Chapter 1

After my best friend, Reyna, got into a car accident, she started saying she could see bullet comments floating around. She claimed we were living inside a novel, and I was just the female supporting character, while my fiancé, Ralph, was actually the male protagonist.

Reyna tried to talk me out of marrying Ralph. She said, "Ralph's real feelings are for his step-niece, Thora Bird. She's actually the main character in this story.

"Three days before your wedding, Thora will pretend she just got her license and end up hitting you with her car, making you lose the baby. After that, Ralph will say you're too sick to go, so he'll have Thora pick out your wedding dress instead.

"And then, when the wedding starts, the dress Thora picked will fall apart, leaving you totally exposed in front of all the guests, humiliated and laughed at by everyone."

I thought Reyna was just joking, but three days before the wedding, Thora actually hit me with her car and caused me to miscarry.

Then Ralph claimed I needed to rest, and had Thora pick out my wedding dress instead.

Once I realized Reyna had been right all along, I called off the wedding on the spot.

But later, I heard that the most prestigious crown prince of Oakridge, Ralph, lost his mind after losing his fiancée.

*****

In an instant, I was thrown into the air, then slammed down hard onto the pavement.

Reyna stood frozen at the side, her face pale and tears streaming down as she choked out, "Do you believe me now?"

Ever since she had that car accident, Reyna was like a completely different person, always muttering about strange, supernatural stuff.

When she woke up in the hospital, Reyna clung to my arm, sobbing that she'd seen my miserable fate in the live comments, and swore she'd do whatever it took to save me this time.

Reyna even insisted our whole world was just a lie, that we were nothing but characters trapped inside some novel.

Reyna told me. "You have to trust me, Victoria. Ralph has only ever loved Thora, his step-niece. Marrying you is just his way to cover up his real feelings and keep Thora safe.

"You're nothing but a pawn to him. Ralph doesn't care about you at all. Every promise he made was just for show.

"It won't be long before Thora runs you over and you lose the baby. Then, at your wedding, she'll set you up so you end up exposed in front of everyone, totally embarrassed."

Reyna added, "After the wedding, Ralph will move Thora into your house, and you'll be fighting over her every single day! Three years from now, you'll end up taking your own life in the basement, miserable and alone. Your parents will die one after another from heartbreak. Even my car accident. Thora orchestrated the whole thing."

At first, I thought the accident had messed with Reyna's head, and she must've gone crazy or something.

Sure, Ralph and Thora weren't related by blood, but he'd raised her himself. No way he'd ever break that kind of taboo and fall for his own niece.

But seeing all this go down, I couldn't help but start to suspect Thora had something planned.

A stabbing pain shot through my stomach, and I instantly freaked out. 'My baby... I couldn't save it.'

Just then, a slim girl stepped out of the car and made her way over to me. Thora said, "Victoria, I'm so sorry. I just got my license and I'm still not used to driving. I didn't mean to hit you.

"Oh no! You're bleeding. What should I do? You just found out you're pregnant with Ralph's baby, and now you're going to lose it."

Thora acted all panicked, pretending to worry about me, but I could see the smug look hiding in her eyes.

Blood was pooling on the ground, and the stabbing pain in my gut made me feel like I was about to pass out.

I turned to Reyna, pale as a ghost, and it finally hit me that she'd been right all along.

When I woke up, I found myself lying in a hospital bed.

Ralph's eyes were red, clearly emotional, like he hadn't slept at all when he saw me open my eyes. "Victoria, you're finally awake. Do you have any idea how scared I was for you?"

I parted my dry lips and asked Ralph, "Where's Reyna? What happened to her?"

Before I blacked out, I'd already told Reyna to call the police. Thora deliberately ran me over. She wanted me to lose the baby. No way I was going to let her walk away from this.

Ralph looked uneasy, hesitating before finally saying, "Victoria, I already dropped the charges for you. Thora's still so young. If she ends up with a record, her whole future's screwed.

"Besides, our wedding's coming up. We'll be family soon, so why hold onto this?"

My gaze darkened, my heart twisting with bitterness. 'So it's true. He really does love Thora.

'Even after she ran me over and I lost the baby, all he could think about was keeping her safe.'

Ralph added, "Victoria, I know losing the baby hurts, and honestly, it breaks my heart too. But Thora really didn't mean to hit you. She's still a rookie behind the wheel, just got her license.

"And I did make her pay for it. Thora's obsessed with her hair, so I chopped it all off. She was bawling her eyes out, seriously upset."

There was sympathy in Ralph's voice, but none of it was for me; every bit was for Thora.

To him, me losing my baby meant less than Thora losing her hair.

I let out a bitter laugh, my heart so numb from the pain I couldn't even feel it anymore. 'Fine. If that's what they want, I'll just step aside and let them be together.'