1장
A Twisted Tale of Love, Betrayal, and Redemption
*Wretched* has become a TikTok sensation, with readers drawn to Emily McIntire's dark fractured fairy tale that reimagines the Wizard of Oz through a criminal underworld lens. Unlike traditional retellings, this contemporary romance transforms beloved characters into complex antiheroes, earning praise from bestselling authors like L.J. Shen who called it "deliciously dark." McIntire's ability to craft morally ambiguous characters has made this book a staple on BookTok recommendation lists, with readers particularly captivated by the chemistry between the vengeful protagonist and the undercover agent who infiltrates her world. As one Goodreads reviewer put it: "This isn't just a retelling-it's a complete reinvention that makes you question everything you thought you knew about villains and heroes."
2장
The Seeds of Vengeance
The story opens with seventeen-year-old Eveline at her sister Nessa's funeral, where autumn leaves scatter across fresh-turned earth and mourners gather in hushed clusters. While the priest speaks of memories and life not forgotten, Eveline's attention fixates on Dorothy's perfect honey-blonde ponytail, her hands itching to pull it out by the roots. Her anger intensifies when Dorothy rises to speak wearing Nessa's signature red shoes - handmade Italian leather that their mother had brought back from Milan just months before. The sight of those shoes on Dorothy's feet becomes a symbol of everything Eveline has lost, fueling her rage toward both her dead sister and the one who killed her.
Seven years later, we meet Nicholas Reeves, a decorated but cynical DEA agent whose personal losses have left him hardened to emotional attachment. He dismisses love as "a chemical reaction that people pretend is more," a philosophy born from watching his own parents' marriage crumble under the weight of addiction. His supervisor, Agent Martinez, assigns him an undercover mission in Kinland to infiltrate Farrell Westerly's sprawling criminal empire by getting close to Farrell's daughter Dorothy, described in intelligence reports as her father's "weak spot." The target is a dangerous new synthetic heroin called "The Flying Monkey" - a drug so potent it's already claimed dozens of lives across three states.
Their paths first cross in Velvet, an exclusive Chicago club where the city's underground elite gather. Eveline, fresh from killing a man in a warehouse across town, his blood still dried beneath her manicured nails, flirts with a tattooed bartender for drugs. Nicholas, operating under the alias Nick Morrison, interrupts their conversation with calculated precision, telling her she's "trying too hard." Their banter crackles with sexual tension, loaded with double meanings and dangerous promises, leading to an intense encounter in the club's dimly lit bathroom. Hours later, Eveline shoots the bartender in a rain-slicked alley, his body crumpling beside overflowing dumpsters, while she finds herself wishing she could have given Nicholas her real name.
The stage is set for a dangerous game of deception, where both Eveline and Nicholas harbor secrets that could destroy them both. Eveline's deep connection to the drug trade and her meticulously planned vendetta against Dorothy intertwine with Nicholas's undercover mission, creating a volatile mixture of attraction and betrayal. As they orbit each other's worlds - through smoky club rooms, shadowy deals, and blood-stained alleys - neither realizes how deeply their fates will become entangled, nor how their initial encounter will set in motion a chain of events that will force them both to confront their darkest impulses and question everything they believe about justice, revenge, and redemption.
3장
A Garden of Deadly Blooms
In her underground greenhouse spanning two acres beneath the Montana earth, Eveline Westerly presides over an empire of poppies - thousands of delicate pods swaying beneath LED grow lights, their milky sap holding the promise of both fortune and destruction. This sophisticated botanical operation, hidden from prying eyes by layers of security and carefully maintained environmental controls, serves as the foundation of the Westerly family business, with Eveline as its secret mastermind. While her sister Dorothy commands their father's attention with her flashy persona and social connections, Eveline possesses his true favor as the analytical genius behind their heroin production.
"The poppies are a means to an end," she reflects, moving between the perfectly spaced rows with practiced precision. Each plant represents careful calculation - optimal growing conditions maintained down to the fraction of a degree, nutrient levels measured with scientific accuracy. The greenhouse represents more than just a drug operation - it's Eveline's sanctuary and seat of power, built by her father after he recognized her extraordinary talent for creating pure heroin, a skill she developed watching her mother Nessa suffer at the hands of controlling men.
Nicholas, now fully immersed in his undercover identity as "Brayden Walsh," has spent months crafting his persona as a sophisticated jewel expert while infiltrating Farrell Westerly's criminal organization. At the smoky confines of Winkies bar, a known gathering spot for the family's associates, he demonstrates his manufactured expertise by casually identifying Dorothy's prized emerald necklace as synthetic - a calculated move that simultaneously showcases his knowledge while subtly undermining the family's pretensions. He strategically drops hints about connections with rival Sicilian organizations, positioning himself as both valuable and dangerous.
When Eveline's father insists she evaluate this potential new associate, she's thunderstruck to discover it's Nicholas - the mysterious stranger from her passionate one-night stand in Seattle - now operating under the name "Brayden." Their charged reunion crackles with unresolved tension as Dorothy openly flirts with him, while Eveline battles her own unwanted attraction beneath a mask of cool professionalism.
Their inevitable confrontation in the mansion's darkened hallway becomes a dangerous dance of attraction and suspicion. Each verbal thrust and parry carries double meaning as they circle each other like wary predators. When Eveline warns him to stay away from her family, her words carry the weight of both threat and protection. Nicholas finds his carefully constructed cover story wavering beneath her perceptive gaze.
The greenhouse becomes more than setting - it's a metaphor for their relationship: beautiful but deadly, cultivated with exquisite care yet existing for destruction. Like the poppies she tends with such dedication, Eveline's connection with "Brayden" takes root in toxic soil, fed by layers of deception and destined to produce something both intoxicating and ruinous. The pristine rows of flowers mirror their carefully maintained facades, while beneath the surface, dangerous truths wait to bloom.
4장
Dangerous Liaisons
At The Yellow Brick strip club, Nicholas narrowly avoids suspicion when questioned about his knowledge of such establishments. Inside, he violently slams a man's head into a glass table for selling fake jewelry, cutting his own wrist in the process. Eveline surprisingly tends to his wound, revealing a momentary tenderness beneath her hardened exterior.
Their charged interaction is interrupted when Liam enters and condescendingly dismisses Eveline. She responds by threatening Liam with a letter opener against his crotch until he apologizes, demonstrating her dangerous nature. Nicholas realizes with chilling certainty that Eveline Westerly is not someone who can be saved.
Later, Farrell Westerly assigns Nicholas to accompany Eveline on her rounds. In her Range Rover, their sexual tension builds as they exchange barbs. When they arrive at Anderson's sub shop, Eveline reveals her true nature by violently confronting Benny, a middleman who's short on his payment. She strikes him across the face, splattering blood on his papers, and threatens his life and family until he reveals he has money to "make up the difference."
When Nicholas asks how much they're taking from Benny's safe, Eveline coldly replies, "All of it," ignoring Benny's pleas about having children to feed. She pistol-whips him one final time, stating, "I just don't fucking care."
Alone afterward in The Yellow Brick's basement counting money, Nicholas finds himself conflicted about Eveline-attracted yet repulsed by who she truly is. Their argument escalates until he grabs her throat in frustration. Instead of fighting back, she spits in his face, snapping his last thread of restraint. He sweeps everything off the table and drags her onto it, kissing her fiercely.
In that moment, Nicholas forgets everything-how inappropriate this is, what she stands for, even the wire hidden around his neck recording everything. Their encounter becomes rough and passionate as he tastes her, brings her to orgasm with his mouth, then takes her on the table covered in cash. She flips them over, riding him until they both climax intensely.
Afterward, she immediately hardens, declaring it "a mistake" before disappearing, leaving Nicholas alone with conflicted emotions he can't understand. This pattern of violent attraction and emotional withdrawal characterizes their relationship-a dangerous liaison built on deception and desire that threatens to consume them both.
5장
Ghosts of the Past
Every Sunday after Mass, Eveline makes the forty-five minute drive to Quads Cemetery to visit Nessa's memorial. Though her body was never recovered after what was called an "accident," this place makes her feel closest to her mother.
Sitting on the cold grass, she wraps her arms around her knees as memories flood back-Nessa defending her when Dorothy mocked her homemade witch costume one Halloween. Dorothy had appeared in a specially made fairy princess costume while Eveline stood in her handmade witch outfit, feeling inadequate as their mother fawned over Dorothy and ignored her. When Dorothy cruelly dismissed her, Nessa reassured her she was a good witch, though something dark twisted inside Eveline as she declared, "No, I'm the bad one." That was the last Halloween before their mother left them.
Her solitude is interrupted when Zeke sits beside her, reminiscing about Nessa before surprising her with talk about her father: "Your father's been good to me... but a man can be successful and still fail where it matters." His parting words leave her unsettled: "If you were like her, then there wouldn't be a you."
Meanwhile, Nicholas meets with his colleague Seth at a rundown motel outside Kinland, sharing intelligence about an upcoming drop. Seth reveals he deleted half of yesterday's wire recording-the part where Nicholas had sex with Eveline on top of a pile of money. "You're putting both of us on the line with this shit," he says, questioning Nicholas's judgment.
Defensively, Nicholas convinces him this is strategic: "She's our in. If I have to fuck her so she trusts me, then that's what I'll do." Seth seems satisfied, calling him a "heartless bastard," but guilt weighs heavily on Nicholas as he reminds himself that Eveline is the enemy-not his friend, not his lover, not anything to him.
The ghosts of their pasts haunt both Eveline and Nicholas-her mother's death and her sister's betrayal, his commitment to his job and the memory of his own mother's addiction. These specters shape their actions and drive them toward an inevitable collision, where truth and deception become increasingly difficult to distinguish.
6장
Unmasking Truths
While driving with Eveline, Nicholas asks about her notebook, surprised to learn she writes poetry. When he quotes Keats, her favorite poet, she's shocked by his knowledge. He reluctantly shares that his mother loved poetry and would read to him as a child. For a brief moment, they connect as she takes his hand and says words comforted her too.
This rare moment of vulnerability is shattered when they arrive at their destination in a rough neighborhood. Eveline storms into a house ahead of Nicholas, where he finds her holding a gun to a man's head. In his distraction with Eveline, Nicholas makes a critical mistake-he mentioned his mother might be alive, when his undercover persona Brayden Walsh's mother supposedly died of cancer.
Later, Eveline forces the man to swallow cut heroin powder, demanding to know who ordered him to tamper with their drugs. He reveals it was Liam who wanted to set aside cash so they could escape the Westerly operation. When he jerks forward unexpectedly, her knife slices his throat, killing him.
Eveline slips away from the mansion into the woods, following a path of crumbling yellow bricks to a small cottage-her private escape. Nicholas follows her there, and when she confronts him with her gun, he claims he wanted to check on her. Despite her nonchalance about the killings, she admits she's not upset about killing them-she's mad that she lost control.
In this hidden cottage, they share another intimate encounter, with Nicholas kneeling before her, telling her to "take it back"-her control. Afterward, they share a tender moment with his arms around her, and she feels almost happy-until he leaves an hour later, saying he needs to get Dorothy, shattering the contentment she'd briefly found.
Growing suspicious, Eveline calls her friend Cody to verify "Brayden's" story about his mother's death. When Cody confirms she died of cancer when Brayden was eighteen-not the overdose story he told her-pure rage consumes her. "That motherfucker lied to me again," she seethes.
As layers of deception are peeled away, both Eveline and Nicholas find themselves increasingly entangled in a web of lies and half-truths. Each revelation brings them closer to a reckoning that neither may survive intact.
7장
Stormy Waters
The charity gala "On the Water" becomes a pivotal moment in their relationship, held on the same yacht where Eveline's sister was last seen alive. Eveline hasn't been near water since Nessa's death and feels vulnerable without her gun.
Finding her alone on deck, Nicholas sees her terrified of the water, eyes closed and knuckles white on the railing. He wraps her in his jacket and recites Keats-her favorite-to calm her. As she relaxes against him, he promises to protect her, though he knows it's a lie.
Their moment is interrupted by Dorothy, who appears with champagne and a sinister smile, cruelly reminding them this is where their sister died. When Dorothy claims Nessa "slipped," Eveline attacks her, clawing at her throat until Nicholas pulls her off. Eveline screams at Dorothy to take off her red sparkly shoes-Nessa's shoes-then turns to Nicholas with a feral look, asking for his gun.
When Dorothy throws the shoes overboard, Eveline nearly jumps after them before Nicholas pulls her back. Dorothy confesses she didn't mean to kill Nessa, but is happy she did.
Nicholas carries Eveline off the boat, and she calmly states she's still going to kill Dorothy. He drives her back to Kinland, holding her hand the entire two-hour journey. At the Westerly estate, she asks him to stay, and they crash together in desperate passion.
Days later, after hiding in her cottage greenhouse, Eveline impulsively confesses her love to "Brayden." His response is physical-passionate kisses-as he shares small details about himself. Just as she waits for him to say more, Zeke calls and "Brayden" rushes out, leaving her vulnerable and exposed.
Guilt consumes Nicholas after Eveline's confession of love. He fled using Zeke's call as an excuse, terrified of both revealing his true identity and lying about his feelings. Outside, he literally bumps into Dorothy, who inadvertently reveals the shocking truth-Eveline is the drug supplier he's been hunting.
This revelation shatters him. As he sits in his car before meeting his DEA handler Seth, he's torn between his growing feelings for Eveline and his lifelong mission to take down drug suppliers who destroyed his own childhood. Despite the pain tearing him apart, he makes the devastating choice to do his job and turn her in.
8장
The Final Betrayal
After "Brayden" rushes out following her love confession, Eveline refuses to let him escape. She chases after him, determined to make him face her. When she reaches the estate, she sees him driving away and immediately jumps into her Range Rover to follow him.
She follows him to Kinland Heights where he stops at a motel. After waiting for hours, she watches him meet a man named Seth. When she overhears their conversation, she's devastated to learn "Brayden" is actually "Nick"-and he's a federal agent. Confronting them both with her gun drawn, she forces him to admit the truth. When he positions himself to protect his partner rather than her, she walks away, numb with betrayal.
Nicholas's cover blown, he's pulled from the case, conflicted about whether to reveal everything he knows about Eveline. At his real office, he meets with Seth to resign from the agency. They're surprised to meet Agent Baum from the FBI and Oscar Norman, the mayor of Kinland, who has been cooperating against both crime families.
Two days after discovering "Brayden's" true identity, Eveline is devastated. At Nessa's grave, she tears apart her poetry notebook and burns the pages, determined to stop living for others-including her sister. Back at the estate, she confronts Zeke about his betrayal. He admits making a deal with authorities to avoid his father's fate.
In a final act of vengeance, Eveline lures Dorothy to the greenhouse under the pretense of teaching her the family business. As Dorothy examines the lab, Eveline prepares liquid opium while reminiscing about her cruel comment about Nessa. When Dorothy calls Nessa "a bitch," Eveline injects her with opium, punches her in the face, and secures her with zip ties.
She drags Dorothy's unconscious body through the poppy fields and hangs her by her bound wrists from a hook, setting up a barrel of hydrofluoric acid beneath her. When her father arrives, she confronts him about knowing Dorothy killed Nessa. During their confrontation, Zeke appears, and her father attacks her, strangling her until Zeke shoots him dead. Dorothy is fully submerged in the acid, both she and her father dead.
9장
Redemption Through Love
After killing Dorothy and her father, Eveline prepares to leave the cottage-the only place that ever felt like hers. While packing, her friend Cody arrives unexpectedly in a suit. When she notices his gun, he suddenly handcuffs her, revealing he's been an undercover cop all along.
Just as he's gloating, Nicholas appears and shoots Cody in the head. He uncuffs Eveline and urges her to escape through the underground tunnel before federal agents arrive. He confesses his love: "You're not perfect... you're perfect for me." He begs her to run so that someday they might have another chance, saying "I am so fucking in love with you that I can't imagine living in a world that doesn't have you in it."
Nicholas stays behind to face the arriving federal agents, telling them Eveline escaped and Agent Baum is dead. The next day, he resigns from his position, telling his supervisor this life is no longer his dream.
For four months, Nicholas struggles without Eveline, eventually hiring a PI who locates her in a small coastal town in Ireland. Twelve months and seventeen days after helping her escape, he finally goes to find her. He follows her to the cliffs overlooking the ocean, where she's writing in a notebook.
When he approaches her, she recognizes him immediately, and despite everything, smiles. He introduces himself formally as she once asked him to: "I'm Nicholas Tennyson Woodsworth." When she teases him about being a stalker, he pulls her close.
She draws her new gun and places it under his chin, asking him for his words. He recites poetry to her, ending with "I am to see to it that I do not lose you." He professes his love, and when she asks if he loves "every wretched piece" of me, he answers, "Every single one." Behind them, a storm rolls in with a rainbow dipping into the water below.
In this final scene, both characters find redemption through their love for each other-a love that transcends their dark pasts and the violence that defined them. Despite all the betrayal, murder, and deception, they choose each other, accepting every "wretched piece" of their complicated souls. The rainbow emerging from the storm symbolizes their journey from darkness to light, suggesting that even the most damaged hearts can find healing in the right kind of love.
10장
A Modern Dark Fairy Tale
*Wretched* reimagines the familiar characters from The Wizard of Oz in startling new ways. Eveline (the Wicked Witch) isn't born evil but is shaped by trauma and betrayal. Dorothy isn't the innocent farm girl but a manipulative murderer who killed their sister Nessa (Glinda). The Yellow Brick Road becomes a crumbling path to Eveline's secret cottage, while The Yellow Brick strip club serves as a hub for criminal activity.
McIntire weaves literary references throughout the narrative, particularly poetry that becomes a lifeline for both protagonists. Keats, Dickinson, Shakespeare, and Whitman provide the emotional vocabulary for characters who struggle to express their feelings directly. These poetic interludes create moments of beauty amid the violence and betrayal that dominate their world.
The novel explores how childhood trauma shapes adult behavior. Eveline's relationship with her mother Nessa, who favored Dorothy, created deep-seated insecurities. Nicholas's mother's addiction drove his career choice and his inability to trust. Both characters wear masks-his literal undercover identity, her facade of coldness-to protect themselves from further hurt.
Despite its dark themes, *Wretched* ultimately offers hope through its exploration of redemption. Both protagonists commit terrible acts, yet find in each other the possibility of acceptance and love. Their relationship, built initially on lies and manipulation, transforms into something genuine when they finally see and accept each other's true selves.
The novel challenges readers to question traditional notions of good and evil. Is Eveline truly wicked, or is she a product of her circumstances? Is Nicholas heroic for fighting drug dealers, or hypocritical for falling in love with one? By blurring these moral lines, McIntire creates a nuanced exploration of human nature that transcends simple categorization.
In this modern dark fairy tale, there are no ruby slippers to click three times and return home. Instead, home becomes wherever these damaged souls can find acceptance-in each other's arms, on the cliffs of Ireland, far from the violence and betrayal that defined their past. The rainbow that appears in the final scene suggests not that they've found the end of their troubles, but that they've weathered the storm together and emerged, if not unscathed, then at least united.
