Chapter 8
Deep in the Canadian Rockies.[]
Half a year had passed since my “death.“[]
I’d fallen in love with extreme mountain climbing–as if only by placing myself between the bone–cutting winds and treacherous cliffs could I wash away the blood and coldness that lingered in my bones.[]
That death certificate was fake, of course.
The price was ten million–enough to buy off the bodyguard who was supposed to be “watching” and a convincing set of hospital records.[]
My parents had long since changed their identities and were rebuilding the family business overseas.[]
That day, I’d just reached the glacier at the summit when I felt an ominous tremor beneath my feet.[]
Avalanch Avalanche! A mountain of white death came roaring toward me.]]
Just as I was about to be swallowed whole, a hand in black tactical gloves yanked me into a narrow ice crevice.[]
Deep in the ice crevice, a man in the same dark red climbing gear sat leaning against the wall, eyes closed, conserving energy.[]
His hood covered most of his face, revealing only the hard lines of his jaw.
He radiated an aura even more frigid than the ice and snow around us.
“Thank you.”
I thanked him.
“Shut up. Save your strength.”
His voice came through his face mask, cold and emotionless.[]
I was pissed. Here I was being polite, and he gave me that attitude. Fine, I wouldn’t bother talking to him anymore.[]
We sat there in silence.
After the avalanche stopped, the man actually got up and insisted on continuing his climb upward.
“You’re crazy! The avalanche just stopped! A bigger one could hit any second!“]
He glanced at me.“Boring.“]]
With that, he turned and walked away.
I’d never seen anyone so reckless and arrogant.
Something possessed me to follow him.
The guy moved with unusual agility, but I noticed that under all the heavy gear, his frame looked oddly thin–almost… the same size as mine? This definitely wasn’t an adult male’s build!
Just as I was puzzling over this, the man’s foot slipped and he went tumbling out of control down the steep ice wall![]
Below was a jagged pile of rocks!
“I must really owe you one!” I gritted my teeth, dropped my heavy pack, and used my ice axe and rope to rush down after him without thinking. At the last second, my ice axe barely caught his safety line.
Qapter 8
The man was unconscious.
I used up every ounce of strength to drag him to the nearest rescue station.[]
“Severe oxygen deprivation, compound fracture of the lower leg–we need to operate immediately!“[]
The doctor spoke rapidly, handing me a surgical consent form.[]
I was about to refuse when I noticed the emergency contact section was blank.[]
After a moment of silence, I signed under “relationship“: Girlfriend. Lynn Sterling.
The surgery was successful.]
But afterward, the doctor pulled me aside with a grave expression:[]
“Ms. Sterling, your ‘boyfriend‘… has ALS–amyotrophic lateral sclerosis. Lou Gehrig’s disease.”
ALS. A cruel sentence that traps the living in a decaying shell.]
“No wonder he was so desperate to reach the summit…” I murmured.]
“We can only do our best to slow the progression. But… patients with this condition typically have a life expectancy of 3 to 5 years.“[]
When I returned to the room, the man was awake.]
He was propped up against the headboard, his hood pulled back, revealing a face that was both too young and too pale. His hollow the ceiling.
When he saw me approaching, he rolled his eyes without any attempt to hide it.[]
“You!” I was getting annoyed.]]
Another eye roll was his only response.
e.0
It wasn’t until I’d been taking care of him around the clock for two weeks that he finally deigned to talk to me.
gaze was
–
“Kingsley Ash.” He looked at me.
“And you, fake girlfriend?“]
(0)
fixed
on
