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.”