The Final Day

Riley stretched her arms above her head and grinned at the glowing computer screen. After twenty-five years of building her business empire, she had finally done it. One hundred trillion dollars. The numbers on her bank account looked impossible, but they were real.

"That's it!" she announced to her empty office on the top floor of the Maple City Tower. Through the floor-to-ceiling windows, she could see the maple trees lining the streets below, their leaves just starting to turn golden.

She grabbed her pink leather purse and headed for the elevator. Her reflection smiled back from the polished doors – blonde hair perfectly styled, blue eyes sparkling with excitement, pink blazer crisp and professional.

At the grocery store, Riley filled cart after cart with everything she had denied herself during years of strict discipline. Chocolate bars, cookies, ice cream, fancy pastries from the bakery section. The cashier's eyes widened as the total climbed higher and higher.

The Morning Surprise

Riley woke up feeling like a balloon that had been blown up too much. Her stomach pressed against something tight. She looked down and gasped. Her pink silk pajama top had torn completely down the middle during the night, leaving only her matching bra visible above her swollen belly.

"Oh my goodness," she whispered, touching her rounded stomach. It stuck out like she had swallowed a beach ball.

She struggled to sit up on her king-sized bed. The movement made her feel dizzy. Her phone buzzed on the nightstand. Dr. Martinez, her family doctor, was calling.

"Riley, I've been thinking about your last visit," Dr. Martinez said when she answered. "You've gained fifteen pounds in two months. I should have mentioned it then."

Riley looked at herself in the bedroom mirror across the room. Her face looked rounder too. "I think it might be more than fifteen pounds now," she said quietly.

"Can you come in today? I'm concerned."

Riley tried to stand up but felt wobbly on her feet. The marble floor of her penthouse seemed much farther away than usual.