Chapter 4

I didn't look back.

Returning from Chloe's office,

my workspace had been cleared, and Liam sat in my chair.

"You're back!"

I ignored his provocation, just going to the drawer to retrieve my personal items.

After taking a cab home, I found the front door password had been changed.

I called Chloe. It rang for a long time before she answered.

I asked, "The password's changed?"

"Yeah," she paused, "Liam hasn't found a suitable place yet, so he's moving in with us. He thought the old password was hard to remember, so he changed it."

I gripped my phone.

Three years ago, when we moved into this house.

Chloe had linked her arm through mine, smiling and saying:

"Let's use our wedding anniversary as the password. That way, you'll never forget."

Now, because Liam said it was hard to remember, she had erased our wedding anniversary.

"Anyway, you're going to Greece for vacation, so changing the password won't affect you," she continued on the phone.

I took a deep breath:

"I can go to Greece, but I'm taking Judy with me."

Judy was my Ragdoll cat, I'd had her for three years, she'd been with us since we got married.

The other end of the line was silent for a few seconds.

"Judy..."

Her voice suddenly became unnatural:

"Liam is allergic to cat fur, so I had someone take her to a pet hotel."

"Which pet hotel?"

She said, "The one by the complex entrance. Just go to Greece first, we'll talk when you get back!"

I hung up and went directly to the pet store by the complex entrance.

"Excuse me, did Chloe board a Ragdoll cat here?"

The clerk shook her head:

"No, Chloe hasn't been here in a long time."

I stood there, suddenly feeling a chill run through me.

I went to several nearby pet stores, and the replies were all the same.

Finally, I went to the vet clinic.

The vet saw me, his expression a bit troubled.

"Alex, what brings you here?"

I went straight to the point: "I'm here to pick up Judy."

The vet's face changed: "Judy? She..."

"What about her?"

The vet lowered his head:

"When Chloe brought her in, she said the cat was very sick."

I staggered back a step, feeling the whole world spin.

"She lied!" my voice trembled uncontrollably. "Judy was fine before I left the house!"

The vet didn't dare to look at me:

"Later, Liam came to handle it. He said the cat was too noisy, affecting his rest, and requested euthanasia."

Judy, my cat of three years, was euthanized because she was too noisy.

Walking out of the vet clinic in a daze, I took out my phone and called Chloe:

"Judy is dead!"

The other end was silent for a long time.

"Alex!"

She finally spoke, her voice somewhat flustered:

"I didn't know."

"You didn't know?"

I cut her off:

"Didn't know Liam would kill my cat? Or didn't know I'd find out?"

"Chloe, do you know?"

"When Judy died, she must have been so scared. She must have wondered why I didn't come to save her."

With that, I hung up the phone.

I stood at the vet clinic entrance, holding Judy's urn, memories flooding back like a vivid montage.

The first day I saw Judy, I had failed in my startup, sitting on the couch, covering my face, silently weeping.

When Chloe returned, she held a box in her hand.

She smiled and said, "Alex, this is for you."

Inside the box was a tiny Ragdoll kitten.

"Her name is Judy," she said, "I hope she can make you happy."

Later, every time I worked late into the night, Judy would lie on my lap.

Every time I was too stressed, she would rub her head against me.

Every time Chloe and I argued, she would jump into my arms, as if comforting me.

Now, she was gone.

Just like my feelings for Chloe.

"Judy,"

I whispered:

"I'm sorry. I didn't protect you."

I wiped away my tears:

"I promise you, I will make those who hurt you pay the price."