Chubby Bride’s Revenge

Chapter 7

~ Becca ~

The next morning, the sunlight was sharp through the curtains, but it didn’t warm me. I felt raw, exposed, still trembling from the chaos of last night. Nate hovered at the doorway like a hawk, arms crossed, jaw tight. He didn’t need to say anything; I knew he was still furious. And he had every right to be.

“Eat something,” he said, setting a plate of scrambled eggs and toast in front of me. “You’re going to need strength if you plan on staying sane around him.”

I stared at the food but couldn’t bring myself to touch it. “I don’t even know what to do next,” I admitted. “He Stephenhe’s unhinged. He thinks he still owns me.”

Nate’s eyes narrowed. “Good. Let him think that. The more he underestimates you, the better.”

I looked down at the plate, finally picking at the eggs. I had a plan forming, but it was messy, chaotic, a dangerous thing in the back of my mind that made my pulse race. I had to be smarter. I had to be sharper. And I had to use the pieces around me.

Like Jace Hale.

He arrived not long after breakfast, stepping into the room with his usual calculated calm. His eyes immediately found mine, scanning, protective, almost predatory. He didn’t sit. He didn’t wait. He just stood there, a barrier I hadn’t asked for but suddenly needed.

“I want a full report,” he said quietly, eyes locked on mine. “Every word, every threat, every look. I need to know exactly what I’m dealing with.”

I swallowed, my stomach twisting. “He came here last night. He tried to” I stopped myself. I didn’t want to repeat it aloud. Not again. Not yet.

Jace’s jaw tightened, but he didn’t interrupt. “Good. That’s enough for now. You’re safe here. No one touches you unless I say so.”

It was both a promise and a warning.

And yet, the storm wasn’t over. Not by a long shot.

Because Lydia Cross had already started moving. I could feel it the way her presence, though unseen, pushed at the edges of our Lives. She’d been watching Stephen, waiting for him to come back to her, and he hadn’t. That alone would be enough to ignite her obsession.

“You’ll need eyes,” Jace said, as if reading my mind. “I have Evan keeping watch. He’ll follow Stephen, track him. Make sure he doesn’t do anything stupid.”

“Good,” I said. I could trust Evan. He wasn’t just loyal; he understood. He had seen the chaos before it erupted.

Nate leaned closer, lowering his voice. “And don’t forget Brielle. That girl is a ticking time bomb. She’s panicking already pregnancy rumors, Stephen losing interest… she’s desperate. She’ll make mistakes. And they’ll be your leverage.”

I nodded slowly. Brielle’s betrayal had been personal, intimate, and deliberate. But desperation made people predictable. I could use that.

Jace’s gaze softened slightly. “You’re not alone in this. But you need to keep your moves calculated. Let anger fuel you, but don’t let it blind you. You want control, not chaos. Right?”

“Yes,” I whispered, though the fire in my chest was screaming louder than my words. “Control. Payback. Everything he thinks he owns… he won’t.”

I remembered Mrs. Hale, Stephen and Jace’s Mom She had always had a sharp eye, and even though Stephen was the obvious center of the situation , she noticed everything. If she got wind of the situation and that could either help or complicate things. She had always liked me better than Stephen did. Maybe now, she could tip the scales without either of the brothers realizing.

“First things first,” Jace continued, moving closer, lowering his voice, “you reclaim your world. Your friends, your routines, your confidence. And when you’re ready, we let them feel the weight of what they’ve lost.”

I let that sink in. Not revenge for the sake of revenge. Strategy. Patience. Every step planned.

But I also knew something else Lydia wouldn’t wait. She would try to attack before I was ready. And Brielle… Brielle would panic and make a mistake, exposing herself.

The thought made my pulse quicken. The pieces were all moving. And I was about to move them.

I straightened, finally feeling a strange clarity. “I want Stephen to beg. I want him to see me… and know he can’t have me. I want Lydia to burn with jealousy. I want Brielle to crumble. And I want every person who ever doubted me to remember that the girl they humiliated? She’s gone.”

Jace’s eyes flickered, something dangerous and approving in them. “Good. Then we start with small moves. Observations, positioning, information. We don’t make mistakes. And we don’t show fear.”

I felt something shift inside me. The old Becca the scared, trembling, forgiving Becca was gone. The new Becca was awake. And this time, she wouldn’t just survive. She would dominate.

“I’m ready,” I said, voice steady. “Let them see the woman they tried to destroy.”

Jace’s lips curved into the faintest smile. “They won’t know what hit them.”

And for the first time in years, I believed him.

Because I had allies. I had strategy. And I had a fire that wouldn’t be extinguished.

Stephen, Lydia, Brielle they had no idea the war had already begun.

And I was leading the charge.