All Chapters of Too Fat To Love, Too Powerful To Lose: Chapter 1 - Chapter 5

Vanessa's warning refused to leave my mind during the entire drive to the gala."If I were you, I wouldn't come tonight."The words replayed over and over again, haunting every thought that crossed my mind.They should have frightened me.They should have convinced me to turn the car around and go home.Instead, they only made me press harder on the accelerator.For months, I had remained silent while my life slowly fell apart around me.For months, I had swallowed my pain, ignored my suspicions, and convinced myself that things would somehow improve if I just waited long enough.For months, I had watched my marriage die one painful day at a time while pretending everything was perfectly normal.But tonight was different.Tonight, I was done pretending.Tonight, I wanted answers.The Sterling Global Charity Gala was being held at the Grand Monarch Hotel, one of the most prestigious venues in the city.The massive building sparkled beneath the night sky like a palace made of glass and

The first thing I heard was crying.It wasn't my crying.It belonged to someone else.The sound was soft and broken, carrying through the distance like a fragile thread that refused to snap.Then other sounds slowly emerged from the darkness.Voices.Doctors speaking in low tones.Nurses moving quickly.Machines beeping steadily nearby.The sounds felt familiar.Too familiar.My eyelids felt impossibly heavy as I struggled to open them.Every part of my body ached.My limbs felt weighed down by exhaustion.My chest felt tight.My head throbbed.Slowly, I forced my eyes open.The first thing I saw was a white ceiling.Then fluorescent lights.Then sterile walls.The sharp scent of antiseptic immediately filled my lungs.My stomach twisted violently.Hospital.Again.No.Please.Not again.Panic surged through me so quickly that I could barely breathe.Before I could stop myself, my hand flew toward my abdomen.The sudden movement sent pain shooting through my body.I winced.A nurse st