All Chapters of Betrayed at Forty Below: Chapter 1 - Chapter 10

Not long after, the anemometer outside the tent blared—a level ten wind warning.Melvin stormed in, ripped the sat phone out of my hands, eyes wild."You? Did you call for help?" he snapped. "Do you even get what happens when a rescue team gets deployed? The whole climb's done! I've prepped a year for this!"He didn't even look at me—didn't see how pale I was, how bad I was shaking."You went behind my back?" he shouted. "Trying to ruin me now?"He grabbed me so hard, my stiff body slammed against the icy rock wall—and whatever warmth I had left disappeared.I curled up, trying to get some feeling back in my feet. My voice came out weak. "The blizzard's getting worse. We could get buried any second. This isn't your backyard. I'm already hypothermic—what's so wrong with asking for help?"Before Melvin could answer, Sally peeked out of my sleeping bag, all soft-voiced. "Peyton, don't take this the wrong way, but aren't you supposed to be a seasoned climber? Can't handle a little c

The others piled on."Yeah, sure. Captain Powell's your brother? Please. No way a guy like that's got a spoiled little sister."Then Melvin slapped me—loud and sharp. The crack echoed through the tent."You're a disgrace," he snapped. "Lying like that—don't you feel pathetic? Say one more word, and I'll toss you into the snow myself."He yanked my arm like he was about to drag me outside.I knew they weren't backing down—they wanted me to lead. Fine. I stopped trying to explain and made one last ask."I'll go. But Sally needs to give back MY sleeping bag. I've got frostbite—I can't even move right—""Shut up," Melvin snapped. "You've got frostbite, which means you're dead weight. Why waste the best gear on you? Sally's new to this—she needs it more."The way he said it, like it made perfect sense, hit colder than the wind.I never thought the guy who once swore he'd protect me would trade my life for hers without blinking.Ever since Sally parachuted into their department, Me

Melvin wiped snow off his mouth and stood, brushing himself off with that sick grin."Just a little 'hot compress.' Don't worry—you won't be cold much longer.""I never did anything to you... why are you doing this to me?""No reason? You—"Before he could finish, Sally and the others showed up.The second Melvin spotted them, he dropped the villain act and clutched his stomach like the victim."Peyton... I was just trying to give you hot water, warm you up. Why'd you kick me?"Sally rushed over, ready to defend him, but he stopped her quick—probably scared she'd notice the ugly bruise he'd carved into my ankle."It's fine, Sally. Don't blame her. She's delirious from the cold. She hates me—I deserve it.""Melvin, you're too kind. But kindness on someone like Peyton? She'll never appreciate it. I'll make this right for you today!"She stormed past him, heading straight for me.Then she caught sight of my ankle and stopped cold."Your... Your foot... what happened? It was ju

When I came to, I was in a private hospital room. The air smelled faintly of disinfectant.Sunlight poured through the window, warm and golden—worlds away from that blinding white hell I'd crawled out of.My foot was wrapped in heavy gauze. Still numb, but the stabbing cold was gone.The door opened. Hugh walked in with a bowl of steaming cream soup."You're awake. How're you feeling?"He set the bowl on the nightstand, then sat down, tugging the blanket snug around me."Hugh..." My voice rasped. "Where's Melvin?"At his name, Hugh's eyes shadowed. He kept his tone calm. "General ward, other building. Don't worry. They're not going anywhere."He lifted a spoonful of soup, blew on it, and held it to my lips."The doctor says the frostbite's bad. You might... lose some toes. But don't panic—I've already lined up the best surgeons out there. We'll fight for every inch."I sipped quietly, tears sliding down—not for my foot, but for the fear, the helplessness, the betrayal."Hugh

I faced the sea of cameras and started."The story begins with a sleeping bag rated for forty below. My brother gave it to me when I got engaged. It was supposed to keep me alive. But that night, my fiancé, Melvin Dunn, handed it to Sally Blom—the one pretending to be fragile."My eyes flicked to Sally's pale face."He told me I was strong enough to last. But even the strongest body is still flesh and blood. When my feet went numb, when the cold twisted my mind, I begged for help. He called me 'dramatic,' told me to 'think about the team.'"Gasps rippled through the room, curiosity twisting into shock.Melvin snapped, jumping to his feet."Peyton! What the hell are you talking about? Your brain still fried or what? You saw Sally was cold and handed her the bag yourself! Everyone here can back me up!"He cut Wayne and the others a look. They nodded fast."Yeah, Peyton even said she was some seasoned mountaineer. Said she'd be fine."A cool voice cut through the room."Guess we