Left to Die in the Snow: My Family's Regret Comes Too Late

An avalanche hit the snowy peaks. My foster sister, Clara, had intentionally pushed me, breaking my leg. But my parents abandoned meshivering with a fever and unable to walkjust to rush Clara to the hospital for a few minor scratches.

Limping and desperate, I begged them to take me with them.

But my mom coldly slapped my hand away.

"Clara is bleeding so much, and youre still trying to compete with her for attention?" she snapped.

"How did I raise such a wicked daughter? Stay here and think about what you've done!"

They walked away with Clara, never once looking back.

Dragging my broken left leg, I tried my best to crawl after them, only to collapse helplessly onto the freezing snow.

A few days later, when Clara was discharged from the hospital, they finally remembered me, their biological daughter.

Little did they know, I had already been buried deep beneath the avalanche.

I was dead. The mountain had collapsed, and I couldn't escape in time.

But after my death, I found my soul floating right next to my dad.

He was waiting anxiously in the hospital ward, looking at Clara, who was lying in bed. His face was filled with pity.

"Clara, the doctor said it's a good thing we brought you in early. You're going to be fine."

"Just rest now. We'll go home once you're fully recovered."

Then, he looked out the window at the distant, snow-capped mountains. Anger flared in his eyes.

"If it weren't for Chloe insisting on going to that mountain, you wouldn't have been hurt so badly!"

"When she gets back, I'm going to make her get down on her knees and beg for your forgiveness!"

My mom was hovering over Clara, checking the medical monitors every second, terrified that something might go wrong.

Her eyes were red from crying.

"That miserable brat," she cursed. "She knew Clara was fragile, yet she still dragged us to that mountain. I actually thought she was finally starting to care about Clara. It was a setup all along!"

Watching this, my spectral heart shattered into pieces.

Mom, thats not true. Clara was the one who planned this trip. You both agreed to it!

I had been sickly since I was a kid. I never wanted to climb mountains. But Clara said she wanted a family photo in the snow, so you forced me to come, calling me dramatic when I hesitated.

Clara was the daughter of my dads late military buddy. Her father had died saving my dad's life. Out of guilt and pity, my dad treated her better than his own daughter.

I had to give up everything for her. Anything my parents bought for me would end up in her hands. If I complained even a little, they would yell at me for being selfish.

Over time, I became a desperate people-pleaser. I obeyed Clara's every whim, hoping my parents would love me just a little bit more.

This trip was supposed to be different. Clara had intentionally stepped on and shattered the antique gold locket my late grandmother left me.

It was the only thing I had left of her.

I was so devastated that my parents finally agreed to take me to the beacha trip they had promised me a thousand times but never delivered.

But then Clara suddenly said she wanted to see the snow instead. So, they changed the destination instantly. They forced me to come along just because of one word from her.

And now, somehow, it was all my fault.

Up on that freezing mountain, I had begged them to take me back. But they only saw the tiny scratch on Claras leg and screamed at me.

"Chloe, Clara is bleeding! How can you still try to steal the spotlight?"

Clara had pretended to cry, whimpering, "It doesn't hurt, Dad. Chloe didn't mean to push me."

Looking at Claras "bleeding" scratch, my parents went wild with rage.

"Chloe, you did this on purpose, didn't you?"

"How did we give birth to such a malicious monster?"

With that, they carried Clara and hurried down the mountain.

I begged them to take me, but they accused me of faking my injuries to ruin Claras recovery. They left me there to "reflect on my actions" and walk down by myself.

After they left, I dragged my broken leg, shivering with a raging fever, and crawled through the freezing snow.

Just when I was almost at the exit, the mountain roared. An avalanche triggered.

I remember the sheer despair. The heavy snow crushed my bones, and the sub-zero temperatures sucked the remaining warmth from my body.

As my vision blurred, I looked in the direction my parents had gone.

If they knew I died here, would they be even a little sad? Would they finally give me a fraction of the love they gave to Clara?

Back in the hospital, I watched my parents cater to Clara's every whim.

My mom personally cooked gourmet meals for her every day.

My dad bought her an expensive, limited-edition designer bag as compensation for her "trauma."

During those days, they completely forgot about me. Their entire universe revolved around Clara.

It was painfully pathetic to watch.

Only on the day Clara was discharged did they finally remember my existence.

"Where is Chloe? Why isn't that brat here yet?" my dad grumbled, his face darkening.

"She knows she messed up, so shes hiding from us, isn't she?"

My mom sighed, speaking in a tone of supreme indulgence.

"Weve ignored her for days. She must have learned her lesson by now. Call her and tell her to come home."

My dad pulled out his phone and dialed my number.

But to their surprise, the call didn't go through.

Usually, I answered their calls within three seconds.

But now, after dialing multiple times, there was only a cold, automated voice.

My parents frowned. A faint flicker of unease crossed their faces.

Clara, walking beside them, suddenly lowered her head and put on a sorrowful act.

"Mom, Dad... is Chloe still mad at me? Does she hate me for taking your love away?"

My dad's expression instantly hardened. He shoved his phone into his pocket and sneered.

"That ungrateful brat! She actually turned off her phone on purpose!"

My mom gnashed her teeth in anger.

"She's throwing a tantrum because we left her on the mountain. What a childish, petty drama queen!"

My dad's eyes flared with rage.

"Miserable girl! She's doing this to make us worry so we'll go begging for her return!"

"Almost fell for her little game!"

My mom snorted. "Her manipulation tactics are getting ridiculous."

She took Claras hand and walked toward the reception desk, her voice cold.

"Lets go. Don't worry about her. We'll do the discharge paperwork for Clara first."

"She likes keeping her phone off? Let's see how long she can go without crawled back to us."

I glared at Clara. Even now, she was actively poisoning their minds against me.

But then again, my parents always chose to believe her. They always chose her.

I clutched my spectral chest, feeling a phantom pain so sharp I had to crouch on the floor.

As they were finalizing the paperwork, my boyfriend, Ethan, rushed into the lobby.

He ran up to my parents, panting and terrified.

"Mr. and Mrs. Vance! Somethings wrong with Chloe!"

My parents froze for a second.

Ethan continued frantically, "It's been days! I haven't been able to reach her at all!"

Looking at Ethan's pale, worried face, my dead heart ached with a different kind of pain.

There was no signal on that mountain. Before I died, I couldn't even send a single text to the boy I loved.

The brief worry on my parents' faces instantly vanished, replaced by sheer annoyance.

My mom said dismissively, "That girl committed a crime and is hiding to get sympathy. She's too ashamed to face us. Ethan, don't waste your energy on her."

Ethan shook his head quickly. "No, you don't understand! She promised to go to the movies with me yesterday. She never breaks her promises. But there's been absolutely nothing..."

My dad cut him off sharply.

"Enough! She loves playing these pathetic mind games."

"Who knows where she's hiding right now because of her guilty conscience? She wants us to go looking for her."

Clara chimed in, looking incredibly fragile.

"I know Chloe hates me. If she comes back, I'm willing to apologize to her."

Hearing Clara's voice, my anger boiled over. I rushed to her face and screamed, "For years, my parents gave you everything, and I did everything to please you! Why do you want me dead so badly?"

But no one could see or hear me.

My dad patted Clara's shoulder gently. "Don't blame yourself, Clara. It's not your fault. Chloe has a twisted character! If she wants to hide, let her. Even if she dies out there, I won't shed a single tear."

My mom added, "Exactly! When she finally crawls back, she will get down on her knees and apologize to Clara!"

Ethan stared at my parents in absolute disbelief. Were these words actually coming from her biological parents?

His eyes welled with tears, and his voice shook with pure fury.

"Do you even know Chloe at all?! She is nothing like what you're describing!"

"She is kind, honest, and loving! How can you talk about your own daughter like that? Are you even human?!"

Hearing Ethan shout in my defense, my eyes watered. I didn't expect that in this vast world, the only person who truly knew me and stood up for me was my boyfriend.

But my dad remained arrogant, letting out a cold laugh.

"I know her well enough! She is selfish and jealous. If it weren't for her, Clara wouldn't have been hurt!"

My mom agreed. "Ethan, you've been fooled by her sweet act. She's a master manipulator. Lets see how long she can keep up this little disappearing act!"

I stood there, feeling the coldness of death seep deeper into my soul.

So, this was what I was to my parents. A monster.

It felt as if a dull blade was slowly carving away my flesh, piece by piece.

Ethans anger peaked. He pointed a shaking finger at my mom.

"You're going to kill her! I'm calling the police!"

My dad laughed mockingly.

"Call them! I'd love to see the police throw that brat in jail for intentionally hurting Clara!"

Claras face suddenly turned pale.

She grabbed my dads sleeve, her voice trembling.

"Dad... maybe I remembered it wrong. I think I just slipped. Chloe didn't push me."

Then, she looked at Ethan with a pitiful expression.

"Ethan, Chloe is probably just throwing a tantrum. Please don't call the cops. We shouldn't waste police resources."

But Ethan didn't buy her act. He glared at her, his eyes cold as ice.

"Why don't you want me to call the police, Clara? What are you hiding?"

A flash of panic crossed Clara's face.

But when she saw my dads face, which was still twisted in anger at me, her confidence returned.

She tugged at his sleeve again, looking like an angel.

"I just don't want Chloe to get arrested. Even if she made a mistake, as her sister, I can just forgive her."

My dads temper flared instantly.

"What is that brat still playing at? Does she hate apologizing to Clara that much?"

"She thinks she can escape accountability by turning off her phone and hiding? Not a chance!"

My mom was equally furious.

"Shes doing this on purpose because she hates seeing us treat Clara well. She's using this 'missing' act to ruin our day!"

Listening to their venomous words, Ethan felt a loud buzzing in his ears.

He pointed at my parents, his voice cracking with emotion.

"Are you really her parents? How can you not care about your own flesh and blood?"

"It's been days! I haven't heard from her in days! Do you even care if she's alive?"

Tears finally streamed down Ethan's face.

My dad sneered. "We raised her, didn't we? Who does she think she is, throwing a fit like this?"

"Eleanor, call her again. Tell her if she isn't home in an hour, she is locked out forever!"

My mom furiously dialed my number again. Still, nothing.

"That little brat actually dares to ignore my calls!"

Just as they were about to launch into another round of curses, my dads phone rang.

Thinking it was me, he snatched it and prepared to yell.

But the voice on the other end was cold, official, and utterly detached.

"Hello, is this Robert Vance? This is the Rocky Mountain Police Department. We recovered a body from the avalanche zone four days ago. We need you to come down to the county morgue to identify the remains."

My dad froze, his voice suddenly hollow. "What did you say?"

The officer repeated the statement. My dad stood paralyzed, and his phone slipped from his hand, shattering on the tiled floor.