The Male lead in love

CHAPTER 1

My life is so cruel. I can't help but think, why is it that of all the people living in the world I am still in this situation?

If a living Cinderella exists, I would say that's me. My life wasn't originally like this. I had a loving mother and a hardworking father. They loved each other dearly. My life was nearing to perfection. But after a happy seven years, my mom caught a lung cancer, stage 4.

I was just a child so I didn't know how to take it seriously. I thought then, his condition was not serious. If I had known earlier that I would not be with him for long, I would not have left his side. I should've hugged her a lot of times. I should've told her how I love her and repeated it over and over.

The day my mom died was the start of my nightmare. My dad was broken beyond repair. He became a douchebag. I still remember when he started bringing different women to our house after a few weeks of not coming home.

I was just a child, but I can understand what he's doing. Even though my mom was already dead, I can't stand the sight of my father with another woman. It's disgusting. Gradually the anger built up in my cheap mind. He was kissing and touching another woman like I wasn't existing in his house. Like my existence doesn't matter at all.

My old man was such an asshole. After three years of playing around, I was already 10 years old. Since Mommy died, she has not been able to take care of me. He hasn't even talked to me yet. In those past times, I just poured out all the anger and pain I felt into studying.

My life was too much of a mess that I haven't even considered of making friends. During those three years, I never heard a word from my father. I didn't even try to talk to him because of resentment. My pride won't allow me to do it.

All he does. Homecoming with a woman, no matter how many more of them. Homecoming very drunk. Breaking household items for trivial reasons. I have known no one more stupid than him.

I was keeping my mouth shut all this time and silently waiting for him to realize his mistakes and make it up to me again. But when he came home with luggage, a woman and a girl just my age, I was close to exploding.

Who are they? I wanted to ask but I was in so much pain and resentment. My hands were shaking as I watch my goddamned old man spoiling his mistress's child like she's his own daughter. Damn it!

I was so frustrated. I feel like I'm alone. And I was right. That witch! My stepmother and her daughter took advantage of my old man's wealth. Not long after that, they started treating me harshly. I am the real child and they are the ones inside the mansion but they act like I am a poor rat who got lost in the territory of the tigers. They made me a slave inside the house.

My father also knows about it but he just let it go. He insisted on ignoring me. I was too young. I can't fight them. I was so pathetic and that lasted for 8 more years. Until the moment that I became too fed up and decided to end my own life.

In the rooftop of a tenth floor building, I stand and looked up to the sky. It was dark and the stars aren't visible. A few seconds later there was a drip of water on my face. More and more water was dripping until it started to rain.

I smiled as I felt the hot water running down my cheek. That's not because of the rain, it's my tears that are falling. I smiled bitterly. This is just perfect. I feel heaven's sympathy for me. I couldn’t help but be happy because through this rain I could feel the support of the sky in my decision.

I closed my eyes.

It's better this way ... I'm too tired ... I want to rest now ..

I smiled as I fell from the top of the building ...

I will be free ... At .. last

Agh! What feeling is this? I feel irritated for some reason. Noisy!

"Loraine, baby girl.You see me? I'm your daddy!"

I felt my body. I'm alive? I slowly opened my eyes. I was almost blinded by the light. This is so strange. Am I in the hospital?

"Honey, she opened her eyes! My princess finally wake up! What a cutie."

"Of course she'll wake up! You're so noisy Lorenzo!" Irritated voice of a woman.

Uhh .. I'm not in the hospital. There's no way that any hospital can be this loud.

I tried to speak to silence them but I couldn’t do that. Wait, that's strange, what the heck is happening to my voice?

When my vision cleared, I could only see the surroundings clearly. I was in the crib. A baby crib. Then, there's a man and woman watching over me.

Who are you? Why am I here? And how on earth did I fit in this baby crib?

I have so many questions but I can't speak. Why can't I speak? Damn it! What's happening?

I raised both my hands. And when I did that, my heart pounded. It was as if I had been drenched in cold water. My hands. Is this my hands? Why? Why is it small like a hands of a baby?

I once again turned my attention to the two people now looking at me. They were like a newlywed couple. A man blinks his eyes as he watches me and a woman just smiles at me while giving the wife a sharp smirk.

"Laine, my angel. You're the most adorable thing in the world! Isn't she honey?" The guy excitedly asked. The woman smiled as she looked at me then arrogantly answered the husband.

Laine? Adorable? Who the hell?

"Of course she will be this pretty. She take after me. And Lorenzo, don't you have anything to do instead of ogling at our daughter? You're just disturbing her sleep!" Suddenly the woman disobeys the man.

Lorenzo? Daughter? What the heck is this?

I looked at my hands again, as did my feet. I can't stand up. Come to think of it, I can't even roll yet!

Wait. Is this what I think it is? I tried my hardest to calm down. But this is just too much to take all in!

Before I realize it, I was already crying hard ... as a freaking baby.

I was watching the twins Harper and Carter, my three year old siblings, playing on our garden while I'm reading a book on my hands. I was reading the 'The Hunger Games', book series. I couldn’t focus on reading because of the twin noise.

It's been five years and I somehow gotten used to my new life. For five years, I lived as a five years old, Loraine Cruz.

I can't accept it at first, of course. Of all the things, why does it have to be the other girl slash hindrance between the protagonists?

Loraine was the villain in the book I was reading when I was Helena. Well, I'm still Helena inside. I don’t know why I came here or why I remember my previous life. But now, I know everything in the world I live in.

The fictional book ‘Eternally In Love With You’ was the last book I read before I even considered ending my life as Helena. Somehow, I really liked that book. The leading lady, Olivia Perez, also lived like how I did. Although our story is not the same, it is undeniable that we went through almost the same thing.

She only have her mother originally. His mother raised him alone. They lived in poverty for seven years until his mother died of exhaustion. Overfatigue, anemia, and lack of sleep were the cause of her death.

Olivia had it rough. He did not know who his father was and he also did not know any relatives. They are the only two of his mother who are together in life. In the book, I've read what she's thinking and relate to what she's feeling. He saw the letter his mother had left before he died.

What was written in the note was 'Lorenzo Alfredo Cruz II is your father's name'. As if it's the work of fate, they met Dad --- I mean, Lorenzo.

Lorenzo is the sweetest father in the world. He pampered and spoiled me rotten. Well, my father as Helena wasn't so different as well. At least not, until my mother died.

But the past is different than the present. This body and life that I was given. I used to hate it. I used hated Loraine the first time I read the book. I hated her mother too. They made hell of Olivia’s stay at the mansion and that’s what we had in common.

Olivia is a year younger than me. He will come into our lives on my seventh birthday, two years from now. She will be the cause of the breakdown of the relationship between Lorenzo and Andrea, my mother --- Loraine.

Since I became Loraine, their dearest daughter, I grew to love them both. Even though I’m not the real Loraine, I love her parents very much. But it makes me emotional and threatened everytime that I think about my life as Helena. I'm afraid they'll break up. Loraine have an amazing parents. And I feel bad because I feel like I kidnapped it from him. But the Loraine from the story is not here. Whatever the reason behind it, I am Loraine now.

This whole thing makes me confused and frustrated about what I should feel. The thought that my parents' relationship will be tainted makes me want to blame everything to Olivia. But it was not his fault. And I can’t blame him because I understand how he feels.

I still have two years to think about it. Or I just better not to think about it anymore. My life as Loraine. How will I treat Olivia. What will I feel when I finally meet her. I will just leave everything to fate.

I closed my book and took a deep breath. I'm just five years old in appearance but I already have a mental age of 18 from my past life. And since five years have already passed, that makes me .. twenty three? Still, I notice my head hurts more easily when I’m thinking a lot. Must be because of this young body.

"What are you doing, witch?"

I almost shrieked when Khalil suddenly appeared in front of me.

"What are you doing there? You startled me!" I sighed. He laughed. Seriously, this brat!

He's Khalil Forest and he's two years older than me. He is the son of Tito Ronnie who is a friend of Daddy. In the book, they are Loraine's best of friends. Khalil supports all his trips and they are together in all the galas and parties he goes to. They are both famous on campus, so their tandem is really solid.

Just in case, unbeknownst to Loraine, Khalil started developing deeper feelings for her. But he never had a chance to confess it to her. I rooted for them two. I waited for Loraine to marealize that there was a man like Khalil waiting to reciprocate how she felt. But that did not happen. Loraine pursued the male lead until the very end of the story. In short, martyr!

In my case, I don’t know if the future will be similar to the original story. And somehow, I also understand how Loraine feels. Khalil is indeed pretty and gorgeous. Every girl could fall for him at first sight, but I just see him as my annoying stupid best friend and I bet he feels the same way too. And besides, our meeting is a disaster unlike what I've read in the story.

Originally, we are supposed to meet at his seventh birthday party. Supposedly, I must be the most beautiful woman he will see on his birthday and he must be in love with me those times. And from then on he would treat me as a princess. He will be my best friend and he will be head over heels to me. According to the book that is.

But that did not happen. I was three when they first visited our house. We weren’t supposed to meet that time because Mommy left me to play in my room first and told me not to go out because I spilled chocolate ice cream on my dress. My hair is still messy because I haven't bathed or even combed it. I always get scolded especially because I don’t care how I look. Who cares anyway? I'm just a three year old kid in appearance ..

I was that of a mess but I didn't care about it. I was craving like crazy for chocolate ice cream and so I shamelessly walked in front of our guesses with the mess all over me. Khalil's shout of 'witch!' in those times. Porket I look like a young yagit in my appearance, witch right away? The nerve!

And our next encounter was at Mommy’s birthday party. I sort er ... throw a book at his face by mistake. Well, I was reading that book but I got so much pissed with the story line. I didn't think the book would hit him in the face. I still remember how red Khalil’s nose was and how loud he cried in those moments. I just couldn't laugh then because I was being preached to before I could even make an excuse.

That's how we met and that's totally far from the original story. And that's when he started calling me a witch. He's become really rude and carefree when he's with me!

"Witch, have you finished reading that?"

I just came to my senses when he asked me. I looked at the book I was holding then nodded. He shamelessly snatched my book from my hand.

"Hey, stupid! That's mine! I didn't even say goodbye!" Annoyed I said. He just stuck his tongue out to tease me and flicked my forehead.

"You'll go nuts if you do nothing but read the whole day! Well, I guess it won't make a huge difference since your already crazy."

He ran away before I could even process what he said. That dirt bag! The story has clearly changed. He was supposed to treat me like a princess!

I just shook my head and smiled. But you know, I like it better this way.

TO BE CONTINUED...