Chapter 3 After everything was hauled out , the apartment felt even emptier than before . But I didn't leave . I'd been packing while keeping Lily entertained ; she'd finally crashed on the couch , legs curled , breathing soft and steady . I sat beside her , patting her back , and kept ordering stuff on my phone - stuff I'd learned I needed the hard way . I bought forty , fifty boxes of those little alcohol wipes , a handful of big cartons of matches . When the Freeze hits , fire is everything . I cleaned out a store's stock of hand warmers enough to make the clerk's eyes bug out . The cold that comes later isn't just " very cold . " It's like needles . It finds the weak spots in your skin and keeps going . You don't just shiver - you hurt . By late afternoon I'd finished . I was still moving around when the door opened and David walked in . He smiled - wide , arms reaching for a hug like old times . I flinched the moment he stepped close . Even faint , the scent hit me : gardenia . Brittany's favorite perfume . I almost gagged . So obvious . The proof of their secret was sitting right under my nose last time , and I'd been blind . " What's wrong , babe ? " David asked , puzzled at my flinch . I swallowed the bile and smoothed my face . " Nothing . Hey - the preschool wants a quick parent - kid video . Can you .... play along for a sec ? " He nodded , totally unsuspecting . He crouched , ruffled Lily's hair, pinched her cheek until she squealed . He looked flawless - tall , straight nose , the kind of face my mom used to say " shows character . " Everyone always said I picked well . My parents loved him . I'd thought he was my safe place . Turns out the only one being safe was him . Using the school video as cover was shockingly easy . 1 I made him do a few takes - nod , smile , wave - and he did them like a good husband on cue . While he was distracted , I finalized the mortgage paperwork . Losing food and coats wasn't going to be the end of it this time . I wanted them to pay - literally - every scar Lily took in the last life . I raised money on a few platforms and pulled in about $ 280,000 to retrofit the other house and buy everything we'd need . 09:13 Bone - Chilling Revenge : Back to Make Them Freeze 1.3 % Chapter 3 I took on short - term , brutal loans for part of it , some with payback windows of only three days . When the Freeze hit , I wanted them to feel something close to the panic I felt . " Babe , the school's doing a family day thing . I'll take Lily for the weekend - two days tops , " I said , forcing a soft smile . He hesitated , then asked , like he always did , " You sure you don't want me to come ? " In the past I would've begged him to join every little thing . But he always had an excuse - work , meeting , whatever . He never once showed up . I'd accepted that as " busy husband " and swallowed my hurt . " You work hard . I'll handle it , " I told him , and saw that tiny flicker of relief in his eyes . I didn't miss it . Chapter 4 Chapter 4 Discover our latest featured short drama reel. Watch now and enjoy the story!