My Billionaire Thinks I’m His Cat Not His Fiancée Chapter 09

My Billionaire Thinks I’m His Cat Not His Fiancée Chapter 09

Miss Hart called again later.

I was staring out the window at the Maybach that still hadn’t left.

I hadn’t given him an answer yet.

She laughed when I told her what happened. Not surprised.

“So what are you going to do?”

I didn’t know.

I knew he’d recovered, and I knew he liked me.

Theoretically, this was great. Mission accomplished. Happy ending.

But my head was a mess.

He’d pretended for over a month.

Now he was saying let me go, while lurking nearby, refusing to leave.

Miss Hart sighed when I didn’t answer, her tone losing its playfulness.

“Miss Lane, do you know why he kept up the act even after he recovered?

“…Because he thought that if he admitted it, a normal person would think—what would they think?”

“A rich guy locks a broke orphan in his house, won’t let her work or leave, throws money at her to shut her up. Who would believe it was about a cat?”

“Would you believe he’d just recovered, or would you think he was a disgusting pervert pretending to be innocent?

“He was scared. He’s even more scared now, because he really fell for you, and he really lied to you.”

I gripped my phone.

Miss Hart added, “But I don’t feel that bad for him. Thirteen trackers is jail time.”

I let out a choked laugh.

Then she shifted gears.

“Miss Lane, let me ask you something.

“These past few days since you left—have you been happy?”

I looked at the résumé on the table, at the peeling walls.

These were things I was used to.

What I wasn’t used to was the cramped room, the cold, hollow silence.

The absence of praise or encouragement, no matter what I did—the feeling that I’d become nothing but a wisp of wind again. Invisible, formless. It wouldn’t matter if I just disappeared.

She seemed to already know the answer and continued.

“The first time I saw Ethan talk about anything personal, his eyes were red.”

“And look at him. Does he look like he has a home?”

I froze.

Even during the holidays, it was just the two of us celebrating at the mansion.

He’d been so happy. I’d never stopped to realize that in his world, “home” was just him alone.

“His family situation is complicated. You can probably guess.”

“Miss Lane, I’m not defending him. If you were a cat, he’d be justified keeping you at home… but you’re human. Humans have their own homes, their own lives and goals. That’s where he went wrong.”

She paused, and her tone softened, almost maternal.

“But I can also see that you two are the same.

“…You’re both terrified that if you’re not needed, you’ll be thrown away.”

My nose suddenly stung.

I held it together.

“I understand.”

After I hung up, I sat alone for a while.

Then I went downstairs and knocked on Ethan’s car window.

I dropped the watch and the messy paperwork into his lap.

His face stiffened, disappointment flickering across his eyes.

I took a deep breath. “Let’s start over.”