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He casually clicked it open.It was a photo sent by his colleague,showing a gold lock buried in the snow.The lock had an antique design and fine craftsmanship,clearly worth a lot.
This was the anniversary gift I had given him.
It was the first time he crossed the desert.Due to the long-term lack of water,he collapsed from heatstroke in the desert and had a narrow escape.
As soon as I heard the news,I bought a plane ticket and rushed to his side.I stayed by his bedside,using a cotton swab to moisten his lips with rice soup.I didn’t sleep for three whole days and nights until he finally opened his eyes.
Overjoyed,I cried in his arms for a long time.
After that,every time he went on an expedition,I'd go to the temple first to pray sincerely get a safety amulet to put in his pocket.
I often joked,"When we become rich,I'll have a huge solid gold safety lock made for you.If you're in danger,you can trade it for supplies in populated areas or maybe even use it to fend off wild beasts in the wilderness."
Finn seemed to remember these words.He desperately zoomed in on the photo,trying to see the details of the lock.But it was covered in snow,and only the engraved characters were vaguely visible,though he couldn't make out what they said.
He kept calling his colleague,but his calls just couldn’t go through...
Panicking,he frantically searched through his contact list and finally found the number labeled"Honey".
When the call went through,all he heard was the same recorded message again.
"Happy wedding anniversary,honey!I know you're busy,but I want you to know that meeting you is the luckiest thing that ever happened to me.You're like a ray of sunshine that brightened up my otherwise dull life.
I bet you're too busy to remember our wedding anniversary again,so I recorded this in advance.Now you won't forget,right?Aren't I just thoughtful?
Finally,I want to say that I'm really proud of you.You've become a famous explorer and my hero.I love you..."
As my sweet voice came through the phone,Finn's knuckles turned white from gripping the device tightly.
He abruptly hung up and crouched on the ground,gasping for air.
After a long while,he picked up the phone and kept dialing,but the message didn't play again.
All he heard was the cold,mechanical prompt tone repeating over and over.
"Enough!"Finn roared and started running towards Mount Everest like a madman."Eva,you must be angry at me for leaving you,right?I'm coming to find you.Wait for me..."
He climbed up the mountain on all fours,mumbling,"Faster,faster."
Gasping for breath,he reached the place where we had parted.But as he looked around,all he saw was snow-covered ground,without a single person in sight.
He searched frantically for me,shouting my name at the top of his lungs."Eva!Come out now,or I'll be mad!"
But all that answered him was the howling wind.
Gradually,his voice grew weaker."Eva,where are you?You said you'd always wait for me to come home..."
He knelt in the snow and started digging desperately through the thick layers.
Suddenly,he saw some crooked words written in the snow:"Why didn't my hero come to save me..."
This was the last thing I wrote before I died.Now,after seeing everything,I finally knew the answer.
Because I was just the backup plan,the second-best choice,just another option.
Most of all,because I was Eva,not Iris.
