THE MAFIA’S PET BABY

CHAPTER02_

IT’S BEGINNING

I stood there, frozen from the embarrassment as my hands began to sweat. I'm Maya and I'm 180 pounds. I'm sorry if this is the only feature I point out, but I did because that's basically how everyone sees me.

Whenever people look at me, they don't see my smile or my sparkling eyes. They don't even see my kind heart or my generous spirit. All they see is my weight. And it's hard not to take that personally.

But before you judge me, I want you to know that I wasn't always this way.

Thinking back to the days when I used to be happy and be a carefree person who loved to dance. Also, I am able to wear cute clothes and feel confident in my own skin. All that changed after I had my daughter, Lily.

When I got pregnant with her, I gained a lot of weight. I thought it was just normal pregnancy weight, but after she was born, I couldn't seem to lose it. No matter how hard I tried, the weight just wouldn't come off. And then I started to notice other symptoms. I was losing myself, like I was disappearing into this new, heavier body.

It wasn't until I was diagnosed with PCOS that I finally understood what was going on. The doctor told me that my hormones were out of balance, that my body was producing too much insulin and not enough estrogen. She told me that it was a common condition, and that many women struggled with it. But that didn't make it any easier.

As the years went by, I watched myself become a shadow of my former self. I felt like I was trapped in this body, like I was stuck in a never-ending cycle of weight gain and self-doubt. And it's hard to explain, but I lost myself in the process. I lost my confidence, my self-worth, my sense of identity.

I know I'm supposed to be used to ill-comments by now. But the truth is, it still cuts deep into me every day. My only solace is Lily and the comfort of delicious meals. I don't even regret one bit having Lily, she literally brings calmness to my soul.

"Maya" Ryan's voice cut through my thoughts. I turned to him, "Could you help me zip up please?" I asked, my voice almost a whisper.

Ryan shot me an even colder glance. "God forbid that I actually lay my hands on you." He snapped.

Just then, Mr. Reginald's voice intervened. "Come on, Ryan, that's a mean thing to say. Help her out, we should get going. The party's about to begin."

The rest of the family members began to file out, leaving just me and Ryan in the room.

As Ryan approached me, he had this rage in his eyes. My subconscious kept screaming at me to move backward, but I only managed to take two steps backwards before his hands gripped my neck, slamming me to the wall.

“Listen, this should be the last embarrassment I’ll get from you today! Go everywhere, disappear. I do not care! But do not, I repeat, do not show yourself on that stage. Dirty scumbag. He yelled.

I struggled to speak, but his grip became tighter with every attempt. Until he finally let me go. I slumped to the ground. “I’m sorry, Ryan…” I managed to mutter with the tears threatening to spill.

I laid there, with my body shaking with silent sobs. I tried to catch my breath, but it was too hard to calm down. I slowly got up from the floor, my eyes scanning the room to make sure that I was still alone, then I heard footsteps coming in from outside the room. It was one of the staff, so I quickly asked her to help me zip up. I smoothed out my dress and hair, trying to look presentable. I didn't want anyone to see me in this state.

Moving outside, I glanced around the room in search of a place to sit where I could see what was going on and not be noticed. Finally, I spotted a few empty chairs at the back. It was a bit darker there so I made my way, trying to move as quietly as possible.

As I sat down, I let out a sigh of relief as I tried to focus on the introduction. A few minutes in, I saw my family arrive, the Smiths. My heart leaped for joy and I started to make my way towards them, eager to fall into their arms and hug them.

But Ryan beat me to it, with a broad smile spread across his face. It was unusual for him to be so excited about seeing my family. What is going on?

That was when I saw her. She was back.