The Groom Boasted of My Body

On our wedding day, my fiancé, Carter, got down on one knee and promised me forever. I smiled, blushing and ready to say yes, when his "pick-me" childhood bestie ruined the moment. "Wow, Carter, Aria has such an amazing body. You’re one lucky guy." Chloe grabbed my hands eagerly. "Aria! You have to tell me your measurements! I’m so jealous." "Unlike me. I’m completely flat." Though it sounded like a compliment, it was incredibly inappropriate for our wedding. But I didn't want to make a scene, so I laughed it off with some humor. "My measurements are classified information, Chloe. Only my husband gets access to that!" I thought she'd drop it, but Chloe pouted and turned to Carter. "Carter~ Aria won't tell me! What's the big secret? Just tell me. Maybe I'll go get breast implants and liposuction next week to blow everyone's minds!" The atmosphere in the room shifted. Everyone was looking at me, and I finally realized the discomfort I felt came from her sheer hostility. I looked at Carter, expecting him to shut it down. Instead, he ignored my warning look and spoke with a smug, boasting grin. "She's a 36-23-36." A few guys in the crowd whistled. My face went numb. I stood there for a few seconds, then yanked off my diamond ring and threw it right at his face. "Do you want me to share your underwear size with everyone too?" "Didn't you want to get male enhancement surgery? Are you even hitting four inches?" The moment Chloe finished her little speech about blowing everyone's minds, every eye in the room landed on me. The seeds of doubt had been planted. After today, rumors about me having plastic surgery or breast implants would spread like wildfire. I’d never be able to wash that dirt off. Before I agreed to Carter’s proposal, I knew he had a tight-knit circle of friends. Carter was a billionaire heir, so his friends were naturally wealthy and spoiled. Chloe was the only girl in the group, basically treated like a princess by all of them. I’m not a jealous person, and I’m pretty open-minded about social boundaries. I had only met her a few times before, and she had always seemed like a loud, bubbly, tomboyish girl. "Aria, you don't mind, right?" There was a hidden malice in Chloe's voice. Today, she was wearing a white lace dress. It looked suspiciously like a wedding gown. I turned my glaring eyes to Carter. But when he saw my anger, he just gave Chloe a doting smile. Carter threw his arm around her shoulders, his elbow brushing against her chest. He laughed, arrogant and teasing. "She's definitely bigger than your A-cups." "You're so annoying! Go away!" She stomped her foot, acting cute and offended. "My wife is very open-minded," Carter said, turning his gaze back to me. "She'll give me some face." Hearing this, the warmth in my chest instantly turned to ice. I began to tremble. "Then I’ll make an appointment next week, Carter! You still haven't told me her measurements." Then, his bragging voice echoed in my ears. "She's a 36-23-36." Carter pinched Chloe's cheek. "What do you think? Jealous?" There was no admiration in Chloe's eyes. Only a flash of pure envy. "I remember Aria’s measurements weren't like that before. I saw online that this kind of body is usually built in a surgeon's office." She gasped and covered her mouth, pretending she had made a slip of the tongue, but she had successfully planted the rumor. "Maybe I remembered wrong. I’ve met all of Carter's ex-girlfriends, but you're the only one he's actually marrying, Aria." My face grew darker with every word she spoke. "But you’re so lucky, Aria. Your natural genetics are great." She reached out, trying to poke my chest. I slapped her hand away. My palms were sweaty, making it easy to slide the ring off. The moment the diamond slid past my knuckle, my love for him died. With a sharp clack, Carter felt a warm, hard object strike his face. He looked down and saw my engagement ring. Carter froze. Being humiliated like this in front of everyone made his ego snap. He roared at me, "Aria! What the hell is wrong with you? Are you crazy?" I spoke coldly. "Since you’ve shared the bride’s measurements, I’m sure everyone is curious about the groom’s size too." "Do you want me to share your underwear size with everyone too?" "Carter, didn't you want to get male enhancement surgery? Are you even hitting four inches?" The room fell dead silent. Everyone’s eyes instantly shot down to Carter’s pants. Carter noticed, but he was powerless to refute my words. "The groom looks so tall and big. Is he really that small?" "Yikes. I guess nobody's perfect. There's always a catch." The whispers immediately reached Carter's ears. "Actually, with a tiny tool like yours, it really is best to keep it hidden," I said, holding up my thumb and index finger to show a tiny gap. Carter’s face flushed completely black. "Aria!" "What lies are you spreading? We’re getting married today! Why are you throwing a tantrum now?" His face was red from his ears to his neck. "Don't you know what day it is? How can you talk about such private things in public!" Oh, so he knew what day it was. He knew what "private" meant. "We haven't signed the marriage certificate yet anyway." "This wedding is off."Carter looked at me in disbelief. His friends immediately started trying to fix things for him. "Aria, Chloe really didn't mean it. She’s just brainless sometimes. Don't be mad at her." Everyone was making excuses for Chloe. "Yeah, we’ve been friends for years. We’re just very open with each other." I felt nothing but cold amusement. "Then why don't you share your wife’s measurements with us right now?" I asked the guy who spoke. The guy didn't hesitate. He immediately rattled off three numbers. Another friend leaned in and laughed, "Wow, did your wife’s tits get bigger again?" It was obvious they constantly rated and judged their wives and girlfriends behind closed doors. They were trash. Even if I had a perfect body, being used as a trophy to brag about made me sick. Carter had zero respect for me. Marrying a man like this would make the rest of my life a living hell. "Pathetic," I muttered. Seeing how calm I was, Chloe’s eyes welled with tears. "Aria! Don't make things hard for everyone else!" "If I had a body like yours, I’d gladly share it. You’re being so petty. Today is your wedding, but you’re humiliating Carter." "If you want to show off, that's your business. But you're right about one thing—I am petty. I don't tolerate trash." Seeing her looking so pitiful, my fiancé frowned, stepped forward, and pulled Chloe behind him. We were in a direct standoff now. Carter agreed with Chloe. He thought I was just being dramatic. "Chloe was just complimenting your body. What’s wrong with admitting it? Unless you really did get plastic surgery like she said?" "Can you stop acting up? Today is our wedding. Do you want to make this ugly?" No, it was already ugly. Seeing the utter disappointment in my eyes, Carter looked a bit guilty. "Fine. I love you, and it has nothing to do with your body." He picked up the dusty ring from the floor and tried to slide it back onto my ring finger. I looked down and slapped his hand away. "I said, the wedding is off." This time, the ring rolled deep under the bed, completely out of sight. Seeing she had gotten what she wanted, Chloe quickly winked at another friend. The guy immediately added fuel to the fire. "Carter, I can't watch this anymore. If she's like this on the wedding day, imagine what she'll be like after marriage. “ “I say, let her go. Who is she trying to threaten? We all know who’s going to embarrass themselves today!" Carter's toxic masculinity flared up. "Aria, I don't have time for your little tantrums." "The invitations are out. My family is here. And you're telling me you’re calling it off?" He ran his tongue over his teeth and let out a arrogant smirk. "Fine. Go ahead and play the solo bride. Let’s see who loses more face!" Chloe's eyes lit up. But she still kept up her fragile act. "I'm sorry, Aria. I didn't mean to ask. I just thought your body was so perfect..." "Please don't call off the wedding because of me." She reached out to grab my hand, pretending to comfort me, but her nails dug hard into my skin. I winced in pain and pushed her away. Chloe instantly collapsed to the floor like she had no bones, her eyes red and tearful. Carter was quick. He caught her in his arms. She clung to his shoulder, sobbing. The eyes I once loved to look at were now filled with cold disappointment. "Aria, it was just a few numbers! Why do you have to be so relentless?" Was it really just about the numbers?Seeing my silence, Chloe whimpered. "Aria, I know you hate how close I am to Carter, and that's why you're throwing a fit today. But Carter has the right to have friends after marriage!" "Controlling him like this already! You're being way too much!" Carter, thinking of his precious freedom, snapped. "Chloe, don't beg her. She’s acting like a crazy, jealous shrew! To think I actually thought she was sweet and gentle!" The word shrew felt like a dagger to my heart. We had been dating for a year and a half. Whenever I got slightly jealous before, he would pinch my nose and call me his "cute little jealous baby." Now, he was throwing such vile words at me. Chloe’s heavy tears hit the floor. "Carter almost cut ties with his parents just to marry you! You know how much he loves you!" In this relationship, Carter was the one who pursued me. For a year, he had laid his heart at my feet. He used to be a wild, rebellious playboy whom nobody could tame, yet he was willing to lower himself to cry and laugh with me. He was the arrogant, bad-boy billionaire, and I was the insecure, poor scholarship girl. The bad boy turning good for his true love—it was the perfect romance trope, ending at the altar. But now... I looked at his arm tightly wrapped around Chloe's waist. The love I had cherished so deeply was nothing but a joke. They turned to leave. But just as they reached the door, Carter walked back to me. "Aria, you're calling it off, right? Don't forget, everything on you was paid for with my money! Your tuition, this wedding, your mother’s medical bills, and even her funeral! I paid for all of it." "So what right do you have to say no to me?" He grabbed my wrist. "And this wedding dress you're wearing—it was paid for with my money. Take it off." With those words, he ripped away the last shred of my dignity. He knew exactly where I came from. He knew how poor and desperate I had been. Yet, he chose to expose my deepest wounds to everyone, using them as a weapon to hurt me. I guess free things are always the most expensive. Under the mocking stares of the crowd, I reached back and pulled the zipper of the wedding dress down. Carter’s face went pale, and he pinned me to the bed. "Aria! I just wanted you to bow your head! Why do you have to be so stubborn?" I slapped his hands away and stepped completely out of the wedding dress. Standing by the bed in my white silk slip, my voice trembled with a fragile but solid strength. "Here’s your dress. As for the rest, I’ll pay you back. Every single penny." Carter froze for a second, looking absolutely livid. "Since you want a clean break, I'll give it to you!" "You've been with me for so long. Who else would want you besides me? Don't regret this." He stormed out with his friends. Chloe slowed her pace, lingering behind. "See? You two were never a match anyway. A girl of your class could never hold him down." "I suggest you stay far away from him after today." As she walked away smugly, my phone buzzed with a text message. [Since he won't marry you, marry me instead.] [I can give you far more than he ever could.] I stared at the screen for a long time before typing my reply. [Okay. I'll marry you.]