Introduction

One moment, I was a star quarterback, riding high on campus, about to marry my beautiful fiancée, Nicole.

The next, I was zip-tied and dumped on a desolate island, a canvas bag yanked from my head, blinding sun in my eyes.

My fiancée Nicole, her best friend Tara, and my so-called "little brother" Caleb stood offshore, watching, their faces devoid of pity as they left me for dead, framed for a crime I didn't commit.

Every desperate call home was met with betrayal: my own father, easily manipulated, disowned me, convinced I was responsible, leaving me utterly alone to face the snakes and starvation.

As I lay dying in the sand, abandoned and cursed by everyone I thought cared, a cold, burning rage ignited within, sparking a singular thought: I would not just survive, I would return, and they would pay.