FATWORLD

Chapter 2 Just This Once Vanessa Cole hated how quiet her mornings had become. No more familiar gym music. No more front desk greetings. No more rows of treadmills humming beneath fluorescent lights. Just silence. She tightened her ponytail while standing in front of her bathroom mirror, studying herself critically. Still toned. Still lean. Still in control. But somehow… off. Her phone buzzed on the counter beside her. Another rejection email. “We’ve decided to move in a different direction for our fitness campaign…” Vanessa sighed heavily. Third one this month. She tossed the phone aside and grabbed her gym bag before heading for the door. The new gym downtown was terrible. Too crowded. Too loud. Nobody cleaned the machines properly. Nobody reracked their weights. Worst of all: nobody knew her there. She felt invisible. By the time she finished her workout, Vanessa was already irritated. Sweat clung to her skin uncomfortably as rain hammered against the gym windows

Chapter 1 Last Workout Vanessa Cole checked her reflection in the darkened gym window before stepping inside. Perfect. Her brunette ponytail sat high and tight, not a strand out of place. Black leggings hugged her toned legs perfectly, and the fitted gray sports top showed just enough definition around her stomach to remind people exactly how hard she worked for it. Or how hard she had to work for it. The gym doors slid open with a soft hiss. Immediately, the familiar smell hit her rubber flooring, disinfectant, metal weights, and faint vanilla protein powder lingering in the air. Home. “Morning, Vanessa,” called Jake from behind the front desk. “Morning.” “You’re early again.” She smirked slightly. “Only by twenty minutes.” Jake laughed. “One day you’re gonna teach the rest of this place discipline.” Vanessa scanned her membership card and walked in confidently, headphones already around her neck. Even at six in the morning, people noticed her. A few glanced up from treadmills. One