He Locked Me in a Freezer on Our Anniversary

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On our fifth wedding anniversary, Nate Thorne locked me in an industrial freezer, forcing me to chisel out my discarded wedding ring from a one-ton block of solid ice with my bare hands.

My hands were frozen purple, blood dripping down the chisel.

Nate, I really can't chisel anymore

He stood a few feet away, his expensive coat untouched by the cold. "Can't chisel? When your parents drove drunk and killed my whole family, why didn't they say they couldn't hit the brakes?"

Just then, his new girlfriend, Sera Bloom, walked in in high heels and kicked over a bucket of ice water, drenching me.

"Nate, she won't die, will she?"

Nate Thorne didn't even glance at me. "Don't worry about her. She's not going anywhere."

Then he wrapped an arm around Sera and turned to leave, his voice as gentle as if he were soothing a child: "Are you cold, Sera?"

I lay in the biting ice water, watching him embrace her and walk away.

This was the man I had loved for ten years.

Five years ago, he knelt and put a ring on my finger, promising to treat me like a princess.

Now, he was doting on someone else, and he wanted me dead.

Elara Vance pov

On the fifth anniversary of our marriage, Nate Thorne forced me into an industrial freezer, demanding I use my bare hands to chisel out the wedding ring he'd thrown away, from a one-ton block of solid ice.

The freezer room was bitterly cold, the white mist stinging my face like needles.

I knelt on the freezing, biting floor, clutching a rusty chisel, repeatedly striking the massive ice block before me.

My hands were already purple and swollen from the cold, blood streaming down the chisel, staining the pure white ice with shocking red.

"Nate, I really I can't chisel anymore"

My voice was hoarse, my teeth chattering uncontrollably.

Nate Thorne stood a few feet away, dressed in a perfectly tailored black designer coat.

"Can't chisel?"

Nate sneered,

"When your parents drove drunk, speeding, and smashed my mom, dad, and sister into bloody pieces, why didn't they say they couldn't hit the brakes?"

"I'm sorry"

Desperate tears welled up, freezing on my eyelashes.

I'd uttered those apologies millions of times over the past five years; it had become a habit.

"But my parents have already died to atone for that accident. Isn't that isn't that enough?"

"Their deaths won't bring my family back!"

Nate Thorne suddenly kicked the ice block, shaking me to the ground. My palm scraped against sharp ice shards, instantly drawing blood.

"Elara Vance, it's only been five years, and you can't take it anymore? When you begged me to marry you, didn't you say you'd do anything for me? Now I'm just asking you to find a ring, and you're feeling wronged?"

He abruptly let go, pulling out a handkerchief with disgust to wipe his fingers, then gave a look to the bodyguard behind him:

"Watch her. Keep chiseling. She's not allowed out until she finds the ring."

The freezer door was left ajar, and bitter cold wind continuously poured in.

I trembled all over from the pain, my stomach cramping, yet I was powerless to resist.

When would this torment finally end?

I didn't know.

"Nate, didn't we say we'd go to the concert? What's going on here?"

A sweet, delicate female voice suddenly came from the freezer doorway.

I looked through my blurry vision and saw Sera Bloom standing there in a pure white down jacket, a soft red scarf wrapped around her neck.

She was like the only warm presence in this icy world, her features pure, radiating an innocent charm.

My breath hitched, my heart squeezed tight by an invisible hand.

Sera did she looked exactly like my twenty-two-year-old self.

No wonder Nate chose to keep her by his side.

Upon seeing Sera, the ice in Nate's eyes instantly melted.

He hurried over, naturally adjusted her scarf, his voice so tender it could drip honey:

"Sera, can you wait a bit? Today is Elara's and my wedding anniversary, and I'm giving her a gift."

Hearing this, Sera glanced at me dismissively, then tugged at Nate playfully:

"Don't waste time on someone not worth it, okay? It's so cold in here, I'm going to catch a cold."

Nate fell silent. Clearly, he couldn't bear for Sera to suffer the cold.

So he took off his coat and draped it over Sera's shoulders, gently changing the subject:

"Good girl, are you hungry? I'll take you to dinner right now."

With that, he took Sera's hand, ready to leave.

However, as she passed me, Sera deliberately 'slipped,' kicking over a bucket of ice water meant for the ice block, sending it pouring directly over me.

The ice water splashed down on my head, and I shivered violently. The biting cold instantly pierced my bones, freezing my breath.

"Ah!"

Sera gasped, hiding in Nate's arms.

"I didn't mean to! Nate, she won't be hurt, will she?"

Nate didn't even glance at me:

"Don't worry about her. Evil ones always cling to life; she won't die."

He took Sera's hand, frowning slightly.

"Your fingers got splashed with water."

Just a tiny bit of water on her fingertip, yet Nate treated it like a fragile object, tenderly blowing on it at his lips:

"Cold? Let's get back to the car and turn on the heat."

Sera leaned into his embrace, tilting her head to kiss his cheek: "Just hold me, and I won't be cold."

Nate cupped her waist, deepening the kiss.

I lay in the biting ice water, listening to the sounds of their lips intertwining, my heart aching as if torn by knives.

"Sera"

In a moment of passion, Nate gently whispered Sera's pet name.

After the kiss, Nate half-embraced Sera, and without looking back, told the bodyguard:

"Keep an eye on her while she chisels. If she doesn't finish, keep her in the freezer overnight."

He paused, his voice as cold as ice,

"This body of hers is the only thing left worth tormenting."

I watched him embrace Sera and walk away, my heart feeling torn in two.

Elara Vance pov

The time when Nate and I were in love felt like a very distant memory now.

On this day five years ago, we should have been the happiest newlyweds.

Nate held me in his arms, kissing my forehead, saying:

"Elara, I've finally married you. From now on, my life is yours."

But now, he held another woman in his arms, and he wanted my life.

They grew up together, from kindergarten to college, always inseparable. Everyone knew how much Nate loved me.

Late at night, I'd casually mention wanting cake from the west side of town, and he'd drive two hours in a snowstorm to buy it;

When I had period cramps, he'd stay up all night rubbing my stomach;

On the day he proposed, he knelt and put a ring on my finger, saying he'd pamper me like a little princess for the rest of my life.

Until the day our wedding was supposed to happen, a car crash changed everything.

My parents, rushing to attend the wedding, drove drunk and sped, killing Nate's entire family.

That day, a joyous occasion turned into a tragedy, and lovers became enemies.

He lost his father, his mother, and his sister. From then on, he was the only one left of his family.

His hatred was boundless. He used his connections to send my parents directly to prison.

The last time I visited them, I was informed that my parents had taken their own lives.

The two elders had already been tormented and emaciated in prison, clinging to their last breaths.

They gently stroked my cheek, sobbing and comforting me:

"Elara, your parents did wrong and deserve to atone for their sins, but you did nothing wrong. You must live well"

"Nate hates you, but he once loved you deeply Please, your parents are begging you, no matter what happens next, you must hold on for five years. If after five years, you still can't find hope to live, then then come and join us."

That day, my parents died.

And I became the one to continue atoning for Nate's family.

Five years, over 1,800 days and nights, I was tormented by Nate in various ways.

Kneeling in the snow in winter, locked in an air-conditioner-less room in the scorching summer, forced to eat foods I was allergic to

Countless times I wanted to die, but because of that five-year promise, I was pulled back from hell again and again.

Until three months ago, Sera appeared.

She looked like me from back then, her demeanor also similar. She was a carefully chosen replacement for Nate.

He gave all his love to this stand-in, and vented all his torment on me, the original.

His methods of torture were already bizarre; I should have been used to them.

But watching them kiss countless times, hearing him call her "Sera," witnessing him dote on her just as he used to dote on me, I still felt a suffocating pain.

Now, only seven days remained until the five-year mark.

In the cold freezer, I touched the family photo hidden in my pocket, my fingertips already numb from the cold.

The three people in the photo smiled brightly, a dream now out of reach.

"Dad, Mom"

I whispered softly, my body slowly tilting towards the icy surface.

"I'll hold on for seven more days After seven days I'll come find you"

When I woke up again, it was already noon the next day.

I lay on the cold, hard bed in the guest room, my wet clothes having been casually changed by a maid. A high fever made my body burning hot, and my bones ached from being soaked in ice water.

My hands were covered in chilblains and cracks, and the slightest movement caused piercing pain.

I touched the family photo over my heart, remembering the five-year promise with my parents

Six days left.

I had to listen to my parents and try to find hope to live.

Elara Vance pov

I glanced at the calendar on the nightstand, seeing that special day circled in red. I remembered it was Nate Thorne's birthday.

Just one last try.

I forced myself to endure the stinging pain in my hands and the dizziness from the high fever, working in the kitchen for a whole afternoon.

My fingers, numb from frostbite, wouldn't obey, and the whisk dropped to the floor several times. Each time, I picked it up, washed it clean, and continued.

The cake batter burned twice, but I patiently started over.

By evening, a delicate Black Forest cake was finally complete. It was Nate's favorite flavor from before.

I then dug out old photo albums, selecting a few pictures of us from our youth, and, enduring my trembling hands, made a handmade photo album.

Finally, I gathered my courage and sent Nate a message:

[Nate, I'm waiting for you at our usual spot. I have something I want to tell you.]

After the message sent, I left and went to the riverside restaurant we used to frequent.

I arrived half an hour early, placed the cake and gift on the table, and waited nervously.

Nate was an hour late.

When he pushed open the door, he was dressed in a well-tailored black suit, his eyes stern. Upon seeing the cake on the table, his expression instantly turned extremely grim.

"Did you forget I don't celebrate my birthday after my parents died?"

He said coldly, walking forward and mercilessly knocking over the cake.

The delicate Black Forest cake crashed to the floor, shattering into pieces, cream splattering onto my skirt, but I didn't flinch:

"I know but after all these years, my parents have died to atone for their mistakes, and I've suffered so much torment"

My voice trembled, and I looked up at him, with a last sliver of hope,

"Can we let each other go and start over?"

"No!"

Nate answered decisively,

"The torment you've endured is far less than a tenth of what I experienced back then!"

He leaned in close, hands braced on the table, his eyes brimming with immense hatred:

"Elara Vance, because of your parents' drunk driving, I watched my mom, dad, and sister die right in front of me. My loving grandfather saw their bodies and died of a brain hemorrhage from grief. Overnight, my family was destroyed!"

He suddenly reached out and squeezed my chin, his nails almost digging into my flesh:

"You want me to let it go? How can I? Every time I see your face, I remember how my parents died!"

My tears rolled down, hitting his hand:

"I'm sorry I really"

"Nate!"

A clear voice interrupted her.

Sera Bloom, wearing a white sweater, ran in, holding a delicate glass jar filled with colorful paper cranes.

"Happy Birthday!"

Her smile was bright, and she handed the jar to Nate, seemingly oblivious to my disheveled state.

"I folded them myself, a thousand of them. From now on, every time you take one out, you can make a wish to me."

Nate froze, his hand clutching my chin abruptly loosening.

My heart felt like it was gripped by an invisible hand, and even my breaths tasted of blood.

This scene was too familiar.

When I was eighteen, I had also given Nate a jar of paper cranes just like this, saying the exact same words.

"Sera"

Nate's voice was a little hoarse, the hostility in his eyes instantly dissipating.

He took the jar, his fingertips gently tracing the glass surface, his gaze distant.

The next second, he suddenly pulled Sera into a hug, his voice so tender it could drip honey:

"I love this gift. Thank you, Sera."

Sera shot me a triumphant glance, then hugged Nate back:

"As long as you like it."

I sat there, my fingers stroking the neglected handmade photo album, my heart feeling like it was being sliced by a dull knife, instantly a bloody mess.

I hadn't expected that it wasn't someone else who defeated me, but my past self.

Nate would always hate the current me, but deeply loved the girl from his memories.

Watching the two embrace intimately, I didn't have the courage to watch anymore.

I stood up, stumbled out of the restaurant, and drove into the night.

The neon lights outside the car window blurred into a streak, and tears fell uncontrollably.

I wiped them away, but new tears welled up, endless.

I thought I had long since become numb, but it turned out I still felt pain.

Just as the car was about to pass an intersection, a white figure suddenly rushed out from the roadside.

Elara Vance pov

With a loud bang, the car slammed to a halt.

I trembled all over, my mind blank.

I looked up to see a figure thrown from the front of the car, landing heavily on the ground.

It was Sera?

I scrambled out of the car, my legs weak, and ran over. Sure enough, I saw Sera lying on the ground, a striking pool of blood spreading beneath her.

"Sera!"

Nate Thorne's agonizing shout came from behind. He had clearly followed me out.

He rushed forward like a madman, pushing me aside and scooping up the unconscious Sera.

"Elara Vance! Wasn't it enough that your family killed all of mine? Why can't you leave even her alone now?!"

I was pushed to the ground, trembling all over:

"It wasn't me she just rushed out suddenly"

Nate didn't listen at all. He got into the bodyguard's car that had just arrived, carrying Sera, only throwing back one instruction:

"Take her to the hospital. Make her kneel outside the emergency room to atone!"

Two bodyguards stepped forward, roughly grabbed me, and shoved me into another car.

Outside the emergency room, Nate stood at the end of the corridor, his back tense.

I was forced to stand on the cold floor, my vision blurring from the high fever, but I dared not move.

"If anything happens to her, Elara Vance, I'll make you pay with your life."

Nate's voice was as cold as ice, every word like a knife piercing my heart.

I lowered my head, tears silently hitting the ground.

Time ticked by, minute by minute, until finally, the emergency room light went out.

The doctor walked out, removing his mask, his expression grave:

"Mr. Thorne, Ms. Bloom's kidney was severely damaged in the accident, leading to a major hemorrhage. She urgently needs a kidney transplant, otherwise her life is in danger."

Nate's face changed drastically:

"Arrange for matching immediately! No matter the cost, she must be saved!"

The doctor nodded:

"Ms. Bloom has a rare RH-negative blood type. She needs a compatible donor, and the blood bank is currently short on blood, let alone a suitable kidney source."

Nate's gaze shifted, fixing on me, kneeling on the ground, his voice chilling to the bone:

"She's RH-negative. Make her get tested for a match."

I looked up, my body trembling as I stared at him.

He wanted me to donate a kidney to Sera?

I tried to stand up, trembling, but was instantly held down firmly by the bodyguards.

Nate walked over, looking down at me, his eyes devoid of any warmth:

"Elara Vance, this is what you owe me, and what you owe her. You have no right to refuse!"

I trembled all over, tears blurring my vision.

"Nate"

My voice choked, carrying a desperate plea, humble to the bone,

"Are you really going to do this to me? Without a kidney, I"

"You won't die."

Nate coldly cut me off, then turned to the doctor,

"Arrange the surgery immediately! Take her blood, use her kidney!"

I was forcibly dragged into the examination room. The matching results came quicklya perfect match.

Before I was pushed into the operating room, Nate, as my spouse, signed the surgical consent form without hesitation.

I lay on the cold operating table, looking at the dazzling surgical lights above, the cold clinking of instruments echoing in my ears.

The anesthesiologist walked over with a syringe. In a daze, I remembered the past.

Fifteen-year-old Nate carrying me, feverish, running three blocks to the hospital, sweating profusely but refusing to put me down.

Eighteen-year-old Nate, crying with concern because I accidentally cut my hand while chopping vegetables, and from then on, never letting me into the kitchen again.

Twenty-year-old Nate, when I broke out in hives from a seafood allergy, stayed by my bedside all night, applying medicine.

Once upon a time, if I felt even a tiny bit of discomfort, he would be heartbroken, his eyes red, wishing he could suffer in my place.

"Elara, I'll protect you from now on. I won't let you suffer any harm."

But now, it was also him who personally sent me to the operating table, brutally stripping me of my organ.

Cold liquid was pushed into my veins. I closed my eyes, and a tear slid from the corner of my eye, disappearing into my hair.

After the surgery, I was wheeled back to the most secluded general ward.

The anesthesia gradually wore off, and the incision in my abdomen hurt so much I trembled all over. I bit my lip hard to keep from crying out, cold sweat soaking my hospital gown.

A nurse pushed a cart in to change my dressing, murmuring to her colleague as she worked:

"That Mr. Thorne in the VIP room is so good to his fiance. He stayed outside the operating room the whole time, never leaving. When Ms. Bloom woke up just now, he even personally fed her water."

"Right, such a handsome and rich man, yet so devoted. I really envy their relationship. Ms. Bloom is so fortunate."

Hearing these words, I could no longer hold back my tears.

The ward door opened a crack, and Nate stood outside.

For the next three days, I lay in the hospital bed. No one came to see me except the nurses.

Until the afternoon of the fourth day, the vibration of my phone woke me from a groggy sleep.

I struggled to reach my phone. The screen showed a message from an unknown number:

[Your kidney is doing great~ From now on, not just your kidney, but everything you haveincluding Natewill be mine!]

Below was an attached photo: around Sera Bloom's pale neck, there was a perfectly preserved necklace.

That was the last heirloom my parents left me!

My blood instantly froze.

I ripped off the IV needle from the back of my hand, not even bothering to wipe away the blood that spurted out. I clutched my bleeding abdomen, stumbling out of the ward and running towards the VIP ward area.

Elara Vance pov

When I pushed the door open, Sera Bloom was leisurely leaning against the headboard, eating imported cherries.

Seeing me enter, Sera's lips curled into a triumphant smile:

"Oh, isn't this our kidney donor hero? What, here to visit your kidney?"

I stared intently at the necklace around her neck, my voice trembling: "Give that back to me!"

Sera gently stroked the necklace, smiling innocently yet maliciously:

"Why should I give it to you? Nate said it looks beautiful on me, and that I look a lot like you used to, so he put it on me himself."

I felt cold all over. That was the only memento left by my parents.

I reached out to grab it, but then stopped midway, afraid of damaging the necklace.

I swallowed all my pride and pleaded:

"This necklace is very important to me. I can trade it for something else, anything you want, anything I can give"

Sera tilted her head, feigning innocence as she thought:

"There's nothing I really want. The only thing I lack is the status of Mrs. Thorne."

She chuckled softly, her eyes full of provocation,

"How about you give that position to me?"

I closed my eyes, my heart filled with despair, my voice hoarse beyond recognition:

"Okay, as long as you give me the necklace back, I'll divorce him immediately and let you become Mrs. Thorne!"

The words had barely left my lips when the ward door was violently flung open.

Nate Thorne stood at the doorway, holding a thermal container, his face terrifyingly grim:

"Elara Vance, in your heart, my wife's status is worth less than a dead object?!"

I froze, my throat tight:

"This is my parents' last heirloom."

"Parents?"

Nate sneered, hatred swirling in his eyes. He strode over, snatched the necklace from Sera's neck,

"I almost forgot, everything related to your parents, I want to destroy!"

With that, he turned and walked towards the wide-open window, raising his hand to throw the necklace out! We were on the eighteenth floor!

"No!"

I screamed, throwing myself forward without a second thought.

The moment I collided with Nate, the necklace flew from his hand.

And I, due to inertia and extreme weakness, couldn't stop my momentum. Half my body went out the window, and I plunged straight down

"Elara Vance!"

Nate's voice was almost a shriek. He lunged to grab me, but only caught empty air.

The feeling of rapid descent lasted only a brief two seconds.

Fortunately, I landed on the awning of the seventeenth-floor balcony. The immense impact felt like all my organs had shifted. The necklace shattered beside me, sharp fragments piercing my palm, making it bleed profusely.

In a daze, I heard Nate's frantic roars from upstairs:

"Elara Vance! Elara Vance!"

Followed by a flurry of footsteps.

Not long after, Nate rushed to the seventeenth-floor balcony. He scrambled over the railing without a care for his appearance, knelt on the awning, and with trembling hands, lifted me into his arms.

"Doctor! Call a doctor! Save her!"

His voice held a panic and fear I'd never heard before, tears splattering onto my blood-stained face.

Just like that fire many years ago, when he rushed into the flames to find me, he had screamed my name just as desperately.

My consciousness was blurry. The abdominal wound, from the violent impact, had completely ripped open, and blood soaked Nate's white shirt.

A faint glimmer of hope ignited in my heart.

Did he still worry about me?

Was it was it possible he still cared about me a little?

When I woke up again, my whole body ached as if it had been crushed and reassembled.

In the hospital room, a doctor was quietly conversing with Nate:

"Mr. Thorne, your wife has multiple fractures and internal organ damage. Combined with her recent kidney removal surgery, her body has completely broken down. She must rest well, or she'll suffer severe sequelae, or even"

"Give her the best medication."

Nate coldly cut off the doctor.

"No matter what equipment, she must stay alive."

The doctor nodded and left.

Nate turned, his eyes meeting mine.

Our gazes locked. The concern in his eyes instantly replaced by coldness, as if his earlier panic had been my imagination.

"Don't think that just because I'm giving you the best medication, it means I still care about you."

He approached the bed, looking down at me, his voice as cruel as an ice-tempered blade:

"I just want you to live longer so I can torment you better. If you die, who will I find to pay for the lives of my family of three?"

"From the moment your parents killed my family, our ending was destined"

"Only endless mutual destruction!"

I stared at him blankly, the last spark of light in my heart completely extinguished, tears silently falling.

It turned out I was just fooling myself.

I slowly closed my eyes and whispered softly:

"Okay, then I'll die."

He frowned, leaning closer to me:

"What did you just say?"

I opened my mouth, about to repeat myself, when the ward door was suddenly pushed open.

A nurse hurried in:

"Mr. Thorne, Ms. Bloom needs to go for her check-up, but she can't find you and is refusing to cooperate"

Nate's brows furrowed. He turned and left, not even sparing me a single glance.

Elara Vance pov

The moment the ward door closed, I pulled out the IV needle from the back of my hand.

I endured the intense pain, ignored the doctor's dissuasion, and forcibly checked myself out of the hospital.

My time was running out.

The five-year promise, only three days left.

Since I had decided to die, I should take care of some arrangements beforehand.

Nate Thorne wouldn't help me with my burial.

I dragged my broken body to a photo studio and had a portrait taken for my memorial.

Then I went to the suburbs, bought a plot in a cemetery, and chose a small urn.

When I returned to the villa, I heard the pitter-patter of paws from the living room.

A golden retriever joyfully rushed over, its tail wagging like a propeller, its wet nose affectionately nudging my leg.

My eyes welled up. I crouched down and hugged it: "Pudding"

This was the dog Nate and I adopted together when we were eighteen.

Back then, they had just moved in together. He held this puppy and smiled, saying:

"Elara, from now on, we're a family of three. We'll grow old together."

But now, with home gone, love gone, growing old has become a luxury.

Pudding brought a toy ball, looking at me expectantly.

I stroked its head, tears falling onto its fur:

"Good boy, Mom will make you something delicious."

I forced myself to cook meat porridge for Pudding. Watching it wolf down the food, my heart ached.

In three days, I would leave this world. Pudding was getting old; I needed to find it a good home.

After searching all day, I finally found a suitable adopter.

A retired couple of teachers, they had a yard, had experience with golden retrievers, and were very experienced.

I packed Pudding's toys and dog food. Just as I was about to take Pudding out, the villa door suddenly opened.

Sera Bloom walked in, followed by two bodyguards.

Her gaze fell on Pudding, and a cold sneer curled her lips:

"Elara Vance, Nate hates you. He's destroyed almost everything you cherish. Now there should only be this dog left, right?"

I froze, instinctively shielding Pudding behind me:

"What do you want?"

"Nate hasn't even said anything. You have no right to touch it!"

My voice trembled. "This is our dog, we've had it for ten years"

Sera scoffed: "You're too naive. He hates you, he hates everything connected to you!"

With that, she clapped her hands, and the two bodyguards immediately rushed in, roughly grabbing Pudding's collar!

"No!"

I lunged to stop them, but a bodyguard pushed me away.

Pudding, startled, frantically struggled to protect its owner, but was hit by the bodyguard's high-voltage stun baton, yelping and collapsing in convulsions.

"Pudding!"

I screamed hysterically. In the chaos, I accidentally bumped into Sera.

Sera took the opportunity to fall backward, tumbling down the steps from the entryway, clutching her stomach and wailing.

"What are you doing?!"

Nate's voice came from the doorway.

Seeing this scene, he immediately rushed over, helped Sera up, and looked at me with icy eyes:

"You pushed her? She just had a kidney transplant, are you trying to kill her?!"

My face was covered in blood, and I trembled as I pointed to the dying Pudding:

"She had her people kill Pudding first! It didn't do anything wrong!"

Nate froze for a moment, his gaze falling on Pudding's body, his eyes showing a momentary flicker of distraction and pain.

But quickly, he masked his emotions and said coldly:

"It's better dead."

"Any proof of our love shouldn't remain."

Those words completely crushed me.

I looked at him, heartbroken, and tears I could no longer hold back streamed down my face.

Yes it shouldn't exist anymore.

After all, even he himself no longer loved me.