The mountain trail only grew more treacherous, with almost no stable footing.

Dakota, wearing her expensive hiking boots, struggled more than anyone else. Her complaints only grew louder. "My backpack is way too heavy! It's crushing my shoulders!"

She turned to Jack with a pout, whining, "At this rate, I won't be able to stay in top shape. I can't go anymore, Jack."

There it was again. Every time we went on a mission, she acted like she was on some outdoor reality show. She was always complaining, slowing everyone down.

Jack, on the other hand, seemed to have endless patience and indulgence for her. "Alright. Let's see what's so heavy."

He stopped the group, knelt, and opened Dakota's backpack himself.

In front of everyone, she carefully pulled out her precious belongings, as if presenting a prized collection. There was a full set of luxury travel-sized skincare, a nearly unused oversized power bank, chips in every flavor, jelly, sour belts… and a heavy jar of peanut butter.

The rest of us couldn't hide our dismay. Every one of us packed meticulously to carry an extra bottle of water or an extra pack of compressed rations, yet Dakota treated her backpack like a traveling snack shop and makeup kit.

"Some of these take up way too much space," she commented, pouting.

I thought Jack would, at least, berate her, but I was wrong. Not only did he not lecture her, but he started lightening the load. He picked up the snacks and cosmetics and looked at one of the younger male team members.

"Billy, you still have room in your pack, right? Take some of this for Dakota."

Billy Hayes was angry but too cowardly to speak up. He quietly opened his backpack.

Then, Jack turned to another female teammate. "Leanne, you're strong. Here, take this power bank."

The team grumbled, but no one dared to resist Jack, the captain, openly.

Finally, his gaze landed on me. My backpack was already the heaviest among us, packed with nothing but essential survival gear and medical supplies.

"You're experienced, Willow, and strong," he said, as if it were obvious. "You should carry a little more."

Without hesitation, he shoved Dakota's heavy skincare set into my hands. I stared at him, my words firm and deliberate. "My pack's full. I can't take this."

Jack's brow furrowed, as if I was challenging his authority. He sneered. "You can't? Just take out some useless stuff—problem solved."

No sooner had the words left his mouth than Dakota sprang into action, as if she had received a royal decree. She rushed over and yanked my backpack open.

Inside was a hard-shell medical box, bright orange with a clear medical symbol. "This box is huge and hard. It takes up too much space!"

My stomach tightened. Instantly, I shouted, "Don't touch it!"

That box contained emergency asthma medication and a portable nebulizer I had carefully packed for my stepdaughter, Nancy Campton.

Yesterday, she mentioned that a friend wanted to explore Wolffang Valley. When I heard that, I knew I couldn't take chances and had to be fully prepared.

However, my protest only seemed to fuel Dakota's showmanship. She moved faster, yanking the medical box out. Without even glancing at it, she tossed it over the edge of the cliff behind us, all in the name of making room for her cosmetics.

"See? Problem solved," Dakota said, dusting off her hands. She had proudly shoved her precious skincare products into my backpack before looping her arm through Jack's.

"Jack, you're the best! My cosmetics are way more valuable than that stupid box."

I snapped. Like a madwoman, I shoved her away and raced to the edge of the cliff. Below, a bottomless gorge stretched out, shrouded in mist. The orange medical box was long gone.

"Nancy…" I whispered, the image of her coming to my mind.

I couldn't bear to think about the consequences if she was out there with the lost team, and if her asthma flared and there was no medicine…

"I'm going to get it back!" I shouted.

A steel-hard grip seized my arm. It was Jack, whose face held a mix of irritation and confusion.

"What are you doing? Isn't it just some ordinary supplies? Who knows if we'll even need them?" he questioned. "For that useless item, you're willing to hold up the whole team and make everyone wait for you?"

Ordinary supplies? Those were life-saving medicines!

Jack leaned close to my ear, speaking so quietly only I could hear. "I'm warning you, Willow—stop throwing a tantrum. Now, get to the front of the line and scout ahead. Be useful for once."

I understood immediately. The path ahead was unknown, full of hidden dangers. He wanted me to go first, to test the trail for them, and to take all the risk while they followed safely behind.

This was the man I had loved for five years, the man I had given everything to. To him, my life wasn't worth as much as a few bottles of his lover's cosmetics, or even as valuable as his precious rescue time.

I stopped resisting and silently moved to the very front of the group. Every step felt like walking on knives. Sharp gravel crunched beneath my feet, and beside me, the gorge dropped into an endless abyss.

Suddenly, the ground beneath me trembled ever so slightly.

Years of experience kicked in instantly.

"Landslide! Everyone, move against the rock wall—now!" I shouted, my body already reacting, pressed tight against the hard stone.

Although the team's morale had been crushed by Jack and Dakota earlier, their training still held. At my command, they immediately found safe positions.

The ground where we had just stood gave way. Huge rocks and dirt tumbled down, swallowed instantly by a cloud of dust.

Everyone broke into a cold sweat. One second later, and the consequences could've been disastrous.

"Shit! That was close!"

Dakota panicked, slipping and falling toward the edge of the cliff. Jack, nearest to her, lunged like lightning and caught her in his arms—the classic scene of the hero saving the damsel in distress.

Pathetic. I watched with icy eyes.

"Willow, what were you doing scouting ahead?" Jack, holding the trembling Dakota, roared at me like an enraged lion. "Didn't you sense the danger ahead? Is this how you're supposed to lead the team? You nearly scared Dakota to death—do you realize that?"

I looked at him. There was no anger, disappointment, or heartbreak left, just silence.

Night had fully fallen, and the mountain air had plunged into biting cold. We stumbled along the jagged trail, guided only by the weak glow of our headlamps.

Dakota had long since cried herself tired. She now clung to Jack like a koala. The rest of the team trailed behind in silence. The weight in the air was suffocating.

Only I pressed forward, tireless, cutting a path through the darkness. My body ached, but nothing compared to the numbness in my heart.

I moved like a programmed machine, and my only command was to find the lost team.

At 3:00 am, we finally stumbled upon a wind-sheltered cave. Inside were the missing university explorers. There were five of them, three men and two women, all in bad shape—pale faces, cracked lips, clearly starved and dehydrated for days.

When they saw us, their eyes lit up with the raw joy of survival. "They're here… The rescue team is here!"

Jack immediately switched back into his heroic captain mode, stepping forward to comfort the group. "Don't be afraid, everyone. We're here. Are you all okay?"

I ignored his performance. My eyes swept over the team, running a quick assessment of injuries. Most of them were just dehydrated and weak, with no obvious trauma.

Then, my gaze landed in the far corner of the cave, and my heart dropped. I ran over, parting the teammates around her.

A young man spoke frantically. "S-She's been struggling to breathe since last night… We thought she was just tired, but her condition kept worsening…"

I knelt, letting the light from my headlamp fall on her face. In that instant, the world seemed to stop. Nancy's face was pale with a bluish tint, her eyes tightly shut, her nostrils trembling ever so slightly…

Behind me, Jack came closer, probably wanting to check on each member in his captain role. When his flashlight swept over Nancy's face, his practiced smile froze mid-expression.

A raw, inhuman scream tore from his throat the next second. "N-Nancy? W-Why are you here?"

He scrambled toward her, voice shaking uncontrollably. "Nancy, wake up! Dad's here! It's me! Look at me, Nancy!"

I didn't have time to watch his breakdown. Every ounce of calm, every piece of professional knowledge I had buried in my body, returned at once.

I reached for Nancy's neck to check her pulse. It was so faint I could barely feel it. Her chest barely rose and fell, her breathing shallow and rapid, her throat letting out a faint wheeze.

This was a full-blown, acute asthma attack that had lingered for far too long. She was on the brink of death. Immediate medication was the only option.

"Willow!" one of the more experienced rescuers shouted, seeing the danger. "Don't you have the asthma medicine with you? Get it, quick!"

In desperation, Jack's eyes suddenly lit up. He grabbed my arm as if I were the last lifeline on earth. "That's right, Willow! You have the medicine! Quick—give it to her!"

His eyes burned with hope, but I didn't move. Slowly, I turned my head and locked my gaze on Dakota, who stood not far away, stunned by the scene before.

"That medicine? Well, they were thrown off the cliff to make room for her cosmetics."