It wasn't until they saw the butchered remains of every woman and child in the village that the men finally believed me. The pirates were real. The sight of the scattered corpses sent them into a violent frenzy. "Captain! You said your wife was just jealous! You told us she was lying so we'd stay and protect you and Sarah Cole while you celebrated her birthday! Now look... my son is dead! My wife is gone!" Julian Reed turned deathly pale, his voice failing him. I looked at the blood-soaked ground, tears finally breaking through. In my past life, when the pirates launched their surprise attack, Julian—the Captain of the Guard—had taken every able-bodied man out to sea to celebrate his "platonic" soulmate's birthday. I was pregnant back then. I crawled through the filth of the sewers to find them, dragging the men back just in time to save the islanders. But in the chaos, a straggler caught his precious Sarah. She was brutalized and killed. Julian didn't say a word after he finished off the pirates. He waited. On the day I gave birth, he broke my legs, sliced open my abdomen, and tossed me into the deep ocean. He watched as scavengers ripped me apart while I was still alive. "You were so jealous of her that you lured the pirates here just to ruin her day," he had hissed, his eyes cold. "If you love competing with her so much, you can die just like she did." I opened my eyes and found myself back on the day of the raid. This time, if he wants to play hero for his little sweetheart, he's more than welcome to. Back in the present, I watched the pirate speedboats cutting through the waves toward the shore. A cold shiver ran down my spine. Without a second thought, I slammed my hand onto the emergency lever. The siren's wail pierced the air, echoing across the entire island. But when I looked toward the harbor, the evacuation vessel—the only vessel large enough to carry the women and children to safety—was gone. My best friend stumbled toward me, her voice breaking. "Lily, the pirates are hitting the beach! Where are the men? Where did everyone go?" "The ship is gone," she sobbed. "What are we going to do?" Before I could answer, a crowd of panicked women and children swarmed around me. Their eyes were wide, desperate for an answer I dreaded giving. "Julian took the men and the weapons," I said, my voice hollow. "He took the vessel to international waters to celebrate Sarah's birthday." My mother-in-law let out a sharp, jagged curse. "Is he insane? He knows the raids happen this time of year! He took every able-bodied man on the island!" "That little tramp, Sarah!" she spat. "I knew she was trouble the moment he brought her home. Always playing the victim to lure men in. Now she's going to get us all killed!" Her outburst snapped a string. The crowd erupted into a chorus of frantic curses, all aimed at the woman who had charmed their husbands away. In the distance, the roar of speedboat engines grew louder. They were hitting the sand. "Listen to me!" I shouted, fighting to keep my voice steady. "Everyone into the tunnels! Now!" Because our island was so isolated, we had built a network of underground tunnels for exactly this reason. We scrambled inside, packing into the damp, narrow space. Above us, we could already hear the heavy boots hitting the pavement and the chilling, rhythmic laughter of men hunting for prey. Panic began to rot the air inside the tunnel. There was only one way to save everyone: someone had to crawl through the drainage pipes to the hidden cove, take a jet ski, and bring the men back. My mother-in-law grabbed my hand, her grip bruising. "Lily, you know how to pilot a boat. You have to go. Find Julian. Tell him to bring the men back to save us!" I let out a bitter, dry laugh. "Even if I find him, he won't come back for me." The tunnel went silent. Everyone knew it was true. Ever since Julian rescued Sarah three months ago, he had been glued to her side. He claimed he was just "rehabilitating" her, but they were inseparable—fishing together, training together, whispering in corners. The whole island joked that they looked more like a couple than we did. Faced with the crowd's teasing, he didn't bother to keep his distance—if anything, he became even more intimate with her. I confronted him again and again, shouting, asking who his wife was supposed to be. He didn't even flinch—he only blamed me for being small-minded and consumed by jealousy. Our marriage had died the day she arrived. Just as the silence became unbearable, my sister-in-law, Chloe, stepped forward. "I'll go," she said firmly. "I know the guys in the Guard, and Lily is pregnant. If something happens to the baby, Julian will never forgive me." Without waiting for an objection, she dropped into the filth of the drainage pipe and began crawling through the muck toward the outside world.
We huddled deep in the tunnel, barely daring to breathe, praying we wouldn't be found. But our luck ran out. A sharp-eyed pirate spotted the concealed entrance. "Found a hatch! I bet all the pretty things are hiding right under our feet!" "I knew it! No way an island this big is a ghost town." "I've been at sea for six months," another growled, his voice thick with lust. "I'm going to enjoy this." The heavy thud-thud-thud of sledgehammers hitting the iron door echoed through the cramped space. The women turned ghost-white, their eyes fixed on the vibrating metal. Every strike felt like a heartbeat skipping. Our only hope was that the men were on their way. About thirty minutes later, the sewer grate rattled. Chloe Reed crawled back in, covered in filth and smelling of waste. A small cheer went up—everyone thought she had brought the cavalry. But then we saw her face. She was trembling, tears streaking through the grime on her cheeks. "I'm so sorry..." she sobbed. "They wouldn't come back." My mother-in-law grabbed her shoulders, shaking her. "What do you mean they won't come? Their wives and children are in here!" Chloe broke down completely, biting her lip until it bled. "Julian... he said I was a liar. He said there's no way the pirates would attack today. He told me I was just helping Lily pull a prank to ruin Sarah's party. Then... then he slapped me." She turned her head, revealing a bright red handprint on her cheek. The tunnel erupted. The women cursed Sarah, calling her every name in the book. They cursed Julian for abandoning his post and leaving his people to die for the sake of a mistress. Suddenly, a massive BOOM rocked the ground. Dust rained from the ceiling. They were using explosives on the door. That iron hatch had an hour left, at best. "Listen to me!" I shouted over the crying. "Peel Island is only twenty minutes away by water. They have their own militia. I can get help from them." My mother-in-law gripped my arm, her calloused hands slick with cold sweat. "Lily, we're counting on you. Please... bring them back." I nodded, ignored the ache in my pregnant belly, and forced myself back into the narrow, stinking drainage pipe. I crawled until my knees bled, finally reaching the hidden cove. I jumped onto the backup jet ski and tore across the waves toward Peel Island. As I skidded onto the sand of the neighboring beach, I saw several armed men waiting for me. My heart leaped with relief when I recognized the man in the lead. It was Marcus Johnson, Julian's second-in-command. Why is he here? I wondered. He was supposed to be on the cruise ship with Julian. I didn't have time to think. I stumbled toward him, gasping for air. "Marcus! Thank God! The pirates—they've taken the island—" Before I could finish, he lunged forward, grabbing my arm with bone-crushing force and yanking me off the jet ski. He looked at me with pure, unadulterated loathing. "Lily Wilson," he spat, his voice dripping with disgust. "I didn't think a human being could be as pathetic and disgusting as you."
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