Chapter 1: The Villain Awakens

I'm that infamous supporting character everyone loves to hate. The moment the heroine plunged into the lake right in front of me, something inside me shifted—I suddenly realized exactly who I was.

It was like someone pulled back the curtain in my head. One moment, I was standing there, tangled up in the same old jealousy and bitterness. God, I’d been so petty. The next, I could see every dumb move I'd made, like I was watching myself on a screen. A chill ran down my spine, sharper than the December air rolling off the water.

No wonder I haven’t been able to stop myself from acting like a complete idiot these past few years. Seriously, what was wrong with me?

Honestly, it’s almost impressive how consistently disastrous I’ve been. I swear, if there’s a blooper reel for my life, it’s Oscar-worthy. I cringe just thinking about all the scenes I caused at school dances and charity galas. There’s probably a highlight reel somewhere in the universe, just for laughs.

Guess my ancestors finally did something right. About time I woke up!

Took them long enough. Maybe all those family prayers and old portraits in the foyer finally paid off. Or maybe, honestly, I just ran out of ways to embarrass myself.

Suddenly, everything came rushing back. Memories, details, the whole story. Turns out, I’m the villain in someone else’s tale.

It was all there, as if someone had dumped a jigsaw puzzle in my lap and I could finally see the whole picture. I wasn’t the star—I was the obstacle. The one people whispered about at garden parties. The girl mothers warned their daughters about.

The guy I love, Hunter Evans, is the steadfast male lead. Savannah Lee is the fragile main character I’m always tormenting out of jealousy.

Hunter, with his easy grin and golden-boy charm, was never mine to keep. Savannah, with her soft voice and sad eyes, was always the center of his universe. And me? I was the storm cloud trailing after them, always raining on their parade.

Because I can’t stand that Hunter only has eyes for Savannah, I go out of my way to humiliate her. In the end, Hunter, desperate to avenge Savannah, frames my family—the Whitlocks—by conspiring with Sebastian Carter, the old-money heir, to set us up for treason. That’s how the Whitlock family gets destroyed. Just like that. Gone.

The whole thing reads like some twisted Southern Gothic. One wrong move, and the Whitlocks—my family—are toast. Sebastian Carter, with his cold ambition and blue-blood pedigree, joins forces with Hunter, and just like that, we’re finished.

And me? The nasty, doomed supporting character? I end up locked in some basement by Hunter. Left to rot. Starved to death.

Yeah, not exactly a happy ending. The kind of fate you hear about in old ghost stories, the kind that keeps you up at night, staring at the ceiling, wondering where it all went wrong.

I watched Savannah thrash in the icy lake, my eyelids twitching.

Her arms flailed, breaking the glassy surface, the sound carrying in the cold air. My heart thudded. I kept my face blank, just like Mom taught me whenever the neighbors started gossiping.

Hurried footsteps pounded the dock behind me. I heard Hunter shout, “Savannah!”

His voice cracked, raw with panic. He was close. Too close. I could practically feel him sprinting, boots thudding on the old wood planks behind me, the echo bouncing off the frozen water.

I stared as Savannah’s struggles grew weaker, braced myself, and yelled, “Savannah, hang on! I’m coming!”

My voice sounded strange in my own ears—too loud, too desperate. But I forced myself to move, even as dread twisted in my gut. This was it. The moment the script had set for me.

God, this lake water in December is freezing!

The chill bit through my coat and dress the instant I hit the water. It was like jumping into a bathtub full of knives. My breath caught, and for a second, I couldn’t even scream.

The truth is, I can’t swim at all. Yeah. Not even a little.

My feet kicked uselessly, and I felt the weight of my boots dragging me down. My arms flailed, but I barely kept my head above the surface. Every instinct screamed at me to get out, but I couldn’t—not if I wanted to survive this story.

And I wasn’t the one who pushed Savannah in. She called me out to the lakeside, and before we’d even said much, she dove in herself.

Her words still echoed in my ears—soft, almost apologetic. Then, without warning, she just... jumped. I stood there, stunned, as the ripples spread out, my mind racing to keep up.

She jumped first, and right after that, Hunter appeared. This girl was clearly trying to frame me. Figures. Just my luck.

I could see it now, the way her hands had trembled, the way she’d looked over her shoulder before leaping. It was all an act—a setup. I was the scapegoat, the villain in her perfect tragedy.

So if I didn’t jump in, there’d be no way to clear my name.

Even if it meant risking my life. Even if it meant drowning. I had to play the part. The icy water closed over my head, and I forced myself to remember: if I wanted to rewrite my ending, I had to act now.

But I never expected that after Hunter rescued Savannah, he’d completely ignore me.

He didn’t even glance my way. His whole world narrowed to Savannah, limp in his arms. I was just background noise—forgotten, invisible.

Honestly, if my ancestors did any good, it sure didn’t rub off on me.

All those family legends about honor and good judgment—turns out, none of it rubbed off on me. Figures.

Chunks of ice floated in the water, burning my skin with sharp pain.

Every breath felt like swallowing glass. My fingers stiffened, and my vision blurred at the edges. I tried to remember what the swim coach at summer camp had said about treading water, but it was useless. The cold was winning.

I fought to stay afloat, limbs going numb, body sinking. Just as my mind started to blur and everything faded, someone grabbed me by the back of the neck and hauled me toward the shore.

The grip was strong. Uncompromising. Whoever it was, they weren’t gentle, but I could feel the determination.

When I broke the surface, I saw who’d saved me.

Sharp features. Piercing eyes. A strong jaw. Cold expression. He said coolly, “You can’t swim, but you jumped in to save someone? Since when were you this brave?”

His voice was dry, with a hint of amusement under all that frost. Sebastian Carter. Of course. Even dripping wet and scowling, he looked like he belonged on the cover of a magazine.

I was shivering, teeth chattering, and managed to stammer, “Mr. Carter… Sebastian…”

My lips barely worked. Still, I forced out his name, clinging to the sound like a lifeline.

Sebastian Carter carried me up onto the bank. A crowd had gathered by the shore. My older brother, seeing me like that, rushed over, yanked off his jacket, and wrapped it around me, his eyes full of worry and pain.

The jacket smelled like home—wool and cedar and a hint of my brother’s aftershave. He squeezed my shoulders, his hands trembling. I’d never seen him so scared.

Savannah had swallowed a ton of water and was barely conscious. Hunter, seeing her like that, was frantic and yelled at me, “Autumn Whitlock, even if you hate Savannah, how could you push her?!”

His words cut through the chaos, as sharp as a slap to the face. The crowd murmured, and I felt every eye turn to me. Hunter’s anger was a force of nature—impossible to ignore.

My brother’s face turned red. He pointed at Hunter and snapped, “Open your eyes! My sister can’t swim a lick. If she’d pushed Savannah in, would she risk her own life jumping after her?!”

His voice boomed across the water, fierce and unyielding. I’d never been so grateful for him. Not once.

I let my eyes fill with tears at just the right moment, coughed twice, and said softly, “Savannah said she wanted to talk, but before we’d even started, she fell in. It’s my fault—I didn’t look out for her.”

My voice wavered. Just enough to sound believable. I blinked back tears, letting the cold and fear do half the work for me. The crowd’s suspicion softened, just a little.

With that—and the fact I’d risked my life—no one could pin this on me.

The tension in the air eased, and people began to murmur, uncertain. Even the local sheriff, standing at the edge of the crowd, seemed less sure of what he’d just witnessed.

Hunter clutched the unconscious Savannah even tighter. He glared at me like he wanted to tear me apart.

His jaw clenched, and I could see the storm brewing behind his eyes. But for now, he had to focus on Savannah.

I turned and nodded to Sebastian. “Thank you for saving me.”

My voice was steady, but my hands shook. I tried to meet his gaze, but he looked away, unreadable as ever.

Sebastian’s expensive coat was drenched and clung to him. He looked at me, unreadable, then gave a short laugh. “No need to thank me.”

His words were casual, but his eyes flickered with something else—something sharp and calculating.

Behind me, Savannah started coughing violently. I turned—she was awake.

The sound was ragged, desperate. I watched as she sputtered, her body shaking, eyes darting around in confusion.

She looked around, dazed, her face pale, eyes red, tears at the corners—she looked heartbreakingly fragile.

If I didn’t know better, I’d almost feel sorry for her. Seriously. The way she clung to Hunter, the way her lips trembled—it was almost Oscar-worthy.

I scoffed inwardly. No wonder Hunter’s obsessed. If I weren’t stuck in this plot, I might fall for her too.

She had that lost-lamb thing down to an art. The kind of girl you wanted to wrap in a blanket and protect from the world. I almost felt bad for her. Almost.

Sebastian looked at Hunter, his gaze icy. “Miss Lee jumped in on her own. I saw it.”

His words rang out, clear and unyielding. The crowd stilled, hanging on every syllable.

I glanced up at Sebastian. Savannah definitely hadn’t expected the Carter heir to catch her little act.

She froze, her eyes widening. For a split second, I saw real fear flash across her face before she masked it with another shiver.

Sebastian’s gaze lingered on Savannah. Just for a moment. Then his lips curled in a smirk. “I’ll call the family doctor to check on Miss Lee—how else does a perfectly healthy person end up in a frozen lake in December?”

He spoke with just enough concern to sound genuine, but the message was clear: he wasn’t buying her story.

His words made it clear Savannah had jumped in to frame me.

The crowd shifted, uncertain. Whispers rippled through the onlookers. I saw a few people glance at Savannah, suspicion dawning.

Savannah tried to speak, but nothing came out. She fainted again, and Hunter hurriedly carried her away.

He cradled her like she was made of glass. His face twisted with worry. The crowd parted for him. Just like that, the show was over.

In an instant, the commotion died down. My brother nodded to Sebastian. “Mr. Carter, my sister’s still freezing. I need to take her home.”

His voice was clipped, but grateful. He shot Sebastian a quick nod, then wrapped his arm around my shoulders, guiding me away from the lake.

Sebastian raised his hand, signaling no rush, then strode over, closing the distance in a heartbeat. He leaned close to my ear, voice low and deliberate. “Actually, I didn’t see a thing. I’ll be collecting on this favor later—don’t forget it, Autumn.”

His breath was warm against my skin. I shivered, and it had nothing to do with the cold. I swallowed hard, the weight of his words settling heavy in my chest.

I looked up into Sebastian’s dark eyes, and a cold sweat prickled down my spine.

His gaze pinned me in place, and for a second, I forgot how to breathe. There was no escaping the Carter heir—not now.