Chapter 2

I curled up inside my sleeping bag, trying to make myself as small as I could.

The wind kept slipping through every little gap, sharp enough to make me shake all over.

It was past midnight. Zoe was asleep in the tent, and Benjamin stayed outside.

A bit of the ice in my chest melted. At least he still knew where the line was.

In our four years of marriage, Benjamin's career had only gone up.

Plenty of people tried to get close to him—a new assistant, a senior exec's daughter who'd studied overseas, a younger cousin who didn't know when to stop.

He never crossed any lines. That used to make me feel safe.

I was thinking about all that when my sleeping bag suddenly unzipped and Benjamin slipped inside.

"I built a fire right outside your bag," he whispered. "Does that help a little?"

The worry in his eyes softened something in me.

Maybe I was overthinking. A girl we met yesterday couldn't possibly shake a decade of feelings.

He must've noticed I didn't look too great, because he nudged me again. "Hey, don't stay mad.

"Do we still have any food? Zoe's starving."

He gave my head a quick pat as he finally got to the point.

My mind went blank. Zoe… again.

"Don't be touchy," he murmured. "She saved me. I owe her. Audrey, come on. Just split whatever's left."

Food. The last food we had. He'd already given almost all of it to Zoe. What was there to split?

"You forgot? We gave her everything," I said.

Benjamin froze. "That's impossible."

He crawled back out, shoved on his shoes, and started tearing through our bags. He was in such a hurry he didn't even close the tent flap.

A moment earlier, I told myself a woman he'd known one day could never replace me.

Reality slapped me right after.

"Audrey, stop messing around. Where'd you hide the food?" Benjamin said, his tone edged with desperation.

"You're the one who plans for everything. There's no way that's all we brought," he pressed. "If she doesn't eat, Zoe's gonna die."

We were trapped on a snowy mountain. If Zoe, who had already eaten most of our supplies, was "about to die," what did that mean for me?

Benjamin searched every corner and still found nothing. He grew more frantic.

"Audrey, Zoe's been stuck out here forever. She's starving for real," Benjamin said. "We should help her if we can. Just put up with it for now.

"I swear, unless I have no choice, I won't get too close to her."

Even now he thought I was just jealous. My hands were shaking when I reached for the zipper.

Then he lunged forward and grabbed my wrist, like he'd suddenly remembered something.

"Audrey, you still have that chocolate, right? Just give it to me," Benjamin urged, his voice tense. "The rescue team will get here soon. You'll be fine.

"But Zoe… if she doesn't eat, she won't make it."

I stared at him, unable to believe he was actually saying this.

I always carry chocolate because my blood sugar drops sometimes. I'd brought one this trip too.

I never imagined Benjamin would go this far for that mute girl.

After all our years together, it was the first time I felt genuinely disappointed in him.

I told him clearly I wouldn't give it to him. He didn't even think. He shoved his hand into my bag, took the chocolate, snapped off a huge chunk, and left me a piece no bigger than a fingernail.

Then he went straight into her tent without looking back. And just like that, Benjamin let me down all over again.

I thought that was the worst it could get. I was wrong.

I didn't sleep at all. Even wrapped in the sleeping bag, the cold kept creeping in. The fire barely helped.