LOVE IN PARIS: Married To My Brother-in-law-Chapter 114: Public Criticism

Days after, Leila had sucesfully thrown herself into a rigorous routine at the gym, pushing her body beyond its limits and setting weight loss goals and a strict diet, the world outside her small, quiet sanctuary was exploding.

She felt good, or at least she was starting to. Each morning, she stepped on the scale with anticipation, noting the smallest of improvements every pounds shed, inches lost.

But she never truly felt that rush of satisfaction. Instead, it was a slow, creeping sense of doubt that followed her, whispering to her that it would never be enough. She knew it would take time ,a lot of it, Rome wasn’t built in a day afterall but she was willing to give it all whatever it takes.

Few days ago, he had said she just needed to be herself and that was more than enough but that same feeling of unspoken reassurance he gave her made her want to be the best,to be perfect, for him, to be able to stand by his side equally without the feeling of low self-esteem. She wants to be the perfect one, for him and that she would be no matter how long it takes but it seems fate had a way of toying with people , desperate people afterall.

She had known this was coming, she knew it was inevitable, but she hadn’t been prepared for how quickly it would overwhelm her and take everyone around her like a storm.

The secret image someone had taken of her and Tyrell at the market surfaced one morning while she was preparing a smoothie in her kitchen.

It was a photograph from the morning they went to the local market together after they got together.

quick snap captured the candid moment of Leila laughing as she held out a handful of star anise to Tyrell who was shaking his head in playful mock surrender.

It was an innocent snapshot, just the two of them laughing together at the local market when she handed him a handful of star anise, her head tilted back in a carefree laugh while he shake his head in mock surrender and smiled. It was enough to suggest an intimacy they had never publicly admitted to.

Normally it could have just been a photo, b it wasn’t just any photo, it was the photo that would be the catalyst of everything, the angle the picture was taken from was just perfect suggesting the intimacy between them.

Leila had never imagined that someone had actually seen them together and had taken a picture and that it would actually get out.

But there was nothing she could do and before she could even trace the account that posted the image, the image had already went viral , reposted and splashed all over the internet, it went viral immediately like wildfire afterall ,it concerned a popular figure.

Popular actor Tyrell Henderson and Mystery Woman: Unusual Pair Spotted Together.

The headline was just as simple but the real poison lay in the comments sections which was filled with tons of comments from fans, hard core fans questioning his taste and once they even found out she was also someone from the industry and was even Yvette’s manager, they tagged Yvette also, all in one it was a huge mess online.

After seeing the post, the insults started rolling in quickly, and within hours, they were a flood, relentless, unyielding, and suffocating.

"Who does she think she is to even think of dating my idol? She’s too fat for him, they don’t even look compatible, not at the least!"

She’s not his type. I can tell that from a glance, maybe he’s just messing around

Tyrell can do so much better."

"She’s fat and even poor , she doesn’t belong by his side, she should date someone of her caliber.

"Look at her. She should be grateful anyone even looks at her. What does Tyrell really see in her?"

Perhaps he’s just indeed messing around.

Tyrell broke our heart all because of a "shit" like this, this is a joke. We’ll all accept it if it’s someone like Jocelyn, Yvette or even Skye but she, hell no. I’ll keep dragging her until she leaves my idol alone.

"Does she really think she’s worthy of him? She’s not even pretty and I even think she might have bewitched him cause why her if all people in the world."

Leila sat frozen in her living room, her phone held in a shaky hand as the comments continued to flood in in a relentless wave.

The notification bell rang repeatedly, each ping like a sharp sting in her chest as she was being taged continuously. Her stomach twisted in knots, each insult a tightening coil of self-doubt.

"I knew this would happen, I knew it" She whispered, her voice trembling as she read through the cruel words. "I knew it. But I thought I could handle it. I thought I could be strong but it hurts so much. It really does."

She sank back onto her couch, the tears starting to well up in her eyes. She felt them fall, one by one, hot and furious, streaking down her face, mixing with the anger that had been building up inside her.

Why did it have to be this way? Why couldn’t they just leave them alone?

The words, their judgment, their hatred, their shallow cruelty, burned into her mindand she afwkt like she was going crazy.

They filled her thoughts and squeezed her heart, pushing her deeper into a hole she had fought so hard to climb out of.

"She doesn’t deserve him."

"Who would choose her over all the other women?"

"She should look at herself in the mirror. He could do better."

Each word felt like a slap, a reminder of every insecurity she had buried beneath the surface. Her weight, her appearance, her worth, it was all on display for the world to see, and the world had made its verdict. She wasn’t enough.

"I’m not enough."

The realization hit her like a punch to the gut, and suddenly, everything she had worked for—the gym sessions, the meals she’d carefully prepared just to be on diest so as to loose weight , the effort to silence the voice in her head that always told her she wasn’t good enough, it all just felt pointless now.

The world had already decided who she was. It didn’t matter how hard she tried. Their thoughts would never change.

Her phone buzzed again, and she glanced down at the screen and it was Tyrell. She stared at the name, her heart pounding in her chest.

"I can’t talk to him, not now". She muttered to herself swallowing the lump in her throat. She didn’t want him to know she was affected,she just wanted to pretend she wasn’t affected, that it didn’t matter to her and it wasn’t even her fault.

She had been judged all the way from childhood but she didn’t felt this hurt then, why can’t people just understand that not everyone is born perfect, nobody is meant to be perfect.

She let the call ring out, the weight of her decision pressing down on her chest like a heavy stone. Her fingers hovered over the screen for a moment, then she swiped it away, unable to face him. Not now. Not like this. Not when she felt so small and insignificant.

Minutes passed, but the phone rang again, the sound now grating on her nerves. It was Tyrell again. She stared at the screen in disbelief and though she wanted to pretend like it didn’t hurt, she couldn’t help it.

Before she could stop herself, she tapped the green button. The phone was already vibrating with his name when she put it to her ear, her heart thudding wildly in her chest.

"Leila ?" . Tyrell’s voice sounded hesitant, concerned. "I’ve been trying to reach you. I saw everything. Are you okay?"

She opened her mouth to respond, but the words wouldn’t just come no matter how hard she tried.

The weight of her own emotions pressed against her chest, suffocating her. She could hear the concern in his voice, but all she could think about was how much she didn’t belong in his world, how much she didn’t deserve his attention.

"I saw those comments on the internet already". Tyrell continued, his voice growing softer. "Leila, I don’t care about what they’re saying. I don’t even give a fuck, I care about you, I don’t give a damn about those shit they’re spreading around, I only care about you and you only."

But Leila couldn’t take it. She couldn’t hear him right now, couldn’t face him. The thought of him seeing her, of him truly seeing her, was too much. She didn’t want to be pitied, didn’t want his sympathy. She just wanted to be alone, for at least this moment she wanted to have this time to herself, she didn’t want to see or talk to anyone.

"Stop it, please just stop it Tyrell " She whispered, her voice barely audible and choked by tears. "Please. Just stop. You don’t get it. I’m not like the other girls. I’m not pretty enough for you. I’m too... too much." She hated how her voice trembled, how weak she sounded. "You deserve way much better, you deserve a better womanthan I am ."