He Left Me to Freeze to Death, Now He’s Serving Life

During our return from the Frostfall Expedition, my boyfriend’s childhood sweetheart shoved me into a crevasse when I was caught off guard. Joshua Shaw pulled her into his arms to protect her, then turned around and yelled at me: "Linda, did you deliberately jump into the crevasse so you could frame Wendy for pushing you? "This expedition carries an important scientific mission. It isn’t a place for you to fight over a man!" A coppery sweetness rose in my throat, and the pain left me unable to speak. A short while later, a dull crack came from the ice beneath my feet, and my body suddenly dropped with it. Joshua became even more furious when he saw what happened: "Are you addicted to putting on an act now? If you like staying down there so much, stay there and come to your senses!" He even ordered the other team members to keep moving and forbade them from stopping to rescue me. However, he did not know that my right leg, trapped beneath the crevasse, had already been pierced by an ice spike. I could not move it at all. Worse still, my protective mask had shattered when I fell, and my body temperature was rapidly dropping. The system’s icy voice suddenly echoed in my mind. [Warning: The host’s life force is about to reach zero. Do you wish to leave this world permanently?] I watched Joshua protect Wendy Jones as they gradually disappeared into the distance. Then I closed my eyes and answered in my heart: "Yes!" Chapter 1 Chunk Cook lay on the edge of the crevasse and shone a powerful flashlight into the depths. “Captain Shaw, Linda’s stopped responding. Should we lower a rope and check on her?” Joshua Shaw did not even turn around. He was carefully adjusting Wendy Jones' windproof collar. "Check on her for what? Linda is one of the country's top glacier rescue experts. "The crevasse is only a dozen meters deep. Even if she fell in, she would be fine. She could spend the night down there without the slightest problem. "She's only pretending to be dead because she wants everyone to think Wendy hurt her." Wendy huddled in Joshua's arms and timidly tugged at his sleeve. "Josh, is Linda angry with me again? Should I go and apologize to her?" Joshua reached out and ruffled Wendy's hair. His expression instantly softened. "Ignore her. If only she were half as considerate as you. Let her freeze down there for a while. Once she has suffered enough, she'll learn her lesson." Chunk's voice cracked with urgency. “But Captain Shaw, it’s already forty below zero! We'll have a serious problem if we delay any longer!" Joshua spun around and cut him off sharply. "Are you the captain, or am I? Everyone, keep moving! Anyone who dares to stop and help her can pack up and leave the moment we get back!" The team exchanged uneasy glances, but under Joshua's pressure, they could only force themselves to keep moving. I floated in midair and watched coldly as they disappeared into the distance. At that very moment, my body had completely stopped showing any signs of life. The system's cold, mechanical voice sounded again. [Host's vital signs have reached zero.] [Disengagement protocol initiated.] [Proceed to the new world immediately?] I watched Joshua walk away while holding Wendy's hand tightly. "Delay it." I wanted to see how he would react when he learned that I was truly dead. Joshua kept Wendy safely tucked in his arms all the way back to the expedition camp. The snowstorm outside suddenly intensified, and the fierce wind made the corrugated metal building rattle loudly. Chunk shoved open the control room door and rushed inside, clutching the tracking terminal. "Captain Shaw, Linda's location hasn't moved at all! She's still at the crevasse! "The storm is so severe now. What if something happened to her? I request permission to take a team out and rescue her!" Joshua's eyes instantly turned cold. "Chunk Cook, have you lost your mind? How many times has Linda pulled that 'crying wolf' stunt? She deliberately removed her tracker and threw it there. "She's probably hiding in some sheltered spot and laughing at us." Wendy quickly rubbed Joshua's back. "Don't be angry, Josh. Linda has always been very proud. She must have felt humiliated earlier, so she deliberately stayed out to sulk. She'll come back on her own once she calms down." Joshua snorted, his face full of impatience. "She's just petty and always looking for ways to target you. You're so kind, yet she keeps trying to bully you. We have to teach her a lesson and cure her bad temper once and for all." He turned toward the personnel on duty and issued a harsh order. "Lock the camp gates. If she refuses to admit her mistake, no one is allowed to let her in!" Chapter 2 Wendy suddenly sneezed. Joshua's brow furrowed, and his eyes filled with concern. He immediately pried open my locker, pulled out my polar survival suit, and draped it over Wendy's shoulders. I floated in midair and watched the scene coldly. Wendy bit her lip and pretended to look uneasy. "Josh, this is Linda's suit. Will she be upset if she comes back and sees me wearing it?" Joshua snorted, looking completely unconcerned. "She has spent years roughing it on glaciers. A little cold won't kill her. Besides, I was the one who gave her this suit. "I decide who gets to wear it now. What right does she have to complain?" His words struck me as utterly ridiculous. Three years ago, I joined a rescue team for my first training exercise in a glacier crevasse. I lacked experience, so I quickly became hypothermic and nearly lost consciousness from the cold. Joshua took off his own survival suit despite the freezing temperatures and wrapped it around me. He then tucked my hands inside his jacket against his chest and used his body heat to warm me little by little. His voice had been filled with lingering fear. "Linda, don't be afraid. I'm here. I won't let anything happen to you." The next day, he arranged for someone to order a complete set of the finest polar survival gear from overseas. He even chose custom-made goggles and ice cleats that fit me perfectly. The initials of both our names were embroidered on the collar of that survival suit. But now, he casually gave the tenderness that once belonged only to me to Wendy. That was when I finally understood that some promises did not expire. They simply changed hands. Joshua's favoritism toward Wendy had not started today, either. Three months earlier, the Frostfall Expedition was preparing to depart for Everwinter Continent. Joshua suddenly pulled strings to get his childhood sweetheart, Wendy, onto the team simply because she wanted to see penguins. As deputy captain, I slammed my hand on the table and objected. "Joshua, the Frostfall Expedition isn't a game! Wendy couldn't even pass the most basic physical fitness test. She'll only hold the entire team back!" Joshua pointed at my face and roared. "Linda, don't think I don't know what you're up to! You're just jealous because you can't stand seeing me treat Wendy well!" Henry Lee, the team's longest-serving member, could not take it anymore. He stepped forward and accused Joshua of seriously violating protocol. The very next day, Joshua kicked Henry off the expedition roster and used the incident as a legitimate excuse to bring Wendy onto the team. Once we arrived in Everwinter Continent, his boundaries grew lower and lower. Wendy complained about the awful base food and said she wanted a freshly seared steak, so Joshua unauthorizedly used emergency fuel and spent half the night cooking one for her. Wendy wanted to play with the penguins, so Joshua violated international regulations and caught one just so she could pose with it for photos and post them on social media. The worst incident happened when Wendy entered a restricted area to take pictures and nearly stepped into a hidden snow pit. I rushed over and pulled her back just as Joshua arrived with several team members. But she used the opportunity to throw herself to the ground and cry that I had pushed her. From that day on, Joshua saw every well-intentioned attempt I made to stop Wendy as an excuse to settle a personal score. A deafening bang rang out. The control room door was suddenly thrown open, and Chunk rushed inside, drenched in sweat. "Captain Shaw! Sound just came through Linda's radio channel! "It was filled with deep, rumbling booms. That was definitely an avalanche!" Joshua's brow furrowed. "Enough with the scare tactics, Chunk. Everwinter Continent isn't even in avalanche season right now. Satellite reports haven't issued a single warning! Don't try to fool me with such an obvious lie." Chunk stamped his feet in panic. "Captain Shaw! The microclimate beneath a glacier crevasse can change in an instant. News reports can't monitor it! "I heard that sound when I was with the rescue team. I know what it was!" Joshua narrowed his eyes and studied Chunk coldly. "Really, Chunk? You're willing to make up nonsense like this just to help Linda put on an act? Did the two of you arrange this beforehand?" Chunk's face paled, and his voice trembled. "Captain Shaw, I really wasn't lying. I swear! That sound was terrifying. Linda is definitely in serious danger! If we don't send someone now, she could really die!" Joshua shoved Chunk aside, his eyes filled with disgust and impatience. "Enough! Linda is really willing to do anything to force me to go looking for her! If she loves putting on a show so much, let her perform to her heart's content down there!" Chapter 3 Wendy tugged at Joshua's sleeve and gave it a gentle shake. "Josh, why don't you take a team to check on her? What if it really was an avalanche? "If something really happened to Linda, I wouldn't be able to live with myself." I floated beneath the ceiling and watched her look as if she were about to cry. I felt sick. She was the one who pushed me into the crevasse, yet she now wore such an innocent, harmless expression. Joshua clasped Wendy's hand. "Why should I go? She deliberately jumped into the crevasse herself. Even if she really ran into an avalanche, she brought it upon herself!" He took off his gloves and slipped them onto Wendy's hands. "Wendy, haven't you always wanted to photograph the stars from a glacial canyon? Come on. I'll take you there right now." Chunk's expression changed instantly, and he stepped directly in front of the door. “Captain Shaw, leaving the station without authorization is a serious violation of expedition safety regulations!” "Besides, the snow vehicles have only enough fuel left for emergencies. That fuel is reserved for an emergency evacuation! "If you use it all, the entire team will be stranded if something happens!" Joshua shoved Chunk aside. "Shut up!" Several team members in the hallway rushed over when they heard the commotion and began urging him to reconsider. "Captain Shaw, you really can't go." Joshua ignored them. He grabbed Wendy and headed outside. "Anyone who tries to stop me today can get out of the expedition team along with Linda!" Everyone fell silent. The team members were furious but dared not speak up. They could only watch helplessly as Joshua and Wendy walked toward the main gate. At that moment, the satellite television mounted on the wall suddenly switched to an emergency broadcast. "Breaking news. A massive avalanche has just occurred in the glacier region thirty kilometers east of the expedition station. "An international rescue team is currently rushing to the scene to begin search-and-rescue operations." Chunk spun around and pointed at the screen, shouting. "Captain Shaw, look! The news just reported it! The site thirty kilometers away is where Linda fell!" Joshua had already reached the door, but he stopped and glanced back at the screen. He let out a contemptuous scoff. "Linda has really grown capable. She even arranged for the news to be staged to force me to go back for her. Does she really think I'll believe her just because she created such a huge spectacle?" As soon as he finished speaking, the satellite hotline on the control console began ringing urgently. Chunk pressed the answer button with a trembling hand. "This is the International Polar Rescue Team. We have excavated the body of a female victim from the bottom of a crevasse forty meters beneath the avalanche site. "Based on the identification found on her, she appears to be a member of your expedition team. Please confirm her identity immediately and provide her medical records." Chunk froze. His lips trembled for a long time before he managed to say, "That's impossible… Linda really…" Joshua strode over and abruptly ended the call. "Linda, haven't you put on enough of this act? You even got an international call involved. How much did you pay those extras? "I'm warning you, Linda! Making a joke out of someone's life has crossed my final line! "I'm officially informing you that we're over. We're breaking up!" He grabbed the vehicle keys and pulled Wendy straight out the door. I floated in midair and suddenly felt too exhausted even to hate him. His favoritism had blinded him so thoroughly that he could treat my life and death as if they meant nothing. Chapter 4 Joshua slammed on the accelerator and drove the snow vehicle out of the camp. Wendy sat in the passenger seat and sighed. "Linda really went too far this time. She even dared to impersonate an international rescue team just to spite you. "If word got out, the entire expedition team would be punished, and you would be blamed for it too, Josh." Joshua tightened his grip on the steering wheel and snorted. "She's insane. She'll resort to any low-handed tactic to compete for my attention. I must have been blind to fall for her in the first place. "Once this mission ends, I'll kick her off the team and cut ties with her for good!" The snow vehicle raced across the ice sheet. I floated in midair and followed behind them. The vehicle rounded a bend, and several rescue vehicles blocked the road ahead. A security cordon had already been set up, and more than a dozen members of the international rescue team were gathered around one spot. Joshua had no choice but to hit the brakes, his brows drawn tightly together. "Did they really go all out to make this act look convincing? How much did Linda pay to get so many people to play along with her?” Wendy shrank back and pretended to be frightened as she clutched his arm. "Josh, this looks terrifying. What if something really happened?" Joshua turned to her, and his voice immediately softened. "You're just too innocent. How can you still let her fool you? Have you forgotten how she nearly got you hurt last time, then turned around and accused you of entering the restricted area? "I'll expose her right now and see how she plans to keep this act going!" He pushed open the door and climbed out. At that moment, Chunk brought another off-road vehicle to a screeching halt beside them. The door was kicked open, and Chunk jumped out with red-rimmed eyes. He charged over and punched Joshua square in the face. "Joshua, you're truly heartless!" The punch sent Joshua staggering back two steps, and his cheek quickly swelled. Joshua flew into a rage and grabbed Chunk. "Chunk, have you lost your mind? How dare you lay a hand on me?" Chunk pointed toward the area inside the cordon, his voice hoarse beyond recognition. "An act? Joshua, open your damn eyes and take a good look! Go see who’s lying there!" Joshua shoved Chunk aside, his face full of mockery. "Fine. I’ll look! I’m going to expose her in front of everyone today and see how she plans to explain herself!" He tore down the security cordon and stormed into the rescue team’s perimeter. A black rescue stretcher rested on the snow in the center, covered by a thick thermal blanket. Joshua strode over to it and looked down with a cold laugh. "Linda, stop pretending. Do you really think this stunt will make me soften and forgive you? Get up right now! Stop making a fool of yourself!" The person on the stretcher did not respond. There was not even the slightest rise and fall of her chest. Joshua gritted his teeth, his patience completely gone. "Fine. You insist on putting on this act?" He suddenly reached out and flung the thermal blanket aside. I lay curled into a ball, my body long since stiffened, yet my eyes remained fixed on him.