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.

Three months later, Jason and I held our wedding as scheduled.

The wedding dress had been tailored for a 100-pound figure. I couldn’t fit into it, so I grabbed a red gown and changed into that instead.

The moment Jason saw me, his face twisted in disbelief.

“Jenna! It’s been three months, and you didn’t lose a single pound. You got even fatter. You’re like a pig now. You’ve completely disappointed me. You don’t deserve to be my bride!”

I was back to one hundred and twenty-one pounds.

I wasn’t fat at all. He was just ridiculously picky, so he kept tearing me down.

His relatives gathered around, whispering and pointing.

“Didn’t you say your fiancée had a great figure? Big chest and nice hips? Why does she look like this? How much does she eat every day?”

Even his parents looked at me with open disdain.

“I told my neighbors Jason found a girl from the city, said she was beautiful. Look at her waist. Where’s the elegance in that?”

This wasn’t my first time meeting his parents.

The first time I met his parents, I went back to his hometown with him.

Their house was old and run-down.

From the moment I arrived, his parents picked me apart. The tonic I brought wasn’t good enough, and the liquor I bought wasn’t the right kind.

Over dinner, his parents said, “People where we’re from don’t believe in taking money from the groom’s family. It seems like selling your daughter. You understand that, right? You’re a modern woman.”

“And besides, you’re an orphan. Your family can’t contribute anything for the wedding. How can you take money from us?”

Jason always told me how hard his parents had it, so I should be more understanding. I swallowed everything I could.

I even thought I’d been lacking in manners.

Back then, I was naïve. I thought as long as Jason loved me, that was enough.

Looking back now, it was laughable.

They’d already been tearing me down before I even married into the family.

Good thing I never actually married him. Otherwise, I would’ve walked straight into hell.

I spread my hands casually. “If you think I’m too fat, then call off the wedding.”

I’d always been the obedient type. Seeing my indifferent attitude, Jason snapped instantly.

“Jenna, what’s that supposed to mean? You think just because the invitations are sent and the venue’s booked, this wedding is set in stone? You think you can do whatever you want now? Dream on. There’s a line of women chasing me. A fat pig like you? I don’t want you anymore!”

I crossed my arms. “Then don’t. Just don’t regret it.”

“The only thing I’d regret is marrying a pig like you!” Jason let out a sharp laugh. Then he grabbed the microphone and announced it to everyone.

“Sorry to make a scene, everyone. I’m switching brides today. My new bride is the maid of honor. In terms of looks and body, she’s a thousand times better than Jenna Tanner.

“Everyone here can be my witness. I’m done with Jenna. Even if she comes crawling back to beg me, I’ll never take her back.”

My smile deepened, but I said nothing.

The guests started whispering.

“The maid of honor? Isn’t that the bride’s best friend?”

“The bride isn’t even ugly, and she’s not fat either. If he’s switching brides on the spot, the maid of honor must be stunning.”

Jason shot me a smug look.

“Chloe, come on out. It’s time for us to get married.”

Under everyone’s eager gaze, Chloe slowly walked in from outside.

But the moment they saw her, the entire room froze.

Eyes widened. Faces filled with shock.

Jason’s smug smile stiffened.

Then he doubled over and started vomiting uncontrollably.