AnnaMaria
I was the “fat girlfriend” my ex left for my best friend—until his wedding day, when his mother called and said, “You need to see this.”
My name is Larkin. I’m 28, and for most of my life, I’ve been the big girl. Not the socially celebrated kind of curvy. Just… big. So I learned early how to compensate. If I couldn’t be the prettiest, I’d be the most useful. Funny. Loyal. Dependable. The one people could count on.
That’s who Sayer met at trivia night.
He flirted. I teased him back. He called me “real.” He texted first.
We dated almost three years. We shared keys, routines, inside jokes, and plans that sounded like a future.
The Betrayal I Didn’t See Coming
My best friend Maren was stitched into that life. She was small, effortlessly thin, always telling me I deserved better.
Then one afternoon, a synced photo notification popped up on my phone.
My bedroom.
My bed.
My boyfriend.
My best friend.
Laughing. Shirtless. Comfortable.
When I confronted them, Sayer didn’t deny it. He sighed. Said Maren was “more his type.” Said attraction mattered. Said I hadn’t taken care of myself.
I handed him a trash bag and told them to leave.
They were engaged within months.
Changing My Body Didn’t Change the Truth
I fell apart. Then I did the only thing that felt controllable.
I walked.
Joined a gym.
Cried in bathroom stalls.
Kept showing up.
I ate differently. Lifted weights. Slowly, my body changed. And so did how people treated me.
The attention felt validating—and deeply unsettling. Because nothing about my kindness, loyalty, or humor had changed. Only my size.
The Wedding That Never Happened
I wasn’t invited to their wedding. I planned to stay home, invisible and safe.
Then Sayer’s mother called.
The country club was chaos. The reception hall torn apart. The ceremony canceled. Maren had been exposed—cheating, mocking how easy Sayer was to manipulate.
The wedding was off.
But that wasn’t the worst part.
His mother looked at me, assessed me, and said I had always loved him. That I was loyal. That I “matched” him now.
She suggested a small ceremony. That same day.
To save face.
The Moment I Finally Understood
That’s when it hit me.
I wasn’t a person to them.
I was a backup plan.
I refused and walked out.
That night, Sayer came to my door. Stunned by my appearance. Eager to fix his image. He said things made sense now. That people would understand if it was me.
That he chose me.
I laughed.
Six months earlier, I might have said yes. I thought getting smaller would finally make me enough.
Instead, it showed me exactly who never deserved me.
What I Actually Lost — and What I Gained
I told him the truth.
I wasn’t unlovable.
He was shallow.
And Maren didn’t ruin him—she just played his game better.
I closed the door.
What I lost wasn’t weight.
It was the belief that I had to earn basic respect.
And for the first time in my life, I didn’t shrink myself to fit someone else’s version of love.
Just that.
