The Stray Cat I Fed Warned Me About My Two Faced Best Friend Chapter 03

The Stray Cat I Fed Warned Me About My Two Faced Best Friend Chapter 03

But I soon noticed something strange.

Before Vanessa took anything from the seafood tray for herself, she always used the shared serving tongs to place something on my plate first.

Sometimes it was a shrimp, sometimes a slice of smoked sausage or a piece of corn.

Everything came from the same tray, so there didn’t seem to be anything suspicious about it.

I played along and ate several bites.

A few minutes later, a violent cramp twisted through my lower abdomen. I hunched forward as cold sweat broke out across my forehead.

“Natalie, what’s wrong?”

Vanessa leaned toward me, her face filled with concern. “You suddenly look awful.”

“My stomach hurts. I need to use the restroom.”

I pushed back my chair and stood, but my legs felt unsteady beneath me.

“Do you want me to come with you?” Vanessa started to rise, though a flash of satisfaction crossed her face.

“No.”

I waved her off and hurried toward the restroom.

The moment I sat down, my stomach turned on me completely.

Clutching my abdomen, I suddenly thought of the strawberry lemonade.

Vanessa had suggested that we share mine, and I’d refused. But before she’d said anything, her fingers had already brushed the rim of my glass.

Had she slipped a laxative into my drink beforehand, knowing it would force me away from the table at exactly the right time?

Damn it.

I cleaned myself up as quickly as I could and rushed out.

By the time I reached the end of the hallway, the entire dining room had erupted into chaos.

Vanessa had collapsed against her chair. Dark red blood streamed between her legs, running down the seat and dripping onto the white tile below.

Her face went bloodless. Both hands pressed against her stomach as broken moans escaped her lips.

“Oh my God! She’s bleeding! Call 911!”

A woman at the next table screamed.

“Someone call 911! Is there something wrong with the food?”

The restaurant owner came charging out of the kitchen, his face turning ashen.

“That’s impossible. Our food is fresh, and every batch is logged. I’m calling the police right now.”

I hurried toward Vanessa, but before I could speak, she lifted her head.

Tears covered her face. With a trembling hand, she pointed directly at me.

“Natalie… we’ve been best friends for most of our lives. Why would you do this to my baby?”

The entire restaurant fell silent.

Every head turned toward me.

A chill crept across my back.

“Vanessa, what are you talking about?”

Still sobbing, she pointed toward an open takeout box at the corner of the table. Inside were several half-eaten Cajun chicken wings.

“You brought those from your parents’ restaurant. You said they were testing a new recipe and that you wanted to celebrate my pregnancy.” Her voice shook. “I ate two, and then the cramps started.”

“I didn’t bring those!” I blurted. “I never brought any food in here. You told me you weren’t even pregnant, so why would I possibly…”

“You were the first person I told!”

Vanessa’s crying suddenly grew louder.

“I trusted you more than anyone. Why would you do this to me? Is it because I married a man who loves me and got pregnant with a boy? Were you really that jealous?”

“Jealous of you?”

I was shaking with anger now.

“Grant has never laid a hand on me or gambled himself deep into debt, or treated me like property. What exactly do you think I have to envy?”

“Then how do you explain the wings?”

A middle-aged woman at the next table had clearly heard enough. She pointed toward the takeout box.

“Either you brought them or you didn’t. The security footage should show it. Have the owner pull up the cameras.”

Sweat poured down the owner’s forehead as he rushed toward the back office. Less than a minute later, he returned holding a tablet.

He turned the screen toward the crowd.

“The takeout bag did come from her purse.”

On the recording, I was sitting at the table. I reached into my shoulder bag, pulled out a brown paper takeout bag, and placed it in front of Vanessa.

A loud buzzing filled my head.

The woman on the screen was unmistakably me.

But I had never done that.

“And there’s more.” The owner swiped to another camera angle. “The hostess tried to stop her because we don’t allow outside food. She said her friend was pregnant and had been craving these wings, so the hostess let it go.”