Chapter 1

When I was eight, the real heiress came home. My fake identity was exposed, and my "parents" kicked me out. I ended up with a limp in one leg.

While I was fighting stray dogs for a bread near a dumpster, I found Andrew Lynn, beaten nearly to death.

I shared the bread I'd snatched with Andrew and gave him the last bit of money I had.

As I was about to leave, he held my hand and promised to be by my side and protect me.

For me, he started fighting in underground rings, always coming back battered and bruised.

But even so, there was still no sign of my birth parents.

On my eighteenth birthday, Andrew walked right into a trap while trying to get me a present, and ended up nearly beaten to death.

When I got the news, I rushed over to give him some meds.

Suddenly, a barrage of comments exploded in front of me.

[Hey, dummy. Don't open the door. It's the female lead, Ayleen Sawyer's eighteenth birthday, and the male lead, Andrew, put fireworks behind the door to surprise her.]

[Silly, stop right there. Are you trying to get yourself blown up?]

I stopped in my tracks. So, this was all just a novel, and I was nothing but a background character.

Then I hoped Andrew would find the happiness he deserved.

Those comments kept popping up, all desperately begging me not to open that door.

My heart felt warm, my eyes grew hot, and I clutched the medicine bag a little tighter.

Andrew's laughter floated out from behind the door, muffled but so full of joy.

I couldn't even remember the last time I'd heard him laugh like that.

He was always busy, fighting in underground rings, hustling for cash, and busting his ass to keep me in school.

If my death could bring him happiness, maybe it wouldn't be the worst thing after all.

Anyway, someone like me was just dead weight. I was always doomed from the start.

I took a deep breath, braced myself, and reached out to push open the door that would finally give Andrew the happiness he deserved.

[Hey, stop. Don't open that door.]

Someone called behind me, "Nina Morrow, no."

I froze for a moment before being pulled straight into a familiar hug.

My nose bumped into his solid chest, and my heart twisted with emotion.

"Nina, are you stupid or what? Did you even look where you were going when you came in? Why didn't you let me know you were here?"

Before I could even look up, Andrew's words came pouring down on me.

That familiar voice made my nose prickle, and I had to fight back the urge to cry.

Comments started to appear again. [This loser is trying to fool. He was just telling Ayleen that Nina was nothing but a burden, and now he's acting all concerned.]

[Like he wasn't the one hoping Nina would just kick the bucket a minute ago.]

I looked up at Andrew, gave him a careful once-over, and managed a smile to put him at ease.

Andrew had really grown. He was way taller now, his jawline sharper, and honestly, he was turning into a real heartthrob.

He was nothing like that scruffy little guy I remembered, curled up under the bridge, looking like he needed saving.

I was spacing out when the air behind me suddenly felt suffocating. A nasty whiff of cigarette smoke hit my nose, making me cough instinctively.

Then a man said, "Andrew, who's this girl? She's so cute and sweet. Why are you hiding such a little cutie? Why haven't you brought her out for us to check out?"

I could feel a pair of hot, sticky hands, rough with calluses, lingering on my lower back.

That creepy stare clung to me, making me shiver with fear, like I was being hunted by a snake.

Without thinking, I grabbed onto Andrew's arm. "Andrew," I called out.

Deep in the VIP booth, a flash of red light glimmered at a woman's fingertips before fading away.

I glanced over and saw a woman with one shoulder exposed, strutting up to Andrew with a flirty confidence that turned heads.

Without missing a beat, she hooked her cigarette-holding hand over Andrew's shoulder, pulling him right up next to her.

There was a kind of chemistry between them.

This had to be the female lead those comments kept mentioning, Ayleen Sawyer.

I'd never actually met her, but I'd smelled her perfume on Andrew more times than I could count.

It was strong and striking, impossible to ignore.

According to the novel, if I never existed, Andrew would be the adored hero, living his perfect life with Ayleen, loved by everyone.

Maybe that's how his story was always supposed to go.

Without thinking, I traced my fingers over Andrew's palm, my chest tightening with sadness. Tears pricked at the corners of my eyes, but I blinked them away, swallowing the pain down deep.

Andrew looked at me, hesitation written all over his face, clearly struggling with whether to let go of me or hold on.

Ayleen let out a playful laugh. "I know you hate being away from her. Relax, my buddy will keep an eye on her. Once we're done, you can go right back to her. We have something more important, after all."

The guy behind me edged even closer, making my skin crawl. Uneasy, I glanced up at Andrew, my heart pounding in my chest.

Those comments appeared again. [Why is Nina even looking at him? This whole thing was obviously set up by Andrew and Ayleen.

[He just made Nina here to pawn her off on some random guy so she'd stop hanging around him. Now he's pretending to care? What a joke.]

[Disgusting!]

Feeling that gross, clammy hand on my back, I instinctively tried to pull away.

Andrew was still hesitating.

Ayleen's brows knitted together, and Andrew shot me a troubled look before finally letting go of my hand. "Nina, just stick with Frankie for now, okay? Take care of yourself. I'll come find you soon."