When Sasha gets home from work one day, she finds a Photoshopped image of herself stuck to the fridge. Trying to understand why her husband wants her to be someone she’s not, Sasha goes through the motions of self-doubt. But then she decides that she won’t let Ryan get away with it that easily…
Picture this: you’re coming home after a long day of working, parenting, and just trying to keep everyone going. You’re bone-tired, dreaming of nothing more than a cup of tea and maybe ten minutes of peace before the chaos starts all over again tomorrow.
You head to the kitchen, and there it is. The ultimate slap in the face.
It’s a picture of you, but not really you.
Instead, it’s your face Photoshopped onto a model’s body. Like a Victoria’s Secret-level, airbrushed-to-perfection body. And right next to it, a note in your husband’s handwriting.
You have a month to become her.
For a second, I just stared, my brain unable to comprehend what I was seeing on the fridge. I felt… upset and embarrassed, and honestly a bit sick. But then came the slow, seething rage bubbling up from somewhere deep.
Ryan had done this.
My husband, who had seen me through pregnancy, through late-night feedings and cravings, and years of juggling a full-time IT job and motherhood, had decided it was his place to “fix” me.
When I called him into the kitchen, my voice shook.
“Ryan, what the hell?” I asked.
He strolled in casually, looking so damn pleased with himself while he held a donut in his hand.
“It’s motivation, Sasha,” he said, smiling. “I just want you to be your best self, to look like someone I can be proud of again. You’ve let your body go, and honestly, it’s hard to even feel attracted to you anymore. I thought this might remind you what I need from you.”
“What you need from me?” I asked.
“Yeah,” he said. “What I need from you as a wife.”
It was like every part of me, every single stretch mark, every curve, every scar, shrank under the weight of his words.
But I refused to let him see me break. He had lost the privilege of being someone I trusted.
“Interesting,” I said, trying to keep my voice steady. “You think this will help?”
“Oh, honey, I know it will!” he said, as smug as ever. “I just want you to take care of yourself, for your own sake, and for mine. You’ve got potential, Sash, but you’ve been neglecting it. This can be your wake-up call.”
I could feel the sharp sting of tears threatening to well up, but I swallowed them back. He thought he could shame me into some crash diet, into throwing myself into a frantic pursuit of his so-called ideal woman.
Well, Ryan was about to learn exactly who he had married.
As I turned to leave the kitchen, he added another thought.
“My office’s Christmas party is coming up,” he said. “You have to be snatched and beautiful by then. I’m counting on you to be perfect.”
I could have slapped him.
The next morning, I put on my best poker face. Over breakfast, I put my mug down on the table.
“You’re right, Ryan,” I said. “I could be doing more. I’ll take your challenge seriously.”
His face lit up like it was already Christmas morning.
“That’s the spirit, babe,” he said. “I know you’ll thank me for this when it’s done.”
Oh, Ryan, you idiot.
For the next few days, I played my part perfectly. I made a vision board filled with images of gym equipment, sleek designer clothing, and ads for luxurious spa treatments. I left it out in plain sight, casually flipping through fitness magazines and “accidentally” letting Ryan overhear some of my random comments.
“To really become her, I’ll need a few key investments…”
“Oh, this is going to be expensive. But you know what, Sasha? It will be worth it, girl!”
“Damn, this food looks delicious. Maybe that diet won’t be so bad after all.”
Ryan didn’t even blink.
“Whatever you need, honey,” he said, smug confidence dripping from every word. “I know that it’s going to take a lot, but you can put in the hard work. I’ll give you whatever you need from me.”
Meanwhile, I kept him distracted. I started to make simple dishes—lots of salads and wraps. Fresh fruit and vegetables. Plenty of chicken and turkey. If I was being honest, the change in food was actually welcome, and it allowed me to give the kids better meals, too.
But I wasn’t going to give in to everything else so easily.
So, I started showing Ryan fake “progress pics” from the gym (thank you, Google!). It was easy—crop an image at the right angle and you’d never be able to tell who it was. I sipped green smoothies in front of him for breakfast, and I raved about made-up workouts.
Ryan never questioned it.
I had him exactly where I wanted him.
The first step in my transformation was convincing Ryan that becoming this new person truly wasn’t cheap. I put together a detailed “transformation plan,” complete with an Excel spreadsheet outlining all the costs.
Personal trainer: $200/session
Nutritionist: $1,500/month
Wardrobe upgrades: $10,000 (a new body meant new clothing)
Spa and beauty treatments to look younger: $5,000/month
Premium gym membership: $300/month
A woman using her laptop | Source: Midjourney
A woman using her laptop | Source: Midjourney
When I presented it to my husband, he looked a little shocked but he recovered quickly.
“Okay, Sasha,” he said, eating a bowl of trail mix. “If that’s what it takes, then by all means. You have my banking details, transfer as you see fit.”
Little did he know, every penny of that money was going into a secret account under my name.
By the end of the month, I had a neat stack of receipts totaling close to $20,000. I called my husband into the living room for a “progress check.”
He sat on the couch, looking at me expectantly, like I was about to undress and let him see what his money had gone toward.
Fat chance.
Instead, I handed him a folder labeled “Transformation Costs.”
Inside were all the receipts, neatly organized, along with a note.
Perfection has its price. Remember, you were ready to pay it.
Ryan flipped through the folder, his face turning paler with every page.
“Sasha! Are you serious?” he spluttered. “This is bloody insane!”
“Exactly, Ryan,” I said with my hands on my hips. “You expected me to overhaul my entire life for some fantasy version of me you cooked up without even asking how I felt. Well, I decided to give you a taste of what that actually costs. Not just in money, but in time, effort, and emotional energy. How does it feel?”
I grabbed the Photoshopped picture that had been on the fridge and tossed it onto his lap.
“And this? This is what you expected me to live up to. A fake version of me that doesn’t even exist. Do you have any idea how much that hurt?”
Ryan just sat there, stunned, the weight of it all crashing down around him.
“And this body that you seem to hate so much? Sure, it’s very different from the body I had when I met you at the pool all those years ago. But do you know what this body has done? It has created and given birth to our children. Two little humans that I made! I’m proud of this body!”
After a long silence, he finally sighed.
“I didn’t realize how much pressure I was putting on you, Sasha. I thought I was helping, but I see now how unfair it was.”
“Good,” I said. “Because this stops now. If you want us to work, then you need to accept me as I am, and start pulling your weight around this house. I’m not your project, I’m not your puppet. I’m your partner.”
To his credit, Ryan apologized.
“So, you haven’t been doing any of these things?” he asked, pointing to a page where I had detailed an exercise routine.
“No,” I said simply. “But I’ve been keeping your money. Do you want it back?”
“No!” he exclaimed. “Keep it, Sasha.”
I used the money on a trip to a spa, ending in a new haircut and getting my nails done. The rest went to enrolling in a new professional certification course that allowed me to work in cybersecurity from home. And finally, I bought a whole lot of clothing for the kids.
I wanted to become a better version of myself, yes. Not for Ryan’s fantasies, but for me.
The course was demanding, but it was fulfilling in a way I hadn’t felt in years. For the first time, I wasn’t trying to live up to someone else’s expectations. I was rediscovering my confidence.
Ironically, my newfound focus seemed to have an unexpected side effect: Ryan started working on himself too. And eventually, we decided that we would gym together a few times a week.
One evening over quinoa, chickpeas, and grilled chicken, he admitted something to me.
“I didn’t see it before, Sasha,” he said. “How much I’ve been projecting my own insecurities onto you. If I’m honest, I’ve been chasing perfection because I’m scared of feeling like I’ll never measure up.”
For the first time since this entire thing began, I saw him as vulnerable. And it made me realize that while I wasn’t excusing his behavior, we both had room to grow.
I won’t pretend that everything is magically perfect now. But things are different. Ryan is more attentive, more grateful, and most importantly, more willing to see me as a person, not a project.
As for me? I’m still a work in progress, but for the first time in a long time, I’m finding my way back to me. And it feels incredible.