The fat wife is an heiress

(Serena’s POV)

“Don’t tell me that’s what you want to wear,”

I stopped in front of the mirror. My fingers froze around the zipper of my dress. I didn’t need to turn around to know who had spoken.

Margaret; My mother-in-law stood in the doorway with her arms crossed over her chest, her eyes traveling slowly from my face to my stomach, then down to my thighs.

Her expression was sharp with open disgust as her eyes swept over me like I was something she couldn’t scrub out of her life.

“What’s wrong with it?” I asked quietly.

She let out a short laugh.“What’s wrong with it?”

“Yes.” My voice cracked a bit.

She walked into the room.

“You’re going to Ethan’s company anniversary party dressed like that?”

I looked at myself in the mirror again.

The dress was a deep burgundy color. It wasn’t revealing. The sleeves reached my elbows, and the skirt fell below my knees. I’d chosen it because I thought it looked elegant.

I had spent almost an hour getting ready.

I’d even curled my hair.

For once, I had looked in the mirror and liked what I saw.

Until she walked in.

Margaret pointed at my stomach. “Still holding on to all that weight, I see.” She laughed lightly.

My shoulders dropped, I swallowed hard.

“Your stomach is too big for this kind of dress.”

“I thought it looked nice.” My voice cracked a bit.

“You thought wrong.” She said as a soft laugh slipped from her mouth.

She walked behind me and looked at my reflection.

“Do you know how many important people will be at that party tonight?”

“I know.” I said as I lowered my head.

“Executives. Investors. Business partners. Their wives.”

“I know, Mom.” I replied as my fingers curled tighter against my sides.

“Then why would you want to embarrass my son?”

I turned away from the mirror.

“I don’t understand how wearing a dress embarrasses Ethan.” I said quietly.

Margaret’s eyebrows rose. “Oh, so now you’re arguing with me?” She asked as she stepped closer.

“No. I’m just asking.” I rasped.

“Don’t ask stupid questions.” She echoed, stepping closer.

I lowered my eyes.

She sighed dramatically.

“Serena, when will you understand that not everything is about what you like?”

I said nothing.

She continued.

“You’re Ethan’s wife. You represent him whenever you step outside this house. People will look at you and then look at him.”

Her eyes moved over my body again.

“Do you honestly think they’ll be impressed?”

Something inside my chest tightened.

I’d heard those words before.

So many times that sometimes I wondered if they’d become part of me. I was too big, too slow, too much of everything, I wasn’t pretty enough, not elegant enough.

Not the kind of wife a successful man should have.

I forced a smile. “Okay.”

Margaret frowned. “Okay?”

“I’ll change.” I walked over to my closet.

“Of course you will.” She said coldly as she turned toward the door and then stopped.

“And hurry up. We’re leaving in thirty minutes.”

I nodded.

She left without another word.

The moment the door closed, I stared at my reflection.

My eyes burned. I blinked away the tears rushing in quickly.

“No,” I whispered.

I wasn’t going to cry, not this night.

This party was important to Ethan.

His company had been growing, and tonight was supposed to celebrate its fifth anniversary.

For the past two weeks, I’d been helping him prepare.

I had stayed up late with him, checking guest lists and choosing table decorations. I’d even helped him select the wine. I wanted tonight to be special. I wanted to stand beside my husband and be proud of him.

Maybe that was why I’d dressed carefully. Maybe I’d been foolish to think he would be proud of me too. I opened my wardrobe, picked one dress after another, and went onto the bed. Some were tight, too bright, too plain, too revealing, mostly too old-fashioned.

I changed like three times. Each time, I stared at myself and imagined Margaret’s reaction.

Finally, I found a black dress.

It was loose around my waist and fitted slightly around my shoulders. I tried it on and looked at my reflection in the mirror, it wasn't perfect, but I could breathe.

I grabbed my earrings. Then I heard a car horn outside.

I hurried downstairs.

“Wait!” I called out.

I reached the living room just in time to see Margaret walking toward the front door.

“Mom!” I called out to her again.

She turned. Her eyes immediately landed on my dress.

She sighed.

“Still wearing that?”

I looked down.

“It’s the only one that fits comfortably,” I said frustratedly.

“You’ve had all afternoon.” she scoffed.

“I was trying to find something—”

“We’re leaving,” she said as she turned to leave.

I looked toward the door.

“Where’s Ethan?” I asked.

“In the car,” she replied as she headed to the car.

“You’re leaving without me?” I asked.

Margaret gave me an impatient look. “Ethan doesn’t have time to wait all night.”

“But I just need ten minutes.” I turned to walk to my room to get changed again.

“No.” Her voice snapped through the hallway like a whip.

“Mom, please.” I pleaded.

She opened the door. “Take a taxi if you want to come.”

The door shut behind her. I stood there alone, I stared at the clock, then at my dress, then back at the door. I blinked hard, realizing I had zoned out. A strange feeling settled in my stomach. I grabbed my purse.

“Fine,” I said to myself.

If they didn’t want to wait for me, I would go myself.

********************************************************

The ballroom was already crowded when I arrived.

Music filled the air, Crystal lights reflected off the polished floor, and waiters moved through the crowd carrying champagne.

I stepped inside. For a moment, I smiled at myself. This was the life Ethan had built. This was the world I had watched him work so hard for. I looked around, searching for him. Then I heard laughter. A familiar laugh.

Vanessa.

My smile disappeared. She stood near the stage. She looked beautiful. She wore a fitted champagne-colored gown that hugged her slender body perfectly. Her hair fell in soft waves around her shoulders. One hand rested over her stomach. Her other hand was wrapped around Ethan’s arm.

I stopped walking. My heart gave one hard beat. Then another. I blinked slowly trying to process what was happening.

Ethan was smiling. Not the polite smile he gave me these days.A real smile.The kind I hadn’t seen in months. I stared at Vanessa’s hand. Her stomach wasn’t very big. But it was there. My mind immediately rejected what my eyes were seeing.

No, this couldn’t be happening. This has to be some kind of twisted prank. I walked closer.

“Ethan?” His head turned.

The smile on his face disappeared.

“Serena.”

Vanessa looked at me. For a second, she said nothing. Then her lips curved into a small smile.

“Oh.”She looked at Ethan.

“You didn’t tell me she was coming,” she muttered as she maintained eye contact with me.

My chest tightened.

“Tell you what?” I asked, my voice barely above a whisper.

Ethan sighed. Not with guilt.Not with regret but with irritation.The kind of sigh someone gave when an annoying problem had just walked into the room.

“I didn’t know you were coming,” he said.

I stared at him in disbelief.

“This is your company’s anniversary party.” I pointed out.

“So?” he asked.

“So I’m your wife,” I said as I pressed down the anger surging through my veins.

A few people nearby turned to look at us.

Ethan’s jaw tightened.

“And?”

I blinked. “And I thought we’d attend together.”

He gave a humorless laugh.

“You thought wrong.”

Vanessa placed a hand over her stomach. My eyes drifted from her to Ethan.

“What is this?”

Ethan didn’t answer.

Vanessa did.

“I’m pregnant,” she said as she smiled.

The room slowly quietened.

I stared at her. “You're pregnant?”

She nodded. “With Ethan’s child,” she said as she took Ethan’s arms into hers.

My lips parted but no words came out.

I looked at my husband.

“Ethan?” I called him.

He didn’t even look ashamed.

“Yes,” he said as he turned to face Vanessa.

One word and just like that, I felt something crack inside me.

“How long?” I managed to ask.

“Three months,” he replied.

My hand moved to my stomach, my knees became jelly.

Three months of lies.Three months of Ethan telling me he was working late.Three months of him coming home smelling like another woman’s perfume.Three months of me lying beside him at night, believing I still had a husband.

“You cheated on me.” I cried out.

Ethan rolled his eyes. “Saberena, can we not do this here?”

I stared at him in disbelief and hurt. “You brought her here.”

“I brought my fiancée here.” he corrected.

The word hit me.

“Fiancée?” I gave out a weak laugh.

Vanessa smiled. Ethan reached for her waist steadying her beside him.

“Yes.” He lifted their joined hands.

The diamond on Vanessa’s finger caught the light.

My eyes fixed on it. I couldn’t breathe.

“When did you buy that?” I asked.

“Last week,” he replied.

“Last week?” I scoffed.

“Yes,” I answered confidently.

“And you were still sleeping beside me,” I said as I crossed my hands against my body.

His expression didn’t change. “I had already made my decision.”

“What decision?” I asked.

“To leave you,” he said with no emotion.

A few people around us exchanged looks. I stood there frozen, my heart pounding so loudly I could barely hear my own thoughts.

“Why? I… don't understand.” I said, my voice struggling to come out.

Ethan stared at me for several seconds.

Then he laughed. “You really want me to say it?”

“Yes.” My voice came out weak.

“You want the truth?” he asked.

“Yes,” I replied.

“Fine.” He looked me up and down, slowly, deliberately.

His eyes stopped at my stomach. Then my thighs.Then my face.

“You want to know why I’m leaving?” He laughed a bit.

I nodded, my legs were shaking.

“Because I’m tired, Serena.” he sighed frustratedly.

My throat tightened. “Tired of what?”

“Everything,” he said.

He gestured toward me. “This.”

I looked down at myself. “What?”

“This entire situation.” His voice grew louder.

“I’m tired of coming home and seeing you eat, sleep, complain, and do nothing about yourself.”

My face burned. “I do plenty.”

“Really?” He laughed.

“You’ve gained so much weight that you can’t even fit into a decent dress anymore.”

A few people laughed. I felt my eyes sting.

Ethan continued.“Look at you tonight. You spent hours getting ready and this is what you came up with?”

He pointed at my dress.

“You’re wearing something that makes your stomach look even bigger.”

Someone behind him chuckled.

I swallowed hard, battling with the tears.

“Why are you doing this?” I asked.

“Because I’m done pretending,” he said as he turned toward Vanessa.

“Look at yourself,” he said.

I lowered her eyes.

“Then look at Vanessa.” He lifted her hand.

“She doesn’t need three hours to find something to wear. She doesn’t need to hide behind oversized clothes. She takes care of herself.”

I stared at him. He wasn’t finished.

“Vanessa knows how to carry herself. She knows how to speak to people. She understands business. She understands me.”

He looked directly at me.

“What do you bring to my life, Serena?”

My lips trembled. “I’ve been your wife,” I said weakly.

“For what?”His question was cruel.

“For what?” I stared at him.

“You supported me when I was building this company,” he continued. “Fine. I’ll give you that.”

My heart lifted for half a second.

Then he crushed it. “But what else?”

He pointed toward Vanessa.

“She can sit in a boardroom and understand what people are talking about. She can help me with the company. She has connections. She knows how to dress. She knows how to behave at events like this.”

He smiled at Vanessa.

“She can actually stand beside me without embarrassing me.”

A few people laughed.

My eyes dropped to the floor.

“Ethan…”

“No.”He shook his head.

“You asked for the truth.”He stepped closer.

“I’ve spent years pretending your weight doesn’t bother me. It does.”

My breathing became shallow.

“I’m not attracted to you anymore.”

The words cut deep, my head was spinning now.

“I don’t want to come home and see this anymore.”

He gestured toward my body again.

“I want a wife I’m proud of.”

Vanessa slipped her arm through his.

“And that’s her?” I managed to ask.

“Yes.” He didn’t hesitate.

“That’s my wife.” he turned to Vanessa.

Vanessa smiled. Ethan raised his glass.

“Actually, there’s one more thing I’d like everyone to know.”

The room quieted.

He looked directly at me.

“After tonight, Serena and I will no longer be husband and wife.”

A murmur moved through the room.

Then he turned toward Vanessa.

His expression softened immediately.

“Because I’m going to marry the woman who deserves to stand beside me.”

Vanessa smiled.

Ethan lifted her hand, showing everyone the ring.

“Vanessa Moore will be my wife.”

Applause erupted.

I stood in the middle of it.Alone.Humiliated.

While my husband celebrated the end of our marriage like it was an achievement.

Ethan kissed her forehead. “We’re getting married.”

The applause grew louder.

Someone shouted congratulations.

Vanessa laughed.

Ethan looked at me.

“And before anyone asks, yes, Serena and I are getting divorced.”

My stomach twisted.

“You’re announcing this here?” I asked.

He shrugged. “Why not?”

“Because I’m standing right here,” I murmured.

“Exactly.” His eyes traveled over me again.

“Everyone should see why I made my decision,” he said as his voice was a bit loud.

The laughter returned. My vision blurred. Ethan turned back to Vanessa.

“She is everything I want in a woman,” he said as He squeezed her hand.

“She is beautiful. Intelligent. Elegant. Ambitious.”

Then he looked at me.

“Everything you aren’t.”

My lips parted. Nothing came out. For one horrible moment, I couldn’t hear anything except the blood rushing in my ears.

Vanessa leaned toward him. “Ethan, maybe that’s enough.”

Her voice was soft. But there was a smile on her face.

He laughed.“Don’t worry.”

Then he took her hand.

“Let’s go.”

They walked past me.

I watched my husband leave with another woman.

He didn’t look back. Not once. The crowd slowly dispersed, still whispering. I heard someone laugh behind me.

Another voice said, “Poor woman.”

Someone else replied, “She should have known he would leave her eventually.”

I stood there for a few seconds longer.

Then I picked up my purse.

My hands were shaking. I walked toward the exit.No one stopped me.No one asked if I was okay. The moment I stepped outside, the cold night air hit my wet cheeks. I pressed a hand over my mouth. A sob escaped anyway. I hated myself for crying. I hated Ethan. I hated Vanessa. But most of all, I hated the tiny part of me that still wished Ethan would come running after me.

He didn’t. I walked down the steps alone. My heels clicked against the pavement. One step.Then another. By the time I reached the waiting car, my tears were falling freely. I looked back at the glowing entrance one last time.

My husband was inside celebrating his future with another woman.

And for the first time since the accident, I felt completely and utterly alone. I wiped my tears. Then whispered to myself,

“I’m done,” I said.

I didn’t know it yet. But that night was only the beginning. Because before the sun rose again…Ethan would make sure I lost everything. By the time I reached home, the house was quiet. I thought they were still at the party. I opened the door. Then I heard voices. I stopped. Then laughter followed the voice. I recognized Vanessa’s voice. My fingers tightened around my purse. I walked into the living room. Ethan was there. Margaret was there. And Vanessa was sitting on the couch. Still wearing the dress from the party.

She looked at me. Then smiled.

“Serena,” she called out.

I stared at her. “What are you doing here?” I asked.

Vanessa slowly stood. “I came home with my husband.”

My heart stopped a bit. Her husband. She was already calling Ethan hers. Margaret stood beside her.

“Don’t start anything tonight,” Ethan said.

I looked at Ethan. “Your wife is here.”

He didn’t respond. Vanessa stepped closer.

“I didn’t mean to hurt you,” she said quietly.

I laughed bitterly. “Then why are you here?”

She touched her stomach. “Because this is my home now.”

“Get out,” I screamed at her.

Her eyes widened in surprise.

“Excuse me?” she asked.

“You heard me,” I said as I crossed my legs and leaned against the door.

She moved closer.

“I think you’re forgetting who Ethan chose,” she said.

“I don’t care,” I replied.

“You should.” she chuckled.

She turned to walk away.

Then suddenly—

She stumbled. I stared in confusion.

“Vanessa?” I called out to her.

She grabbed the edge of the table.

Then screamed. “Ah!”

She fell to the floor.

I froze in confusion. Ethan rushed toward her.

“Vanessa!”

She covered her stomach.“Serena pushed me.” she said as she pointed at me.

My mouth fell open.

“What?” I asked confused.

Margaret turned toward me. Her face twisted with fury.

“You hit her?” she asked.

“I…didn’t touch her!” I defended.

A slap landed on my cheek. My head snapped to the side.

“Mom!” I cried out as tears rolled down my cheeks.

I touched my cheek. Before I could recover, Ethan grabbed my arm.

“You attacked her?”

“I didn’t!” I screamed.

Vanessa began crying.

“My baby…” she said as she gave me a mischievous smile.

“I didn’t touch you!” I said again, the time louder than before.

Margaret slapped me again. This time, something inside my mouth tasted like blood.

“Stop!” I cried.

Nobody stopped, nor did they listen to me. Ethan grabbed my shoulders and shoved me backward. My head struck the edge of the cabinet. Pain exploded through my skull. I tried to stand but I couldn’t. Vanessa’s crying filled the room. Margaret was shouting. Ethan was saying something I couldn’t understand. My vision blurred. I reached for the wall.

“Ethan…” I called as my voice was barely above a whisper.

He looked down at me. There was no love in his eyes.No regret.Nothing.Then the room went black.