The temperature grew warmer. As my frozen body thawed, my facial features gradually became visible.He unzipped the yellow body bag and slapped my face harshly."Get up, Emily! You haven't apologized to Susan yet! Get up right now!"He kept slapping me, not caring that the blood on my face smeared onto his hands.I hovered above him, chuckling bitterly. He could not believe I was dead, and he could not even leave me in peace.Suddenly, as if something clicked in his mind, he unbuttoned my clothes frantically, searching.Finally, his eyes landed on the familiar scar on my lower abdomen.It was from the time he kicked me to the ground, and the broken glass sliced through my body. The scab had just fallen off, leaving behind a pale pink mark.Upon confirming it, he collapsed onto the ground, shaking with fury."You did this on purpose! You want me to feel guilty, do you? If you didn't want to apologize to Susan, you could have just said so! Why go to such extremes? Don't think th
"Shawn, come with me to Astonia. We can start anew! I'll continue my studies and you can launch a new business. Emily is dead. No one will know the truth. You can cash out her life insurance and start over."Guides on these mountains were always insured for hefty sums.I had died in an avalanche. As long as no one found out that Shawn had a hand in it, he—my so-called husband—could walk away with a fortune.I loved him for 10 whole years, and he got to kill me and get rich? How was that fair?A strange surge of energy coursed through me. Still, I could not touch anything.The helplessness was suffocating. It felt exactly like when I died, like something was burning inside me, clawing at my gut.I had not known ghosts could feel anxiety. I had not known ghosts could feel stomach pain.Nonetheless, I knew one thing: I would never let them start over. No way in hell.They both had to die.If all this evidence was not enough to wake Shawn up, maybe the recording I had on my radio
Shawn carried my broken body back to the place where I died.He laid me down carefully, then started shoveling snow over me like a madman.As he worked, he mumbled frantically, "As long as they never find you, Susan will be fine. Don't worry, I'll make it up to you. This is my fault. I won't forgive myself."The police arrived and grabbed his arms, trying to pull him away. He fought them off, his hands still digging desperately through the snow."They found a nameless body in the mountains. That's not my wife! She's at home, pregnant and resting. That dead body has nothing to do with her, nothing to do with Susan!"Even at this moment, after everything, he was still trying to protect her.He never loved me.His breakdown was not out of grief. It was because reality finally crashed down on him, and he could not cope. He needed an outlet for his guilt, for his pain.I had loved him for 10 years. I knew him better than he knew himself.If he refused to feel even a shred of remors
"Where is Emily? The next group of tourists is arriving."A colleague looked at Shawn Foster with confusion and asked, "Didn't Emily bring you the supplies? Did you not come down the mountain together?"A flicker of unease crossed Shawn's face, but he quickly masked it."She's a guide herself, she can't possibly be stuck up there."The colleague's expression shifted to shock."Emily's supply bag is still in her room. How could she be on the mountain?"Realizing that Shawn was not joking, the colleague grew anxious."No, this is bad. There was an avalanche two days ago. She must be in trouble. We need to go up and find her—now!"Shawn cut him off irritatedly, "Do you know how rare avalanches are? What are the chances she got caught in one on such a huge mountain? She's just being stubborn and trying to get back at me. I won't give in to her. If she doesn't show up by tomorrow, I'll go myself."Just as he finished speaking, the medical team sent word that Susan had awakened.Wi
"Find Emily and get her down here, now. She still owes Susan an apology."Shawn demanded an answer from the colleagues who had gone up the mountain to look for me.Susan, wrapped in thick layers, stayed close by his side."Emily doesn't owe me an apology. She's your wife. I've already forgiven her. She'll only get upset again if she hears what you say."She already misunderstood you last time. Don't argue because of me again."Shawn's expression darkened with displeasure, but he gently held Susan's hands in his own to warm them."So she's getting bold, huh? You wouldn't have suffered from oxygen deprivation if she had not dragged her feet. You're always forgiving, and that's why she keeps pushing her luck."He clenched as he spoke, but he quickly adjusted his expression, not wanting to scare Susan.His words were laughable to me.When we started our climb, Susan had whispered in my ear, "I'm not going with you. You disgust me."Then, she pulled Shawn away, leaving me to carry
I met him 10 years ago. He had a fight with Susan and went to a bar to drink, while I was kidnapped by a group of delinquent girls and taken there. They forced me to perform a strip dance.I struggled, but it was useless. Desperate, I would rather die than be humiliated. I slammed myself against the bar's wall.Shawn saved me. From that moment on, he was my world.On the day he proposed, I drank for the first time in my life, despite being allergic to alcohol.I was not aware of the real reason he married me: My blood type was the same as his mother's—a rare type. Also, marrying me would also help him make Susan jealous.After our wedding, I devoted myself to taking care of him.I sold the house I bought with years of hard work and my family's heirloom jewelry to fund his startup company.I followed him to move to the snowy mountains after his startup business failed. We moved our whole lives here.He was kind to me at first. He would take care of me when I was sick, and he wou
"This can't be," he muttered in disbelief."Stop playing tricks, Emily. Do you really think throwing a random dead body here will fool me? Get out here now, or I'll smash this thing to pieces."I felt nothing. No sorrow, no anger. There he was, staring at my lifeless body, yet he still demanded I 'come out'.He was a master at lying to himself.Shawn raised the iron pickaxe and struck my corpse again and again, refusing to accept what he saw.One of his colleagues could not bear it any longer and stepped forward to stop him."She's gone. Let her rest in peace.""What a load of crap! How much did she pay you? I'll give you a tenfold. You can't fool me with a random dead body. I'll find her no matter what. And when I do, she will pay for this."His empty eyes stared down the mountain as if searching for me, alive.As soon as he reached the base, Susan ignored the biting cold and ran to him. She threw her arms around him and stuffed a hand warmer into his hands."You must be fre
Shawn carried my broken body back to the place where I died.He laid me down carefully, then started shoveling snow over me like a madman.As he worked, he mumbled frantically, "As long as they never find you, Susan will be fine. Don't worry, I'll make it up to you. This is my fault. I won't forgive myself."The police arrived and grabbed his arms, trying to pull him away. He fought them off, his hands still digging desperately through the snow."They found a nameless body in the mountains. That's not my wife! She's at home, pregnant and resting. That dead body has nothing to do with her, nothing to do with Susan!"Even at this moment, after everything, he was still trying to protect her.He never loved me.His breakdown was not out of grief. It was because reality finally crashed down on him, and he could not cope. He needed an outlet for his guilt, for his pain.I had loved him for 10 years. I knew him better than he knew himself.If he refused to feel even a shred of remors
"Shawn, come with me to Astonia. We can start anew! I'll continue my studies and you can launch a new business. Emily is dead. No one will know the truth. You can cash out her life insurance and start over."Guides on these mountains were always insured for hefty sums.I had died in an avalanche. As long as no one found out that Shawn had a hand in it, he—my so-called husband—could walk away with a fortune.I loved him for 10 whole years, and he got to kill me and get rich? How was that fair?A strange surge of energy coursed through me. Still, I could not touch anything.The helplessness was suffocating. It felt exactly like when I died, like something was burning inside me, clawing at my gut.I had not known ghosts could feel anxiety. I had not known ghosts could feel stomach pain.Nonetheless, I knew one thing: I would never let them start over. No way in hell.They both had to die.If all this evidence was not enough to wake Shawn up, maybe the recording I had on my radio
The temperature grew warmer. As my frozen body thawed, my facial features gradually became visible.He unzipped the yellow body bag and slapped my face harshly."Get up, Emily! You haven't apologized to Susan yet! Get up right now!"He kept slapping me, not caring that the blood on my face smeared onto his hands.I hovered above him, chuckling bitterly. He could not believe I was dead, and he could not even leave me in peace.Suddenly, as if something clicked in his mind, he unbuttoned my clothes frantically, searching.Finally, his eyes landed on the familiar scar on my lower abdomen.It was from the time he kicked me to the ground, and the broken glass sliced through my body. The scab had just fallen off, leaving behind a pale pink mark.Upon confirming it, he collapsed onto the ground, shaking with fury."You did this on purpose! You want me to feel guilty, do you? If you didn't want to apologize to Susan, you could have just said so! Why go to such extremes? Don't think th
Susan continued her Master's studies. She came to see Shawn, hoping he would move to her new city and start fresh.For the entire week, Shawn got busy preparing for Susan's celebration party. He sent invitations to everyone he knew, choosing a venue even more luxurious than the one for our wedding.The money he spent so generously came from the house and jewelry I sold for him.How ridiculous. Back then, he had not wanted to spend a dime on our wedding. I suggested a simple trip instead to save his money.In the end, I never even stepped foot outside this city's parks. There was no wedding dress, no banquet, no guests. I still married him happily.I finally understood that he had not agreed to a simple wedding because of money; he agreed because marrying me never mattered to him in the first place.Susan's celebration was different. To him, it was the most important event of the year.After breaking up with her boyfriend of three years, Susan came to Shawn for comfort.He can
"This can't be," he muttered in disbelief."Stop playing tricks, Emily. Do you really think throwing a random dead body here will fool me? Get out here now, or I'll smash this thing to pieces."I felt nothing. No sorrow, no anger. There he was, staring at my lifeless body, yet he still demanded I 'come out'.He was a master at lying to himself.Shawn raised the iron pickaxe and struck my corpse again and again, refusing to accept what he saw.One of his colleagues could not bear it any longer and stepped forward to stop him."She's gone. Let her rest in peace.""What a load of crap! How much did she pay you? I'll give you a tenfold. You can't fool me with a random dead body. I'll find her no matter what. And when I do, she will pay for this."His empty eyes stared down the mountain as if searching for me, alive.As soon as he reached the base, Susan ignored the biting cold and ran to him. She threw her arms around him and stuffed a hand warmer into his hands."You must be fre
I met him 10 years ago. He had a fight with Susan and went to a bar to drink, while I was kidnapped by a group of delinquent girls and taken there. They forced me to perform a strip dance.I struggled, but it was useless. Desperate, I would rather die than be humiliated. I slammed myself against the bar's wall.Shawn saved me. From that moment on, he was my world.On the day he proposed, I drank for the first time in my life, despite being allergic to alcohol.I was not aware of the real reason he married me: My blood type was the same as his mother's—a rare type. Also, marrying me would also help him make Susan jealous.After our wedding, I devoted myself to taking care of him.I sold the house I bought with years of hard work and my family's heirloom jewelry to fund his startup company.I followed him to move to the snowy mountains after his startup business failed. We moved our whole lives here.He was kind to me at first. He would take care of me when I was sick, and he wou
"Find Emily and get her down here, now. She still owes Susan an apology."Shawn demanded an answer from the colleagues who had gone up the mountain to look for me.Susan, wrapped in thick layers, stayed close by his side."Emily doesn't owe me an apology. She's your wife. I've already forgiven her. She'll only get upset again if she hears what you say."She already misunderstood you last time. Don't argue because of me again."Shawn's expression darkened with displeasure, but he gently held Susan's hands in his own to warm them."So she's getting bold, huh? You wouldn't have suffered from oxygen deprivation if she had not dragged her feet. You're always forgiving, and that's why she keeps pushing her luck."He clenched as he spoke, but he quickly adjusted his expression, not wanting to scare Susan.His words were laughable to me.When we started our climb, Susan had whispered in my ear, "I'm not going with you. You disgust me."Then, she pulled Shawn away, leaving me to carry
"Where is Emily? The next group of tourists is arriving."A colleague looked at Shawn Foster with confusion and asked, "Didn't Emily bring you the supplies? Did you not come down the mountain together?"A flicker of unease crossed Shawn's face, but he quickly masked it."She's a guide herself, she can't possibly be stuck up there."The colleague's expression shifted to shock."Emily's supply bag is still in her room. How could she be on the mountain?"Realizing that Shawn was not joking, the colleague grew anxious."No, this is bad. There was an avalanche two days ago. She must be in trouble. We need to go up and find her—now!"Shawn cut him off irritatedly, "Do you know how rare avalanches are? What are the chances she got caught in one on such a huge mountain? She's just being stubborn and trying to get back at me. I won't give in to her. If she doesn't show up by tomorrow, I'll go myself."Just as he finished speaking, the medical team sent word that Susan had awakened.Wi