The Reality Check…

High above the sprawling, neon-lit grid of the city, in a sea of towering skyscrapers and luxury estates, a single window glowed warmly against the midnight darkness. Inside that tiny, cramped apartment, the silence of the night was shattered by a loud, exasperated groan.

"Ugh... what a complete trainwreck of an ending!"

I tossed the thick comic book onto my small dining table, rubbing my tired eyes. *The Fate Returns*. I had just wasted hours of my life reading it. Decades of backstory, a reincarnated love, "unbreakable fate"—and for what? The villain was ridiculously overpowered, and the female lead was so painfully naive it made my teeth hurt. They clearly weren't meant to be.

Honestly, nobody in their right mind would read this melodramatic trash. Except for me, obviously. Why? Because even though Raymond was a cruel, mass-murdering psychopath... the artist had drawn him with an *absolutely spectacular* set of abs.

Hello, everyone. I’m Olivia Madden.

By day, I am an aggressively average corporate drone working at a mid-level company. People at the office call me quirky and a little crazy, mostly because I use humor to deflect from the fact that my life is incredibly boring. I’m an orphan; my parents passed away when I was little. Aside from a couple of good friends who I usually drag to the pub on weekends, I don’t really have anyone tying me down.

I’m a girl with simple dreams. My ultimate fantasy? Falling madly in love. Specifically, with a man who possesses a sharp jawline, broad shoulders, and a prominent Adam's apple. Sadly, I’ve been single since birth. So, I fill the void with my two true passions: eating and sleeping. Let’s be real—dreams are infinitely better than reality anyway.

### A Solo Christmas

I had been looking forward to this weekend for months. It was Christmas Eve. Outside, the city was alive with twinkling lights, festive parties, and families gathering together.

Inside? It was just me, my pajamas, and the comic book.

I had bought myself a present and a massive, decadent, home-style cake. I could have called my friends and crashed their holiday parties, but I hated being the third wheel or interrupting their family time. Besides, I was perfectly used to this. My holiday tradition consisted of eating my weight in frosting, binge-reading dark romance comics, and sleeping until noon.

After scraping the last crumbs of cake off my plate, I had dedicated my entire night to finishing *The Fate Returns*. I always gravitated toward the villains. The male lead will sacrifice the world to save the woman he loves, but the villain? The villain will happily burn the world to the ground just to give her the ashes. It's toxic, sure, but in fiction? *Chef's kiss.*

As I stared at the tragic final panel, my eyelids started to droop. *If I were there,* I thought sluggishly, *I wouldn't let that happen. I'd change that stupid fate...*

My head hit the desk, my cheek resting flat against the open pages of the comic. In seconds, I was out cold.

### The Awakening

*Beep. Beep. Beep.*

Sunlight pierced through my eyelids. I groaned, burying my face into the mattress. *Wait.* This wasn't my lumpy, cheap mattress. This bed was like lying on a literal cloud of spun silk. I wanted to sink into it for another ten hours.

Then, reality struck me like a bucket of ice water. *The promotion!* Today was the day I was finally getting promoted to manager. If I was late, my boss would absolutely murder me.

With my eyes still glued shut, I threw off the incredibly soft duvet and dragged my heavy feet across the floor, blindly navigating my way to the bathroom. I reached out, patting the vanity for my toothbrush and my usual gentle, fragrance-free facial cleanser. My hand hit a cold, gold-plated faucet instead.

Frowning, I finally pried my eyes open.

I froze….

I blinked. I rubbed my dry eyes. I blinked again, leaning closer to the massive, ornate mirror.

"What... what is going on?" I whispered, my voice sounding completely different—softer, more melodic.

The woman staring back at me wasn't the exhausted, average Olivia Madden. The woman in the mirror was breathtakingly, devastatingly beautiful. She had flawless, porcelain skin, cascading hair, and features that looked like they belonged in a royal portrait.

A massive grin spread across my face. *What a hyper-realistic dream!* This was amazing. I threw my hands up, jumping in sheer excitement.

My foot caught the edge of a marble step.

"Whoa—!"

I went down hard, my hip slamming against the solid stone floor with a loud, painful *thud*.

"Ow! Motherfu—" I grabbed my side, wincing. *Wait.*

Dreams don't hurt. You don't get bruises in dreams.

I stared down at the cold marble, then back up at the gorgeous stranger in the mirror, my heart dropping straight into my stomach as the impossible reality finally clicked.

"Oh my god," I breathed out, absolute panic rising in my chest. "I time-traveled."

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