Trapped in the Heat

At that moment, Charles was expressionless, but I felt like the happiest person in the world. I had loved him for so long, but I was always in the background. I never asked for anything in return. I thought that this time, I had finally won his heart.We married quickly and had Sally. I believed our life would be a happy, peaceful one. Then, one day, I found him staring blankly at his phone, tears streaming down his face. I took his phone quietly and saw the news that shattered my world.There had been a serious car accident; a woman and child narrowly escaped death. But her husband died tragically. In the photo, the woman, still with her long curly hair and delicate beauty, was unmistakably Chloe, whom we had not seen in years.Charles tried to stay calm, but I could see through his facade. "I just feel bad for them," he said, his voice almost too casual.In the days that followed, he became increasingly absent-minded. He forgot important dates—my birthday, Sally's vaccination a

I sped to the hospital, running red lights along the way. It was almost 5:00 pm. Franklin and a few friends were waiting for me outside, their expressions tight with worry."Things are not good, but we need you to stay calm," Franklin said.I felt dizzy as I approached the emergency room door. Inside, they were still working on my tiny daughter. How could this happen? She was just locked in the car. How could it be this bad?Sally had hugged and kissed me sweetly before I left, telling me to come back soon. Now, she was in the emergency room in the blink of an eye. I had imagined the worst on my way here, but I never thought it would be like this.Franklin began to explain how they found her, "We traced Chloe's car through the transportation department, but it wasn't at the amusement park. We then checked the kindergarten's surveillance and spotted the car. It was Chloe's late husband's car."After getting the license plate number, they enlisted the help of a lot of friends and fi

Just as I was about to break through the blockade, the police shouted through a loudspeaker, "We've already contacted your husband!"I muttered to myself, "Good. It's great that you've contacted him. Sally and I were just going to look for him. Sally has always wanted us to be reunited as a family. Sally, my baby. You'll soon see your dad."Then, a police officer approached me, talking into a phone in hand. "Mr. Lowe, right? I'm an officer from the Kurtz District. Your daughter has passed away. Your wife hasn't been able to accept it and is currently with your daughter's body—"There was a brief pause before a cold voice cut through the line. "Jessica, you've got someone to pretend to be a cop now, huh? What's this? Do you want me to play along with your act too? Sally's body? Really?"I could not help but burst into hysterical laughter at his words. Tears streamed down my face as I laughed uncontrollably."See, I told you, Sally's fine! She's just playing around!" I shrieked hyst

"Sally, see, she's noisier than you," I muttered.At the highest point of the Ferris wheel, the world below looked like a toy city.I knew there was a small air vent at the top of the cabin, just big enough for a person to squeeze through.Summoning all my strength, I climbed out, pulling my daughter and the unconscious Holly with me.We reached the catwalk connected to the cabin. It was a narrow track just over a yard wide. The track led to the center axis of the Ferris wheel.With my daughter and the unconscious Holly in my arms, we slid down the track. It was all downhill from here. The amusement park was scarce with people this late, and no one would notice us on the giant Ferris wheel. We were just tiny figures against the night sky. The outside world was a blur of dazzling lights, but on the track, darkness enveloped us.Finally, we reached the heart of the Ferris wheel. There was a small platform that was a good 300 feet above the ground, meant for workers to stand on duri