I was always the \u201cfat girlfriend.\u201d The one people whispered about, offered diet tips to, and told, \u201cYou\u2019d be so pretty if\u2026\u201d So I learned to be easy to love\u2014funny, helpful, reliable. If I couldn\u2019t be the prettiest, I\u2019d be the most useful.<\/p>\n
That\u2019s who my ex, Sayer, met at trivia night. He called me \u201crefreshing.\u201d Said I was real. We dated almost three years. We talked about moving in, about dogs, about kids.<\/p>\n
My best friend Maren was part of that life. She used to tell me, \u201cYou deserve someone who never makes you feel like a backup.\u201d<\/p>\n
Six months ago, I found them in my bed. Literally. A synced photo popped up on my iPad\u2014my comforter, my pillow, his hand on her hip. When I confronted him, he didn\u2019t deny it.<\/p>\n
\u201cShe\u2019s thin. She\u2019s beautiful. It matters,\u201d he said. \u201cYou didn\u2019t take care of yourself. I deserve someone who matches me.\u201d<\/p>\n
Within three months, they were engaged.<\/p>\n
I hit rock bottom and changed my life. I started walking. Joined a gym. Learned to cook. Cried in locker rooms. Kept going anyway. Six months later, I barely recognized myself.<\/p>\n
Then came their wedding day.<\/p>\n
His mom called me. \u201cYou need to come. You won\u2019t believe what happened.\u201d<\/p>\n
The wedding was canceled. Maren had been cheating. And his mother had the audacity to ask me to step in as the replacement bride.<\/p>\n
That night, Sayer showed up at my door.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou look incredible,\u201d he said. \u201cWe could fix this.\u201d<\/p>\n
I smiled. \u201cLosing weight didn\u2019t make me worthy. It just made it easier to see who wasn\u2019t.\u201d<\/p>\n
Then I shut the door.<\/p>\n
For the first time in my life, I didn\u2019t shrink to fit someone else\u2019s idea of love.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"