Chapter 3

My body felt incredibly light. I stood up and somehow walked straight through the iron door before appearing beside Rhonda and Nicole.

"Mom! Nicole!"

I instinctively ran toward them and tried to hug them, but I passed right through them.

I froze. That's when I realized something was wrong.

I raised my hand and saw my frail body, which barely had any flesh on it and was now nearly transparent.

'I'm dead.'

Once the thought crossed my mind, tears immediately began streaming down my face.

Next to me, Nicole stared at our obsessive, crazed father. She instinctively took two steps back, and her face turned pale.

"Dad, what did you just say?"

David's expression stiffened for a moment, but a man who valued his pride above everything else could never admit that he had gone too far. He could only continue making excuses.

"You forced me into this.

"I told you, Chris is my son too. I would never actually hurt him!"

He turned to face Nicole. His eyes filled with desperate expectations and a twisted kind of love.

"Nicole, I just want you to understand what happens when your legs get frostbite from refusing to wear thermal underwear.

"You have to understand why I'm doing this!"

Nicole subconsciously shook her head.

She couldn't utter a single word.

Rhonda closed her eyes and clenched her jaw in anger. "I won't let you continue doing this. Nicole, protect Chris. I'm going to find a locksmith."

Nicole nodded and said okay.

David immediately stepped in front of Rhonda. "You're not going anywhere! Anyone who tries to walk out that door today will have to answer to me!"

"David!" Rhonda roared and shoved him aside. "It's already been more than two hours! There's no way Chris can take this!"

David stumbled before regaining his balance.

He shouted furiously.

"How fragile can he be? Can't he handle being in there for two hours?"

He snorted and walked to the freezer door before pounding on it. "Chris, make a sound! Let your mother and sister hear you!"

Three seconds passed. There was no response from inside.

His patience ran out. He kicked the door hard. "I said make a sound! Did you not hear me?"

I stood to the side with a bitter smile. There would never be another response from inside.

A minute later, David's expression froze. He pursed his lips, and panic flickered in his eyes.

Rhonda and Nicole completely panicked.

They rushed to the door and pounded on it.

Rhonda's voice became hoarse and trembled. "Chris! Chris, are you okay? Don't scare me! Chris!"

Nicole's eyes were already red with panic. "Chris! Say something! Are you alright?"

But there was still no response.

Rhonda’s breathing became labored. She grabbed David's arm and shoved him aside. Her expression was dark.

"I'm getting a locksmith right now!

"You lunatic! Something must have happened to Chris!"

Nicole also looked at him with bloodshot eyes. "Dad!"

David's eyes darted around, but he stubbornly clung to his denial. "He's only asleep! I turned up the temperature inside! Nothing will happen to him!"

Right then, there was suddenly a commotion outside.

I turned around in surprise. Justin had returned with two police officers.

"He's the one who locked his child in the freezer to torture him!"