Chapter 1
Charlotte Rivers' birthday present was a set of intimate photos Victor Sterling posted publicly on social media.
In those pictures, her soft rolls spilled out of a black lace slip, her oily, unflattering body posed provocatively.
The comments section was flooded with hate.
One read: [So disgusting. Why would anyone post photos of someone that fat to show off their relationship? Does her boyfriend have a thing for ugly girls or what?]
But there was a time when she had been everyone's dream girl.
After Victor got sick and started gaining weight from steroids, she deliberately let herself get heavy too, hoping he wouldn't feel isolated or ashamed.
She believed that Victor was the only person who still accepted her.
That was before she stumbled onto Victor's secret account.
The message said: [Sophie, I've turned her into a gross pig. Anyone who sees her would be disgusted. Next time, I'll show her to you.]
So all along, Victor had been with her only to hurt her.
In ten days, she'd give him what he wanted.
*****
Charlotte's birthday present was a set of intimate photos.
To get these shots, Victor splurged on the most expensive gear and spent six months perfecting his skills.
Charlotte fidgeted, self-consciously trying to cover up the layers of fat on her body.
She muttered, "Maybe we shouldn't do this. I look terrible right now."
"You're not ugly at all," Victor reassured her.
Victor pressed a gentle kiss to the corner of her lips, his eyes brimming with tenderness.
He whispered, "Charlotte, all these curves make you cuter to me.
"If it weren't for me, you never would have changed like this.
"It's proof of how much you love me."
Three years ago, Victor got sick and was put on heavy steroids.
He ballooned up, falling into a deep slump.
He was so hung up on his looks that he wouldn't consider surgery.
To stick with him through thick and thin, Charlotte not only shaved off the long hair she'd kept for over a decade, but also stuffed herself with sweets, ballooning up as fast as she could.
With her by his side, Victor bounced back in no time and was back to his old self.
But she...
Charlotte lowered her head, uneasily pressing her lips together.
"What's wrong? Don't you like the gift I got you?" Victor asked.
For a split second, hurt flashed in Victor's eyes.
Charlotte surrendered.
She pressed her lips together, rose on her tiptoes, and gave him a soft kiss on the corner of his mouth.
She said softly, "I like it.
"I love everything you give me."
Victor's gentle kisses rained down on her like a storm.
She was soon breathless from his kisses.
Caught up at that moment, they ended up taking six or seven sets of intimate photos.
Wearing a white midriff-baring skirt, she showed off three layers of love handles around her waist.
Her waist bulged with rolls, spilling out of the tight black lace dress.
Her thighs, wrapped in white stockings, were marked with scary, jagged stretch marks.
One after another, those photos flooded the lovey-dovey social media page she shared with Victor.
Charlotte's mind buzzed, blown away.
Charlotte stared in disbelief, her eyes wide.
Her mind went blank as she scrolled through comment after comment, unable to stop.
[This is nasty.]
[Does she seriously not know how huge she is? Can she stop posting these cringe pics?]
[Her boyfriend has got nerves of steel. How does he kiss someone like her?]
Suddenly, a reply popped up in the comments: [Hey, keep it clean. Charlotte looks adorable like this.]
Charlotte's hands shook as she was about to tap on it.
But the reply vanished instantly.
Then, their joint account posted the same thing.
A sudden flash of intuition hit her. Relying on her memory, she quickly searched for the secret alt account Victor had accidentally logged into.
The account was called "Bullying Journal".
It chronicled how Sophie Lane was bullied throughout high school for three years.
The latest posts made it clear that someone else was now running the account.
The tone had turned blunt and distant.
[Sophie, I'll make her pay a thousand times over for everything you went through these past three years.
[When the power went out at work, I put up an "Out of Order" sign outside the bathroom. Just like what happened to you, she was stuck in there for a whole day and night.
[I shoved her into the pool, the same way she threw water on you back then. She nearly drowned, as you almost did.
[Didn't she always mock you in front of everyone for getting fat from your meds? So I pretended to be sick, and she bought it. She got all sentimental, saying she'd go through it with me. Now look at her. She's worse than a pig.]
*****
Charlotte was gasping for breath, her knees buckling as she struggled to stay upright.
Was the girl Victor had called the bully me?
Had he been out for revenge on me this whole time?
Charlotte suffered from claustrophobia, and being locked in that bathroom for a whole day and night had left her crying herself dry.
That time she fell into the pool, she lost their first child.
Even her getting fat was something he deliberately orchestrated.
He did all of it to disgrace her.
The latest post had gone up only an hour ago.
[Sophie, you'll come back, right?
[I want you to be there in person to witness me proposing to her in ten days.]
[On the happiest day of her life, I'm going to tear off that sickening act of hers and expose her for the fraud she is. That will be the hell of a show.
[The whole world is going to see her gross, flabby body on full display.
[Hope you'll be there to watch it all go down with me.]
Charlotte fixed her eyes on the phone screen, hopeless disbelief washing over her.
Suddenly, a message popped up.
It was from Victor.
He texted: [Hey Charlotte, a friend returned to town. She went to high school with you.]
[Her name is Sophie. Ring any bells? Want to join us for dinner tonight?]
Charlotte didn't reply.
Instead, with trembling hands, she opened another chat window.
She texted: [Is it possible to lose twenty-two pounds in ten days?
[I'll pay whatever it takes.]
There was no way in hell Charlotte was letting Victor hurt her ever again.
She had to lose twenty-two pounds in ten days.
This was her deadline to turn things around in style.
Also, it was the last time she would stay by Victor's side.