Chapter 1

I woke up as the doormat side character in a misery porn drama.

Lucas Grant. My husband in name only. The day I swallowed those sleeping pills, he was busy picking out a second wedding home with his first love.

His voice over the phone was ice cold. "Sophia, stop with the drama. You begged me to marry you. Now you're throwing a fit over nothing? Who are you trying to scare?"

His first love chimed in softly in the background, "Lucas, don't be like that. She's just loves you too much. I know we're soulmates, but she's been with you for five years. If you can't let go... I can step aside."

His mother, the one who'd never let me forget I hadn't given her a grandson, chimed in from the kitchen. "Step aside for what? This is our chance! Kick her to the curb. The house goes in Isabella's name, no arguments."

I didn't leave.

Because Lucas Grant? He was about to die.

*****

When I opened my eyes, there was a burning pain in my throat.

The tube from the stomach pump had just been pulled out, and my body still felt weak and limp.

My phone buzzed on the pillow, the contact name showing "Vampire." A man's impatient voice barked through the line.

"I'm busy at the real estate office. What kind of drama are you pulling now? Is this another stunt to get me to come home? Seriously, Sophia, do you think this is funny?"

I hung up, blocked his number, and pulled the IV out of my hand.

The nurse came in just then to change my dressing and quickly grabbed my arm. "Hey! What are you doing? You just had your stomach pumped! Do you have a death wish? Lucky your neighbor found you and called the police, or you'd be a goner by now!"

"Yeah, being alive isn't so bad," I replied.

I found myself trapped inside a melodramatic webnovel called "Twisted Fates."

The original Sophia was your textbook doormat, always putting others before herself.

She juggled three jobs a day just to help Lucas pass his government exams and launch his business, wrecking her health in the process.

After Lucas finally got his cushy job and moved up the ranks as a small-time bureaucrat, he started acting like his loyal wife was an embarrassment, not good enough to show off to anyone.

And just like that, his divorced first love, Isabella Carter, showed up again.

That night, Lucas took all their savings to put down a deposit on a house for Isabella, so she could settle in the city.

Sophia was completely devastated and tried to take her own life, hoping it would win Lucas back.

But Lucas didn't even come to see her.

Her life came to an end that night.

But I was not her.

"That was your husband, right? The police tried calling him three times, but he said he was too busy." The nurse sighed as she changed my dressing, pausing before adding, "Girl, with all this going on... try not to take it too hard, okay?"

"I'm not getting a divorce," I replied.

I leaned back against the headboard, a faint smile on my pale face. "I haven't even had the baby yet."

The nurse looked at me like I'd lost my mind.

The original Sophia really was pregnant—just two weeks in, and she hadn't even had the chance to tell Lucas yet.

But that was not the real reason I was staying.

In the original story, after Sophia died, Lucas barely waited before marrying Isabella, blowing all the money Sophia had scraped together and enjoying life with her as he'd never had a care in the world.

But just three months later, Lucas would be diagnosed with terminal liver cancer.

It was karma for all those years of schmoozing and boozing.

Three months.

Under normal family law, the spouse was the first in line to inherit. If I played my cards right, when he died, the house, the car, the survivor benefits, the pension, the life insurance—most of it would be mine.

Divorce now?

That'd just mean giving away millions and ending up branded as a divorcee. I was no fool.

The door was flung open.

Lucas burst in, briefcase in hand, sweating bullets. The moment he saw me sitting up, his worried look turned to pure disgust.

"So you're just fine, huh? I knew you were faking it! Sophia, you really swallowed a bunch of vitamins just so you wouldn't have to give Isabella the money for her new place? God, that's sick."

He really thought I'd just popped a bunch of vitamins.

I stared at Lucas, unfazed, watching this guy who thought he was some big shot.

"If you hadn't shown up, I was about to leave anyway. Now that you're here, go settle the hospital bill," I said.

"Why should I pay? You did this to yourself, so cough up the money!" Lucas shot back.

Lucas was used to Sophia always going along with whatever he wanted, so when I gave him a cold stare, he was caught off guard.

"Lucas," I pointed at the medical chart by the bed. "If you refuse to pay the household expense, I'll show up at your workplace with a protest sign and let everyone know you pushed your wife to suicide just so you could buy a house for your lover."

"You wouldn't dare!" Lucas's eyes widened. "Have you lost it? Isabella is just a friend! She's a single mom, it's tough for her. What's wrong with me helping her?"

"Yeah, you 'helped' her all the way into your bed," I shot back.

I tossed off the covers, slid out of bed, and slipped on my shoes. "If she's just a friend, maybe I should go help her out too. Maybe I'll swing by her ex's place and ask if he knows she was ever pregnant with your kid."

Lucas's face drained of all color.

"What... what nonsense are you spouting?" he sputtered.

"You know perfectly well whether I'm making things up or not," I said.

I walked right past him and headed straight for the door.

Lucas grabbed my wrist, his grip way stronger than I expected. "Sophia! Stop right there! It's one thing to cause drama at home, but this is a hospital. Don't make a fool of me here!"

SLAP!

I backhanded him right across the face.

The sound echoed, crisp and clear.

Everyone in the hallway, patients and their families, froze in place.

Lucas clutched his face, totally stunned. "You just slapped me?"

"So what if I did? Should I have waited for some lucky day?" I rubbed my numb palm. "Lucas, think of that slap as your mom teaching you some manners—she should've shown you how to act like a real man."

The original Sophia was soft-hearted to the bone.

For the first time, Lucas saw the rabbit bare its teeth.

He was shaking with fury, raising his hand to strike back. "You dare defy me!"

"Go on," I leaned in, pointing to my cheek. "Hit me right here. There are cameras everywhere. You're a government official—domestic violence and cheating. Let's see if you still want that section chief title after this."

Lucas's hand hung awkwardly in the air, frozen mid-swing.

He cared more about his career than anything else.

That was his only ladder out of rural life.

He dropped his hand, jaw tight, eyes full of menace. "Alright, Sophia. You've got guts. Just wait and see."

"Yeah, I'll be waiting," I said, cool as ever.

I smoothed out my hospital gown, grinning as if nothing could bother me. "Don't forget to grab some groceries on your way home. I want ribs. If you screw it up, I'll call the cops and tell them you're abusing a patient."

Lucas stared at my back as I walked away, and right then his phone started ringing. It was Isabella, sounding like she was about to cry.

"Lucas, the house I liked is about to get snatched up by someone else..."

Lucas shot me a death glare. "I'm not coming home tonight!"

"Suit yourself," I tossed over my shoulder. "Just don't forget to use a condom. And try not to catch anything—you better not bring it back to me."

Lucas was so pissed that he kicked the trash can.

As for me, I was feeling pretty damn good.