Heating starts on the 15th, so I give my mom the money to pay the heating bill two days in advance and ask her to pay it for me.

But a week passes, and it still feels like an icehouse in my apartment.

I am on the phone complaining to my younger brother's wife, Selena Lyons, who lives upstairs. "You are right not to pay the heating fee. I paid, and it made no difference. We're freezing to death here."

From the other end of the call, I faintly hear my nephew shouting, "Mom, it's so hot! I want a popsicle!"

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?

Besides, hadn't Selena just said they were still waiting to see? I had paid for heating, and it was still freezing. How could their place be warm if they hadn't paid? Unless…

A thought I didn't dare to dwell on suddenly surged up.

As I was about to listen more closely, Selena had already quickly walked away and shut the door. Then, her voice came through the phone again, louder this time, "My kid was just copying something from a TV commercial earlier. It's so noisy. I came into the bedroom to talk to you."

I mumbled in response, chatted with her a bit more, and then hung up.

A commercial? Even with her explanation, my heart felt like a pebble had been dropped into a still lake, ripples spreading outward. All afternoon, I couldn't shake what Alex had said.

Ciara shifted uneasily in her sleep. Her nose was blocked, and her breathing was heavy. I tucked the blanket around her more tightly, but the knot in my chest only grew.

A commercial? What kind of commercial would make a kid complain about being hot in the dead of winter? And Selena's explanation sounded rushed, almost like she was covering something up.

No. I had to see it for myself.

I put on my thickest down jacket and quietly stepped out. Even the hallway was warmer than my apartment, but only at a normal level, definitely not to the point where I "needed a popsicle".

Step by step, I climbed the stairs. The closer I got to my brother's door, the more noticeable a faint, familiar warmth became. It was the kind of dry, cozy heat my own apartment had last winter. The kind only attainable by working heating.

I stood outside their door, hand hovering over the doorbell, hesitating. Should I just knock and ask? They'd definitely brush me off with some excuse.

I took a deep breath, then turned and went back downstairs. I couldn't alert them.

At 4:00 pm, the heating company technician arrived as promised. He was an older man, carrying a tool bag and looking every bit like a professional.

But after making three rounds through my apartment, the confusion on his face grew more obvious. After a long pause, he asked hesitantly, "Miss, are you sure you paid the bill?"

I nodded, puzzled.

He frowned, scratching his head. "That shouldn't be the case. Your heating system looks normal. Could it be that the company somehow missed your unit?"

My heart jolted. I forced myself to stay calm and ask, "Could you check the system records for me? I definitely paid."

He nodded and pulled out his phone to contact the office. A few minutes later, he said it would take time to verify and that he had other units to inspect, so he left.

I sat on the couch in a daze, my heart sinking.

After a while, I heard the door open. I got up to look. It was my husband, William Thompson.

I took the groceries from his hands. "Didn't you say you were meeting your high school classmates for dinner? Why are you back so early?"

William pulled me into a quick hug. "Ciara's sick. How could I eat out in peace? I figured I'd come back and cook for you both instead. Why is it still so cold in here? What did the technician say?"

I paused, glanced at the still-sleeping Ciara, then sat down with William in the living room and told him everything that had happened.

He frowned after listening, then gently reassured me, "Don't overthink it. Let's wait and see what the heating company says."

I nodded absentmindedly.

By evening, the down jackets I ordered had arrived. I deliberately carried the ones meant for the family upstairs and knocked on their door.

My brother, Howard Walter, answered, wearing just a T-shirt. The moment the door opened, a wave of warm, dry air rushed out as he took the jackets from my hands.

Hearing my voice, Selena hurried out from the living room.

"Hey, Vanessa! You really didn't have to bring the clothes up yourself." As Selena spoke, she hugged the jackets to her chest and stood in the doorway, clearly blocking me from entering.

I glanced inside. Mom was cooking in the kitchen, wearing a thin sweater. There was a sheen of sweat on her forehead from the heat. Alex was barefoot in the living room, playing with building blocks. Under the warm yellow lights, it was a cozy, harmonious scene.

Selena subtly shifted, blocking my view. "Sorry, Vanessa. We're in the middle of tidying up, and the place is quite messy, so I can't invite you in today."

Howard was about to say something, but she quickly stopped him, telling him to take the jackets inside.

I lowered my head and smiled bitterly. Whether I went in or not, I already had my answer.

As soon as I got home, my phone rang. When I answered, the staff member on the other end tore away the last layer of pretense with his polite reply. "Hello, is this Ms. Walter? This is regarding your complaint about insufficient indoor heating.

"We've checked our system, and it shows that no payment was made for your unit."

The voice on the phone was clear and cold. Each word struck my heart like a hammer.

I didn't even remember how I ended the call. All that echoed in my mind were four words—"No payment was made".

William walked over and took my freezing hand. His palm was warm, but it couldn't drive away the chill spreading through me.

"William…" My voice came out hoarse, trembling with sobs. "My mom lied to me… She never paid the heating bill!"

At the same time, images flashed through my mind. The warm apartment upstairs, Alex complaining about the heat and asking for a popsicle, and Howard in a T-shirt in the middle of winter.

Could it be that my mom took the money I gave her for my heating bill and used it to pay for Howard's place instead? The thought alone blurred my vision with tears.

Mom had always been a little biased, but it was always just small things. And as the older sister, I never made a fuss. But thinking of Ciara, sick from the cold, my heart felt as if it were pierced by needles.

I clenched my fists and stood up abruptly, tears still pooling in my eyes. "No. I'm going to Mom to clear things up!"

William tightened his grip on my hand. "I'll go with you."

Soon, we reached Howard's front door. I took a deep breath and knocked hard. The door opened almost immediately, and Howard froze for a moment when he saw both of us standing there.

I pushed my way inside. Mom and Selena were sitting on the couch. When they saw my red-rimmed eyes, their expressions stiffened.

My voice trembled despite my effort to stay calm. "Mom, the heating company said my place was never paid for. The two thousand dollars I gave you on the 13th… Where did it go?"

Mom instinctively avoided my gaze, forcing herself to sound composed. "What are you talking about? I paid it already! It must be an issue with the heating company's system!"

At that moment, Selena chimed in, her tone exaggerated with surprise, "Yeah, Vanessa, maybe there's a problem on their end? Or maybe Mom paid in person and the staff made a mistake?"

I swept my gaze around the room, my voice turning cold. "A mistake? Then, how is it that your place has heat when you didn't even pay?"

Selena's face stiffened. A flicker of panic crossed Mom's face, too.

After a pause, Selena lifted her chin stubbornly. "What are you implying, Vanessa? Your heating not working has nothing to do with us. We just paid our bill today. What's wrong with that?"

As she spoke, she nudged Howard with her elbow. He immediately echoed, "Yeah, yeah. We just paid."

Watching the two of them working together to lie, I let out a cold laugh.