Maybe he was right.
Maybe if I had been smaller, prettier, better… none of it would have happened.
That mindset almost destroyed me.
Eventually I realized the only thing I could change was how I treated myself.
So I started small.
The first time I tried the treadmill at my friend Natalie’s gym, I lasted eight minutes before hiding in the bathroom and crying.
The next day I went back.
Walking turned into jogging.
Jogging turned into lifting weights.
Slowly my body changed.
But the bigger transformation was in my confidence.
For the first time in years, I wasn’t trying to earn someone’s love.
I was rebuilding my own self-respect.
Six months later, Marvin and Mercy were preparing for their wedding.
I knew the date from social media, but I had no intention of thinking about it.
My plan was to stay home and ignore the whole thing.
Then my phone rang.
Unknown number.
When I answered, the voice on the other end sounded frantic.
“Is this Stella?”
“Yes.”
“This is Marvin’s mother.”
I hadn’t spoken to her in months.
Before I could ask what was wrong, she rushed her words out.
“Stella, you need to come to the venue. Immediately.”
I frowned.
“Why would I do that?”
Her voice dropped into a whisper.
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