Chapter 1

Just because my husband's widowed sister-in-law got pregnant, he threw me into the Blackpine Wilderness to live like a savage.

I cried until I fainted, but he only held her close and stared at me coldly.

"The heir can only come from Sandra Greer's womb. I promised her that. Why do you always have to go against her?"

"I spoiled you too much—that's why you've turned out so wild!"

"In that case, go be a savage! Once you've learned to behave yourself, I'll bring you back."

He made a point of telling the forest keeper not to be too gentle with me, so I became something anyone could abuse.

Poachers saw that my flesh was tender and would tie me to a tree trunk to lure in wild animals.

Under the cover of night, a savage broke into my hut and violated me at will.

Until today, when the bodyguard he sent finally found me.

At that moment I was numbly tugging at my tattered clothes, bracing myself for yet another round of torment.

"Mr. Gilbert sent me to bring you back. Get yourself ready, and let's go."

Nathan Gilbert had finally remembered he still had a wife. But I felt no joy at all.

Because after round after round of torture, my organs had already failed, and I wouldn't live more than a week.

......

I looked at the empty hut, tugged at my clothes, and got ready to leave with the bodyguard.

But the forest keeper grabbed me and flung me to the ground:

"Did I say you could leave?"

I lowered my head, trembling, waiting for the storm to break.

Instead he only leaned close to my ear and threatened:

"Once you're out there, I don't need to teach you what to say and what not to say, do I?"

I nodded frantically, but still afraid he wasn't satisfied, I spoke carefully:

"I understand, Master."

I kept my head down, not daring to look at him. Only after a long while, when I heard the forest keeper's footsteps walking away, did I stand up and go out with the bodyguard.

As I passed the dog by the gate, I bowed to it. Yes—every animal on this island was my master, and whenever I met a master, I had to bow in greeting.

The bodyguard impatiently urged me into the car, and soon we were back at the familiar villa.

Nathan Gilbert looked me over for a moment, then frowned:

"Who's this pitiful act supposed to be for?"

"Are you blaming me for sending you off to be a savage? Putting me in my place?"

I lowered my head, shaking it desperately:

"No."

"Mr. Gilbert, I'm very grateful that you came to bring me back."

Having gone so long without speaking, I couldn't manage many words, and Sandra Greer spoke up right on cue:

"Nathan, Arlene has only just come back. It's only natural that she'd want a little more of your attention."

Sandra pulled me up off the floor and smiled sweetly at me:

"Nathan's still the same as ever, such a temper. Do bear with him."

"There are lots of new clothes of mine upstairs. Go pick one you like and put it on."

In the past, Sandra had always slipped in between Nathan and me at just the right moment, and with a few words she would deepen the misunderstanding between us. Before, I always had to explain, to argue back. But over those years living like a savage in the Blackpine Wilderness, I had learned to obey.

I nodded obediently and was about to head upstairs when Nathan stopped me short:

"You think you deserve that?"

"So that was your little scheme all along?"

Nathan turned and ordered the servants:

"Since she likes wearing other people's clothes so much, give her the clothes Sandra's about to throw out."

"And there's no need to put her room on the second floor—she can sleep in the little guest room downstairs."

I took the clothes the maid tossed at me and went down to the small guest room. The room was really big, with a soft bed—nothing like my hut in the Blackpine Wilderness, which had only a little straw and mud. In the rainy season, the leeches in the hut bit at you until it was unbearable.

The clothes all smelled of sunshine. It had been so long since I'd touched anything this soft.

I stepped cautiously out of the room. Nathan and Sandra were no longer in the living room; only a chubby little boy was left.

He glared at me:

"You're the wicked woman who made my mommy angry?"

"You're the one who wants to steal my daddy away!"

I stared at the chubby little boy in a daze. If my Brad had grown up, he'd be about this big, wouldn't he?

I couldn't help walking toward him, wanting to touch his face.

But the little boy shouted in fear:

"Get away from me!"

The habits of those years made me so afraid that I dropped straight to my knees:

"I'm sorry, Master, I'll get away right now."

The little boy's crying drew Nathan and Sandra back in, and Sandra clutched the boy tightly against her:

"Brad, don't be scared, Mommy's here."

Nathan kicked me over onto the floor and looked at me with disgust:

"Why are you kneeling to Brad?"

"Are you deliberately trying to shorten Brad's life?"

"What a vicious heart you have! I never should have brought you back!"