From Betrayal to Brilliance Her Rise to a New Life novel Chapter 137

Chapter 137 Regret

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They chatted as they walked, and the time passed more quickly than Athena expected. The group climbed the mountain path beneath leafy canopies, and the open air seemed to clear everyone’s heads; the scenery made shoulders drop and moods ease.

Their stamina varied: Mabel clearly didn’t exercise much and had to rest many times, and by the final break, she apologized, cheeks flushed with guilt.

She said apologetically, “I can’t keep up. You go on without me–don’t let me slow the trip down.”

Mabel felt disappointed but was determined–she wanted to see the sea of clouds badly enough to push on with Athena.

Athena walked at the front, Teri close behind, Zaden bringing up the rear.

At some point, Athena glanced back to check on the others and found, to her shock, that no one was behind her.

The color drained from her face.

She’d lost them.

She’d been sure Zaden and Teri were still just behind; she hadn’t expected them to vanish.

Panic tightened around her as she turned and hurried back along the trail, but no one was to be found.

Not Zaden, not Teri, not Linda or Mabel.

The more she searched, the worse her fear grew–and then the fog began to roll in, thickening faster than she liked.

Using the path she remembered, Athena tried to backtrack.

She had no real sense of how far she’d come or how long she’d been walking, but she couldn’t find a single familiar face.

This is bad!

Her mind lurched to the worst: did she just hit a maze with no exit? What if she’s been walking in circles this whole time, stuck in a loop she can’t break?

The thought of being stranded on the mountain overnight sent cold fingers down her spine. She pictured scary scenes from films she’d watched as a kid—the kind where people keep

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Chapter 137 Regret

circling until the end–and the fear ballooned.

:

Who knew what kind of wild animals might be lurking out there?

Athena began to feel regret for agreeing to Linda’s invitation to go hiking.

“Zaden? Teri? Are you there?”

Athena groped her way forward, calling out as she went.

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The fog ahead thickened; her visibility was down to about a few feet, everything else vanished, and she could only follow the path under her feet.

She called for a long time; her voice was hoarse.

Suddenly, Athena froze in place; she stared at a sign in front of her and shivered all over.

Wait… this sign–hadn’t she just passed it moments ago?

Color drained from Athena’s face; she’d been lost in random thoughts, and now this terrifying sight made her even more afraid.

She might never make it out of here alive!

People in those TV horror stories wander the same spot over and over until the end–she couldn’t keep circling here; she had to conserve her strength.

Maybe Zaden would notice she was missing and send people to look for her.

、

With that belief, Athena found some courage; she picked a safe place to wait and, to steady herself, muttered prayers to every god she could think of.

Even though Athena, as a medical professional, was an atheist, in this situation, all she could do was pray.

After who knew how long, Athena–still reciting prayers–heard someone calling her name loudly, the voice coming closer.

“Athena!”

Athena snapped to attention–someone was calling her!

Just as she was about to answer, a horror–movie memory flashed: ghosts use voices to trick you into thinking someone’s calling; if you answer, they eat you …

Athena immediately curled in on herself, too afraid to answer.

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Chapter 137 Regret

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