He Froze Me and Married Her A Wife's Revenge

I was dying of cancer, and my husband, a research scientist, worked around the clock developing human cryogenic technology.

Before they froze me, he held the son I'd nearly died giving birth to, tears streaming down his face.

Patsy Swanson, the baby and I will be waiting for you when you wake up.

Eight years later, a breakthrough drug for my disease hit the market, and the hospital thawed me out.

When the doctor asked me to settle the medical bills, I blinked in confusion and told them to contact my husband.

"Call Professor Pruitt at the Graystone Institute. Tell him his wife is awake."

The nurse let out a small laugh. "Professor Pruitt and Ms. Swanson's child is already eight years old. Those two are famously in love."

"Maybe we should have the doctor check your head while we're at it..."

I assumed she was joking. I didn't think much of it.

Then Angelica Swanson showed up as the photographer assigned to document me, the successful cryogenic test subject.

An interview with Kieran Pruitt happened to be playing on the TV. I looked up at the screen, pride written all over my face.

"My husband is the best researcher there is."

Angelica shot me a startled glance, her pretty face darkening. "My husband Kieran has exactly one legally registered wife, and that's me."

Angelica set down her camera. The smile on her face had cooled considerably. "Who exactly were you just calling your husband?"

Her eyes held a scrutinizing look, edged with barely concealed hostility.

I froze. I had no idea what to say.

Angelica let out a soft, mocking laugh. "I've seen patients like you before. You get a contact number before the procedure, and then you latch onto Kieran, gushing about how grateful you are that he saved your life. But I know exactly what you're really after. Did you honestly think I couldn't tell?"

She looked me up and down. "But maybe you should take a look in the mirror first. You've been asleep for eight years. Your muscles have atrophied. Your face is white as a ghost. Looking like that, who exactly do you think you're going to seduce?"

My mouth opened, but my throat felt sealed shut. No sound came out.

Just then, a nurse pushed through the door. She took one look at the scene and rushed to smooth things over.

"Ms. Swanson, please don't take it to heart. The patient just woke up. Her mind isn't fully clear yet. She says things that don't make sense sometimes."

Angelica glanced at the nurse, her tone softening slightly. "Fine. I won't hold it against her."

I lowered my head to hide the mist gathering in my eyes. My voice came out rough and raw. "I'm sorry. My head hurts. I was talking nonsense."

"Before the cryogenic trial, I was already a fan of Professor Pruitt's. I've always admired him, so seeing him on TV just got me excited."

Angelica's expression finally relaxed. She picked her camera back up and continued photographing me.

"You look like you're in decent shape. Your file says you were frozen for eight years. Have you been able to reach your family?"

The moment those words left her mouth, every ounce of strength drained from my body. I sagged against the headboard.

Eight years had passed, but my body hadn't changed. My skin still looked like it belonged to a woman in her twenties.

My heart, though, had aged a lifetime in that single moment.

Everyone else had kept living, day after day, step by step.

I was the only one left behind, a ghost abandoned by time.

When we first got married, Kieran Pruitt was the youngest researcher at the Graystone Institute. His future was limitless.

I was a semi-famous female race car driver, bold and reckless.

The first time we met, his car had broken down on the side of the road. He was desperate to make it to a conference. I pulled up on my motorcycle and gave him a ride. Watching him onstage, speaking with that effortless confidence, was the moment my heart tipped.

When I went after him, everyone said we didn't belong together.

But Kieran held me close and swore, "Patsy, I will never let you down. Not in this lifetime."

After the wedding, he said a young researcher should stay focused on his work and that it wasn't wise to go public with a marriage too early.

So we kept it a secret for three years.

I thought it was romantic. I was naive enough to believe it was our way of protecting each other.

The year I got pregnant was the year they found the cancer.

The technology at the time couldn't cure me.

Kieran held me, his eyes rimmed red. "I have azoospermia. Getting you pregnant was a one-in-a-million miracle. Please don't terminate. Please. Just delay the treatment."

"I've spent five years researching human cryogenic technology. The moment there's a cure for you, I'll wake you up. I promise."

I endured the agony of the illness and carried the baby to term. I got one single look at my child before they wheeled me into the cryogenic chamber.

But now, Kieran had a new wife. A new home.

Everything I'd sacrificed felt like a joke.

My tears finally fell, landing silently on the cold hospital sheets.

Angelica sighed and handed me a tissue.

"There were three of you in this round of the cryogenic trial. The families of the other two came to the hospital right away."

"Don't be too upset. Focus on getting better, and your family will come take you home soon."

A sharp pain lanced through my chest. I shook my head. "I don't think I have a family anymore."

Angelica's hand stilled for a moment. She set a business card on the bedside table with a look of pity.

"That's rough. If you ever need help with anything, give me a call."

She gathered her things and turned to leave.

I stared at her retreating figure, then spoke before I could stop myself. "Could I visit your home?"

Angelica turned back, surprise written across her face.

I clenched my fists, nails biting into my palms. "I'd like to thank Professor Pruitt in person. He saved my life."

Angelica considered it for a moment, then nodded with a smile. "Sure, why not. He should be getting off work soon. Come with me."

The car pulled up in front of a two-story house.

I followed Angelica inside and froze in my tracks.

A family portrait hung in the entryway. A family of three.

By the floor-to-ceiling windows, an orange tabby lounged in a patch of sunlight.

"Make yourself at home." Angelica set her purse down and walked over to the window, stroking the cat. "Butterball, we have a guest."

I stared at that cat, and the blood drained from my body.

The year we got married, I told Kieran I wanted a cat.

He frowned and said he was allergic to cat hair. Said it made him sneeze, made his eyes water.

So I let it go.

Now I knew the truth. It wasn't that he couldn't have a cat. He just didn't want to bother. Not for me.

Angelica went to fill the cat's bowl. My gaze drifted to a photo album on the coffee table. My hands trembled as I opened it.

Page after page of their life together.

Kieran and Angelica at the beach. Kieran riding a carousel with her. On Angelica's birthday, Kieran had cooked an entire spread.

In every single photo, his smile was so tender. So adoring.

When I was with Kieran, he was always busy.

Too busy to eat dinner with me. Too busy to remember our anniversary. Too busy to come to a single one of my prenatal appointments.

I'd told myself that was just who he was. A workaholic. Not the romantic type. Not good at showing affection.

Turns out he was perfectly capable of making the effort. Just not for me.

Angelica dialed a number, a sweet smile blooming across her face.

"Professor Pruitt, that patient you saved came by to thank you. Come home early, okay?"

Kieran's voice came through the phone. Even from where I sat, I could hear the warmth in it. "Got it, babe. I'll be right there."

"I'll pick up some of that sweet osmanthus cake you love on the way."

Angelica hung up and smiled at me. "That man. He's in his thirties and still can't stand being apart from me."

"A while back, Graystone wanted to transfer him to Harbor City for a stretch. He turned it down flat because he couldn't bear being away from me. Said no matter how busy work got, he had to come home to me and our son every night."

Bitterness flooded my mouth. A sour, hollow ache spread through my chest.

When I was his wife, business trips were routine. Sometimes he'd be gone for two weeks straight, and he barely even called.

I asked if he missed me. He said he was busy and told me not to dwell on romance all the time.

The front door lock clicked, and a small, chirpy voice rang out. "Mommy! I'm home!"

A little boy with a backpack came running inside, heading straight for Angelica's arms.

Angelica bent down and scooped him up, pressing a kiss to his cheek. "Hey, sweetheart! How was school today? Were you good?"

The boy wrapped his arms around her neck, nuzzling against her. "Of course I was good! I saved the milk they gave us at school and brought it home for you, Mommy."

I stared at the red mole at the corner of his eye. My whole body wouldn't stop trembling.

The position and color of that mole were identical to what I'd seen in that last glimpse of my baby after I gave birth.

This boy was the child I'd nearly died delivering.

Yet he called Angelica "Mommy" so naturally, so affectionately, as if she really were his birth mother.

The nanny took the little boy to change his clothes. I forced the words out. "He doesn't look much like you."

Angelica sighed. "The poor thing had a rough start. His birth mother died of cancer."

"Kieran and I were afraid it would upset him, so we've always told people he's mine. He's been with me since before he can remember anyway. As far as he's concerned, I am his real mom."

My son didn't just not recognize me. He didn't even know his biological mother existed.

In all eight years of his memory, there had never been a person like me.

Angelica stood and headed toward the kitchen. "Make yourself comfortable. I'll squeeze some juice."

I noticed her cutting the oranges unevenly, fumbling with the juicer for a while before she got it started.

She looked a little sheepish and laughed. "I don't really do housework. We used to have a cook, but I'm so picky that Kieran just taught himself. Now he handles all three meals."

"He's actually amazing at it. Wait till he shows off later. You have to try his cooking."

Every word cut into me like a dull blade dragged slowly across my heart.

I used to have a bad stomach. I'd wake up in the middle of the night, doubled over in pain.

A few times, when it got unbearable, I asked Kieran to make me some porridge. He said he didn't know how.

Back then, I told myself he was just too busy with work. That it was normal for him to overlook small things like that.

The truth was, he simply hadn't cared enough about me.

Angelica handed me a glass of juice and grinned. "I always figured a guy like Kieran had to be a total nerd, no romantic bone in his body. But once we got together, I realized when he turns on the charm, it's almost too much."

She pulled out her phone and scrolled through her photo albums to show me.

In one picture, Kieran stood in a loud Hawaiian shirt in front of a music festival stage, surrounded by a sea of cheering people. He was waving a glow stick, grinning from ear to ear.

"Last year I was stressed out from work and couldn't shake this funk. He dragged me to Coachella. He ended up having more fun than I did."

She scrolled down further, and their marriage certificate filled the screen.

The date read March 12, 2018.

Three months after I was frozen, he had married someone else.

Angelica blushed slightly.

"It's kind of a funny story, actually. We met through work. Kieran came to our magazine for an interview, and I was the photographer assigned to his shoot."

"I'd just gotten out of a relationship at the time. Dating was the last thing on my mind. But he kept showing up at my studio, day after day, saying it was love at first sight. Two months after we met, we eloped."

My chest felt like a giant fist was crushing it. I could barely breathe.

When Kieran was chasing her, I had only just been frozen.

All those sweet nothings, that reckless pursuit, happened while I lay asleep.

His promises of waiting for me to wake up, of our family being whole again, were nothing but lies.

Perhaps all he'd ever needed was a free test subject.

Freeze me, and he could start a brand-new life with a clean conscience.

As for the child I'd given birth to, he was a ready-made son for the new wifesparing her the pain of pregnancy and labor.

The little boy finished changing and scampered over to Angelica, nuzzling against her.

Angelica smiled. "Les, stop being so clingy. Go play for a bit and let Mommy chat."

The boy leaned in and planted a kiss on her cheek. "Mommy's the best!"

Her eyes crinkled with warmth.

I turned my face away. My eyes burned, but I didn't dare let a single tear fall.

Eight years. I'd missed his first time rolling over, his first steps, his first wordMama.

The kisses and cuddles he gave Angelica were supposed to be mine.

Instead, I sat here like a stranger in my own son's life.

The boy caught me staring. His expression shifted instantly, wary and sharp. "Lady, are you one of those women trying to steal my dad?"

I froze, unable to believe what I'd just heard.

"I heard Mommy talking to Mrs. Wang next door about it. Women are always trying to get with my dad."

He crossed his little arms with absolute conviction. "Well, forget it! My dad only loves my mom!"

"Even my dad's ex-wife had the good sense to die early so my mom could take her place."

Angelica gave him a light scolding look. "You're too young to be saying things like that."

But she didn't actually correct him. She just smiled and nudged him aside. "Go do your homework."

The boy pulled a face at me and ran off.

I watched his retreating back, a storm of emotions churning inside me.

Angelica smiled. "Kids say the darndest things. Don't take it to heart."

I shook my head, but my heart felt like it had been ripped wide open, cold wind pouring through the wound.

Just then, the front door opened.

Kieran's voice drifted in, warm with laughter. "Angelica, I'm home."

"My director heard that a patient came by to thank me in person. He tagged alongsays he wants to get some publicity going, maybe push for my promotion to associate director."

His voice cut off mid-sentence.

I rose slowly to my feet and turned around.

Our eyes met, and every drop of color drained from Kieran's face.

A tidal wave of shock crashed behind his eyes, but not a single word left his mouth.

A middle-aged man's voice came from behind him. "Professor Pruitt, this is your patient? I'm getting the PR department on this first thing tomorrow!"

Angelica stepped forward to greet them. "Welcome! Please, come in."

She glanced at Kieran. "Honey, why are you just standing there? Say something."

I looked straight at Kieran, and a bitter smile curled the corner of my mouth.

"Surprise, honey."

"Your dead wife came back to see how well you've been doing."