It's supposed to be a punishment, but it ends with me freezing to death in the freezer.

My fiance, Carlo Vesta, also known as the heir of the Vesta family, only remembers that I exist three days later.

Now, I'm just floating around while watching him hug my frozen corpse, his body trembling violently. I notice how broken his expression is, and soon, I witness him piecing together the truth that I've brought into my grave with me.

It's too late, Carlo. But it's fine.

I'm right here, watching you.

I want to see how you're going to face the truth of you personally locking up the woman you love in her own grave.

The freezing harbor wind sliced into my face. I kneeled on the frozen stone slabs of the Vesta family's private dock, watching Carlo Vesta storm ashore while Benedetta Conti lay soaked in his arms.

His black coat was wrapped tightly around her, revealing only the pair of red high heels on her feet.

"Get a doctor! Now!"

Carlo's roar echoed through the night as more than a dozen bodyguards in black suits sprang into motion.

"Carlo, don't blame Margherita. She didn't mean to push me…" Benedetta murmured weakly in his arms, her face pale as paper.

Carlo lowered his head and gazed at Benedetta. For the first time, I saw a tenderness in his eyes that he had never shown me before. "Don't speak. Save your strength."

He carried her toward the nearest car without sparing me a single glance.

I struggled to stand, wincing as my knees scraped raw against the unforgiving stone.

A bodyguard steadied me and handed me a dry towel. "Ms. Rossi…"

"I am fine."

I shrugged off his hand and forced myself to my feet.

Just then, Carlo settled Benedetta into the car and turned toward me.

"Explain yourself," he said with a calm so cold it was terrifying.

"When she fell, I tried to grab her. Carlo, I really—"

"You were standing right where she fell," he said, taking a step closer. "As I turned to pour a drink, I heard the splash. When I looked back, you were there, and she was already in the water."

"I was trying to pull her out!" I almost shouted.

Carlo let out a cold laugh. "Margherita, how many accidents have you caused in the last six months? At the stables, she was thrown from her horse, and she said you startled it. When her brakes failed, she was driving the car you usually take. Last month, she slipped on oil on the stairs, and your maid was responsible. And now, she falls into the water in front of you."

A chill spread through my body. "Do you think I would do all of that?"

"I go by the facts," he said, staring at me. "Benedetta can't swim. You nearly killed her."

"I didn't!" I said.

"That's enough."

He turned away and gestured to the bodyguards behind him. "Take her to Cold Vault 3 and lock it. Don't open it without my order."

My eyes went wide. "Carlo, that's a freezer!"

"The cooling system's broken," he said flatly.

Finally, he looked at me. "You just need to cool down. Once Benedetta's safe, we'll talk."

Two bodyguards grabbed my arms.

"Carlo Vesta!" I screamed. "You'll regret this! You'll regret this!"

He didn't look back. He got into the car with Benedetta and drove off.

The vault was pitch-black, lit only by a single dim emergency light in the distance.

"You're staying here for 24 hours," one of the guards said. "Mr. Vesta says the cooling system's broken. It won't get too cold."

They pushed me in. I staggered into the darkness as the iron door behind me slammed shut with a sharp, echoing click.

I collapsed to the floor.

I didn't care if they locked me in. The cooling system was broken. I wouldn't die of the cold. I could handle 24 hours here.

After he had cooled off and looked into it, he would let me out.

He would, wouldn't he?

I curled up in a relatively clean corner, hugging my knees as I waited to be let out.

I wasn't sure how much time had gone by before I stirred from the daze, trembling uncontrollably.

Something was off.

The air was getting colder.

At first, it was just a chill, but now I could see my breath in the air. I stood and pressed my ear to the door.

A sound came from outside.

It didn't seem human—just a low hum of machinery vibrating through the walls. The cooling system was running.

"Is anyone there?"

I banged on the door. "What's happening? Why is the freezer on?"

The corridor outside was silent. I wrapped my arms around myself, trying to keep warm.

Only after a long while did I realize I was unable to stand. The cold had stiffened my legs completely, and my fingers no longer obeyed me.

I counted to one hundred, then back again. On the third round, I noticed a sound outside. The sharp click of high heels echoed along the corridor. They stopped just outside, near the power room. Then came a soft click, like a switch being flipped.

"Who's out there?" I shouted with everything I had left. "Let me out. Please."

There was no answer. The heels clicked again, fading gradually until the corridor fell silent once more.

And suddenly, I remembered that sound.

Benedetta loved wearing heels. Whenever she stood in front of me to provoke me, the sharp click of her heels rang like applause for her cruelty.

I lay back on the floor and started to laugh. I laughed until tears streamed down my face, freezing into ice against my skin.

There was no signal in the cold vault. My phone was useless.

I reached for my neck. The diamond necklace Carlo had given me for my birthday was still there. Then I touched my fingers. The engagement ring was still there. It was the Vesta family's heirloom sapphire, which he had slipped onto my finger himself three months ago.

"You will be the lady of the Vesta family," he had said inside the chapel.

Sunlight filtered through the stained glass, casting colorful patterns across his face. "I swear I will protect you with my life."

His vow still echoed in my ears, yet he was gone.

A strange, false warmth spread through my body. Hallucinations began to take shape.

"Margherita," Carlo said, smiling at me in the illusion.

"Carlo," I murmured. "I'm so cold."

He only smiled and said nothing.

The only real sound was the roar of the cooling system.

With shaking hands, I pulled out my phone and tried to send Carlo a message. Even if it never went through, there were so many things I needed to say.

Our chat window still showed the messages I had sent him hours earlier.

"Carlo, the cooling system started running again, and the temperature keeps dropping. Can you let me out? I was wrong. No matter what you believe I did, I accept it. My fingers are numb. The temperature has to be below zero.

"Carlo, where are you? Please save me. I think I might die here, but I love you. I will always love you."

My consciousness began to fade. The screen blurred before my eyes, and I could only struggle to type one last message.

"Carlo, I know this isn't your fault. I don't blame you. I really don't. I'm just so cold."

After typing the final word, I closed my eyes and let the darkness take everything.

In the instant before death, I heard the high heels return.

The clicking ceased at the door, then a woman's whisper came through. Her voice was light, but unmistakably clear.

"Goodbye, Margherita."

It was Benedetta. It was really her.

I wanted to respond, to scream, to curse her, but my body was already dead. No sound came out.

Only my consciousness remained, drifting in the frozen air as it watched the curled body in the corner.

The skin of my corpse was darkened purple, with a thin layer of frost covering my lashes, and my hand curled tightly as though clutching something valuable.

I knew what was in that hand. It no longer mattered.

Outside the iron door, the sound of high heels faded away once more.

At 25, I died there.

When I came back to consciousness, I found myself floating above the room. My body was still curled up in the corner of the cold storage, and a thin layer of frost was covering my skin.

I couldn't bear to look, so I turned and passed through the heavy iron doors, heading for Vesta Manor. The ballroom was alive with a party to celebrate Benedetta's recovery.

Under the crystal chandelier, Carlo wore a black velvet suit, holding a glass of whiskey. Benedetta sat beside him in an armchair, with a cashmere blanket draped over her legs. She still looked pale, but her makeup was flawless.

"The doctors said that if we'd been five minutes later, she wouldn't have made it," Matteo Conti, Benedetta's Papa and the Vesta family's Consigliere, said, raising his glass. "Carlo's quick reaction saved her."

The guests echoed the toast, raising their glasses in unison.

"Where's Margherita?" one elder asked. "She should be here."

Carlo's face grew colder. "She's reflecting."

"She's still in the cold vault? Carlo, she's been there all night. That's enough. Remember—Margherita is the Rossi family's daughter."

"I said she's reflecting," Carlo cut him off. His voice carried a warning that silenced the room for a moment.

Whispers quickly filled the air.

"I heard Ms. Rossi is jealous of the relationship between Ms. Conti and Mr. Vesta…"

"An arranged marriage is no match for a love that started in childhood…"

"Mr. Vesta's furious this time. Who knows how long he'll keep her confined…"

Benedetta gently tugged on Carlo's sleeve. "Let her out, Carlo. I know she didn't mean it. Look, I'm fine."

Carlo's gaze softened as he looked down at her.

"You're always too kind, but the family has rules," he said, patting the back of her hand gently.

I drifted closer, wanting to slap Benedetta across the face. My hand passed straight through her. She noticed nothing and simply smiled at Carlo, as if nothing had happened.

As I looked on, a sudden pain shot through my chest. That warmth had once belonged solely to me.

Just then, the butler approached and asked, "Mr. Vesta, the guard at the cold storage asked if Ms. Rossi should be given some food and water. It's been a long time."

Carlo glanced at the clock and hesitated. I noticed his fingers tapping on the table—a habit he had whenever he was deep in thought.

I silently wished he hadn't forgotten me.

"It's been a while. Very well, bring it to her," he said.

Benedetta suddenly coughed, clutching her chest. Her face went ghostly pale, and her breath came in short, shallow gasps.

"Benedetta?"

Carlo immediately steadied her.

"I'm fine," she murmured weakly. "It's just a sudden shortness of breath, probably aftereffects from the drowning."

Carlo held her firmly and told the butler, "Call the doctor."

"And Ms. Rossi…"

"We'll talk about that later," Carlo said, carrying Benedetta toward the exit. "First, she needs a doctor."

The butler wanted to say something, but in the end, he gave in. "Yes, Mr. Vesta."

As they left the room, I caught Benedetta's voice faintly behind them. "Carlo, I'm so sorry. I got sick again at a time like this. Don't worry about me. Let's get Margherita out—"

"Don't mention her," Carlo snapped. "She must be punished."

A fleeting smirk crossed Benedetta's face before she feigned concern. "I just fear she might hate me."

"She wouldn't dare," Carlo said.

I was already dead. Even if I hated her, what could it change?

Even if I were still alive, there was nothing I could have done to her with him protecting her.

At that point, I no longer felt anxious.

It didn't matter whether Carlo ever realized I was gone.

But when he discovered the truth, I wondered how he would react. I was looking forward to it.