Chapter 1

I woke up in a delivery room, intense contractions making me see stars. Somehow, I had become the protagonist of a tragic romance novel, currently giving birth while my cheating husband plotted against me.

I knew I was destined to die from complications if I didn't act fast. Gritting my teeth through the pain, I tried to climb off the bed to save myself. But Quinn coldly shut the door, trapping me inside.

"Zoe, stop being dramatic," he said dismissively.

Just as despair started to set in, the door burst open with a bang. A beautiful older woman stormed in and slapped Quinn hard across the face.

"You bastard! How dare you mistreat the heroine while I'm around!" she yelled.

Looking at her familiar features, so similar to my best friend's, I realized I might have an unexpected ally in this story world.

0I had somehow woken up in the middle of giving birth, wracked by agonizing contractions. Unfamiliar voices drifted to my ears:

"Mr. Quinn, are you sure you don't want us to perform a C-section? Your wife has a high fever and the amniotic fluid is cloudy. If we wait much longer, we risk losing both mother and child!"

Quinn's icy reply sent chills down my spine: "Wait a bit longer. Once she's delirious from the pain, have her sign the divorce papers before you operate. And as for the baby...get rid of it. Remove her uterus while you're at it, to prevent any future complications."

As I listened in horror, I realized I had somehow been transported into the plot of a novel. The man trying to kill me was the cheating husband from the story.

My character, Zoe, had married into the wealthy Quinn family five years ago to repay a debt between their families. Though initially happy, everything changed when Quinn's older brother died in a plane crash. Quinn took in his sister-in-law Megan and nephew Felix, claiming it was to care for them. In reality, he had been having an affair with Megan all along, showering her with money and affection while neglecting Zoe.

Once Zoe became pregnant, Megan felt threatened. She began sabotaging Zoe at every turn, even convincing Quinn to divorce Zoe and get rid of the baby. But Zoe loved Quinn desperately and refused to let go, believing he would come back to her. In the original story, she died in childbirth after Quinn and Megan delayed her treatment.

Determined to avoid that fate, I summoned every ounce of strength to crawl off the bed towards the door.

"Help! Someone help me! They're trying to kill me!" I screamed hoarsely.

But Quinn coldly shut the door, blocking my escape. "Zoe, stop making a scene," he said coldly.

I clutched desperately at his clothes, trying to stop him from closing the door. I felt liquid gushing between my legs as my strength faded. Just as I was about to give up hope, the door flew open with a bang.

A well-dressed older woman rushed in and slapped Quinn hard across the face. "You bastard! How dare you mistreat the heroine while I'm around!"

I looked at her in shock, noticing how similar she looked to my best friend Summer from the real world. Could it be...?

"Summer?" I asked hesitantly.

Her eyes lit up with recognition. "Rachel? Is that you?"

I let out a huge sigh of relief. My best friend had somehow been transported into this world too - as my mother-in-law no less! With her here, I finally had a chance at survival.

01

Quinn held his reddening cheek, looking bewildered. "Mom? What are you doing here? Why are you hitting me over her?"

I suddenly realized my friend had been transported here as well, incarnating as my mother-in-law! This was the best news I could have hoped for.

I grabbed Summer's hand tightly, my voice shaking. "Summer, it hurts so much. Please help me!"

Summer snapped into action, shoving the stunned Quinn out of the way. "Get out of here, you're in the way!" she yelled at him before turning to the doctor. "Give her an epidural immediately and prep for surgery!"

"And get your best surgeons in here for my friend. If anything happens to her, your whole hospital will pay!" she threatened.

"Offending my best friend means offending the entire Quinn Corporation!"

The medical staff scrambled to follow her orders, quickly administering pain medication. As the agony started to fade, I drifted into a dreamlike state.

Memories from the original Zoe's life flashed through my mind, filling in the backstory. I saw how Quinn had slowly turned cold towards her, believing Megan's lies about Zoe mistreating Felix. Despite Zoe's desperate pleas and attempts to prove her innocence, Quinn chose to trust Megan time and time again.

In my dream, I watched the tragic end of the original story play out - Zoe dying alone and in agony on the operating table while Quinn and Megan delayed her treatment. Just before the dream faded, I saw Zoe's spirit cradling a baby, whispering in my ear:

"Please, you must make Quinn regret his actions. In return, you'll inherit all my wealth in this world and be able to return to your own. I'm counting on you."

I clenched my fists, silently vowing not just to make Quinn regret his choices, but to make him pay dearly for his cruelty.

When I opened my eyes again, Summer was by my side. The cry of a newborn filled the air. Though I knew intellectually it wasn't truly my child, I felt an inexplicable surge of protectiveness and love. Perhaps some of the original Zoe's emotions were bleeding through.

Summer gently wiped my brow, murmuring soothingly. "You did great, sweetheart. Don't worry, I'm in charge now. I've taken control of 60% of Quinn Corp's shares. This baby is as good as my own grandchild. I'll make sure that bastard Quinn never hurts either of you again, even if I have to ruin him to do it."

I nodded gratefully through my tears, overwhelmed by everything that had happened. "God, I can't believe this. All I did was leave one snarky comment on a trashy novel, and now I've been transported inside the story as the tragic heroine! If you hadn't shown up, I don't know what I would have done."

"Don't worry, I've got your back," Summer reassured me, patting my shoulder. "We'll get through this together."

In the original novel, the heroine was supposed to die today along with her baby. The infant's organs would then be harvested for Megan's son Felix. Now that I had survived, who knew what Quinn and Megan might try next?

I remembered how in the book, after marrying Megan, Quinn was mauled by vicious dogs she set on him for merely glancing at his secretary. As I fretted over how to avoid their schemes and make Quinn regret his actions, the man himself walked in with Megan in tow.

He looked down his nose at me imperiously. "Zoe, how could you be so inconsiderate? Running around during labor and worrying everyone like that? And childbirth isn't such a big deal - why on earth did you call my mother back? So immature."

He turned to look at the baby, his expression cold. "Since you're clearly too irresponsible to care for a child properly, I'll be taking the baby home with me. No need to trouble Mother with it."

I nearly laughed at the sheer audacity of his words. How could he say such blatantly awful things with a straight face? But my main concern was keeping the baby safe - in the book, this child was literally torn apart for organs. I clutched the infant protectively, my face pale with fear and anger.

I locked eyes with Summer, silently communicating. "Fine, I'll sign the divorce papers," I told Quinn. "But this child will take my surname and have nothing to do with you. We're going our separate ways from here on out."

Summer immediately caught on to my plan. I had always joked about finding a handsome sperm donor to have kids someday - this situation was oddly perfect.

Meanwhile, Megan's eyes glittered with poorly concealed excitement, though she put on a show of concern. "Oh Zoe, what are you saying? Blood is thicker than water - how could Quinn possibly have nothing to do with his own child?"

"Actually, if you hadn't pushed Felix into the pool that time, Quinn wouldn't have gotten so angry and wanted a divorce in the first place," she added slyly. "Are you sure you don't want to reconsider the divorce?"

Before I could respond, Quinn's cold voice cut in: "There's nothing to reconsider. We're signing those divorce papers right now."

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