Chapter 3 The Wedding Trap

Talia tilted her head and smiled. "Don't you agree, Damian?"

Damian had always been shallow.

He'd barely given Talia a second glance in the past. Yet, the way he spoke to her softened now that she'd slimmed down and started looking prettier.

"Exactly," he replied, giving her an approving once-over. "Any man would be proud to be seen with you, especially with a body like yours."

Then, he turned to me, and all that warmth disappeared.

"Look at yourself, Elise, and look at Talia. You're a woman, are you not? What happened to having some self-awareness? What's the point of living like this if you're going to let yourself get so fat?"

His voice was sharp, each word more vicious than the last.

"I'm warning you. You'd better start taking this seriously. Don't blame me if you can't fit into your wedding dress and end up embarrassing me at the wedding."

Then, he added in an even colder tone, "You're not coming to the buffet tonight. I'm taking Talia instead. You can go after you've actually lost the weight."

Talia tossed her hair over one shoulder, looking unbearably pleased with herself. "Elise, you should stay home and work out tonight. You're not naturally blessed, so you have to make up for it with effort."

I said nothing.

I just watched them leave together before letting out a quiet snort.

They really thought they had already won.

It was way too early for that.

...

A week later, I was at work when my phone alerted me that someone had entered my room.

Even though Damian and I were supposedly engaged, we had always slept in separate rooms. He never went into mine.

So, I opened the camera feed.

On the screen, I saw Talia walk into my room like she owned the place and started digging through my closet.

A moment later, she pulled out the silk nightgown I'd treasured for years and never once worn. Then, she shamelessly changed into it right there on the spot and stood in front of the mirror admiring herself.

"If we're going to do something exciting, we might as well go all the way," she murmured to her reflection.

The second Damian stepped through the door, Talia lifted the hem of the nightgown and draped herself across my bed in a deliberately seductive pose.

Her voice turned soft and syrupy.

"Damian, come here."

They were in each other's arms as soon as those words fell from her lips, rolling around on my bed as they belonged there.

My jaw clenched so hard it hurt.

I felt sick to my stomach.

The sight of them made my skin crawl. I swore I'd throw that bed out the moment I got home. Just the sight of it made me want to puke.

After they were done, Talia curled up against Damian and spoke coyly. "Damian, what if Elise still doesn't lose the weight? Won't she be humiliated if I'm standing next to her at the wedding as her maid of honor, looking way prettier than she does?"

Damian lowered his head and kissed her forehead, his voice low and lazy.

"She has no right to feel humiliated. I already gave her more than enough chances. What man doesn't like a beautiful woman? I told her to lose weight so she could look better. What exactly did I do wrong?"

Then, his expression hardened.

"I'll just replace her if she still shows up at the wedding looking like a pig and humiliates me in front of everyone. She won't have anyone to blame but herself."

Then, he looked at Talia like it was the most natural thing in the world and asked, "If that happens, I'll marry you instead. Would you say yes?"

She slipped her arms around his neck, her eyes shining with satisfaction. "Of course, I would."

The two of them smiled at each other before wrapping their arms around the other like they couldn't bear to be apart.

My lips curled into a cruel smile as well.

'That's right. Enjoy it while you can. The higher you soar now, the better it'll feel for me when you finally hit the ground.'

...

Three months later, the wedding day arrived right on schedule.

The custom wedding gown had been made for an 80-pound bride.

There was no way I was going to fit into it.

So, I picked out a red dress, put it on, and headed downstairs.

A look of disbelief flashed across his face when Damian saw me.

Shortly after, he blew a gasket as he bellowed, "Elise! I've given you three whole months. Yet, you didn't lose a single pound. Instead, you got even fatter. This is unbelievable. You don't deserve to be my bride."