He Said the Cat Needed Him. There Was No Cat Chapter 09

He Said the Cat Needed Him. There Was No Cat Chapter 09

Vanessa Reed came to see me the day before I started my new job.

She wasn’t wearing makeup.

She looked much worse than she did on Instagram.

A bag hung from one hand.

When I came downstairs, she was standing outside my apartment building.

The moment she saw me, she tried to offer the familiar smile she had always used.

Her lips moved, but the smile never formed. “Claire.”

I didn’t invite her upstairs.

She didn’t try to enter.

She only held out the bag.

“I wanted to return these to you.”

I looked down.

The black T-shirt.

Adrian Cole’s razor.

And the sticky note that had been peeled from the refrigerator.

“Dummy, wait for me. I’ll cook when I get back.”

“None of those belong to me.”

Vanessa Reed’s fingers trembled.

“I know. I just don’t know who else to give them to.”

I looked at her. “Throw them away.”

Tears filled her eyes at once.

“Claire, I’m sorry.”

I said nothing.

She lowered her head, her voice barely above a whisper.

“There really was a cat at first.”

“We found it downstairs.”

“It brushed against Adrian Cole that day. He complained that it was annoying, but he still carried it to the animal hospital.”

“I thought it was funny then.”

“Later, an animal rescue took the cat, and I never told you.”

“Because I realized that whenever I said the cat wasn’t doing well, he came over.”

She paused.

“Whenever he came, he scolded me.”

“He scolded me for drinking iced coffee, skipping meals, and staying up late when my stomach already hurt.”

“I used to think he hated me.”

“Then I realized I was waiting for him to scold me.”

I listened without interrupting.

She looked up at me.

“I knew it was wrong.”

“The first time he left his slippers, I knew.”

“The first time he showered at my apartment, I knew then too.”

“But I couldn’t bear to make him leave.”

“Claire, I was cruel.”

At last, she said the words out loud.

I asked, “What were you trying to prove when you brought that cat to my apartment?”

Vanessa Reed went white.

She remained silent for a long time.

People entered and left the apartment building, and still she said nothing.

Finally, she answered. “I wanted your parents to see that I was hurt worse than you.”

“I wanted them to believe I wasn’t stealing your boyfriend.”

“I wanted to look like I had no other choice.”

Tears rolled down her face.

“If I had an allergic reaction, if I couldn’t breathe, Adrian Cole couldn’t ignore me.”

“And the moment he took care of me, you looked like the villain.”

Pressure built in my chest.

So I had understood her correctly that day.

Hearing her admit it still hurt.

“I’m not here to ask you to forgive me.”

“I only wanted to tell you the truth.”

She took out the sticky note.

“I wanted to keep this.”

“I kept thinking that, at least in that moment, he truly planned to come back and cook for me.”

She gave a bitter smile.

“Then I woke up in the emergency room and saw him staring at his phone the entire time.”

“I thought he was waiting for your call.”

“Later, I realized he was waiting for you to surrender first.”

“He didn’t love me that much either.”

“He only loved the version of himself who could act harsh while secretly being tender.”

I looked at her.

“The two of you were both excellent actors.”

“One pretended to be hard-hearted. The other pretended to be innocent.”

“And I was the only one left looking like a fool.”

Vanessa Reed cried harder.

“I’m sorry.”

I said, “I heard your apology.”

“But I won’t forgive you.”

She nodded.

“I know.”

Quick footsteps suddenly sounded behind us.

Adrian Cole had arrived.

The moment he saw Vanessa Reed, his face turned cold.

“What are you doing here?”

Vanessa Reed looked up at him.

She seemed stunned that he could ever use that tone with her.

Adrian Cole stepped in front of me.

“Don’t bother her again.”

I stared at his back and almost laughed.

He used to stand in front of Vanessa Reed exactly like this.

Now he had chosen me, but it was far too late.

I walked around him. “The best apology either of you can give me is staying out of my life.”

He froze.

Vanessa Reed placed the bag on the ground.

“I won’t come back.”

She looked at me. “Claire, I always said I didn’t want him.”

“The truth is, I did.”

“That’s why I betrayed you.”

She turned away.

After a few steps, she stopped.

She picked up the sticky note and stared at it for a long time.

Then she tore it into smaller and smaller pieces and dropped them into the trash can beside her.

Adrian Cole stared at the scraps.

The color slowly drained from his face.

I knew what he was thinking.

But tearing up the paper couldn’t erase what had happened.

I turned and went upstairs.

Adrian Cole called after me.

“Claire.”

I didn’t slow down.

The stairwell was silent.

His voice sounded raw behind me.

“What else can I do?”

I didn’t turn around.

“Stop showing up.”