Chapter 1
After my stepsister Charlotte Sinclair and I were both caught in an avalanche, the rescue team found us.
But there was only one stretcher, enough to carry just one person down.
My father held my hand.
He said, "Emily, Charlotte's fragile. Let her go first. You can wait here for the next round."
In my previous life, I believed him. I gave up my chance and let Charlotte take the stretcher.
But then the storm hit again. Rescue was called off. I froze to death on that mountain.
Charlotte, meanwhile, inherited everything under my name.
She even engaged with my fiancé, Andrew Morgan, with whom she'd already been sneaking around.
As a ghost hovering in my own funeral hall, I heard my father's words.
He told the guests, "That girl was never obedient anyway. If her life could buy Charlotte's, I'd say she died where she belonged."
Then I opened my eyes. I was back at that moment when my father was gripping my hand.
This time, I nodded, tears in my eyes. I put Charlotte on the stretcher with my own hands again.
Let's see who really died where they belonged.
*****
The blizzard kept getting worse, and the rescue team soon disappeared into the swirling snow.
I forced myself to trudge through the snow, every step a struggle.
I found a spot shielded from the wind, dug out a small snow cave, and curled up inside.
With the storm blocked out, I could feel my body slowly warming up.
I pulled out the satellite phone I'd stashed in the inner pocket of my parka and powered it on.
The screen lit up, its weak glow illuminating my face, which was drained of all color.
The signal had full bars.
The moment I dialed, the call was picked up in a heartbeat.
A guy's voice came through, laid-back yet with a hint of concern.
The man said, "Hey, princess, you finally remembered me? Thought you were off conquering mountains and leaving us regular folks in the dust?"
It was Zach. I'd met him back when I used to do outdoor stuff.
He was a total daredevil who thought staying alive mattered way more than cash, and I was the only friend he ever claimed.
"Zach, I got caught in an avalanche," I said.
Zach went dead silent for a moment.
Then, a chair crashed to the floor, followed by Zach's furious shout.
He shouted, "Holy shit! Emily, where the hell are you?"
"Don't freak out," I said calmly, rattling off my GPS coordinates. "I'm okay for now, but I need you to pick me up."
"What about the rescue team?" Zach asked.
"They took Charlotte," I replied, sounding nonchalant. "My dad told me to wait for the next round."
Zach fell silent again.
He knew all the drama in my family better than anyone.
"Next round? Hell, you might as well wait forever," Zach exploded over the phone.
Zach was swearing nonstop on the line.
He said, "I checked the forecast. There's a massive blizzard coming in twelve hours. All rescue operations will be shut down.
"He just wants you dead."
"I know," I replied, my voice eerily calm.
"Emily, just hang tight. Even if I have to hijack a fighter jet, I'll drag you out of that godforsaken place myself," Zach yelled.
After hanging up, I leaned against the icy snow wall and closed my eyes, trying to conserve my strength.
I bet things were pretty wild down at the foot of the mountain at that moment.
I could picture my so-called father, posing for the media cameras, acting like the heartbroken dad who was bravely holding it together after losing his precious daughter.
And my dear stepsister Charlotte was probably resting comfortably in a VIP hospital suite, enjoying top-notch medical care and soaking up everyone's sympathy and concern.
Maybe my fiancé was right there at her side, holding her hand, comforting her, telling her it was not her fault.
After all, that was exactly how the story went last time.
Bored out of my mind, I opened up the web browser on my satellite phone.
The signal was crawling, but it managed to load a few fresh news headlines.
[Sinclair Group Heiress Missing in Snowy Mountains, Risked Her Life to Save Stepsister, Fate Still Unknown.]
[Heiress stepsisters' Deep Bond: Younger stepsister Risks Everything to Save Older stepsister, Story Touches Countless Hearts.]
[Mr. Sinclair Speaks Out in Grief: "We're Still Doing Everything We Can. We Won't Give Up!"]
Reading those headlines, I almost burst out laughing. Words like "Risked Her Life to Save Stepsister", "Sisters' Deep Bond" were so ridiculous.
Whoever wrote these articles really knew how to pick their words.
I clicked on one of the articles, and the photo stung my eyes.
In the picture, my dad Richard looked completely wrecked, red-eyed, haggard, barely able to stand as his assistant held him up.
Charlotte was lying in a hospital bed, pale as a ghost, with an IV drip in her hand.
My fiancé was sitting right beside her, head down, peeling an apple for her.
What a heartwarming family tableau, with a devoted father, a loving daughter, and all that sentimental drama.
I saved the photo, then turned off my phone.
Time crawled by, each second slower than the last.
I wrapped myself tighter in the last emergency blanket I had, curling up into a ball.
Even with the snow cave shielding me, the cold still seeped through my clothes and sank deep into my bones.
There was no clue how long had gone by when the satellite phone rang again.
It was Zach.
"Emily, can you hear me? We're already in the mountains, but the helicopter can't land. We're coming up on foot. Hang on a bit more," Zach called out.
"Don't worry. I'm not dead yet," I said, licking my cracked lips. "Hey, do me a favor while you're at it."
"Go ahead," Zach said.
"Can you check all the flights in and out of Capitavia these past few days? See if anyone named Andrew was on them," I asked.
Andrew was my oh-so-refined fiancé.
Last time around, I only learned after my death that he'd been with Charlotte all along.
That so-called marriage alliance was just a plot between them and the Sinclair family to seize the inheritance my mom left me.
He acted like the perfect fiancé in front of me, but behind the scenes, he was inseparable with Charlotte.
Zach went quiet for a second, then I heard him typing away on his keyboard.
"Got it. He flew back from Paritavia three days ago. First class," Zach said.
Three days ago was the day before the avalanche.
My heart dropped.
They couldn't even wait.