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."