I stepped into the cabin and was instantly overwhelmed.

Not only were there three fully stocked refrigerators, but the entire island was under surveillance. There was even a weather monitoring system.

Jaren had gone to great lengths to ensure I would never escape.

And I trusted him so foolishly.

Clutching my injured leg, I pounded the ground in anguish.

The very hand I had clung to in my darkest moment turned out to be the one that had pushed me into hell.

Just then, the weather monitoring system on the large screen flashed a red warning.

As a geography major, I recognized it immediately.

A tsunami was coming in a week.

This was my chance.

I altered the system’s data, erasing all warning signals.

I would use this tsunami to escape—once and for all.

Jaren returned, pretending he had been out hunting.

Ignoring the pain in my leg, I took a shortcut and arrived back at the cave before him.

He gently kissed me awake.

Stretching lazily, I turned to see him holding out his hand.

In his palm was a small rabbit.

"Reese, this is to keep you company. Do you like it?"

Suppressing the wave of disgust rising within me, I forced myself to smile.

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."

This so-called wild man—who usually spoke so few words—had suddenly become fluent in sweet talk.

All to keep me from learning the truth.

All to continue his lies for Suzzette.

I held the coconut bowl in my hands and shook my head.

"Sanders, this medicine is too bitter. I really don’t want to drink it anymore."

He never allowed me to call him Jaren—only by his surname.

I thought of Suzzette sweetly calling him "Jaren" over and over again, and bitterness welled up inside me.

However, Jaren insisted on feeding me the medicine.

I said coldly, “All medicine is poisonous in some way. Aren’t you afraid that taking too much might have side effects?”

At the mention of side effects, he hesitated. Then he forced a smile, pretending to be at ease.

"There are no side effects, Reese. Just drink it."

He had become so skilled at lying to me—so calm, so effortlessly cheerful.

As he wished, I took the bowl and drank it all in one go.

The bitterness made me wince.

A flash of guilt crossed his eyes, and he quickly said he would go find some honey for me.

The moment he left, I turned away and spat out the medicine.

Jaren had a cruel heart.

If I kept drinking this, my leg might never heal.

—

At night, he always exhausted me before bed, making sure I was too tired to stay awake—so he could sneak away to see Suzzette.

I refused to let them have their way.

I fought off sleep, clinging to him, insisting he tell me stories.

At first, he was patient. But as time dragged on, his frustration grew.

Suddenly, he got up and forcefully pushed me down. "Reese, you need to sleep."

"I’m not sleepy. I just like talking to you," I insisted.

His face darkened. “If you don’t sleep, how can I go hunting with peace of mind? If I don’t hunt, what will you eat?”

Tsk. Using hunting as an excuse again.

Sighing, I replied, "I can eat less. Or you could just go during the day."

Jaren clearly hadn’t expected me to be this difficult.

I grabbed his hand. “Or... we could just lie down and sleep together?”

"Enough!" he roared, losing his temper.

He was furious—completely out of character.

Was missing one meeting with Suzzette really that unbearable?

Realizing I was upset, Jaren ran outside and returned with a coconut.

"Coconut water is sweet. I know you like sweet things."

So he remembered. I loved drinking coconut water.

I took the heavy coconut, glancing down to see a faint trace of white powder near the opening.

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?"

I shook my head and eagerly pulled out a coconut laced with sleeping drugs.

"I was just worried you’d be thirsty, so I got you a coconut." I deliberately showed him my injured finger, as if I’d hurt myself while opening it.

Jaren took my hand, his brows furrowing. "Does it hurt?"

His eyes filled with distress, and his guard visibly dropped.

I urged him to drink quickly, asking if it was sweet enough.

A look of gratitude flooded his face. He downed the coconut water in one gulp. Moments later, his vision blurred, and he reached out for me.

I yanked my hand away and ran without looking back.

Ignoring the pain in my leg, I sprinted toward the escape route I had planned.

The drug’s effects wouldn’t last long so I had to leave before he woke up.

—

Meanwhile, Jaren woke up and realized Reese was gone.

At first, he was in disbelief. Then, panic set in as he searched frantically for her.

After a while, reality hit him—Reese was escaping.

He grabbed his phone and called his contacts on the mainland.

"Reese is missing! Activate the satellite tracking system and find her!"

Just then, a group of people arrived at the cave, stopping him.

They were sent by Suzzette.

Jaren frowned in confusion. "Why are you here?"

"The young miss sent us to retrieve you. A week ago, the meteorological system detected an incoming tsunami. We’re here to evacuate you."

"Impossible! Why didn’t I know about this?"

Then, realization struck him—Reese's area of study in university was meteorology.

"Find Reese! We have to find her!"

One of the men grabbed his arm. "Calm down! The tsunami is coming—if we don’t leave now, we’re all going to die!"

"No! If Reese isn’t leaving, then I’m not leaving either!"

The satellite system locked onto her location.

At the same time, Reese spotted them.

"Reese, come back!" Jaren shouted behind me.

Her mind went blank.

But one thing was clear—if they caught her, she would be imprisoned on this island forever.

Summoning every ounce of strength, she ran toward the edge of the cliff.

Waves crashed violently below.

The moment the next wave surged upward—she jumped, letting the tsunami swallow her whole.