Cold Walls and Shattered Promises

When Cole went bankrupt, society eagerly stomped him into the dirt.

His golden girlthe one who got awaymarried someone else, but not before making him beg on his hands and knees for a thousand-dollar dare. The frat brothers he once called family told him theyd toss a few bucks toward his parents' hospital bills, provided he crawled between their legs.

When everyone else decided he was nothing but dust beneath their shoes, I was the one who dragged him out of hell.

I drained my entire life savings to pay off his debts. I lived with him in a damp, roach-infested basement apartment, holding his hand as he slowly clawed his way back to the top. I spent my days working and my nights sleeping in uncomfortable vinyl hospital chairs to nurse his ailing parents. I pushed myself so hard that my body gave out, resulting in a silent, agonizing miscarriage from pure exhaustion.

Yet, three years into his triumphant comeback, Cole paraded his first love right through the front doors of our estate for everyone to see.

He stood there, casually adjusting his cuffs, and said:

"Blair is pregnant, but her husband is abusive. Shes going to be staying here from now on."

"Youre good at taking care of people. I want you to be the one to look after her. I dont trust anyone else with her."

Tears spilled over my lashes before I could stop them.

Looking at me, his handsome face twisted into a mask of pure irritation.

"Its just waiting on her for a little while. Youre acting like you have the title of a princess, but really, you just have a princess complex."

"Its not like Im cheating on you. Stop being so petty."

I didnt tell him that just a few days ago, passing by the guest room, I had overheard his mother enthusiastically instructing Blair to rest up and take good care of her "precious eldest grandson."

His entire family looked at me like I was an absolute fool.

But I was done playing the fool.

And the child currently growing inside my womb? I didnt want it anymore, either.

When I started packing my suitcase, Cole exploded.

He grabbed my arm and hurled me across the room. I hit the hardwood floor hard, a sharp, piercing pain shooting up through my knees. In that split second, my only thought was of the baby.

Cole didnt know I was pregnant.

I lay there for a moment, feeling the steady, even rhythm of my own breath. When no cramping or pain radiated from my abdomen, a slow, shaky wave of relief washed over me.

"Tessa, are you done being hysterical?" Cole snapped, looming over me. "If you managed to wait on my parents hand and foot, you can wait on Blair."

A maid lingered outside the open bedroom door, clearly enjoying the free entertainment. In her hands, she held a crystal bowl of organic blueberriesspecifically requested by Cole and meticulously washed just for Blair.

It wasn't just the staff treating me like a joke. Looking at myself in the mirrored closet doors, I felt like one.

"What exactly do you see me as, Cole?" I asked, my voice barely a whisper.

Am I just the pathetic charity case who let you sleep with her for free and paid off your debts when you hit rock bottom? Am I just the unpaid hospice nurse who looked after your parents better than you ever did? Am I just the desperate, cheap woman who worked herself into a miscarriage to fund your startup?

Cole frowned, genuinely failing to grasp the weight of my questions. He just looked burdened.

"Its only for three months, alright? The first trimester is always rocky, and she needs stability. Its just three months."

I stared at the man I had loved so deeply, a bitter, self-deprecating laugh escaping my lips.

Just three months.

Was it ever just anything with him? Last month at the corporate office, in front of the entire executive team, he made me get on my knees and wipe Blairs designer shoes because I accidentally spilled a drop of coffee near her. He told me it was just an apology.

But then there was a second apology. And a third. Countless compromises, chipping away at my dignity until there was nothing left.

"The taste of compromise is vile, Cole," I said softly. "This house is crawling with staff. When Im gone, you can hire a hundred maids to wait on your golden girl."

I sat sprawled on the floor, utterly defeated, the fight draining out of my bones. All I wanted was to slip away quietly, keeping my baby safe.

Right then, Blair appeared in the doorway, a delicate hand resting exaggeratedly on her flat stomach. The staff parted for her with the kind of reverence usually reserved for the lady of the house.

"Cole, how could you let Tessa sit on the cold floor? What if she catches a chill?" Blairs voice was dripping with fake, breathy concern.

Cole immediately softened. He stepped over me, wrapping an arm around Blairs waist, carefully guiding her to sit on the edge of the plush bed. He tucked a stray lock of hair behind her ear with practiced tenderness.

He didnt look at me once.

It was as if, during those three agonizing years in the dark, it had been Blair holding his hand, not me.

His voice floated over to me, cool and indifferent. "Don't worry about her. She's resilient. She can handle the cold. You, on the other hand, just got pregnant. The window is open; we can't have you catching a draft."

The words carved into my chest like a rusted blade. The tears I had been fighting finally broke free.

Cole had forgotten. He had forgotten that to pay his debts, I used to load freight trucks at a freezing warehouse until 3 AM. He had forgotten that after the miscarriage, my body never fully recovered, leaving me perpetually shivering, terrified of the cold. Even in the dead of a humid summer, I wore long sleeves to keep the chill at bay.

The maids in the hall murmured to each other. I didnt need to hear the words; their mocking expressions said enough.

Propping myself up on my elbows, I rose to my feet and wordlessly returned to my suitcase. Cole stepped forward, snatching my wrist. His voice carried a strange, underlying exhaustion.

"Tessa, wake up. If you walk out that door right now, you leave with nothing."

I looked him dead in the eye and gave a calm, singular nod.

"Okay."

That single word seemed to ignite something volatile inside him. He grew instantly enraged.

"Would it kill you to just take care of her for a few weeks?! You were perfectly capable of fawning over my parents when we were broke! Why are you suddenly being so completely unreasonable?"

"Three years ago, you promised you would help me with anything!"

My fingernails bit so hard into my palms they almost drew blood. I suppressed the suffocating pressure in my chest for three agonizing seconds, then blindly grabbed the heavy glass tumbler from the nightstand and hurled it at the floor.

"I take it back!" I screamed, my voice cracking. "I take it back, Cole! Do you understand me?!"

Cole had a vicious temper. After his bankruptcy, the golden boy fell straight into the gutter, drowning himself in cheap bourbon every single day. To keep him going, I would rush home after my shifts, hold his trembling body, and whisper stories to him so he wouldn't have nightmares.

When the loan sharks came, I stood in front of him. Even when they vandalized our apartment, splashing me head-to-toe in red spray paint meant to symbolize blood, I stood my ground. I told them that as long as he was Cole Montgomery, I would back him for the rest of my life.

Even when Cole looked at me, dripping in red paint, with utter disgustI only smiled and told him I was just glad it hadn't gotten on him.

The tumbler shattered, glass exploding across the hardwood. A sharp, stinging burn flared across my calf as a shard grazed my skin.

Simultaneously, Blair gasped, clutching her stomach, whimpering in sudden, delicate pain.

Cole went pale. The anger vanished, replaced by sheer panic.

"Get a doctor! Now!" he yelled into the hall.

After a frantic, superficial check confirmed Blair was merely "startled," the relief on Cole's face hardened back into a glare directed solely at me.

"I don't care what kind of tantrum you throw, Tessa. But Blair is carrying a child. What if something happened to the baby because of your theatrics?"

He stepped closer, his voice dropping to a low, dangerous register. "You know exactly what you need to do, don't you?"

I let out a hollow laugh.

"Of course I do."

It was just like last month. When my major project at the firm was inexplicably given to Blair, I went to confront her. She immediately started sobbing, claiming I terrified her. The result? Cole forced me to strip off my company blazer in front of the lobby, apologize to her, and get the hell out of the building. Get out of his sight.

Just get out. That was all he ever wanted.

I bent down, zipped my suitcase shut, and looked at him with an eerie, deadened calm.

"I'll get as far away from you as possible. You won't ever have to look at me again."

Seeing my utter apathy, a dark, stormy shadow crossed Cole's eyes.

"You think it's that easy?" he sneered. "Take Tessa down to the walk-in freezer. Let her cool off and think about her attitude."

I tried to run, but three maids immediately seized me, grabbing my arms and hair, wrestling me to my knees in front of Cole.

The metallic taste of blood blossomed on my tongue. The sheer injustice of it all burned behind my eyes.

"Cole, I'm not going in there! You have no right to do this to me!"

Seeing me finally break, Cole hesitated. He reached out, his fingers instinctively brushing a tangled strand of hair from my forehead. Beside him, Blairs face tightened.

She quickly put on a sweet, forgiving smile. "Cole, please don't be mad at Tessa. She just wants to leave. My stomach barely even hurts anymore. It's nothing."

The moment she spoke, Cole's hesitation vanished, replaced by an icy resolve.

"Stop being so dramatic, Tessa."

At his silent nod, the maids began dragging me backward toward the door.

Panic surged through me. My hands flew to my stomach to protect the tiny life inside.

"I'm pregnant!" I shrieked, my heels scraping against the floorboards. "Cole, I'm pregnant!"

But the man just stood there, looking at me with an exhausted, exasperated expression, as if to say, What kind of pathetic lie are you going to spin next?

As I was dragged down the hallway, I watched in absolute despair as Cole gently rubbed Blairs back.

"Don't worry, Blair," his voice echoed down the hall. "She's been with me for three years. I know her limits. Honestly, she needs this. It'll teach her not to target you."

I squeezed my eyes shut. A single, freezing tear slipped down my cheek.

Rotten.

He was rotten to his very core.

I was locked in that industrial walk-in freezer for three entire days and nights.

When they finally unlocked the heavy metal door, there was literal frost clinging to my eyelashes. My fingers and toes were an angry, mottled purple, and my entire body had long since gone numb.

Coles anger had subsided. Looking at me, a brief flicker of remorse passed over his features.

When a maid threw a heavy wool blanket over my shoulders, she carelessly snagged my matted hair. I let out a weak, raspy hiss of pain. Instantly, Cole barked at the woman.

"Watch your hands! Cant you be gentle?" He looked around, agitated. "Where is the doctor? Why isn't he here yet?"

The maid stammered, avoiding his gaze. "The doctor is... he's in Ms. Kensington's room, sir. She caught a slight chill three days ago and has been coughing. Should I go get him?"

The moment Blairs name was spoken, silence fell over Cole.

A long, agonizing minute passed before he finally spoke.

"No. Leave it." He looked at me. "Tessa, Blair is pregnant. Let her have the doctor. Don't fight her over this."

My face remained entirely devoid of emotion. I simply nodded.

"Okay. I won't fight her for it."

I won't fight her for you, either.

Perhaps my unnatural calm unsettled him. He shifted uncomfortably, clearing his throat.

"Good to see you're finally being obedient. Looks like a few days in the cold was exactly what you needed to learn your place."

He puffed out his chest just a fraction. "Blair can't eat raw seafood for her first trimester, and she can't take any strong medications. Keep a close eye on the kitchen staff. The same way you took care of my parents these past three years... that's exactly how I expect you to take care of Blair. Got it?"

The casual, bragging tone in his voice made my stomach heave with violent nausea.

Cole wasn't blind. He was just a heartless, ungrateful parasite.

Was he referring to how I spent three years emptying bedpans for his half-paralyzed parents? How I sponge-bathed them every single day?

Did he know that the moment he turned his back, his "sweet" parents would contort their faces into cruel sneers, calling me a cheap whore who was paying for the privilege of serving them? Did he know they made me kneel on the bathroom tiles just for their own amusement? Did he know they would purposely soil themselves just to watch me scrub their clothes?

It didn't matter anymore.

Cole, I don't love you anymore.

I closed my eyes, the exhaustion dragging me under. The prolonged exposure to the freezing temperatures had left my brain foggy and disconnected. My hands unconsciously curled around my stomach.

I just needed to rest.

Once I rested... Cole, I am leaving you forever.

Sometime later, drifting in and out of a feverish consciousness, I heard Blair's voice. It was bright, coquettish, practically bursting with the joy of new motherhood.

"Cole, I think the baby moved! Here, quick, put your hand right here!"

"Cole, are you happy I'm pregnant?"

A long silence stretched out before his slow, tender reply drifted through the walls.

"If you're happy, Blair... then I'm happy."

After that, the darkness took me completely.

In my fever dreams, I saw my unborn child crying out to me. It's so cold, Mom... so cold. Why doesn't Dad like me?

I stood in the dream, silent for a long time before answering.

He doesn't dislike you, sweetheart.

He just hates me. He hates me so much that anything I give himwhether it's money, my body, or my lifeis nothing but cheap trash to him.

Mom changed her mind.

I'm not bringing you into this world.

The freezer incident left me bedridden with a severe fever for half a month.

Because Blair casually mentioned she was "terrified" of catching my illness, Cole had me moved out of the main house and into an abandoned, drafty storage room above the old carriage house.

The staff, always eager to please the reigning favorite, took their cues from Blair. While I was burning with a 104-degree fever, they came in and stripped my bed of its heavy duvets, leaving me with a thin sheet.

The storage room was dark and damp. The winter wind howled through the poorly sealed window frames, the cold sinking like knives into my aching joints.

When Blair finally came to visit, she was draped in a massive, luxurious fur coat, her makeup done to perfection. I was curled in a fetal position, shivering violently.

Without Cole around, she didn't bother hiding her fangs.

"Tessa, you're about to be a mother. Why are you lying around looking like a corpse?"

I forced my heavy eyelids open, staring at her in genuine confusion. "What do you mean?"

"You used your three years of 'loyalty' to guilt-trip Cole into marrying you, didn't you? Well, congratulations. You got what you wanted. Cole said that no matter what, he'll let you keep the title of Mrs. Montgomery."

A flash of genuine jealousy twisted her beautiful features before her smug superiority returned.

"But it's such a pity. You can trap a man's body, but you can't trap his heart."

She trailed her manicured fingers along the dusty windowsill. "Cole already promised me. Once my baby is born, he's legally adopting it into the Montgomery family. Considering how much he despises you, he's never going to let you have a child with him. When the time comes, I'll be the mother of the only Montgomery heir."

A dreamy, triumphant look glazed over her eyes.

The heavy fur shifting around her shoulders looked impervious to the freezing drafts that were currently making my teeth chatter uncontrollably.

I let out a soundless, breathless laugh. The realization was colder than the air in the room, yet somehow, entirely fitting.

She was right.

To Cole, and to everyone else in his circle, I was just a calculating opportunist who used his darkest hour to buy my way into a marriage.

At the same time, I felt a profound wave of gratitude that Cole hadn't believed I was pregnant.

I swallowed hard, trying to moisten my cracked, bleeding throat. I hadn't had water in two days.

"Blair," I rasped. "Come here for a second."

She rolled her eyes and stepped closer to the cot. "What kind of trick are you trying to pull now, Tessa?"

When she was close enough, I summoned every last ounce of strength left in my shattered body, leaning in to whisper the venom I had been biting down on.

"Take the bastard in your stomach and get the hell away from me."

You want me to raise your kid?

In your dreams.

Before I could even enjoy the shock splintering across Blair's face, a voice practically vibrating with rage spoke from the open doorway.

"Tessa, you really are... a dog that just can't stop eating shit."

"I can't show you a single ounce of mercy. The second I do, you go right back to attacking Blair."

Cole's voice was terribly familiar. Perhaps it was the fever, or the total collapse of my immune system, but hearing those words broke something inside me. Hot tears spilled out, tracking rapidly down my freezing cheeks.

Mercy? Where was the mercy?

Was it the mercy of taking the project I worked on for six months and handing it to Blair?

Was it the mercy of forcing me to give Blair the vintage watch my late father had left me?

Or was it the mercy of locking me in a freezer for three days, then tossing me into a freezing garage to rot?

I had lost count.

By the end of it, all I felt was profound self-disgust.

During his three years in the dirt, the woman who kicked him while he was down was elevated to a goddess. But the woman who shattered herself into pieces to build him back up was ground into the dirt beneath his heel.

"I told you, son. I told you to throw her out. Look what happens when you don't!"

Mrs. Montgomery rolled into the room in her wheelchair, emerging from behind Cole. Her narrow, beady eyes locked onto my sickly, pale face, radiating pure revulsion.

"She has the audacity to act this vicious toward Blair while you're standing right here. Imagine what she does behind your back! Shes probably plotting against my precious grandson!"

Blair immediately shrank back, clutching her fur coat like a frightened doe. "Mrs. Montgomery, please don't upset yourself. I can handle a few insults. It's really nothing."

Instantly, the haughty, arrogant matriarch who had spent years torturing me melted into a puddle of fawning adoration. She reached out, patting Blair's hand, throwing a venomous glare in my direction.

"Oh, you sweet girl. I won't let anyone mistreat you! You aren't just one person anymore; you're two."

She turned her sneer back to me. "Unlike this useless woman who hasn't managed to get knocked up in three years. Son, throw her out! Get her out of my house!"

A triumphant gleam flashed in Blair's eyes. She didn't even bother hiding her victorious smirk from me.

Useless woman.

I had heard that phrase so many times my ears had grown calluses.

"Mom, stop making this worse," Cole sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose. "I already told you."

It was a tic. He only pinched his nose when he was deeply exhausted and conflicted.

In the past, whenever I saw him do that, my only instinct was to reach up and smooth out the worry lines on his forehead. Now, looking at him just made me feel utterly sick.

Rebuked by her son, Mrs. Montgomery unleashed all her pent-up fury onto me.

"What are you still breathing our air for, Tessa?!"

She glared at me, not with the eyes of a woman looking at her caretaker of three years, but like she was looking at a sworn enemy.

"Did you honestly think paying off a few debts made you our savior? Let me tell you something, sweetheart! Ten of you aren't worth a single hair on my grandson's head!"

"Let me clue you in on a little secret, Tessa. When our company filed for bankruptcy, we still had millions tucked away in offshore accounts. We never needed your pathetic little savings!"

"We were just testing the waters to see which rats would flee the sinking ship, and who would try to take advantage of our 'fall'!"