I remembered Alex kneeling in front of me back then, eyes red and swollen, swearing he would keep me warm for the rest of my life. He wouldn't even let me open the refrigerator door at home. He drew my baths. He warmed my blankets. He did everything.
And now, the same man had locked me in a freezer because I was in his way.
My lips trembled. My voice came out cold and steady despite the shaking.
"Let me out, Alex. Right now. Or you'll regret it."
"I'm Melvin's—"
A slap cracked across my face before I could finish.
"Regret?" Alex scoffed. "I've never regretted a single thing in my life. But go ahead, try me."
He straightened his cuffs. "I've got a birthday gala to attend. I'm not wasting any more time on you."
"Stay here and think about what you've done."
The steel door slammed shut with a deafening clang.
I curled into myself on the freezing floor. The old scar tissue along my ribs and spine screamed, each pulse of cold dragging the pain deeper. My vision blurred at the edges, consciousness slipping like sand through numb fingers.
Beside me, Irene's cries for help grew fainter and fainter.
On the other side of the hotel, Alex walked into the gala with Layla on his arm.