I never imagined the worst moment of my life would smell like chlorine and expensive sunscreen.

The family villa was a Mediterranean dream — sprawling white stone terraces cascading down to the private beach, bougainvillea dripping from every balcony, and the turquoise sea sparkling under the late afternoon sun. Liam had bragged about it the entire flight, calling it “his family’s little slice of paradise” and making it sound like he was doing me a favor by bringing me along for his cousin’s wedding. I’d spent weeks agonizing over my outfits, trying to find something that would hide my soft belly, my wide hips, my thick thighs — anything to...