Chapter 4

An uncomfortable silence fell over the room.

A few guests hurried over to ease the awkwardness and invited Alexander aside to discuss business. The tension lifted only after he left.

Richard had been humiliated, and the strange looks from the other guests made him squirm. His face darkened.

My parents rushed to apologize to him.

"Richard, we're terribly sorry. When we arranged the engagement years ago, we had no idea she'd turn out to be overweight.

"Don't worry. Our families go way back. Of course we'll give you our most perfect and beautiful daughter.

"As for this fat one, we'll keep her out of sight."

I kept my hands in the pockets of my huge hoodie and said nothing.

An arrogant jerk like him? I wouldn't want him even if he were the last man on earth.

But Richard wasn't about to let me off that easily. Still seething from the humiliation, he stalked toward me. "Mr. and Mrs. Sinclair, you're too kind.

"With parents as good-looking as you two, surely she can't be that ugly, even if she's overweight, right?

"Honestly, I'm curious about the face she's hiding under that giant hoodie and mask.

"Why don't you take off the mask and the hood and let everyone see?

"We're surrounded by fashion's biggest names tonight. Who knows? Maybe someone's into bigger girls."

My parents traded an awkward look. They didn't dare answer, and they didn't dare say no.

They were terrified I'd take off my mask and reveal a face buried in fat, making them the laughingstock of Manhattan's fashion scene.

Looking at my parents, so utterly fake and selfish, I felt the last trace of affection I had for them disappear.

Their daughter was being humiliated right in front of them, yet they did not dare defend me. All they cared about was their reputation and what they stood to gain.

I didn't want to look at them another second. I turned and headed straight out to the quiet pool deck.

All I wanted was to put this rotten bunch behind me.

I'd barely reached the pool when Richard, angry and humiliated, stormed over and blocked my way.

"Trying to run away? If you hadn't shown up looking like a freak, Mr. Vance wouldn't have humiliated me!

"Pull down your hood and take off that mask! I want to see just how ugly my fiancée really is!"

I stopped and looked at him coldly. Beneath his polished appearance was an arrogant, vicious, twisted soul.

"If you think I'm not good enough for you, you don't need to see my face.

"I've got a full scholarship to Columbia. I have my own studies and my own life ahead of me. I'm in no hurry to get married.

"And a man I've never even met doesn't get to judge me."

Richard had probably never had a woman talk back to him in public. His eyes darkened.

The guests around us started whispering.

"A full scholarship to Columbia? Money can't buy you that."

"I heard she grew up on a farm in Texas, practically raised herself, and still managed to be this brilliant!"

"Your body isn't everything. Your mind says far more about who you are."

As the whispers turned in my favor, my parents' embarrassment seemed to vanish. They even looked a little proud of me, though I knew it was all for show.

Watching them, I felt only bitter contempt.

To them, I'd never been a daughter. I was an asset whose value rose and fell with what I could do for their reputation and bottom line. The moment I proved useful, their disgust disappeared.

Across the room, Isabella and Richard looked more furious by the second.

Deep, bitter jealousy flashed in Isabella's eyes, but she quickly replaced it with a look of concern.

She stepped up beside me and, in front of the guests and our parents, spoke softly.

"Getting into Columbia is impressive, of course. But as your sister, I am honestly worried about you. In Manhattan, looks can open a lot of doors for a woman. And if you really don't care about your appearance, why are you hiding under that tent of a hoodie?

"Some of Beverly Hills' top plastic surgeons and liposuction specialists are here tonight. Why don't you take off your mask and let them have a look? Even with a case as challenging as yours, I'm sure they'd be willing to help as a personal favor to me.

"You'll let them help you, won't you, sis?"

With a warm, angelic smile, she opened her arms as if to hug me.

But the moment her arms closed around me, she leaned close to my ear, and her voice turned poisonous.

"You fat pig. Let's see how long you can keep hiding. Time for everyone to see what you really look like!"

Before I could react, she shoved me straight into the pool, using the hug as cover.

When I hit the water, my baseball cap and mask were torn clean off.

I tried to swim for the surface, but my body was strangely heavy. I was sinking straight down.

Then I remembered I was still wearing all that thick foam padding.

The foam and heavy hoodie had soaked up the water and were dragging me down like rocks.

The straps securing the padding had tightened underwater, and I couldn't undo them.

Freezing water rushed into my nose. My lungs were running out of air, and my vision began to darken.

Panic and despair closed over me. Death felt terrifyingly close...