Under his expectant gaze, I took a deep sip.
Then, pretending to feel drowsy, I lay down to sleep. As I closed my eyes, he gently caressed my face.
"Reese, just wait until the day after tomorrow. After that, I’ll make it up to you."
The day after tomorrow—that was the day of Suzzette’s engagement.
That was also when my parents would officially announce her as their heiress.
Everything that was supposed to be mine would be taken away.
And what exactly did he think he could "make it up" to me?
Jaren whispered to himself, “Reese, I’ll stay with you on this island for the rest of our lives. And once you’re gone. I’ll return to protect the young miss.”
Even as he made me a promise, he couldn’t let go of Suzzette.
The moment he left, I forced myself to vomit out the coconut water.
Luckily, I hadn’t swallowed much.
Jaren was too confident.
In his rush to see Suzzette, he hadn’t even bothered to hide the sleeping drug.
I pocketed all of it.
Tomorrow, it would come in handy.
If he didn’t love me, then I had no reason to stay on this island.
—
Tomorrow was the day of the tsunami warning.
Suzzette was about to get engaged.
Jaren had been staring blankly at the sky all morning.
He made me breakfast, then claimed he was going hunting again.
It was clear that staying with me was painful for him.
And I was more than happy to oblige.
Suddenly, he pulled me into his arms.
"Maybe I won’t go hunting today. We still have enough food."
I quickly pushed him away.
This wasn’t good—if he stayed, how would I have time to escape?
Jaren seemed to sense something was off.
His voice was laced with uncertainty as he asked, "Reese, do you... not want to stay here with me?"
I immediately put on a bright smile. "Sanders, I love you. Of course, I want to stay here with you forever."
He let out a helpless smile, reminding me not to wander around. Then, reluctantly, he left.
The moment he was out of sight, I began moving the things I needed for my escape.
To ensure everything went smoothly, I had to drug him too.
Just as I was shifting my supplies—
"Reese, what are you doing?"
Jaren had returned early!
He strode toward me, his expression dark. "Why didn’t you listen? Why did you sneak out?"
His gaze landed on my injured leg.
Without hesitation, he lifted me into his arms and carried me back to the cave.
Jaren’s face was stern as he spoke. "Are you trying to leave me?"