Chapter 1
The moment I became aware of my role as the “vicious female supporting character,” the male lead–my childhood friend whom I had imprisoned and tortured–was kneeling at my feet, his teeth gritted against the pain, his body trembling.
As I fumbled to untie him, my own hands were shaking.
He let out a cold, sharp laugh. “Weren’t you going to kill me, Miss Astor?”
My hands froze.
In the story, I imprison the male lead, Daniel Thorne, torturing him physically and emotionally, subjecting him to every kind of humiliation.
In the end, he has me committed to a psychiatric hospital, where I jump to my death.
I burst into tears.
From my pocket, I pulled out a crumpled, worn–out piece of paper.
I handed it to him.
It was something Daniel had written for me when we were seven.
“A voucher for complete and total forgiveness, no matter what Aria does.”
1
The moment I became aware of my role as the vicious female supporting character, I was holding a blood–stained whip, frozen to the spot.
ke
Y
الله الله الله الله الله الله الله
The… the vicious female supporting character?
My hand trembled as I pointed to myself.
Me?
A low groan pulled me back to reality.
In front of me, a dark, brooding young man was kneeling on the floor.
His black hair was a mess, his sharp jawline lost in the damp shadows. His arms were suspended by iron chains, his hands hanging limply. His breathing was shal-
low, faint.
Daniel.
The male lead of this redemption story.
Arid the boy I had grown up with. My childhood friend.
In the story, I had a secret crush on Daniel for ten years.
I was supposed to be the pure beautiful, innocent girl who followed him around
Until the female lead appeared. Then, my “villainy” meter shot through the roof.
Shadow
www
I didn’t just frame the female lead time and time again; I also kidnapped the male lead, imprisoned him, and subjected him to a litany of cruelties.
Daniel became completely disillusioned with me, his disgust absolute.
He personally had me committed to a psychiatric hospital.
Not long after, I lost my mind and jumped from a window, ending my own life.
And right now, Daniel, not yet the powerful tycoon he would become, was kneeling at my feet.
The collar of his white shirt was torn open.
The horrifying lash marks on his chest were a stark, bloody red.
His pale face was slick with a cold sweat, his lips trembling.
The moment our eyes met, I knew.
My life was probably over.
His
eyes, like those of a cornered animal, were practically bursting with a raw, feral hatred, fixed on me.
I wanted to cry.
I, Aria Astor, had lived my life trying to be good, to be kind. I was a coward. I didn’t know how to be a villain.
But it wasn’t too late to fix this.
My hands shook as I reached for the iron shackles on Daniel’s wrists.
