Chapter 2

The days that followed were anything but easy. I lived a painfully disciplined life, almost like I was punishing myself.

I got up at five every morning to run. At first, I could barely drag myself down the street, but little by little, I worked my way up to jogging an entire block without stopping.

I kept my diet strictly under control and cut out anything loaded with sugar or fat.

My mom felt bad for me and tried sneaking chocolates into my bag, but I always tossed them back in the kitchen.

Nights were the hardest. My stomach would ache from hunger, and I'd toss and turn in bed for hours without being able to fall asleep.

Whenever it got too bad, I'd get up and do sit-ups until I was exhausted, then collapse on the floor and fall asleep right there.

A month later, the scale showed 196 pounds.

I'd lost 13 pounds, but with how big I was, it was barely noticeable.

One afternoon, I came home from the gym drenched in sweat and found an unexpected guest sitting in the living room.

It was James.

He stood up, flashing that gentle smile I knew all too well. "Ellie, it's been a while. Your mom said you've been working out lately. That's good. Taking care of your health is the most important thing."

I nodded and made a beeline for the stairs.

"Wait," he called out, pulling a fancy gift box from behind his back. "Got you something. It's low-sugar, so you can still have it while you're working out."

I glanced at the box. It was a "healthy" dessert from a well-known brand, but it was packed with carbs and fat.

"Thanks, but no thanks," I said, heading upstairs.

James followed me quickly. "Ellie, what's going on with you lately? Why are you avoiding me? Is it because of the engagement? Our parents are talking things over. I never—"

I stopped halfway up the stairs and turned to look down at him. "James, drop the act. I'm exhausted watching you pretend."

He froze for a second, but quickly recovered. "I don't know what you're talking about."

I sneered. "Keep pretending, then. And don't bother coming by anymore. Save the desserts for someone who deserves them."

I didn't spare him another glance and headed straight upstairs.

As I closed the door, I overheard James and my mom talking downstairs. "Mrs. Lane, did Ellie hear something?"

"No, I don't think so. Maybe she's only stressed about losing weight. You know how girls are about that kind of thing," my mom replied.

"Good. Eliana is coming back next month, and I'm worried Eleanor might misunderstand."

I leaned against the door, my heart pounding.

Was Eliana coming back? Perfect.

I walked over to my desk and opened the bottom drawer. Inside was an old phone that hadn't been turned on in three years.

I plugged it in and powered it up.

The screen lit up, and a flood of unread message alerts started chiming. Most of them were from three years ago, all from Eliana.

She wrote, [Eleanor, I'm sorry. I never meant to ditch you. They're sending me away. Please, forgive me.

[I'll come back, and things will be totally different then.]

I sneered.

Yeah, things would be different, but not the way you were hoping for.

Scrolling down, I found a new message from three days ago. [Eleanor, I heard you're breaking off the engagement with James. What a shame, but I guess you aren't good enough for him anymore. I'm coming back next month. See you then.]

I stared at the screen, my fingers tightening around the phone.

Eliana, you finally stopped pretending to be so innocent.

Very well, the game had officially begun.

I deleted all the messages, powered off the phone, and put it back in the drawer. Then I grabbed my laptop and logged into an email account I hadn't touched in three years.

The inbox was overflowing with unread emails, most of them from this person called Q.

I clicked on the most recent one. It was sent two days ago. [Ms. Nova, it's been three years since you last dropped a new story.

[Your fans keep asking where you've been, and the publisher wants to renew your contract. If you've got any new ideas, please reach out.]

I typed out a reply. [I've already started working on my next book and expect to have the manuscript ready within six months. I'd also like to restart the project we discussed before. Please help me get in touch with the original team.]

Less than five minutes later, a reply popped up. [That's fantastic. Welcome back. The team has been waiting for you, ready to jump back in whenever you are. We've all missed you.]

I closed my laptop and walked over to the window.

The sun was setting, painting the sky a deep orange.

The hunger was back, but this time, it didn't bother me. Hunger made everything taste better; so did revenge.

Eliana, James, did you think I was still that naive pushover you could manipulate three years ago?

Just wait. The real show was only beginning.

Next month, huh? I couldn't wait.

*****

Three weeks before Eliana was due to come back, my weight had dropped to 182 pounds.

Still on the chubby side, but I could finally see the faint outline of my jaw, and my waist was starting to take shape.

Every day, I noticed some new change when I looked in the mirror, and each one made me more determined to keep going.

One afternoon, I was doing yoga at home when my phone rang.

The screen lit up with "Alex Mason". He was James's best friend, and one of our old trio.

I hesitated for a second, but picked up anyway. "Hello?"

"Eleanor, you finally picked up." Alex sounded way too excited. "I heard you're breaking up with James. Is that for real?"

"Yeah," I said, holding my plank, breathing steady.

"Why? Weren't you two doing fine? Is there some kind of misunderstanding?"

I couldn't help but laugh. "Alex, are you calling to play peacemaker for James?"

There was a pause on the other end, then his voice dropped. "Eleanor, I heard something, and I think you deserve to know."

I switched to the other side for my plank. "What is it?"

"James has been video chatting with a girl a lot lately. I caught a glimpse once. She looks a bit like you, but skinnier and prettier." Alex's voice got quieter. "They seemed very close, and James called her Ellie."

I paused for a second, then sat up.

"I had a bad feeling, so I wanted to let you know," Alex said quickly. "Eleanor, I know I shouldn't be meddling, but we grew up together. I can't stand by and watch you get played."

My heart sank.

The girl Alex had seen had to be Eliana. She did look a little like me. After all, we shared the same father.

However, what made me sick was that James called her "Ellie".

It was my nickname.

"Thanks for telling me, Alex," I said sincerely. "I've already decided to call off the engagement. Whoever he's with now, it's none of my business."

"But—"

"No buts," I cut him off. "By the way, are you still into photography?"

Alex was thrown off by the sudden change of topic. "What? Yeah, I am. Why?"

"I need someone to take some photos for me to document some changes," I said. "Would you help me out?"

"Of course," Alex agreed right away. "Anytime."

We set up a time to meet over the weekend and hung up. I sat on my yoga mat, my mind racing.

Alex's call caught me off guard.

I had always thought of him as nothing more than James' loyal sidekick, so I never expected him to come to me with the truth.

It reminded me of what happened three years ago. Alex had been the first one to rush to the hospital after my accident, and the concern in his eyes had seemed genuine.

Maybe not everyone in our circle was fake after all.