For a moment, grief overwhelmed me. My husband had abandoned me in a frozen cabin and left me to die.
Then the soldier inside me took control. Using scraps of wood, I built a small fire and searched for a way out.
I tore a metal spring from an old bed frame and worked at the padlock despite the cold and bleeding hands.
After hours of effort, the lock finally snapped open. I kicked the door wide and stepped into the blizzard-
