Left to Die in the Avalanche

On my wife's birthday, we went skiing on the snowy peaks, only to be struck by a devastating avalanche. My wife's first love and I were trapped under the snow at the same time. Exhausted, she only had the strength to pull one person out and leave the other behind to wait for rescue. She said, "Austin has congenital heart disease. He won't last long out here." "As soon as we get down the mountain, I'll send search and rescue for you right away." I grabbed her jacket, sobbing, begging her not to leave me. Instead, she peeled my fingers off one by one, breaking them as she told me to stop throwing a tantrum. What she didn't know was that avalanches don't just happen once. I died on that snowy mountain. On my wife's birthday. After the avalanche, she walked away with her first love, telling me to stay put and wait for rescue. She left me behind, all alone in the freezing snow. I watched with my own eyes as Chloe and Austin supported each other, walking away. I saw the unmistakable triumph in Austin's eyes, and the sheer coldness in Chloe's. It pierced my heart. Buried under the heavy snow, crushed and suffocating, I felt the bitter cold and isolation. Despair and terror swallowed me whole. I tried to encourage myself again and again, doing everything I could to stay calm and conserve my energy, holding onto the hope that rescue would come so I could live. There was too much I couldn't let go of. I didn't want to die like this. My parents, my friends, the patients who trusted me—even the cold, indifferent Chloe—became my reasons to survive. Fate, however, had other plans. That terrifying avalanche wasn't a one-time event... Buried beneath the crushing snowpack, my breath slowly faded away. Today was Chloe's birthday. One of her biggest passions in life was skiing. As a cardiothoracic surgeon, I was always swamped with work and rarely had time to spend with her. To celebrate her birthday this time, I used up an entire year's worth of vacation days. I thought this would be a sweet getaway just for the two of us, but I never expected Austin to tag along. Austin suffered from congenital heart disease; he wasn't supposed to engage in strenuous activities like this. I assumed he wouldn't come, yet there he was. Even though Chloe's relationship with Austin bothered me deeply, I didn't want to ruin the mood on such a special day. Despite his poor health, Austin was a natural skier with extensive, professional knowledge of the sport. Because of that, he and Chloe chatted happily the entire way up, completely shutting me out. Once we reached the summit, the temperature was much higher than expected. Before long, dull, thudding booms echoed in the distance. Due to my lack of experience, I didn't realize those sounds were warning signs of an imminent avalanche. By the time we noticed cracks spreading across the snow, the avalanche was already upon us. Austin and I had the worst luck; we were buried relatively deep. Chloe had run fast and was only lightly covered. She used every ounce of her strength to claw her way out. With her energy depleted, she could only carry one person down. Both Austin and I looked up at her with desperate hope. I wasn't just Chloe's husband; I was also her mother's primary attending physician. I genuinely believed she would choose to save me. Instead, Chloe's gaze shifted back and forth between Austin and me. "Julian, Austin has a congenital heart condition. He won't survive long in these conditions." "I'll take Austin down first. You're strong and healthy. Just stay here and wait for rescue. The second we reach the bottom, I'll alert the search and rescue team to come get you." I stared at her in agony, unable to utter a single sound. I gripped her ski jacket tightly, shaking my head. How could she discard me so easily? Chloe looked down at me with pure indifference. She pried my fingers away, snapping them one by one, abandoning me without hesitation. She threw out a cold, "Stop making a scene," hauled Austin to his feet, and walked away. "Chloe, don't go..." As if deaf to my cries, neither of them looked back. They just left. I waited in the freezing silence. I waited until I died, and no rescue ever came.By the time the rescue team finally arrived, my body was already frozen stiff. I was completely gone. I was dead, but somehow, not entirely gone. My spirit lingered. I followed my own body down the mountain, into the hospital, and eventually found myself beside Chloe. Austin was lying in a hospital bed, looking frail and pale with purple lips, snuggling into Chloe's arms with lingering fear. "Chloe, I honestly thought we were going to die on that mountain. Avalanches are so terrifying. I've heard stories, but experiencing one firsthand was horrific." Austin gasped for breath twice before continuing, "I can't imagine what would've happened if I was the one left behind. I'm so glad you picked me." Chloe looked at him with gentle warmth. "Austin, of course I wouldn't leave you behind." I had never seen that kind of tenderness from her before. At least, she had never once looked at me like that. Our meeting had all started because of her mother. Back when I was newly promoted to associate chief surgeon in cardiac surgery, Chloe's mother became my first patient in that role. Because of that, I took extra care of her. That was when I met Chloe. She was tall, gorgeous, and completely my type. As time passed, I was drawn in by her patience and attentiveness. With her mother playing matchmaker, Chloe and I eventually got together. We respected each other, and I always assumed she was just naturally reserved and emotionally restrained. It wasn't until I saw her holding Austin so tenderly that I finally realized the truth: she just didn't love me enough. Her feelings for me were rooted in gratitude, far more than affection, and certainly far from love. I had thought we would spend our lives treating each other with mutual respect, or that love would grow over time. But then Austin suddenly returned. Austin was Chloe's college sweetheart. Because he had the same heart condition as Chloe's mother, her mother strongly opposed their relationship and tore them apart. Austin had vanished without saying goodbye, and Chloe ended up marrying me. Right now, Chloe and Austin held each other tightly, basking in the joy of their survival, as if I had already returned safely from the mountain. "Oh! Chloe, Julian's still up on the mountain. I wonder if he's back yet. Why haven't we seen him?" Hearing my name, Chloe's brow furrowed. "What could possibly happen to Julian? He's in great shape, and he's a doctor himself. He's probably home by now." "He hasn't even called to check on us, yet you're sitting here worrying about him. You're the one who needs looking after." Saying that, she reached out and affectionately pinched Austin's cheek—a playful intimacy she had never shown me. After getting married, my demanding schedule meant our intimacy was already scarce, let alone casual touches like that. Once Austin came back, it vanished entirely. Chloe barely even came home anymore. The last time I saw her was at her mother's birthday dinner. The family had gathered for a meal, and Austin showed up with her uninvited. The entire night, Chloe didn't exchange a single word with me. She spent the whole time tending to Austin's food, acting as though I, her lawful husband, didn't even exist. Seeing this, her mother was so infuriated that she nearly suffered a heart attack. I spent the whole time smoothing things over, but the family dinner still ended in disaster.When we got home, Chloe turned around and blamed me. "Julian, why are you so petty? Austin just came over for dinner. He didn't steal your wife. Did you really have to make such a big deal out of it?" A bitter ache filled my chest as I looked at her. I hadn't done anything wrong; I had even tried to calm everyone down. How did it end up being my fault? Austin, trailing behind her, started sniffling. "Chloe, maybe I shouldn't have come today. Nobody likes me." "I just haven't seen your mom in so long. I only wanted to wish her a happy birthday." Chloe turned around, her voice softening. "Austin, it's not your fault. It's them. If we're not welcome here, then we'll leave." With that, she glared at me fiercely, grabbed Austin by the hand, and walked out. Watching them leave, tears blurred my vision, and my chest seized with unbearable pain. Back then, I knew I was probably losing her. Now, I knew with absolute certainty that I had lost her completely. Chloe was remarkably experienced when it came to caring for heart patients. From his diet to his light exercises, she looked after him with meticulous care. Within two days, Austin was glowing, completely refreshed and full of energy. That level of devotion was something I had never received from her. Because I was a physician, Chloe always assumed I was invincible and could never fall ill. Once, after working several consecutive overnight shifts, I collapsed at home while eating, knocking my plate and food onto the floor. When Chloe came home and saw the mess, she didn't offer a single word of concern. Instead, she interrogated me furiously: "Julian, what is wrong with your temper? I was gone for a few days, that's it! Is it worth throwing a tantrum like this?" "Can't you just be gentle for once, like normal people? Don't just lie there playing dead—I know you can hear me!" When I didn't respond, she finally walked over and realized I was drifting in and out of consciousness. She drove me to the hospital, dumped me with my colleagues, and rushed off immediately. Before she left, I heard her answer a phone call. Austin's needy voice came through the receiver, asking when she was coming back because he was bored at home all by himself. Right. She had no time to take care of her collapsed husband, but plenty of time to cure another man's boredom. Ever since Austin returned, things like this happened constantly. Deep down, I knew I would never measure up to the unattainable love of her past. Every time I remembered those moments, my heart felt like it was being stabbed with needles, each prick landing precisely on my most vulnerable wound. Even now, as a spirit, watching Chloe carefully spoon-feed Austin chicken broth, the pain still flared in my chest. Only this time, I couldn't cry. That broth was made by Chloe from scratch—something I had never once tasted. Just then, a knock sounded at the hospital room door. A courier delivered an envelope. Chloe opened it, letting out a contemptuous laugh. "Julian, since when did you stoop to cheap tricks like this? Did you really think pulling this would make me come groveling back to you?" "Disappearing for days, playing dead, and the moment you show up, you send divorce papers? What a joke." Glancing at the divorce agreement, I saw today's date on it. It truly was ironic. I had died days ago. Who could have sent this paperwork? Chloe tore the divorce papers to shreds, pulled out her phone, and dialed my number.