Frostbite: Burn The Family Tree

This was the second time my own brother had left me to die. I lay buried in a negativethirtydegree snowdrift, the sensation in my left leg dying inch by inch.

The first time was the house fire. Carter scooped Chloe into his arms and bolted out the front door, leaving me asleep in my bedroom.

That summer, with half my back covered in severe burns, he stood by my hospital bed with bloodshot eyes and swore he’d make it up to me for the rest of his life.

This time, it was an avalanche. The rescue chopper only had room for two passengers. He and Chloe strapped into the seats.

The freezing wind whipped up by the spinning rotors slashed across my cheeks like shattered glass. He looked down at me from the open cabin door. "Astrid, you've always been strong.

Stop acting crazy and making a scene." "The chopper is over capacity. Just wait for the next one." I stayed buried under the ice for seven hours. There was no next chopper.

I dug myself out with my own bare, bleeding hands. Much later, Carter would tear the city apart looking for me, leaving his knuckles bloody and his reputation in ruins.

But I didn't need a brother anymore. Chapter 1 By the time they dug me out, my left leg was a dead, heavy block of ice. The rescue team said I was lucky to be breathing.

In this extreme subzero weather, severe hypothermia past the threehour mark was a guaranteed death sentence. But I had held on under that snowdrift for seven agonizing hours.

In the ER, the attending doctor stared at the bruised, purple flesh of my calf. His brow creased. "Where is your family?" he asked. "Can't you reach them?

Amputation or limb salvage surgery requires a family member's signature." "It's highrisk. Are you really here alone?" My fingers trembled as I pulled out my phone.

The screen displayed a text message sent six hours ago. From Carter. [Astrid, Chloe had a severe panic attack. We have to chopper her out to a VIP ward immediately.

The second extraction team will be here soon. Find somewhere to shelter from the cold yourself. Don't be selfish.] I stared at those words. The corners of my mouth twitched upward.

My stiff joints could barely press the screen. I shoved the phone back into my pocket and looked at the doctor. My throat felt like sandpaper. "I'll sign it myself.

If I die on the table, I won't hold you liable." The harsh surgical lights flickered on, reflecting in my dry eyes.

The anesthesia flowed through my IV line, finally chasing away that bonedeep frost. That would be the last time I ever let that family leave me out in the cold.

Chloe was an orphan my family took in. She was five the year she arrived; I was six.

She wore a pristine white dress, looking like a fragile porcelain doll that would shatter at the slightest touch.

I was wearing mudsplattered sweatpants, having just jumped out of a tree. Carter held her hand and looked at me. "Astrid, Chloe doesn't have parents anymore. We are her family now.

You're the older sister, so you need to yield to her." That yielding lasted for twenty years.

I gave up my master bedroom because it had the best natural light, perfect for her fragile health.

I gave up my Ivy League recommendation letter resources because she claimed she had severe test anxiety, and I was smart enough to get into a state college on my own.

I gave up my spot in the advanced placement program because failing would trigger her depression, while retaking a year wouldn't hurt me. I didn't hate her.

I didn't even hate Carter. I was just exhausted. The surgery was a success. They saved the leg, but the severe frostbite left permanent nerve damage.

It would ache on rainy days, and a noticeable limp would catch me if I walked too fast. I stayed in the hospital for a full week. Carter never called once.

He was undoubtedly too busy coddling a traumatized Chloe. On the day of my discharge, I bumped into a familiar face near the billing counter. Declan. My fiancé.

Or rather, my soontobe exfiancé. He was holding two custom glutenfree oat milk lattes and a vegan fig tart—Chloe's favorite overpriced afternoon tea.

He froze when he saw me wearing a hospital gown, heavily leaning against the wall for support. "Astrid? What are you doing here?

Weren't you up on the mountain skiing?" My gaze dropped to the artisan pastries and coffee in his hands. I didn't answer his question. "Here to visit Chloe?" I asked instead.

Declan shifted his weight, pulling the tray behind his back to block my line of sight. "Chloe was terrified that day.

She's been having nightmares nonstop." "Carter has been by her side this whole time, so I… just dropped by to check on her." Dropped by.

So my fiancé only stumbled upon his actual fiancée when he happened to be dropping by to comfort someone else. "Got it." I turned away, reaching for my discharge papers.

He caught my forearm, pulling me back. "What is with that attitude?" he demanded. "Chloe survived an avalanche. She almost died.

The least you could do is check on her, instead of throwing this passiveaggressive tantrum." "Wait, you came down from the mountain too.

Why didn't you ride down with them?" Chapter 2 I looked down at my left leg, still locked in its heavy medical brace.

A dry rasp scraped the back of my throat. "Declan." I met his eyes. "In your twisted little world, is Chloe the only one made of flesh and blood, while I'm forged from titanium?" The rigid line of his jaw slacked.

His gaze finally dropped to the thick bandages peeking out from my brace. A muscle feathered in his jaw. "You're hurt?" He took a halfstep forward. "How bad is it?

Did you take a fall on the slopes?" Then, he let out an exasperated sigh. "No wonder Carter told you to wait for the next flight.

You clearly got careless and injured yourself." I ripped my arm out of his grip. The urge to explain myself evaporated into dead air. "Yeah.

I was careless." I stepped back. "Enjoy your little coffee date." I leaned heavily on my good leg and limped out of the lobby.

The family estate was lit up like a Christmas tree when I arrived. A massive party was in full swing.

A huge "Welcome Home, Survivor" banner hung from the ceiling, towering over an expensive champagne tower.

Chloe huddled in a fluffy white couture cardigan, leaning against Carter and Declan like a true trauma survivor while recording a tearful thankyou video for her Instagram story.

The heavy oak doors swung open. A wave of suffocating, heated air hit my face, carrying the scent of expensive perfume and alcohol. A sharp chill ripped down my spine.

The pulsing bass cut off. The room fell dead silent. Dozens of eyes snapped toward me. Or rather, they locked onto the clunky, hideous medical brace strapped to my leg.

Carter's brows pulled together into a tight knot.

He slammed his crystal glass onto a passing waiter's tray and strode toward me. "Where the hell have you been?" He closed the distance, casting a shadow over me. "I told you to wait at the coordinates for the rescue team.

When they said they couldn't find you, we assumed you caught a ride down the mountain early." "Why is your phone off? Do you have any idea how worried the family was?" The family.

I swept my gaze across the crowded living room. I met the eyes of the guests—some morbidly curious, others openly mocking.

Where in this room was my family? "My battery died." His jaw tightened at my flat tone, but his eyes flicked down to my leg.

The rigid line of his shoulders dropped a fraction. "What happened to your leg? Frostbite?

I've told you a hundred times to stop messing around with those extreme sports." "Look at Chloe. She stays quiet and safe. Go upstairs and change your clothes.

Tonight is about calming Chloe's nerves, so drop the miserable face." He shoved a lukewarm glass of juice into my hand and pivoted on his heel to return to the center of attention.

As if my weeklong disappearance was nothing more than a minor inconvenience. "Carter." I called out to his back. It was the absolute last time that name would ever leave my lips.

He stopped, turning his head just enough to glare over his shoulder. "What now?" I set the juice down on the entryway console table.

The glass hit the marble with a sharp clink. "The second extraction team never deployed, did they?" A hard flinch wrecked his composed expression.

His Adam's apple bobbed once. "The weather turned. They grounded all flights." He raised his voice, amplifying the volume to mask the lie. "It was an act of God!

Besides, you made it back perfectly fine, didn't you?" He pointed a stern finger at me. "Stop being so damn petty, Astrid.

It was a lifeordeath emergency." "Chloe's constitution is fragile, so we had to secure her first. You're the older sister. You need to be understanding." The older sister.

My chest hitched. I laughed so hard my ribs ached against my bruised lungs. I was older by exactly one year. "Right.

I understand." I looked him dead in the eye, my voice dropping in temperature. "Because I'm the older sister, I deserved to be buried alive in a negativethirtydegree ice pit.

Because I'm the older sister, getting my leg sawed off is just me being 'careless'." "Because I'm the older sister, my actual life is worth less than her coughing fit." Chapter 3 Murmurs rippled through the crowd.

Carter's jaw tightened, the color draining from his face. "What amputation?" he demanded, his voice echoing over the whispers. "Stop being so damn dramatic!

The doctor said you were fine. Do you just have to ruin today for everyone?

Are you really that jealous of Chloe?" Chloe stepped forward, wrapping her manicured fingers around Carter's arm.

Her eyes were rimmed with red. "Carter, don't blame Astrid," she whispered, her voice trembling. "It's my fault. My body is just too weak.

Astrid, hit me if you're mad, but please don't fight with Carter…" She reached out to grab my hand. I took a step back.

I let her hand swipe through empty air. "Don't touch me." I stared at her perfectly manicured nails. "You're filthy." Declan stepped in, shielding Chloe behind his broad shoulders. "Astrid, that is way out of line!" He pointed a finger at me. "Chloe has been worried sick about you.

How could you say that to her? Honestly, your leg is probably completely fine. Are you faking this just to milk some sympathy?" I looked at the two men standing in front of me.

One shared my blood. The other had sworn to protect me for the rest of his life. Right now, they formed a solid brick wall, guarding Chloe from me like I was a monster.

I nodded slowly. "Fine. Since you two are so deeply devoted to her, I'll step out of your way." I reached into my purse and pulled out the diamond ring.

Declan had proposed with it, claiming it was a priceless family heirloom. I tossed it straight into the crystal champagne tower.

The heavy diamond shattered a glass, sending expensive champagne spilling over the edges and crashing to the floor. "Declan, the engagement is off." I shifted my gaze to the man who was supposed to be my brother. "Carter, this is your house.

I'm moving out." "From now on, I only have myself. I don't have a brother." I turned my back on them and walked out the door, ignoring the collective gasp from the room.

I dragged my aching leg out the front gates. I rented a rundown apartment close to my firm