Chapter 2

Till date I've always done what my father asked of me so that he considered me just as capable as my brother.

I passed top of my class, went to Harvard University and I graduated with the highest honors joined the company from an intern and worked myself up but l was still a woman who couldn't do it better than my brother and my place was my husband.

I did everything he wanted to do but I want won't marry Gary. 

I was debating in my head what I should do next only for the lodge that I booked for our honeymoon to send an email which sent me in the right direction because I know what I'm going to do right now.

Fuck Gary and my father.

The moment my plane landed in the Sierra Nevada airport, a cold wave of dread hit me. Not because I just took off without telling anybody or the fact that I got my heart broken

But because of the loud voice on the intercom: "Attention, passengers. We have severe weather alerts. A heavy snowstorm is approaching, and visibility is extremely low. Please be advised of potential delays."

I gripped my small carry-on bag tighter. Great. This was supposed to be my perfect Christmas getaway. Crisp mountain air, cozy lodge, hot chocolate by a roaring fire. Not… this.

I walked into the terminal, and it was pure chaos. People everywhere, yelling into phones, kids crying. The air felt thick with worry. I pulled out my phone, ready to call the lodge, ready to tell them I was here. But the screen just showed a big, fat "No Service" message. I tried moving, walked closer to a window, even went into the bathroom. Nothing. No bars. Zero.

My heart started to pound. I was stuck. Really, truly stuck. My lodge was deep in the mountains, and without a way to contact them, how would I get there? I felt a knot of panic tighten in my stomach. This was not how I planned my holiday.

After nearly an hour of pacing and feeling completely useless, a man with a thick beard and a worn-out ski jacket approached me. 

"Lost, miss?" he asked, his voice gruff but not unkind.

"My lodge… I can't reach them," I stammered, feeling a little desperate. "And there's no network."

He nodded slowly. "Yeah, the storm's messing with everything. Roads are getting bad fast. Most taxis won't even go up there now." He paused, then sized me up. "I'm heading that way. I could take you."

I'm not stupid enough to get on a strangers car but I am desperate so I asked security if he was a trustworthy person and they assured me that he is one of the people who offer transport around here.

"But it'll cost you double. The snow's no joke out there." He said after that clearly taking advantage of my situation but double is nothing to me. 

All I wanted was to get out of this noisy, freezing airport and into my warm lodge. "Money is no issue," I said quickly, maybe a little too quickly. "Just get me there."

He gave a slight smirk, then led me out to a rusty, old SUV covered in a dusting of fresh snow. The wind hit me like a physical punch. It was colder than I thought. Way colder.

The drive started okay, but it quickly turned into a nightmare. The snow wasn't just dusting anymore; it was coming down in thick, blinding sheets. The wipers on his SUV struggled to keep up. I pressed my face against the window, trying to see, but there was only white. The road we were on, once a clear path were now dark.

The car swayed, the tires spun a few times, and my stomach flipped with each slide. The man, whose name I didn't even know, gripped the wheel hard, his knuckles white. I could feel the cold seeping into the car, even with the heater on full blast. My fingers, even tucked into my pockets, felt numb.

Then, with a sickening lurch, the car stopped. The tires whined, but we weren't moving. We were stuck. Deep in it.

The man sighed, a long, tired sound. He turned to me, his face grim in the dashboard lights. "That's it, miss. We're not getting to your lodge tonight. Not through this. We're buried in pretty deep."

My heart sank. My "money is no issue" decision felt completely stupid now. I was still stuck, but now in the middle of nowhere, in a frozen car. "What do you mean?" I asked, my voice barely a whisper. "We can't just… stay here."

"No," he said, shaking his head. "I've got to go back, try to get some help. Someone with a plow, maybe. But it's a long walk, and I'll be slow in this snow. You stay here. Keep the engine running for heat, but turn it off every hour to save fuel. I'll be back."

And just like that, he opened his door and disappeared. He left me there. He just left me.

I watched through the  window until I couldn't even see the faint beam of his flashlight anymore. I was alone. Utterly, completely alone. The snow was bad. Inside, the heat from the engine felt weak, trying to fight against it

Anger flared in me. This was it. This was officially the worst Christmas season ever. Last night I found my fiance cheating on me with my best friend and today I'm stuck in the snow.

I hugged myself, but it did nothing. I was shivering and my body was shaking.

An hour passed. Or maybe two. I couldn't tell. My teeth were chattering so hard my jaw ached. My feet felt like blocks of ice. The engine, which I had turned on and off, was losing power because it's quite clear that the car is not in good condition. I knew I couldn't stay here. I’d freeze to death.

With great effort, I pushed open the car door. The wind blew harshly on my face and I gasped. My legs were stiff and my muscles screamed in protest. But I had to move. I had to find help.

The snow was up to my knees, making every step a monumental task. My breathing became ragged, quick gasps for air. After about ten minutes of pushing through the deep snow, my chest felt tight. I started to wheeze, a horrible rasping sound. A cough ripped through me and my throat felt raw.  I felt lightheaded and dizzy and my legs felt like jelly, they were about to give out.

Just as my knees buckled, and I knew I was going down, a strong arm shot out, catching me around the waist. I gasped, clinging to the warmth of a solid, human body. l felt  a mix of fear and sudden, unexpected relief.

I pulled away instantly, scared. What if the stranger was dangerous? My eyes, still blurry, tried to focus. He was tall and had a face that, even in my hazy state, I could tell was handsome. But handsome didn't mean safe.

"Whoa there," he said, his voice deep and calm, "You look like you're about to pass out. You're freezing. My cabin's not far. There’s a fire, warmth."

A cabin? With a stranger? Every alarm bell in my head screamed, No! Who goes to a cabin with a stranger they've just met, no matter how handsome he might be? 

But then another wave of cold hit me, deeper than before. My skin felt burning hot, yet I was shivering uncontrollably. My head throbbed. I felt feverish. I was freezing to death, truly. My mouth opened to say no, to somehow refuse, to find a way to escape this impossible situation. But the words wouldn't come out. The world spun faster. The handsome face blurred. And then, everything went black.