Chapter 1: Transmigrated into a Book

[...

Elara Sinclair's world was falling apart, and it was all her own fault.

She stormed through the grand hallway of the Sinclair estate, her heels echoing sharply against the marble floors. Her breath came in shallow gasps, her mind brimming with anger.

This wasn't how it was supposed to go. She had planned everything meticulously—her big reveal, the evidence she had gathered to finally expose Bianca for what she truly was—a pretentious, conniving b*tch.

But no one had believed her.

Her family's loyalty to Bianca had been unwavering, their trust in her unquestioning. They looked at Bianca with such affection, their adopted daughter who had come into their lives like a ray of sunshine, effortlessly charming everyone around her.

And Elara? The daughter they had raised, their own blood? The girl who had always felt out of place since Bianca's arrival, constantly struggling to prove herself? She had been discarded without a second thought.

Her father's cold, condemning voice from earlier echoed in her head. "Enough, Elara! We've had enough of your petty schemes!"

He hadn't even looked at her when he said it, his focus entirely on comforting Bianca, who had perfected her victim act—tear-filled eyes, trembling lips, the fragile girl everyone adored.

Elara could still see Bianca's face, feigning innocence, her doe-like eyes brimming with false tears. It made Elara sick.

"You'll regret this," Elara whispered fiercely to herself, her hands trembling as she wiped away an angry tear.

She walked out of the mansion, into the chilly evening air. The cool breeze hit her face, but it did nothing to calm the raging storm inside her. She clenched her fists, her nails biting into her palms.

They'll all regret this, she thought bitterly. I'll make sure of it.

But... now she had nothing left. The family she had fought so hard to belong to, the love she had craved—it had all slipped through her fingers like sand.

Her vision blurred as she crossed the street, the world around her reduced to a haze. She was so lost in her thoughts that she didn't notice the approaching car.

One moment, she was walking, her mind spiraling into a mess of anger and hurt. The next—there was a flash of blinding lights, the deafening screech of tires, and a sudden, terrible impact.

Pain exploded through her body, sharp and overwhelming. The world spun around her, out of control, and then everything went black.

...]

---

"Hah... She kind of deserved it, but it still felt bad. These authors are just so cruel. Why do they have to make the villains' backstories so tragic? Now I can't even hate them."

Dawn sighed, leaning back. The most saddening part was that Elara was never told that she was not their biological child.

Dawn put down her phone and patted her cheeks. "Huh... I really need to sleep now," she muttered, getting up from her chair.

She dragged herself to her bed and collapsed onto it, thoughts about the story swirling in her head. She wondered what the next chapter would be about, how the plot would unfold before drifting off to sleep.

---

Dawn's head felt heavy, and her body ached as though she had been hit by something hard.

Her consciousness wavered, and she struggled to open her eyes. Where am I? she thought, her senses still numb. Everything felt… off.

Slowly, she blinked awake, wincing at the soft light hanging overhead.

Her surroundings didn't look like her bedroom. In fact, it didn't look like anywhere she recognized.

She was seated at a table in what appeared to be a library. Is this the school library?

The space around her was quiet, serene. Only a few students sat scattered at tables, engrossed in their own work. The soft sound of turning pages barely disturbed the peaceful, almost surreal stillness. The pleasant scent of books drifted through the room, calming but unfamiliar.

It was the kind of place where time seemed to slow down, where people came to escape the noise of the outside world.

It was calm, normal—except she had no idea how she had ended up there.

I guess I'm still sleepy, she thought.

She glanced down at the table, reaching for the phone in front of her, but stopped midway. Something wasn't right.

Her nails, once chipped and unpolished, were now perfectly manicured. Her skin was smooth, her hands more delicate than she remembered.

She stared at them, frozen. What is going on?

"Elara?"

A soft, warm voice broke through her thoughts, filled with gentleness and familiarity. She turned to her right, her heart skipping a beat.

A gorgeous guy pulled out the seat beside her and sat down, impossibly handsome with a gentle, calm aura. He wore a simple, well-worn hoodie and jeans, his dark brown hair slightly messy, as though he hadn't paid much attention to it that morning. His warm brown eyes smiled at her softly, making him appear even more approachable.

My, my... who is this eye candy? Dawn's eyes narrowed, twinkling with curiosity.

"Elara?" He repeated her name in a whisper, his voice filled with warmth. "I knew you'd be here. I went to your house, and your mom told me you went for your classes, but we had no classes today. What are you doing?"

Dawn raised an eyebrow, confused. My god, he's spewing the entire plot in one sentence. But who is Elara? That's who he was calling, but… that wasn't her name.

And who was this guy? She also had no memory of meeting him.

"Who are you?" she blurted, her voice low, aware that they were in a library. But her voice came out sweet and... unfamiliar. She barely recognized the sound of it.

Julian frowned, his brows knitting together, but his voice remained soft. "Elara...? It's me, Julian. Are you okay? You seem... off."

Dawn stared at him, lost in thought. What is happening? She couldn't remember how she had gotten here. The last thing she remembered was reading a novel and falling asleep. As she thought about it, something clicked in her head.

Elara? Isn't that the name of the fake daughter in that book?

Her eyes widened in shock.

Before she could form another thought, a searing pain shot through her skull. Memories—fragmented but vivid—rushed into her mind like a broken dam. They weren't hers, yet they felt terrifyingly real.

She gasped, clutching the edge of the table as images flashed before her eyes.

Elara Sinclair. Yes, that was the name—the jealous, scheming villainess in the book.

The one who had stormed out of the Sinclair mansion and been hit by a car.

And now, Dawn was in her body. She was Elara.

When the realization hit her, she grinned.

Yes.

Yes, yes, yes.

I became a character in the book I read.

Her face lit up with excitement. Seeing her expression, Julian tilted his head, confused.

Dawn tried to control her excitement and focused on the eye candy...ehm, gorgeous guy in front of her. The guy sitting in front of her was Julian Thorne, a supporting male lead in the book.

She remembered his sweet and gentle behavior, which had won readers' hearts. Dawn hadn't been particularly fond of him; she had liked the male lead more, finding Julian a bit too soft. But looking at him now, she thought differently. That softness... if it comes from someone this gorgeous, it might actually be cute.

"Elara?" Julian's voice brought her back to the present, filled with concern.

He leaned in slightly, lowering his voice. "Do you need to go to the nurse? You really don't look well."

Dawn—or Elara—continued to stare at him with a smile, her mind swirling with thoughts. She shook her head, feeling the excitement bubbling inside her. She was so thrilled she just wanted to dance and scream.

She had just read about this world, about these people, and now she was a part of it. How had this happened? She had no idea. But did that matter? Not at all.

What mattered was that she had transmigrated into a book she had read, just like in the stories she loved.

Elara Sinclair was a villain, destined to lose everything. But that always happens in books, right? The female leads always turn their situations around and find a happy ending.

"I... I need a moment," she whispered, her voice barely audible as she tried to contain her excitement and stood up.

Julian got up too, still confused. "Where are you going?"

"Outside. Let's go outside. We're disturbing everyone here," Dawn said softly, smiling as she packed her books into her bag, slung it over her shoulder, picked up her phone, and walked out.

"Elara, wait," Julian called, his voice soft as he grabbed his phone and followed after her.