But at the end of the day, he still paid money for my life.
He still believed he owned me.
He would still rent me out for his gain.
My hands curled.
My hate returned.
He’s a monster.
He was supremely dangerous, and I could never, ever forget that.
This island was dangerous. This food was dangerous. Everything about this place was perfectly orchestrated to lull me into acceptance, to cushion me with an existence I could accept, and nullify the fact that I had to pay for this luxury with my body.
No.
My mind turned to thoughts of escape. Without realising it, Sully had given me a blueprint to his empire. He’d told me that all the islands around us were his. Therefore, I couldn’t find help on land. He’d told me a farm cultivated his food close by. Therefore, there would be workers and staff who would turn me in.
The only way to freedom would be to either build a raft and sail away without anyone noticing or somehow learn to swim great distances. Both those options sounded as if I was castaway, shipwrecked, and fighting to survive.
In a way, I was.
I’d crashed from my normal world. I’d lost all those I cared about. I was as alone in this paradise as I’d ever been, and I constantly fought the urge to break down and cry. To give in to my grief. To beg someone, anyone, to rescue me. To keep from acknowledging that the only person who could save me…was me.
Because if I admitted that—if I fully accepted my situation—I might as well wade into the shallows and give up because the thought of fighting against Sully every day, of letting strangers enter my body, of going to battle every time that bastard appeared…it was too much.
I wouldn’t have the strength.
I wouldn’t trust that whatever storm brewed between us wouldn’t evolve into a full electrical hurricane, sparking fire, annihilating souls, breaking me apart bone by bone.
My hands shook as I reached for a banana leaf wrapped around jasmine rice and edamame beans.
Enough.
Relax.
Rest.
Recuperate.
By the time dusk fell, I’d done the best I could. Most dishes were empty and those that weren’t attracted a few finches and sparrows to partake with me. I placed a few pieces of pumpkin and pineapple on a napkin and left it on the sand, staying silent and still as hermit crabs inched close, sliced off pieces with their pinchers, and scurried back to the undergrowth to eat.
With peace came awareness, and the longer I sat on the deck, watching the golden glow transform to peach twilight, the more I reflected on myself and how strong I would have to be to endure this new fate.
If I never found a way free, could I withstand four years at his mercy?
If I stopped fighting, would I turn into the brainwashed victims that Sully took such great mockery in?
Either way, I had to persevere.
I had to stay ready.
Had to remain true to me.
To Eleanor.
Not Jinx.
Not his.
Never his.
* * * * *
I stayed in my villa for twenty-four hours.
Unmolested, untaunted—totally, utterly, blissfully alone.
I slept well, considering the events. I showered in the outdoor shower, serenaded by an inquisitive parrot and sharing water droplets with gleaming green tree frogs. They sat on the fern fronds, ribbiting as the sun warmed the world and the humidity level steadily rose with each minute.
Instead of welcoming more disaster into my life, I avoided going to the dining villa. Using the in-room phone, I requested breakfast, lunch, and dinner to be brought to me, slowly growing accustomed and stupidly thinking I was safe in my private villa where even Sully hadn’t knocked on my door.
A pretty staff member delivered a tray full of fluffy eggs, a mountain of tropical fruit salad, and still-warm croissants. Next to the freshly squeezed apple juice rested a bottle of pills with a small note in sharp, masculine handwriting to take one with each meal, doctor’s orders.
Between meals, I gradually grew stronger. My body was no longer woozy if I turned too fast, and my vision didn’t black out if I stood too quickly. Growing restless, I went for a walk along the beach, spying more villas in the lush foliage, tucked away with privacy, none of their inhabitants noticeable.
Did they house other goddesses?
Guests?
Staff?
As the sun completed its arc overhead, promising morning, then delivering afternoon, before finally condemning us back to the cloak of darkness, my heart worried more and more as evening settled.
He’d said I’d be entertaining tonight.
He’d threatened that I’d be used against my will.
Not wanting to return to my villa, but afraid of what would happen if I was found blatantly searching for methods of escape, I returned to my parcel of crystal sand, shed my summer dress, and slipped naked into the tide.
There, I waited.
My eyes trained on the deck leading into my villa.