Everest's Guardian Hubby Watched Me Freeze My Ghost Knows Where He'll Burn novel Chapter 1

Chapter 1

My husband, Benjamin Carter, had dragged both me and our daughter into a grueling mountain training camp, insisting it would be “good for us.” He kept saying we needed to “toughen up,” as if we were somehow weak or fragile. The biting cold of the mountain air seemed to seep into my bones, but I tried to hold on, for Evelyn’s sake.

Then, the climbing team we were with suddenly abandoned us, leaving us stranded on a freezing, desolate peak. The wind howled around us, and the sky was darkening quickly. I was terrified, my fingers numb and useless from the cold. Desperation clawed at me as I pulled out my phone and called Benjamin, my voice breaking with sobs.

“Benjamin—please—we need help. We’re stuck. It’s getting dark. I can’t feel my fingers—”

His response was a furious explosion. “Charlotte, are you kidding me right now? I signed you up for the Great Smoky Mountains—not damn Everest!” His voice was sharp, filled with anger and disbelief. “Do you know how many rescuers die every year because of drama queens like you, pulling fake emergencies? Stop embarrassing me!”

Then, without another word, he hung up. I was left alone, the cold seeping deeper into my skin, my body beginning to shut down. I wrapped my arms around Evelyn and, with trembling hands, gave her my jacket. “You have to go,” I whispered. “Run down the mountain. Find someone—anyone—who can help.”

“No, Mom—” she protested, her eyes wide with fear.

“Go,” I urged again, my voice firmer despite the cold biting at my lips.

Evelyn obeyed, her small figure disappearing down the slope as I stayed behind, my strength fading fast.

She managed to reach the village below, where some locals took her straight to Benjamin. She collapsed at his feet, tears streaming down her face as she begged him. “Dad—please—Mom’s still up there—she’s freezing—please—”

His reaction was brutal. Without hesitation, he slapped her so hard across the face that she fell to the ground. Blood trickled from the corner of her mouth.

“Out all night with strange men? Are you going to turn into a slut like your mother?” he spat venomously. “Tonight, I’m going to beat this lying habit out of both of you.”

No one came to save me.

I died alone, curled up in the snow, my body succumbing to the merciless cold.

At that very moment, Benjamin stood on a brightly lit stage, smiling broadly as he held hands with his childhood sweetheart, Victoria Sterling. He accepted the prestigious “Guardian of Everest” award from the government, basking in the applause and admiration.

“Still lying?” he sneered. “There’s no way the climbing team would abandon you on purpose. We have people patrolling every night. If someone was up there, I’d know.”

His eyes were bloodshot as he shoved her aside. “If she dies, good. She deserves it.”

That was the moment I took my last breath—alone, frozen, and forsaken in the endless white snow on that mountain.

Time dragged on as Evelyn sat there, terrified and sobbing. Finally, a passerby, unable to ignore her distress, approached gently.

“Sweetie, why are you crying out here all alone?” the stranger asked softly. “Did you get lost? Would you like me to call your parents?”

Evelyn looked down at the jacket wrapped around her shoulders—it had been mine. Then she pointed toward the stage where Benjamin stood, hand in hand with Victoria Sterling, smiling as he accepted his award.

“That’s my dad,” she whispered. “He wouldn’t save my mom. He hit me and kicked me out.”