Chapter 3

The three-day ultimatum he had given me was up, and I was still a no-show at the hospital.

Kelly kept telling him she felt herself weakening, and the fed-up Caden headed back home.

However, the house had not changed, except for a new notice about an overdue electricity bill stuck to the door.

I watched Caden try to call me from the doorstep.

The phone just gave back a robotic tone, saying the number he dialed was switched off.

He frowned, opened his messaging app, and saw the same messages he had sent three days ago, begging me to come forward and donate bone marrow to Kelly.

I could not respond, of course.

He tapped on my social profile and froze when he saw the picture I had posted 13 days back.

There I was, on top of a snow-capped mountain with the sunrise behind me. The caption was short and sweet—[Happy third anniversary.]

His hand shook as if he had only just remembered that 13 days ago was our third anniversary.

He stared at the photo for a long moment before going back to the chat to type a message.

[Vanessa, you''ve done this to yourself. The three days are up. As of today, I won''t pay another dime for your mom''s treatment.]

[Are you upset with me for missing our anniversary? I know I forgot, but Kelly is really sick, and you wouldn''t want me to just let her suffer, would you?]

He waited for what felt like forever, but no one answered, so he kicked the door hard in frustration.

My mom''s spirit trembled with fear at Caden''s outburst.

She looked at me, her eyes full of concern. "Vanessa, is Caden being mean to you? He doesn''t love you."

Mom had been around the block. She had the kind of wisdom that only came with time.

Did Caden not love me?

I guessed he did, but next to Kelly, I just did not shine as brightly.

Caden, growing more agitated after his second kick at the door, rubbed his temples and pulled out his phone.

"Hello, police? I need to report something."

…

Half an hour later, Caden was at the police station.

"Mr. Hall," the officer began, "from what you''ve told us, your wife Vanessa drove to Saint Lorenzo Mountain thirteen days ago and hasn''t been seen since."

He was taken aback. "What? But I told her to come right back."

The officer gave a noncommittal shrug. "That''s the last we know. There was an avalanche two minutes before 1 that day, and we fear Mrs. Vanessa might''ve been caught in it. We''re waiting on feedback from the rescue team on the scene. We should know more in about twelve hours. Please be patient."

An avalanche? The word triggered a memory of the neighbor''s cryptic words three days ago: natural disaster, tragic aftermath, their condolences.

Could the neighbor have been telling the truth? Had Vanessa really been caught in an avalanche?

However, it had been over 10 days. Why had anyone not told him?

Wait, someone had tried to tell him.

In a panic, he fumbled with his phone, desperate to find the number of the person who had called him that day.

However, no matter how much he rummaged through his contacts, that number was nowhere to be found. It was as if the call he remembered was just a trick his mind had played on him.

"When did this avalanche happen? Why haven''t I heard anything about it?"

The cop gave him a skeptical look. "The news covered it the day it happened. Mr. Hall, you can look it up on your phone if you''re interested.

"You''re free to go. Once we hear back from the search and rescue, we''ll let you know."

He took out his phone and typed in a search for the Saint Lorenzo mountain avalanche.

The news report from that day popped up on the home screen.

Even through the screen, the sight of the avalanche barreling down the mountain made him jump.

If Vanessa had really been caught under that blanket of snow, she would not have stood a chance.

No, she could not be dead.

Vanessa was tough. She hit the gym like it was her job, lived for extreme sports, and knew how to stay safe. She would not let a little snow and ice take her down.

However, what he did not know was that she was pregnant. With the baby on board, she was not exactly in peak condition.

That avalanche? It came down in the blink of an eye. I did not even have time to think, let alone react.

He snapped his phone shut and looked around, lost. "Vanessa''s not dead. She''s just dodging me because she doesn''t want to give up her bone marrow.

"Yeah, that''s got to be it. She''s out there, and I''m going to find her."

In this whole wide world, the only family I had left was my mom.

He figured that out too and drove to the hospital where my mom was fighting cancer.

A year back, they had caught it—cancer, that was. Mid-stage, they said. With enough money for chemo, she could have had a fighting chance.

However, all my cash was tied up in the startup I had launched with Caden. We were just hitting our stride, looking for investors. Every penny we had was in that company. There was nothing left for Mom''s treatment.

That was when I ran into my old boss, Jett.

He could tell I was in a bind and offered to cover my mom''s hospital bills. The catch? I had to ditch Caden and come back to work for him.

I was dying to say no, but time was not on my mom''s side, with cancer spreading through her like wildfire.

I was on the verge of caving when Caden showed up out of nowhere, and boy, did he tackle him.

Jett, the kind of guy used to the finer things, not fists to the face, was livid. He did not waste a second before calling the cops.

With the company on the brink of something big, Caden, the head honcho, could not afford the bad press of a brawl.

"Mr. Parker, I''ll take the job at your company, just please, let Caden off the hook," I pleaded.

Jett, swirling his wine in a fancy glass, gave me that sly look. "Fine, but I''ve got a new role in mind for you. How about my personal assistant?"

Being Jett''s personal assistant meant being all up in his business, both at the office and in his personal life. Not my cup of tea.

However, with my back against the wall, I had no choice but to agree.

"So, my new personal assistant, let''s go grab some dinner," he said.

We ended up at that swanky private restaurant, and he went all out with a candlelit dinner. I figured it was just his usual routine, but as we were wrapping up, Caden walked in.

His eyes were like saucers. "Vanessa, what''s going on here?"

Before I could get a word out, Jett jumped in with, "What you see is what you get. Vanessa here is the kindest, most stunning woman I''ve ever met. She''s my moon goddess."

That little comment threw Caden for a loop.

Even after I cleared things up later, the damage was done. The seed of doubt had already taken root.

If I was ever home late, Caden would grill me, wondering if I had been out with Jett.

The tension between us just kept building, right up until Kelly came back home.