Awakening: Tearing Up the Hypocrite's Script on My Wedding Night

My wedding day. My fingers brushed against something silky inside Sebastian's tuxedo pocket. I pulled it out. A pair of lace panties.

The second the fabric hit the light, glowing lines of text materialized in the empty air right in front of my face. [Our sweet Chloe is so considerate!

She knows the male lead hates the villainess, so she left him her underwear to take care of his… urges.] [Look at the villainess's face!

She's totally gonna confront the male lead and start drama with our Chloe again!!!] [Sobbing! Chloe is the real female lead!

Why does Margot get to sleep in his bed?!] I carefully smoothed out the wrinkled lace and tucked it into my clutch. Later, at the dinner table. Right in front of every single guest.

I pulled the lace from my purse and slid it across the white tablecloth, stopping it right next to Chloe's pristine plate. "Did your panties fall into Sebastian's pocket by mistake?" I held her gaze. "It's getting chilly out.

Don't catch a cold." Chapter 1 Back home, Sebastian shrugged off his coat, tossed it onto the sofa, and headed straight for the bathroom.

A sliver of lace peeked from the coat pocket. Driven by some invisible force, I reached out and pulled. A lace thong dangled in front of my eyes.

I pinched the fabric between two fingers.

Just as I spun around to march into the bathroom and demand an answer, glowing lines of text materialized in the empty air right in front of my face: [Our sweet Chloe is so considerate!

She knows the male lead hates the villainess, so she left him her underwear to take care of his… urges.] [Look at the villainess's face!

She's totally gonna confront the male lead and start drama with our Chloe again!!!] [Sobbing! My poor Chloe! Chloe is the real female lead!

Why does a villainess get to sleep in his bed?!] The words hovered there, pulsing. A wave of nausea hit me, sour and heavy in the back of my throat.

This "Chloe" they were talking about was Sebastian's sister. Not by blood. She was his family driver's daughter. A total cliché.

When Sebastian was a kid, someone tried to kidnap him. The driver took the hit, saving Sebastian's life but sustaining massive injuries in the process. He never drove again.

To repay the debt, the family took Chloe in. They gave her the best of everything—the lifestyle, the elite private schools, the whole nine yards.

Sebastian had kept her existence a secret from me. Up until a month before the wedding, when I saw them with my own eyes.

Chloe had her arms looped through his, pressing her entire body against him, her chest practically molded to his bicep. I had stood frozen a few yards away.

The second Sebastian spotted me, he jerked his arm away and hurried over. He grabbed my hands. "Margot, I've always seen Chloe as my own sister. We grew up together.

There's never been anything inappropriate between us." "Once we're married, we'll move out, and I'll keep my distance from her. Please don't let this ruin our wedding." I bought it.

I actually believed they were just siblings. But now… what the hell was this? I grabbed a ziplock bag, dropped the thong inside, and sealed it shut. My fingers felt dirty.

I stood over the sink, scrubbing my hands under the scalding water, over and over again. The bathroom door swung open. Sebastian stood there, water dripping from his dark hair.

I stared at him, my fingernails digging into my palms until they ached. "Just a sister?" My voice cracked. "You and Chloe are just siblings?" He froze for a split second.

Then he closed the distance between us, wrapping his arms around me from behind. "Margot," he murmured into my neck. "It's our wedding night.

Are we really going to waste it talking about other people?" A suffocating weight pressed down on my chest, making it hard to breathe. He knew.

He actually knew it was our wedding night. And the very first gift I received as his wife… was another woman's underwear.

I lay stiffly next to Sebastian, staring at the dark ceiling. I didn't sleep a wink. The next morning, I went downstairs right on time.

Since we just got married, the entire extended family was coming over for breakfast. By the time I reached the bottom step, the living room was already packed.

I gripped my clutch, walked straight to the center of the room, and dumped the contents onto the coffee table. Right in front of everyone.

Chapter 2 The lace panties inside the clear ziplock bag had a pink ruffled edge. A teenage girl's style. Chloe’s face drained of color. She recognized it instantly.

She lunged for it.

I slammed my hand down, pinning the bag to the table. "Chloe, did your panties fall into your brother's pocket by mistake?" I held her gaze. "It's getting chilly out.

Don't catch a cold." The room was packed with extended family and guests now.

Whispers rippled through the crowd. "Did the family raise her just to be a bedwarmer for their son?" "They've raised her since she was a kid.

They know her inside and out, and his mother dotes on her. They wouldn't just make her a mistress, would they?" "She's a driver's daughter.

Trash is trash." The murmurs crashed over me. [Holy crap, our Chloe is getting bullied!

The male lead needs to back her up right now!] [Why does a braindead villainess get to humiliate our baby?!] [The male lead is arriving in three minutes!

Let's see how much longer the villainess can keep this up!] Chloe's face went from pale to a blotchy, furious red. Her fists clenched at her sides. She took a step toward me.

A single, perfect tear rolled down her cheek. "Margot," she sobbed. "That was a gift for you! I'm just a single girl.

I was too embarrassed to give it to you in front of everyone, so I slipped it into Sebastian's pocket." "Why would you accuse me of something so awful?" Her eyes were wide, brimming with helpless tears.

The perfect picture of a wounded victim. I didn't buy a single word. Sebastian strode into the room, late from taking a business call.

His eyes flicked to the ziplock bag on the table. The air shifted.

He crossed the room and wrapped his hand around mine. "Margot," he said, his voice smooth. "Chloe just explained it. It's a wedding gift." "For us to use on our first night.

You're overthinking this." He wore a polite, easy smile. But his grip on my hand tightened, bone crushing against bone. His eyes were dead cold. A silent, undeniable threat.

When I didn't answer, he leaned in.

His breath brushed my ear. "Margot," he murmured. "You wouldn't want your father finding out his daughter is in an unhappy marriage, would you?" More text flooded my vision: [The male lead is threatening the villainess just to protect our Chloe!

Crying tears of joy for true love~] [I hope the villainess drops dead and gives our man back!] My father had a severe heart condition. A shock like this would kill him.

My throat tightened. The silence stretched until my ears rang. Then, I caved.

I stepped toward Chloe and raised my free hand, wiping the fake tear from her cheek. "I'm so sorry, Chloe. I completely misunderstood.

It's my fault." "I apologize." The victim act vanished from her face instantly. She grabbed my hand, forcing a brave, wobbly smile for the crowd. "It's okay, Margot.

I won't hold it against you for humiliating me." When we sat down for breakfast, Chloe took the chair right next to mine.

She leaned in, her voice dropping to a whisper meant only for my ears. "I gave him those panties to take care of his needs.

But if you like them so much, you can keep them." I locked eyes with her. A cold tremor shot up my arms, leaving my hands trembling against the edge of the chair.

Chapter 3 The dining table was a picture of perfect harmony. Chloe knew exactly how to play the crowd; the older relatives adored her.

Before I could fully process the nausea in my throat, Sebastian's phone buzzed against the mahogany. Glowing text flooded my vision again. [Ahhh!

Our Chloe just texted the male lead to come to her room tonight!!!!] [Is it finally happening?! Are they gonna do it?] [He’s held back for so long because she was young!

But seeing those panties must have flipped a switch!] [Chloe and the male lead are childhood sweethearts! They belong together!

This dead weight villainess stepping between them is disgusting!] Heat flared at the base of my skull. My pulse hammered against my throat, rapid and violent.

But I couldn't tear the table apart right here. I had zero proof of an affair.

I exhaled a slow, ragged breath, pressing my spine into the hard wood of the chair, swallowing the bile and the rage. Ten minutes later, the shaking in my hands finally stopped.

I pasted on a smile, answering the relatives' questions like a perfectly programmed doll. Exhaustion hollowed me out.

Between the endless small talk and last night's insomnia, I retreated upstairs early. Sebastian and Chloe were meeting tonight. The thought gnawed at my brain, looping endlessly.

At 3:00 AM, the mattress shifted. My eyes snapped open in the pitch black. "Where are you going?" I asked, my voice a quiet sliver in the dark.

Before Sebastian could answer, his phone lit up. He answered it right in front of me. "Mr.

Lin, just a reminder about the crossborder conference call tonight," his assistant's voice filtered through the quiet room.

A pathetic rush of relief loosened my tight grip on the sheets. Maybe I was just being paranoid. Then the glowing brackets returned. [Omg!

He faked a conference call to trick the villainess!] [He's doing whatever it takes to see our baby Chloe~] [Hurry up!

Our girl is freshly showered, barely dressed, and waiting in bed for you!] Ten minutes later, I turned the brass doorknob and slipped into the hallway.

The sprawling estate was dead quiet, swallowed in heavy shadows. But the faint glow of the security lights was enough.

I watched Sebastian turn the corner and slip straight into Chloe's bedroom. He didn't click the door shut.

A thin slice of yellow light spilled onto the hardwood floor. [Holy crap, the villainess actually followed him?] [Is she a total creep or what?!] [He's touching her leg!

What are you waiting for, pounce on her!] A soft, breathy sound drifted through the crack in the door. Chloe, whining his name.

I stood frozen in the hallway, my fingernails biting into my palms so hard the skin threatened to split.

Just as my hand reached for the wood to shove the door open, a lone string of text flickered into existence: [Honestly, the villainess is kind of pitiful.

He only married her to gut her family's company and elevate his own empire.] The line was instantly buried under a tidal wave of new comments. [The villainess deserves it!

She stepped between our Chloe and her man!] [Everyone knows he's been in love with Chloe for ten years!

His hard drive is literally full of her pictures!] [If her dad hadn't pushed for this arranged marriage, the male lead would have married the female lead!

It's none of the villainess's business!] [Her family is disgusting. They deserve to be destroyed!] He married me to cannibalize my family. My hand dropped from the doorframe.

A violent tremor seized my shoulders, rattling my teeth together. A single tear burned a hot trail down my freezing cheek.

Thankfully, the glowing text had just handed me his entire blueprint. Nothing had happened yet. Chapter 4 I pressed my spine against the hallway wall.

The muffled sounds leaking through the cracked door crawled into my ears. A heavy tightness clamped down on my chest, making every breath shallow and sharp.

Thirty minutes later, the friction stopped. Chloe's sickly sweet whine bled into the hallway. "Sebastian… stay for another thirty minutes. Just thirty minutes.

Please?" I squeezed my eyes shut, but the afterimage of their tangled limbs burned against my eyelids.

While he was still locked in her bedroom, I pushed off the wall and headed straight for his study.

During our engagement, I had walked these halls a hundred times but never once crossed this threshold.

He had hammered the idea of "personal boundaries" into my head since we signed the marriage license. I had respected his privacy.

I never imagined his sanctuary was a vault for his betrayal. I flicked the heavy brass switch. A framed photograph sat dead center on his mahogany desk.

A teenage Chloe pressed her cheek against Sebastian's chest. The look in his eyes wasn't familial; it was utter, sickening devotion. I tore my eyes away and popped open his laptop.

A password prompt locked the screen. [God, the villainess is so dumb.

He's obsessed with Chloe, obviously the password is our baby's birthday!] [One more wrong try and the laptop locks completely~ The male lead is totally gonna know she snooped!] [Ooooh, I wonder how he'll punish her when he finds out?] I stared at the glowing brackets.

My fingers hovered over the keys before punching in Chloe's birth date. The home screen flashed to life. [Wait, when did the villainess grow a brain?] [Hey, hey, hey!

That's the secret folder! Don't click it!!!!!] I doubleclicked the icon. Nearly a hundred files populated the screen. Every single one was a private, intimate photo of Chloe.

Attached to each image were digital notes penned by Sebastian—obsessive, suffocating paragraphs detailing exactly how he wanted to consume her.

The clock in the corner of the screen ticked down. I shoved a flash drive into the port and ripped every single file onto my own hardware.

I erased the transfer history, shut the lid, and realigned the laptop exactly parallel to the edge of the desk.

Back in the master suite, I pulled the duvet up to my chin and leveled my breathing. Fifteen minutes later, the hinges groaned. The mattress dipped as Sebastian slid in beside me.

Tomorrow was our first official postwedding visit to my parents' estate.

On the day of the ceremony, my father had publicly promised to transfer fifty percent of his company shares to me during this visit.

It was his way of cementing my status within the Lin family hierarchy and proving he would always have my back.

But that exact safety net was the weapon Sebastian planned to use to gut my family's legacy. Ice water flooded my veins at the thought of his blueprint.

I pulled my phone under the covers, typed a rapid, encrypted text to my father, and hit send. Only then did I throw off the blankets to get dressed.

I took my time with my makeup, applying a sharp red lip before descending the grand staircase. Sebastian was already pacing the foyer.

The second his eyes locked on me, he crossed the marble floor and interlaced his fingers with mine. "Your father is supposed to present us with a rather substantial gift today, isn't he?" he murmured, a calculating glint in his eye.

I tilted my head, offering a completely hollow smile. He took it as confirmation. The corners of his mouth stretched wider.

The moment his car pulled up to my family's driveway, Sebastian directed his driver to haul in the prepped gifts.

Premium aged scotch, imported cigars, and a velvet box of bespoke jewelry for my mother. He played the perfect, devoted soninlaw, waiting for the grand payout.

But when the time came for my father to slide the expected share transfer documents across the table… My father reached into his oak display cabinet and pulled out a single, square box.

Inside sat a vintage diamond set I had casually admired six months ago. He pushed the velvet box across the glass table, stopping it right in front of me. "Margot, sweetheart.

A little late wedding gift from your old man." My father beamed. "May the two of you have a long, loving life together." Sebastian’s eyes dropped to the diamonds.

The polite smile on his face shattered. His neck snapped up, his gaze locking onto mine.

Chapter 5 [Holy crap, why did the villainess's dad change his mind?] [The male lead worked his ass off to find a way to the top!

What the hell is she doing?] [Is she trying to stop our baby Chloe from being with him?] [An NPC needs to know her place! Even cannon fodder should be grateful!!!!] Why?

Just because they were the main characters of some twisted story, my family had to be the sacrifice? I ignored the glowing text blocking my vision.

I pulled my lips into a bright smile. "Thanks, Dad." Sebastian's jaw remained clenched for the rest of the night. The ride back was dead silent.

I stared out the tinted window into the city lights, swallowing my words.

Just as the car slowed near our estate, he finally broke the silence. "Didn't your dad say he was transferring fifty percent of the shares after the wedding?" I slowly turned my head. "Are you after my family's company, Sebastian?" [Wait, wait, wait, how does she know he wants her company?] [Isn't the villainess supposed to be a total simp?

Did she suddenly grow a brain?] [SOS! Male lead in danger!!!!] His pupils contracted.

He masked it a second later. "Why would I want your company?" He forced a light chuckle. "I was just curious why he suddenly—" He cut himself off. I didn't let him finish. "Oh.

Maybe he just has other plans." The tires hadn't even fully stopped. Chloe was already standing in the driveway, shivering in a paperthin cardigan.

Massive tears rolled down her cheeks. The ultimate picture of a bullied victim. Sebastian practically shoved his door open.

He closed the distance and lowered his voice to a soft murmur. "What's wrong?" She choked on a sob. "Sebastian… my dad suddenly got sick. They rushed him to the ER.

Can you take me to see him?" She peeked up at me from under her lashes, playing the terrified mouse. "Unless… Margot says no…" [No way, our female lead used this excuse to get a date with him?!] [Baby Chloe looks so cute when she cries~] [The male lead must be dying inside seeing her cry!] I met Chloe's teary gaze.

I took two steps forward and wiped the moisture from her cheek with my thumb. I spun to Sebastian, wearing a mask of pure, panicked urgency. "Sebastian, hurry.

Take her to the hospital. You don't want her to miss her last chance to see him." Sebastian rubbed her arm, shooting me an apologetic look. "Honey, don't wait up for me tonight.

I have no idea when we'll be back." "Okay," I said softly. I watched them climb into the backseat. The taillights vanished down the street. I turned on my heel and walked inside.

Inside the master suite, I pulled my phone from my clutch. I opened the tracking app. The blue dot wasn't anywhere near the hospital.

It was parked dead center at a luxury hotel downtown. The heir to the Lin empire, sleeping with his adopted sister the day after his wedding.

That headline would definitely break the internet. It was one of the Lin family's own properties. Sebastian kept a permanent penthouse suite on the top floor.

The elevator crawled upward. I stood in front of the heavy mahogany double doors. My hand hovered midair. I exhaled a long, heavy breath and slammed my finger against the doorbell.

The door swung open. My brandnew husband stood in the frame. He wore nothing but boxer briefs, his chest flushed, the absolute picture of a satisfied man.

He didn't even look up to check who was in the hall. He turned his back, heading straight for the bedroom. "The sheets in the second bedroom are soaked.

Make sure you change—" "Sebastian." He froze. "Weren't you taking Chloe to the hospital?" Chapter 6 At the sound of my voice, his footsteps stopped dead. He whipped around.

The shock in his eyes was almost comical. He scrambled to snatch his pants off the carpet. "Margot, nothing happened between Chloe and me. It got too late, so we just crashed here.

Don't overthink this." The lies slipped out of him like I didn't have eyes in my head. Hearing the commotion, the other person in the suite sauntered out of the bedroom.

She was wearing practically nothing. "Oh. Margot's here." Chloe looked me up and down, then shot a sideways glance at Sebastian. "Sebastian doesn't know his own strength.

He pushed so hard, I'm actually sore.

You have to be gentler next time~" [Damn, the male lead has some serious stamina!!!] [Ahhhhh, our baby Chloe is soft and sweet, he's so lucky~] [Covering my eyes!

I'm blushing, how is our baby so stacked?!] Seeing how little she had on, Sebastian immediately grabbed a suit jacket from an armchair and draped it over her bare shoulders. "What are you talking about?" he demanded.

It sounded like a reprimand. But I wasn't stupid. It was foreplay.

Sebastian kept his hand resting heavily on Chloe's shoulder, but his eyes locked onto mine. "Margot, Chloe grew up in the Lin house. I've only ever seen her as a sister.

This was just a lastminute emergency. We decided it was easier to stay here." I took a step back. Tangled clothes littered the carpet.

Anyone with eyes could see exactly what had just happened in this room. And he was still standing there, lying to my face.

I stared at his bare chest, the volume of my voice rising uncontrollably. "So you're telling me, after visiting Chloe's dad, it got too late, so you came to a hotel to rest.

And you accidentally soaked the sheets in the second bedroom?

Exactly what kind of accident was that?" Chloe clung to Sebastian's arm and let out a soft gasp. "It was just, you know—" "She spilled a glass of water on the bed." Sebastian cut her off.

The two of them blurred in my vision. They looked like predators with unhinged jaws, ready to chew me up and swallow me whole. A sour wave of nausea hit the back of my throat.

I looked at Chloe, then dragged my gaze back to Sebastian. "Put your clothes on," I said quietly. "I'll wait outside." I turned around and walked toward the exit, my legs feeling like lead.

Just as I reached the doorframe, Chloe called out. "Margot." She glanced back at Sebastian, then slowly walked up to me.

She leaned in, her breath hot against my ear. "Sebastian and I belong together. Why did you have to shove your way in?

I should have been the one in that wedding dress." I snapped my head toward her. I raised my hand and slapped her hard across the face. The sharp crack echoed in the suite