All Chapters of Punished in Ice: Chapter 1 - Chapter 10

"What was Vesper thinking? She knew Celine was frail, yet she still opened the window and let her catch a severe cold. She must have done it on purpose to harm her!"Ronan Blackwood hurled the thermometer onto the expensive cashmere rug. The sharp crack of shattering glass echoed through the living room, matching the violent fury burning in his eyes and dragging the entire space into a suffocating chill.The servants nearby didn’t dare breathe. They shrank into the corners, trembling.Old Alfred Reeves, the longtime butler, forced himself to step forward. His voice carried a faint, uncontrollable tremor. "Sir… Madam only felt the room was stuffy and opened the window for some air. The wind wasn’t strong that day, and Miss Celine may have simply kicked off her blanket during the night—""Enough!" Ronan cut him off sharply, his gaze colder than ice. "You dare speak for her, too? Celine has been weak since childhood. She can’t handle even the slightest draft. Vesper has lived here thi

Ronan sat at Celine’s bedside, carefully tucking the blanket around her. She leaned weakly against his chest, her pale face delicate and pitiful."Ronan, I’m feeling much better. Please don’t be angry anymore," she said softly. "Vesper didn’t mean it. You should let her out. It’s so cold in the cellar, and she’s pregnant. If something happens, it wouldn’t be good.""Let her out?" His expression turned cold. "She made you suffer like this. How could I let her off so easily? She needs to reflect properly. Otherwise she’ll dare to bully you again."A flicker of satisfaction passed through her eyes, though she quickly masked it with concern."But I really am fine now. And she’s carrying your child. If anything happens to the baby, you might regret it later.""Regret?" He let out a scornful laugh. "If I want a child, there are plenty of women willing to give me one. As long as you’re fine, nothing else matters."Inside, she was overjoyed, yet she continued to feign reluctance."You s

Ronan had my body and the baby’s body carried back to the Blackwood estate.He sat on the living room sofa, eyes hollow, completely motionless, like a walking corpse without a soul.Mr. Reeves watched him for a long time, heart aching at the sight. After much hesitation, he stepped forward and spoke softly."Sir, Madam truly loved you. Ever since she married you, she woke early every day to prepare your breakfast. No matter how late you came home at night, she waited for you. When you were sick, she stayed by your bedside all night, taking care of you."She knew you cared for Miss Celine, yet she never complained. She simply fulfilled her duties as a wife in silence. After she became pregnant, she was overjoyed. She played music for the baby every day, told stories, and looked forward to the child’s birth."That day, she only opened the window because the room felt stuffy. She was worried it might affect the baby, so she cracked it open for a bit of fresh air. She never imagined i

Ronan visited my grave.On the headstone, my photograph wore a gentle smile, a smile that cut into him like a blade.Ronan had buried the baby’s tiny body with me. The child had never even been given a name, never had the chance to feel the warmth of this world, yet he was still Ronan's child."Vesper, I’m sorry."He knelt before the grave, tears falling without end."I know it’s too late to say anything now. I shouldn’t have let Celine blind me. I shouldn’t have treated you so cruelly. I shouldn’t have caused our child’s death."I’ve locked Celine in the ice cellar. She’ll pay with her life for what she did to you and the baby. I know it can never make up for the harm I caused, but it’s all I can do."Vesper, if you can hear me, can you forgive me? I truly regret everything. I miss you. I miss our child."He remained there on his knees from sunrise to sunset, confessing over and over again.No matter what he said, there was no answer.After a while, Mr. Reeves approached and

Autumn wind swept dry yellow leaves into a small spiral before my headstone, then scattered them across Ronan's shoulders.He leaned on a polished wooden cane, its once-ornate handle worn dull with time, just like him—aged and fragile after years of grinding remorse.In recent years, he had all but made his home at the gravesite. A faded wool blanket lay beside the stone, and on it sat a jasmine incense burner I had loved in life. Now the ash inside had long gone cold. Only occasionally, when something stirred his memory, would he strike a trembling match and light a cheap stick of incense, letting the thin ribbon of smoke dissolve into nothing in the wind.His hair was completely white, sparse against his scalp, revealing dull gray skin beneath. Deep wrinkles carved through his face like ravines, squeezing his once-sharp eyes into narrow slits of cloudy light.Every time he sat down, he had to brace himself against the headstone, catching his breath. The cough that tore from his c