Chapter 1 Poisoned

"Why does my whole body ache?" I groaned, pushing myself up from the damp earth. A sharp pain shot through my head, and I squeezed my eyes shut against the throbbing.

Disoriented, I took in my surroundings. Towering trees formed a dense canopy overhead, filtering the sunlight into dappled patterns on the forest floor. The air hummed with the drone of insects and the chirping of unseen birds.

"Wait, wasn't I on a boat at my ex-girlfriend Emily Johnson's wedding? How did I end up here? Am I drunk and dreaming?" I muttered to myself.

My mouth tasted like cotton, and my head pounded like a drum. Definitely not a dream.

"Did Emily and her new husband ditch me on some deserted island as a prank? Harsh."

I checked my pockets. My cigarettes, lighter, and phone were still there, along with the Swiss Army knife Emily had given me for my birthday.

I pulled out my phone and checked the date and time. I'd been out for a whole day.

To my despair, there was no signal. I couldn't even call for help.

This made me even more convinced I was on a deserted island. I'd seen enough survival movies to recognize the signs.

I used to love the idea of an adventurous, challenging wilderness life. But now that it was real, all I felt was fear and despair.

Islands in the ocean are usually uninhabited. If I didn't find a way back, I might spend the rest of my life alone here. Terrifying.

Unable to accept this, I shouted loudly, trying to vent my anger.

To my surprise, a woman's voice responded from not far away.

"I'm not alone?" I wondered.

I found a stick and carefully pushed aside the grass, moving stealthily toward the sound.

I used the stick to avoid any snakes that might be lurking. A snake bite out here could be fatal.

After about five minutes, I saw a woman sitting in the bushes. She had long hair cascading down to her waist and was wearing a red dress.

She turned to look at me as she heard me pushing through the grass.

Her eyes, deep and luminous, shone with a captivating light. Delicately arched brows, a perfectly sculpted nose, and rosy lips completed her exquisite features. She was a true beauty.

I didn't recognize her immediately, but her dress looked familiar. When I was drunk, I seemed to hear cries for help.

Piecing together my fragmented memories and the woman's situation, I came to a terrifying conclusion. There must have been a shipwreck while I was drunk. As for why we weren't on the beach, I should ask the woman in front of me.

As I looked at her, she seemed more and more familiar. Suddenly, I slapped my forehead and remembered who she was.She was Olivia Smith, Emily's college friend and one of the bridesmaids at her wedding.

I had met Olivia once during a dinner with Emily and her friends in college. She was the most beautiful one at the table, which made her stand out to me. Beautiful people did have a natural advantage.

There was a shipwreck, a deserted island, a forest, Olivia, and me.

"Is this some kind of cosmic joke? Sending Olivia, such a beauty, to keep me company? At least I won't be so lonely here."

Looking at Olivia's exquisite face and sexy figure, the thought of just the two of us on this island didn't seem so bad.

As I thought about it, I quickly imagined a future where Olivia and I would get married and have children on this deserted island.

"Pervert, how long are you going to keep staring at me?" Olivia crossed her arms over her chest, looking at me with a face full of fear.

Her voice snapped me back to reality. Seeing her scared expression, I couldn't help but mock myself. After all, I did have that fleeting thought.

"What's wrong with me lately? Why would I think like that? I wasn't like this before." Given that we were on a deserted island, I should be thinking about how to survive and find a way home, not about living happily with Olivia here.

Compared to spending the rest of my life on this island with Olivia, I wanted to return to my city, where my loving parents were waiting for me. So, I had to go back.

With my goal set, I looked at Olivia. If nothing unexpected happened, we would be living together for a while, searching for a way home.

I decided to introduce myself and ask her what happened yesterday.

But as I approached her, Olivia let out a scream that echoed through the forest.

"Am I that scary? I'm not a bad guy." Her reaction made me self-conscious. Did I look dangerous?

"Snake, a big snake bit me. I'm going to die!" she cried.

Hearing that Olivia had been bitten by a snake, I ignored my own pain and rushed to her. Seeing her pale face and frantic attempts to fend off the surroundings with a stick, I didn't immediately check her wound.

I knew her, but she might not recognize me. To check her wound, I needed to touch her, but in her current state, she might attack me indiscriminately if I got close. I didn't want to suffer that.

I calmly said, "Olivia, if you want to die, keep moving like that."

Startled, Olivia opened her tear-filled eyes, stopped her frantic movements, and sobbed as she curiously asked, "You know me?"

"Does it matter? Where did the snake bite you? Let me see." Seeing that Olivia had calmed down, I asked her.

She slowly extended her left leg. Her ankle was wrapped with some unknown fabric and sticks. Higher up, I saw two small red dots on her calf, with the area around the wound swollen and turning bluish-black.

"You're definitely envenomed. Calm down. The sticks are blocking the wound, we need to remove them. I'll drain the venom, but it will hurt. You have to bear it."

Hearing my words, Olivia blushed slightly and avoided eye contact. But soon, she seemed to make a decision and quietly replied, "Okay."

Seeing her reaction, I felt puzzled. Why was Olivia blushing over draining venom?