I kept helping Ethan Cole pack his massive load of gear.
This time, we were heading for the Mount Rainier Circuit—a 25-day trek with no resupply.
“Zoe, we’re planning to finish in twenty-five days. Try this pack—see if you can handle the weight?”
Ethan had stuffed most of the heavy items into his own backpack.
But the 44-liter pack he handed me still felt like a mountain on my ninety-five-pound frame.
At the meeting point, Rachel Carter showed up with a tiny 30-liter pack, light as a feather.
There was no way it held the gear needed for three weeks in the wilderness.
Seeing me struggle with the straps, Rachel beamed and looped her arms around Big Mike and Justin White.
“Ethan, you’re too cruel—making your girlfriend carry all that weight? Mike and Justin treat me so much better. Look, I’m breezing through!”
Ethan clicked his tongue.
“You haven’t hiked in years. I bet you’ll be crying to quit before day five.”
Mike and Justin pounded their chests, swearing they’d carry Rachel if they had to.
Laughing and bickering, the group made their way to Eagle Canyon.
Our first goal was Timberline Village, an easy stage by their standards.
Sixteen kilometers of mountain trails drained every ounce of strength from me.
By the time we reached the lodge, my legs shook like they were filled with lead.
Rachel, still full of energy, dragged the others to take photos.
I collapsed on the bed, too exhausted even for dinner.
I didn’t know how long I’d been asleep when a rustling noise yanked me awake.
My heart lurched, sleep vanishing in an instant.
A thief?
I held my breath and opened my eyes in the darkness.
Moonlight filtered in through the window—
and I saw Rachel crouched over my pack, rifling through it.
Ethan stood right beside her.
“Rachel, stop it. Zoe will notice!”
Rachel ignored him, her fingers digging deeper until she pulled out the satellite phone I’d checked and rechecked.
A triumphant smile spread across her face. She pinched Ethan’s ear teasingly.
“Just tell her she forgot it. Don’t sell me out.”
Ethan frowned, but did nothing—just stood there in silence while she slipped my lifeline into her pocket.
My heart sank like a stone.
That phone was the one safety line I had made sure to secure before leaving.
And Ethan—the man I was planning to marry—just let her cut it away.
The next morning, as I tore through my pack again and again, my face went pale.
“My satellite phone’s missing!”
Ethan, looking uneasy, quickly pulled me into his arms.
“It’s fine, Zoe. Last time on the Sierra Nevada Trail we didn’t bring one either. Nothing happened.”
Rachel’s eyes gleamed with malice.
“Scared of dying already? Then don’t climb.”
“I told you, you and Ethan don’t belong to the same world. Even fate’s against your marriage.”
She bumped Ethan’s shoulder, speaking mock-seriously:
“Sonny boy, just stay child-free like your dad and enjoy life.”
I pushed Ethan away, staring at him hard.
“Ethan, answer me one thing.”
