When Snow Falls, Love Ends

In a blizzard on Mount Kestrel.

My girlfriend, Isabelle, was wrapped around her little brother, Ryan.

She roared at me, Nathan, Ryan is fragile! Take off your suit and give it to him, now!

I stared out at the swirling snow, my heart aching. Isabelle, it's negative twenty-six degrees Celsius. Are you seriously telling me to give my gear to Ryan? As a member of the search and rescue team, his own protective suit is more than adequate.

Before I could refuse, Isabelle grabbed the front of my suit and started tearing at it. "The International SAR Competition is in a week! If he gets sick, how is he supposed to compete and win first place?"

In the next moment, my protective suit was on her precious Ryan.

In the biting -26C cold, I stood in nothing but a thin sweater, preparing to use the cable to winch the injured climber up the steep cliff face.

But then, her "little brother" shoved me off the ledge.

As I fell, watching the two of them wrapped in a tight embrace, ascending to the top of the cliff, the last embers of hope in my heart finally died.

When I woke up, I calmly handed my resignation letter to Captain Davis. "Captain, here's my resignation."

He stared at me, stunned. "Nathan, the competition is next month! You were a shoo-in for first place. Why are you quitting now?"

I glanced at the taunting video Ryan had sent to my phone and said evenly, "I'm going home to take over the family business. And get married."

My teammate Mike nearly gasped. "You're getting married? Does Dr. Stone know?"

I looked over at Isabelle, who was meticulously fussing over Ryan's collar, my voice laced with bitterness. "She doesn't need to know. And please, Captain, don't tell her for now."

The wind atop Mount Kestrel was vicious, whipping through my visor and making my eyes sting until tears streamed down my face.

Three years ago, Isabelle had said, "I'm going to do something meaningful. Are you coming?"

For her, I had walked away from the Hawthorne Corporation and followed her to this 4,000-meter peak to become a rescue volunteer.

I loved her. I would have followed her through fire and ice. I saw this as my chance.

When I first joined the team, I was decked out in designer gear, my hair perfectly styled, my hands unscarred. Everyone dismissed me as a rich kid looking for an adventure and refused to assign me any real tasks.

That changed during an avalanche. Without a second thought, I dove in and saved three team members, including Isabelle. From that day on, I was a core part of the team. Even Captain Davis looked at me with newfound respect, calling me the "Guardian of the Mountain."

For three whole years, my hands and arms became a roadmap of scars, my skin grew rough and weathered. I willingly became Isabelle's dedicated protector.

When she was afraid of the dark, I stood guard outside the infirmary all night. When she suffered from severe altitude sickness, I scoured the entire town for fresh fruit. When she was caught in a storm, I risked my life to bring her back.

Only I knew that the mountain wasn't what I was guarding; it was Isabelle. Everyone else just teased me, saying I was a man who chose love over a kingdom.

A shout from a teammate snapped me back to the present. "We've found an unconscious person! Prepare for rescue!"

The team swarmed to the location. Halfway down a steep slope, a figure was barely visible, buried in a snowdrift next to a crumpled parachute.

Captain Davis immediately prepped the winch cable. "Nathan, you're the most experienced. You go."

I nodded grimly, taking the cable to secure it to my harness.

Suddenly, Isabelle rushed forward and snatched it from my hands. "Captain, let Ryan do it! The competition is next month, he needs the experience."

Before I could protest, she had already fastened the cable around Ryan's waist. Then, to my utter shock, she wrapped her arms around him, using the same cable to bind them tightly together.

"Ryan, don't be afraid. You can do this. I'm a doctor, I'll keep you safe."

Captain Davis's face darkened. "Dr. Stone, don't be reckless! That cable is only rated for one person's weight. What you're doing is incredibly dangerous!"

Isabelle gazed tenderly at Ryan, who was pressed against her. "That's exactly why I can't let him go down alone."

She turned to the captain, her voice urgent. "If anything happens, I take full responsibility. I'm a doctor, I know how to handle an emergency. Lower the rope!"

She held Ryan tight as they began their descent down the cliffside.

Before I could even shout a warning, there was a loud SNAP. The carabiner broke, and they both went tumbling down the slope.

There was no time for explanations. I grabbed another cable, secured the harness in three seconds flat, and leaped over the edge.

A dozen seconds later, I landed steadily on the narrow ledge.

Nearby, Isabelle was cradling an unconscious Ryan, screaming his name.

I let out a cold, humorless laugh, not bothering to waste my breath scolding them for their stupidity. I quickly unhooked my safety carabiner and handed it to her. "Isabelle, attach this to him."

As she took the cable, her eyes fell on my thick, windproof suit.

"Nathan, take off your suit and put it on Ryan. The rope is rough, it'll scratch him."

I stared at her in disbelief. On Mount Kestrel, the temperature was a constant twenty-something degrees below zero. Did she have any idea what she was asking? I would freeze solid in under half an hour.

Seeing my hesitation, she grew agitated. "Nathan, as an elite rescue operator, saving lives is your duty. Why are you being so selfish? If anything happens to Ryan because of this delay, I will never forgive you."

As she finished speaking, Ryan's eyes fluttered open. He saw the cold fury on my face and struggled to sit up. "I'm sorry, Nathan... Isabelle is just worried about me. Please don't be angry..."

Isabelle cut him off immediately. "You don't need to apologize. This is his fault for being selfish. It has nothing to do with you."

Their words were a stake through my heart. The love I had chased for three years was nothing but a joke.

Three days ago, Isabelle had a cold. I'd gone to town to pick up some imported medicine that had been rush-delivered for her. On my way back, I saw them. Isabelle and Ryan, locked in a passionate kiss.

"Isabelle, I'm not good enough for you," he'd said. "Go back to the city. Don't stay in this miserable place."

She had kissed him back fiercely, her voice thick with emotion. "Ryan, as long as I can be with you, I'll endure any hardship. Just wait a little longer. My family will agree to let us get married."

The snow had been heavy that night, so heavy that the ginger soup I was carrying for her had turned cold in my hands. I stood there in the wind, feeling like the world's biggest fool.

So that was it. The reason Isabelle gave up her comfortable life and came to this godforsaken mountain wasn't for some noble medical mission. It was for Ryan.

The "meaningful thing" she wanted to do was defy her family for a love that crossed class divides.

My three years of devotion had been nothing more than the pathetic fawning of her personal lapdog.

The perfect couple the team always teased us about was a figment of my one-sided imagination.

I was just the backup plan. The convenient shield to appease her family and keep up appearances.

A woman like that didn't deserve my heart.

Suddenly, Isabelle lunged at me, grabbing my zipper and tearing it down. "Nathan, I told you to give Ryan your suit! Are you deaf? He has the international competition in a few days! How can he win if he gets sick?"

As the zipper gave way, a blast of arctic wind seared my chest, my skin erupting in a thousand icy needles.

I tried to pull the suit closed, but the ledge was too narrow for more than two people. I didn't dare make any sudden moves, terrified she would fall into the abyss below.

She ripped and tore at the suit until, in less than a minute, it was off me.

Isabelle immediately wrapped it around Ryan, carefully tightening the collar for him. "Ryan, I'm here. I won't let anything happen to you."

When she turned back to me, her eyes were brimming with impatience. "Stop being so dramatic. I'm a doctor, I know what I'm talking about. Freezing for half an hour won't kill you. As soon as I get Ryan up, I'll come right back for you. Just be strong. You'll get through it."

My body was wracked with shivers. I pulled the thick sheepskin scarf from my neck and pressed it to my mouth and nose, trying to avoid inhaling the frigid air.

During our training, the instructor had specifically warned us that inhaling extremely cold air could cause searing pain, internal bleeding, and unconsciousness. Protecting your mouth and nose was critical.

As if a lightbulb went off in her head, Isabelle reached out, snatched the scarf from my face, and quickly wrapped it around Ryan's neck.

"Give this to Ryan, too. See? You're fine. Stop being so delicate. Ryan just woke up from being unconscious. His body is weak. A little cold air could make him seriously ill."

Her self-righteousness was colder than the air itself.

My scarf was custom-made from the finest wool. My suit was a specially reinforced, imported model. And now, they were both offerings to her precious little lover.

A voice crackled over the radio from above, asking for a status report.

Isabelle answered before I could get a word in. "Everything's fine! Ryan was slightly injured while saving the victim. I'm sending him up now."

She began securing my cable to Ryan's harness.

My lips were trembling so hard I could barely speak. "Isabelle, get the victim. He could have been unconscious for days."

She shot a disgusted look at the motionless figure nearby. "He was showing off, climbing to a place like this. He can wait. Saving Ryan is more important."

I was seething. "Isabelle, have you forgotten the first rule of this team? Ryan is conscious and his vitals are stable. Look at the victim! His face is already turning gray!"

She glared back at me. "If he dies, it's his own fault! We can't let Ryan get sick just for him!"

As we argued, Ryan made a show of undoing the harness. "Nathan, please don't fight with Isabelle. I know you don't like me... you don't want me to compete in the competition."

He grabbed the cable and tried to shove it into my hands.

Just as I reached for it, a powerful shove sent me stumbling backward.

In that split second, a terrible realization flashed through my mind. My body went weightless, and I was falling, tumbling into the endless snowfields below.