Chapter 2

I avoided the crowd exiting the cable car and quickly walked towards the summit's visitor center.

The hem of my winter coat pressed tightly against my side.

The warm, seeping sensation became more and more obvious.

The wind on the mountaintop was fierce, cutting right through you.

The visitor center was packed with people seeking shelter from the cold.

A long queue snaked in front of the hot water dispenser.

I found the accessible restroom and locked the door.

There was no shelf or counter inside.

I could only hang my backpack on the doorknob, using my numb, reddened hands to search for my medical kit.

My fingers were stiff and unresponsive.

As I peeled off the skin barrier, I accidentally tugged at the skin around my drainage tube.

Cold sweat instantly beaded on my forehead.

Patients with ostomies fear low temperatures the most when traveling.

The adhesive on the baseplate tends to fail in sub-zero temperatures.

I took a deep breath, cleaning the area little by little with a wet wipe.

Then I placed a spare baseplate onto my cold abdomen.

The entire process took almost half an hour.

I packed the used medical waste into a sealed bag.

When I pushed open the restroom door,

Ethan Miller was standing in the corridor outside.

He was waiting for his child to use the restroom.

He saw me emerge, pale-faced, clutching a bag of trash.

Chloe walked over from the other side, holding the child's hand.

She openly frowned.

"Why is she still so weird?"

Chloe lowered her voice, but just enough for me to hear.

"She always used to hide away alone, and now she monopolizes the restroom for so long."

Ethan didn't contradict her.

He walked towards me, his gaze sweeping over my slightly hunched waist.

"If you're not feeling well, don't push yourself to come to a place like this."

His tone sounded concerned, but the underlying message was one of blame.

"Coming all the way to the snow mountains to suffer isn't good for anyone."

I looked at him.

He didn't know that I had no more hospitals to go to.

I wasn't here to suffer.

I was here to tie up loose ends for myself.

"Got it."

I walked around him, tossing the sealed bag into the medical waste bin at the end of the corridor.

Ethan went to the nearby drink stand to buy hot drinks.

He instinctively came back with two cups.

One he handed to Chloe, the other he brought towards me.

"Sugar-free hot soy milk."

He offered me the paper cup.

My stomach used to be sensitive, and I couldn't drink coffee or milk tea.

He would always buy me sugar-free soy milk.

But this time, I didn't even glance at it.

"I can't drink any of that now."

Most of my stomach had been removed.

Even a small amount of liquid food would cause severe nausea.

Ethan's hand froze in mid-air.

He seemed unprepared for my complete refusal.

Chloe smiled and walked over, naturally taking the cup of soy milk.

"Perfect, I'm thirsty. I'll drink it."

She linked her arm through Ethan's, leaning on his shoulder as if to stake her claim.

Ethan didn't push her away.

Watching this scene, I remembered when we first got married.

He had failed at his startup, and we were crammed into a basement apartment.

When the pipes froze in winter, I used a rice cooker to heat water for him to wash his hair.

I would be in so much pain from my stomach that I'd break into a cold sweat, yet I'd still save the only bowl of hot soup for him.

Back then, he held me and said,

"Once I make money, the first thing I'll do is take you to the Swiss Alps for skiing."

The Swiss Alps were never just a random choice for me; they were our shared promise.

Now he was indeed here, but with a different person by his side.

"Miss, are you alright?"

Martha, the cleaning lady at the visitor center, walked over.

She handed me a cup of warm plain water.

"I saw you were in there for quite a while. Drink some hot water to warm up."

"Thank you, Martha."

I took the cup, and finally, my palms had a little warmth.

The park broadcast began to repeat its announcement.

"Due to high winds at the summit today, parts of the North Slope boardwalk are temporarily closed. Please be aware of your safety."

I put down the water cup and walked towards the exit.

From behind, I heard Chloe's coy voice.

"Leo, don't get too close to that lady, she smells like a hospital."

Ethan didn't say anything.

I didn't look back, just crumpled the one-way ticket in my pocket tighter.