In an Aspen blizzard, the SUV I was driving lost control and careened down a hillside. A broken tree branch impaled me, pinning me to my seat as my life bled out.

My husband, Julian, rushed to the scene when he heard the news. But instead of saving me, he carefully lifted his cherished lover, Cassidy, from the passenger seat and strode away without a single backward glance.

While I fought for my life in the ICU, he never once appeared, his entire focus on Cassidy, who had only suffered a minor concussion.

After nearly a decade of deluding myself, the truth finally shattered my fantasy. I was done playing the saint.

I had survived by a miracle, and I wasn't about to waste another second of my new life on a man who didn't love me.

The day I was discharged from the hospital, I filed for divorce.

————————

1

The world splintered as a tree branch tore through my abdomen. From the passenger seat, Cassidy Wells calmly pulled her hands back from the steering wheel she’d just yanked.

"Genevieve Sterling, if we were both in an accident, who do you think Julian would save?" she sneered. "I bet he’ll save me. You should try to hang on for a while. Dying too quickly would be so boring."

The Aspen blizzard had swept in with sudden, fierce intensity, leaving the roads icy and fraught with danger.

Ahead, the out-of-control SUV was skidding toward a deeper ravine. I was so focused on wrestling the car back under control that I hadn't even seen her move.

I never imagined that the student I was sponsoring through my family’s foundation, a girl I thought I was helping, could harbor such venom for me.

I glared at her, my body burning with rage.

But she didn't even bother to look at me. She was already on the phone with my husband, telling him to hurry and save her.

My husband, Julian Thorne, was in his car not far behind us.

The moment he got the call, he tore through the vast expanse of snow like a whirlwind.

We had been together for ten years and married for seven. He was almost always holed up in his AI lab. Yet, whenever he had a spare moment, it was always Cassidy by his side.

I had suspected he was cheating, and we had fought about it countless times. The disappointment and bitterness gnawed at me, leaving me exhausted.

Despite everything, the moment he saw me impaled by the branch and bleeding profusely, the pure panic on his face was undeniable.

"Genevieve, hold on! I'm here!"

His voice cut through the shattered window and the howling blizzard, but instead of comfort, it brought a chilling premonition.

The smell of gasoline in the car was growing stronger, and I had no idea when the vehicle might slide into the ravine. With the blizzard worsening, an avalanche was a real possibility.

I wanted to tell him to forget about me and get out of here.

Just as I was about to speak, Cassidy wailed, "Julian, my head hurts so much! I think I have amnesia, I'm so scared!"

"Genevieve, Cassidy's condition looks more urgent. You just hang in there," Julian said, his voice devoid of emotion. "I'll get her down the mountain and call for rescue immediately. You'll be fine."

Then, without looking back, he rushed to the passenger seat, swept Cassidy into his arms, and plunged into the blizzard.

How many times had he chosen her over me? I’d lost count. I was his wife. His wife.

I tried to scream his name, but my throat filled with blood. An excruciating, knife-like pain tore through my abdomen, and a tide of despair washed over me.

My vision swam, the world bleeding into a deep, terrifying red. Then, only darkness. I couldn't see. I couldn't move.

I thought this was the end. But then, a team of ski patrollers fought their way to me and rushed me to the hospital.

After I woke up, I was rushed back into the emergency room twice.

The patrol team and the hospital called Julian over and over. But he refused every call, insisting he had to stay with a terrified Cassidy.

In the end, it was the ski patrollers who used an emergency fund to cover my initial medical bills.

I had multiple internal hemorrhages and a severe infection from prolonged exposure to the cold. The hospital scrambled to assemble a team of specialists for an emergency consultation.

Before I was wheeled into the intensive care unit, I managed to call Julian. "I'm just out of surgery, but they're sending me to the ICU. You need to come to the hospital, provide my insurance information, and pay back the patrol team."

At that point, my life was hanging by a thread. Making that call took every ounce of strength I had left. Each word sent a fresh wave of agony through my body, and cold sweat beaded on my forehead.

But all he said was, "If you have the strength to call me, you can't be that badly hurt. I don't need to come over. Cassidy had a scare and is having nightmares. She needs me."

He had to be with her for class, for her bad moods, for her birthday...

And now, even as I was on the brink of death, he still had to be with her.

I was so sick of his blatant favoritism.

"Julian Thorne, a tree branch went through my stomach—I almost died! Cassidy barely has a scratch on her, and you saw it with your own eyes! How can you not know who's hurt more? And don't you get it? The crash only happened because she grabbed the wheel!"

I screamed, my voice raw with all the resentment I’d swallowed for years. My tears streamed into my mouth, leaving only the taste of bitterness.

I thought that after everything that had happened, Julian would finally see Cassidy for who she truly was.

To my shock, he snapped, "Cassidy told me you were jealous—that you drove off the mountain on purpose to kill her. I didn't want to believe it, but I guess it's true. Genevieve, how could you be so vicious? My family was right, you are cold-blooded. I'm utterly disappointed in you!"

After he finished, he hung up.

What kind of sane person would orchestrate a car crash at the cost of their own life?

I called him again and again, refusing to give up. No answer. Then, the calls stopped going through. He had blocked me.

His cruelty was a physical blow, igniting a firestorm of fury and heartbreak inside me.

As emotions crashed over me, I coughed up a large mouthful of blood, splattering it across my phone and the hospital bed. The metallic scent filled my nose, and the sting of betrayal burned even deeper.

The hallway erupted in a cacophony of urgent voices. Shouts and running footsteps surrounded me as the medical staff rushed me back into the operating room.

Just as the doors closed, I caught a glimpse of Julian by a window at the end of the hall, embracing Cassidy like a pair of passionate lovers.

She tilted her head up to kiss him.

In that instant, my hands, my feet—my heart—all turned to ice.

"...bleeding internally again!"

"...might not be able to save her..."

The voices of the medical staff blurred into a meaningless drone in my ears.

The pain was unbearable, excruciating. Perhaps death would be less painful than this.

Suddenly, I remembered Julian's harsh words, Cassidy's triumphant smile, and the image of them kissing outside my operating room.

This couldn't be the end. I wasn't ready to die.

I had to live—if only to get justice for myself.

Over the next two weeks, I was in and out of the ICU three times. Somehow, I pulled through. Even the doctors called it a miracle.

But during my two months in the hospital, Julian never visited. Not a single phone call, not a single text message.

When I was finally discharged, I went straight to our penthouse in Seattle.

After two months away, the place was unrecognizable. The house was littered with women's clothes and shoes, none of them mine.

My collection of art and architectural models was piled in a corner like trash. My study had been converted into Cassidy's livestreaming studio.

And in my bedroom, on the nightstand, was an intimate photo of Julian and Cassidy.

Just when I thought I had seen the depths of their shamelessness, they always found new ways to sink lower.

I bit my lip so hard I tasted blood.

Julian wasn't home, and my number was still blocked. Calling was pointless, so I had no choice but to drive to his AI lab at Pacific Northwest University.

On the way, I dialed 911. "I need to report the Aspen incident," I told the operator, my voice steady. "It wasn't an accident. It was attempted murder. Cassidy Wells grabbed the steering wheel. I need officers to meet me at the Pacific Northwest University AI lab to take her into custody."

I arrived at the lab and was stopped by security at the entrance. "I'm sorry, Ms. Sterling, but your access card has been deactivated."

"That's impossible. I'm part of Julian Thorne's research team. The card must be malfunctioning. Just call him."

The security guard had seen me countless times, so he agreed and called Julian. After a brief conversation, he handed the phone to me.

Julian's voice was cold and distant. "You haven't shown up for two months. Did you think the AI project would just wait for you?"

I clutched the phone. "Julian, that's an incredibly heartless thing to say. I almost died! I was in the hospital for two months!"

"You brought that on yourself. You hurt Cassidy. You're off the project. Cassidy is taking your place. The entire AI framework you designed? It's hers now. Consider it a debt repaid."

I had an Ivy League master's degree in architecture, and he was replacing me with a sophomore. The audacity!

A furious retort died on my lips as he hung up.

A moment later, Cassidy had the gall to send me a selfie of herself in my bathrobe, with a text that read: ‘I’m taking your man, your AI project, and your money... Genevieve, you should’ve known this was coming the day you decided to humiliate me with your charity bullshit!’

Before I could even finish reading, she retracted the message.

She had once knelt before me, tears streaming down her face, lamenting her family's poverty and begging my foundation to fund her tuition. That was why I had decided to help her.

She had claimed her clothes were so worn that people mocked her, so I took her to Fifth Avenue and let her pick out whatever she wanted.

I even gave her my barely used, latest model MacBook Pro when she said she couldn't afford a computer.

And now, all of that was twisted into a deliberate humiliation.

I scowled, my thumb hovering over the button to delete this vile woman from my life.

But before I could, a message from Julian came through: ‘Are you trying to kick Cassidy off the project? Let me make this clear, Genevieve. As long as I'm here, you won't lay a finger on her. And don't even think about rejoining my AI project. You don't deserve to be a part of it.’

Just minutes ago, I’d considered leaving them a shred of dignity. Now? That consideration was gone.

If they were going to act so shamelessly, then any humiliation they faced from here on out was entirely their own doing.

Just then, the police arrived, and I walked in with them.

The moment Cassidy saw me, a flicker of panic crossed her face, and she shrank behind Julian. "Julian, G-Genevieve is here..." she stammered, as if I were some kind of monster.

Julian fell for her act, hook, line, and sinker.

He rushed over, shielding her. "What are you doing here? Get out now, or I'm calling security!"

He even tried to shove me, but an officer at my side quickly intervened.

I stood beside the officer and announced, "I'm here to press charges. Cassidy Wells committed aggravated assault in Aspen. And you're harboring her while trying to threaten me, the victim? Are you trying to get charged with obstruction, Julian?"

Julian didn't hesitate. "Aggravated assault? Are you serious? You twisted my relationship with Cassidy in your head and crashed the car on purpose. She was willing to let it go, and now you’re calling the cops to make a scene?"

Behind him, Cassidy sobbed, clinging to his arm. "Julian, thank goodness you trust me."

Her gaze shifted to me, full of sorrow. "Genevieve, you gave me a concussion, and I was willing to forgive you. Why can't you just stop? Is it because I'm young and beautiful, and Julian fell for me? Are you so jealous you have to ruin my life?"

Her pitiful sobs made her look even more helpless.

Julian gently wiped away her tears, his expression tender. Then, he turned to the police.

"Officers, Genevieve is playing you. Not a word she says is true. I don't care that she's my wife—I'm not covering for her. She saw the dangerous road conditions and deliberately drove off that hillside. She gave Cassidy a concussion and then filed a false police report. She's the one you should be arresting!"

The two of them were in perfect sync, a well-rehearsed performance. They were certain they could talk their way out of this one, too.

Unfortunately for them, the police were now handling the case. This wasn't a he-said, she-said argument anymore.

An officer stepped forward, stating they had a preliminary investigation report and would be taking Cassidy to the station for questioning.

She cried and refused to go. "Julian, help me! There was no dashcam in the car, and there are no surveillance cameras on that mountain road! The snow was too heavy for anyone else to get a clear image. What evidence could they possibly have? These cops must have been bribed by the Sterling family! They're framing me!"

Julian still tried to shield her.

I sneered. "Do you want to be arrested for interfering with an investigation?"

His self-preservation instinct warred with his desire to protect her. After a brief hesitation, he backed away.

After the police left, he glared at me but said nothing. He was too busy on his phone, frantically pulling strings to make this mess disappear.

Even with the police taking Cassidy away, he still believed my family had bribed them. He never once suspected that Cassidy was the liar. He truly thought he could clear her name.

The boy who once shielded me from a blizzard now stood as a shield for another woman.

Once, this would have shattered my heart. But that person was gone. After staring death in the face, the part of me that could feel sorrow had died. All that remained was cold, hard rage.

I pulled out the divorce papers and threw them in his face. "We're done, Julian."

We were in the lab, and everyone was watching. Julian, with his fragile ego, couldn't stand the public humiliation, so he grabbed my arm and dragged me into the stairwell.

With a sharp, tearing sound, he ripped the divorce papers in half, letting the pieces flutter to the ground. "Genevieve, I don't have time for your games. Get out!"

His arrogance was so absolute it was almost breathtaking. A scalding heat rushed through me, and my nails dug into my palms.

"Games? You think this is a game? I almost died. I was in the hospital for two months while you were with your little lover, and you never called, not once. Do you really think you're still worth my time?"

He sneered. "That's what you get for trying to hurt Cassidy. You deserved every second of it."

Even after I'd nearly died, he felt nothing for me. He would always, always protect Cassidy.

The fire inside me blazed. I trembled, glaring at him.

Fine. He wanted to see the real Cassidy? I’d give him a front-row seat.

With trembling hands, I took out my phone, pulled up the dashcam video from my cloud storage, and shoved it in his face.

"My car has a dashcam," I said, my voice dangerously calm. "It auto-uploads to the cloud. Now, take a good look and see what really happened."