The blizzard screamed against the triple-paned glass of our Aspen mansion.

I died eighteen months ago, but I still watched my family through the high-definition security cameras I had calibrated myself.

Nathan stepped through the heavy oak front door, his wool coat thick with white snow.

He shook his head, shivering as the dry warmth of the foyer hit his pale face.

From the east wing, heavy bass music vibrated through the floorboards.

Vanessa was hosting another party.

Crystal glasses clinked, and high-pitched laughter floated down the hallway.

Nathan did not walk toward the noise of the crowd.

He walked toward the basement stairs, toward the small room behind the pantry where we used to store winter gear.

I switched my feed to the camera above the pantry door.

He pushed the door open.

The room was freezing, the air smelling of damp concrete and old cardboard.

Emma, Lily, Sophie, and Grace huddled together on a single mattress on the floor.

They had one threadbare blanket between the four of them.

Emma held a piece of green, moldy sourdough bread in her small, trembling hand.

Lily was licking dry crumbs off her sister’s fingers.

Nathan stopped in the doorway.

His face went entirely white, his eyes wide in the dim light.

“Daddy?” Sophie whispered, her voice cracking as she squinted at him.

Nathan dropped to his knees on the cold floor.

“What is this?” he whispered, his voice shaking with a terrible rage.

He gently reached out and took the moldy bread from Emma’s hand.

“We were so hungry,” Grace said, rubbing her red, swollen eyes.

“Vanessa said we couldn’t have the party food,” Lily mumbled, tucking her cold hands under her armpits.

“She said we would ruin the carpet,” Emma added.

Nathan stood up slowly.

His fists clenched so hard his knuckles turned white.

He walked out of the room, his boots slamming against the hardwood as he marched toward the grand ballroom.

I switched my camera view to the ballroom.

Vanessa stood near the carved ice sculpture, a glass of champagne resting between her manicured fingers.

Her brother Julian stood beside her, laughing with a local real estate broker.