When I was eight months pregnant, a wave of violent contractions hit me. I begged my husband, Calvin Finley, to take me to the hospital. But he refused, because his widowed sister-in-law was also giving birth that day.

To keep my child from being born first and becoming the first grandchild of the Finley family, Calvin locked me inside an industrial freezer kept at minus twenty degrees Celsius.

"Debbie's baby has to come first," he said coldly. "She has nothing, while you already have all my love. The family inheritance should go to her child.

"The cold will slow your labor. Wait until it's your turn to give birth."

The contractions tore through me until I felt like my body was splitting apart. I dropped to my knees, begging him to take me to the hospital.

But he kicked me to the ground.

"Don't think I don't see what you're doing," he snapped. "You want to give birth early and fight for my father's inheritance, don't you?

"Bonita, I can't believe how low you'd sink—risking your child's health just to compete with her? Have some shame."

My voice trembled as I tried to explain.

"My due date is in these few days. The baby could come any minute. I swear, we won't fight for the inheritance—I can write a statement! Please, Calvin... I just want the baby safe."

He yanked his trouser leg free from my grip with a sharp jerk and scoffed.

"You're full of schemes. Who knows what tricks you're planning? As the father, I want this baby to be safe, too. After Debbie delivers, I'll come back for you."

He only remembered my existence when he saw Debbie holding her newborn. He told his secretary to bring me to the hospital.

But the secretary trembled as he spoke.

"Mrs. Finley and the baby... They're both... gone."

***

I had clawed my way to the freezer door just before it locked. My fingers were crushed in the gap—the sound of my bones snapping was horrifyingly clear.

The pain, combined with the contractions, forced a scream out of me. But Calvin, thrilled by Debbie's delivery, heard nothing.

Warm liquid spilled down my legs. The baby was coming.

Terror washed over me. I forced myself to stay conscious and reached for my phone.

But Calvin actually removed the SIM card!

Then he kicked my belly hard. The blow made my abdomen lurch violently, the baby twisting inside as if trying to break free.

I didn't know if I was soaked in sweat or blood. My fingers brushed against icy shards—amniotic fluid, frozen solid.

But I still screamed with all my strength. Even the smallest chance of rescue—I couldn't give it up.

Finally, footsteps approached outside.

I shouted hoarsely, "Help! I'm locked in the freezer! I'm about to give birth!"

I repeated it over and over, thinking I was finally saved. But then I heard a familiar voice.

"Serves you right, Bonita. Calvin should have put you in your place a long time ago!"

It was Rosie Finley, his sister.

I forced myself to speak clearly.

"Rose, get me out. I'm in labor—this is real. It can't wait!"

She flew into a rage, kicking the door, her voice jarring.

"You want me to let you out so you can ruin Debbie's delivery? Calvin told me to watch you.

"Stop causing trouble. Calvin already has a lot on his plate.

"Our family's money goes to the one who deserves it—not someone like you!"

A contraction stabbed through me, and I screamed.

Gasping, I promised, "I won't want a single cent from your family. Tell Calvin—just let me out. I'll stay away from your family forever."

My crying only annoyed her.

"Shut up! Stop shouting!" she snapped, her voice filled with disgust. "One more sound and I'll have someone shut you up for good!"

Then she made a call.

The freezing air and the pain were unbearable.

"Yeah, don't worry, Calvin. She's not going anywhere."

Hearing his voice gave me a sliver of hope.

I mustered all my remaining strength and shouted.

"Calvin! I'm in labor! Tell Rose to take me to the hospital!"

The immense pain made me shout uncontrollably.

Rosie hesitated.

"Calvin..." she said in a small voice, "she might really be in labor. It sounds real.

"Maybe I should take her. This is your only child—what if something happens?"

Calvin paused, as if considering it. Then his tone softened.

"Take her—"

Just then, a delicate woman's voice came through. "Cal, I want pizza. The doctor says I need food for energy.

"Is Bonnie about to give birth, too? Don't worry—giving birth doesn't hurt at all. I don't feel anything. Believe it or not, I can even dance for you right now. I'm sure Bonnie feels the same."

Of course, Debbie Tanner—Calvin's widowed sister-in-law—wouldn't be in pain. Calvin had placed her in a private hospital suite costing 25,000 dollars a day. She has been well taken care of.

Calvin took Debbie's word for it.

His tone turned cold and stern again as he berated Rosie, "What could possibly happen? Bonita is so scheming—she'd never put herself at a disadvantage.

"She's just pretending to be in pain so you'll let her out. Don't fall for it."

Then he hung up.

Furious at being scolded, Rosie actually brought her pet snake inside.

"This is all your fault, you bitch. Now you can have some fun with my snake."

In the next second, the snake wrapped around my neck.

Its cold body terrified me, and I cried out in panic. Suddenly, it tightened, cutting off my air.

I tried to take a deep breath to stay calm. Then, with one hand cradling my belly, I gathered my courage and grabbed the snake with the other, trying to pry it off.

But it bit my hand. The pain made me jerk back, too scared to try again.

I lay helpless on the floor, tears rolling silently into my temples, feeling a sharp, twisting pain spread from my abdomen through my whole body.

Just as I was nearing unconsciousness, the snake suddenly loosened and slid around me, biting me repeatedly.

But I barely felt any pain. In a daze, I even saw a strand of light, as if beckoning me.

Just when I thought I was dying, Rosie showed up again out of nowhere.

She whistled, and the snake slid back to her.

She banged heavily on the door, but I no longer had the strength to make a sound.

A little panicked, she unlocked it with her key.

The freezer was dim. She had to crouch down and yank my hair to barely see my face.

She snorted coldly, slamming my head against the floor.

"You vile bitch. Scared of my sweet snake baby, huh?

"What's stopping you from screaming now? Why aren't you keeping up the act?"

The disgust in her eyes was unmistakable.

"You only stopped because you knew Calvin wouldn't let you out no matter what," she scoffed. "Selfish as always. You'd never do anything that hurts your own interests."

She fiddled with her snake. A sliver of light from the doorway fell on it, and she saw the blood on it.

Flaring up, she kicked me hard in the belly.

"Bonita, how dare you hurt my baby snake! His life is worth much more than yours!"

Her heart broke at the sight of her injured pet.

"If he dies because of you, I'll make sure Calvin divorces you. Debbie is the one he loves anyway. With you gone, they can finally be together.

"And don't dream about taking that baby you fought so hard for with you!"

She stood up, turned the freezer temperature down another ten degrees out of pure spite, and left.

I trembled violently from the cold.

Drifting in and out of consciousness, I thought I heard my baby crying.

In the darkness, my little one called me Mommy, over and over, begging for help.

I couldn't hold back—I broke down sobbing. I could have seen my baby, held it in my arms today... I was so close.

Why? Why would fate play such a cruel joke on my baby and me?

I roared, the helplessness piercing my heart.

The chance of getting help felt remote. Enduring the sharp pain, I stroked my belly gently, talking to my baby.

If it were possible, I hoped in the next life, it would be born into a family where its daddy loved its mommy. Only then would it be happy.

My breathing grew weaker and weaker, and I felt as if all my blood had frozen solid.

Just then, someone unlocked the heavy door and flicked on the light.

He froze, startled by the horrifying sight of me lying in a pool of blood.

With the last of my strength, I crawled forward and made a sound. "H-Help..."

He was so scared his voice shook.

"Who are you? What did you do to offend Mr. Finley so badly that he'd punish you like this?"

He seemed deeply wary.

"I... I'm Calvin's wife," I managed, stretching out my blood-stained hand with great difficulty.

The diamond on my finger was barely recognizable.

"This is the ring he gave me... It's one of a kind."

The ring convinced him I wasn't lying. Just as he was about to help me up, he hesitated and called Calvin.

"Mr. Finley, I came to the freezer for inventory, and your wife is in here. She's covered in blood. Should I take her to the hospital?"

Calvin sounded confused.

"Blood? Whose blood? Did she hurt Rose's snake that badly? No wonder Rose's upset."

Calvin's tone turned firm.

Don't take her. It's not her blood. She's fine. I'll pick her up myself later."

The man tried to explain, but Calvin had already hung up ruthlessly.

Left with no choice, the man walked past me.

After moving the goods, he surprisingly came back, wrestling with his conscience.

"You're pregnant. I can't just leave you like this. My wife is pregnant too—if I walked away, I wouldn't know how to face her."

He dragged me out of the freezer and called an ambulance.

I breathed a shaky sigh of relief at being rescued.

But after I was taken to the hospital, there were no available beds or equipment for me to deliver.

Worried that something might happen during Debbie's delivery, Calvin had privately reserved all the hospital equipment in advance.

Given my urgent condition, for my safety, the doctor decided to transfer me to a private hospital with the proper facilities.

The doctor pulled out my phone, found the contact saved as "Honey", and dialed.

"Hello. Is this Bonita Preston's family? You need to come to the private hospital now. She's in danger and at risk of an amniotic fluid embolism."

Calvin was obviously impatient.

He raised his voice and snapped, "Bonita, good for you! You actually got out and even found someone to help you lie to me?

"You know what? I'll never come back, no matter what tricks you pull. I know your condition better than anyone. Nothing will happen to you.

"Stay there and wait to give birth. Stop disgusting me with your lousy acting."

The doctor looked at me with sympathy, then turned to her colleague.

"Get her to the private hospital first. We'll assist once equipment is available."

To my surprise, I was taken to the very hospital where Debbie was staying.

The doctor tried her best to reason with Calvin, but he wouldn't spare a single set of equipment.

Through the thin wall, I heard his harsh reply.

"I don't care who your patient is. I won't put Deb's life at risk. No way. I need her to be one hundred percent safe."

I slumped to the floor, utterly drained. Just then, I met the gaze of someone outside the door.

It was Calvin's secretary.

His eyes widened when he saw me, though he couldn't be sure it was really me.

I tried to speak, but he had already hurried toward Calvin.

"Mr. Finley, there's a pregnant woman covered in blood outside. It looks like ... it might be Mrs. Finley."

Calvin frowned.

Rubbing his fingertips, he said firmly, "Impossible. In her condition, she couldn't be here."

His secretary lowered his voice.

"Maybe ... you should step out and check. If it really is Mrs. Finley, then ... she and the baby could be in serious danger."

Calvin glared at him.

"Didn't you hear me? I said it's impossible! If it were her, she wouldn't just be waiting outside. She'd have barged in by now, demanding inheritance. Besides, she's too selfish to ever let herself end up covered in blood."

Meanwhile, the doctor continued pleading for equipment, but Calvin threatened her job.

Left with no choice, she stepped out and apologized to me—there was nothing more she could do.

But now that I was out of the freezer, I wouldn't give up on the slightest chance for my baby's survival, even though that chance was nearly zero.

Enduring the piercing pain, I cradled my belly with one hand and borrowed the doctor's phone with the other. Then I dialed the number I knew by heart.

"Dad, please ... help me. I'll never disobey you again."

Instead of asking why I sounded so strange, my father simply asked for my location.

I broke down crying the moment I heard his voice—overwhelmed by regret, grief, and everything else.

Within fifteen minutes, the helicopter he'd dispatched arrived.

Rows of doctors stepped out.

I was lifted onto the helicopter, which was fully equipped as a mobile medical unit.

The doctors began working urgently to deliver the baby.

Dozens of scalpels moved across my abdomen. Even with anesthesia, I could feel the pain.

After what felt like forever, one of them let out a sigh of relief. "The baby is out!"

But I heard no cries.

My heart felt pierced by an invisible blade, and a terrible dread washed over me. I asked through sobs, "Is my baby ... healthy?"

The doctor gently pressed me back onto the bed and said gravely, "Calm down. The baby's condition isn't ideal. We need to return to the island for further treatment."

Too numb to think, I could only nod.

As the helicopter lifted off, I called out to my father's trusted aide.

"What about Calvin? Once I'm gone, he'll come looking for me at all costs."

He patted my hand.

"You have nothing to worry about. Mr. Preston has it all figured out."

Calvin stood guard outside the operating room. The moment the doors opened, his first question was whether Debbie was safe.

After entering the hospital room, he picked up the newborn.

Gently, with joy in his eyes, he said, "She's pretty. She looks just like you, Deb."

He paused slightly after saying it.

Who would Bonita's baby look like? If it were a girl, she'd probably favor her mother, which meant she'd be a pretty baby, too.

After coaxing the baby to sleep, he turned to leave. It was already the next day—time to pick Bonita up from the freezer and bring her to the hospital.

Just then, he saw his secretary. He tossed him the car keys.

"Drive to the freezer and bring Bonnie to the hospital."

The secretary didn't dare look up, his eyes full of fear. He stood trembling, unmoving.

Calvin grew impatient.

Then, his secretary spoke, teeth chattering, "Mrs. Finley and the baby... They're dead."