Betrayed in the avalanche: Found by the Billionaire Single Dad

Nova’s POV A rumbling sound came from outside the window—the tavern's roof, unable to bear the weight, was shedding its accumulated snow onto the ground. "Honey, pass me a napkin," my boyfriend Derek said with a smile. I was just about to respond when Ashley, his ex-girlfriend seated right next to him, beat me to it. She snatched a napkin from the table and brought it straight to his lips, tenderly wiping away a stray drop of red wine. I just froze. "Oh, sorry, Nova! It’s just... force of habit. We used to do that all the time in college," Ashley rushed to explain, flashing me a plastic smile. "By the way, do you need one, too?" She extended her hand toward me—the one wearing the ring. I didn't say a word. Three months ago, Derek told me he was customizing a ring for our three-year anniversary. The design was already finalized. But then, out of nowhere, he claimed that his love for me "shouldn't be defined by a stupid stone." He canceled the order, and our anniversary came and went with empty hands. I hadn't really minded—until I saw that very ring, the one that wasn't supposed to exist, sitting on his ex-girlfriend’s finger. Fine. If he wasn't going to give it to me, I didn't want the damn thing anyway. My fingers gripped the edge of the booth tightly as I forced out a perfect smile. I was about to speak when, at that moment, a customer by the window opened it slightly out of curiosity. Snap! The cold wind, thick with snowflakes, whistled through the gap, tearing it wide open and slamming the pane against the frame. A powerful gust swept through the room, eliciting gasps as it traveled, finally reaching us and flipping up the edge of our tablecloth. In that split second, I saw it. Under the table, my boyfriend’s legs were intertwined with Ashley’s, then quickly separating. Bang! The person immediately reacted, put on gloves, grabbed the windowsill, and struggled to shut the window tight, blocking out the cold, dark abyss outside. "Sorry, everyone, I just wanted to see if the weather bureau was telling the truth," he said somewhat awkwardly to the displeased faces turned toward him. "Looks like my wife and I need to end our date early. Too bad we haven't gotten to the best part yet!" "The snow is really coming down hard this time," someone immediately murmured in agreement. "The snow outside is practically up to our ankles already." "Why has the weather bureau only issued a Winter Storm Watch? Did the staff pass out drunk at the monitoring station again?" "I knew we should've picked a bar downtown. Getting back is going to be a nightmare." The tablecloth drifted slowly back down. I lifted my gaze and locked eyes with Derek. He looked awkward. I used to teach at a public school. I’d seen that look on too many teenagers' faces—the look of someone who doesn't think they’re wrong, they just lack a twisted enough excuse to justify what they did. "It was just freezing a second ago. Derek was just helping warm my feet," Ashley interjected immediately, jumping in to shield him. Derek grabbed onto that excuse like a lifeline, letting out a sigh of relief. He finally managed a composed smile. "Yeah, exactly. Honey, I was just doing Ashley a small favor." He pointed at Ashley’s hand, desperate to change the subject. "By the way, why didn't you take the napkin Ashley offered? Don't you know you just ate all that stuff? You've got crumbs all over your face... it's disgusting!" Disgusting??? The word thundered in my ears. I could not stand this f*****g stupid crazy scene for one more second! “Sorry, I’m not meant to reject you. It’s just that…I don’t take anything from trash, so stay away from me,” I flashed a deep smile towards Ashley, politely nudged aside the tissue she handed me, then I turned to Derek. “I don’t know what’s wrong with you, but how dare you secretly bring your ex on our couple trip and tell me she just happened to come here too? Do you get a kick out of being dumped by her again???” “Whatever, this dinner is really impressive and I’ve had enough holding back all the time with your provocation. I'm out of here. You guys have fun!” With that, I grabbed my bag, stood up, and walked out the door without a single backward glance. Heading home alone in a raging blizzard wasn’t exactly a wise decision, but staying here to finish dinner with them would undoubtedly take an even bigger toll on my health, both physically and mentally. I really should have noticed all the clues sooner. When Ashley abruptly broke up with him and left the country, Derek made a huge scene about dumping all her stuff and wouldn't let anyone speak her name. I should have known that it wasn't just that he hated her—it was that he still wasn't over her. When he pursued me so relentlessly, I was naive enough to believe he truly loved me, never suspecting he just used me to fill the void Ashley had left behind. I was so foolish to be blind to it all. Even when Ashley came back and Derek’s focus snapped right back to her, I still held onto false hope. But that ends now. My arm was suddenly seized, the immense force nearly causing me to fall. I turned back to see Derek glaring at me, his face cast in shadow. “Nova, why do you have to be so unreasonable?" his eyes filled with anger and grievance. "Haven't I already explained this to you? The therapist said Ashley has severe depression and needs to revisit happy memories from the past to help her recover. That is the only reason I agreed to her request to include her in our couple’s trip." "I did it to spare your feelings. That’s why I deliberately didn't tell you before we left. I wanted to wait until we got here to explain it to you gently, and give you two a chance to interact so you could accept her being here.” "I’ve done everything possible to accommodate everyone’s needs. Why do you refuse to be considerate? How can you be so selfish!" I almost laughed in disbelief. “If you had truly looked out for me, would I be this angry right now?" "That is your problem!" he practically roared. "Why can't you be more accommodating? Look at Ashley—she’s been friendly the whole time. But you? You actually called her trash. Apologize to Ashley immediately!" I followed his gesture, only to catch the smug look on Ashley’s face. She even flipped me off. My gaze shifted between the two of them in disbelief. I had so much I wanted to say, but in the end, I swallowed it all and just let out a cold laugh. "As you wish." My heels clicked against the floor as I walked toward Ashley, her smile widening with every step. "Nova, once you apologize, we can still be besties..." Her crimson lips kept moving, but then stopped abruptly. Slap! My hand collided with her face. I had put every ounce of my strength into the blow, sending her crashing heavily off the booth. She immediately erupted into screams and sobs. "Coming back after years abroad just to seduce a man you once discarded? It really shows how pathetic your life has been." I looked down at her coldly. I turned, steeling myself to face Derek’s wrath. But before I could even read the expression on his face, his hand moved—too fast for me to react. Smack! An explosion of pain shattered across my cheek. In that split second, the world simply... vanished. The howling blizzard outside, the mistress who had crawled back, the man who had betrayed me... everything blurred into a chaotic swirl, spinning around me as my body went limp and I crumpled to the floor. But before I could hit the ground, Derek seized me by the collar, roughly yanking my semi-conscious body up to face him. “How dare you hit Ashley! Are you going to push her over the edge?!” “Derek…… Wait……” “Apologize to her, now!” “My ears seemed broken…… I'm hearing such a loud noise. I need a doctor……" “Drop the act!!!” Derek roughly clamped his hand around the nape of my neck, forcing me to look him in the eye. His eyes were bloodshot with rage. "Are you playing the victim now? Or are you just pretending to be deaf because I told you to apologize to Ashley? You are not going anywhere until you apologize to Ashley!" I let out an agonized groan. "Okay... I'll do it... just let me go to the hospital as soon as possible……" My knees were slammed against the icy floor. Sobbing uncontrollably, I knelt and apologized to the mistress who stood before me with a cold sneer. In that moment, every shred of my dignity was shattered into nothing. I lifted my head slowly, fighting the dizziness. "Can I go now? The roaring in my ears is getting louder... I really need a doctor to check them." "Relax, bestie," Ashley bent down and clutched my hand, her voice dripping with fake concern. "That's just the sound of the wind and snow outside. Your ears are perfectly fine." I froze, dazed. Was the blizzard really that loud? Was that... normal? "Nova, I am so disappointed in you," Derek said coldly. "I can't believe you would use this as an excuse. Do you really think we're deaf? We can all hear the wind……" Before Derek could finish, a deafening BOOM cut him off. Suddenly, the floor beneath us lurched, and the entire tavern began to pitch forward! Screams erupted across the tavern as dishes and decorations crashed endlessly to the floor. I clung desperately to the table leg, trying to pull myself up. But then, a massive shockwave tore down from the mountain behind us, shattering every window in an instant. The gale-force wind roared inside, slamming everyone to the ground! The hotel manager burst out of his private suite, his face pale with panic. "It's an avalanche! Run! Everyone run!" "We have a sister hotel just to the east! Go! Get over there now!" The moment the words left his mouth, the terrified crowd surged toward the gaping doors, screaming and stumbling over one another in a panic. But I... I couldn't follow them. Derek had been a star quarterback back in university. He didn't hold back when he hit me. It took me too far to regain my senses, and by then... It was too late. The freezing gale numbed my bare hands. My muscles wouldn't cooperate. All I could do was cling desperately to the table leg, praying I wouldn't slide toward the window. Down there, the floor was covered in razor-sharp shards. "Derek, please, help me!" I looked up at him with pleading eyes. He was the only person I could count on right now. He had already pulled Ashley, who had also fallen, back to her feet. I didn't expect him to prioritize me over her when we were both in trouble. But he had already secured Ashley. Helping me up would be effortless—a simple reach of his hand. He wouldn't just leave me here. "Derek, I'm so scared!" Ashley’s voice suddenly rang out, sounding dramatically exaggerated. "I feel my depression flaring up again... I can barely breathe! Can you please get me out of here first?" "Nova has been camping in the wild before. She can get out on her own. She's only begging for help because she wants more of your attention. You can comfort her later on." Derek's expression darkened. An involuntary shiver ran through me as his gaze landed on mine. It felt colder than the raging blizzard around us, freezing me to the very bone. "You're still playing the victim and harboring jealousy toward Ashley, even now? Nova, I am beyond disappointed in you. I need to teach you a lesson so you learn how to behave yourself." With that, Derek hoisted Ashley onto his back, hooking his arms under her knees while letting her wrap her arms intimately around his neck. He whispered something into her ear, eliciting a sweet smile from her. And then, he just walked away. He didn't look back. Not even once. My head hung low. A bitter, chilling laugh bubbled up from my chest, uncontrollably. "If I survive this," I whispered into the freezing air, "I will make both of you crawl on your knees and beg for my mercy." Right then, the tavern’s tilt got worse. The whole house creaked, and burning wood and embers rolled out of the fireplace above me. "Ah! Mommy!" I tried my best to get out of the way, but a log smashed right into my arm. It kept sliding until it hit a pile of broken glass and ignited the curtains. My tears spilled out immediately. But the heat and the pain kicked my survival instinct into gear. I grit my teeth and used a table leg to pull myself up. I took my little hat from the booth and put it on tight. Then I moved carefully in the already empty tavern to put on a coat from another table—one left behind by someone who was probably too panicked to take it. Immediately afterwards, I made my way near the entrance. After taking a brief moment to aim my trajectory, I released my grip on the table and surrendered my body to the slope, allowing myself to slide through the shattered, now-burning tavern. Outside, it was a blinding expanse of white; snow had completely blanketed the road. Amidst the darkness and the howling wind, I wrapped my clothes tight around me, dragging my exhausted and rapidly numbing body forward, trudging unevenly through the deep drifts. The tavern manager had mentioned earlier that there was an inn to the east. I had completely lost my sense of direction, yet I had no choice but to head toward what I believed to be east. To stay put meant certain death. I don't know how long passed, but in the endless dark, I finally saw a light. It was a forest cabin, not a hotel. I knew I had gone the wrong way. I didn't know if this place was deserted. If it wasn't, would the person inside be evil? Would they welcome me? But I couldn't afford to hesitate. I stumbled to the door. Using all my strength, I lifted my frozen arm and forced out a weak noise that was something like a knock. Heavy footsteps echoed from within the cabin, and a moment later, the door swung open. Standing before me was a towering man. His gaze was piercing, his brown eyes locking onto me as he scrutinized this uninvited guest. I noticed he was half-naked; his sculpted chest and abs didn't even flinch against the biting wind. How could he be so strong…… I tried to say something, but the heat from the cabin washed over me. The violent change in temperature hit my weak body hard. Before I could even beg him to take me in, everything went dark, and I passed out…