When the Side Character Shares the Heroine’s Name

The rented room only had a small wooden bed. Two people could technically fit, but it was definitely cramped. Which meant I had to sleep pressed right up against Shawn Larson.Not that I minded. In fact, I secretly loved it. The bed was small enough that I had every excuse to run my hands over his muscles and fall asleep tucked in his arms.There was only one downside.The old wooden frame was so worn down that even the slightest movement made it creak. Loudly.Just like right now.My eyes were blurry with tears as he held me tight against his chest. The air was filled with nothing but the creaking of the bed and his heavy, uneven breaths.Sweat dampened the strands of hair falling across his forehead, and his dark eyes stayed locked on me. When I shifted the tiniest bit, a drop of water slid from his hair onto my neck, and he bent down to kiss it away.The gesture was gentle. It should’ve been sweet.But I was too exhausted to appreciate it. All I wanted to do was yell.Wasn’

He was supposed to be gentle in the book. A soft, patient husband.But when I looked into his eyes now and saw the anger simmering there, everything finally made sense.His tenderness had never been meant for me.It was meant for the real heroine of this novel.I was just an imposter who took her place.—I am, admittedly, both petty and cowardly.From the moment I inexplicably landed inside this novel, my only goal was to stay alive.So when it hit me that the male lead might actually take revenge on me, my first instinct was simple.Run.If I escaped far enough, he might never find me again. And once he met the real heroine, he would probably forget all about dealing with me.I immediately began planning my escape.“What are you spacing out for? Come eat.”Shawn still hadn’t cooled off. His expression was cold as he set three dishes and a soup on the table, waiting for me to join him.Say what you want, but his cooking really was amazing.I swallowed my drool and quiet

“Okay.”“I will let you go.”—He still handed me the phone before I left. He said I should at least keep in touch with the friends I used to have.But my contacts were almost empty. Other than Shawn’s number, there were barely any names saved.I stared at the screen for a long time. In the end, I took the SIM card out and threw it away.There was no way I would ever see Shawn again in this lifetime.In the new city, I had to rent a room on my own and find work on my own.When life was at its hardest, I found a hidden zipper pocket in my backpack and felt a stack of bills inside.I pulled them out and counted.Four thousand six hundred and twenty-five dollars.Shawn had slipped the money into my bag.I survived the toughest weeks on that money.I eventually found a job and life slowly settled into something steady.Bit by bit, I made new friends and truly became what I was meant to be in the book: an unnamed side character.Side characters live simple, peaceful lives. It a

“I’m serious. If you don’t believe me, come in and look for yourself!”Which is how Shawn ended up sitting on my tiny secondhand sofa, staring at me while I stared right back.The place was small to begin with, but with his long legs and broad shoulders, he looked even more out of place.That was when regret finally hit me.If he really had come to take revenge, I had just personally invited the danger into my own home.His gaze swept around the apartment, slow and controlled, before finally settling on my face.He stared at my now-sharp chin, at how much weight I had lost.I braced myself.Then he asked quietly, “Have you been doing well these past few years?”Ah.He was checking whether the enemy had suffered.Most people hate seeing their enemies live a good life.So I answered very seriously, “No. I’ve been terrible. Absolutely miserable.”His eyebrows drew together like he hadn’t expected that.His voice dropped. “Then why… did you never call me?”I dropped to my kne

Thinking back on everything Shawn had done these past few days, something felt off.I had always believed he hated me.I thought he wanted revenge.But if his grand plan for revenge was… biting my mouth like an unhinged dog…That was a pretty terrible method.A wild guess flickered across my mind, but it slipped away before I could catch it.After thinking myself in circles, I finally got up, ready to confront him directly and demand an explanation.That was when I realized the door was locked.I blinked.“...Huh?”Did he seriously lock me inside?I looked around again and noticed a tray of warm breakfast neatly placed by the bed.But I was too focused on tracking him down to care about food. I started searching the room for a key.Eventually, I found a small locked box in the drawer.It had a number lock.I entered all the usual passwords he used in the past.Incorrect.I tried his birthday.Incorrect.On a whim, I even tried my own birthday.Still wrong.Annoyed, I began