Rabbits were Suzzette’s favorite animal. She loved them so much that even mentioning spicy rabbit heads at home was forbidden. Otherwise, she would cry and wail, accusing me of being cruel and bullying her.
As a result, I had been punished—banned from eating at the dinner table for three nights.
Jaren placed the rabbit in my arms. “From now on, when I go hunting, it will keep you company.”
I barely managed to curl my lips into a smile.
My gaze shifted to the pile of meat he had placed on the ground. Casually, I asked, “What kind of meat is that?”
Jaren answered nonchalantly, “Dog.”
I nearly threw up.
We had eaten that same meat two days ago.
Rage flared in my heart.
He was doing this on purpose.
I had told him before—my best friend growing up had been a dog.
"Why would you eat—" I clenched my teeth, stopping myself mid-sentence.
Jaren replied matter-of-factly, “There’s no food. We eat whatever we can to survive.”
He wasn’t hunting at all. He was just torturing me!
There were so many options, yet he deliberately chose the one that would hurt me the most.
Fine. If he wanted to act, I would play along.
That night, I clung to Jaren, whispering sweet words, offering soft touches.
He was lost in desire when I suddenly brought up the idea of building a boat to leave the island.
Instantly, he shoved me away.
Tears welled in my eyes. “You don’t want to go home with me? Don’t you want to see my parents?”
He wiped my tears hastily. “...That’s not it. Fine, I’ll help you.”
The next day, he brought several wooden planks to the entrance of the cave, claiming he would build a boat.
But before dawn, he came to me with a regretful expression.
"The planks were chewed up by wild beasts. They’re useless now."
I threw myself into his arms, sobbing pitifully.
Jaren held me, gently patting my back, comforting me for a long time.
What he didn’t know was that I never cared about the planks. What I truly wanted was the ropes he used to tie them together.
And while he continued his charade of “hunting,” I had already begun secretly rehabilitating my injured leg.
He had no idea.
As usual, he brought me a steaming bowl of herbal medicine.
I stared at it, lost in thought.
Jaren had told me these herbs were difficult to find. Once, he had almost fallen off a cliff while gathering them.
"Drink it all," he urged. "So you can heal faster."
"Reese, once you're better, I’ll take you to see the scenery."