Chapter 5

This time, Miles was truly furious. He froze every one of my bank cards.

In the past, whenever I showed even the slightest sign of defiance, he would threaten to cut me off financially, but he had never actually followed through.

I had always gone back before he needed to. I would apologize, give in, smooth things over.

This time, I refused. So he escalated.

Before panic could fully set in, my phone began vibrating nonstop.

A bank deposit notification appeared. The amount was so large it left me staring in disbelief.

The memo contained only one word. "Allowance."

A message from Dominic followed immediately.

"I'm handling matters overseas and won't be back for now. Keep the cards. Use them. Pay no attention to irrelevant people. What happened today will not happen again."

Concise. Direct. Entirely in character.

Some time later, Annie rushed over in a conspiratorial whisper, saying the family elders were preparing a wedding. My heart tightened instantly.

Would Dominic really marry me?

The memory of Miles leaving me humiliated still lingered vividly.

Insecurity swallowed me whole. I didn't dare ask. I didn't dare confirm.

All the restless energy had nowhere to go, so I poured it into punishing workouts.

Sweat washed away hesitation. Exhaustion numbed my thoughts.

I controlled my diet with precision and trained until drenched, fighting the chaos inside me with discipline.

Soon, the swelling caused by antidepressant medication gave way to firm lines and a slender silhouette. My skin regained a healthy glow.

Even Annie was stunned by the transformation. The first time she saw the slimmer version of me, she actually dropped what she was holding.

"Lydia, you were hiding this face all along? You look unreal. Like you walked straight out of a dream."

Her praise made me flush.

When I first met Annie, I had already gained weight from the medication. This was the first time she had seen me at my true form.

Then Annie's expression darkened again.

"Miles is blind. You're a hundred times more beautiful than Tessa. If he saw you now, he'd regret it for the rest of his life."

As for Miles, I had neither returned home nor seen him again since the gym incident.

He had frozen my cards, trying to pressure me financially.

Perhaps to provoke me, he indulged Tessa's every request. Gifts flowed endlessly, and he flaunted his devotion so openly that people in our circle praised him for being romantic.

His subordinates, eager to flatter Tessa, mocked me openly, calling me pathetic and desperate.

Tessa, of course, made sure to forward every insult and every display of his favoritism directly to me.

I didn't block her. Instead, I saved everything, almost masochistically.

Whenever I felt like giving up, those messages became fuel.

Before I knew it, graduation day arrived.

I put on my black gown and adjusted the tassel in front of the mirror.

The woman staring back at me looked composed, her features refined, her figure graceful and lean.

After today, I would finally stand on my own. My father's estate would officially come under my control.

This was the beginning of my new life.

I took a deep breath, switched my phone to silent, slipped it into my bag, and walked toward the auditorium.

At the entrance, I saw someone I hadn't seen in a long time. Miles.

Tessa stood beside him, her arm wrapped around his, leaning close as she spoke with a bright smile.

He listened indulgently, responding now and then.

His gaze scanned the venue, brows slightly furrowed as if searching for something.

The next second, his eyes lifted toward me.

I froze where I stood.

Even though I had chosen to let him go, my body still reacted to his gaze.

Fortunately, his eyes lingered on me for only a brief second before moving on.

He didn't recognize me.

Of course he didn't. In his mind, I was still the overweight girl. He would never associate that image with the woman standing before him now.