Page 116 of Lost Paradise

Zane glares at Astro, his chest heaving with anger. “He needs to learn when to shut his mouth,” Zane growls, wiping a bit of blood from his lip.

Astro, rubbing his own jaw, looks at me with a mixture of defiance and something else I can’t quite read. “Touching to see how they all rush to protect you, Princess,” he sneers, but there’s a crack in his voice that betrays a hint ofvulnerability.

I take a step forward, my voice trembling but strong. “This isn’t about protecting me, Astro. It’s about us surviving together. We can’t afford to tear each other apart.”

The firelight flickers over our faces, casting long shadows and highlighting the tension in the air. For a moment, no one speaks. The jungle around us feels eerily silent as if holding its breath.

I watch the guys back away from Astro and sit back down, but their bodies remain rigid and on edge.

“I bet if it weren’t for your current circumstances, you would never have breathed a single breath on any of these geezers,” Astro continues, his voice taunting and relentless. “Maybe jock-boy here, but you would’ve teased him to trail you like a lost puppy. He’s way beneath the type of fucks you’re used to. You fuck them here, but I put my money on the fact that once we’re rescued, you’ll never bat an eyelid at any of them again.”

“Shut up!” I scream, my voice cracking with the force of my anger and pain.

All four men stand up, their faces dark with fury. This time, they’re ready to kill Astro to silence him.

Foster steps forward, his fists clenched, his eyes blazing. “That’s enough, Astro. You’ve crossed the line.”

Zane, still nursing his jaw, glares daggers at Astro. “Say one more word, and you’ll regret it.”

Byron and Jack close in, their bodies tense, ready to pounce. The atmosphere is electric with the potential for violence, the firelight continues with its flickering shadows that seem to dance with the tension in the air.

Astro’s eyes dart between them, his bravado faltering slightly. He takes a step back, but his mouth is still set in a stubborn line.

“You want to know what my old man bought me?” Astro barks, his voice raw with pain and bitterness. “Definitely not diamonds. A couple of eye shiners on my thirteenth birthday from his hired men. His own personal touch was the thick scar behind my neck. He carved it and called it art. It was to toughen up the weak English gene I inherited from my freshly dead mother he had murdered only weeks before. She used to be an artist who loved lino printing as a hobby. He used one of her chisels to carve a chunk out of my neck.”

A cold shiver runs down my spine, the weight of Astro’s words hanging heavy in the air. The guys freeze in place, their anger momentarily replaced by shock.

Astro gets up and looks at Foster, his eyes blazing with defiance. “Don’t worry, boss. I’ll take my time out by the beach,” he says mockingly. “I can’t wait to get off this fucking island and never see the likes of you privileged brats again.”

He storms off through the darkness, his figure quickly swallowed by the night, leaving a heavy silence within the camp. The only sound is the distant crash of waves against the shore.

We all stand there, stunned, the weight of his revelation settling over us like a dark cloud. I wipe away a tear, feeling a mix of anger, sorrow, and something else—empathy, perhaps, for the pain he carries.

Foster sighs heavily, running a hand through his hair. “We’ve all got our demons,” he murmurs, more to himself than anyone else.

Zane steps closer to me, his face softening with concern. “You okay?”

I nod, though my heart aches.

I wait a moment, gather my resolve, and wipe my tears. Despite the others telling me not to go after Astro, the need persists. There’s a desperate tug at my heart that I can’t ignore. Disregarding their protests, I slip away and head off in the same direction I saw Astro go.

I walk the familiar path we use every day to the shore. It doesn’t matter that it’s pitch black; the sound of the waves crashing against the shore guides me. As I reach the clearing, the moon breaks through the clouds, casting a silver glow over the beach. There, I see Astro sitting on the sand by the water’s edge, his silhouette outlined against the shimmering sea, tossing sea shells into the dark, restless waves.

For a moment, I hesitate, unsure how to approach him. He seems lost in his own world, the weight of his pain intense even from a distance. Taking a deep breath, I step closer, my footsteps muffled by the soft sand.

“Astro,” I call out.

Chapter 36

“Astro,” her voice carriessoftly on the gentle night breeze, catching me by surprise.

I look up, meeting her gaze with a mixture of surprise and guardedness. Her eyes, usually sharp and defiant, now hold a vulnerability that unsettles me.

“What are you doing here?” I ask sternly, my voice rough with emotion.

She stops a few feet away, giving me space but standing her ground. “I wanted to make sure you’re okay,” she says honestly, her words striking a chord of unexpected empathy in me.

I scoff, tossing another shell into the waves. “Why would you care?”

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