed his head quickly. “No, sir.”

Daniel roared louder, glaring at me. “Stop using the baby to threaten me! Who knows if that child is even mine!”

“What did you say?” I jerked my head up, stunned.

“Vivian told me,” Daniel scoffed. “You’ve been going to a hotel every week with the driver dropping you off. Who knows what you were doing there!”

“I didn’t!” I shook all over.

“I was negotiating deals for you! Mr. Brown only meets clients at the hotel café—don’t you remember?”

“Stop lying!” he cut me off violently. “Apologize to Vivian right now, or I’ll never let you go to the hospital.”

Vivian rubbed her eyes, pretending to cry. “Don’t be so hard on her, darling. I can endure a little injustice. I only nearly fell on the stairs—that’s all…”

Daniel immediately took off his coat, wrapping it around her, then turned his murderous glare back to me. “I gave you a chance. You chose to waste it.”

“Looks like you won’t understand rules unless I teach you a lesson!”

Daniel Miller stormed toward me like a lit firecracker, towering over me as he clenched his fist so tightly his knuckles turned white. When his punch came down, I could almost hear my bones crack under the impact.

“Vivian climbed the stairs until she was drenched in sweat, her ankle swollen, and you wouldn’t even apologize?”

He cursed as he kicked me in the side. “I’ll ask you one last time—will you admit you were wrong?”

Collapsed on the freezing ground, my bones felt shattered, and a metallic taste rose in my throat. My belly clenched in sharp spasms, each wave of pain worse than the last. I forced out three words through gritted teeth: “I… was… not… wrong…”

“Then die!” The last trace of warmth vanished from Daniel’s eyes. He raised his boot, the air hissing as it came down hard against my stomach.

“Ah—!” The pain crashed through me like a tidal wave. Curling into a ball, I felt something warm gush down my thigh.

Looking down, I saw the pale fabric of my dress soaked through—my water had broken!

“My water… my water broke!” I screamed, clutching at his pant leg in terror, my voice trembling.

“Daniel! Take me to the hospital! The baby’s coming!”

But Vivian Lee rushed in first, carrying the empty bucket they had used to drench me earlier. Before I could react, she slammed it down onto my swollen belly.

The jagged ice shards still clinging to the bucket pressed cruelly into me, the chill cutting through my soaked clothes. My amniotic fluid mixed with the freezing water, spilling across the floor.

“What are you doing?!” I shoved her away with the last of my strength, my vision blurring with pain.

Vivian staggered back two steps, her eyes welling up as she pouted innocently. “I… I thought since you looked like you were in so much pain, an ice compress would help… I just wanted to relieve it for you…”

“Emma, are you insane?!” Daniel pulled Vivian protectively behind him, his eyes blazing with rage.

“Vivian was only trying to help, and you pushed her? You think only your pregnancy matters? What about when Vivian was forced to climb stairs while pregnant? Did you care about her then?”

He turned to the guards and shouted, “Bring in the biggest ice block from the walk-in freezer!”

Two security guards in suits quickly carried in a block of ice as tall as half a man, frost clinging to its surface. It looked like it weighed dozens of pounds.

“She says she’s in pain, doesn’t she?” Daniel’s voice dripped with venom. “Then give her some ‘ice therapy.’ Let that block stop her whining.”

The guards hesitated, but moved forward anyway, lowering the looming ice toward me. The air itself felt sharp enough to split bone.

I shook my head in despair, tears mingling with blood as they fell. “No… Daniel… please…”

Just as the ice was about to touch my stomach, a thunderous voice roared from outside the freezer, filled with authority:

“Let’s see who dares touch her!”

Light spilled through the door crack, outlining a tall figure. Against the glow, I couldn’t see his face, but his presence tore through the icy despair surrounding me.

Through blurred vision, I recognized that once-familiar face. Michael Anderson stood in the doorway like a warrior of light, instantly shattering the darkness around me.

Daniel’s face flushed purple as he snarled, “Michael Anderson! This is Miller Corporation’s turf—you have no right to meddle!”

Michael didn’t even blink. Behind him, more than a dozen security guards in black suits filed in, their imposing presence filling the freezer with overwhelming pressure.

He strode quickly to my side, removing his suit jacket and carefully draping it over my frozen, soaked body.

As he lifted me into his strong arms, I felt the faint tremor in his muscles. The eyes that usually carried warmth and quiet smiles now brimmed with tears, burning with anger and heartbreak.

“You finally came…” My voice was barely a whisper, my eyelids heavy as lead.

Michael glanced down at me, his eyes instantly hardening into ice before he turned to face Daniel. His voice was sharp with fury: “You tortured Emma like this. Don’t you think you owe me an explanation?”

“She’s my wife! How I treat her is our family business—none of your damn concern!” Daniel shouted, his bravado masking his guilt.

“Family business?” Michael scoffed, holding me tighter.

“I’ve never heard of a husband locking his wife, on the verge of giving birth, in a walk-in freezer—drenching her with ice water and crushing her with ice blocks. That’s not family business. That’s a crime.”

Trying to stay calm, Daniel pointed at Vivian. “She bullied Vivian first! She made her climb stairs while pregnant. I was just standing up for her!”

“Vivian?” Michael’s eyes swept over the woman hiding behind Daniel like she was filth. “That pathetic mistress clinging to your side?”

Vivian bristled instantly, screeching, “Who are you calling a mistress? Emma bullied me, and Mr. Miller defended me! She didn’t even die!”

“You two worthless mongrels think you can ‘teach’ Emma a lesson?” Michael’s voice thundered.

“You’re not even worthy of standing in the same room with the Carter family.”

Vivian opened her mouth to argue, but Daniel yanked her back sharply. His face was pale, his voice low and urgent: “Shut up!”

Everyone knew Michael’s influence in New York City. To cross him was to risk seeing Miller Corporation collapse overnight.

Michael no longer wasted a glance on them. Instead, he looked down at me, speaking softly: “Emma, I’ll take you home.”

“You can’t take her! She belongs to me—she’s part of the Miller family!” Daniel shouted desperately.

Michael looked down at me. My whole body trembled, but I closed my eyes weakly. I didn’t want to spend another second here.

He understood. Raising his head, he spoke coldly to Daniel: “If you want her back, come to the Anderson estate yourself.”

Daniel opened his mouth but fell silent, unable to utter a word.

Michael carried me out. At the doorway, he stopped and tossed back one final sentence without looking: “In the meantime, consider this interest for Emma. You two can stay here and enjoy the cold.”

The freezer door slammed shut behind us, locking Daniel and Vivian inside with their screams echoing until silence fell.

I was rushed into an ambulance, my icy hand gripping Michael’s jacket tightly. My voice cracked: “Michael… save my baby… please… save him…”

“Don’t worry. I will…” His voice trembled despite his resolve.

Hearing his promise, the tension inside me finally snapped. Darkness swallowed me whole.

When I awoke again, the blinding white light made me dizzy. Instinctively, I reached for my belly—flat. The emptiness pierced through me like a blade.

“My baby…” I sat up abruptly, my voice raw and broken.

By my bedside, Michael’s bloodshot eyes and unshaven face revealed his exhaustion. He looked like he’d aged years in days. Bowing his head, his voice was heavy as stone. “Emma… I’m sorry. The freezer was too cold. Your body temperature dropped to dangerous levels. The baby… couldn’t survive.”