Annie's eyes widened in alarm as she looked at me.

"Lydia… what happened? Don't tell me you weren't the one taken advantage of last night? Which bastard was it? I'll skin him alive!"

The memory of last night made my face flare crimson. I had been taken advantage of… except I was the one who made the first move.

And the "bastard" was her disciplined, self-controlled father.

How was I supposed to say that?

I stammered for a long moment before finally managing, "No. I agreed to it…"

Seeing my expression, Annie suddenly understood and lit up with excitement.

"Lydia, you've got some nerve! But this is a good thing. At least you've finally come to your senses and decided to dump that jerk Miles!"

She grew more animated by the second, gripping my arm and shaking it.

"Tell me everything. What does he look like? Is he handsome? Tall? Does he treat you well? How did you meet? And last night… was it intense?"

My face burned even hotter. The barrage of questions left me dizzy with embarrassment.

But Annie genuinely cared about me. I couldn't lie to her.

"Actually… last night…"

Just as I was about to say his name, my phone screen lit up.

It was Miles.

My heart clenched. I instinctively tried to hang up, but Annie reacted faster. She snatched the phone and put it on speaker.

Miles's impatient reprimand blasted through the speaker.

"Lydia! Why didn't you answer my calls last night? You didn't reply to my messages either. It was just a joke. How long are you planning to keep sulking over this?"

In the past, words like that would have sent me into a panic. I would have apologized without thinking.

But now, I had already decided to let him go.

And maybe… maybe I would soon marry someone else.

The thought of Dominic made my cheeks flush again, but my gaze hardened. It was time to end this properly.

I took the phone back and spoke slowly, clearly. "Miles, I made it very clear last night. We're done. You can treat that proposal like some meaningless performance, but I can't. From now on, where I go and what I do is none of your business."

There was a sharp pause on the other end. Then Miles exploded.

"Lydia! Say that again. Done? Who gave you permission to end this unilaterally? Don't forget who's been supporting you all these years. Get back here right now. Don't push me—"

I let out a cold laugh.

"Miles, I'm not something you get to keep and control. I was naive before. Not anymore."

Without waiting for his response, I hung up and decisively blocked his number.

Annie stared at me, stunned, then broke into a thrilled grin.

"Yes! Lydia! That was perfect! You should've done that ages ago. Let him rot!"

I looked at my friend, who seemed even more excited than I was, and forced a faint smile.

"Annie, I've finally escaped that misery. I'm going to let myself live a little."

Annie looped her arm through mine and chimed in.

"Exactly! We're doing whatever you want. To celebrate your escape and your brand-new life, I'm taking you out to go wild."

I nodded firmly.

Then I brought Annie to the gym.

She looked completely baffled.

"The gym? Since when do you come here? You hate working out."

I changed into workout clothes, stepped onto the treadmill, cranked the speed to the highest setting, and started running like I was trying to outrun my own thoughts.

Sweat soaked through my hair in minutes.

I clenched my teeth as images flashed through my mind. Miles's cold expression. Tessa's smug smile. Dominic's deep, unreadable eyes…

I would make Miles regret it. And I would make myself worthy of Dominic.

Over in the weight area, Annie half-heartedly lifted the lightest dumbbells available while watching me with concern as I pushed myself almost to self-punishment.

Worried as she was, she still called out encouragement at the right moments.

Just then, a commotion erupted at the gym entrance.

Miles stormed in with two of his men, his face dark.

His gaze immediately locked onto the familiar figure on the treadmill, sharp and ominous.

He strode over and slammed his hand onto the control panel, stopping the machine.

I stumbled to a halt, breathing hard.

"Lydia, you've gotten bold, haven't you? Blocking my number?"

He looked me up and down with open contempt.

"You come to a place like this to embarrass yourself? Look at you, drenched in sweat. What a sight. Come back with me."

The familiar tone of disgust cut deep. Even though I had chosen to let him go, the words still tore at me.

"I told you. We're done."

I wiped the sweat from my face, stepped off the treadmill, and tried to move past him.

Miles grabbed my wrist, his grip so tight it felt like my bones would crack.

"You don't get to decide that. Lydia, I've supported you all these years. You think you can just walk out of my control?"

"Let her go!"

Annie couldn't stand it anymore. She dropped the dumbbells and rushed over, trying to pry his hand off me.

"Miles, have you no shame? Picking on Lydia makes you feel powerful?"

"Miss Sinclair, this is between me and Lydia. You'd better stay out of it."

Miles cast Annie a sideways glance, his tone far from polite.

Although Annie was the adoptive daughter of the city's most powerful mafia godfather, Dominic, Miles, as the second-in-command of the city's second most powerful mafia family, did not think much of her.

At his signal, his men stepped forward and blocked Annie.

"You—!"

Annie's face flushed with anger, but she couldn't break free.

Miles ignored her and dragged me toward the exit.

"Come back with me. Don't make me use force."

I struggled with all my strength, but I was no match for him. I was seconds away from being hauled out.

Just then, a low voice sounded from outside the gym.

"Mr. Calloway, please release Ms. Sinclair."

Everyone turned toward the voice. Two imposing men in black suits had appeared without anyone noticing.

They were Dominic's personal guards.

Miles froze. His expression shifted.

"Mr. Calloway, the godfather has given his order. Ms. Prescott is now the godmother of the Sinclair family and under his protection. Please. Let go."

Miles froze.

"Ha... Godmother?"

He burst into laughter, but his eyes were dark enough to drip venom.

"Lydia, I'll give you that. You'd go this far just to spite me? You think teaming up with Annie and hiring two guys to put on a show will scare me? Wake up. Looking like that, you think Dominic would ever want you?"

A sharp pain pierced my chest.

So this was how worthless I was in his eyes.

The two guards ignored his mockery completely.

The leader stepped forward again and repeated calmly, "Mr. Calloway, please release her. This is the godfather's order."

The muscles in Miles's face twitched. Of course he recognized them. They were Dominic's most elite personal guards, not people Annie could simply deploy at will.

Could it be… Dominic had truly stepped in?

Miles abruptly released my wrist.

"Fine. Very fine. Lydia, you've climbed up the ladder, huh? You really think Dominic would be serious about you? You're just a temporary amusement. Don't forget who gave you everything you have. Without me, how many days do you think you'd last? Your education. Your lifestyle. Those ridiculous dreams of yours. What would support them? Tell me."

He stepped closer, lowering his voice. "You really think you can smoothly claim what your dead father left you? Without me, you wouldn't be able to protect a single thing."

The pain spread from my chest to my fingertips. I was trembling with anger.

My father had seen him wrong.

How could trash like Miles ever deserve the trust and favor he'd been granted?

I took a deep breath and met his gaze without fear.

"Miles, I graduate next month. The trust fund and inheritance my father left me will automatically unlock once I turn twenty-two and complete my studies. They will be managed by an independent legal team and asset managers I designate. And if I remember correctly, Mr. Sinclair was one of the witnesses when my father arranged all of it."

I tilted my head and let out a soft scoff.

"So tell me, in what capacity do you think you can control my father's estate or interfere in my life after graduation?"

Miles's face turned ugly in an instant.

He had always known my father had left contingencies in place. He just hadn't expected them to be this airtight.

"You…" He faltered, anger flaring from humiliation.

I stopped looking at him and turned to the guards, giving a slight nod.

"Thank you. I appreciate your help."

The guards stepped back respectfully.

Miles shot me one last venomous glare.

He knew he wouldn't be taking me today.

If he pushed further, he would only humiliate himself and risk fully offending Dominic.

With a cold snort, he finally backed down and stormed out with his men, face livid.

"Wow, Lydia! That was incredible!"

Annie jumped up first and rushed over, grabbing my arm and shaking it excitedly.

"Did you see his face? He looked like he'd just bitten into something rotten! That was priceless! You actually talked back to him! And the inheritance thing, you should've used that against him a long time ago!"

She kept chattering, flushed with triumph, then suddenly noticed the two guards standing nearby.

Blinking, she leaned in and lowered her voice. "Godmother? That's what my dad's men are calling you? My dad's impressive. Full commitment to the act. Even the title was arranged. Look at how it scared that idiot Miles. But seriously, Lydia, if you actually ended up with my dad, that would be perfect. Miles wouldn't even be in the same league. My dad might be a little cold, but he's responsible, ridiculously good-looking, in amazing shape, and more capable than anyone I know. He's basically walking, talking security. If you became my stepmom, let's see who'd even dare try to bully you."

Her half-joking, half-serious words made my heart tighten. The heat that had just faded from my cheeks threatened to return.

I wanted to tell her this wasn't an act. It was real.

But the words stalled. Seeing Annie's pure excitement for me, and then catching my own disheveled reflection in the mirror, I swallowed everything back down.

"Annie, don't say things like that…" I lowered my head, avoiding her searching gaze, my voice barely above a whisper. "Mr. Sinclair… he just helped me out because of you."

"Really?" Annie tilted her head, unconvinced but not pressing further. "Whatever. Today's a major win. Come on, let's celebrate. Shower first, then I'm treating you to a huge meal. You deserve it."

This time, Miles was truly furious. He froze every one of my bank cards.

In the past, whenever I showed even the slightest sign of defiance, he would threaten to cut me off financially, but he had never actually followed through.

I had always gone back before he needed to. I would apologize, give in, smooth things over.

This time, I refused. So he escalated.

Before panic could fully set in, my phone began vibrating nonstop.

A bank deposit notification appeared. The amount was so large it left me staring in disbelief.

The memo contained only one word. "Allowance."

A message from Dominic followed immediately.

"I'm handling matters overseas and won't be back for now. Keep the cards. Use them. Pay no attention to irrelevant people. What happened today will not happen again."

Concise. Direct. Entirely in character.

Some time later, Annie rushed over in a conspiratorial whisper, saying the family elders were preparing a wedding. My heart tightened instantly.

Would Dominic really marry me?

The memory of Miles leaving me humiliated still lingered vividly.

Insecurity swallowed me whole. I didn't dare ask. I didn't dare confirm.

All the restless energy had nowhere to go, so I poured it into punishing workouts.

Sweat washed away hesitation. Exhaustion numbed my thoughts.

I controlled my diet with precision and trained until drenched, fighting the chaos inside me with discipline.

Soon, the swelling caused by antidepressant medication gave way to firm lines and a slender silhouette. My skin regained a healthy glow.

Even Annie was stunned by the transformation. The first time she saw the slimmer version of me, she actually dropped what she was holding.

"Lydia, you were hiding this face all along? You look unreal. Like you walked straight out of a dream."

Her praise made me flush.

When I first met Annie, I had already gained weight from the medication. This was the first time she had seen me at my true form.

Then Annie's expression darkened again.

"Miles is blind. You're a hundred times more beautiful than Tessa. If he saw you now, he'd regret it for the rest of his life."

As for Miles, I had neither returned home nor seen him again since the gym incident.

He had frozen my cards, trying to pressure me financially.

Perhaps to provoke me, he indulged Tessa's every request. Gifts flowed endlessly, and he flaunted his devotion so openly that people in our circle praised him for being romantic.

His subordinates, eager to flatter Tessa, mocked me openly, calling me pathetic and desperate.

Tessa, of course, made sure to forward every insult and every display of his favoritism directly to me.

I didn't block her. Instead, I saved everything, almost masochistically.

Whenever I felt like giving up, those messages became fuel.

Before I knew it, graduation day arrived.

I put on my black gown and adjusted the tassel in front of the mirror.

The woman staring back at me looked composed, her features refined, her figure graceful and lean.

After today, I would finally stand on my own. My father's estate would officially come under my control.

This was the beginning of my new life.

I took a deep breath, switched my phone to silent, slipped it into my bag, and walked toward the auditorium.

At the entrance, I saw someone I hadn't seen in a long time. Miles.

Tessa stood beside him, her arm wrapped around his, leaning close as she spoke with a bright smile.

He listened indulgently, responding now and then.

His gaze scanned the venue, brows slightly furrowed as if searching for something.

The next second, his eyes lifted toward me.

I froze where I stood.

Even though I had chosen to let him go, my body still reacted to his gaze.

Fortunately, his eyes lingered on me for only a brief second before moving on.

He didn't recognize me.

Of course he didn't. In his mind, I was still the overweight girl. He would never associate that image with the woman standing before him now.