Left to Die on the Island

My fiancee tossed me onto a remote island just because I accidentally smashed the cup of my adopted brother. "Please, let me go home, Yvonne Johnson! There are beasts here! I'll die!" I kept pleading until my phone was dead. The only response I got was, "I'll let you go after Harold's not angry anymore." A month later, Harold joked with his friends, "I bet Christian's looking real primitive now. How about we check him out?" The only thing left on the island was a skeleton that wore my clothes. Chapter 1 Abandoned Someone untied my wrists and ankles. I pushed myself up, but Rachel Chandler flogged me. My stomach throbbed with pain, and I curled on the ground. When I looked up, I was met with Rachel's disdain. She was an admirer of my stepbrother, Harold Shaw, and she was the one who suggested imprisoning me on this island. "You broke Harold's cup. You can survive here alone." I clenched my teeth and looked at her. "Yvonne's going to kill you! Let me go home!" Rachel laughed until she doubled over, and she looked at me with mockery in her eyes. "She's the one who gave us the boat that sent you here. She's not going to kill me." I froze. As I watched Rachel leave, my eyes went red. I quickly fished my phone out and called Yvonne. The signal was bad, and when it finally went through, I was hit by Harold's cloying voice. "Are you on the island already? Reflect on yourself, got it?" "You'll go to hell for doing this to me, Harold!" Anger flared within me the moment that bastard's voice hit my ears. "Enough!" said Yvonne coldly, and my hand shook. "You knew that cup was something his mother left him before she died, and you smashed it anyway. I can't believe you're this vile." I stood frozen, and I hoarsely said something I had repeated forever. "I didn't do it, Yvonne." "You're going to tell me you didn't just curse him?" she said angrily. "You lie, and you have an evil heart. You should stay on that island and reflect on your actions." The sun was scorching, yet my body felt frozen solid. This woman was my fiancee. We grew up together, but she didn't trust me, only my stepbrother. I felt myself choking up, and I couldn't say anything. Then, the rustling from a nearby bush turned my attention away. A crocodile about seven feet long was crawling away, its tail swaying in the air, and its stench filled everything around it. Sweat drenched my back, and tears filled my eyes. Urgently, I pleaded, "Please, let me go home, Yvonne! There are beasts here! I'll die!" "I just want an apology, Christian! You'd rather lie than reflect on yourself?" Harold's voice was choking. I could even see the disgusting look on his face. I clenched my phone tightly, as if I was waiting for a final judgment. "I'll let you go after Harold's not angry anymore." The call ended, and my phone beeped. I stared down at my reflection on the screen. My eyes were filled with helplessness, and I looked dejected, as if I was a pup who'd lost a fight for his home. Yvonne hung up, frowning. She looked at her phone, and part of her heart felt like it was taken away. Harold sidled up to her and put on a sweet smile, then he tried to put an arm around her. She sighed and stepped back, then patted his shoulder. Chapter 2 Remains "That's a remote island. He'll reflect on himself for now, and once he comes back, he'll accept you for who you are." Harold's face froze. The moment he looked at Yvonne, the edges of his eyes went red. "Really? I wish he could understand where you're coming from. All I want is to be his family." Harold rested against her body, and she smelled his cologne. She froze for a moment and patted his nape. 'Harold's a kind soul. I have no idea why Christian keeps going after him,' she thought. … Six months had gone by since Harold was taken home, and she was thinking about me very differently. Still, she couldn't forget how I choked up during the call. After she sent Harold away, she called Rachel. "I thought you're developing that island into a tourist spot. Christian said there are beasts there." Rachel snickered and answered nonchalantly, "He's living his best life sans any human company. I bet he was lying to you so you'd take him back. Honestly, I don't get why you go out with that liar. Harold is so much better." Yvonne heaved a sigh of relief and felt more displeased about me. Still, she was stern with Rachel. "Enough. He just walked down the wrong path. The fact his family took in another child doesn't sit well with him. It'll be better once he changes his attitude." … I couldn't understand why Yvonne would rather believe Rachel and Harold than me. I walked around the island barefoot, holding back my fears as I tried to find shelter. Rachel bought this island. It was filled with sand and stone, and the silence was unnerving. There was no food or water. I felt my heart clench. I tried calling someone, but there was no signal. I kept trying, but my phone went dead before I could make another call. The sky was getting dark. I kept my fears down as I climbed up a tree, then I swallowed a dry, sour fruit, and I hugged the trunk like my life depended on it. The moon was shining over the sea, but its gleam was heartlessly cold. I was reminded of my graduation thesis, or to be precise, the things that happened during that time. When I couldn't sleep, I would grab Yvonne, and we'd watch the moon. It was a cold winter, and we shared the same down jacket, leaning against each other on the balcony. She would hum lullabies quietly and sleep in my arms, sweet and beautiful. The sight of her filled my heart with warmth. The sea's breeze bit me. I stared at the moon, and my mind replayed the lullaby, yet my whole soul felt so cold that I couldn't sleep. I carefully skirted around the crocodiles, and when I finally found a cave that could shelter me, I ran into a skeleton. It looked like a male's skeleton, and strips of fabric hung over its bones. His face had rotted so much that I could see the bones. I noticed the signs of bite marks on his remains. Those were made by beasts. And there were words carved into the wall. Vague. He used a multipurpose knife to carve those. "Dad, Mom, I'm sorry. I love you." The sight of his remains told me of my future. I held down my urge to throw up, then huddled closer and covered him with my jacket. After that, I picked up the multipurpose knife and left. Tears tried to spill, but I clenched my teeth and held them in. Even tears were precious on this island. I couldn't afford to waste any water I had. No matter what, I had to survive. … Back in Imperia, Yvonne was in a bustling night club. She stared at her empty call history and frowned. Chapter 3 Last Words Yvonne looked at Rachel. "Has he been calling you lately?" Rachel blinked and snickered. "Curses me every day. Hasn't he called you?" Yvonne tapped her phone's sides and called me, but her phone only beeped. Rachel smiled and poured Yvonne a glass of liquor. "Blocked you, has he? Bet he's mad. Maybe you should keep him there longer." Yvonne's face fell, and she drained the glass. "Honestly, a brute like him? Harold's gentler and more understanding. How about you cancel the marriage? You don't have to put up with his attitude." Harold was right beside, and his face was red from drinking too much, but he looked at Yvonne with anticipation. She frowned at her phone and got up, nodding at Rachel. "You guys have fun. I have work to do, so see you later." … He stared at the leaving Yvonne forlornly, downing another drink. "Maybe I should fight Christian for her, but I love her too much." "Don't cry, Harold. You'll have her sooner or later." Heartbroken, Rachel hugged Harold's arm and gave him some comfort, and she directed her hatred at me. She took her phone out and ordered coldly, "Send some fun stuff to that island." She looked in the direction of that island with malice. … It was my tenth day on the island. I was rolling with a crocodile, and my body was covered in wounds, but I scrambled up its belly with the multipurpose knife. I dragged my wounded leg as I handled the ingredients, then I bit into a piece of charred crocodile meat. I retched. I soon heard voices, so I wore the shabby clothes made out of leaves and charged as far as I could before slowly moving backward. The boats that came had left in a hurry, while the scales of the pythons they left behind were gleaming under the sun, and the snakes were slithering toward me. I was forced into the cave and stayed with the corpse. I bit my arm as hard as I could to encourage myself, then I muttered at the corpse, "At least you have someone to leave your last words to. My father adopted the son of his first love, and he doesn't like me. My fiancee doesn't like me either, and she wants to kill me. I can stay with you. At least we'll have company on our path to the afterlife." I sat beside the corpse, shivering, and I stared at the words on the wall. Then, I held up the knife before the wall, wondering what I should write. Nothing came up. When the corpse's stench was starting to fill my nostrils and making me nauseous, I carved these words: "I hate you, Yvonne Johnson." Those were my last words. I walked away and lay on the ground, starving and staring into the ceiling of the cave. … Then, my eyes stung, and I closed my eyes. "Can you pick me up, Mom? You haven't been visiting me in my dreams." As I thought about my mother, I fell sound asleep for once. My mother remained young and not tormented by cancer. She wasn't gaunt, and she held me gently. I was my younger self, and I shrank in her embrace before she handed me to someone else. It used to be my father, then it changed to Yvonne. This time, it was a different face. … Meanwhile, Yvonne checked her empty chat history and bit her lip. She called Rachel. "Make the arrangements. I'm going to the island." Rachel fell silent for a while, then spoke in a cavalier way. Chapter 4 Remains "Feeling merciful already? It hasn't even been a month." "It's more than enough. I'll have him apologize to Harold when he comes back," said Yvonne quietly. "He was cursing me yesterday. Doesn't seem like he's learned his lesson." Rachel sneered. "He called you an ingrate who cheated on him with Harold. You want him out? He might be mad, you know." Yvonne shivered with rage, and she closed her eyes. After ending that call, she called me, but my phone was dead. She drove to her usual haunt. Frustrated, she went to her usual room. "I bet Christian's looking real primitive now. How about we check him out?" Disdainful laughter came from the room. Yvonne's hand hung in midair. She didn't open the door, and her eyes went wide. Rachel guffawed. "Nah. He can survive on leaves, roots, and rainwater." Harold's kind, understanding voice spoke. "I think that's bad for Christian. Maybe we should give him some food." Yvonne's hand was on the handle, shaking. Rachel said coldly, "He must pay for breaking your heart. You want to become the head of the Johnsons? I'll make it happen. I'll grant you your every wish." "You're the best, Rachel." … The door swung open with force, and everyone inside the room froze up. They looked outside. Yvonne came in slowly, her eyes red, and she took Rachel's phone away. Rachel's pupils shook. The passcode was Harold's birthday. She called my number, but my phone was dead. "He curses you every day, eh?" Yvonne sneered and looked at Rachel darkly. Rachel gulped. She looked at Yvonne and put on a careful smile. "He blocked…" "Get me a boat. I'm going to the island," Yvonne interrupted her, her gaze dark. "Don't do this, Yvonne. I'll stay with you." Harold quickly tugged on the hem of her shirt, but Yvonne flung his hand away. "Best pray he's safe and sound, or there will be hell to pay." The threat came out stiff, and her eyes filled with panic. … Even when she was on the deck, and the sea breeze was fluttering around her, she couldn't calm down. Again and again she called my dead phone, seized by obsession. 'Faster. Faster,' she thought. Yvonne looked at the island. It was getting bigger. They were getting closer. But the dread in her heart only grew. When she finally stepped on solid land, her heart still thumped with unease. "Careful, boss. There are signs of pythons and crocs on the island." Her veteran bodyguards stood before her. Yvonne was stunned, and she panicked. Her face turned white. "It's alright, Christian. I'll take you home," she muttered as she looked around the barren island. … Half an hour later, her bodyguards came back in a hurry, and they were stammering. Yvonne's dread came up again. "Boss, we've found his remains…"