The party was in full swing when my fiancé, Griffin, disappeared. I was about to go look for him when a stream of comments flashed before my eyes: 【Why is the villainess by the car all of a sudden? Our sweet heroine is still connected with the leading man!】 【I love that the villainess's new car is about to become the love nest where the hero and heroine first taste the forbidden fruit.】 【Hehe~ Serves her right for trying to take the heroine's place. Let her burn with rage!】 Our mutual friends quickly moved to stop me. “Griffin said he went to buy you a gift. He told you to go back inside and wait.” 【These friends are the real MVPs, covering for our favorite couple.】 【Our tall, handsome hero belongs to our girl Izzy! If I were there, I’d help them lie to the evil villainess too.】 【Damn, our boy Griffin is intense. He slammed her against the hood to kiss her and broke the bumper.】 I glanced up at the blistering midsummer sun. Then at my car, baking in the heat with the A/C off. I pulled out my phone and dialed my insurance company. “Hello, my bumper’s been hit. I need an agent here within the hour. I’ll be waiting by the car.” 【?! No! An hour? They’ll bake to death in there!】 1 The friends of Griffin and Isabelle frowned. “Aria, you’re going to wait out here for an hour?” one of them, Landon, asked. “It’s a hundred degrees out. You’ll get sunstroke. Just wait inside, we’ll let you know when the insurance agent gets here.” “No can do,” I said, shaking my head. “I look away for a second and my bumper gets smashed. What if I go inside and they do it again? This is a brand new car!” I turned and called out to the owner of the seaside restaurant. “Excuse me! Could you bring out a few large fans and a patio umbrella? And maybe twenty ice-cold watermelons? Oh, and bring out that big ice cream freezer too. We can enjoy the ocean view out here!” 【?? What’s with this sudden urge to watch the ocean? She’s out here chilling while our hero and heroine are going to die of heatstroke in that car!】 【This is bad. The A/C isn’t on. If they turn it on now, with everyone gathered here, they’ll be exposed!】 【I’m so stressed! It’s a hundred degrees outside, which means it could get up to one-thirty, one-forty inside that car! Can’t this evil witch just drop dead? All she does is cause trouble!】 “Aria Collins.” Landon, the de facto leader of Griffin and Isabelle’s friend group, stepped in front of me. “None of us are interested in watching the ocean. If you’re not coming inside, you can stay out here by yourself.” He gestured for the others to follow him. They all shot me a look of pure contempt, scoffed, and started walking back toward the restaurant. 【Yes! I love how they just turned their backs on her!】 【Landon’s got her number. The way Aria sucks up to them, she’ll be running back to apologize the second they leave.】 【This will give our favorite couple the chance to sneak out!】 My fists clenched at my sides. It was true. I was a suck-up. I did everything I could to get Griffin and Isabelle’s friends to like me. They were the ones who had grown up with Griffin and Isabelle. They were the tight-knit circle. I was the outsider, the latecomer. But we were engaged when we were five years old! 【Can the evil villainess just die already? So what if her parents were swept away by a flood saving our five-year-old hero?】 【It was an honor for her parents to save him. Not every NPC gets that kind of storyline, okay?】 【Besides, she’s the villain. The only reason the hero’s father felt guilty enough to set up the engagement was because her parents died. Does she really think she’s worthy of him?】 【She hit the jackpot and still acts like the world owes her. Ugh.】 【Don’t worry, guys. The villainess will keep tormenting our heroine and die a horrible death in the end! Just keep watching!】 The mention of my parents sent a shard of ice through my heart. I squeezed my eyes shut, forcing the pain down. When I was five, I didn’t know Griffin already had a childhood sweetheart. It wasn't until after we got engaged in college that I realized he and Isabelle shared a whole life, a circle of friends, weekly parties, and yearly vacations that I was never a part of. I tried so hard to break into that circle. But whenever I showed up, the atmosphere would instantly freeze over. I’d bring them expensive gifts, and they’d offer a dismissive “thanks” before tossing them aside, never even bothering to take them home. I’d offer to pay for everyone to go on a trip, but Griffin and Isabelle would always be the ones to choose the destination. Just like this seaside barbecue. My eyes, burning with unshed tears, fixed on my new car. The comments said I would die a horrible death? Fine. Let’s see who dies first. “What are you still doing out here?” Landon snapped, his brow furrowed in disapproval. “Are you really going to sit here all day?” 2 “Yes. You guys go on ahead.” They all froze, exchanging bewildered glances. Normally, this was the moment I would have panicked, terrified of their disapproval, and scrambled to follow them. But I paid for the meal. I covered their travel expenses. Why was I always the one groveling? Seeing that I wasn't budging, Landon shot a quick, nervous glance at my car, which appeared perfectly normal from the outside. His voice grew harsher. “Griffin told you to wait inside. You’re already a nobody in this group. If you can’t even follow a simple instruction, don’t bother coming out with us again.” 【Oof, what a burn! Landon knows exactly how to hit her where it hurts.】 【Everyone knows her biggest dream is to be accepted into the hero and heroine’s social circle.】 “Fine.” My single-word reply left them stunned. I heard one of them whisper, though not quietly enough. “Is it just me, or is she… different today?” Another one tried a different tactic. “Aria, stop making a scene! This is only going to make Griffin hate you more!” 【That’s right. The villainess can lose everything except the hero's love.】 【Lmao, classic female rivalry brain. You keep doing you, girl.】 【If I didn’t know she was going to die miserably in the end, I would’ve stopped reading out of pure rage by now.】 I frowned at the stream of text. Landon smirked, thinking he had me. “Now that you understand, hurry up and come inside. Everyone’s waiting for you.” “Then let them wait,” I said, casually sipping my watermelon juice. “We can all wait together. If you don’t want to, you can go inside.” Silence. They were completely speechless. 【?! What the hell! Did this woman have a lobotomy today? Has she never seen the ocean before? Didn't she see enough water when her parents were swept away by the flood?】 【Get lost, you bitch! Our girl Izzy is about to pass out in Griffin’s arms!】 【Turn on the A/C, Izzy!】 【Are you dumb?! If she does that, everyone will know someone’s in the car! They’re still… occupied!】 【Not gonna lie, the sweat glistening on our hero’s muscles is pretty hot. drools】 “Aria, please. We’re begging you, okay?” For the first time ever, I heard something like surrender in their voices. But I wasn't biting. “My brand new car gets its bumper smashed, and I’m just supposed to let it go? What if someone did it on purpose? If I leave, what’s to stop them from doing something worse?” “But…” 【Lmao, ‘smashed.’ She’d probably have a heart attack if she knew it was because our hero was kissing our heroine too hard against the hood.】 【I can’t wait to see her face when she finds out the truth and has a total meltdown! Hahaha!】 【Yeah, but still, they need to get out of there. Our girl is starting to lose consciousness.】 【Don’t worry, they’re the main characters, they won’t die. Besides, being a little delirious will only make the experience more intense~】 “What are you all doing gathered out here?” A familiar voice. I paused. My childhood friend… Owen? 3 “Oh, Aria, you found out? I was just passing by and accidentally bumped your car. I was about to come find you to apologize!” “So it was you,” Landon interjected immediately. “You should have said something sooner. Aria thought someone did it maliciously and already called her insurance.” “Haha! I was in a hurry, figured I’d tell you when I got back!” Owen said, moving to pull me up. “My bad, this meal’s on me. Come on, big bro will treat you to whatever you want inside!” “No. I’m waiting for the insurance agent.” Landon was getting agitated now. “It’s Owen, Aria! Do you have to be so formal about everything?” Owen chimed in, “It’s scorching out here. Don’t stay in the sun, your skin is so delicate, you’ll burn. How much is it? I’ll pay for it. Just let me take you inside first.” “No need. We’ll go through insurance. You don’t have to spend a dime.” 【Ugh, I’m so annoyed! Is her ass glued to that chair? What a buzzkill!】 【Our heroine and hero still have the second act to get to! Nobody wants to watch you sit there!】 “Why are you being so polite with me?” Suddenly, my feet left the ground. The world turned upside down as he threw me over his shoulder. Owen… was carrying me off like a sack of potatoes! 【Yes! Go, second male lead, go!】 【Owen, you’re the man! If the villainess won’t cooperate, use force! Get her out of the way!】 【Please, universe, give me a guy like him! He knew the heroine was in trouble and came to the rescue immediately, no hesitation, even if it meant turning on his childhood friend!】 【Dude, it’s our heroine. What man could possibly resist her?】 【If I were him, I’d help our girl Izzy too.】 “Owen, put me down!” I yelled, grabbing onto the doorframe of the restaurant. Owen just chuckled and pried my fingers away. “We grew up together, don’t be shy now.” 【Go, Owen, go! Griffin has already helped Isabelle get her clothes back on! Carry the villainess inside so they can get out!】 【Too bad this bitch ruined the mood. No second round for them now.】 I gritted my teeth. And sank them into Owen’s back. Hard. “AGH!” He dropped me. Blood was already seeping through his shirt from the bite mark. 【!! Is this bitch part dog?】 【Why is she going back?! Ahhh, our heroine is about to pass out! If they don’t get out now, someone’s going to die!】 【Griffin is about to faint too, but he’s still holding her hand so tightly. I’m literally crying.】 “Are you insane? When did you start biting people?!” Owen yelled, clutching his wound. “The insurance agent is on their way,” I said coldly. “If you want to go inside, go. Don’t touch me again.” “You!” Owen looked at his blood-stained hand. “Are you coming inside or not?” “Not.” “Fine.” He gritted his teeth and pulled out his phone. “Hello? 911? I’ve been bitten. Yes, it was an assault. You can be here in three minutes? Great. Please hurry, I’m afraid she’ll attack someone else.” 【Sweet! Griffin and Isabelle might be fading, but they can hold on for three more minutes!】 【The cops will take her away, and our two lovebirds can finally escape!】 【The insurance guy is still thirty minutes out. Hahaha, serves her right. The villainess is about to be replaced!】 Sure enough, a police car pulled up just a few minutes later. Landon and the others immediately pointed at me. “It was her! We all saw her bite Mr. Roberts! We can be witnesses!” “That’s right! We’ll go down to the station with you and give our statements!” 【Aww, these friends are so loyal. I’m tearing up.】 【They’ve all known each other since they were kids. You don’t see friendships like that anymore.】 An officer looked at the wound on Owen’s back and frowned. “Ma’am, your actions constitute a serious assault. Please come with us for questioning.” “But…” Before I could say another word, I felt the cold click of handcuffs on my wrists. They started to lead me toward the patrol car. 【Yes! They’re already in the trunk!】 “I didn’t assault him! Officer, please, just wait! I’m begging you, just wait a little longer!” “You injured a man this badly. We can’t leave you out here where you might pose a threat to others. Get in the car.” “But…” 【Hurry, hurry! They’ve unlocked the trunk from the inside! As soon as she’s in the car, they can climb out!】 CRUNCH! A loud bang echoed as a car slammed into mine from behind. “Aria Collins, don’t you know how to park? Why did you leave your car in the middle of the road?!”
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