Chapter 2

I went to the gym in our luxury apartment building, just like I did in my past life. Liam was there, already on the treadmill, his face set in a frown of concentration. He glanced at me as I walked in, his eyes doing a quick, critical sweep of my body.

"You're late," he said, not bothering to slow his pace. "We need to be serious about this, Chloe. The photographer for the engagement shoot wants to book us in three months. I want you looking your best."

"Your best," not "our best." The words didn't hurt this time. They were just data. Confirmation.

"I know, honey. I'm sorry," I said, pitching my voice to sound apologetic and a little breathless.

I stepped onto the treadmill next to him. As I started to walk, a phantom throb of pain shot through my abdomen, a memory of the surgeon's cannula jabbing beneath my skin. I flinched, my hand instinctively going to my stomach. It was just a ghost, but it was real enough to make my breath catch.

Liam didn't notice. He was too busy looking at his own reflection in the gym's mirrored wall.

Just then, the gym door opened and Maya walked in, holding two expensive-looking smoothies. She was wearing a bright pink workout set that showed off her already slender figure.

"Look who I found!" she chirped, walking over to us. "I thought you two could use some fuel for your big workout."

She handed a green smoothie to Liam, who took it with a grateful nod. She then turned to me, her smile a little too wide, her eyes a little too bright.

"And one for you, Chloe. It's the low-calorie one, don't worry. Just fruit and water. We need to support you on this journey!"

The fake concern, the condescending tone. It was a perfect echo of the past. It was in that moment, seeing her standing there next to Liam, both of them looking at me with that same mixture of pity and pressure, that I knew for certain.

This was real. I was back.

I took the smoothie from her, my fingers brushing against hers. "Thanks, Maya. You're the best."

I remembered now. I remembered how, in my previous life, every time I'd see her after a week of intense dieting, she'd seem to glow. Her hair would be shinier, her skin clearer. People would comment on it.

"Maya, you look amazing! What's your secret?"

She would just laugh and say, "Oh, I don't know! I guess I'm just happy."

She was happy. She was feeding on my misery, on the life I was draining from myself to please the man standing next to her. She got all the benefits-the radiant health, the effortless beauty, even Liam's growing admiration-while I got the pain, the hunger, and the failure. The curse didn't just transfer weight; it transferred the results of my effort, leaving me with nothing but the deficit.

I looked from her beaming face to Liam's impatient one. They were a perfect pair. And they thought I was the same stupid, trusting girl.

They had no idea what was coming.