My sister, Mia, was trapped in a remote, snow-covered mountain, caught in an unexpected blizzard during her hike. I immediately called my husband, Ryan, who was the captain of the local search and rescue team and knew that mountain like the back of his hand. Ryan got the call and instantly rallied his team, preparing to deploy. But just as they were about to head out, he answered a phone call. He abruptly ordered the entire team to stand down, then jumped into his truck and sped down the mountain himself. I ran after the truck, stumbling and falling in the snow, watching helplessly as his vehicle vanished around the bend. “Ryan, the blizzard’s about to seal off the mountain!” “If you don’t go now, Mia will die! Please, I’m begging you, come back and save her!” But all he left me with was: “Stand by.” I waited for three agonizing hours until I saw him on the local news channel. Ryan was carefully prying a diamond bracelet, frozen solid to the icy railing of a scenic overlook, from a pampered heiress’s wrist. The heiress, Valerie, batting her eyelashes at the camera, played up her ‘terrified ordeal’ with a simpering mix of fear and exaggerated relief. “Thank goodness for Captain Ryan,” she gushed. “Otherwise, my necklace would have been ruined!” So, as my sister’s life ticked away, his more urgent priority was rescuing a rich socialite’s priceless jewelry. But what he didn’t know was that Mia had braved that storm-ravaged mountain not for adventure, but for him. She was there to retrieve a cherished heirloom from his mentor, lost years ago on that very mountain. And when Mia’s body was finally found, frozen solid in the raging blizzard, it would be the avalanche that buried not just her, but every shred of his life as he knew it.
The television screen’s glow reflected on my bloodless face. Ryan’s handsome profile was incredibly clear in the camera’s frame. He was bent over, carefully handling Valerie’s bracelet. Meanwhile, my sister, Mia, was all alone, trapped on a snow-capped mountain where temperatures plunged dozens of degrees below zero. Three whole hours! What I got wasn’t Ryan returning with his team, but him driving the rescue command vehicle back along a different scenic road. I frantically rushed in front of his truck, beating desperately on the window. “Ryan! Where were you?!” “What about Mia? Did you save her?!” The window slowly lowered, revealing his face, etched with impatience. “Harper, calm down,” he frowned. “I was handling an emergency.” An emergency? I was shaking with rage, pointing towards the mountain, tears blurring my vision instantly. “Your ‘emergency’ was retrieving a bracelet for some rich girl?!” “What about my sister? Is Mia’s life not more urgent than some stupid bracelet?!” Ryan’s expression darkened. “Miss Valerie’s hand was frozen to the metal railing of the overlook. There was a risk of amputation.” “And besides, I’d already had the team prepare everything. We were going to leave the moment I returned, not a minute wasted!” “Not a minute wasted?!” I let out a shrill, hysterical laugh. “Ryan, do you even realize, the blizzard peaked *three hours ago*! The entire mountain is locked down now! You didn’t just delay for a minute; you stole Mia’s *only* chance to live!” He seemed stung by my raw desperation, his voice hardening like ice. “Harper, I’m the captain! I know more about rescues than you do!” “If I say I can save her, I *will* save her!” “Now, move! Stop being irrational and getting in the way of my actual work!” Just then, his walkie-talkie crackled to life. A young team member’s trembling voice came through: “C-captain, we… we found Miss Mia near beacon number three on the west ridge…” My heart instantly clenched. “How is she?” A moment of silence passed on the other end of the walkie-talkie, followed by muffled sobs. “She… she’s no longer showing signs of life.” “Hypothermia, full organ failure, her body completely frozen solid…” My world seemed to crumble in that instant. I sank helplessly onto the snow. Ryan’s face went instantly ashen, a powerful shock and panic flashing in his eyes. But it was all too late. My sister, who just yesterday held my hand, laughing and promising to bring back the most beautiful snow-capped photos from the mountain, was now gone forever, left behind on that cold peak. When the rescue team brought her body back, she was curled up, her hands clutching a small wooden box tightly, never letting go, even in death.
Mia’s funeral was simple. She had always been so lively and full of smiles, so I chose a photo of her laughing brightest for her memorial picture. In the picture, she was wearing her hiking gear, a clear blue sky stretching behind her. But as I stared, that blue sky twisted into a brutal, bone-chilling blizzard in my mind’s eye. Ryan stood beside me, dressed in a black suit, silent as a statue. He tried to take my hand, but I pulled away. Those hands that had countless times pulled me into a loving embrace now made my stomach churn with a sickening repulsion. After the funeral, I held Mia’s urn and returned to the home Ryan and I shared. This place, once filled with laughter, was now terrifyingly quiet. Ryan followed behind me, cautiously speaking. “Harper, I know you’re hurting, but the dead can’t be brought back. You need to move forward.” Move forward? I turned, looking at him coldly. “Ryan, do you know why Mia went up that snowy mountain?” He paused, as if he’d never considered the question. “Didn’t she always love hiking and exploring?” “Yes, she did,” I forced a bitter smile. “But she loved her sister more. She knew I loved you, so she worshipped you like a hero, too.” I placed the wooden box the rescue team had retrieved from Mia’s arms onto the coffee table between us. “She heard me say that years ago, during a rescue mission, you lost a cherished heirloom from your mentor on that mountain.” “It was your biggest regret, and she wanted to make it right for you before your birthday.” Ryan’s body stiffened violently. He stared at the box, reaching out a hand but not daring to touch it. I opened it for him. Inside lay a brass compass, its needle no longer turning, its casing marked with the scratches of time. “She braved that storm-ravaged mountain, not for adventure, but for *you*, Ryan.” “She sacrificed her life for one of your insignificant sentiments.” “And you, when her life was hanging by a thread, when she needed you most, abandoned her for some woman’s jewelry.” Ryan’s breathing grew ragged. His tall frame swayed, his face ashen. “I… I didn’t know…” He murmured, a flicker of genuine pain and regret finally appearing in his eyes. “I truly didn’t know…” “Of course, you didn’t.” I looked at him, the last trace of warmth vanishing from my gaze. “Because you never truly cared about my sister and me.” “In your heart, we were probably less important than Miss Valerie’s bracelet.” I pulled another document from my bag and placed it beside the wooden box. “Ryan, we’re getting a divorce.” His pupils suddenly constricted. He stared at me, his eyes wide with disbelief. “Divorce? Harper, do you even know what you’re saying?” “I know perfectly well.” I stood up, clutching Mia’s urn. “Everything in this house is yours. I don’t want anything. I just want you to sign this.” With that, I carried Mia’s urn into her room and locked the door.
I stayed in Mia’s room all night. The next morning, when I walked out with my already packed suitcase, Ryan was sitting on the sofa, his eyes bloodshot, the divorce papers crumpled in his hand. Seeing me, he shot up, rushing over in a few strides and gripping my wrist. “Harper, do you really have to do this?” His voice was hoarse, tinged with a plea. “I’m devastated about Mia’s death too. I admit I was responsible, that I made a misjudgment.” “But you can’t let this one incident negate all our years together!” I tried to pull away, but he held on tighter. “All these years together?” I looked up, meeting his gaze directly. “Ryan, which years are you talking about?” “The years I quit my job to support your career, moving with you to this isolated mountain town?” “Or every time you went on a mission, when I couldn’t sleep all night, sick with worry for you?” “Or perhaps, this relationship where my sister lost her life for one of your so-called regrets?” His face went pale, and his grip on my hand loosened slightly. “I didn’t ask you to do any of that…” he argued. “I thought you did it willingly.” “I *was* willing,” I conceded with a nod. “But that was because I thought, in your heart, my family and I came first.” “Now I know I was wrong.” “To you, your ‘principles’ and ‘judgment’ were more important than my sister’s life itself.” “That’s different!” he interrupted, agitated. “Valerie’s situation was an *accident*! I was just—” “Enough, Ryan.” I didn’t want to hear any more of his excuses. “I don’t care what you were thinking at the time. I only know the outcome.” “And the outcome is that my sister is dead, and you are indirectly responsible for it.” The word “responsible” hit Ryan like a sledgehammer. He completely let go of me, stepping back, his eyes filled with hurt and anger. “Harper, do you have to use such hurtful words to stab at me? I know you’re angry, but this isn’t solving anything; you’re just being irrational!” In his eyes, my grief over losing my sister, my despair for him, was just irrationality. I suddenly found it both ridiculous and pathetic. Just then, his phone rang abruptly. He glanced at the caller ID, his brow instinctively furrowing. He deliberately lowered his voice, but I still caught the sweet, delicate female voice on the other end. “Captain Ryan, are you still mad at me?” “I really didn’t mean to cause you trouble. My dad wants to invite you to dinner to thank you in person…” Ryan turned his back to me, his voice a gentle tone I’d never heard him use before. “Miss Valerie, you’re too kind. It was just part of my job.” “No need for dinner. How’s your hand?” “Much better, the doctor said it was lucky you handled it so quickly. All thanks to you…” I watched his back impassively, then picked up my suitcase and walked towards the door. Ryan seemed to sense my movement. He quickly said, “I have to go, I’m busy,” into the phone, then turned and rushed after me, blocking my path again. “Harper, let’s talk this through. Please don’t go.” I looked at him, then asked an unrelated question. “Ryan, do you know what Mia’s ashes feel like to the touch?” He froze. I continued, ignoring him. “They’re cold. Colder than the snow on that mountain.” He suddenly became agitated, snatching my suitcase from my hand. “I won’t agree to a divorce!”
“I told you, what happened to Mia was an accident, but that can’t be your reason for leaving me!” “Compensation?” I looked at this man I had once loved to my core, repeating the word. “Ryan, what could you possibly compensate? Can you bring Mia back to life?” “Can you turn back time, and choose to save her that day instead?” He was speechless, only able to futilely emphasize: “That’s different! Rescue operations have procedures and judgments! I—” “Don’t talk to me about your procedures and judgments anymore!” I finally exploded, screaming out all my pain and despair. “Your ‘judgment’ was that my sister’s cry for help needed verification, but Miss Valerie’s frozen bracelet was a top emergency!” “Your ‘procedure’ was to keep your entire rescue team standing by while *you* drove dozens of miles to play hero to a rich heiress!” My voice was shrill, attracting the curious stares of the neighbors. A flicker of embarrassment crossed Ryan’s face. He tried to cover my mouth. “Lower your voice! Don’t air our dirty laundry in public!” I violently shook off his hand, tears finally streaming down my face. “Dirty laundry? Ryan, *now* you care about dirty laundry?!” “When you treated Mia’s life like a joke, did you ever consider it would come to this?” “While you smugly enjoyed Valerie’s thanks and the media’s praise, did you ever spare a thought for the girl slowly taking her last breaths in the blizzard?!” “I told you I didn’t know she was there for *me*!” He was enraged now too, veins bulging on his forehead. “If I had known, I would have gone to save her first!” “Really?” I retorted with a cold laugh. “But you *didn’t* know. You didn’t even spend a second thinking about it.” “You just *assumed* she was some reckless idiot, not worth a hero captain like you prioritizing her rescue.” Ryan fell silent instantly, the fire in his eyes slowly dying, replaced by a deep sense of helplessness. Perhaps only at this moment did he truly realize that the problem between us was no longer something an apology or compensation could fix. It was a human life, a chasm my sister had carved with her very existence, a gulf we could never bridge. I slowly, one by one, peeled his fingers from the handle of my suitcase. His hand was warm, strong, once my most cherished harbor. But now, I only felt cold. “Ryan, let go,” my voice was calm again. “We’re truly over.”
I pulled my suitcase, walking towards the main road at the village entrance without looking back. Ryan’s gaze felt like thorns digging into my back. But I didn’t turn around, not once. I was afraid if I did, I’d see regret in his eyes, and my heart would soften. But my heart couldn’t afford to be soft anymore. Mia’s urn was still in my backpack; she hated the cold, and I needed to take her somewhere warm. A place without Ryan, and without blizzards. Not long after I left, a pink Porsche pulled up to Ryan’s house. The window rolled down, and Valerie peeked out. Seeing a distraught Ryan, a flicker of glee crossed her eyes, quickly replaced by a look of concern. “Captain Ryan, are you alright? I heard… your wife might have misunderstood us?” She spoke softly, with just the right amount of concern. “I couldn’t explain it to her, she was just being irrational.” Ryan tiredly rubbed his temples, his voice filled with frustration. A triumphant smile curled Valerie’s lips. Then, the two of them left for the restaurant she had already arranged, while I departed the small town nestled beneath the snowy mountains.
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