Chapter 2

"What took you so long to answer? I thought you were dead!"

Everett sounded irritated.

"What's wrong? Why are you so worked up?" I asked.

My voice stayed slow and steady, calm to the point of cold.

"Why is my credit card frozen? I'm out here with a client, and the payment won't go through. What the hell's going on?" he asked.

"I was actually calling to ask you the same thing. The bank called me earlier. They said there was a large charge on my card today and suspected fraud, so they froze it right away," I replied.

"Are you kidding me? Didn't I tell you I had a client meeting today? Of course, I'm the one using it. Call the bank and unfreeze it. I need it right now."

His voice rose, sharp and demanding.

"But the bank said the charge was overseas. You told me you were working late at the office, so I assumed someone stole the card. There's no way to unfreeze it right now. They said I have to go in person when I get back."

I even threw in a few annoyed complaints, playing along.

"Honestly, what's wrong with that bank? Saying you're overseas like that…"

He went quiet for a second.

I could practically hear the guilt creeping in. He didn't dare push it further and dropped the subject.

The comments flickered across my vision again.

[Serves him right! Now the mistress has to pay for everything, and she's already rolling her eyes so hard. It feels so good to watch it!]

[Good. Finally, some karma. He can't keep up the act now. Just look at her face. She's probably dumping him the second they get back.]

Ever since I married Everett, he had wanted me to quit my job and stay home full-time.

I said no.

Right before I gave birth, the house we were living in got seized and auctioned off. We were kicked out and forced into a tiny rental.

That was when I found out the truth.

Before we even got married, Everett had already been blacklisted.

His business partner had run off with the money, leaving him buried in debt. The business collapsed not long after. He couldn't pay back the bank loans, so his name ended up on the default list.

With the baby on the way, I had no choice but to grit my teeth and accept it.

All his accounts were under strict bank supervision.

The debts were from before our marriage, so legally, they had nothing to do with me.

That meant all our day-to-day expenses came out of my account.

And just now, I messaged my bank manager, telling her I had lost my card and needed it frozen immediately.

So at the moment, Everett didn't have a single dollar to his name.

I had never had a single easy day with him.

He threw me on a one-dollar tour, then turned around and spent tens of thousands on another woman. All the hardship fell on me, while she got to enjoy everything in my place.

Not on my watch!

I used to feel bad for Everett, thinking he worked hard to make money. Even with a newborn to take care of, I still tried to pick up freelance work online whenever I could.

Turned out I was just a complete fool.

When I get back, I'm going to tear Everett apart!

But right now, the bigger problem was how I was getting out of this.

There was no other way. I would have to take it one step at a time.

Most of the people on the bus had fallen asleep.

I held up my phone, pretending to snap pictures of the scenery outside.

That was when I noticed something off. Almost everyone in this tour group had the same strange tattoo on their leg.

My heart skipped.

A wanted notice I had seen recently flashed through my mind.

Damn it! Everett really set me up to die.

I shut my eyes, forcing myself to think.

An hour later, the bus finally rolled to a slow stop. Randall stood at the door with a megaphone, blocking the exit.

"Alright, everyone. We're getting off to grab a bite, then we'll switch to the boat to head to the island."

The comments exploded again.

[Don't do it, Tina! This is your chance. Run now! Once you're on that island, it's over!!]

[Wake up!]