Chapter 1

On the fifth day after heating was supposed to kick in, the apartment was still freezing. Even bundled up in fleece pajamas, my daughter Ciara Thompson's face was flushed from the cold. I draped a down jacket over her and then called my mother.

"Mom, did you pay the heating bill I gave you? Why is it still so cold here? There's no heat at all. Ciara's got a runny nose. She's going to catch a cold!"

On the other end of the video call, my mom, wearing only a thin sweater, sounded impatient. "Do you think I'd forget something that important? Of course I've paid it! Honestly, I think it's the heating company that's slacking off. They took nearly two thousand dollars and barely gave us any heat."

I remembered seeing a notice in the property group chat. The heating bill had gone up this year to 1,870 dollars.

Beside me, Ciara curled into a ball from the cold. I felt both heartbroken and angry.

"Exactly! What's wrong with them this year? Last year, it was so warm that we could just wear a T-shirt indoors," I lamented.

On the screen, Mom seemed to freeze for a moment. Her expression turned a little unusual before she spoke again, saying, "If you're cold, just turn the AC up. Move around more. You lie on the couch all day. Of course you're cold."

After hanging up, I stared out the window at the gloomy sky. Even with the windows shut tight, the cold seemed to seep in from every crack, leaving my hands and feet numb.

The more I thought about it, the angrier I got. I pulled out my phone, found the heating company's number, and filed a complaint about the indoor temperature not meeting standards. They promised to send someone to check within 24 hours before hanging up.

After taking a nap, Ciara woke up complaining of dizziness, sniffling nonstop. I quickly gave her some cold medicine, coaxed her back to sleep, and then opened a shopping app on my phone.

It seemed I had to buy a few more thick down jackets. Thinking of my brother and his wife upstairs, I added a few for their family, too.

Back when I wanted to keep my parents close, I bought them an apartment upstairs in the same building. After my dad passed away, my younger brother got married but couldn't afford a place. Mom gave the upstairs apartment to him and their wedding home.

I didn't object. We were family, after all. Living close meant we could look out for each other.

After placing the order, I called my sister-in-law, Selena Lyons. "Sel, I just bought some down jackets for you guys. Keep an eye out for the delivery."

Selena immediately tried to refuse on the other end. "Hey, Vanessa, why are you spending money on us again? We can still wear last year's jackets."

I couldn't help complaining, "It feels so much colder than last year. Honestly, you guys were smart not to pay for heating this year! I paid, but it's like I didn't. The place feels like a freezer. Ciara's already sick."

Selena's voice sounded a little strained through the phone. "Oh, really? We're still waiting to see. I heard the heating isn't great this year…"

Before she could finish, I faintly heard my nephew, Alex Walter, shouting in the background, his voice full of irritation. "Mom, it's so hot! I want a popsicle!"

Hot… A popsicle… Those words pierced straight into my ears like needles. Still gripping my phone, I froze.

Downstairs, my apartment was so cold that even wearing a down jacket wasn't enough. Upstairs, their kid was so hot that he wanted a popsicle? How was that possible?

It was the same apartment building, sharing the same heating system. How could the temperature difference between the two floors be this big?