The Birthday Raid

Only when the men saw the village women and children slaughtered by raiders did they believe my warnings. Staring at the mutilated bodies, they erupted in rage.

"Captain!" one shouted hoarsely. "You said Olivia was lying—that we should guard you and Sienna for her birthday! Now my son is dead! Where’s my wife?!"

Miles turned deathly pale.

I watched the bloodshed, tears falling.

In my past life, when raiders attacked, my husband—the Island Guard Captain—took all the men to celebrate Sienna’s birthday. Pregnant, I crawled through storm drains to bring them back. But Sienna was killed by a stray raider. After hunting them down, Miles said nothing—until my childbirth. Then he brutalized me and threw me into the sea.

"You," he hissed, "lured the raiders out of jealousy. Since you wanted her fate, I’ll make sure you die like her."

When I woke again, I was back at the raid’s beginning. This time, if he wanted to protect her… let him.

…

Reborn, I watched the speedboats approach the shore, filled with marauders. A cold shiver ran through me, but I didn’t hesitate. I pulled the alarm. The blaring alarm sirens swiftly echoed across the entire island.

But the island’s sole transport vessel, large enough to evacuate all the women and children, was gone.

My closest friend stumbled towards me, her voice choked with tears. “Olivia, the raiders are attacking! Where are all the men? The ferry’s gone too. What are we going to do?!”

Before I could answer, other women and children swarmed around me, their eyes, wide with helplessness and terror, fixed on me. As the only one who truly knew, I had to tell them. Miles had taken every man and every weapon, sailing the transport vessel out to international waters to celebrate Sienna’s birthday.

My mother-in-law cursed wildly, enraged. “Has he gone mad?! He knows raiders could attack Havenport at any moment, and he dared to take every man?!” She spat Sienna’s name like venom. “That manipulative vixen! I always said she was no good! Always feigning weakness, luring men. And now look! Is she trying to get us all killed?!” Her breakdown triggered a switch, and the other women instantly erupted, screaming insults at Sienna for her shamelessness, for luring away their men.

As they spoke, the marauders’ speedboats neared the shore, and panic intensified.

I struggled to maintain control, telling everyone not to panic, to head for the shelter tunnels. Our island, isolated from the mainland, was frequently targeted by raiders. To protect ourselves, we had built a network of underground bunkers to withstand their assaults.

The cramped shelter tunnels were packed with women and children, listening to the marauders’ cruel laughter echoing from above as they searched the island for women. A chilling wave of terror spread through everyone.

To save everyone, the only option was to risk crawling through the storm drains that connected to the tunnels, then take a jet ski to get reinforcements. My mother-in-law grabbed my hand, her callouse...