Chapter 2
Charlotte signed herself up for a brutal challenge to lose twenty-two pounds in ten days.
The first rule of her weight loss mission is eating less. So when Victor texted her about dinner, she left him hanging.
The clock was ticking, and the pressure was on. Charlotte scribbled a countdown on a sticky note: 10 days.
Victor's voice floated over from behind, "Ten days left on the countdown? Charlotte, is there something important coming up, or do you know something?"
Charlotte turned around, pressing her lips together as she met his gaze.
When she saw the probing look in his eyes, her heart still twisted with pain.
Her voice turned a little colder as she replied, "What am I supposed to know?"
Victor paused for a moment, gave a soft laugh, and leaned in to kiss her cheek.
Victor said, "It's good you don't know.
"I've got a surprise planned for you in ten days."
As he spoke, he pulled out a custom-made, peach-colored lace dress. The elegant skirt and the flawless, cinched waistline would make anyone fall in love with it.
But Charlotte couldn't bring herself to like it.
The dress had a large cutout at the waist, which would show off every bit of her stomach.
"You'll wear this dress when the time comes," Victor said, sizing it up against her.
Charlotte took the dress and checked the size on the tag—M.
Her current size was XL. She couldn't imagine the struggle it'd take to fit into that dress.
Even if she somehow managed to squeeze in, she'd end up embarrassing herself in front of everyone.
Annoyance and discomfort churned inside her, but she kept quiet and didn't say no.
"Alright," Charlotte replied, her tone resigned.
"If you like it, that's all that matters," she said quietly, keeping her head down. "And when the time comes, I've got a big surprise for you, too."
Victor didn't press her for details.
He couldn't wait to have dinner with Sophie.
He stopped by the alley outside their old school and picked up some bread.
That was Charlotte's least favorite food.
She'd mentioned last time that she wasn't into bread.
But Victor seemed to forget all about that.
Trying to hide his feelings, he went overboard and got all sorts of her favorite snacks.
He ended up stacking the table with a mountain of food.
But when Sophie rolled up in her wheelchair, the first thing she noticed was the bread. Her face lit up with excitement, and she called out, "Is that the bread I like most? I've been craving it for ages."
That's when it finally dawned on Charlotte.
Victor had only gone out for the bread.
The rest was an afterthought.
Sophie reached out for the bread and stopped mid-reach as if she'd remembered something and looked at Charlotte.
"Charlotte, could I have some?" Sophie asked.
She looked so careful, as if she were worried she'd get in trouble for asking.
Sophie didn't dare to look up, her head bowed, looking almost too scared to meet Charlotte's eyes.
"No need to be nervous," Victor said, grabbing the bread and passing it to Charlotte with a grin.
"Charlotte won't bite. Right, Charlotte?" she added.
Victor gave Charlotte's shoulder a gentle squeeze as he introduced Sophie. He started, "Sophie is my childhood friend. She's like a little sister to me. She's been getting treatment overseas ever since the accident."
Charlotte caught a whiff of the bread, and the smell made her stomach turn. She just nodded.
She was staring at a table piled high with all her old favorite foods.
But now, she didn't feel like eating any of it.
Guess this was how the weight loss journey began.
Charlotte forced herself to nibble on her dry and flavorless salad.
Mean whispers and gossip kept floating over from nearby tables.
"She's probably a XXXL, look at all that flab."
"Doesn't she feel ashamed sitting across from such a stunner? The comparison is brutal."
"Is that her boyfriend sitting next to her? Is he blind or what? How does a guy with that much charm end up with a girl who is so big?"
The harsh whispers kept stabbing at her, and Charlotte gripped her fork so tightly that her hands ached. She felt like she was about to break down right there.
Victor acted as if he didn't notice and asked, "Why aren't you eating? Come on, have some more.
"Isn't this your favorite cake from this place?"
Charlotte stared at the chocolate cake, a complete calorie bomb, her mouth half open and frozen.
If only she could say that she'd never liked chocolate, not once.
She preferred cheesecake.
But Victor always ordered her chocolate cake instead.
Was it because it was packed with calories and would make me gain weight faster?
Suddenly, Sophie looked over and beamed at her.
Sophie teased with a cheerful grin, "Charlotte, you look like you've gotten a lot chubbier.
"So this is what people mean by happy weight, huh?
"I'm jealous of you. If a guy ever treated me that well, I'd probably let myself get a little chubby, too."
The sharp prongs of the fork pressed painfully into Charlotte's palm.
Charlotte wasn't buying any of it.
If he didn't love you and was fattening you up out of spite, turning you into a pig for revenge, would you want that?
Was that supposed to be happiness?
Blood started to bead from her palm, jolting Charlotte back to reality. She looked down in shock as Sophie gasped, "Your hand."
Victor jumped up right away and said, "I'll go get a Band-Aid."
As soon as Victor turned away, Sophie rolled her wheelchair over, squeezed Charlotte's hand, and accidentally drove the fork deeper into her palm.
Charlotte yelped in pain and, without thinking, pushed Sophie away.
Before she could process what happened, there was a loud thud. Sophie hit the floor hard.
Curled up on the ground with her useless leg trailing behind, Sophie looked terrified and pitiful.
"I-I'm sorry. I shouldn't have come near you. I don't deserve to be here," Sophie whimpered.
All eyes in the room turned their way in an instant.