Left in the Snow

I was stranded on a treacherous mountain peak, facing death. My fianc, the captain of the search and rescue team, had diverted every single resource to find his missing childhood sweetheart.

I didn't bother calling for help this time. I simply waited for the end to come in the biting cold.

In my past life, he had actually answered my call. He saved me from the cliff, but his precious childhood friend remained lost.

He claimed he didn't regret saving me. He even meticulously planned our wedding.

But the day before we were supposed to say "I do," he did the unthinkable. He had the child in my womb removed and dumped me at the very spot where his friend had vanished.

"The mountain wasn't even dangerous that day. You were just jealous of Willa, and now she's gone because of your lies!"

"A venomous bitch like you deserves to die in her place!"

I bled out in the heavy snow. My unborn child froze to death right beside me.

When I opened my eyes again, I was back on the day of the mountain accident.

This time, I chose to step aside and let him be with his little sweetheart forever.

01.

The temperature was dropping fast.

I was trapped on a narrow ledge, shivering and starving.

I dialed the rescue number I knew by heart. The voice that answered was one I knew all too well.

"Maya, is that you? My brother went to find Willa. He specifically said to ignore any calls coming from you."

The girl on the line was Nora Reed, my fianc Asher's sister. She was also a member of the rescue team.

I curled into a ball on the cliffside as the freezing wind lashed at my face.

I couldn't even find the strength to speak. Nora's mocking voice continued to pierce through the static.

"Stop faking it, Maya. Every time Asher is with Willa, you suddenly have a fever or a stomach ache. Now you're claiming you're stuck on a mountain?"

"Willa is actually fragile. she wanted to end it all because she didn't want to be a burden. You're perfectly healthy, so stop being a drama queen."

"The wedding is next month. It would be a shame if the bride had to be replaced because of your antics."

Nora's voice was cold. My hand was almost frozen to my phone. I didn't want to waste any more energy, so I just hung up.

I placed my hand over my still-flat belly. My eyes were filled with a bitter sense of irony.

I never expected to be reborn. Especially not at a moment as life-threatening as this.

In my previous life, I had also gone hiking and got caught in extreme weather.

The ground was slick and freezing. I had slipped down a cliff and instinctively called Asher.

He brought the entire team to save me from hypothermia. In doing so, he missed the call from his childhood friend, Willa Brooks.

I found out later that Willa disappeared right after that call.

The last place she was seen was near a deep, bottomless lake.

Asher and his team searched that lake for weeks but found nothing. I was too scared to tell him I was pregnant.

He held me tight then, saying nothing mattered more than me and the baby. He even knelt and proposed right there.

I bought the most beautiful wedding dress. But the night before the ceremony, Asher drove me to the edge of that same lake.

He ruined me. He took my baby away and left the poor thing in the snow.

"Maya! I finally found out. Willa disappeared because of you!"

"You pushed her away! She might be dead because you lied about needing rescue!"

"You murderer! You love acting like you're in danger? Now you can feel what real desperation is like!"

02.

Asher stripped me of my clothes and left me alone in the frozen wasteland.

I screamed and begged him to have mercy on our child.

He looked at me like I was a piece of filth. He kicked me toward the icy water and drove away without looking back.

My baby and I froze to death in that white hell.

I still remember the absolute despair and the agonizing pain.

I used to think Asher might feel a shred of guilt for our deaths. I didn't realize he could be this heartless in this life, telling his sister to ignore my cries for help.

The air grew colder. My thin hiking jacket wasn't going to hold out much longer. I realized it was a gift from Asher.

He knew I loved hiking, so he bought me tons of outdoor gear.

I used to think it was a sign of his deep love. Even though most of the stuff he bought was cheap and low-quality, I cherished it all.

Including this jacket that barely blocked the wind. It was his "love" that had led me to this dead end.

I took a deep breath. I couldn't just sit here and wait for the reaper.

I estimated the distance to the top. I pulled a climbing rope from my pack, threw it upward, and began to crawl.

The wind was brutal. My jacket felt like it was made of tissue paper against the freezing chill.

My hands and feet were numb. I kept pushing, fighting for every inch of progress.

Finally, I reached the top. But a massive, furry face suddenly appeared inches from mine.

It was... a black bear!

Terror surged through me. My grip slipped, and I went tumbling back down the cliff.

My head throbbed with pain. My back felt like it had been split open. I couldn't even roll over.

Luckily, I had a bit of good fortune. A small group of backpackers nearby heard the commotion and scared the bear away.

They were shocked to find me pinned on a protruding rock. They tried everything to pull me up.

The pain was too intense for me to move. They had no choice but to call for professional rescue.

When Nora first got the calls from the strangers, she thought I had hired actors to lie for me.

But then the calls kept coming. Even her superiors called to demand why she wasn't responding to a distress signal.

Nora realized this wasn't a game. But Asher had taken the entire team to search for Willa. She was powerless to help on her own.

The worst part happened when I tried to shift my weight. My foot slipped, and I began to slide toward the abyss once more.

03.

As I felt my body plummeting, memories of my life with Asher flashed before my eyes like a distorted movie.

After living two lives, I finally realized how pathetic our relationship really was.

Actually, it wasn't even a relationship. It was just me being delusional.

We were college classmates. When I met Asher, he was poor and constantly bullied. I was the one who stood up for him.

I used my family's influence to get him a steady job.

When he confessed his love, I wasn't surprised. My parents, however, were dead set against him. They thought he was a gold-digger looking for a way into our high-society life.

I ignored them. I fought for him and eventually cut ties with my family just to be with him.

Finally, on my 25th birthday, Asher proposed. He was successful by then.

I thought I had finally secured my happily ever after.

I never realized that in the seven years we were together, Willa's shadow was everywhere.

If Willa felt a sniffle, Asher would drop everything to be by her side.

If Willa had cramps, Asher would brew herbal tea and deliver it to her personally every day.

If Willa went through a breakup, he would stay up all night being her shoulder to cry on.

As for me? If I complained even a little, he'd call me a spoiled princess.

I told myself he was just a "guy's guy" who didn't know how to express his feelings.

But seeing how he cherished and protected Willa made me realize how wrong I was.

Even with a second chance at life, Asher still loved her. Not me.

In his heart, I was worth absolutely nothing.

04.

Luck was on my side.

Even though I was blind enough to love a piece of trash, a stubborn little tree caught my fall.

I ate a protein bar that someone dropped from above. It gave me just enough strength to tie a rope around my waist.

The hikers slowly hauled me up, inch by agonizing inch.

By the time I reached the top, I was a broken mess.

Nora was there, looking at my pale, weak body in the middle of the crowd. She looked terrified.

"Maya, I didn't know it was real. Asher said... I'll call him right now!"

Every bone in my body felt shattered. I mustered enough strength to glare at her with cold eyes.

"Your brother... always your brother. Does he own the rescue team? Is his word the law?"

The people who saved me started shouting at her. "Exactly! Your team is pathetic and irresponsible!"

"We called a dozen times and nobody came! Who would've been responsible if she died?"

"We're filing a formal complaint against your department!"

The accusations rained down on her. Nora huddled like a frightened bird, unable to say a word.

I lost consciousness shortly after. Everyone panicked and rushed me down the mountain to the hospital.

I was out for a full day.

When I finally woke up, the doctor told me I needed absolute bed rest.

"Did you know you were pregnant? Your body took a massive hit, and the baby is in trouble."

"You must stay in bed. Any movement could cause a life-threatening hemorrhage."

I didn't say a word. I had tried so hard to protect the little life during the fall, but the impact was too much.

Nora's eyes widened. She reached out to touch my stomach with a look of fake excitement.

"Maya, you're pregnant?"

"I'm calling Asher right now. He needs to get here!"

I felt nothing but contempt.

I had been unconscious for over twenty-four hours. If Asher wanted to be here, he would've been here already.

But Nora had already dialed the number. She couldn't wait to deliver the news.

"Asher! Maya is pregnant! You need to get to the hospital right now!"

"Nora! Have I spoiled you so much that you've stopped listening to me?"

"Didn't I tell you I don't want to hear another word about her drama?"

Asher's voice on the other end was dripping with irritation.

Nora's voice lost its confidence.

"But she really was in trouble. The doctors say she has multiple fractures and her condition is unstable. The baby might not make it..."

"What's wrong, Asher? Is Maya okay? I'm fine, really. I just wanted some fresh air by the lake. Go be with her."

Willa's voice drifted through the phone. She sounded so frail, like a leaf in the wind.

I heard Asher's voice soften as he comforted her.

"It's nothing. Don't worry. She's just acting out again."

"Nora, this is my final warning. If you keep helping that woman lie to me, don't bother calling me brother anymore!"

"But Asher..."

Nora tried to protest, but Asher cut her off brutally.

"Enough! I said I don't want to hear it! The wedding is off! Even if she dies, it has nothing to do with me!"

The line went dead.

Even though I was prepared for it, hearing those heartless words still felt like a knife to the chest.

Nora looked back at me, looking like a guilty child who didn't know what to do.

But a second later, she noticed something. The heart monitor I was hooked to started flatlining. No matter how much she screamed my name, I didn't respond.

Nora panicked. She ran into the hallway, screaming for the nurses.

"Doctor! Please! My sister-in-law's heart stopped!"

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