The Reality of Falling in Love with the Villain

On embracing our “Off to the Races” by Lana Del Rey fantasies.

Two people dressed in formal black attire dance in a dimly lit room. Photo by Preillumination SeTh on Unsplash.

It’s a trope in romance fiction: villain to lover. Someone who starts as your enemy becomes your love over the course of the story.

I get it. It’s hot, first of all. The fantasy of having your life threatened — which is far different from the reality —…