He Stole My Cat for His Secret Lover

My boyfriend's childhood sweetheart's cat was dying, so she posted online begging for a kitten to donate blood.

At the same time, my cat vanished from the apartment.

After hours of frantic searching, I called my boyfriend for help.

Alex Simmons sounded almost bored. "Relax. Cheese is at the animal hospital donating blood."

"Lily Fox's cat is critical. I figured you'd say no, so I didn't bother telling you."

1.

"Alex, Cheese is my cat. You can't just take her without asking."

"You grabbed her and didn't send a single text. I've been out in the rain for hours like an idiot."

He sighed like I was the problem. "Serena, why are you being weird? Cheese is fine. Shouldn't you be relieved?"

Another sigh. "See? You're upset again."

"Lily was right about you. You're petty. If you'd known Cheese was donating blood for her kitten, you would've refused."

That snapped me out of my anger. A colder fear took over.

"You can't let Cheese donate blood."

"She's not even a year old. Her health was already fragile, and she just recovered from pancreatitis."

"Already done."

His tone turned clipped. Impatient.

My fingers went white around the phone. He was still talking, but the words blurred into static.

"The address," I cut in. "Send it to me."

I found the place at the end of a grimy alley—a sketchy pet clinic that barely looked legal.

Cheese was locked in a cage. Her small body was curled tight, panting in rapid little gasps. Her front leg had been shaved, and blood still seeped from the needle hole.

When she saw me, she stood up on shaky legs and let out two pitiful whimpers.

My heart shattered. I scooped her into my arms and held her until her trembling slowed.

That's when Lily Fox's cat came out of the emergency room.

Compared to Cheese—alone, ignored—Salad's side was a whole production.

"Don't worry, you two. Thanks to Cheese donating blood in time, Salad is out of danger."

Alex and Lily exhaled in unison. Then they noticed me.

Alex walked over, already making excuses. "Serena, Cheese wouldn't cooperate with the blood draw, so her leg got a little swollen. It's not a big deal."

When I didn't respond, Lily's eyes welled up. She stepped forward, voice trembling. "Serena, please don't blame Alex. I begged him. Salad fell from the sixth floor—she was dying. I didn't know what else to do..."

"You love cats too. You must understand how I felt."

"Lily, you just said you know how much I care about Cheese," I said flatly.

"She's my bottom line. Touch her again, and I'll make you regret it."

Lily burst into tears.

Alex stepped in front of her like a shield, frowning. "Serena, Salad almost died. Lily's been through enough. Don't make this harder for her."

I stared at the man in front of me—the one who couldn't tell right from wrong—and tried to pinpoint when he'd changed.

It started when I heard our boss was promoting him.

After that, he stopped hiding his history with Lily. He even used his new position to get her an internship at the company.

The signs had been there all along.