Chapter 1 Caught in the Act
I yanked the blanket up in one furious motion. The two shameless idiots on the bed were barely wearing anything—just their underwear—and the panic on their faces was practically spilling out. What a damn sight.
I glared at the half-naked couple, my voice dripping with cold sarcasm. “Molly, wow… you really are such a great best friend. Didn’t expect you’d end up warming my boyfriend’s bed for me. Truly dedicated, aren’t you?”
Molly didn’t show a trace of guilt. Instead, she looked annoyingly self-righteous. “You couldn’t keep your boyfriend in line. Why is that my problem? What—am I supposed to apologize because I’m prettier than you?”
My whole body shook with fury, and I raised my hand to slap that smug face.
Jason Marks suddenly grabbed my wrist. With a harsh shove, he flung me away, and I crashed to the floor with a loud thud.
I sat there on the ground, staring up at the man who once swore he’d love me forever. Now all I felt was pure, explosive hatred.
I thought back to our college years—how Jason chased me relentlessly, showering me with flowers and handwritten letters every day. His persistence had pulled me into a ten-year relationship.
After graduation, I backed his business with everything I had. I cooked for him, cleaned for him, took care of him like a damn housemaid. And this—this—was what I got in return. He cheated on me and even laid hands on me for his mistress.
The irony was enough to choke a person.
Jason stared down at me with icy contempt, his scumbag colors finally showing. “Ten years ago, you were the untouchable beauty on campus. Look at you now—ugly, fat. Honestly, the fact that I didn’t dump you sooner was already me being generous.”
Every word he spat was like a venomous arrow, stabbing straight into my heart. He wasn’t even trying to hide how trashy he was.
The noise drew people from the living room—Mrs. Marks and Vivian Marks rushed into the bedroom.
Seeing me furious and accusing, neither of them looked the slightest bit sympathetic. Instead, both wore the expression of people watching a good show.
Vivian, Jason’s sister, gave me a disdainful glance and snorted. “Well, well. Who’s causing all this noise? Oh, it’s you barging into our house to catch your man cheating. If it were me, I’d have run home crying already instead of making a fool of myself here.”
Mrs. Marks sneered openly, her words sharper than ice. “If you can’t keep a man’s heart, who can you blame? My son has a bright future ahead of him. You really think he’d stay tied to someone as ugly as you forever? Just looking at you makes me sick.”
I pushed myself up from the floor, my stare cold enough to freeze them in place.
So they had known Jason was cheating all along—and instead of stopping it, they encouraged it. This entire family had truly reached a new level of shamelessness.
“Thank you,” I said with a laugh dripping in venom, “for showing me what a pack of animals looks like. Actually, no—calling you animals would be an insult to animals. You’re nothing but heartless trash.”
Molly casually put on her coat, giving me that slutty little smirk she loved so much. “Oh, don’t get so worked up. Jason and I are just having fun. I’m not planning to get serious with him anyway—I’m aiming to marry someone rich. If you’re willing, you could always pretend you don’t know anything and keep playing the devoted girlfriend.”
Jason actually nodded along like that twisted logic made sense. He’d always wanted to land a rich woman too. To him, both of us were just toys—nothing he ever intended to commit to.
Vivian raised her chin arrogantly, her expression so classist it was almost impressive. “My brother’s going to marry into a wealthy family. Our whole household will rise because of him. Who the hell do you think you are? Take a look in the mirror before dreaming above your level.”
I laughed in pure disbelief. “Do you idiots really think rich families collect garbage? You think they’d treasure people like you? They must be blind.”
Jason’s face twisted with anger. “Throw this bitch out!”
Mrs. Marks and Vivian rushed forward immediately. One on each side, they grabbed me and dragged me out like I was trash.
…
They shoved me so hard that I fell straight into a puddle on the roadside, soaking half my clothes. I looked like a drenched stray cat.
The skin on my palm scraped open and burned painfully, but compared to their insults and cruelty, this was nothing.
Mrs. Marks towered over me with pure disgust. “Get out of our house. A woman like you has no right to even step through our door.”
Vivian snorted maliciously. “Seriously. Look at yourself. And you wanted to marry my brother? Dream on.”
I might have looked pathetic on the outside, but my eyes were burning with defiance. “Who’s climbing above who? Your family treated me like free labor for years. Now that you’re done using me, you just want to throw me away. You’re all heartless, worthless pieces of trash.”
Jason walked out of the house, looking down at me like I was something stuck to his shoe. “I was only fooling around with you. Why take it so seriously? You actually thought I’d marry you? Keep dreaming.”
Vivian clung to Jason’s arm, shooting me a look of utter disdain. “Come on, Jason. Stop talking to her. Standing next to her ruins our entire vibe.”
Jason sneered. “You’re not from our world. Stay away from me from now on. Don’t annoy me.”
The three of them laughed and went back inside, leaving me alone in the freezing wind, trembling from head to toe.
…
I stumbled down the street, numb and dazed. A speeding motorcycle came out of nowhere and slammed into me, sending me flying into a patch of shrubs.
The rider took one look at me—saw I wasn’t seriously hurt—and had the audacity to complain, “Damn, with a face like yours, you shouldn’t be wandering around. Nearly scared me into crashing. What bad luck.”
Then he revved his engine and bolted like a coward.
My eyes filled with tears, and they finally spilled over. Was all of this my fault just because I wasn’t pretty enough?
I clutched a blade of grass in my fist as the tears fell.
Suddenly, the grass lit up with a brilliant glow, and a warm surge spread through my body.
I had no idea that in that moment… I was transforming—becoming stunningly, unbelievably beautiful.
Just then, a passerby walked by, took one look at me, and froze. “Miss… what are you doing sitting in the bushes? Do you need help getting up?”
Miss? He was talking to me? No one ever called me that—not with how I looked before, and definitely not when I was this messy.
Without thinking further, I crawled out of the bushes.
I stood by the road, raised my hand to hail a cab, and a car stopped instantly.
The driver leaned out of the window, overly enthusiastic. “Miss, need a ride? Wherever you’re going, I’ve got you.”
Still stunned, I nodded and got in the back seat.
The driver kept sneaking glances at me through the rearview mirror. “You’re gorgeous—how’d you end up wandering the streets like that?”
Why was everyone calling me beautiful?
I looked at myself in the mirror—
And froze in disbelief.
