A Life Off Script

The floating comments were still going wild over my head.[Whenever I think about a drama-queen villainess like her marrying the male lead, I feel so bad for our darling heroine.][Once the male lead gets together with our darling heroine, he'll finally understand what true love is.][The harder the villainess acts up now, the worse she'll fall later. Just thinking about it is satisfying.]True love?When I stayed with him in a basement apartment and split a single bread roll between two meals, where was that darling heroine?When I sold the house my mother left me and my dowry to help him survive his crisis, where was she?Now that Preston Hale had become a billionaire CEO, she wanted to swoop in and reap what I'd sown?On what grounds?"Honey? Why are your hands so cold?"Preston lowered his head and rubbed my hands, his brows drawn together, his voice careful.But when I looked at his handsome face, I had only one thought.For another woman, he was going to push me into

A drop landed on the back of my hand, and it hurt enough that I hissed.Preston rushed down from upstairs, grabbed my hand, and held it under the running faucet."Who told you to do this?"[Here she goes again, pretending to be an independent woman.][Does she think the male lead will feel sorry for her if she does this?][Lol. He'll just think she's being weird.]Preston pressed me onto the couch and gently applied ointment to my hand."Are you still angry?"I didn't speak."There's really nothing between me and her."If you mind that much, I'll have HR transfer her to a branch out of town."The comments exploded.[No! If she gets transferred, how will the romance develop?][Don't worry. They're the official couple. Even if she gets transferred, they'll meet again.][The male lead will belong to the heroine sooner or later. Villainess, stop wasting effort.]"No need. Arrange it however you want. That's your business."Preston looked at me, hesitating.He told me to si

[It's twenty degrees below zero in Northreach. The male lead was afraid the heroine would be cold, so he took off his coat and put it around her. So sweet!][Holy crap, this is the original novel's love-confession scene for the male lead and heroine!][Kiss! Kiss! Kiss!]The camera in my hand suddenly fell to the ground."Ms. Linton? Are you okay?" Lucas walked over."I'm... I'm fine."I crouched to pick up the camera, but my fingers shook so badly I had to try twice before I could hold it.The aurora.He had promised to take me to see the aurora.In college, he had held my hand and said, "Mara, when I have money, we'll go see the northern lights."He said the aurora symbolized eternal love.He made me wait ten years.Now he had taken another woman."Ms. Linton, you look really pale." Lucas bent down to look at me. "Are you overheated?""Maybe..."Lucas asked his assistant to bring me medicine and handed it to me."Go back to the hotel and rest. We can shoot tomorrow."

The comments floated by.[Oh no, the male lead is playing the nostalgia card.][Villainess, don't soften! He took the heroine to see the aurora!][But that photo is so sweet. I'm crying too.][Sweet? How does he explain the aurora?][Didn't you see him say it was work?][Work required them to see the aurora alone? Stop defending him.]I turned my phone face down on the nightstand and closed my eyes.Preston.It was too late.On the last day of the shoot, the wind was much calmer, and the sea was as still as a mirror.Lucas stood on the rocks, his white shirt billowing in the wind.I crouched on the sand to find the angle. Sunlight leaked through the clouds and landed perfectly on the side of his face.I pressed the shutter.This one should be good."Ms. Linton." After we wrapped, Lucas walked over and handed me a bottle of water. "You've worked hard these past few days.""It's my job." I accepted it and took a sip. My throat really was dry.He hesitated, then asked, "W

I was not crying.The comments said:[I'm crying. I'm really crying.][The male lead signed it. This relationship is completely over.][That final line about not eating too much mac and cheese is stabbing me right in the feels.][Wait, why did the comments change direction? Weren't they all cursing the villainess before?][Because we were tricked before. The female lead is clearly so good.][What happened to the official couple? What happened to the darling heroine?][The male lead transferred her out of town. She probably won't appear again.][So the male lead lost both sides?][Serves him right.]The new apartment was small: one bedroom, one living room, and a kitchen barely big enough for one person to turn around in.But the balcony was large.On my first day there, I set up a small side table on the balcony, laid down a rug, and put out a beanbag chair.At night, sitting there, I could see the city lights.After helping me move, Nina Foster collapsed on the couch an