Melany blended into our lives effortlessly. In public, she wore a smile that conveyed empathy and warmth. Behind closed doors, however, she often subjected me to her biting sarcasm.

"Elisabeth, you're quite the refined lady, surely more worldly than I am. Tell me, have you ever heard of someone shamelessly clinging to another?" she mocked, having learned from Maximiliano about my special connection with Snowball.

And then my nightmares began.

Melany unleashed her cruelty on Snowball, tormenting him relentlessly. She would dunk him into hot water, pulling him out just before his cries reached their peak. And then she'd do it again, repeating this twisted ritual until Snowball's voice could no longer be heard.

When I finally discovered her, my skin bearing the same scalded marks as his, she was holding a pair of scissors. Before my very eyes, she clipped off the tip of Snowball's ear.

Both Snowball and I cried out in agony, the blade leaving trails of blood in its wake. When Maximiliano returned and saw the aftermath, Melany feigned innocence, pointing to a minor scratch on her arm.

"I'm sorry, Max. Snowball scratched me first. I only defended myself..." she whimpered.

Maximiliano's concern was immediate. "How could you be so reckless?" he gently reprimanded.

"It's just a cat, after all. No need to apologize for disciplining him."

Melany knew exactly how far to push things. Clipping an ear tip was painful, but the wound was small enough to escape serious notice. With just a slight redirection of Maximiliano's attention, my own injuries went unseen.

Melany nestled into Maximiliano's embrace, a satisfied smirk playing on her lips.