My boyfriend thought I was too fat at 121 pounds.

I signed up for a gym and started working out like crazy, but the more I tried to lose weight, the more I gained.

Meanwhile, my best friend, Chloe Woods, was doing late-night eating streams every single day, stuffing herself with steaks, seafood, and greasy takeout. Not only did she not gain weight, she dropped from 154 pounds to 143.

When my boyfriend started tearing into me even worse than before, I suddenly heard the tabby cat’s voice in my head.

“You idiot. Chloe’s got you trapped in a weight-swap system.

“No matter how hard you try to lose weight, she’s the one getting thinner. Every pound you lose is a pound she drops. She’s trying to ruin you.”

I froze and turned to look at my best friend, Chloe.

She was staring at my boyfriend without even trying to hide it, her eyes full of admiration.

Then the tabby’s voice exploded in my ears again.

“Chloe is obsessed with that trashy loser. Once she gets skinny, the two of them will hook up. Then they'll team up to get you killed and spend your settlement money living a happy life.”

The moment I learned the truth, I smiled.

Since my so-called best friend wanted to be skinny that badly, if I made her whole body weigh less than 50 pounds, she’d probably be very grateful to me, right?

My boyfriend, Jason Miller, kept going, his voice full of contempt.

“Can you stop eating already? You’ve got a double chin now. You look like a pig. And you seriously think I’m supposed to propose to you looking like that?

“I’m telling you right now, if you don’t get down to 100 pounds, forget about marriage.”

I looked at myself in the mirror, still trying to steady myself after the shock of hearing a cat’s thoughts.

I was five foot six and weighed a hundred and twenty-one pounds. That was a perfectly healthy, normal weight. But the way Jason talked, you’d think I was huge.

I’d loved him so much before that I really had tried to lose weight.

I was eating one meal a day. I was working out like crazy. I was practically starving and exhausting myself just to slim down, all because I wanted his approval.

And not only did he not care, he kept mocking me the whole time.

It was ice-cold.

Chloe stuffed the imported fruit I’d bought into her bag and chimed right in.

“Exactly. Jenna, it’s not just the double chin now. Your arms are getting thick too. You’ve got way too much flab. Honestly, I feel like you could punch Jason to death at this point.

“You sure this whole diet thing isn’t just talk? Are you secretly sneaking good food behind everyone’s back?

“If you keep getting fatter, Jason’s really going to dump you. And when that happens, don’t come crying to me.”

Before I could say a word, the tabby’s voice exploded in my head again.

“What a vicious little bitch. The only reason my owner can’t lose weight is because you bound her to that stupid weight-swap system!

“Every pound my owner loses goes straight onto you, and every pound you gain from stuffing your face gets dumped onto her. That’s why the more she diets, the fatter she gets!

“Owner, you may be the minor side character in this story, but you’ve actually got amazing luck. You have to stay away from this trashy man and this scheming witch. Not only are they going to get you killed, after you die they’ll use your money to start a company and end up on top!”

Listening to the cat’s furious rant, then seeing the gloating look on Chloe’s face, something twisted hard in my chest.

I’d known Chloe since high school.

We’d been friends for ten years. We graduated, struggled, and built our lives side by side.

When she needed money, I gave it to her.

When she had nowhere to stay, I took her in.

When she had emotional breakdowns, I was the one who stayed up comforting her.

I’d really thought we were inseparable.

I never imagined she’d stab me in the back like this.

But if all of this was true, then now was not the right time to turn on them.

“Jenna, are you deaf or what? Why aren’t you saying anything?” Jason snapped, already annoyed.

I swallowed my anger and smiled.

“I heard you. I’ll work hard and lose the weight. Don’t worry.”

“Really?” Chloe’s eyes lit up. “Then do it right. 100 pounds is the prettiest weight for you.”

She kept stressing the number, and my eyes went cold.

But on purpose, I wrapped myself around Jason’s arm and spoke in a sweet, clingy voice.

“Of course. If my boyfriend wants me to lose weight, then I’ll be a good girl and lose weight. Otherwise, how am I supposed to become his beautiful bride?”

Jason nodded, satisfied.

Chloe’s face darkened instantly, and her eyes filled with jealousy.

The next second, she grabbed me and yanked me to my feet.

“Enough, Jenna. Don’t act all lovey-dovey in front of me. You’re so fat right now, aren’t you afraid you’ll crush your boyfriend?

“Why don’t you focus on an actual weight loss plan instead of gaining even more?”

I let her drag me, my gaze turning colder.

The jealousy was so obvious. How had I never noticed it before? How stupid had I been?

I shook her hand off. “I’ve already hired a private nutritionist. I also signed up for Pilates. I’m tackling both diet and body shaping. I’ll slim down fast.”

Jason’s interest sparked instantly.

“Pilates is great. I heard it really shapes your body. You know, curves in all the right places, tiny waist…” He clicked his tongue. “Jenna, you’re not bad-looking to begin with. If you get a killer body, that’ll really boost your appeal. I’ll look good taking you out too, so you better work hard.”

Chloe smiled, but there was something off about it.

I took in every expression on their faces.

Whatever love I had left disappeared.

All that remained was disgust and hatred.

I wanted to slap them both.

One of them constantly tearing me down, acting like I was beneath him. A shallow, broke loser with a superiority complex.

The other secretly manipulating things behind my back, stealing my weight, flirting with my boyfriend, and eventually teaming up with him to kill me just so she could enjoy my money.

What a perfect pair.

Since fate had given me a glimpse of the future, I was going to use it.

They were going to pay.

The next day, I started my weight loss plan.

Chloe dragged me out before sunrise for a run. Right after that, she happily went to grab burger and donuts for breakfast.

I ran in the morning, worked all day, then pushed myself even harder at the gym at night.

My legs trembled from exhaustion. Hunger made my vision blur.

By the time I finally got home and collapsed on my bed, I checked my phone.

Jason had been liking and commenting on some girl’s posts.

“Hey cutie, wanna hang out? I’m single. I’ve got a one-month business trip coming up, so I’ve got plenty of free time.”

My stomach churned with anger and disgust. I tossed the phone aside.

So it wasn’t just Chloe. He’d been cheating behind my back too.

If it weren’t for the tabby’s voice, I would’ve still been in the dark.

Without hesitation, I gave the tabby two big chicken drumsticks.

And just like that, I heard its thoughts again.

“Waaah, these drumsticks are amazing. My owner is so pretty and kind!

“But my silly, beautiful owner, you can’t keep dieting like this. You’re working yourself to the bone, and in the end it’s all benefiting that evil woman!”

I listened quietly, then pulled the tabby into my arms and kissed it.

There was no need to worry. The real show hadn’t even started yet.

After a month of extreme dieting, I suggested going to an all-you-can-eat buffet.

But I’d gained a noticeable amount of weight.

I tried on several dresses I used to love. Some wouldn’t go over my hips. Others tore at the waist.

Jason had just come back from his business trip. The moment he saw me, his face went dark with anger.

“Eat, eat, eat. That’s all you ever do. You’ve been dieting for over a month, and you went from 121 to 143? Your neck is practically merging with your face!

“I told you to lose weight. Why are you getting fatter instead?”

Chloe walked over, swaying her hips, covering her mouth in fake shock.

“Jenna, I told you not to slack off when dieting. Look at you. You spent all that money and got zero results. You’re so irresponsible.

“Unlike me. I didn’t even join a gym. I eat a ton every day, I even do late-night eating streams, and I still lost twenty pounds. It’s honestly so annoying.”

I looked at Chloe.

She’d lost a lot of weight lately. Her face had slimmed down, and her already tall, slender figure looked even more defined. With her collarbones and toned midsection showing, she carried herself with a whole new kind of confidence.

With makeup, her small eyes actually gave her that soft, delicate kind of pretty.

I pretended not to notice the smug look on her face and sighed in frustration.

“I don’t even know what’s going on. I barely eat anything every day, and my trainer works out with me. Why haven’t I lost any weight at all?”

Seeing how defeated I looked, Chloe couldn’t hide her smile anymore.

“Maybe it’s just fate. I’m one of those lucky people. No matter how much fried chicken or burgers I eat, I still lose weight.”

“Right, Jason?”

Jason was a practical man.

He used to brush Chloe off, but now that she looked noticeably better, even his tone softened.

“Yeah. Chloe, with a body like yours, anyone would look good bringing you out.”

After exchanging looks with her, he turned back to me and started pressuring me again.

“Jenna, look at yourself, then look at Chloe. As a woman, can you have some self-awareness? You’re this fat and you still think your life has meaning?

“I’m warning you, lose the weight. If you can’t even fit into your wedding dress and end up embarrassing me at the wedding, don’t blame me if I stop being nice about it.

“You’re not allowed to eat at the buffet tonight. I’m taking Chloe instead. Once you actually lose the weight, I’ll take you.”

Chloe flipped her hair. “Exactly. Jenna, stay home and work out tonight. If you don’t have the natural advantage, then you just have to work twice as hard.”

I didn’t respond.

The tabby bared its teeth in my head, ranting furiously.

“You shameless witch. You stole my owner’s weight and you still have the nerve to act like this!”

“And you, you trashy loser. You don’t even have as much money as my owner. What gives you the right to talk to her like that? Without her, you wouldn’t even know where your next meal is coming from!”

I couldn’t help but laugh.

After watching them leave, I picked up the tabby and kissed it over and over.

“It’s okay, baby. It’s too early to say who’s going to win.”

A week later, I was at work when my home security system alerted me that someone had entered my room.

Jason and I were about to get married, but I insisted on sleeping in separate rooms.

He never went into mine.

So I pulled up the footage.

There was Chloe, rummaging through my closet.

In the end, she pulled out the silk nightgown I’d always been reluctant to wear.

Without hesitation, she stripped off her clothes and slipped into it, staring at herself in the mirror as she murmured,

“If we’re going to chase excitement, we might as well go all the way.”

When Jason walked in, she hiked up the hem of the nightgown and lay back on my bed, her legs crossed deliberately.

“Jason, do you want to kiss my legs?”

Jason walked over with a grin. “You’re such a tease.”

The next second, the two of them were tangled together, rolling around on my bed.

A vein throbbed at my temple.

This bed was filthy now.

It had to go. Otherwise, I’d throw up just looking at it.

After they were done, Chloe curled up in his arms, acting spoiled.

“Jason, what if Jenna fails to lose the weight? I’ll be standing next to her as the maid of honor, looking way prettier than her. Do you think she’ll feel embarrassed?”

Jason kissed her, unwilling to let go.

“Embarrassed? Do I owe her anything? Haven’t I given her enough chances? What man doesn’t like a beautiful woman? I want her to succeed at losing weight. What’s wrong with that?

“If she shows up at the wedding looking like a pig and makes me lose face, then that’s on her. I’ll just switch brides on the spot. She won’t have the right to say a word.

“When that happens, I’ll marry you instead. You’d be willing, right?”

Chloe wrapped her arms around his neck. “Of course I would.”

They smiled at each other, then tangled together again, like they shared some unspoken understanding.

I smiled too.

"Yes. Stay smug like this. The higher you climb, the exciting it’ll feel when you come crashing down." I mocked.