\u201cMake sure to bring the girls to Claire and my wedding. Your invitation includes a +1, but we both know your social life is empty.\u201d That was so typical of Max. After nearly thirteen years of marriage and two daughters\u2014ages ten and three\u2014he had decided my physical appearance no longer met his standards. \u201cYou\u2019ve let yourself go,\u201d he had stated casually. Then I found out about Claire, his personal trainer. When I confronted him regarding the affair, Max offered no remorse. \u201cWhat were you expecting? Men are visual creatures, and Claire is flawless.\u201d I stood silently in our master bedroom as he filled his suitcases. \u201cYou\u2019re walking away because of my weight?\u201d \u201cYou used to have a defined waistline, Ronnie. When was the last time you actually scrutinized your reflection?\u201d Following that conversation, I inspected myself endlessly. My abdomen. My arms. My profile from every angle. I constantly changed outfits because Max\u2019s harsh critiques echoed in my head. When he later announced his upcoming wedding to Claire, I considered staying home, but our oldest daughter kept asking if I would attend. So I agreed. Spotting the +1 on the invitation, I suddenly felt the urge to show Max that I was thriving\u2014more than thriving. That impulse is how I found myself standing next to my colleague Edward\u2019s desk early Monday morning. \u201cI need a favor.\u201d He looked up from his screen. \u201cThat sounds like it\u2019s going to cost me.\u201d \u201cAccompany me to my ex-husband\u2019s wedding.\u201d \u201cAs moral support?\u201d \u201cAs my boyfriend.\u201d He blinked in surprise. \u201cA fake boyfriend,\u201d I quickly added. \u201cAh. Much healthier.\u201d Edward had turned into one of my most trusted confidants during the bitter divorce. He was a good listener who never tried to force quick fixes, showed up with coffee when the final papers were signed, and once stopped me from sending an angry text to Max that I would have regretted. Besides that, he was tall, athletic, and strikingly handsome\u2014the exact sort of man who would immediately catch Max\u2019s attention. \u201cWhy choose me?\u201d Edward inquired. I tried to laugh it off. \u201cBecause you\u2019re exceptionally photogenic.\u201d He kept his gaze fixed on me. \u201cVeronica.\u201d I let out a breath. \u201cI want Max to see me with you and regret letting me go.\u201d Edward leaned back in his chair. For reasons I couldn\u2019t guess, my answer seemed to trouble him. Even so, he nodded. \u201cAlright.\u201d I should have questioned why he agreed so easily. Instead, I spent the entire week stressing over my attire. Max\u2019s conditioning ran deep; I discarded dress after dress, hearing his old comments about my arms and waist. In the end, I picked the dress I genuinely loved before letting his voice dictate my choices. Edward arrived to pick me up on Saturday, and I noticed a large cardboard box tucked in the back of his vehicle. \u201cWhat\u2019s that?\u201d \u201cJust some items for donation.\u201d I didn\u2019t press further. The wedding venue was massive\u2014overflowing with floral arrangements, white linens, champagne towers, and far too many chandeliers. Our daughters were thrilled by the spectacle. Then, Max spotted us. His eyes shifted from me to Edward and back again. For one deeply satisfying moment, he was completely speechless. Claire stood beside him draped in a fitted white gown, looking stunning. I despised that seeing her still stung. Max walked over. \u201cSo this is your mystery plus-one?\u201d \u201cMax, this is Edward.\u201d Edward extended a hand. \u201cCongratulations.\u201d Max looked him up and down, then let out a sharp, genuine laugh that drew the attention of nearby guests. \u201cWhat\u2019s so funny?\u201d I demanded. \u201cHim?\u201d Max looked around as if seeking agreement from the crowd. \u201cYour boyfriend?\u201d Claire lightly touched his arm. \u201cMax.\u201d He brushed her off. \u201cI don\u2019t buy it for a second. Nobody would date you\u2014especially not a guy like him.\u201d Heat rushed to my cheeks. Then he flashed that familiar grin he always used when masking cruelty as humor. \u201cWhat did you do, hire him for the afternoon?\u201d For half a second, I was back in our bedroom watching him pack, wishing I could vanish. But Edward didn\u2019t raise his voice; he simply smiled. \u201cActually, Max, I brought you a wedding present.\u201d Max looked surprised. \u201cFor me?\u201d \u201cEspecially for you.\u201d Edward turned toward me. \u201cGive me five minutes.\u201d With that, he walked back outside. Max smirked, watching him go. \u201cI knew it.\u201d True to his word, Edward returned five minutes later carrying the cardboard box from his car, setting it down on an unoccupied table. \u201cFor the groom.\u201d Max chuckled. \u201cYou were serious.\u201d \u201cGo ahead and open it.\u201d By this point, several guests were watching. When Max opened the box, his smirk vanished. Inside lay an enormous pair of trousers. He pulled them out, bewildered. \u201cWhat is this?\u201d \u201cMy old pants,\u201d Edward replied. Max glanced between Edward and the oversized clothing. \u201cYou actually wore these?\u201d \u201cYes.\u201d Edward took them back. \u201cI used to carry a lot more weight.\u201d Max frowned. \u201cSo what?\u201d Edward turned his attention to me. \u201cVeronica knows part of this backstory.\u201d I stared at him in confusion. \u201cI do?\u201d \u201cAbout three years ago, before we were friends, someone brought birthday cake into the office breakroom. When offered a slice, I refused, saying, \u2018People who look like my size don\u2019t need cake.\u2019\u201d The memory rushed back. I had been having an awful week with Max and blurted out without thinking, \u201cFunny. My husband says things like that to me.\u201d Edward\u2019s expression had softened back then. I told him, \u201cI hate hearing it from him, and I don\u2019t care to hear it from you either.\u201d I had grabbed my piece of cake and walked away, practically forgetting the exchange. Clearly, Edward hadn\u2019t. \u201cThat interaction stuck with me,\u201d he admitted. Max looked impatient. \u201cWhat is the point of this story?\u201d Edward draped the trousers over his arm. \u201cThe point is that Veronica never dictated what I should weigh. She never implied my worth depended on my physical form. She simply made me realize I had adopted the exact same cruel inner dialogue that someone else was using against her.\u201d A quiet hush fell over the listening guests. Edward went on. \u201cI stopped putting my life on hold until I felt acceptable. Eventually, my habits shifted, and my body changed right along with them.\u201d Max smirked again. \u201cSo Veronica inspired you to get in shape. Fantastic.\u201d \u201cNo,\u201d Edward interrupted firmly. \u201cThat completely misses the point.\u201d Max\u2019s smile faltered. \u201cShe didn\u2019t fix me. There was nothing fundamentally wrong with me that required fixing before I was allowed to enjoy my own life.\u201d Claire looked at Max, then at me. Max gave an awkward chuckle. \u201cWhat does any of this have to do with us?\u201d Edward handed him the trousers. \u201cBecause you looked at me tonight and assumed my appearance validated your judgment of Veronica.\u201d Max shrugged. \u201cIt does.\u201d Edward held his ground. \u201cThen why are you still working so desperately to prove it?\u201d Max\u2019s smile finally vanished entirely. Moments later, Edward asked me to step out into the hallway. His expression had grown serious. \u201cVeronica, Max was entirely wrong about you. But there\u2019s something I should have confessed before we came here.\u201d \u201cWhat is it?\u201d \u201cYou brought me along because you thought showing up with an attractive man would prove a point to Max.\u201d My face warmed. \u201cI know.\u201d \u201cI agreed because I hoped you would eventually realize it wouldn\u2019t prove anything at all.\u201d I stared at him in disbelief. \u201cYou could have warned me before dragging me through this wedding.\u201d \u201cYou\u2019re right.\u201d No excuses, no arguments. Just that. I walked further down the corridor because I refused to break down where Max could see. Edward followed, keeping a respectful distance, until a small voice called out. \u201cMom?\u201d Our oldest daughter stood nearby. I quickly wiped beneath my eye. \u201cHey sweetie.\u201d She glanced toward the reception hall. \u201cWhy did Dad say nobody would date you?\u201d I knelt down to her eye level. \u201cHe was being unkind.\u201d She processed this for a moment. \u201cSo Edward isn\u2019t actually your boyfriend?\u201d \u201cNo.\u201d \u201cThen why did you pretend he was?\u201d For a second, a comforting lie would have been easier. Instead, I offered her the truth. \u201cBecause I wanted your dad to think someone cared about me.\u201d She frowned. \u201cWell, we wanted you here with us.\u201d I had no words. She wrapped her arms around me, and that single sentence offered more comfort than anything Edward or Max had said all night. After she trotted back to the party, Edward remained nearby. \u201cI\u2019m sorry,\u201d he murmured. \u201cI\u2019m still annoyed with you.\u201d \u201cFair enough.\u201d \u201cYou definitely owe me.\u201d \u201cAlso fair.\u201d \u201cStart by getting those pants out of my ex-husband\u2019s wedding.\u201d He lifted the box. \u201cBest fake date you\u2019ve ever had.\u201d \u201cOnly fake date I\u2019ve ever had.\u201d \u201cStill undefeated.\u201d I couldn\u2019t help but laugh. Shortly after, I gathered the girls to leave. As we neared the exit, Max called out my name. \u201cSo, what happens now with you and Edward?\u201d I paused and turned around. Even now, he craved validation. If Edward wanted me, Max could measure my worth by it; if not, he could judge that too. \u201cYou really need to know, don\u2019t you?\u201d Without waiting for a reply, I kept walking. Outside, my older daughter lingered by the car door, smoothing her dress. \u201cMom?\u201d \u201cYeah?\u201d \u201cDoes this outfit look strange on me?\u201d The casual tone made the question sting even more. I could have rushed to reassure her, but instead I asked, \u201cDo you like wearing it?\u201d She looked down, spun around once, and watched the skirt flare around her knees. \u201cYeah, I do.\u201d \u201cThen that\u2019s the only opinion that matters.\u201d She smiled and hopped into the car, followed by her little sister, who immediately left a smudge of frosting on the door panel. \u201cI\u2019m sticky.\u201d I chuckled. \u201cYou certainly are.\u201d After buckling them in, I walked around to the driver\u2019s side. My reflection stared back from the tinted window. For a brief second, Max\u2019s old voice echoed in my mind: When was the last time you actually looked at yourself in the mirror?<\/i> So I looked. But this time, I didn\u2019t inspect my waist. I didn\u2019t turn sideways. I didn\u2019t worry about what Max would criticize or whether Edward would approve. I simply looked at myself. Then my three-year-old shouted from the back seat, \u201cMom! Let\u2019s go!\u201d I smiled, opened the car door, and climbed inside.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
\u201cMake sure to bring the girls to Claire and my wedding. Your invitation includes a +1, but we both know your social life is empty.\u201d That was so typical of Max. After nearly thirteen years of marriage and two daughters\u2014ages ten and three\u2014he had decided my physical appearance no longer met his standards. \u201cYou\u2019ve let…<\/p>\n