Vivien never thought her favorite mafia novel would become her prison-until she woke up inside it, trapped as the villainess fiancée who was supposed to die.
She wasn't the heroine. She was the cruel woman who tormented Alina, the girl sold to Dante...
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Viella’s POV
“The body is still missing… it’s been three weeks now.” The news anchor’s voice was serious.
I snorted and tossed popcorn in my mouth. “Pfft, how can you find the body when the body itself is watching the news?” I chuckled, hugging my blanket tighter.
Lily gave me a look but then started laughing too. “Lady, it’s past bedtime. Shouldn’t you sleep?”
“Hmm… yeah, I should.” I turned to her with a smile, the soft glow of the TV reflecting in her eyes. “Finally, it’s peaceful. Just me, this cozy little house by the beach, and unlimited foo—”
“We’re about to run out of food.”
“Wait… what?” I sat up straight.
“We had plenty, but now…” She glanced at my stomach.
I gasped. “You traitor! It’s not my fault, okay? Back in the mansion, my mother never let me eat properly. I’m making up for years of starvation!”
Lily rolled her eyes. “Still, if you want to keep ‘hiding peacefully,’ you’ll need to go buy more.”
I groaned and fell back on the couch. “Fine, fine. I’ll go into town tomorrow.”
---
Meanwhile…
“It’s been two weeks since Viella died… so why isn’t Dante looking at me anymore?” Alina’s voice cracked with frustration. She paced in her room, tugging at her dress. “He used to be obsessed with me. He never let me out of his sight.”
The man seated across from her didn’t answer immediately. He swirled the wine in his glass, eyes half-lidded as though he were bored. But his words were quiet “Obsession doesn’t vanish without cause. Are you sure there’s nothing you overlooked… between Dante and Viella?”
Alina stiffened, her hands clenching. “…Nothing. He hated her. Everyone knows that. She humiliated me countless times and he—” Her words faltered. “But that night…”
His gaze sharpened. “The party night?”
She swallowed hard. “He carried her upstairs. The next morning… she was wearing his shirt.”
The man finally leaned forward, setting his glass down. A faint smile touched his lips, but his eyes were unreadable.
“Curious. Very curious.”
Alina’s breath quickened. “You don’t think—”
“I don’t need to think.” His tone was silky, laced with something almost mocking. “Perception is stronger than truth. Even a whisper that they were together is enough to rewrite everything.”
Her face went pale. “So… that’s why he won’t look at me anymore?”
“Perhaps.” He tilted his head, watching her squirm. “Or perhaps Dante saw something in her that he never saw in you. That possibility alone… should frighten you.”
