Just before Valentine's Day, our friend group decided to take a road trip to a cabin in the mountains. My husband, Julian Vance, suggested drawing straws to see who would get the passenger seat. "Let Chloe draw first," he said. "She's much more delicate than Anna." Without any suspense, his assistant, Chloe, drew the passenger seat. Not only did she comfortably cover herself with the cashmere blanket I had personally picked out, but she was also sipping warm water from Julian's thermos. "Well, I guess I'll force myself to keep Mr. Vance company, even though it means making Anna suffer in the back seat." Julian gripped the steering wheel, not even bothering to look back. His tone was matter-of-fact. "What's there to suffer about? Anna, a deal's a deal. Don't make a scene in front of everyone." Sensing the tension, Chloe turned around with a pitiful, innocent look. "Anna, maybe I should switch with you after all?" Julian immediately cut her off. "She gets carsick, but she can handle it. Your stomach is sensitive; you can't handle the bumps in the back." I tightly gripped the pregnancy diagnosis report I had just received, silently shrinking into the corner of the back seat. It wasn't until the car stopped at a rest stop, and Chloe accidentally bumped the dashcam, that a sudden audio recording filled the quiet car. "Mark the paper so Chloe draws it first. She'll get nauseous in the back, and I need to look out for her." I stared out the window at the falling snow, my stomach violently churning. It turned out the passenger seat had been reserved for someone else a long time ago. ... I opened the car door and pulled my suitcase out. The heavy thud of the luggage hitting the ground was mostly swallowed by the howling wind and snow. I dragged my suitcase toward the rest stop's main building. The snow was already above my ankles. Behind me, I heard the heavy, muffled slam of a car door. "Anna Davis." Julian's voice carried a suppressed impatience. He caught up to me in three long strides and grabbed the handle of my suitcase. "What kind of tantrum are you throwing out here? Get back in the car." I looked down at his fingers gripping the handle. "I'm not riding with you anymore." He frowned deeply. "Everyone is watching. Can you please not do this every single time?" The window of the car behind us rolled down, and Mark's wife popped her head out. "Anna, it's freezing out there! Hurry up and get back in the car. We can talk when we get to the cabin." Chloe stepped out of the car too, draped in my cashmere blanket. She stood in the driving snow, her eyes rimmed with red. "Anna, are you mad because I sat in the front? I'll switch with you." She took two steps toward the back door, but Julian immediately clamped a hand on her shoulder. "Sit back down. The wind is brutal out here. If your stomach acts up again, you're going to be in agony." The wind whipped the icy snow against my face. My stomach lurched. A digital marquee above the rest stop flashed a warning message in bright red letters:[ROAD AHEAD CLOSED DUE TO BLIZZARD CONDITIONS.] Julian saw it too. His tone softened marginally. "Just get back in. We'll figure it out when we get to the cabin. Stop being so stubborn." I let go of the suitcase handle. For now, the snowstorm had taken away my only way out. Back in the rear seat, I wedged myself into the tight gap between the seat back and the window. In the front, Chloe re-wrapped herself in the blanket and asked softly, "Is the AC too cold? Should I turn the heat up for you?" "Adjust it however you want. Don't make yourself uncomfortable," Julian replied. The warm air, mixed with the scent of his car air freshener, flooded my nose. I slipped my hand into my coat pocket. My fingertips brushed against the lab report I had folded and refolded a dozen times. From the front, Chloe's light laughter drifted back. "Mr. Vance, you drive so smoothly." "I try. If you feel nauseous, just lean your seat back and get some sleep." Another bump in the road sent a sharp, sudden cramp through my lower abdomen. Cold sweat instantly soaked through the back of my shirt. I gripped the door handle, my nails digging into my palms. Julian glanced at me through the rearview mirror. "Sit still. Don't hit your head on the glass." He seemed to have completely forgotten—or simply didn't care—that my stomach issues were severe too. Over two hours later, the car finally pulled up to a massive, rustic lodge. Julian killed the engine, stepped out, and immediately walked around to the passenger side to open Chloe's door. "Careful, it's icy." He offered his hand to help her out. Meanwhile, my fingers were so numb and stiff from the cold that I tried twice and still couldn't push the heavy door open. He didn't even glance in my direction. Mark got out of the other car. Seeing me still struggling inside, he walked over and pulled the door open for me. "Anna, are you okay? You look terrible." I shook my head. Holding onto the door frame, I slowly stood up. My vision went black for a second. Julian finally walked over, his brow furrowing slightly. "What's wrong? Why are you so pale? Never mind, let's just get inside and warm up." He reached out, trying to wrap an arm around my shoulder. I took a step sideways. "No, thank you." His hand hovered in mid-air for a second before he pulled it back. He turned around and went to grab Chloe's luggage. Inside, the lodge owner was rubbing his hands together apologetically, explaining that because of the blizzard, they were overbooked with stranded travelers. He only had one private suite with a king bed left, and a few cots set up at the very end of the hallway. Our friends all looked at Julian. He hesitated, his gaze shifting back and forth between me and Chloe. Right before he opened his mouth to speak, Chloe suddenly hunched over, clutching her stomach. Beads of sweat formed on her forehead. "I'm fine," she said, waving a hand weakly. "Anna and Mr. Vance should take the suite. I can just sleep anywhere." Everyone's eyes immediately shot over to me. Julian frowned, wrapping a supportive arm around Chloe, and turned to me. "Anna, can you let her have this one? Her stomach is acting up. She can't handle the cold." "I'll make it up to you next time." Next time. Over the years, there had been countless "next times." I let out a soft laugh, walked up to the front desk, and grabbed the key tagged for the storage room. Behind me, I heard the collective, relieved laughter of our friends, and Julian's soft voice comforting Chloe. The storage room was at the very end of a dark hallway. When I pushed the door open, a damp, musty smell hit me in the face. There was no heating. The freezing temperature made the pain in my stomach spike. I dropped my luggage and sat on the edge of the creaky bed, pulling out my phone. In my contacts, Julian's name was still saved as "Hubby." I stared at it for a few seconds, then changed it to his full name.Julian Vance. I locked the screen and closed my eyes in the dark. Half an hour later, there was a knock at the door. It started with a heavy, exhausted sigh. "I know you're stubborn. But the whole reason I did that today was because I knew you wouldn't agree." He knocked twice on the wood paneling. "Anna, open the door." "I made some ginger tea. Drink it, it'll warm you up." I looked down at the small trash can at the foot of the bed. Inside was a crumpled tissue stained with dark red spots. After a long silence, he knocked two more times. Then, the sound of his footsteps slowly faded away.
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