Chapter 1

I was the villainous female lead in a redemption romance novel.

The male lead only fell for the Cinderella heroine after his heart was completely shattered by me.

I had humiliated him and trampled him beneath my feet, yet he had refused to give up.

Not until he caught me in bed with another man with his own eyes.

Only then did he learn to despise me with every fiber of his being.

Later, he became wildly successful, his broken soul gently healed by the heroine.

Meanwhile, I continued down my self-destructive path—flailing wildly, kidnapping the heroine, and pushing him past the brink.

In retaliation, he drove my family’s empire straight into bankruptcy. I fell from a pampered heiress to a hostess pouring drinks for wealthy men.

Used and abused by countless people, I finally leaped from a rooftop to end it all.

Luckily, my consciousness awakened right as I was about to hook up with a college senior.

When the massive flood of memories rushed into my mind, I was draped limply over a man, completely bare.

Those newfound memories made me instantly snatch my hand back from the senior's belt.

"Hurry up, Amanda," he urged, breath hot and impatient.

According to the plot, in exactly ten minutes, my boyfriend, Christian, was going to walk in and catch us.

He was supposed to overhear our panting breaths and the cruel words that would plunge him into utter despair.

"What about that lapdog boyfriend of yours?"

"Aren't you afraid of losing him if he finds out?"

In the original script, I was supposed to let out a breathy, mocking laugh.

"Him? He’s just a dare from a game of Truth or Dare."

"I thought he was some ice prince, but once I got him, he turned out to be clingier than a stray dog."

"I honestly wish he'd just get lost. He annoys the hell out of me."

Back then, I hadn't realized I actually cared about him.

All I cared about was showing off in front of an attractive upperclassman.

I was blinded by pure snobbery, unwilling to admit my boyfriend was just a poor kid.

It was only after I completely lost him that I realized how good he had been to me.

He had never been some gold-digger clinging to my wealth; he had laid his bare, bleeding heart at my feet.

And by the time I finally looked back, his scarred heart had already been mended by the sweet, innocent heroine, Evelyn.

I snapped out of the memory with a jolt, trembling with horror at the thought of losing Christian and meeting such a gruesome end.

I shoved the senior off me, scrambled to my feet, and threw my clothes on in a panic.

"Look, I'm sorry! I have a boyfriend. This is totally wrong!"

Before I could even fasten my shirt, a sharp knock sounded at the door.

It was Christian!

My heart hammered against my ribs like a trapped bird.

The senior didn't look worried at all. He leaned back on the pillows, eyeing me with lazy amusement.

"What? Suddenly remembering you have a boyfriend? He's just a broke loser after your family's cash anyway. You seriously think he loves you?"

I sneered, my expression turning cold.

"Cover yourself up."

With that, I yanked the door open.

Christian stood right there, his handsome face frozen like ice.

His eyes were rimmed with red.

His fists were clenched so hard his knuckles were white.

His gaze flicked between me and the guy in the bed.

Finally, he let out a bitter, breathless laugh. "Amanda... what are you doing here?"

I froze.

I had braced myself for screaming, insults, rage.

Instead, he just reached out, took my hand, and turned to walk away, pulling me with him.

Not wanting to let it go, the senior smirked from inside the room.

"Christian, honestly, your girl wasn't even that great."

Before I could process the words, Christian tore out of my grip and lunged forward.

His fist slammed into the senior's face again and again in a frantic blur.

I threw myself between them, desperate to stop him.

"Christian, stop! Nothing happened between us, I swear!" I pleaded, tears burning my eyes.

The redness in his eyes pooled with unshed tears.

He slowly let his hands drop to his sides.

Taking a ragged breath, he gave me a pale, hollow smile.

"Amanda... let's break up."