CHAPTER 1

Chapter 1: The Frost & The Lie

The wind screamed through the dead trees, whipping snow into my face like shattered glass. I hugged the canvas bag of canned stew and bread tight against my chest. 

To get this food, I had walked four long miles through a -40⁰C blizzard to the last open supply depot, spending the very last bill in my wallet. Inside my thin gloves, my hands were black, stiff, and completely numb. Every single step felt like stepping on sharp nails, but I kept going. I kept thinking of my family, my husband Ethan, my sick five-year-old boy Leo, and my widowed sister-in-law Anna, who had lived with us since her husband passed away three years ago. 

When I finally reached the porch of our villa, I banged my frozen elbow against the heavy wooden door. 

“Ethan! Anna! Please, open up!” I cried out. “I brought the food!”