Married To My Ex-Husband’s Rival by Jobet GraySon

Chapter 115

Third–person POV

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Marlene stood on the weight scale, her heart pounding in her chest as she nervously bit her fingernails, waiting for her mother’s verdict. It was the end of the week, the dreaded day when her mother would assess her progress on her weight loss journey, a journey that had consumed her life for the past three years.

Her mother’s voice echoed in her mind, and the cruel words seared into her memory like a brand. Three years ago, when she was just eleven years old, she had been told that she had to be beautiful to be recognized, and in her mother’s eyes, beauty equated to thinness.

In her mother’s own words, “You can’t expect to be seen as beautiful when you look like you have dumplings stuck in your cheeks, Marlene. If you want to be respected, and praised, you have to stop looking like a stuffed turkey. Only then will you be taken seriously.”

She remembered how she had been labeled as overweight and unattractive by her mother on several occasions, a fate that had driven her to desperate measures to shed the unwanted pounds.

Over the years, Marlene had subjected herself to extreme diets, popped pills to suppress her appetite, and exercised relentlessly in a bid to meet her mother’s unattainable standards of beauty. Each setback and each plateau in her weight loss journey had been met with punishment from her mother, driving Marlene further into a cycle of self–loathing and despair.

If she failed, she’d be dealt with.

As she stood on the scale, anxiety clawing at her insides, Marlene braced herself for the inevitable verdict. If she had lost weight, she would be rewarded with a meager feast by her mother’s standards–a larger quantity of fruit salad instead of the few pieces of fruit she usually had every morning, yogurt instead of plain shakes that usually tasted like grass.

On rare occasions, she might be allowed a minuscule serving of a burger or a piece of chicken feet, deemed acceptable in her mother’s eyes as “less fattening” options.

Time seemed to stretch on endlessly as Marlene waited for her mother’s voice, the air thick with anticipation and fear. And then, finally, her mother spoke, her words landing like a heavy blow on Marlene’s already fragile spirit.

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Chapter 115

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“You’ve gained even more weight, Marlene. You’re still fat and not beautiful enough to be respected,” her mother’s voice rang out, the sentence cutting through Marlene like a knife. The weight of her mother’s disapproval and disappointment hit her hard, crushing her spirit and reinforcing the harsh reality of her existence.

Tears welled up in Marlene’s eyes as she fought to hold back the torrent of emotions threatening to consume her. The constant barrage of criticism and expectations had taken its toll on her, leaving her trapped in a cycle of self–hatred and despair.

Marlene stared up at her mother, her mother’s disappointment and disgust etched into the lines of her face. Her failure pressed down on her as she mustered the courage to speak, her voice tinged with

shame.

“I’m sorry, Mom. I’ll do better next time, I promise,” Marlene whispered, her words a meek attempt to placate her mother’s anger and disappointment.

Mary scoffed at her daughter’s apology, her tone laced with bitterness as she retorted, “You will do better next time, Marlene. I’ll make sure of it.”

Fidgeting nervously, Marlene felt her impending punishment settle around her heavily. With a sigh, she mustered the courage to ask the inevitable question.

“What’s my punishment, Mom?” Marlene’s voice trembled slightly, her gaze fixed on her mother’s stern expression as she braced herself for the consequences of her failure.

Mary’s frown deepened as she met Marlene’s gaze, her voice sharp as she delivered the sentence that would confirm Marlene’s fate. “For your first punishment, you will have nothing but water for the next two days. And if you dare to disobey me and eat anything else, I will have you locked in your room and ensure you don’t eat anything for a week,” Mary declared.

Tears threatened to spill from Marlene’s eyes, but steeling herself against the emotions threatening to overwhelm her, she fought to keep her composure, knowing that any display of weakness would on fuel her mother’s anger.

“As for your second punishment,/Marlene, you must learn to vomit at will. It’s the only way you’ll achieve the beauty you need to succeed in this world,” Mary said, her tone cold and devoid of any hint of warmth or compassion.

Confusion clouded Marlene’s mind, her eyes wide with disbelief as she struggled to comprehend her

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she could voice her confusion, Mary’s

the bathroom.

clear and uncompromising. With a sinking feeling in the pit of her stomach, Marlene knew she had no choice but to comply with her mother’s wishes.

wasted no time in giving Marlene her next directive. “Stick two of your fingers down your throat, Marlene. You can’t stop until you’ve vomited. This is the path to beauty, to

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deep breath to steady herself, she

couldn’t induce the desired result, Mary’s voice sliced through her efforts like a knife. “Pick up your toothbrush, Marlene. Use it to reach deeper and ensure you vomit. This is the only way,” she instructed.

mechanical as she followed her mother’s instructions. The bristles of the toothbrush scraped against the sensitive skin at the back of her throat, eliciting a

then, finally, the floodgates opened, and Marlene vomited into

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her throat as she expelled the contents of her stomach. The sound echoed in the quiet room, a reminder of the depths to which she had fallen in her quest for acceptance and

Mary nodded in approval, a twisted smile curling the corners of her

this up, and soon you’ll be even more beautiful than Amber. You’re on the

as she looked at Marlene. Despite the contrast between her earlier harshness and her

Marlene.

you must always remember that everything I do is for your sake. I

measures.”

clouding her gaze. She listened in silence as Mary continued, her voice a gentle yet insistent reminder of how Marlene

have been. Do you want to end up like me? Do you want to be second choice, or do you want to rise above and be truly seen?”

mother’s words, but she nodded slowly, allowing

settle around her.

I’ll do whatever

what’s best for you. The rest of the world doesn’t care

again.

held a finality that brooked no argument, a reminder of

of

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left the room, and as Marlene watched her mother disappear down the hallway, a sense

lukewarm water, tears streaming down her cheeks in despair. She clutched her knees to her chest, the water lapping

whispered to herself over and over, a feeble attempt to drown out the voices of doubt and self–loathing that swirled in the depths of her

like, a sudden realization pierced through the veil of her mental anguish. Marlene’s muttering faltered, her heart constricted with

tore from Marlene’s lips in a hoarse scream, a raw expression of the self–hatred

to suffocate her. The urge to simply let go, to surrender to the depths and

water pressed against her ears and blurred her vision, Marlene’s mind was a whirlwind of conflicting emotions. She felt

She wanted to end her life, but she didn’t want to face the darkness alone. If she was going to leave this world,

flickered in her mind, an embodiment of all the inadequacies and insecurities that Marlene had carried in her for so long. Amber was an embodiment of everything she was not, the standard against which Marlene had measured her

Marlene climbed out of the bathtub, the cold tiles biting into her skin as she stood shakily on unsteady legs. With trembling hands,

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