Chapter 4

As the holiday began, my weight-loss plan hit a difficult stage.

During this moment, my body started fighting back, so the weight came off very slowly.

Fortunately, Brock adjusted my plan in real time, and my grandparents kept me motivated and kept me company.

I had no time to feel anxious. I simply kept my focus on moving toward my goal.

When I lost another eleven pounds, I had dropped a full dress size and could easily slip on a bracelet.

All the acne on my face had cleared up. My skin had become smooth and delicate, and my facial features and jawline grew increasingly defined.

I fell back in love with taking photos of myself.

Occasionally, I could even send Austin a blurry side-profile shot with a dreamy, atmospheric vibe.

Brock said that at my height of five feet six, dropping to a hundred and forty-three pounds would make me both healthy and attractive.

But I did not think that was enough, because the genes my parents gave me and my own potential went far beyond that.

By the final month, I had fully fallen in love with eating light and healthy food. I had cut out all snacks and sugary drinks.

I had become proficient in all kinds of workout movements.

I also added exercises to tone my muscles, like yoga and pilates, to my routine.

As my weight slowly and steadily dropped, my body curves grew more graceful, and I became more confident with each passing day.

My neighbors praised me when they saw me.

“Amy, you look like a completely different person. You’re absolutely radiant. People could take you for a celebrity!”

I started wearing the beautiful clothes Austin had bought for me.

From time to time, I took photos of my figure to build up anticipation for the meetup.

Austin became more thrilled and sent more money to me.

[Baby, I already scoped out the area around your school ahead of time.]

[I’m going to give you a huge surprise on the first day of school!]

I looked down at the scale. My weight had dropped to a hundred and fifteen pounds, so I pushed through my final sprint.

This time, I succeeded in weighing exactly a hundred and ten pounds the day before we were set to meet.

Not only were my grandparents proud of me, but even Brock was moved to tears.

“Amy, with your grit and determination, you can do anything you set your mind to.”

To give Austin the best possible first impression, I bought an expensive and elegant dress and got a new haircut that suited me perfectly.

On the day of the meetup, I arrived a little later than planned due to traffic.

As soon as I got out of the car, I spotted an eye-catching Porsche from a distance.

It seemed Austin had arrived early and was waiting for me.

My heart pounded as I rushed over.

But the very next second, I watched helplessly as Callista walked up to Austin.

“Hey, Austin. I’m Callista. You’ve seen a photo of me.”

Austin stared at her, his eyes carrying an odd, unreadable gleam.

My breath caught, and I found myself frozen, unable to move.

The long-missing barrage of floating comments reappeared.

[I love how Callista goes after what she wants. Austin is completely stunned by her looks. I knew he’d fall for her the second he saw her.]

[Did that fat pig manage to lose any weight, in the end?]

[Who cares? She’s not going to show up. Even if she showed up right this second, she’d just be background noise next to Callista.]

Callista showed him a photo of me when I was two hundred pounds.

“This is what Amy really looks like. She’s fat, ugly, and a total mess. Every photo she sent you was fake.

“I felt bad about her stringing you along like that, so I had to come clean and tell you the truth.”

I watched him take the photo with a mixture of doubt and belief.

I covered my face and instinctively wanted to flee.

After a moment, however, I came to my senses.

I was no longer the person I used to be.

Everyone around me turned to look, and some even eagerly asked for my number.

That proved I had changed for the better. I could face Austin with confidence now.

After calming myself down, I took a deep breath and deliberately circled around to a spot behind Austin as I approached him.

Would Austin be charmed by Callista first? Or would he be completely blown away by me instead?

Most of all, I wanted to know what Callista’s reaction would be when she saw me.

At that moment, Austin was staring at her phone in shock, flipping through photos.

“Did Amy really lie to me? But she doesn’t seem like someone who would do that...”

“Amy feels too guilty and insecure to even show up.

“Just block the liar and move on. She’s not worth your time.”

The barrage of comments began to cheer.

[We’re literally one step away! Once she gets his number, their whole love story will begin.]

Callista was gloating smugly.

Just as she was about to ask Austin for his number, she looked up and saw me standing behind him silently.

She could not recognize me.

Noticing my striking appearance and outfit, she grew displeased but still asked me politely, “Excuse me, who are you looking for?”

Without saying a word, I simply reached out and poked Austin on the back.

When he turned to me in confusion, I held up the bracelet he had given me with a cheeky smile.