The Villainess and the Second Male Lead: Rewriting Our Tragic Ending

The male and female leads overcame countless family obstacles to hold a grand wedding.

And I, the vicious female antagonist, was drugged and framed. On a rainy night, I ended up sleeping with the second male lead, and a new little life took root in my belly.

This 3,000-chapter billionaire romance web novel only featured me and the second male lead in its final three chapters.

The stoic, aloof, and taciturn second male lead, Ethan Hayes, was "defiled" by me, the evil antagonist.

Even though he didn't like me, because of the baby in my belly, he had no choice but to bury his feelings for the female lead deep in his heart and compromise by marrying me.

He was just starting his tech startup and desperately needed money.

Yet, I kept recklessly swiping cards for luxury designer bags.

I even constantly used the baby to threaten him, forbidding him from having any contact with Chloe Sterling, the female lead.

This pushed him to the brink of misery and a mental breakdown every single day.

I don't know if the author suddenly felt sorry for Ethan at the very end.

But in the finale of the novel, she hastily wrote me off with a sloppy car crash.

...

When this future plotline flooded into my brain, I had just finished showering and was lying in bed.

This was the very first day of my marriage to Ethan.

So, I wasn't worried.

I still had plenty of time to change my ending.

Our marriage started like a bad soap opera clich.

On the night of the male and female leads' wedding, someone slipped a drug into my glass.

Dizzy and disoriented, I was helped into a hotel room by a waiter.

There was a hidden micro-camera in the room, and the steamy, intimate moments were broadcast live onto the massive screens in the wedding banquet hall.

Even though the feed was violently cut off after just two seconds, the rumors still spread like wildfire.

With my reputation ruined, I lost all value for a strategic high-society marriage.

My father tracked down Ethan, using threats and bribes to force him to take responsibility for me.

He even lied, claiming I was pregnant with Ethan's child, attempting to guilt-trip him into submission.

Actually, the baby was real, but I hadn't dared to tell him yet.

...

I touched my still-flat stomach, then got up.

The already cramped apartment was stuffed to the brim with the bags and clothes I had brought over.

Even though most of it was unnecessary.

But Ethan hadn't said a word; he just quietly helped me pack everything into the bedroom.

He very calmly integrated me into his life.

No coldness, no hostility, and no warnings.

This deviated slightly from the original novel.

Perhaps... he was just hiding his pain in the shadows.

It was a one-bedroom apartment. A bit messy, sure.

But the warm yellow wallpaper, glowing under the lamplight, added a lot of coziness.

Ethan had just finished his shower. His dark hair was still slightly damp as he stood by the window hanging up laundry.

Outside, the night was heavy, and the distant city lights were dazzling and brilliant.

That translucent lavender slip dress brushed right against his undershirt, swaying in the breeze in a way that made my heart flutter.

He finished hanging the clothes, turned around, and saw me standing in the bedroom doorway.

"Ethan, let's sleep in separate rooms."

I thought about it over and over, and finally spoke up.

As long as I kept my distance, didn't interfere with his choices, and didn't pressure him, Ethan wouldn't feel miserable.

If Ethan wasn't miserable, then my final ending wouldn't be so tragic.

Besides, he didn't like me anyway.

Just when I thought he would agree to my suggestion without hesitation...

He simply stated, "There's only one bedroom."

"What about the couch?"

"What do you think?" he asked calmly.

That beat-up old couch was indeed tiny. Even I wouldn't fit on it.

So, I shut my mouth.

I always felt like I had known Ethan from somewhere before.

But whenever I tried hard to remember, I came up blank.

I didn't recall having any deep interactions with him back when I was busy chasing the male lead.

To me, he was at best a stranger I had crossed paths with a few times.

But that day, when I woke up with my head pounding and saw him for the first time, I was hit by an overwhelming sense of familiarity.

It felt like... the heart-stopping thrill of reuniting after a long separation.

Such a strange feeling.

As I was lying on my stomach on the bed, mindlessly scrolling through my phone, a glass of warm milk was handed to me.

Drinking milk before bed was a habit I'd had since childhood.

But how did he know?

Even stranger.

"Just heated it up."

"Oh."

I sat up on my knees, holding the glass with both hands and taking small sips.

Halfway through, it suddenly hit me: I needed to lay down some ground rules before his disgust for me deepened.

"Ethan, we need to talk."

"About what?"

The edge of the mattress dipped slightly.

He pulled back the thin blanket and sat down on the bed.

I looked at him seriously and said, "Listen. When we're outside, no matter how much you hate me, please don't show it. Please, please don't humiliate me in public."

"I know you didn't want to get married. Once this blows over, we'll quietly get a divorce."

He looked at me calmly, saying nothing.

The persona of a willful, arrogant, prideful rich heiress was already baked into my blood.

After I finished, I added another line: "Oh, and I don't like Chloe Sterling. Don't go seeing her, or I'll be absolutely sick to my stomach."

My aura and the female lead's truly repelled each other.

No matter what, I couldn't stand the idea of someone on my marriage certificate treating her well right under my nose.

Ethan looked at me, slowly lowered his eyes, and replied with a soft, "Yeah."

I let out a long sigh of relief, my mood uncontrollably lifting.

It seemed Ethan was a very reasonable guy after all.

I couldn't finish the milk.

Just as I leaned halfway over to put the remaining half-glass on the nightstand...

He grabbed my wrist.

The man's knuckles were distinct, his palm warm.

I looked up, slightly stunned.

His gaze lingered on my face for a second, his Adam's apple bobbing slightly.

Then, he lowered his head, leaned in, and his pale lips pressed against the exact spot I had drunk from.

Guiding my hand, he slowly finished the rest of the milk.

It was such an intimate, natural gesture.

The spot where his hand wrapped around my wrist was faintly burning.

That sense of familiarity hit me again.

I suddenly blurted out, "Ethan, did we know each other before?"

"What do you think?"

He placed the glass back on the table and fired the question back at me.

The halo of the bedside lamp fell on him. The only sound in the quiet room was the ticking of the wall clock.

As our eyes locked and our breaths mingled, his gaze grew increasingly searing.

I had a boyfriend in college.

He was a financial aid student. Not only did he work multiple jobs every day to pay off debt, but he was also quiet and introverted.

In every way, he was nothing like the type of guy I would normally fall for.

And truthfully, I was just playing around.

Because I had heard from rumors that this guy had a massive crush on Chloe Sterling.

I had the money, the looks, and the family background, but in the male lead's eyes, I still couldn't compare to Chloe, the innocent little flower.

So, I decided to prove that the male lead was blind for picking Chloe by conquering this guy myself.

Any normal guy would know to pick me.

I threw one hundred percent of my enthusiasm into chasing him.

Every day, I would cross half the campus to find him at his department.

I sat with him in lectures, kept him company during study sessions, and ate lunch with him.

After grinding him down for two weeks, his attitude remained lukewarm.

Until a gang of debt collectors tracked him down.

His gambling addict father had died from alcoholism, leaving all the debt squarely on his shoulders.

I went to find him that day and bumped right into the loan sharks.

Wielding baseball bats and spewing vile threats, they backed him into a corner.

Over a million dollars in debt was enough to crush a college student.

But to me, it was just the price of a designer handbag.

I casually tossed a platinum debit card at them.

The crushing weight of survival was instantly lifted off him.

The young man stood frozen in place, his eyes turning red. After a long while, hot tears rolled down his face.

A couple of days later, he asked for my bank account number, promising to pay me back once he made money.

I didn't care much.

Everything went smoothly after that.

He dropped all his defenses around me.

Whenever I was with him, I didn't need to initiate holding hands or hugging.

He seemed aloof and disciplined, but he always loved pulling me into empty hallways or secluded corners of the campus, wrapping his arm around my waist, keeping his head lowered as he kissed me over and over again.

Once, in an empty lecture hall, he kissed me so passionately he lost control, gripping me so tightly it felt like he wanted to fuse me into his own body.

Someone even recorded a video of that moment and posted it to the university's anonymous gossip account.

The comments section was completely obsessed with us.

But not long after, I initiated a breakup.

Things that came too easily were just too boring for me.

Plus, the male lead and Chloe seemed to be getting closer, so I had to hurry up and sabotage them.

On that sweltering afternoon, he pressed his lips together in silence, stubbornly staring at me without blinking for a very long time.

Trying to read my face to confirm if I was serious.

The summer wind blew hot waves through the trees, the deafening buzz of cicadas fading into background noise.

The ice cream in his hand was supposed to be for me.

But now, it was slowly melting over his fingers.

White vanilla cream dripped down the cone, drop by drop, impossible to save.

I probably said some really harsh things at the end.

He stood there blankly, watching me walk away.

No fighting, no demanding answers, no begging me to stay.

After a brief intersection, we returned to our separate lives.

Later, whenever I occasionally thought of that relationship, my memories were blurry and vague.

I couldn't remember his name or his face at all.

But it was all in the past anyway.

For the longest time, I had zero desire to look him up.

Besides, that relationship barely took up three chapters in the novel.

There really was no point in remembering it.

But now.

I felt like I was looking into the eyes of that boy from that summer through Ethan's gaze.

To confirm my theory, I rejoined the university gossip page.

But after scrolling for an entire morning, I couldn't find the kissing video.

I lay in bed, staring at the stark white ceiling, feeling a strange sense of loss.

So, was that boy really just a nameless extra who vanished after his plot purpose was served?

I let my thoughts run wild until I finally dragged myself out of bed at noon.

My phone had a message from Ethan sent earlier that morning:

[Breakfast is keeping warm in the kitchen. Remember to eat when you wake up.]

[Some of your clothes are in the walk-in closet. Call me if you can't find them.]

Undoubtedly, Ethan was putting effort into taking care of me.

The wardrobe, shoe rack, and vanity in the apartment were all brand new. So was the AC unit and the mattress.

None of this was mentioned in the original plot.

The only logical explanation was that the boy from back then was Ethan.

The club was loud and buzzing. My best friend Stella laughed out loud when she heard my theory.

"Princess, is it possible he's just being nice because of the baby in your belly?"

"You're pregnant with his kid. Isn't it normal for him to treat you well? What is there to obsess over?"

I doubled down on my theory: "But he really resembles that boyfriend I had in college."

"Impossible," Stella declared definitively. "Even though I don't remember your ex, it definitely wasn't Ethan Hayes."

"Ethan was a legend in the Finance department back then. If you had dated someone that high-profile, wouldn't I remember? Plus, your majors were located on opposite corners of the campus. You guys wouldn't have even crossed paths."

"Besides, you were so toxic back then. If Ethan was that guy, he would definitely be out for revenge. Why would he treat you so well?"

I defensively shot back: "Who was toxic?! I only dated him! He was the only guy I ever kissed! I didn't let anyone else near me!"

Stella scoffed.

I looked down and texted a few other friends.

The results were unanimous.

Everyone remembered I had a boyfriend.

But nobody remembered his name or what he looked like.

I closed my eyes and let out a long breath.

This whole situation was an absolute mystery.

Faced with this puzzle, my efforts were entirely useless.

"Alright, Princess, why are you hung up on this? Instead of wasting time, shouldn't you be trying to find out who spiked your drink?"

"I can't find out," I groaned, collapsing hopelessly onto the leather sofa.

"Seriously? Shouldn't your prime suspect be Chloe Sterling?"

I stared up at the dazzling, chaotic disco lights and said nothing.

Right now, Chloe wasn't just the CEO male lead's wife; she was also Ethan's untouchable, unrequited first love.

If I dared to lay a finger on her, those two men would ruin me in a heartbeat.

I had calculated the stakes perfectly within sixty seconds.

Whatever. It didn't matter.

Let it be.

The torrential rain poured down without stopping until 10 PM.

Under the howling wind, the city lights blurred through the restless night.

I was eating a fruit platter while watching the club dancers perform.

My phone buzzed twice. It was Ethan.

[Where are you?]

[At a club with a friend.]

[Are you coming to pick me up?]

I typed out the two messages and hit send.

This was part of my life, so I didn't see the need to hide it.

[Address.]

I dropped a pin.

Then, I added a sticker: Thanks hubby, kiss kiss.

The music in the VIP room reached its finale. The young dancer, dripping in sweat, locked eyes with me.

I gave him an enthusiastic thumbs-up.

Grabbing my purse, I waved at Stella. "I'm heading out. The bill's on you, Stella."

I only made it two steps before someone grabbed my wrist from behind.

"The rain is crazy out there. Won't you stay and play a little longer, Harper?"

The young, handsome guy curved his lips, giving me an obedient, sweet smile.

His fingers silently stroked my palm.

Stella laughed from the couch. "Don't break his heart, Harper. Finn waits for you every time."

"Knock it off." I pulled my hand back.

Seeing that I was actually leaving, the boy didn't push it.

"Let me walk you out. The entrance is a bit far, and cars can't pull all the way in."

"Fine."

I hadn't brought an umbrella anyway.