Audrey's POV
Let's take a quick flashback. Just so you understand why I'm so… unimpressed with all this.
In my old life, my real life, I had just closed a huge contract for my company. Millions of dollars. My boss was practically crying with joy. That deal was my ticket to a big promotion, more money, the works.
We went out for drinks with the team to celebrate. I had a good time. Then I went home, went to sleep in my own comfortable bed, and… woke up here.
Just like that. No warning. I don't know how it happened. One minute, my life was perfect. Well, almost perfect.
I was content. I had a great job, my own place, my own money. But there was one thing. I was always single. And I mean, always. Never had a boyfriend. Never even had a situationship. No one ever had a crush on me, as far as I knew. And it's not like I was ugly. So, how come? I never figured it out.
What did I do about it? I comforted myself with romance novels. I'd curl up with a book and get lost in someone else's dramatic love story. And the crazy part? This world I'm stuck in? It's one of my favorite novels. Not because of the main character.
My thoughts were cut off when the driver spoke up. "We're here, miss."
I handed him a wad of cash, and stepped out of the car. I looked around. We weren't in a fancy neighborhood anymore. The streets were shabby, lined with rundown apartment buildings. People on the street were staring at me, a woman in a giant, puffy wedding dress standing on the dirty sidewalk.
I didn't care. I gathered up the heavy skirt so I wouldn't trip and started walking. I knew where I was going, thanks to the original Audrey's memories. I found the right building and went inside. No elevator, of course. I had to climb the stairs, the wedding dress feeling heavier with every step.
I finally reached my door, breathing heavily. I just stood there for a second, taking in deep breaths.
The woman I'd been thrown into, the one whose life I was now living… her name was also Audrey. And in the book, she's the villain. But I've jumped in before her "villain era" really started. In the story, she gets used and betrayed by everyone—especially Spike. So she tries to get revenge on all of them. But she wasn't very good at it. Her villain phase didn't last long before she got caught and… well, let's just say the book doesn't have a happy ending for her.
I unlocked the door and pushed it open. My new home was a small, cramped apartment. A far cry from the wedding I just left, and an even further cry from my old life.
The apartment door clicked shut, sealing me in. I leaned against the door for a second, just breathing. Then I got to work.
First, I wrestled my way out of the wedding dress. It was a fight, but I won. I shoved the monstrous pile of satin and lace into a huge black nylon bag. I wasn't keeping this thing. It was going right back to where it came from.
I pulled on a soft, worn-out t-shirt and some bum shorts. Real clothes. It felt like taking my first full breath since I got here.
My phone must have been buried under all that fabric. I found it and switched it on. It blew up immediately. Buzz, buzz, buzz. Dozens of missed calls and texts.
Most were from Spike. A lot were from the bridesmaids, probably calling to scream at me. I didn't bother reading them.
The old Audrey had gotten those same videos and pictures weeks ago. She was heartbroken. But she chose not to expose him. Why? Because she loved him.
She actually thought getting married would change him. That he would suddenly become a good person. I will never understand that kind of thinking. How can you love someone more than you love your own self-respect?
Then I saw another message. This one was from a number labeled "Mom."
What?
I sifted through the old Audrey's memories. Her mother… that woman had packed her bags and left the day after Audrey graduated high school. Just left her to figure things out alone. The old Audrey worked multiple part-time jobs just to survive, to pay for this tiny apartment. She met Spike when she was at her lowest, and he seemed like a prince. She thought he was her happy ending.
LOL. What a joke.
And now her mother was texting? The message was simple: "We need to talk. It's serious."
The old Audrey would have jumped at this. She'd be looking for any reason to forgive her, to have a family again. She was too soft for this world. Too good. And these people used that up until there was nothing left.
Well, not me. I ignored the message.
I looked around the small, stuffy apartment. This was the battlefield. And it was time to go on the offensive.
I hoisted the big nylon bag with the wedding dress over my shoulder. It was heavy, but it felt good. Like taking out the trash.
I stepped out of my apartment, back onto the shabby street. I didn't bother changing. I just walked to the curb, raised my hand, and hailed a taxi.
When the driver pulled over, I gave him the address calmly.
"Take me to the Blake family estate." Spike's family home.
Thirty minutes later, the taxi pulled up to the iron gates of the Blake family estate. The house loomed in the distance, a huge, cold-looking thing made of stone. It looked more like a museum than a home.
I stepped out, hauling the bag with the wedding dress. The security guard in his little booth recognized me immediately. His face tightened.
"Miss Audrey," he said, not even bothering to open the gate. "I'm afraid I can't let you in."
I almost laughed. Had he been living under a rock? "The wedding's off. I didn't marry Spike. I'm just here to return this." I shook the bag for emphasis. The dress rustled inside like a ghost.
He looked skeptical. "My orders stand. The family is expecting high-profile guests this evening. You need to leave."
I huffed, my patience wearing thin. I was about to tell him exactly where he could shove his orders when a sleek, black car purred up to the gate.
The guard jumped to attention, quickly pressing a button to swing the gate open. But the car didn't drive through. Instead, the back passenger door opened, and a woman stepped out.
She was elegant, dressed in a simple but expensive-looking cream-colored outfit. Her eyes, sharp and calculating, landed directly on me.
"Audrey?"
I froze. I knew her. From the memories. It was my mother. The one who had abandoned the old Audrey without a second thought.
What in the world was she doing here?
"What are you doing here?" I asked, my voice flat.
My mother's perfectly shaped eyebrows rose. "I should be asking you the same question. Didn't you get my message?"
"I did," I said, not moving an inch. "I chose to ignore it."
For a second, she looked genuinely stunned. Yeah, that was definitely not how the old Audrey would have reacted. The old Audrey would have been crying and full of questions.
My mother quickly smoothed her expression. She turned to the security guard. "It's fine. This is my daughter. She's with me."
The guard's eyes widened. He looked from me in my t-shirt and shorts to her in her designer outfit. "Oh! My apologies, Ma'am. Of course, no problem."
"Come, get in the car," my mother said, gesturing to the open door.
"No, thanks. I prefer to walk," I said, and I swung my heavy nylon bag over my shoulder and marched right through the gates. I didn't care why she was here. I had my own business to finish.
I'd only taken a few steps when her voice stopped me.
"I remarried, Audrey."
I paused.
She walked up beside me, her voice lower now. "You have a stepfather now. A very influential one. And two stepbrothers. That's what I needed to talk to you about."