Daniel had even gotten a new haircut. All in all, he looked pretty handsome now.

Acting like I couldn't see the smug look in his eyes, I pretended to grumble in frustration, "I don't know how this happened either. I barely eat anything all day, and my coach supervises me each time I exercise, so why haven't I lost any weight?"

Daniel could barely stop himself from grinning at the sight of my defeatedness and despair.

"Maybe it's just fate. I was probably born lucky. No matter how much fried chicken and burgers I eat every day, I still manage to slim down and keep the weight off. Don't you think so, Maddie?" he remarked.

Madison was a pragmatic woman—almost to a fault, really. Even though she'd always scorned Daniel in the past, now that he looked a lot more attractive, she began speaking to him in a much gentler tone.

"That's right, Danny. With a body like yours, any woman would feel proud to be by your side in public."

After the two exchanged a flirtatious glance, she began to put pressure on me again.

"Take a look at yourself, Greg! Compare yourself to Danny. Shouldn't guys have a bit more self-awareness? Aren't you ashamed of being as fat as you are?" she snapped. "I'm warning you. You'd better lose the weight. Or else, if you can't even get into your wedding suit and end up embarrassing me at the wedding, I won't go easy on you!

"Also, you can forget about the buffet tonight. Danny can go with me instead. Lose the weight first, then I'll agree to let you take me to a buffet."

Daniel flicked his hair. "Exactly, Greg. Stay home and exercise hard tonight. Since you weren't blessed with a good physique, you're just going to have to work twice as hard to stay slim."

I didn't respond.

However, Furball bared his teeth and ranted in his head. "You horrible man! You're the one who stole my master's weight-loss efforts, yet you're being all snarky toward him. You shameless, terrible man!

"And I haven't forgotten about you, you awful woman! How dare you boss my master around when you rely on him for money, huh? Without him, you won't even be able to keep yourself alive!"

I couldn't help but laugh.

Once I saw that Madison and Daniel had left the house, I scooped up Furball and started kissing him again. "It's alright, Furball. It's too early to see who's going to have the last laugh."

A week later, I was at work when the phone app for the surveillance system I installed at the house suddenly alerted me that someone had entered my room.

Even though Madison and I were about to get married, I insisted on sleeping in separate bedrooms. She usually never entered my room, so I had to check the footage to see what was going on.

I ended up seeing that it was Daniel who'd snuck into my room and was digging through my closet. In the end, he pulled out a set of luxurious men's pajamas that I'd been too reluctant to wear this whole time.

He had no qualms about stripping himself naked and putting the pajamas on. As he stared at his reflection in the mirror, he muttered, "Since we want to make things exciting, we should go all the way."

When Madison came in, he even unbuttoned the pajama top before lying down on my bed. "Maddie, do you want to feel my abs?"

Smirking, she walked over to him and said, "What a naughty boy you are."

The two of them were soon wrapped in each other's arms, rolling across my bed.

The veins along my forehead started throbbing. The bed had been defiled now. I had to throw it out at once, or I wouldn't be able to stop myself from puking.

Once they'd done the deed, Daniel continued to hold Madison close. "Maddie, what do you think will happen if Greg fails to lose weight? I'm his best man, and I'll look far more handsome when I stand beside him. Will he feel embarrassed because of that?"

Madison kissed him passionately before replying, "As if he'd had the audacity to feel embarrassed by that. It's not like I never gave him any chances. All women adore handsome and attractive men. What's so wrong about me wanting him to lose all that excess weight?

"If he's still as fat as a pig by the time the wedding comes along and ends up embarrassing me, then he's the one who's in the wrong. I'll just find myself a new groom, and he won't have any right to get mad at me for that.

"When the time comes, I'll just marry you instead. Are you okay with that?"

Daniel hugged her tightly. "Of course I'll be happy to marry you."

The two of them exchanged a smile before getting it on again. They seemed to share a kind of tacit understanding about the situation.

I was also smiling to myself.

This was precisely what I wanted to see. The more smug and delighted they were now, the more satisfying it'd be for me once it all blew up in their faces later on.

Three months later, the wedding ceremony proceeded as planned. My wedding suit had been made to fit me if I weighed 140 pounds, which Madison considered to be my ideal weight. Since it didn't fit me now, I just changed into a random suit instead.

When Madison saw me, she could hardly believe her eyes.

"Greg! It's been three months, and you haven't lost a single pound—you've actually ballooned into a pig. I'm so disappointed in you. You don't deserve to be my groom!"

In reality, I'd already dropped back down to 160 pounds, which was a perfectly healthy weight. I wasn't fat in the slightest. She was just being overly critical of me and insisted on tearing me down like this.

Meanwhile, all of her relatives from the countryside had also crowded around to make comments about me.

"Madison, didn't you say your fiance was tall and handsome? Why is he so fat? How much does he eat at home every day?"

Madison's parents, the Hodges, were eyeing me disdainfully as well.

"I even bragged to our neighbors that Maddie found herself a handsome city boy, but look at that belly of his! He's the farthest thing from handsome!"

This wasn't my first time meeting the Hodges. We first met when I followed Madison back to her hometown.

Her family home was a shabby house filled with clutter.

Meanwhile, her parents picked on me in every way possible. They complained that the coffee I brought wasn't the most expensive kind, and the wine wasn't the most premium quality on the market.

During our meal together, her parents also informed me, "In our town, it's customary for the groom to give the bride's family a sum of cash as a sign of his commitment to the marriage. The marriage won't happen without it. You understand what we're saying, right?

"Maddie is our only daughter. If we don't follow the customs, word will get around, and our family's reputation will be affected."

Later on, when it was time for Madison and me to return to the city, her parents simply sent us off with a bag of cheap snacks from the gas station.

Madison kept telling me that her parents had a hard time raising her. She told me to try to be more understanding toward them, so I put up with it as best I could.

Thinking that I hadn't prepared enough for the wedding, I also gave the Hodges the cash they wanted.

After all, I'd naively believed that Madison loved me. Her love was all I needed.

Thinking about it now, I found the entire situation ridiculous. Even before we got married, she and her family had already teamed up to gaslight and brainwash me.

Thank goodness I wasn't going to marry Madison. Otherwise, my life would definitely turn into a living hell.

Shrugging indifferently, I declared, "If you think I'm too fat, go ahead and call off the wedding."

I'd always been the one who gave in to Madison at every turn, so my nonchalance now infuriated her.

"What do you mean by that, Greg? Don't tell me you think that just because it's almost time for the ceremony and all the guests have arrived, this marriage is a done deal, and you can do whatever you want. Quit dreaming! I've got men lining up the block to marry me, and I'm dumping you, you fat pig!"

I crossed my arms and said, "Go ahead and call it off. Just don't regret it."

"The only thing I'd regret is marrying a pig like you!" Madison screeched with an angry scoff before grabbing the microphone to make an announcement.

"I'm sorry for the scene, everyone, but I hereby declare that I'm switching grooms. I'll be marrying the best man instead. Not only is he handsome, but he has an incredible figure as well. He's a thousand times better than this pig, Greg Jefferson!

"I call upon all of you to act as my witness. From this moment onward, my relationship with Greg is over. Even if he comes begging like a dog for me to take him back, I won't change my mind!"

My smile deepened, and I said nothing.

The crowd began whispering among themselves.

"The best man? Isn't that the groom's best friend?"

"The groom looks pretty attractive to me. He's not fat either. But if the bride has decided to marry someone else instead, I'm guessing this best man must look like a god."

Madison shot me a smug look before calling out, "You can come out now, Danny. It's time for us to get married."

As the guests looked on in anticipation, Daniel, dressed as the best man, slowly came in.

However, the moment the crowd saw him, their eyes widened in shock. In fact, they looked horrified.

Even Madison's smile froze. Within seconds, she doubled over and started puking her guts out.