The Cable Car Conspiracy

The steel cable of the cable car snapped with a piercing crack as I held my mobile phone, about to send Calvin a photo of the cloud in the mountains. A sudden weightlessness swept over me; the cabin shook violently, glass shattered, and screams pierced the air. I instinctively grabbed the handrail as the world spun wildly before my eyes. When I came to, the howling mountain wind filled my ears, and beneath me was cold, damp earth. The police arrived quickly, setting up a cordon at the foot of the mountain. Day after day, I followed the rescue team into the mountains, my boots worn through, my throat hoarse from shouting, just hoping to catch a glimpse of Calvin. On the morning of the seventh day, the fog still hadn't lifted. I saw two figures walking at the end of the mountain path. Calvin was supporting Vivian Cobb; her body was covered in bruises, her face pale as paper, and his coat wrapped around her, stained with dirt and grass. My heart sank suddenly, as if it had plunged into an icy cellar. Vivian Cobb is Ralph Xavier's wife. Ralph was Calvin's best friend, and he didn't survive the cable car accident. How did they manage to come out of the deep mountain together? Facing my questions, Calvin's eyes flickered with avoidance. He said that after the cable car crashed, he and Vivian were trapped together in the same valley. The mountain air was freezing cold, and Vivian used her body heat to keep him warm. His leg was injured, bleeding uncontrollably; Vivian disinfected and stopped the bleeding with her saliva. "Susan, without her, I might not have survived." His voice was weary, carrying a hint of complexity I couldn't understand. I stood there, chilled to the bone, my every breath sharp with pain. When I got home, Calvin pressed a leather whip into my hand. "Punish me," he said, lying on the carpet, his back trembling slightly. "No matter how you strike, I'll take it." The whip's handle bit into my palm, making it ache. I looked at the faint bruises on his back—traces left from the struggle in the mountains. In the end, I loosened my grip, and the whip fell to the floor with a dull thud. Calvin's old injury never healed properly; the wound on his knee kept flaring up. He began visiting Vivian Cobb more and more often, saying she knew about herbal remedies and could help him recover. Every time he came back from Vivian's, he would lock himself in the study. I once quietly stood outside the door and heard the sound of a whip cracking against flesh from inside. My heart felt like it was being relentlessly beaten with a blunt object, aching so much I could hardly breathe. A year later, Calvin unbuttoned his shirt right in front of me. His back was a battlefield of ninety-nine scars, uneven in depth and size, horrifying to behold. "Susan," he grasped my hand, his eyes filled with sincerity, "Vivian is carrying my child. Once the baby is born, it will only recognize you as its mother." Before I could even react, I saw him turn around and pull Vivian, who was standing beside him, into his arms. "I'm taking care of her only to repay her saving me." He explained, his voice tinged with urgency. At that moment, Hans pushed the door open; he's Calvin's childhood friend and has always defended Vivian. "Susan, don't blame Calvin," Hans frowned. "Vivian just lost her husband. She risked everything in the mountains to save Calvin." Watching the scene unfold before me, I felt nothing but absurdity and bitter irony. A life-saving favor had become an excuse for betrayal.