CHAPTER 6 — Two Heartbeats in the Cold
Inside the freezer, Grace could hear it now.
The hum changing.
The system unlocking.
The cold easing.
She cried harder than she had in years.
“I can feel it…” she whispered. “It’s getting warmer…”
The hatch beneath her opened slightly.
A rush of air hit her face.
“Grace,” Alexander’s voice came again, closer now, “don’t move too fast. We’re opening the secondary seal.”
“Are my babies—”
“They’re still alive,” he said immediately. “Both heartbeats are strong.”
She broke.
Completely.
Moments later, the door finally unsealed.
Light flooded in.
Hands reached for her.
Warmth hit her skin like fire after ice.
She collapsed into someone’s arms.
May you like
And for the first time in ten hours—
She breathed air that wasn’t trying to kill her.
