Chapter 1

Ellie’s P.O.V.

The first whisper didn’t reach me. It brushed past me like wind, disappearing under the soft melody of violins and the scent of flowers decorating the grand hall.

But the second whisper lingered.

And then the third one… grew teeth.

“…did you see that?”

“…is that really her?”

“…play it again.”

My fingers tightened around the bouquet, petals trembling under my grip.

“Calm down, Ellie.”

I forced myself to breathe.

“Weddings are overwhelming. Guests talk. It’s normal.”

But this didn’t feel normal.

Everything was exactly like I had dreamt about.

Yet now, hundreds of eyes watched me with something between pity and disgust.

And Jared… wasn’t even looking at me.

Standing at the altar in his tailored black suit, he stared at his phone with a cold expression, just like everyone else in the room.

I quickened my steps, nearly tripping over the hem of my gown before finally reaching him.

“What’s going on?” I whispered.

Jared slowly lifted his gaze.

And stupidly… my heart still skipped a beat despite the tension.

I waited for him to explain, to hold my hand and tell me that I was panicking over nothing.

However, he looked at me like a stranger.

“I don’t see the point in pretending anymore.”

My breath caught as the massive screen behind him flickered to life. A video was played, showing me in a gym.

My hair was tied back, sweat clung to my skin as I pushed myself harder on the treadmill.

The guests watched silently as that video was cut, and another clip appeared on the screen.

In a small room, I sat in the dimly lit corner, my hands trembling as I tore open the bag of fried chicken and burgers.

My own voice echoed faintly from the screen.

“I will do better tomorrow.”

And with that, I started eating desperately, scarfing down the entire meal in seconds.

The video zoomed in brutally—my hands, my mouth, the empty wrappers piling beside me.

My breath fractured.

“No…”

The screen went dark, and suddenly the silence inside the ballroom became worse than noise.

I could hear my own thundering pulse until sharp voices stirred in the hall.

“Jared is right…”

“She will never change…”

“She trapped him…”

I tried to breathe—once, twice—but it wouldn’t come properly. My voice cracked.

“No. That video is old!”

“Old?” Jared repeated coldly.

He finally looked at me fully now, and the disgust in his eyes hit harder than the whispers around us.

“You asked me for one month, Ellie.”

His voice remained calm.

“One month to prove you are serious about changing.”

“I am serious,” I said quickly, the words tumbling out in a frantic stream.

“I worked hard, Jared. I lost weight. I have been dieting for months…”

“Don’t.”

That single word sliced through me.

“Don’t embarrass yourself further.”

The ballroom blurred slightly.

I remembered starving myself to doing everything to become his perfect bride.

And still… it wasn’t enough?

“You promised you would support me,” I whispered meekly.

For one brief second, something flickered across Jared’s face.

“I promised to marry someone who respected herself.”

His scornful glare swept over me slowly.

“Every time I look at you, Ellie, I wonder when you will stop lying to yourself.”

Three years!

Three years of trying to be the woman Jared wanted.

And he still looked at me with disgust!

He stepped away from me, standing in the middle of the altar.

The movement stirred confusion through the guests as soft music suddenly filled the hall once again.

Every head turned as the footsteps echoed near the entrance.

And there she was…

Alice!

My stepsister walked into the ballroom wearing a white silk gown, her makeup flawless.

My breath left me.

The bouquet slipped from my hands and hit the marble floor with a dull sound.

“No!” I whispered shakily. “No… this can’t be…”

But Alice only smiled softly as she approached the stage.

“I begged Jared not to do this publicly.”

She lowered her gaze with practiced modesty.

“But he said honesty was kinder than a fake marriage.”

Fake!

The word echoed inside my skull like mockery.

Without hesitation, Jared reached for Alice’s hand, guiding her gently.

The guests straightened in their seats.

The priest looked around awkwardly before restarting the ceremony like this was normal.

Like replacing brides at the altar happened every other day.

And just like that…

I was no longer the bride, but a spectacle.

The fat girl who got dumped on her wedding day…

...

I didn’t remember leaving the venue.

At some point, the music disappeared behind me.

I had imagined leaving my wedding countless times before.

Jared holding my hand, cameras flashing continuously as the entire city congratulated us.

Not walking home alone while strangers laugh at my condition.

By the time I reached home, my feet were blistered and bleeding.

I went to my room, and my packed suitcases still stood beside the wall, waiting for the honeymoon Jared and I were supposed to leave for tonight.

My chest tightened painfully.

I stared at them for several seconds before finally sitting on the edge of the bed.

The silence lasted less than ten seconds as my phone exploded with notifications.

The very first one caught my attention.

“AliceCare posted a new video.”

I clicked the link and froze, my eyes widening to watch the modified version of my humiliating video. The video cut between my binge eating and Alice smiling elegantly in her wedding dress.

The caption read:

“Real change begins with honesty. Discipline matters.

#FitnessTruth #DisciplineWins”

My stomach twisted violently as the comments flooded beneath it.

“Jared really dodged a bullet.”

“Alice is so classy and disciplined.”

“Imagine marrying THAT.”

Thousands of strangers judged me like they knew my entire life from a thirty-second clip.

I stopped reading, but my thumb kept scrolling anyway, like pain had become addictive.

Deep in my thoughts, I almost jumped as the door slammed open suddenly.

“Unbelievable!”

My father and stepmother walked inside, wearing expressions colder than ice.

My dad spoke flatly.

“You humiliated this family today, Ellie.”

I shot up, trying to explain shakily.

“No… Please listen to me, Dad. The video was edited…”

“Edited?” My stepmother scoffed. “Did someone force-feed you?”

“I have been trying,” I spoke desperately. “I have really been trying…”

“Enough!”

Dad snapped, his harsh tone silencing the entire room.

“I warned you, Ellie. I told you what will happen if you embarrass this family.

Tears burned my eyes.

“I didn’t mean to…”

He shot back at me.

“It doesn’t matter what you meant, Ellie.”

Every word hit like another door closing in my face. My phone kept buzzing in my hand, a cruel reminder of everything that happened in the last two hours.

My dad stepped closer, his gaze merciless.

“Take your stuff and leave.” He spoke coldly. “There’s no place for you in Hunt Villa anymore.”