The Coldest Winter Chapter 1

When the car pulled over onto the highway shoulder, I thought Caleb Thorne needed to use the restroom.

"Lily is asleep, try not to wake her," I whispered, pulling my daughter's small blanket up to her chin.

Caleb didn't turn around. His fingers tapped rhythmically on the steering wheel. "Grace, take Lily and get out of the car."

I froze. "What?"

From the backseat, Vanessa spoke in her soft, syrupy voice. "Caleb, honey, it's fine. We can squeeze."

Her daughter, Bella, immediately started wailing. "No! I don't want to sit next to the dirty kid! She coughed earlier!"

Caleb turned around. His eyes were colder than I had ever seen them.

"Did you hear me? Get out."

"Tessa is already on her way. She'll be here in thirty minutes."

"Just wait here for a bit."

It was December 28th. The highway was a sheet of ice. The temperature was 23 degrees.

I clutched my three-year-old daughter tight and watched him restart the car.

The taillights faded into the snowstorm.

Until they disappeared completely.

* * *

The snow fell harder.

I held Lily close, standing by the guardrail, trying to shield her from the biting wind with my body.

"Mommy, where's Daddy?" Lily whispered, her cheeks flushed red from the cold.

"Daddy... Daddy went to Grandma's house first," I forced a smile. "Auntie Tessa is coming to pick us up soon."

"But it's cold..."

I wrapped her inside my down jacket and covered her head with my scarf.

My phone had 30% battery left.

I called Tessa.

Once. Twice. Three times.

Finally, she picked up.

"Grace? What's up?" The background noise was loud, like she was at a club.

"Tessa, your brother said you were coming to pick us up. Where are you?"

"Huh? Pick you up?" Tessa paused. "Oh, right. Caleb mentioned it."

"But I'm partying with friends right now. I can't leave."

"Just wait a bit. I'll come later."

"Tessa, it's freezing out here. Lily can't handle this..."

"Ugh, Grace, stop being so dramatic. What's the big deal about waiting a little?"

"Caleb said Vanessa and Bella can't catch a cold, so he had to rush them back."

"You two are tough. Waiting a bit longer won't kill you."

Click.

I gripped the phone, my fingers stiff with cold.

I called Caleb.

Voicemail.

I called again.

Still voicemail.

Lily was shivering in my arms. "Mommy, I want to go home..."

"Soon, baby. We'll be home soon." I kissed her forehead.

My eyes burned.

Four years of marriage, and I never knew Caleb could be this cruel.

For his ex-girlfriend Vanessa's daughter, he abandoned his wife and child on the side of a highway in a blizzard.

Just because Bella said she didn't want to sit next to the "dirty kid."

Headlights approached from the distance.

I waved frantically.

A black SUV slowed down and stopped in front of us.

The window rolled down. A young man looked out.

"Need help?"

It felt like grabbing a lifeline. "Can you give us a ride? Just to the next service station!"

The man looked at the child in my arms and frowned. "Get in."

"Thank you! Thank you so much!"

I reached for the door handle...

"Grace?"

I froze. Another head popped out from the back.

It was Caleb's cousin, Ethan.

He looked at me, then at the empty highway. "What are you doing here? Where's Caleb?"

I briefly explained what happened.

Ethan's face turned dark.

"Is he insane? Leaving you and Lily here?"

"So Vanessa's daughter is human, but his own daughter isn't?"

He swore under his breath and turned to the driver. "Mark, let them in. We'll squeeze."

The front was full, and the back seat next to Ethan was crowded with gear.

"There's no room..." Mark hesitated.

Ethan opened the door and jumped out. "You guys go. I'll wait here."

"No, you can't!"

"Hurry up!" Ethan shoved me toward the car. "Lily's face is purple. She can't stay out here!"

I climbed into the back seat with Lily. The heat hit me, making my frozen skin sting.

Ethan slammed the door and knocked on the window. "Grace, call me when you get to the service station. I'll make Caleb come get you!"

"Ethan, it's freezing. What about you..."

"I'm a man, I'll be fine! Worry about the kid! Go!"

The car started moving.

I watched through the rear window as Ethan stood in the snow, his figure growing smaller and smaller.

Tears welled up.

My own husband left us to freeze.

In the end, the one who saved us was an outsider.