Chapter 1

My parents were getting divorced, and in court, they were fighting tooth and nail over who would get custody of me.

My mom, Helen Brooks, sobbed uncontrollably, "Lucas should be with me. I'm his mother."

My dad, William Cooper, said, his eyes red from crying, "I can give him a better life."

The judge looked at me. "Lucas, who do you want to go with?"

I looked at my mom, then at my dad. "I choose Dad."

Everyone breathed a sigh of relief, thinking it was all settled now.

Just then, I turned to the judge and asked seriously, "Can the boy in the fridge come with me, too?"

The courtroom went dead silent.

The judge dropped his pen, and Helen went pale as a sheet.

*****

The air in the courtroom was thick and heavy, filled with stifled breaths.

My mom, Helen Brooks, was crying her heart out, her tears streaming down like rain. "Your Honor, Lucas has to stay with me. I'm his mother. No one loves him more than I do."

Her voice trembled, and her tears fell like unstrung pearls, each one striking deep into the hearts of her loved ones in the gallery.

My dad, William Cooper, sat on the other side, his eyes bloodshot, fists clenched so hard that his knuckles were pale.

"I can give Lucas a better life, a better education. Helen, you can't take care of yourself right now." His voice was hoarse, full of exhaustion and anger.

The judge rapped his gavel, and the courtroom instantly fell silent.

He took off his glasses and gave me a gentle, yet probing look. "Lucas, who do you want to stay with, your dad or your mom?"

Everyone was staring at me, their gazes like spotlights on my tiny frame.

My name was Lucas Cooper, and I was seven years old.

I looked at my mom. Her makeup was ruined from crying, and she looked really miserable.

Then I glanced at my dad. His eyes were red, like he'd been up all night.

They both said they loved me.

I pressed my lips together and got up from my seat. My voice wasn't loud, but it was clear enough as I spoke.

"I choose Dad," I said.

William visibly relaxed, letting out a long breath, like he'd been pulled out of the water.

Helen's crying stopped dead. She stared at me in disbelief, her eyes full of shock and hurt.

The judge and the lawyers all seemed to breathe a sigh of relief. After such a tough tug-of-war, it looked like things were finally settled.

The judge picked up his pen, ready to jot everything down.

Everyone in the courtroom thought the last issue of this divorce case had finally been wrapped up.

But I stayed standing.

I turned to face the judge at the front of the courtroom, and with all the seriousness a seven-year-old could muster, I asked a question. "Judge, can the boy in the freezer come with me, too?"

It was like time stopped right then and there.

Even the tense breaths in the air faded away.

Mom's sobs, Dad's sighs, and the lawyers' murmurs were all gone.

It was as silent as a grave in the courtroom.

A sharp sound shattered the eerie silence.

It was the judge's pen, slipping from his hand, landing on the thick stack of files, and then rolling onto the floor.

I saw his face turn very pale, even paler than Mom's after she'd been crying.

The court clerk's fingers froze mid-air, hovering over the keyboard.

William's lawyer stood there, mouth hanging open, completely forgetting what he was about to say.

And Helen's lawyer, the one who'd been so sharp and articulate, now looked like her soul had been sucked right out of her.

But my parents' reactions were absolutely priceless.

William, who'd relaxed, now looked totally bewildered and scared out of his mind.

He stared at me, mouth opening and closing, but nothing came out.

"L-Lucas, what did you say?" he finally stammered.

Helen's sadness vanished in an instant, replaced by a wild mix of horror, terror, and hopelessness.

Her body started trembling uncontrollably, like a lone leaf caught in a cold autumn breeze.

"What are you making up?" she snapped.

Her voice was so sharp that it sliced through the dead silence of the courtroom, ripping apart all the masks she'd worn before.

The judge jumped to his feet, knocking his chair over in the process. "Order."

He turned to the bailiff, his hand shaking as he pointed outside. "Call the cops right now. Lock down the courtroom. No, lock down their house."

The bailiffs snapped out of their shock and rushed over. Two stood behind my dad, and two behind my mom.

William was still in a daze, but he reached out, pulled me close, and hugged me tight.

He was shaking more than Mom. "Lucas, tell me. What did you mean by that? A boy? What freezer?"

I leaned into his arms, feeling his heart thumping wildly against me.

I didn't answer. Instead, I looked up at the judge again. "Sir, he is in the big white freezer at home. He's been sleeping there for a really long time. We said we'd leave together."