Chapter 1

After I was diagnosed with stage IV stomach cancer, I booked a one-way ticket to the Swiss Alps.

My only wish was to die peacefully in the snow.

But I never expected to run into Ethan Miller, my ex-husband of three years, on the summit's cable car.

Three years had passed, and he'd had the tattoo of my name removed from his wrist.

As for me, I'd lost all my hair and could only hide my ostomy bag beneath a bulky winter coat.

The woman beside Ethan, Chloe Peterson, asked:

"Who is she?"

Ethan looked at me, his voice flat:

"My ex-wife."

Then he added, "Chloe is my wife now. We got married when you were pregnant."

He looked into my eyes when he said it, as if expecting a reaction.

But I was long past the point of having the strength for hysterics. I just smiled calmly.

"That's nice. I wish you and your family all the best."

"No thanks, it'll hurt if you press on the tube."

I looked at the cashmere scarf Ethan offered, my voice barely a whisper.

The cable car swayed violently in the strong winds halfway up the mountain.

The automated announcement played robotically.

"Due to extreme wind speeds at the summit, the cable car will temporarily slow down. Please hold onto the handrails."

Chloe hugged the child in her arms tighter.

She frowned, waving a hand in front of her nose.

"Ethan, why does this cabin smell so strongly of medicine and antiseptic?"

Ethan instinctively shielded his child behind him.

He glanced at me, then pulled back the scarf he'd offered.

His gaze lingered on my winter coat.

Perhaps he thought I'd gotten fat, or just looked bad.

His tone was flat, his instructions tinged with a sense of entitlement.

"Rory, let Leo sit for a while. It's his first time in Switzerland."

I was sitting by the window.

It was the only spot in the entire cabin shielded from the wind.

After a few seconds of silence, I slowly stood up, holding onto the cold metal railing of the cable car.

My movements were sluggish.

The safety bar was pressing against my ostomy bag and drainage tube.

Even a slight shift would pull at the still-healing wound in my abdomen.

Ethan watched my slow movements, his brow furrowed.

He simply thought I was being difficult.

"It's been three years. No need to take it out on the child."

His voice deepened slightly, laced with a lecturing tone.

I didn't argue. I just moved little by little to the windy spot.

Cold air seeped in through the cracks, chilling me to the bone.

The cable car jolted violently again.

My footing slipped, and I stumbled forward.

Ethan instinctively reached out, grabbing my wrist.

Even through the thick sleeve of my winter coat, he sensed something was off.

His hand stiffened.

"How did you get so thin?"

He asked in a low voice, a flicker of surprise, which he didn't even realize, flashed in his eyes.

I gently pulled my hand away.

Hiding my wrist in my sleeve.

"I'm bundled up for winter, you must have misseen."

My tone was calm.

He didn't press further.

Chloe had tugged at his sleeve.

"Ethan, Leo says he feels a little carsick."

Ethan immediately turned, pulled a thermos from his pocket, and bent down to comfort the child.

I leaned against the corner of the cabin, watching the family of three.

A sudden cramp seized my stomach.

I remembered the first year we were married.

I used to suffer from stomach problems all the time back then.

One night, I was curled up in bed, drenched in cold sweat from the pain. Ethan, without even bothering to put on his shoes properly, scooped me up and rushed me to the emergency room.

He held my hand tightly in the hospital corridor.

"Rory, every time you hurt from now on, I'll be there with you."

But in that same year.

Chloe got pregnant with his child.

Five years of betrayal, dismissed by him with a casual "I was under too much pressure."

"Auntie, why don't you have hair?"

A child's innocent voice broke my reverie.

Leo peeked out from Chloe's arms, staring at me curiously.

"Are you sick like Grandpa?"

Chloe's face changed, and she quickly clapped a hand over the child's mouth.

"Leo, don't say silly things."

Ethan turned, his gaze falling on my head, covered by a wool beanie.

His eyes held a searching look, and a hint of annoyance.

I wasn't embarrassed.

I just lightly touched my bald scalp through the hat.

"Because I wanted to see the snow."

I looked out at the vast white snow-capped mountains.

"So it didn't have time to grow back."

A cable car attendant came over, reminding us not to move around freely.

He glanced at my pale face.

"Ma'am, you don't look so good. Do you need us to call the medical station at the summit?"

"No, thank you."

I shook my head.

As we exited the cable car, the announcement warned visitors about icy conditions underfoot.

But as soon as I took a step, a warmth suddenly spread across my side.

I knew it. The baseplate of my ostomy bag had peeled up from the freezing temperature.