Chapter 1

My childhood sweetheart, James Carter, spent years feeding me sugary, greasy desserts, pushing me from 132 pounds all the way to 209 pounds so he could use my weight as an excuse to end our engagement.

All that time, I thought he was doing this out of love.

Until one day, I overheard him sitting around with his friends, saying, "If I don't fatten her up, what excuse am I supposed to use to call off the engagement? Now even my mom and her family think she's not good enough for me."

One of his friends said, "Damn, James, that's brutal. You fatten her up on purpose, then dump her? She loves you that much. What if she can't handle it?"

James sounded impatient. "What else can I do? Eliana is coming back soon. She went overseas to get a master's degree in art so she'd be good enough to be with me. I can't let her down."

Eliana Reed. She was my dad's illegitimate daughter. Three years ago, after I had that accident, she was a suspect, so my dad hid her overseas, afraid that I'd go after her.

And somehow, in her version of the story, she'd gone abroad to further her education for the sake of love.

Man, she had no shame.

The reflection in the window showed me exactly what I'd become. A round face, a double chin, and a thick waist. I had gained so much weight that I looked like the Michelin Man.

My eyes, once praised for being bright and pretty, had been swallowed up by layers of fat until they were little more than slits.

So, this whole thing had been a trap, and James had planned every bit of it.

I took a deep breath, picked up the food I'd spent hours making for him, walked over to the trash can, and dumped it in without a second thought.

Then I walked away without looking back.

You wanted to call off the engagement? Fine.

And you wanted to be with your little sweetheart?

Go ahead. I hope you were stuck with each other for the rest of your lives.

*****

When I got home, my mom was arranging flowers in the living room. She looked up, surprised. "Ellie, why are you back so soon? Isn't James home?"

I walked up to her and said calmly, "Mom, I want to call off the engagement."

The flower shears slipped from her hand and clattered onto the table.

She looked me up and down, taking in my swollen body and the face that had long since lost its former shape. There was a flash of pain in her eyes.

"Sweetie, did someone say you're getting overweight again? Don't listen to them. James always said he loved you like this, right?" she said.

I shook my head. "It's not about that. I've realized we're not right for each other."

My mom hesitated for a moment, then took my hand. "Ellie, no matter what you decide, I'll always support you, but the Carter family—"

"Find a decent reason to call off the engagement with the Carter family. Tell them I'm not good enough for him," I cut her off, my voice firm.

My mom's eyes reddened. "Don't say that. If it weren't for the Lane family, the Carter family wouldn't be where they are now. Back then, they were the ones begging for the engagement."

I hugged my mom. "Let's leave it at that. I don't want to talk about it anymore."

Back in my room, I locked the door. The first thing I did was step onto the bathroom scale.

209 pounds.

Three years ago, I was a little chubby but healthy. Now, even walking left me breathless.

I dug out some old photos and stared at the girl staring back at me. She hadn't been skinny, but she had a bright smile and lively eyes.

The tears finally came, but I only cried for five minutes.

I wiped away my tears, grabbed a pen, and started mapping out a hardcore weight-loss plan.

From now on, breakfast would be two fried eggs, a small bowl of oatmeal, and some vegetables.

Lunch would be about five ounces of chicken or fish with plenty of vegetables, while dinner would be nothing more than vegetable soup or fruit.

I would also run for an hour every morning and spend another two hours at the gym every evening.

I knew this was going to be tough. Gaining weight was way easier than losing it.

But I knew something else better. If I wanted to stand tall in front of James and Eliana, the first thing I had to do was get my body back.

First, I'd get pretty again. Then I'd make them pay for betraying me.

*****

The next morning, I got out of bed before dawn. I slipped into a nearly brand-new workout outfit, tied my shoes, and quietly slipped out of the house.

The neighborhood was quiet. I started jogging down the sidewalk, but after a few steps, I was already out of breath.

Every step was a struggle, the weight of my body making itself painfully obvious.

"Well, isn't this the Lane family's heiress? What's this? You're actually running now?" A familiar Porsche pulled up beside me, and the window rolled down to reveal James's face, the one I used to love so much.

I stopped, panting, and didn't say a word.

He got out of the car and walked up to me, holding a box of macarons that looked sickly sweet. "I brought you breakfast. Fresh from your favorite dessert shop."

Once, that kind of thoughtfulness would have made me ecstatic, but now it only made me sick.

I took the box with a blank face and said, "Thanks."

James's eyes flashed with a smug grin, but he said, "You don't need to lose weight. I like you the way you are."

I smiled faintly. Then, right in front of him, I walked straight over to the trash can by the road and dropped the entire box of macarons inside.

James was stunned, clearly caught off guard by my reaction.

"I'm cutting out sugar," I said calmly. "As for the engagement, I'll have my parents take care of it as soon as possible."

The surprise on James's face quickly turned into panic. "Ellie, what's going on? Did somebody say something to you? Don't listen to the bullshit."

"No one said anything," I cut him off. "I simply realized we're not right for each other."

I ignored his stunned expression and turned to keep running.

This was only the beginning.

James, Eliana, you made a fool of me, and I'd make damn sure you regret it.

Wait and see.

*****

By the time I got home, I was drenched from head to toe. I couldn't tell whether the water on my skin was sweat or morning dew.

My mom was standing at the door, holding a towel, her eyes full of mixed emotions. "Ellie, did you run into James?"

I took the towel and wiped the sweat off my face, nodding. "He threw away the desserts."

I didn't tell her that I'd been the one to throw them out. I let her believe it was James.

My mom let out a sigh of relief. "Good. I thought you were really going to lose weight. You're exercising that much already. If you don't eat enough to keep your strength up, you're going to burn yourself out."

I gave her a faint smile.

At the breakfast table, I watched my parents eat bacon and omelets while all I had in front of me was a bowl of oatmeal and two fried eggs.

The smell wafting from their plates made my stomach rumble, but I forced myself to resist.

"Ellie, is that all you're having?" My dad frowned. "You can't starve yourself to lose weight."

"It's enough, Dad," I mumbled, keeping my head down as I nibbled on the bland oatmeal, imagining that it was made from the flesh and blood of James and Eliana.

Strangely enough, the thought made the food a little easier to swallow.

After breakfast, I went back to my room, stood in front of the full-length mirror, and stripped off all my clothes.

There I was, all 209 pounds, completely naked in front of the mirror.

My body was covered in layers of fat, with thick thighs and a swollen stomach that made me barely recognize the girl staring back at me. I hated what I saw.

I pulled out my phone and took a picture of myself.

This would be the starting point of my transformation.