Chapter 1

"Come on, Candy, I know you can do it. Just lift your arm one more time. Stop slacking off."

George was practically forcing me to work out. A week earlier, he had told me that I needed to go back to the gym. He had been serious about it; it felt like if I refused, he would leave me.

My husband never said that, but that was what I saw in his eyes. As I struggled to pull up that dumbbell, George watched me with disgust inside the gym.

"Come on, sweetheart, only five more reps. Let's go, five, four, three. Oh, no. Candy, you give up on things way too easily."

I dropped the dumbbell on the floor after I couldn't finish that repetition. My arm was numb, and it hurt. I needed a break.

"Baby, I'm so tired. Do you really think I have to finish this entire workout plan on my first day? I just came back."

"My love, if you want things easy, sit on a pudding. Are you crazy? My woman has to work out hard, every single day. You haven't even started with that heavy a weight."

"You think eight kilos is light, George?"

"Some people start with 10 kilos and don't complain, Candy. Focus on the exercise, then rest because we still have eight more sets to do today. After that, you're still going to finish with 45 minutes of cardio on the bike. You'll be sitting down, so you can rest a little, because all you have to do is move your legs."

"You have to be kidding me. Do you really think I can do another two hours at the gym? Because after finishing 8 sets, with 15 repetitions, plus this cardio, I won't get out of here before eight o'clock."

"If you want, you can stay until 11 p.m., when I close the gym."

"And what are we going to eat for dinner? Pizza?"

"Yes, with ice cream for dessert. Of course not, Candy. We have a meal already prepared. Today you have no excuses. You're going to start over on the right foot at this gym. Everyone is looking at you."

My husband owned the gym, an Alpha wolf who put exercise first. They say opposites attract, while he makes money from people working out, I make money by making them gain weight.

I mean, I've been a pastry chef for two years. I sell all kinds of cakes online, as well as taking custom orders. My livelihood starts with sponge cake and ends with the ganache frosting on the cake.

My own name gives away my love for sweets. Candy. Candy Cakes, the best cakes in Ohio.

My mother used to say that every good cook has a little belly. Between one cake and another, it's impossible not to taste a little brigadeiro left on the spoon. When the order is picked up, I end up devouring that sweet treat with my coffee.

After working with sweets for so long, I gained weight without even realizing it. Today, I'm a fat she-wolf weighing 150 kilos. I can see that my husband is ashamed of me, especially since he owns a gym.

But I believe he still loves me. Every day, George tells me so before leaving the house.

"Come on, my love. I want you to look like Chloe in three months. You just need to stay focused."

He pointed at a thin female student. George was trying to support me, but I was feeling exhausted. I hadn't set foot in that gym for more than a year. He became furious when he realized I was about to give up on that exercise.

"No, Candy. You're not doing that. Today is your first day."

Naturally, George started yelling. He always did that when he got nervous, but he didn't realize that his tone changed.

"Calm down, baby. I'm just going to rest for five minutes and drink some water."

"No, Candy. You're staying here and working out now!"

He kept yelling at me, drawing the attention of the people around us. I froze and went back to the exercise.

I kept my head down, trying to finish another set. But I couldn't. The limitations of my body made me ask for a truce once again.

"Please, George. I can't take it anymore. I promise I'll come every day, but right now I need to rest."

"You said that last year. I can't believe my wife doesn't like working out. Do you see this, Chloe?"

He finished that sentence while looking at that thin woman, who was now using the machine next to us. George was seeking validation through his aggressive gesture. I started to feel ashamed when Chloe agreed with him by nodding her head.

Was it really so wrong to be fat? That question echoed in my head. I started looking around. There were only people with toned bodies. One other woman had some localized fat. But no one. I repeat, no one had a body like mine at the gym at that hour.

I felt like a fish out of water. I started feeling ashamed of my body, of George's words.

"Come on, chubby. It's time to get rid of that little bit of fat."

The attacks began. He always used diminutives to throw some kind of cutting remark at me.

George was completely out of control.

"I'm going to rest. I'm going to drink some water. You don't control me. You don't control my body. I'm fat like this, but I'm still sexy."

"It's time to change your life, Candy. This could be bad for your health. Go drink that water and come back here. We'll continue this workout in a little while."

"I know that. I'm tired of trying to control my weight. You know that, and you watch me struggle with the scale every single day."

As I exposed my vulnerability, I started crying. I felt helpless and hoped George would hug me. But instead of offering me words of comfort, he treated me like a challenge.

"I believe in you. Come on. We have a lot of fat to get rid of. I'm waiting for you here."

It hurt. He didn't seem to hear a single word I was saying.

It seemed like my husband hadn't heard my pain. He treated me like a student, where the only goal was to force me to exercise.

I made it to the water fountain. Two female students were filling their bottles while I waited. As soon as I arrived, those malicious laughs with distorted undertones began.

I already knew them. I already knew when someone was laughing at me. I just wanted to fill my water bottle. Every drop of water that fell into that bottle felt like an endless hourglass. Time wasn't moving, and neither were the laughs.

George approached. I felt protected and expected some gesture from him. He had noticed the laughter too.

But my husband decided not to defend me. The two women remained there for less than ten seconds after he arrived, just enough time for one more humiliation.

"See, Candy? Enough of this, right? Let's work out."

"I'm not going to. I'm tired, and I'm going home."

"You're going to work out, you fat cow!"

This time, George shouted it loud enough for everyone to hear. The word fat echoed throughout the gym. His shout was powerful enough to silence the background music for a moment.

My heart dropped.

Without looking around, I felt dozens of eyes turned toward me.

I froze. My eyes were the first to react, filling with tears. I ran out of the gym.

"Never again. I'm never coming back here!"