Crazy, All Crazy, A Little Madness Is Good

SusieBeam1171985iTD Fantasy

One moment I was reading a novel, the next I was bleeding out in a hospital bed.
When I finally opened my eyes, a devastatingly handsome man stood over me.
"Well," he scoffed, his voice dripping with contempt. "You got exactly what you deserved, Megan."
That line...
I knew exactly who this asshole was.
Ethan Miller. The male protagonist of the novel I'd been reading.
Somehow, I'd been transported into the book as the character Megan—my namesake—currently girlfriend to the illustrious Ethan Miller.
The original Megan had been obsessed with Ethan since high school, chasing him relentlessly for five years until he finally "granted" her a relationship. After two years together, despite his rise to Hollywood stardom, he'd never once acknowledged her publicly. In fact, he went to extraordinary lengths to keep her hidden.
And the original Megan, conditioned to accept scraps of affection, not only tolerated this treatment but actively helped him maintain their secret.
Until recently.
Ethan had starred in a hit show with rising actress Ashley. Breaking his usual "no publicity relationships" rule, he'd actively fueled romance rumors with Ashley, whipping their fans into a frenzy.
Meanwhile, when paparazzi caught the original Megan with a phone background featuring her and Ethan together, he publicly denied even knowing her, throwing her to the wolves. For a month, she weathered abuse online, labeled a "delusional fangirl."
Yesterday, she—I—was stabbed by an obsessive fan of Ethan and Ashley's on-screen relationship.
That's when I arrived in her body. Just in time to catch a knife to the gut.
Tears welled in my eyes.
"What, crying with regret now?" Ethan leaned down, roughly gripping my chin, his smile cruel. "Didn't see you crying when you deliberately revealed that phone background to force me to acknowledge you publicly, did I?"
His girlfriend gets stabbed by his fans, and instead of showing concern, he's here placing blame. What a spectacular piece of garbage.
I struggled to breathe. "No, it's not that. You're standing on my IV line."
Ethan faltered for a moment.
An opening!
With strength I didn't know I possessed, I shot upright and slapped him hard across the face—once, twice, three times. I followed with a flurry of kicks and punches before grabbing the trash can and slamming it over his head. With one final kick, I sent him stumbling out of the room.
Door shut. Locked. Mission accomplished.
I crawled back to bed, clutching my reopened wound, wincing in pain but grinning with satisfaction.
Much better.
Outside, Ethan's furious voice thundered, "MEGAN! GET OUT HERE RIGHT NOW!"
Always with the commands. The original Megan's love had been so desperate that Ethan knew she'd never leave him, which gave him license to treat her however he wanted.
He banked on her devotion. Unfortunately for him, before being transported into this book, I'd been his biggest critic—I'd literally written essays about what an entitled, manipulative character he was.
Karma's a b***h, I guess.
But no matter. Since I'm here, I might as well raise hell.
I yanked open the door and stared calmly at Ethan.
He smirked, as if he'd expected this. "I'll overlook your little episode since you're clearly still affected by the medication. In a week, Ashley and I are appearing on a reality show together. You'd better behave yourself. This incident should have taught you—"
"Sorry to interrupt," I cut him off mid-lecture. "I forgot something important."
Ethan's eyes darkened with annoyance. "What did you forget?"
I delivered a swift kick to his stomach. "I forgot I already gave you a chance to leave!"
From the moment I realized I was in this book, I'd made up my mind. Life's too short to play by someone else's rules.
Ethan roared, "MEGAN!!!"
Which is how he got himself reported for disturbing a hospital and escorted out by four security guards.
I returned to my bed, munching an apple with satisfaction, mentally recapping the plot.
After the stabbing incident, Ethan and Ashley would appear on a dating reality show together and receive glowing reviews. The original Megan, consumed by jealousy, would spiral into villainy, driving Ethan away for good. Eventually, Ethan and Ashley would fall in love on the show, and on the day they announced their relationship, Megan would be fatally attacked by their rabid fans.
What a delightful ending. Too bad the wheel of fate was about to take a sharp turn.

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