Chapter 1: Tied Up and Torn Down

I’d been dating my boyfriend, who was always so distant, for three years, and he wouldn’t even let me hug him or hold his hand for more than a few seconds. I couldn’t take it anymore, so I decided to take matters into my own hands—I tied him up and was about to make my move.

Honestly, it felt like something straight out of a late-night comedy sketch. My hands shook with nerves and, honestly, a little bit of defiance as I clicked the cuffs shut. Yeah, hilarious. Except the joke was on me.

Suddenly, a flood of comments popped up in my mind, like subtitles in a bad TV show:

[Here goes the supporting character embarrassing herself again. She still doesn’t know the male lead won’t touch her because he’s saving himself for the heroine.]

[LOL, even if she gets him drunk or slips something in his drink, the male lead would rather hurt himself than let her get anywhere.]

[The male lead only dated the supporting girl to practice. Now she’s bold enough to try forcing herself on him—she’s toast, hahaha.]

[Congrats to the supporting character for leveling up on the road to self-destruction. Enjoy your future mess of family ruin and drama, teehee!]

Those comments hit me like a bucket of ice water. Ouch. I blinked, trying to shake off the chill. But those words stuck to me, buzzing in my head like static. Looking down at the man beneath me, his eyes rimmed red from holding back, my hand shook as I started unbuttoning my shirt.

"Sorry, I had too much to drink. Thought you were someone else."

The words came out in a rush, flimsy as tissue paper. My cheeks burned. Pathetic. Tonight was my third birthday with Carter Winslow. I’d gone all out: silver handcuffs, a silk blindfold, a black collar. When I cuffed him to the bed, my pale toes slid down his sculpted chest and abs—awkward, but I tried to make it sexy. He let out a low, stifled groan. His body trembled, tense. But his words still tried to stop me.

"Don’t go any further…"

His voice was rough, almost desperate. There was a flicker of panic in his eyes, the kind that made me hesitate, if only for a second.

Don’t!

Three years, and I still couldn’t even hug him. Facing this gorgeous man, all I could do was look. Seriously, did he even know how cruel that was?

It was like standing outside a bakery window, starving, watching the pastries you could never have. Honestly, I’d never felt so invisible. So unwanted. Tonight, even if I screamed my lungs out—no one would come to save him.

I flipped over and straddled him, leaning down to breathe hotly in his ear.

"Babe, do you want it?"

I let my lips brush his earlobe, feeling his whole body tense beneath me. I smirked—trying to look bold, but really, I was desperate.

"Hmm? You don’t? Are you sure? I can barely hold back myself…"

At the same time, the metal buckle on his belt clicked open. I was about to undo it—

My heart hammered. My hands were clumsy with adrenaline. I felt like I was standing on the edge of a cliff, and the ground was about to give way.

More comments flashed through my head, like subtitles in a bad TV show:

[Here goes the supporting character embarrassing herself again. She still doesn’t know the male lead hasn’t touched her all these years because he’s saving himself for the heroine.]

[The male lead only dated her to practice. Now she’s bold enough to force herself on him—she’s finished, hahaha.]

[LOL, even if she gets him drunk or drugs him, the male lead would rather hurt himself than let her succeed.]

[If I remember right, the male lead is about to bite his tongue and pass out. Once he’s out cold, he won’t be able to get it up.]

My hand froze. My stomach dropped. I stared blankly for a second, then looked up. Carter’s eyes were rimmed red, his Adam’s apple bobbing.

He looked ready to break—but not in the way I wanted. My confidence just... collapsed. All I felt was embarrassment.

"Babe, let me help you another way, okay? Otherwise, you’ll get hurt."

His voice was gentle. But the distance was unmistakable. Like he was talking to a stranger, not the girl he’d been with for three years.

[Can’t the supporting character tell the male lead is rejecting her? It’s come to this—if he really liked her, how could he resist?]

[Please, she’s already blinded by lust. She can’t tell.]

[Exactly. Not only does she ignore him, she’s going to make him do things for her, then make him kneel and call her 'master.' If there’s an award for creative self-destruction, she wins.]

[Did the supporting character forget the male lead isn’t some harmless little puppy? Remember what happened to the last person who ticked him off?]

[Got shipped off to Alaska!]

What? Sent to Alaska? Was that supposed to be a joke, or... Seriously, Alaska? For wanting to get with my own boyfriend?

For a split second, I pictured myself trudging through snowdrifts in a parka, exiled from civilization for daring to want my own boyfriend. Startled, I gripped him harder without realizing it.

He sucked in a sharp breath.

The veins in his forehead stood out. His voice was wrecked.

"Babe, are you trying to kill me?"

He managed a strained laugh, but it sounded more like a warning than a joke. The room felt too small, the air thick with awkwardness.

[If I were the supporting character, I’d run now—maybe then the male lead would go a little easy and not ruin her completely.]

[Too bad, her possessiveness is too much, and she’s too proud and clueless to realize any of this.]

Ruin… lose everything?

My parents' house—gone. Dad's business—done. Mom, crying at the kitchen table. My stomach twisted. This time, I didn’t hesitate at all. I scrambled off him, jumped out of bed, and started throwing on my clothes, panicked.

My hands fumbled with the buttons, heart pounding in my ears. Carter seemed stunned by my sudden escape.

"Babe, what are you doing?"

He tried to sit up, but the handcuffs yanked him back onto the bed. I grabbed my heels, ready to bolt. His words made me freeze, and I turned back, totally freaked out.

Crap. Think of a reason!

"Uh, sorry, I drank too much and thought you were someone else."

My voice barely made a sound. My eyes flicked down. I mumbled, quick: "You... handle it yourself."

Before I even finished, I spun and bolted out the door.

I didn’t even look back. My cheeks were burning, my mind racing. I just wanted to disappear.

"What did you say?"

The door slammed shut, cutting off Carter’s stunned, tight voice.

[Wow, the supporting character actually ran.]

[Don’t worry, this is the turning point for the male lead, supporting character, and heroine. After this, the supporting character senses the male lead growing cold and distant, keeps making things worse, and finally he dumps her.]

[Then the male lead slowly notices the heroine, realizes how in sync they are, and falls completely for her. Compared to the supporting character’s spoiled tantrums, the heroine is gentle and understanding—he’s helplessly drawn in!]

[When the male lead confesses, he even picks the supporting character’s favorite holiday—Christmas—just to make her give up.]

[The supporting character hides in the shadows, watching the male lead confess with thousands of drones in the city’s fanciest spot, then sees the leads kiss romantically as the crowd cheers. She goes nuts with jealousy, tries to rush in, but can’t get anywhere near, and ends up being carried out by security, haha!]

[Seriously, who’s going to make me laugh like this after the supporting character’s gone? (cry-laugh emoji)]

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