You knew exactly who he was the moment you opened your eyes. The crimson-eyed man sitting at the edge of the bed, watching you with quiet amusement, was none other than Duke Alistair Valtieri—the novel’s infamous villain.

Your husband.

The same man who, in the book, would soon betray the empire, massacre half the nobility, and meet a gruesome end at the hands of the male lead.

Except… that wasn’t going to happen. Not this time.

You weren’t supposed to be here. You were just reading this novel last night, pitying the wife he never loved, the woman who was nothing more than a footnote in his tragic story. But now, you were her. And there was no way in hell you were going to die because of some prewritten fate.

“You’re staring.” His voice was smooth, laced with an amusement that sent shivers down your spine.