Chapter 1

To meet my online boyfriend for the first time, I starved myself and worked out like crazy to lose 100 pounds.

But the day before our big meet-up, I stumbled across a post on a local forum.

"Rehoming my online girlfriend."

"Been together for over a year. She has a sweet voice, a great personality, and is amazing at emotional support. DM me if you're interested."

Someone asked in the comments why he was giving up such a great girlfriend.

He replied: "I found her real-life info online. She's super fat. I only date hot girls."

The comment section immediately filled with mockery.

"I was actually interested, but if she's fat, never mind."

"Who wants a fat girl? Keep her to yourself, man. Haha."

Only one person replied, "Check your DMs."

I stared at the poster's profile picture. It was the exact same profile picture as my online boyfriend.

And the post had been active for three months already.

I froze, my mind going completely blank.

Suddenly, things from three months ago started to make sense. Carter had changed a lot back then.

He had suddenly become cold and distant, even breaking up with me once, saying he was just bored.

I thought he was just going through a phase, so I practically begged him to stay.

He reluctantly agreed to keep trying.

Right after that, he insisted on changing his Snapchat account. His excuse was that his old one was too cluttered with spam, and since he was starting college, he wanted a fresh start.

So, I added his new account.

Even after that, he remained a bit distant for a while, and his personality seemed totally different.

It took some time before we got back to our usual sweet, lovey-dovey state.

I thought he had just had a change of heart after getting bored. I never imagined...

I looked down at my phone.

A message popped up from him.

"Babe, I looked at the calendar and saw your period is coming up. I ordered you some hot chocolate. Make sure to drink it while it's warm."

"I can't wait to see you next month. I'm a little nervous. Are you excited, babe?"

My eyelashes fluttered, my finger hovering over the screen.

So... who exactly was this person about to meet me?

When Maya came to find me, she was hesitating, biting her lip.

"Chloe, did you and Carter break up?"

"Why do you ask?" I asked calmly.

She didn't answer but handed me her phone instead. "See for yourself."

When we used to play games online together, Maya got pretty close with one of Carter's gaming buddies.

That guy had sent her a screenshot of Carter's private Instagram story.

In their group chat, someone had asked Carter:

"Yo, why haven't you brought your girl to play games with us lately?"

Carter replied:

"We broke up."

Everyone was shocked.

"Wait, weren't you guys doing great? Why the sudden breakup?"

"I used to love her voice and always assumed she was a babe. But last time she posted a screenshot, her delivery receipt showed her real name. I knew which high school she went to, so I had someone dig up her info."

"Turns out she's a massive whale, nearly two hundred pounds! I swear I almost threw up on the spot. I'm a visual guy, you know? I dumped her immediately."

Someone joked, "Maybe her voice sounds good because her fat is choking her vocal cords. The sweeter the voice, the bigger the whale!"

"But I remember that girl was head over heels for you. She always protected you in-game. Did she really agree to the breakup?"

Carter replied, "She didn't want to. So I basically rehomed her. I posted a listing to transfer her to someone else. It's not like she knows my real name anyway."

Then, he shared a link to the "Rehoming my online girlfriend" post.

The replies below were wild.

"Holy shit, that's insane. You can actually transfer a girlfriend?"

"Carter, you're a genius! Now she definitely won't harass you anymore. She must have hidden her face on purpose. If it wasn't online, you would never have dated someone like her for a year. She deserved it."

"Being catfished by a wild hog for a whole year must have scarred you, man. Not planning on dating for a while?"

Carter replied, "Actually, I've got my eyes on a new target. There's a super cute, innocent girl in the incoming freshman Snapchat group."

Carter came from a wealthy family and often bought coffee or drinks for the group.

Naturally, everyone loved to stroke his ego.

They quickly replied, "Damn, Carter's fast! Already snagged a baddie."

"Only a top-tier girl is worthy of you, bro."

"Any pics? Let us see!"

Carter sent a photo.

In the picture, the girl wore a white sundress and a light cardigan. Her natural ash-brown hair was tied in a loose side ponytail resting on her shoulder. She was pale, skinny, with eyes that crinkled beautifully when she smiled.

She was indeed very pretty.

I recognized her instantly. It was Haley Vance from our freshman Snapchat group.

She had shared her photo in the group earlier, and the guys immediately started hyping her up as the new campus belle.

Maya was fuming.

"Carter dated you for over a year, and he just tossed you aside like garbage. He even 'rehomed' you? What an absolute scumbag."

"And honestly, this Haley girl isn't even prettier than you. She's just pale and skinny."

"Chloe, you should post your photo in the group right now. Make him regret it."

I stared down at the screen.

In that chat, only one person had tried to stand up for me.

"But that girl really loved you. I remember every time you got ambushed in the game, she was always the first to rush in and die for you. Isn't this a bit too cruel?"

A moment later, Carter replied casually: "I only care about looks. What can I do? Just thinking about being with that fat pig for a year makes me want to vomit."

"If she wants to blame someone, she should blame her own ugly face."