Chapter 3

I returned home without turning on the lights and collapsed on the sofa, scrolling through social media.

Work complaints, daily life with spouses and kids, travel photos...

I saw Lily's latest post from half an hour ago.

"Ate something too cold and now my stomach hurts. Never again! (crying emoji)"

My finger hovered over that post for a long time before I finally broke down in tears.

I had a deep-seated fear of anything cold - ice, winter, snow - everything frigid.

That year when Jack went skiing, he was on an advanced slope. Given his skills, he shouldn't have had any problems.

But that day, my heart was racing with a bad feeling. Even though I was a beginner and couldn't ski, I made my way down step by step.

Jack's binding came loose, and I watched helplessly as he lost control and tumbled towards the trees beside the slope.

Without thinking, I threw away my poles and skis and rushed towards him.

The snow was deep, up to my knees, and each step drained my energy.

"Jack! Jack!" I called out his name, but there was no response.

At the bottom of a huge rock, Jack lay unconscious, his breathing shallow.

Using my limited first-aid knowledge, I found that his left thigh was broken, and he had several fractured ribs. Blood trickled from the corner of his mouth.

The advanced slope was sparsely populated, and most skiers were moving too fast for me to ask for help.

I took off my gloves, but my phone had no signal.

But my husband was dying in my arms, and I couldn't afford to wait.

Jack wasn't too heavy, but at over six feet tall, he wasn't exactly light either.

I struggled to support him by his arm, using all my strength to move.

After a few steps, I tripped over a small rock, cutting my cheek.

There was no time to feel the pain; I dragged Jack forward again.

Our combined weight made the snow reach up to my hips, the bone-chilling cold invading every inch of my skin.

But I couldn't stop. I managed to move Jack onto the ski slope, nearly getting run over by someone skiing down.

That person clearly noticed something was wrong with us but couldn't stop.

I had used up all my strength, and hypothermia was setting in. I could barely stay conscious, only hoping that person would be kind enough to notify the staff to rescue us.

As I was about to close my eyes, I looked at Jack's pained face and prayed that my love would be safe.