Frozen Out of Love

I died shivering in that forgotten walk-in freezer, the cold swallowing me whole.

It was only after death claimed me that the truth finally surfaced.

Chloe had changed the setting from 14°F to -58°F. The phone I could have used to call for help froze and died with me.

Afterward, my soul lingered, tethered to the shadows of my three brothers.

For three endless days, I watched them hover around Chloe's hospital bed, as if she were the true victim clinging to life.

My oldest brother, Ethan Ellison, blew off a billion-dollar deal just to make her ginger tea himself.

My second brother, Mason Ellison, pushed back an international medical conference and stayed by her bedside day and night.

My third brother, Logan Ellison, bought out every fireworks display in the city just to make her smile after she woke up.

It became a contest between them, each brother vying to outdo the others in showering her with affection.

Not a single one remembered I was still entombed in that icy prison. By then, my body had become nothing but a pale, frozen relic covered in frost.

…

Three days later, Chloe finally came home.

The butler met them at the door, his face pale. "Ms. Harper has been in the freezer for three days. She hasn't made a sound."

I expected panic to seize them.

Instead, Ethan's expression turned icy.

"Shut up," he snapped. "Chloe just got discharged. Why are you bringing up that curse now?"

The butler opened his mouth again.

Mason cut him off with one cold look. "She pushed Chloe into the lake. Letting her cool off for a few days is more than fair."

Logan scoffed. "She knew Chloe was weak, and she still shoved her into freezing water. She can stay there until she learns her lesson."

Then, he added, almost bored, "Relax. I set it to 14°F. It won't kill her. She'll suffer a little, that's all."

That word "suffer" made Ethan pause.

For a fleeting moment, he seemed to recall that pain had been my only companion since birth. His eyes wavered with doubt.

"You're sure it's 14°F?" he asked. "Maybe we should check."

Before Logan could answer, Chloe lifted her wrist. Her sleeve slipped back just enough to reveal a few faint red marks.

Then, she coughed softly and whispered, "Don't blame Harper. Maybe she didn't mean it. We should just let her out—"

Mason's face changed the second he saw her wrist. He grabbed her hand and asked, "Did she do this to you?"

Chloe quickly pulled away. "No. I bumped it myself. Harper was just upset because I took her place. She only grabbed me for a second."

"Grabbed you?" Mason's voice dropped. "Those are finger marks."

Ethan's brief hesitation vanished. He pulled out his phone and opened our chat.

The last message was from three days ago.

My phone had died before I could send a single word, leaving behind only a failed message and a missed call.

No apology. No explanation.

Ethan slammed the phone down. "Three days, and not one apology. She really thinks she did nothing wrong?"

Chloe lowered her head, her voice thin and shaky. "Maybe… Maybe Harper doesn't want me as her sister. Maybe I should move out. Then she won't be angry anymore."

Ethan stood at once. "Don't ever say that. She has no right to push you out. You're the sister we raised. As long as I'm here, she won't hurt you again."

Mason and Logan nodded, their voices just as cold.

"We were fools to feel sorry for her."

"She doesn't deserve it. Come on, Chloe. Let's get you something warm to eat."

The butler trembled. "But Ms. Harper really hasn't moved in three days."

Logan waved him off impatiently. "You think a few days in a freezer can kill her?"

He gave a short laugh. "Come on, Patrick. She spent fifteen years in some poor little town. She's been through worse. Stop making a scene before you scare Chloe."

I drifted above them, forced to listen as my own brothers cursed my name.

All I could manage was a hollow smile.

Fifteen years in that poor little town.

To help my foster parents scrape by, I hauled bricks, scavenged through trash, and scrubbed dishes through endless winters, until the cold seeped into my very bones.

I believed everything would change the day my real family found me.

Instead, my parents died in a car crash on the way to bring me home. My brothers finally brought me back themselves.

At first, they hugged me and cried. They promised they would make up for every year I had suffered.

Then, Chloe cried.

She sobbed about how her real parents had done terrible things, how she would spend the rest of her life paying for their sins if she had to.

My brothers rushed to comfort her. "Chloe, that has nothing to do with you. You're innocent. You'll always be our sister."

Then they turned to me. "Get along with Chloe, and don't bring those bad habits from the sticks into this house."

For the sake of the only family I had left, I swallowed every bitter word and accusation.

Chloe framed me again and again.

My brothers never believed a word I said.

They always gave me the same answer. "We raised Chloe ourselves. Don't you think we know what kind of person she is?"

Then, three days ago, Chloe sent all the staff away.

In front of my brothers, she threw herself into the icy lake and screamed that I had pushed her. They did not ask me a single question before dragging me straight to the abandoned freezer.

I kneeled in front of the frost-covered door and begged until my voice broke.

I told them I was afraid of the cold and that I would die there.

Mason only sneered. "Stop being dramatic. Chloe has a fever because of you. A little cold will help you think clearly."

Logan ripped out the only emergency switch and sealed off my last way out.

Now, seeing them shield Chloe like a fragile treasure, I finally understood: my brothers never cared for the truth.

They only needed an excuse to keep loving her.

A bitter smirk twisted my lips. 'Look closer, my dear brothers. The darling sister you cherish is the one who killed your real sister.'