When the Side Character Shares the Heroine’s Name
Chapter 2
I nodded. “Yeah.”
She sighed in disappointment. “With your looks, why cling to some guy who works in a factory? There are plenty of richer men out there.”
I shook my head. “My boyfriend is really sweet. Our relationship is solid.”
Aside from Shawn’s habit of saying one thing and meaning another, everything was… perfect.
By the time evening rolled around, I was still buried in a stack of accounting ledgers, pretending to work while waiting to clock out.
That was when the factory supervisor walked in with a girl and cheerfully announced, “Everyone, meet your new coworker. Her name is Wendi Norman.”
“We’ll be working together starting tomorrow.”
For a second, I thought I misheard. “…What did you say her name was?”
“Wendi. Wendi with an I.”
She had bright eyes and a soft, friendly energy that made people like her instantly. In minutes, she had the whole room chatting with her.
I watched my coworkers swarm her, watched the supervisor’s rare warmth—and realization finally hit me like a brick.
This was the real heroine of this novel.
The real heroine looked at me with a polite smile. “Hi there, what’s your name?”
I forced a laugh. “Wendy Norman. Wendy with a Y.”
Her eyes widened. “Wow, our names sound so alike! What a coincidence.”
Yeah. What a coincidence.
Especially since I’d spent the past two years thinking I was you.
---
I was done. Absolutely finished.
I stumbled home in a daze, my stomach in knots as I waited for Shawn to return.
When I first listened to the audiobook, it never mentioned exactly how the heroine’s name was written. I just heard the pronunciation and assumed we matched. Who would’ve thought mine was only a near-homophone?
I really believed I’d finally landed the role of protagonist… but no. I was just another forgettable side character.
And what had I done these past two years?
Acted like I had heroine privilege.
Ordered the male lead around like he was my personal servant.
Made him pour my tea and run my errands.
Even forced him into a whole list of ridiculous couple rules—like good-morning kisses, goodbye kisses, and calling me humiliating pet names like baby, honey, and sweetheart.
I wasn’t the heroine. I’d turned myself into the textbook villainess.
No wonder, back when we first met, Shawn looked at me with red-rimmed eyes and told me he hated me.
He… actually meant it.
And villainesses never end well. I didn’t even want to imagine my ending.
---
The lock clicked. Shawn stepped inside, shrugging off his dusty jacket. Underneath, he wore nothing but a black work tank top—broad shoulders, narrow waist, sculpted arms, solid back. All muscle.
He noticed my stare and glanced down, his dark eyes cooling.
I looked at those arms and thought bleakly:
Forget future revenge. With that build, he could flatten me right now.
A fresh wave of clean soap mixed with his warm masculine scent washed over me as he stopped in front of me. He hooked a hand behind my neck and pulled me into a kiss.
It was deep and rough. For a few seconds, I was too stunned to react.
His other hand tightened on my waist, about to pull me closer when I finally snapped out of it and shoved him away, stumbling back in panic.
The entire mood shattered.
Shawn slowly lifted his eyes, his voice still hoarse from kissing. “Why are you dodging? Didn’t you say I’m supposed to kiss you first thing when I come home?”
His tone dipped into low coaxing. “Come here. We’re not done.”
My palms were sweaty. I stammered, “N-not tonight.”
His expression darkened. “Not tonight?”
He let out a cold laugh. “So you can kiss me whenever you want, toss me aside whenever you want—am I your pet now?”
I scrambled for an excuse. “I—I got a mouth ulcer. It hurts. So no kissing—”
Before I could finish, he leaned in and grabbed my face, fingers prying my lips open.
“Where?” he demanded. “Let me see.”
I hadn’t expected him to just… check. I jerked my head away in shock.
His hand froze. His face iced over completely, jaw tight.
“Wow,” he bit out. “You even lie now. Wendy, you’re unbelievable.”