Chapter 1: A Nightmare in Silk and Diamonds

Evelyn Carter woke up with a pounding headache and the unmistakable scent of jasmine lingering in the air. Her fingers curled around the silk sheets beneath her, the fabric impossibly soft and luxurious—too luxurious.

Something was wrong.

Her apartment didn't smell like jasmine. It smelled like instant ramen and cheap air freshener. And she certainly didn't own silk sheets.

Eyes snapping open, Evelyn sat up, her heart slamming against her ribs as she took in the extravagant bedroom around her. A massive chandelier hung overhead, its crystals catching the soft glow of golden candlelight. Heavy velvet drapes covered towering windows, and the antique furniture looked straight out of a period drama.

"What the—"

She flung the covers off and scrambled to her feet, barely noticing the cool marble floor beneath her as she stumbled toward the enormous dressing mirror across the room. The moment she caught sight of her reflection, her stomach dropped.

The face staring back at her was not her own.

Long, wavy chestnut-brown hair cascaded over her shoulders, and a delicate yet dangerously sharp jawline framed piercing emerald-green eyes. Her lips, painted a deep red, parted in shock as she lifted a trembling hand to her face.

"Oh. My. God."

She knew this face. Everyone who had read Bound by Fate knew this face.

She was Evelyn Carter, the infamous villainess and ex-fiancée of the novel's male lead, Adrian Sinclair.

A villainess doomed to be discarded, humiliated, and ultimately destroyed.

"No. No, no, no. This is bad."

She had read Bound by Fate multiple times. Evelyn Carter was a character created to be hated—a spoiled, obsessive woman who clung to Adrian despite his blatant coldness. When he fell in love with the heroine, Amelia Monroe, Evelyn was tossed aside like trash. After a series of disastrous events, including a very public scandal and false accusations that led to her downfall, Evelyn met a tragic end in a psychiatric hospital.

Evelyn inhaled sharply. Not happening.

"Okay, okay, think," she muttered, pacing the room. "What's the first major event? Right. The engagement party."

In the novel, Evelyn had thrown a fit at the party when Adrian openly danced with Amelia, humiliating herself in front of high society. It was the moment that solidified her reputation as a jealous, unhinged woman.

She was not about to let history repeat itself.

"Step one: break off the engagement before Adrian does."

Easier said than done.