I thought he was my confidant, someone who shared my suffering and relied on me as much as I relied on him. But in the end, everything was just part of a conspiracy.

Jaren reassured Suzzette again and again that I would never have a chance to escape the island.

Yet, Suzzette still had her concerns.

"But Reese grew up in the mountains—she’s strong and resilient. What if she recovers one day?"

Jaren didn’t even hesitate as he replied, "That's impossible, but rest assured, Miss Collins. The medicine I’ve been giving her will only worsen her leg injury. Soon, her broken bones will never heal."

Suzzette let out a satisfied chuckle. "Jaren, with you by my side, I can finally be at ease. But… that medicine, doesn’t it have serious side effects? If she takes too much, not only will her leg be crippled, but she won’t be able to have children either, right?"

How... how could this be?

Just last night, he held me close, whispering about having children together.

He had talked about turning this desolate island into a real home, where we would raise a family and build a future.

But the moment I turned my back, he was poisoning me?

His soft “Yes” shattered my world and plunged me into the depths of despair.

I couldn’t bear to listen any longer. Stumbling, I dragged my broken leg away, my whole body trembling uncontrollably.

I hid in a patch of dense grass, muffling my sobs.

My injured leg throbbed with pain.

What should I do?

One devastating blow after another left me breathless.

"Reese, where are you?"

Jaren was looking for me.

I wiped away my tears, forcing myself to appear indifferent as I gazed up at the sky.

When he saw me, he sighed in relief.

He sat beside me, his strong hands wrapping possessively around my waist.

In front of me, he still played his role as the dutiful wild man.

"Reese, why did you run off?"

I pointed at the sky, making up an excuse. "Looking at the stars."

Jaren carried me back to the cave we called home, then leaned in to kiss me.

I swallowed my heartache and used my period as an excuse to reject him. With a yawn, I turned away and pretended to sleep.

Jaren, believing I was truly asleep, quietly left the cave alone.

I had woken up in the middle of the night before and occasionally noticed his absence.

Whenever I asked, he always claimed he had gone hunting.

But the food he brought back each time—I'd never seen anything like it on the island.