Chapter 1

A 250-pound girl stole my body.

Over the phone, she cackled triumphantly, "Your flawless face, your wealth... it's all mine now!"

I stood in front of the mirror, staring at the heavy layers of fat that used to be hers. I didn't scream. I didn't beg for it back.

Instead, I hung up the phone, let out a long breath of relief, and just started laughing.

She thought she had stolen the glamorous, perfect life of a Hollywood socialite.

But she had no idea that in just a few hours, the severe drug withdrawals in that body would hit. She didn’t know that my cold-blooded mother would soon be standing over her with a loaded syringe, and a greasy, powerful producer was waiting in a penthouse bed to pin her down.

Since she wanted my life so desperately...

Let her walk through the gates of hell herself.

————

I woke up in a strange bed.

More accurately, I woke up in a body that didn't belong to me.

Standing in front of a mirror with blackened edges, the face reflected back at me was completely unfamiliar.

It had round cheeks, a noticeable double chin, and broad, thick shoulders.

I recognized this body, which weighed around 250 pounds. It belonged to my college classmate, Maya.

From what I remembered, Maya rarely spoke at school.

She always wore dull, oversized hoodies and walked with her head down, pressing herself against the hallway lockers to avoid everyone's gaze.

We weren't close at all. My only interaction with her was in the cafeteria, when a few guys smeared ketchup on her chair. I happened to walk by and casually helped her out of that awkward situation.

Looking at the eyes in the mirror, slightly widened with unease, I couldn't help but wonder: was the real Maya in my body?

I touched the thick layer of fat on my stomach.

The skin felt soft and heavy. The sheer, completely unfamiliar physical mass of it took me by surprise.

Taking a deep breath, I turned and quickly walked back to the bed. I picked up an old phone with a cracked screen from the slightly messy nightstand and immediately dialed my original number.

The phone rang a few times before it was picked up.

I spoke immediately, my tone sincere and apologetic: "Maya? It's me. I don't know what exactly is going on, but I swear to you, I will figure out a way to switch our bodies back."

The other end of the line was quiet for a second, followed by a burst of arrogant laughter.

The sound was grating.

I was stunned.

"Switch back?" Maya's voice dripped with naked excitement, rudely cutting me off. "Why would we switch back? Do you think I'm crazy? Isn't it great this way? Chloe, starting today, your glamorous Hollywood life, your flawless face, the money in your bank accounts, and your boyfriend, Liam... all of it belongs to me now!"

I frowned, immediately realizing she had a massive misunderstanding about my former life.

Liam wasn't my boyfriend at all. We had merely worked together on a few group projects in a prerequisite class.

But rather than correcting that detail, I was more concerned with explaining the rest of the reality to her.

"You don't understand," I explained patiently into the phone. "Things aren't as perfect as you think. My old life looks glamorous on the surface, but behind the scenes, it's nothing like what you imagine. The reality there is actually terrible."

Hearing this, Maya's tone suddenly turned sharp, and she began shouting and cursing at me.

"Shut up! This exact attitude of yours is what makes me sick!" she snapped ruthlessly. "You were born with everything—money, beauty, a top-tier life. So many people online love and worship you, yet you always insist on putting on this act in front of the rest of us, pretending you don't care about any of it. You're such a hypocrite, Chloe. I absolutely hate that fake, pretentious look of yours!"

"Did you think this was just an accident?" Maya laughed smugly, her voice chilling. "I got a voodoo spell off the dark web. I was the one who switched us. I've been watching you for a long time, Chloe. And I've hated you for a long time. For a hypocrite like you, just dying would be letting you off way too easy. I want you to experience my old life firsthand. I want you to slowly rot at the absolute bottom carrying those 250 pounds of fat!"

Gripping the phone, my frown deepened. I couldn't comprehend this massive, inexplicable malice. "Maya, I don't get it. I never targeted you. What exactly did I do to make you hate me so much?"

"That right there!" Maya's voice instantly spiked, laced with a sick, twisted satisfaction. "That's exactly it! You have everything, yet you are completely clueless as to why anyone would resent you. You're always so innocent, so above it all. But that's fine, Chloe..." She let out a vicious scoff. "I used to be the one hating you. Now... it's your turn to hate me."

I looked down at my chubby fingers and squeezed the edge of the phone tightly.

"I finally have what I deserve," she mocked me with a sneer. "As for you, you can rot at the bottom with those 250 pounds of fat forever!"

Before hanging up, I gave her one last warning in an incredibly steady voice.

"Maya, you truly don't understand. You have no idea what it costs to live my life."

"I don't care about the cost!" Maya snorted with extreme impatience. "Whatever the price, I can handle it!"

With that, she hung up the phone.

Only the monotonous dial tone remained in the receiver.

I slowly lowered the phone and stood there in silence.

There were no tears in my eyes, nor was there any anger.

I walked over to the full-length mirror. Looking at the bulky, shapeless girl with absolutely no curves, the corners of my mouth curled up uncontrollably.

Finally, I couldn't help but laugh out loud. It was a laugh of someone who had a massive burden completely lifted off their shoulders.

If Maya wanted it so badly, let her have it.

I didn't want that body anymore anyway.