Chapter 3

I slammed the door with righteous fury, then marched into the bathroom and showered like I had something to prove.

After I washed up, I realized I’d forgotten to bring pajamas.

I was about to wrap myself in a towel when someone knocked.

I jumped.

This was exactly the point in the plot where the male lead would do something unforgivable.

“What do you want?” I snapped. “I’m not the old me anymore! Don’t you dare try to sleep with me!”

His voice came through the door, calm and maddeningly unbothered.

“I brought your clothes.”

…Oh.

Why did I feel disappointed?

I cracked the door open.

Sure enough, he was holding my pajamas.

I snatched them out of his hand.

He smiled faintly. “A little disappointed I didn’t do anything?”

Then he leaned in, his breath brushing my cheek.

“Should I come in and do something now?”

My face instantly went hot.

The moment he leaned closer, all those explicit scenes from the book thundered through my brain like a stampede.

I slammed the door in his face, heart racing, changed clothes, and stormed out—

Only to find him sitting on the sofa, scrolling through my phone.

I lunged. “Why are you in here? And why are you going through my phone?!”

Then it hit me—

In the novel, he monitored my phone.

He controlled my entire life.

My eyes filled with tears of pure injustice.

This time, he actually acted like a human being.

He pulled me onto his lap, one arm around my waist.

“What’s wrong?” he murmured. “Tell your husband.”

“You are NOT my husband,” I choked out. “You’re a controlling jerk who locked me up and used me as a stand-in!”

His mouth twitched, as if he wanted to argue but couldn’t.

Because everything I said was true.

After dinner, Daniel casually tried to put us in the same bedroom, just like in the book.

I pushed his hand away. “I’m just your housekeeper. You don’t own me. Respect my boundaries!”

He looked around the room, then back at me, completely unfazed.

“I’m worried you’ll kick off the blanket and catch a cold.”

Then he simply guided me into the room and shut the door.

When he reached for me, I shoved him back.

“I’m a respectable human being!”

He let out another low laugh.

And then just like the novel promised, his hands were on me, the plot steamrolled forward, and…

Well.

I was the reverse-harem heroine.

Soft, delicate, easily seduced.

The laws of this genre were undefeated.

The next morning, I glared at him with every ounce of shame and indignation in my body.

He raised a brow. “What’s with that look? Didn’t you say you’re my housekeeper?”

“I quit!”

“…And your mother’s surgery?” he asked lightly.

My eyes filled instantly.

He was a villain.

A monster.

Weaponizing my mom’s medical bills against me.

If I ever tried to leave, he’d definitely threaten her safety.

That was absolutely within his villain skill set.

He brushed tears from my cheeks, the warmth of his palm short-circuiting my brain.

It had to be some kind of protagonist-halo seduction buff.

His voice dropped, low and a little hoarse.

“You really like playing the tragic heroine, don’t you?”

I blinked, confused.

He stood, guided me to the sink, squeezed toothpaste onto my brush, and even filled a cup with mouthwash.

See, that was the thing about him.

Cold, distant, stingy with words—but when he took care of someone, he did it meticulously.

Watching us brush our teeth side by side in the mirror, my heart twisted painfully.

He would eventually live happily ever after with Wendy Gold.

I was just the stand-in.

Eye for an eye.

If he treated me like a stand-in, then I’d cheat on him for real.

When we went downstairs, Wendy’s mother was already waiting in the living room.

The moment she saw us, she put on an overly warm smile. “Wendi, sweetheart, are you feeling better?”

“Save the fake concern,” I snapped. “Don’t worry. The moment Daniel lets me go, I’m out of here. I’m not a threat to your daughter.”