Capítulo 3: The Novel

"How dare that Nicholas Hawthorne, treat my daughter this way?! Treat us, the Whitlocks this way?!" Her 'mother' tried her best to stop herself from screaming. She was walking out the door along with Lucien.

She turned and gave Ming Yue an assuring smile, but for her, it was anything but assuring. She slammed the door shut making sure Lucien didn't try to bully her precious daughter.

Ming Yue didn't know who these people were, she didn't know where she was! She didn't know who this 'Selena' was and she felt like she was becoming crazy!

She got up and hopped down, she felt dizzy in the process but she made her way to the vanity nearby. She had a feeling that... She wasn't herself!

Over the next hour, fragments of information began to piece themselves together. Through overheard conversations and the snippets of explanation the elderly woman- who she now understood to be her mother, offered, Ming Yue began to realise the full scope of her situation.

This wasn't her world. This wasn't her life. Somehow, inexplicably, she had woken up in the body of Selena, the pampered daughter of a powerful Duke.

The realisation hit her like a punch to the gut. She wasn't Ming Yue anymore. The life she had known—the betrayals, the heartbreak, those people... It was all gone!

She didn't know if she should feel happy or sad. The only people she lived for betrayed her. She had nothing left in that world... Just a sad orphan who clung to anyone who would give her a morsel of affection...

At first, she felt a pang of loss, a mourning for the life she had left behind. But as she thought about it more, she realised there wasn't much to mourn. Her life as Ming Yue had been one of quiet suffering, of bending over backwards for people who didn't care about her.

She shouldn't be sad... She should be happy. From what she saw, she had a lovely mother, someone who cared about her. Though, Selena wasn't her... She was Selena now! So, she will accept that affection!

This is my second chance, she thought, her heart pounding. I can't waste it.

But as she was reminded of the stormy expressions of Lucien and the worried gaze of her new mother, she realised that this new life wouldn't be simple either. Selena, it seemed, had her own set of problems.

And now, they were Ming Yue's problems too.

Wait... Selena? Nicholas... Ming Yue blinked in utter disbelief... She wasn't in a parallel dimension or something!

She wasn't just in any random place. She was in a story.

More specifically, she was in a novel she had read not too long ago—I Will Always Choose You.

The realisation sent a chill down her spine, and her heart raced as fragmented memories of the book flooded her mind. She remembered the plot vividly now, each detail sharp as if she had just finished reading it yesterday.

The story is a steamy romance between two characters, Clara and Nicholas.

Clara was the heroine, an illegitimate child of a Count who had been treated poorly her entire life, mainly by her own family. Nicholas Hawthorne, the Northern Duke, was the male lead... A cold but passionate man who fell deeply in love with Clara.

Their love story was one of forbidden romance and unwavering devotion. Nicholas, who had been betrothed to Selena from a young age, despised his engagement and the woman attached to it.

He found Serena obnoxious, spoiled, and utterly intolerable. When he met Clara, he saw her as a breath of fresh air in his rigid, suffocating world.

From that point on, Nicholas's goal was clear: break off his engagement to Selena so he could be with Clara. But Selena of the story wasn't about to let that happen.

As Ming Yue replayed the details of the novel in her mind, a bitter taste filled her mouth. Serena was the quintessential villainess, a spoiled young noblewoman who couldn't take no for an answer.

She harassed Clara relentlessly, using her superior social standing to ostracize the girl, spread malicious rumours, and even orchestrate schemes to ruin Clara's reputation.

The Serena of the story was utterly unlikable. Her jealousy and vindictiveness knew no bounds, and every action she took only served to make Clara and Nicholas look like the perfect star-crossed lovers.

Nicholas, of course, was always there to protect Clara, shielding her from Serena's schemes and dealing with anyone who dared to hurt her.

Serena's downfall was inevitable. By the end of the novel, Nicholas publicly humiliated her by breaking off the engagement in front of the entire aristocracy, solidifying Clara's position as his one true love.

As a reader, Ming Yue had eaten it all up. The story had tugged at her heartstrings, and she had rooted for Nicholas and Clara every step of the way. It was everything she had ever wanted... A love so strong that nothing, not even societal expectations, could stand in its way.

That was what she wanted with her... Boyfriend. She didn't want to use that word. It brought her only pain.

But now...

Ming Yue's stomach churned as she thought about it. She wasn't a reader anymore. She wasn't an outsider looking in, cheering for the romance to unfold. She was inside the story. And worse, she was Selena, the villainess!

Ming Yue tried to calm her racing thoughts, focusing instead on the fragments of memories that didn't belong to her. They weren't clear at first, but with time, she began to piece them together like shards of broken glass.

She remembered attending balls, dressing in lavish gowns, and receiving the adoration of the aristocracy. She remembered the indulgence, the power, the way people would bow and scrape to please her. But most vividly, she remembered him.

Nicholas Hawthorne. The cold Northern Duke...

The Serena whose body she now inhabited had loved him. She was obsessed with him. She wouldn't leave any woman who talked to him or dared to dance with him. She was a hateful villainess indeed.