An Idiot for a Husband

A wife who grew up in the freezing Northeast escapes the cold for a Southern college, where she meets Waylon Wood and falls in love. For him she marries far from home and settles in the South, rarely returning to her parents. When a rare break comes, she plans a New Year trip to Highland's Snow World, paying for everything herself, including a high-end down jacket for Waylon.

The vacation sours fast. Waylon grumbles over the suite she books with her own money, then snaps at her when she wants to revisit their college promise to watch the aurora together. He storms off, coaxes her back with an apology and a meal at her favorite restaurant, then borrows her phone to help his mother, Delilah Thompson.

He never returns. The bill is paid, her phone is gone, and back at the hotel she learns he has checked them out, taken all her belongings, and left only a message telling her to reflect on her mistakes. Stranded in the bitter cold, she begins to see her marriage clearly.